Chapter 188 – Consult the Ancient Witch

“Sо thаt’s hоw I encоuntеrеd thе Witсh of Colоrs оnline. It was сreeру~”

“Yоu сеrtаinly toоk a risk…! But it’s rеmаrkablе thаt уоu mаnagеd to еscaре frоm hеr on yоur first enсounter. Originаllу, she was a prасtitioner of demoniс linеage Magic knоwn аs forbidden аrts, but it seеms hеr nаturе changed aftеr she obtаinеd thе Grimoire оf Соlors.”

A mеeting with the Аncient Witch, and in VR Sраce оf аll plаces!

Sinсe phonе cаlls оr LUINE risked being intercеptеd bу thе Witch оf Colоrs, wе сhose а plасе shе сouldn’t dеtесt.

Thе Аncient Witch in VR Space had a calm, grandmotherly Avatar.

Just as I imagined.

“Changed nature? What do you mean?”

“She went mad.”

“Ah, the typical pattern for Witches so far!”

“Fundamentally, the Grimoires you possess are primordial Grimoires. They are anomalous existences most deeply imprinted with the Magic of other worlds. They are not things humans should normally keep close. Your grandmother… the Newest Witch also kept the seven volumes on a bookshelf, only making contact when necessary. You’re doing the same, I presume. For now, I sense no signs of erosion from you.”

“I let all the Spices live freely~. Right now, only Marinna is with me; the other three are at home playing party games.”

The Ancient Witch was speechless.

“Heeey~, called upon, I spring forth, it’s Marinna~. You see, Master completely intercepts the erosion over there by utilizing a form where he himself transforms into a being from another world. This idea came from transformation heroine stories, you know. Human imagination is amazing~”

“That’s right, that’s right. So being with Marinna makes it easiest for me to use power! Metamorphose!”

Poof Transformation—Aqua Spice.

I wish a natural summer would come soon so this old sailor suit feels right at home~.

“I see… Preparing a form for using Magic. That was a concept I hadn’t considered. In the past, evil Witches would make others shoulder the cost to use Magic. You are mitigating it by preparing a form with high affinity for the cost itself.”

Mitigate, you could say, or perhaps nullify.

“Something like that! So, the Witch of Colors basically took the Grimoire’s burden directly herself?”

“They are beings with long histories as Witches as well. They must have been confident. Precisely because of that, they were eroded by the Grimoire and became corrupted.”

In a sense, the Witch of Colors might be a victim.

Well, I’m still gonna knock her out!

Since dialogue is impossible, I’ll head to Austria and blast her away.

Let’s go with that plan.

As for the Witch of Power, I might need to gather information from all over the world.

Since she’s the final opponent after weeding out the weaklings, I should take my time and corner her thoroughly here.

“For now, I’ll go to Austria next month and have our showdown~”

“Please do your best. I’ll send you some Talismans by mail later.”

“Leaving them at the door is fine, so please handle it that way.”

And so it was decided.

It’s good to have a great senior.

The Ancient Witch, indeed.

I never thought she’d have VR glasses, though.

Witches need to stay in touch with new cultures too.

Apparently, the Witch of Colors can’t handle VR precisely because her understanding only extends to the internet.

VR, which goes beyond that, seems to be outside her realm of perception.

“Whew, but it’s good Spice has Metamorphose~. Thanks to that, I haven’t ended up weird like the Witches!”

“Master was originally a male who couldn’t use the Magic of Grimoires, after all. When males have talent, they become sorcerers. Since they can’t use Grimoires, they use logical, rigid Magic. For example, that Merlin who was among the Listeners in Little Momiji’s Stream we saw the other day, remember?”

“Mhm mhm… Huh!? That Merlin!? He was there!?”

“Her Modern Magic lineage is probably something like a Modern Magic set created directly by Merlin. I was curious and watched various Archives of hers. She teaches different Modern Magic combinations with each Stream, and Little Momiji, being talented, is absorbing it rapidly. Had she met us, she would have become a Witch.”

“She’s talented, huh~! So there are people like that all over the place.”

While dealing with people who approached upon seeing Aqua Spice.

After parting with the Ancient Witch, Spice wandered around VR Space.

“So, originally, Master had the talent to become a sorcerer. By inserting Metamorphose into the mix and matching with the Grimoires as well, the Grimoire’s boost was applied to both the sorcerer and Witch talents. That’s strong. Since he can’t use Grimoires in his original form, there’s Metamorphose. That’s why absolutely no erosion reaches his true self. Though erosion from the Metamorphose side brings in a self-identification as a little girl.”

“I kinda feel that last part. Even in my original form, I’ve lost resistance to cute gestures…”

Now that I think of it…

The final Collab in Little Ira’s Slot—this one will probably be in VR.

When you think of Little Ira, you think VR~.

I guess I’m looking forward to it.

How to draw in Little Momiji, a VR beginner.

This will also test my skills as an experienced user.

“Master, may I go play for a bit?”

“Sure~. Spice is heading back anyway~.”

“Yay, thank you. Well then, I’ll be off.”

Just as I thought the blue Grimoire went floating away, she transformed into a color-swapped version of Aqua Spice.

Her hair color is ultramarine, and her sailor suit is green!

W-whoa!

Marinna has a humanoid Avatar!!

Mufufu, I secretly created it, you see. We Grimoires will all take forms based on Master’s transformation forms. That’s the plan.”

“‘The plan’ means… you’re making them?”

“Flota and I are making them vigorously right now.”

The Grimoires have fully adapted to modern civilization and are energetically active, huh.