The Primordial Witch Takes a Stroll Through the Royal Capital - The Primordial's Fingertip, the Wilderness Contract

The wind that night cut to the bone. Stars scattered across the sky, and moonlight alone bathed the earth in a pale blue glow. A wasteland stretched in every direction. On barren ground where grass and trees had withered to nothing and bare rock lay exposed, two figures stood side by side. One was a girl. Her brown hair, reaching her shoulders, swayed in the night breeze as she gazed up at the sky with large, brown eyes. She wore a rough tunic covered in patches, and her worn leather boots were caked in mud and soot. She looked like any poor child from any poor family. And yet, the air around the spot where she stood was strangely still. The sound of the wind, the distant cries of beasts — all of it seemed to stop dead the moment it drew near her. "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" The girl — Theresia — murmured in an innocent voice. It echoed into the silence of the wasteland like something dissolving into water. Half a step behind her, slightly to the side, stood another figure. A man in a black coat. His black hair was cropped short, and his jet-black eyes were deep, as though they swallowed light itself. Beneath the moonlight, his shadow was darker than the body that cast it — and at times, that shadow alone seemed to writhe, like a separate living thing. The man's name was Lorde. "Indeed, my lady. Tonight is the full moon." Lorde's voice was quiet and polite. He walked half a step behind Theresia, answering her words. His footsteps made no sound at all, even on the gravel of the wasteland. "Hey, Lorde. How long do you think it would take to walk to that moon?" Theresia pointed at the moon and tilted her head. The gesture was that of a child her age — and yet it carried a strange air, something not quite of this world. "I couldn't begin to imagine, my lady." "Right? With human legs, you'd never make it in a lifetime. But I could probably get there." Theresia giggled. Her laughter rang out strangely clear in the night wasteland. Lorde said nothing. He simply stood quietly behind her. ―――― That was when it happened. The wind changed direction. The breeze that had been stirring the dead grass stopped dead, and in its place, the air turned bitterly cold. "Huh...?" A small sound escaped Theresia's lips. Her brown eyes fixed on something deep in the darkness of the wasteland. The next instant, countless lights burst out of the dark. Arrows of flame. Ten, twenty — no, more. Blazing arrows tore through the night, flying in a straight line toward Theresia. The smell of scorched air spread across the wasteland. "—Found the Primordial." A low female voice echoed from the darkness. The flaming arrows were aimed precisely at Theresia's body. Head, chest, belly, legs. Every vital point, without a hair's breadth of error. But Theresia didn't move. No — she had no need to. Just before the flaming arrows touched her body, every single one of them shattered in midair, as though they had struck an invisible wall. Fragments of burning arrows scattered sparks as they fell to the ground. "Ahaha, what was that? That's funny." Theresia laughed innocently. Even with her life under attack, there was not a trace of fear or anger in her voice. Three women emerged from the darkness. All were young, perhaps in their mid-twenties. Each wore the same black robe, and each held a staff or a dagger. Their eyes held clear, unmistakable killing intent. "So humans truly cannot kill her... but her own kind can. That is the witches' law." The woman standing in the center — silver-haired, cropped short — spoke in a cold voice. "You are a plague festering on this continent. You sided with humans and broke the witches' law. As a witch of your own kind, I will pass judgment here." The other one, a red-haired woman, leveled her dagger as she spoke. Theresia looked up at them with a blank, puzzled expression. "A plague? Me? And what's this law you're talking about?" "Don't play dumb. A child like you claiming to be the Primordial Witch — you're a hundred years too early." The silver-haired woman pointed her staff at Theresia. "We received word that you've been calling yourself the Primordial and worming your way into human favor. The Primordial Witch could never take the form of a child. You are a fake. And a fake witch is disposed of by her own kind. That is the decree of the Silver Moon Tower." The Silver Moon Tower. Hearing the name, Theresia tilted her head slightly. "The Silver Moon Tower... ah, that little group those girls put together. But I'm not a fake. I'm the real Primordial." "Silence, impostor!" The red-haired woman shouted. "There's no way a child like you could be the Primordial Witch. I've heard the Primordial is far more terrifying, far more powerful. Someone like you — some ordinary little girl — could never be the Primordial!" Her voice was mixed with anger and no small amount of fear. Hearing those words, Theresia giggled. "You think so? But I really am the real one. You shouldn't judge by appearances. Human children come in all different kinds on the inside too, don't they?" "Hold your tongue!" All three witches moved at once. The silver-haired witch raised her staff and began to chant. The red-haired witch flipped her dagger into a reverse grip and kicked off the ground. The last one, the black-haired witch, gathered lightning magic at her fingertips. "Die, impostor!" A spear of ice shot from the silver-haired witch's staff. Freezing the air around it, it flew in a straight line toward Theresia's heart. At the same moment, the red-haired witch had circled behind Theresia. Her dagger swung down toward the nape of Theresia's neck. From the black-haired witch's fingertips, a bolt of lightning lashed out and scorched the ground at Theresia's feet. A simultaneous attack from three directions. For a human — no, even for an ordinary witch — evasion was impossible. But Theresia simply stood there. The ice spear shattered to pieces just before it touched her chest. The dagger was blown away by an unseen force before it reached her neck. The lightning dispersed into the air before it reached her feet. "Ahahahaha! You're all so funny! You're really trying that hard to kill me!" Theresia laughed aloud. Her laughter echoed across the wasteland, piercing the three witches' ears with a strange, cold sharpness. "W-Why... why doesn't it work...?!" The silver-haired witch's face twisted with terror. "Her own kind should be able to kill her...! A witch can only be killed by a witch...! So why won't my magic...?!" She stared at her staff, disbelief written across her face. Still laughing, Theresia looked around at them. "You know, it's true that a witch can only be killed by a witch. That's half right. But I'm not a witch. I'm the one who made the witches. So your magic, your blades — none of it can reach me." Theresia's voice was gentle and slow, as though she were explaining something to a child. The color drained from the three witches' faces. "No... it can't be... truly...?" The red-haired witch's voice was trembling. "Yes, it's true. So why don't we stop here? It's not like I want to kill you. I was just taking a little rest on my way to the royal capital." With that, Theresia gave a small yawn. In that instant, Lorde moved. "Lady Theresia. Please step back. From here on, I will handle it." Lorde's voice was as polite as ever. But in his jet-black eyes, a cold light now burned — one that had not been there before. "Aww, but it was just getting interesting." "My apologies. I cannot stand by and allow those who would offer you disrespect in your presence to go unpunished." Lorde stepped forward in front of Theresia. His shadow swayed. From within that shadow, countless black wolves came leaping out. Shadow Wolves — magical beasts that inhabited the forests around the royal capital. But these were nothing like the wild ones. They were larger, sharper, and eerily, unnaturally silent. "W-What is this man...?! A familiar...? No, I've never seen a familiar like this...!" The black-haired witch stumbled backward. "I shall be your opponent. Please, all of you at once." Lorde spoke quietly. Before his words had even finished, the Shadow Wolves lunged at the three witches. "Kh—!" The silver-haired witch swung her staff, trying to fight back with ice magic. But the Shadow Wolves moved far too fast. The ice spears cut through empty air, and a Shadow Wolf's fangs tore deep into her arm. "Gyaaaaaah!" The silver-haired witch screamed and collapsed. "Stop, get away, you—!" The red-haired witch swung her dagger wildly. But the Shadow Wolf nimbly dodged her attack and raked its sharp claws across her leg. "Aaaaaah!" The red-haired witch, too, fell to the ground. "Hii... h-help me...!" The black-haired witch tried to flee. But one of the Shadow Wolves blocked her path, and its massive jaws crunched down on her shoulder. "Nooooo!!" The three witches' screams echoed across the wasteland. Their blood spray, lit by the moonlight, glistened black. Lorde looked down at the scene without expression. "Lady Theresia, I apologize for the disturbance. I will dispose of the rest now." Lorde turned and bowed to Theresia. Theresia watched the scene intently. The blood-soaked wasteland. The screaming women. Flesh torn apart by Shadow Wolves. All of it, she observed with nothing but apparent curiosity. "Lorde, you really are strong. But maybe that was a bit much." "My apologies. Having raised a blade against you, Lady Theresia, I cannot allow them to live." "Mm, well, it's fine. But those girls aren't dead yet, are they? I want to deliver the final blow myself." With that, Theresia approached the fallen silver-haired witch. "You... what are you doing...?!" The silver-haired witch, her body drenched in blood, glared desperately at Theresia. "Hey, what's your name?" Theresia crouched down and peered into the silver-haired witch's face. "W-Why would you ask that...?!" "Because I'd like to know the name of someone who's about to die. I make sure to remember things like that." Theresia's voice was kind. And that kindness only pushed the silver-haired witch's terror to its absolute limit. "Hii...!" The silver-haired witch let out a soundless scream. "If you won't tell me, that's fine. Then, goodbye. I won't forget that you tried to uphold the witches' law." Theresia gently touched her fingertip to the silver-haired witch's forehead. In that instant, the silver-haired witch's body blazed with light from within. "W-What is this...?! It's hot...! It's hot...! Nooooo!!" The silver-haired witch's body was enveloped in light, and before anyone could blink, she was turning to ash. Bone, flesh, blood — all of it became particles of light, vanishing into the night sky. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams." Theresia said it with a smile. That smile, beneath the moonlight, was far too innocent — and far too terrifying. The remaining two witches were likewise reduced to ash by a single touch of Theresia's fingertip. Their screams echoed across the wasteland, and then faded. ―――― Silence returned to the wasteland. Moonlight bathed the blood-soaked ground in pale blue. Lorde gazed steadily at the scene. In his jet-black eyes, there was no fear, no awe — no emotion at all. No, there was just one thing. A boundless, bottomless reverence for the being called Theresia, burning quietly within them. "Lorde, let's go. The royal capital is still far, isn't it?" Theresia didn't spare so much as a glance at the ashes of the witches as she began to walk. "Lady Theresia." Lorde called after her. "What?" Theresia turned around. Lorde quietly dropped to one knee where he stood. "Lady Theresia. Would you make me your familiar?" Lorde's voice was trembling. It was the first time. The first time emotion had entered his voice. "Familiar? You? But you're already strong enough." "No. I have not even begun to comprehend a single fragme

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Episode 4

Name: The Primordial Witch Takes a Stroll Through the Royal Capital
Author: Novelia

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