[V8C14] Only the Witch Remembers
Translated by Jodas 8: The Witch of the BoundaryThat book was the story of a witch who left her imprint on the history of a neighboring country.
The witch’s name was the First Thorn Witch, Rebecca Roseberg.
She was remembered as history’s most dangerous and most evil witch, capable of controlling black flame magecraft that burned away any and all things, and a magecraft known as the ‘man-eating rose fortress’ that sucked its victims dry of their blood.
With this overwhelming power, she repelled invaders and propped up her nation’s king.
(…These ‘invaders’ came from what’s now the Empire, huh… I’m not sure how I feel about that.)
Rebecca used her powers to slaughter the soldiers of the Old Empire and earned great honors.
A considerable amount of pages were devoted to this prologue. There were few corrections, so Wren silently copied line after line.
(It’s not exactly the ancient language, but there are lots of old, roundabout ways of phrasing… I guess this book was written a little after the end of the Old Era?)
Afterwards, she gained countless enemies within the Kingdom of Ridill who went after her life. Then in the end, a certain young man ran his sword through her body.
Resolved to her own death, Rebecca ordered the rest of her House Roseberg to use her soul to create an Ancient Magical Artifact.
—At this point, Wren was taken aback.
(Using a human’s soul to make an Ancient Magical Artifact?)
He thought back to their magic battle with the Extermination Office. There, Helena used ‘Eurydice, the Cackling Foam.’
The Ancient Magical Artifact had a will of its own, and could speak.
Back then, all he thought of it was ‘Wow, that’s creepy,’ but if what this book says is true… ‘Creepy’ wouldn’t even begin to describe it.
Ancient Magical Artifacts were made by processing a human soul and turning it into a tool. That was a heretical act on the level of making toys out of someone’s corpse. An unbearably grotesque and obscene act.
When the book described Rebecca’s death, the last line had a stroke through it, and a correction was written in the margins.
“Resolved to her own death, Rebecca ordered the rest of her House Roseberg to use her soul to create an Ancient Magical Artifact.”
Became:
“Resolved to Rebecca’s death, the rest of her House Roseberg decided to use Rebecca’s soul to create an Ancient Magical Artifact.”
While trying to write the correction with as close to the original letter forms as possible, Wren directed his attention behind himself.
The Witch sat on a pile of books on the floor and, with a glass ball on her lap, watched Wren closely.
Wren carefully inscribed the words, slid a piece of paper in between the pages to soak up the drying ink, then turned the page.
According to the original book, the Ancient Magical Artifact made from Rebecca’s soul, the ‘Chromatic Garden,’ was designed to draw out and store the mana and colors of others, then use that to recreate the original Rebecca’s powers.
In short, by turning Rebecca into an Ancient Magical Artifact, the Rosebergs sought to make her existence eternal.
That said, the ‘Chromatic Garden’ was far too powerful, and no one in the Roseberg family could wield it. The ‘Chromatic Garden’ would drain its user’s mana and kill them.
(There’s another correction here.)
According to the corrected text, House Roseberg, obsessed with reviving Rebecca, pulled half of Rebecca’s soul out from the ‘Chromatic Garden’ and experimented on implanting it into a member of House Roseberg.
This story was no longer within the realm of sanity. If this was a fabrication, House Roseberg could have him sued for libel.
(…Besides, is it even possible to split someone’s soul like that?)
Those questions arose in his head, but if Ancient Magical Artifacts were made by processing a human soul, then it might well be possible.
But in that case, what happens to the divided soul? Wren tried to imagine himself in that situation.
(Would it be like my consciousness being divided in two? That would be a real headache…)
Two pretty boys had a discussion in his head. ‘Hey, you (me) are a pretty boy, aren’t you (me)?’ ‘You (me) are quite the pretty boy yourself (myself)!’
Sensing that his thoughts were getting ridiculous, Wren brushed that train of thought away and focused back on his writing.
(I’m slowly coming to understand the differences between the original and revised versions…)
According to the original book, Rebecca, the Thorn Witch, personally ordered the members of House Roseberg to turn her into an eternal entity.
But according to the revised version, Rebecca wished for no such thing. House Roseberg worshiped Rebecca of their own accord, and they were the ones who sought to make her existence eternal.
—Was it the Thorn Witch Rebecca who wished for eternity? Or was it her followers, House Roseberg?
Rebecca’s soul had been divided in two: one part inside the Ancient Magical Device ‘Chromatic Garden,’ and the other inside a member of House Roseberg.
Despite all of their efforts, House Roseberg couldn’t revive Rebecca Roseberg.
Then, one day, the Ancient Magical Device ‘Chromatic Garden’ was stolen by a bird Monster… This part ‘stolen by a bird Monster’ had another line through it, followed by a correction.
The correction went, as follows:
One day, a Harpy landed on the windowsill of the room where the ‘Chromatic Garden’ was being stored.
The Harpy took one look at the ‘Chromatic Garden,’ and sang a song. The ‘Chromatic Garden’ took a liking to this song.
From then on, over many days and nights, the Harpy and the ‘Chromatic Garden’ exchanged words. They spoke of the sky, of music.
“I want to show you the outside too. I want to teach you how good the wind feels.”
When the Harpy said that, the ‘Chromatic Garden’ responded:
“Then take me away.”
The Harpy grabbed the ‘Chromatic Garden’ in her large talons and took to the sky.
They flew far, far, into the distant sky. Singing a song all the way.
Because you are so beautiful, I taught you the color of the sky.
I wanted you to feel the spring breeze wafting over my wings.
Let us see the world outside the window.
O rose, O rose, with you, I will go anywhere.
O rose, O rose, with you, I will be forever.
—I will steal you, and we will go anywhere.
As he copied the text, Wren broke into a cold sweat.
At just this moment, he could hear Tia’s singing voice from out in the courtyard.
“Let us see the world outside the window. O rose, O rose, with you, I will go anywhere.”
According to the original text, the ‘Chromatic Garden’ was stolen by a Harpy. In truth, it was stolen. The Harpy herself recognized that fact and immortalized it in song.
But according to the revised text, the ‘Chromatic Garden’ wished by itself to be taken away, and requested for the Harpy to do so.
With works like this, you could tell what the author favors and what things they hold grudges against.
The original work favored—no, worshiped— the First Thorn Witch. Then, it treated the bird Monster that stole the ‘Chromatic Garden’ with intense malice, describing her as an obscene creature of evil.
But the revised version saw things differently.
The followers of the Thorn Witch were foolish, while the Harpy who stole — no, carried away — the ‘Chromatic Garden’ was described with sincere fondness.
Between the original text of this book and the revisions, which one was the truth? Wren couldn’t make up his mind.
But after coming this far, he had developed a pretty good idea of the true identity of the Witch sitting behind him.
“…Witch, are you ‘Rebecca, the Chromatic Garden’?”
“Shut up and write.”
Wren thought as he went back to writing.
The Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Chromatic Garden’ was said to draw color and mana from others, store it, then use it to replicate the powers of the First Thorn Witch.
He didn’t know the details of the First Thorn Witch’s powers. But, he knew that Classical Magecraft held an immense potential that Modern Magecraft couldn’t match.
It would surely be possible for the one known as the Old Era’s strongest witch to build a garden that ignored the seasons. It also wouldn’t be out of the question for her to make a false human body to act as her avatar.
(…No, there’s no question, she can.)
She was the one who gave Tia, a Harpy, her human skin.
In that case, she should easily be able to make a human form that resembled herself and move it around to some extent — That was the woman sitting behind him.
(…’Rebecca, the Chromatic Garden’ is an Ancient Magical Artifact. In that case, there has to be a wielder… Just like Helena is to ‘Eurydice, the Cackling Foam,’ Ancient Magical Artifacts need a wielder.)
‘Oh.’ The realization hit Wren and his hand stopped.
Who was contracted to ‘Rebecca, the Chromatic Garden’? That was hardly worth asking.
There could only be one answer.
—The man who saved Tia, Kai. He was the one contracted to the Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Rebecca, the Chromatic Garden.’
It was already almost noon.
He could hear Tia’s delighted singing coming from the garden. She had to have finished watering the plants long ago, and Tia had been just singing the whole time since. She sounded like she was having tons of fun, never getting tired of it.
Even though the Witch, the owner of the house, had said she hated commotion, she made no effort to stop Tia’s songs.
He was almost done writing the book’s contents.
The demise of the Thorn Witch just about reached its end with the Harpy taking her away.
Looking back on the words he’d written, Wren asked the Witch.
“What happened to the Harpy in this book who took the ‘Chromatic Garden’ away?”
He wondered if she was going to ignore him again.
But the Witch muttered something. As quiet as a drop of water falling to the ground.
“A Harpy’s life is short.”
‘I know.’ Wren whispered in his heart.
Every time he thought of Tia’s life expectancy, it felt like something was squeezing on Wren’s heart.
It was a human’s selfish emotion towards a creature with a different life span.
“…Could you have extended her life, Witch?”
“That bird did not want that.”
Hearing that voice from directly next to his ear, Wren flinched.
Without Wren noticing, the Witch had moved to right beside him.
The Witch’s pale, slender fingers plucked the feather pen from his grasp and began to write on a spare sheet of paper intended for soaking up ink.
—Do you wish for a longer life?
To the Witch’s question, the Harpy who stole the ‘Chromatic Garden’ replied:
“I don’t need that. After all, I’ve lived plenty already. I got to fly a whole lot, sing, and lay my eggs.”
The Harpy was fulfilled.
She wanted to wrap her life up properly, without any distortions.
“More importantly, if you ever meet any other Harpies like me, I want you to get along with them, okay? I’ll leave a song about my favorite friend, too. So that the Harpies will all come to like you.”
A Harpy who did not wish for eternity and died at the end of a satisfied life.
A Witch who had eternity wished for her in her stead, and had her soul distorted.
The Harpy may have died, but she left her feelings for the Witch to her descendants in the form of a song.
The Witch who could not die properly now lives on. With half of her soul, as the Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Rebecca, the Chromatic Garden.’
It now made sense to him why Tia had become so attached to the Witch.
The Harpies had been raised listening to that song of love dedicated to the Witch — ‘I will steal you, and we will go anywhere.’ That meant her mind was unconsciously trained to open her heart to the Witch.
The Harpy did not wish for eternity, but she certainly wanted to pass down her love for the Witch.
Wren stared at the words the Witch wrote on the spare page.
“Hey, Witch. Let’s add this to the book!”
“No need.”
The Witch lifted up the page with those words, then muttered something. Like a half-whispered song.
When she did, a black flame appeared on the tip of her finger that burned through the page in the blink of an eye. Without even leaving ash behind.
“So long as I alone remember, I am content.”