Sophie’s laboratory was nestled in the Northwest Forest near Fallen Leaves Town.
To be honest, she didn’t much care for the surroundings—the endless, towering trees that blocked out the sky always brought back memories she’d rather forget.
Her childhood spent with her Grandmother, clinging to life in a ramshackle hut deep in the wilderness, isolated and apart from everyone.
Yet, in the end, Sophie had chosen to build her lab here.
“After all, experiments can be very dangerous.”
Staring at the steaming bottles and jars on her desk, Sophie focused as she pulled on her gloves, ready to test the knowledge awakened from deep within her bloodline.
“The concentration of Mithril was a bit too high before. Maybe this time I should add some Red Copper?”
She tinkered endlessly with the materials at hand, not feeling tired in the slightest—if anything, she was full of energy.
“If this experiment succeeds, Green’s Greenhouse Cultivation Plan will finally be complete. Then, the whole territory will be able to produce all sorts of crops year-round.”
Her spirits soared as she watched the bubbling liquid, already imagining the townsfolk of Fallen Leaves Town benefiting from her latest invention, their faces beaming with happiness.
Sophie truly loved seeing the residents’ smiles.
Especially when, even knowing she was a witch, their eyes still sparkled with excitement.
“Hehe, looks like… I’m even more vain than I thought.”
She shook her sleeves and, seeing that today’s experiment was just about done, began to ponder other matters.
“Hmm, it’s about that time… Oh, right, I remember Mary said she’d return the Doll Mr. Green gave me?”
The image of the lively little girl popped into Sophie’s mind.
Whenever Mary chirped and pestered her about her relationship with Green, Sophie couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement inside.
She didn’t quite know why.
People always said witches could see into people’s hearts and spot their weakest moments.
But Sophie just couldn’t read Mary, couldn’t see through Green, and couldn’t even fully grasp her own feelings.
“Honestly.” Glancing at her reflection—her face aglow—Sophie shyly straightened her hair, mussed from the experiment.
“What if Green comes along with Mary and laughs at me?”
For the first time in her life, Sophie cared about her appearance.
She was beautiful.
Fair skin, enchanting figure, jet-black hair, and bright eyes.
Her beauty had often brought her trouble, especially when it attracted unwanted attention.
Though witches could hide their identities, they could never mask their true faces. Sophie had gone to great lengths researching ways to disguise her extraordinary looks.
But now, she didn’t bother.
No, to be more accurate, the witch’s worries had reversed.
“Maybe I should buy a new outfit.”
Looking at her plain, patternless clothes in the mirror, Sophie was uncharacteristically concerned about the impression she made on others—specifically, a certain someone in her mind.
“So annoying.”
Unconsciously, her breathing quickened.
She thought of the new hairpins in the Market, and the Silk Dresses woven from distant silks she’d heard about from a merchant lady, who said men liked those clothes that showed off a woman’s figure…
No, who cared what that blockhead lord liked?
“But, but,” Sophie bit her lip, “if I suddenly changed my style, I’d definitely give that lord a real shock, wouldn’t I?”
Right, she wasn’t trying to please Green.
She just wanted to switch things up, to let that always-cool, ever-indifferent rascal see her in a different light.
Yes, exactly.
The witch had made up her mind.
“But that kind of outfit would cost a lot…” Sophie paced back and forth, thinking it over. “Should I buy it or not… Oh, I know!”
As if struck by a great idea, her eyes lit up.
“I’ll ask Mary to help me choose.”
Just thinking of that sweet girl brought a smile to Sophie’s lips, sketching an inviting scene.
Truth be told, Sophie liked Mary very much.
Not for her noisy shouting, nor her silly questions, but…
Because she never treated Sophie’s identity as a “witch” as anything special.
That’s right.
“Just like the Lord said—witches… are people, too.”
With that thought, Sophie stretched, moving to finish her work.
“Come to think of it, by now, Mary should be here any minute.”
Every day, Sophie most looked forward to Mary’s bouncy arrival, eager to share the latest town gossip.
Though, thanks to Green’s efforts, most people in town now accepted Sophie’s presence as normal.
There were still a stubborn few who saw her as a mortal enemy.
She didn’t want Green to be caught in the middle, so while she no longer hid who she was, Sophie rarely showed herself in public.
Given her abilities, those stubborn townsfolk couldn’t harm her in the slightest.
But Sophie didn’t want to resort to force.
She’d finally gained acceptance—and even rare admiration—from many in town. She cherished this hard-won peace.
So even if some townsfolk occasionally shot her strange looks, or insulted her behind her back, she silently bore it all.
“Because that idiot lord cares most about the people, after all.”
She pouted, but despite her words, her face shone with happiness.
Tick, tick.
She checked the clock, and after confirming the time, pushed open the door.
“Speaking of Mary, where is she? At this hour, she’d usually be banging at the lab door.”
Sophie looked left and right, but didn’t see that familiar figure.
“Maybe she got distracted and started playing along the way?”
She narrowed her eyes, letting her senses spread out.
Hmm?
Sophie’s body tensed.
That was…
With her senses blurred but enhanced, vague images began to form in Sophie’s mind.
Several rough-looking men were glaring at a frail little girl.
“Hey, isn’t that the girl who’s always hanging around that witch and the evil lord?”
The burly man in front sneered, turning to the tough-looking group beside him. “Sir Martin next door said, anyone who catches someone associated with that witch gets a bag of Silver Coins!”
As soon as he finished, the crowd’s eyes locked onto Mary.
“You—you bad people, don’t come any closer!”
Terrified, the little girl stumbled back, clutching her Doll tightly, as if it could give her courage.
“Heh, I’ve had enough of that girl always hanging around the witch!”
“Yeah, a kid like her, always up to no good. Who knows—maybe she’s a witch too!”
“Catching her now is doing everyone a favor—for humanity, for a pure and beautiful tomorrow! Get her!”
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of the crowd’s steps shook the ground.
“Waaah!”
Mary, utterly frightened, clung to her Doll and shouted with all her might, “If you bullies hurt Mary, Lady Lord and Miss Witch won’t let you get away with it!”
Smack.
A slap landed hard on Mary’s pale cheek, turning it bright red.
“Won’t let us get away with it?”
The burly man laughed as if he’d heard the funniest joke. “Little girl, witches don’t know anything about feelings. You think she’ll save you?”
“You—you’re lying!”
Mary struggled desperately to break free, but overpowered, she could only watch helplessly as ropes were tied around her.
“Big brother… and Sister Sophie… Mary, Mary isn’t afraid…”
Smack.
Mary’s Doll fell to the grass.
The burly man and his gang swaggered away.
The vision faded to black.
“…”
Sophie’s eyes were empty; she stood in a daze.
Witches have no feelings.
Yes, right now, Sophie’s heart was blank.
She felt nothing but a cold, numbing void inside.
“They’re there.”
Her senses pointed out where the group had gone.
“Miners’ Abandoned Pit.”
Sophie walked forward.
Whoosh—
Pitch-black vapors enveloped her.
Pure darkness, like the Abyss of the Underworld in legend—endless and lightless.
No salvation, no hope.
Only an eternal curse.