Just as Roseithe had said, the weather today was lovely—clear skies, gentle breeze, and warm sunshine.
Using magic, Roseithe summoned a floating table into the air.
The two of them sat across from each other, a tea set and an array of pastries arranged neatly atop it.
The sunlight bathed them in a comfortable warmth.
It was likely late spring now.
The sun lacked the scorching intensity of summer, nor was it as feeble as in autumn or winter.
It radiated a gentle, comforting heat.
They sipped tea and nibbled on pastries—quite delicious ones, in fact.
According to Roseithe, baking was one of her hobbies during downtime, and all the pastries were handmade by her.
As for the ingredients, aside from the witches, there existed another race here—beings known as fairies.
Roseithe explained they were created by the Fourth Witch, the one who governs Harvest and Earth, as her familiars.
These fairies looked mostly human, save for their pointed ears.
They stood about thirty centimeters tall, entirely female, and had a pair of transparent wings on their backs that allowed them to fly.
They were responsible for the daily needs of the witches.
In addition to that, they were born with a natural affinity for nature.
They could enrich soil, accelerate crop growth, and even manage livestock and food processing.
The ingredients Roseithe used for her pastries were all provided by them.
Thanks to the Fourth Witch and her fairies, the witches weren’t entirely deprived of life’s small pleasures.
Otherwise, spending hundreds or even thousands of years in solitude with no comfort food might’ve driven them insane.
When Lanafit had just stepped out earlier, she almost ran into one—mistaking it for an oversized insect and nearly swatting it away.
Thankfully, Roseithe stopped her in time.
Afterward, Lanafit solemnly apologized to the trembling little creature.
The fairy, still clearly shaken, gave several quick bows and then flew off.
Roseithe had only watched the scene with regret and murmured wistfully,
“These fairies are all so cute… If only they were a little bigger.”
Knowing full well the kind of filthy thoughts lurking in that woman’s head, Lanafit chose to ignore her entirely.
The two continued chatting over tea and snacks.
Lanafit’s questions focused mostly on witches and the Demon God, while Roseithe’s inquiries were more like a background check—asking what kinds of food she liked, her favorite animals, and what kind of girls she was into.
It all sounded rather suspicious.
But when the topic came back around to witches, Lanafit had another question.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve only seen this one building around here. Where do the other witches live?”
“Ah! That’s right—I totally forgot to mention it.”
Roseithe put on a sheepish smile, as if she’d just remembered something important.
Lanafit gave her a deadpan look.
“This is my personal island. As for the other senior witches, they each live on their own respective islands~.”
“Islands? Are we… out at sea?”
Lanafit blinked in confusion.
She hadn’t heard the sound of waves, and there was this strange mist constantly hanging around the area.
“Nope, not at sea~.”
Roseithe answered as she stood up, walking toward the edge of her courtyard—where the mist was densest.
She beckoned Lanafit over.
“Come here, Lanafit dear.”
“What is it?” Lanafit stepped closer. But just as she was about to enter the mist, Roseithe stopped her.
“Don’t go any farther—just stand there.”
Though puzzled, Lanafit obeyed and halted her steps.
She waited for Roseithe to explain, only to see her standing solemnly, fingertips pressed together in a prayer-like pose.
“Oh great Demon God,” Roseithe intoned, “please lift the veil from the eyes of the lost. Let all truths be revealed.”
As she prayed, the dense, uncanny fog slowly began to clear.
And then, Lanafit saw something that left her utterly stunned.
There was nothing.
That’s right—nothing.
Beyond the mist, there was absolutely nothing.
No land, no sea, no horizon.
Just empty air.
But when she looked downward—if you were even a little afraid of heights, your knees would give out instantly.
Far, far below… was the land.
So far away, in fact, that they were eye-level with the clouds.
The ground must’ve been several thousand meters beneath them.
Lanafit’s vision swam, and she nearly collapsed from dizziness, cold sweat breaking out all over her.
“We’re… in the sky?” she asked, barely believing the words coming out of her own mouth.
She thought perhaps her eyes had deceived her—but Roseithe only nodded calmly in reply.
“This is the dwelling the beings of the lower world refer to as the domain of the gods. It’s called the Sky Archipelago. It’s a gift from the Demon God to the witches… and also the lonely cage where we bear the torment of eternal life.”
“A cage…” Lanafit repeated the word quietly, rolling it over in her mind.
But soon, she understood exactly what Roseithe meant.
Of course.
A place where immortal witches live out centuries—what else could it be, if not a cage?
She looked around again.
Floating islands drifted in the sky, each connected by glowing, suspended pathways.
One such path extended from Roseithe’s island to the rest.
On the islands closest to them, Lanafit could see buildings—some were lavish villas, others quaint cottages, and a few were extremely modest homes.
She also spotted unfamiliar women standing at the edges of their own islands, glancing around as if trying to find the source of the dispersed mist.
Lanafit’s gaze then landed on a familiar structure—the grand hall where her summoning ceremony had taken place.
That hall’s island was larger than the others and sat at the very center of the archipelago, surrounded by the floating isles of the witches.
As Lanafit was still reeling from the overwhelming scene, a figure appeared on the nearest island.
A woman, looking to be around twenty years old, with a cold and striking beauty, walked to the edge.
“Roseithe, don’t go dispersing the mist on your own. If you make the islands visible like this, the worshippers down below will start prostrating again and never get up.”
She didn’t step onto Roseithe’s island, instead calling out from the edge of her own.
Now that she had been caught, Roseithe quickly apologized.
“Sorry, Sister Shudell! I’ll cover it back up right away.”
She pressed her fingertips together again, resuming her prayer.
“Oh great Demon God, please once more veil the eyes of the lost. Hide all truths within the mist.”
With her invocation, the strange mist began to slowly return.
Seeing this, the witch named Shudell said nothing further, though before turning away, she glanced at Lanafit and gave her a small nod.
Lanafit quickly nodded back.
It looked like Shudell might’ve smiled, but the fog thickened before Lanafit could be sure.
Meanwhile, Roseithe let out a deep sigh of relief once the mist fully returned.
“Whew, thank goodness Sister Shudell isn’t pursuing it. Otherwise, I’d be getting chewed out by all the other senior witches… not that I’d really mind that, actually.”
“…Roseithe, who was that just now?”
Lanafit looked toward where the icy-looking woman had disappeared and asked.
“Oh, you mean Sister Shudell Moximi? She’s the Fourteenth Witch, the one who governs Winter and Snow. She’s really senior to us.”
The Fourteenth Witch—that meant she was born over two thousand years ago.
Compared to Roseithe, who was only a century old, and Lanafit, who was summoned just two days ago, Shudell was practically ancient.
“Let me tell you, Sister Shudell is super strict. One time, because her island’s so close, I thought I’d sneak a peek to see if her sleeping face was just as icy. I climbed up to her window and peeked in—only to see her glaring at me with the coldest stare imaginable.”
“…Is it possible that the reason she can’t sleep is because someone creepy like you lives next door?”
“Eh? What’s that got to do with me?”
Roseithe blinked blankly at Lanafit, completely unaware of her own behavior.
Lanafit could only sigh deeply at this woman’s total lack of self-awareness.
Shudell was a normal woman, after all.
And next door lived a witch who thought of nothing but pushing girls down, who hadn’t had a single chaste thought in over a hundred years.
How could she not be disturbed?
And then to have that same witch peeking through your window at night?
The fact that Shudell didn’t come over and beat her half to death in righteous fury was a miracle in itself.
After finishing their tour of the floating islands, the two returned to the tea table.
And once again, Lanafit had a question.
“If each of you has your own island… what about me? Do I have one too?”
“Uuuuhhh… Has little Lanafit-chan already grown tired of living with me? But I can fulfill all your desires, you know…”
Roseithe suddenly wore a heartbroken expression, as if she’d been cruelly abandoned.
Lanafit simply stared at her and spoke flatly:
“Please act normal. If not, I really will request a different guide. Sister Shudell seemed like a decent choice.”
“No no no! Fine, fine—I’ll talk! Geez, Lanafit, you’re so mean… always bullying me. Though if you’re going to bully me, I’d rather it be in bed—”
“Stop right there! Just tell me already.”
Lanafit immediately cut off Roseithe’s wandering imagination and urged her to get to the point.
Roseithe, pouting in disappointment, had no choice but to explain.
“Since you’re the newly appointed witch, of course you’ll have your own floating island.
But it takes about a month to fully form.
When it’s ready, a building suited to your preferences will appear on it.
Until then, you’ll be staying with your guide—which is me—so I can better guide you.”
“I see.”
Lanafit nodded, finally understanding.
But then, a thought struck her.
Roseithe had also stayed at the home of the 33rd Witch when she was first summoned.
With her personality, didn’t that mean…
She silently offered a moment of sympathy for the 33rd Witch and felt a renewed sense of caution.
Looks like she’d need to completely freeze the room tonight—maybe even electrify the doorknob just to be safe.
She’d definitely need to read a few more pages of the magic book tonight to find better protective measures.
“Ehehehe~ So that means you and I get to enjoy living together for a whole month, Lanafit-chan! Let’s use that time to nurture our feelings for each other~!”
Roseithe spread her arms wide with a cheerful grin.
Yep, just as expected.
“So! For the sake of our wonderful future together, how about a commemorative kiss to get us started?”
As she spoke, she lunged forward—but instead of a kiss, she smacked face-first into a solid wall of ice, completely failing in her attempt to steal a peck.
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