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A Stable Food Supply – Part 02

Translator: Kell

“I was thinking, Mercenary.” After the meeting was over and the villagers had gone home, Zero stayed in the tavern, watching me clean up. “We do not actually need nonperishables, do we? As you mentioned earlier, I can use my divination to locate animals, and you can easily hunt them down. It gets cold in the winter, which means meat would not spoil easily even without salt.”

“We can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“We can’t let the villagers rely heavily on us.”

Zero blinked. “It is a village of witches and Beastfallen, yet they cannot rely on them?”

“If there are other witches and Beastfallen besides you and me, then it’s a different story.”

There were three former Beastfallen in this village of a hundred people, but I was the only one still living as one. Of course, Zero was also the only one who could use Magic. If they relied on me and Zero too much, the village would not be able to survive once we’re gone.

“Are you assuming that you will be gone from this village?” Zero asked. “You had just made yourself at home.”

“Not really, but…”

“Then let them depend on us. That way, the villagers will welcome new Beastfallen settlers. They will look forward to the arrival of other witches. Some of them may even want to learn Magic themselves. We must let the villagers know of our excellence.”

Hard-pressed for a rebuttal, I fumbled for words. “You…” I shut my mouth. I wasn’t exactly sure how to put it. I didn’t actually mind if the villagers counted on me for help. But there was a problem.

“You can hardly use Magic anymore, can you?” I said.

Zero’s breath caught. I knew it.

I thought I was a goner for sure in the battle against the Murky Darkness Witch. But I survived. When I asked Zero why, she just laughed and said, “You know how demons are. They can be quite fickle.”

But that was not enough to convince me. A spell had pierced my stomach, and I was definitely a goner. I saw with my own eyes the hordes of demons rushing to the altar the moment the warding was destroyed. But when I came to, the demons were gone, Zero was exhausted, and my wounds had closed.

In order to save the world—or to save me, perhaps—Zero gave up the life of a long-lived grand witch.

“So you noticed,” she said, wearing a troubled look. “I intended to hide it from you.”

I shrugged. “Not like I was looking to find out, either. Your hair and nails have been growing lately.”

“Impressive attention to details. I thought you were a little more obtuse.”

“Quit joking around,” I grumbled. “I’m serious.”

Zero gave a vague smile. “I am sorry.”

“You said that superior witches use magical power to preserve their youth. Argentum was old, but you look young because of your incredible magical power.”

“You are right.”

“You can’t preserve your youth anymore, can you? After fighting the Murky Darkness Witch to save the world, you actually ran out of magical power.”

We were together twenty-four-seven. There was no way I wouldn’t notice. Sometimes I’d get this sudden feeling that something was off. A scratch from yesterday was still visible the next day. Her neat fingertips were cracked awkwardly. Flaws you’d find in normal humans were robbing Zero of her supernatural beauty.

“I understand,” Zero said. “You are concerned that divination would hasten my time of demise.”

“Well, yeah… I wouldn’t want you suddenly turning to dust in front of me. That would be awful.”

A small gasp escaped Zero’s lips, followed by a loud laughter.

“Wh-What’s so funny?!”

“Ah, forgive me. I am to blame. I should have explained it to you. I did not mean to cause you any worry.”

“Explain what? Wait, so I was wrong?”

“Not exactly. It is true that I cannot afford to devote any magical power to preserving my body right now. When I first summoned a demon into your body, I told you that I had exhausted my magical power, but the current situation is even worse. My body is now aging at the same rate as ordinary humans.”

“The same as ordinary humans?”

Wait, that means she’s normal. She’s like any other human being. The knot in the pit of my stomach loosened a little.

“Does that mean you’re not gonna turn to dust once you run out of magical power?”

“I probably would if I ran out of power completely.”

I was visibly shaken, but she quietly raised her forefinger to calm me down.

“But unless someone else takes it from me, I will never be able to drain enough magical power to kill myself, no matter how hard I try. If your heart stops, you die, but you cannot stop your heart from beating of your own free will, can you? You collapse before you are completely exhausted and your life is threatened. The same applies to me. Besides, if I do not use my magical power, it will accumulate inside me.”

“…I see.”

I guess it’s some kind of witch instinct at work.

I felt both relieved and disappointed, but I was glad to know that there was no need to worry about Zero suddenly crumbling into dust. I mean, how was I supposed to ask her? “Hey, are you just gonna go poof one day?” That just sounds stupid.

“I understand now why you have been so considerate to me ever since we moved to this village. I thought you were finally going to profess your love to me. I was eagerly waiting for that moment.”

“I’m being serious right now.” I glared at her with half-lidded eyes.

“I heard you the first time.” She smiled. “Hmm, you can simply think of it as a great witch turning into an average Mage. For witches, divination is like breathing. It is basic Sorcery that even a child can perform. That is why I suggested that I divine, while you hunt. If I were to accompany you, I might have to use Magic repeatedly, exhausting my magical power, which could lead to me fainting. I will be in a state of coma until I have enough magical power to function normally.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that happening.”

“Exactly. Which is why I will not push myself too hard.”

“In that case… I guess… we can do without nonperishables.” The discomfort made my tone a little cold.

“Forget common sense, Mercenary. We are going to make this village a place for witches and Beastfallen, are we not?”

“…Yeah.”

“I plan to create a Magic spell for preserving food, and a spell that will allow us to grow crops even during winter. I will devise harmless Magic that everyone can use. Picture it.”

I closed my eyes.

“Winter. You enter a warm shed, and see ripe fruits. The children of the village will be able to munch on fresh, sweet fruits in the middle of winter. The residents of the neighboring villages will find value in this. Once the trade starts, there may be people who want to learn Magic. This village has only just begun, Mercenary. We might not have the means to trade at the moment, but eventually we will.”

Zero stopped, and I opened my eyes.

“Because there is a witch in this village,” she said.

I grinned, and Zero gave a wink.

“And a mighty beast warrior,” she added. “The prosperous are constantly under threat. Keep a watchful eye on me so that I will not be targeted and kidnapped by scoundrels.”

“Easy enough,” I replied, and sighed. “So, you’re gonna age normally.”

“Yes?”

“You’re gonna be an old hag one day.”

“I suppose.”

“I can’t even imagine it.”

“There is no need to rush. In fifty years, you will be able to see the real thing without needing to use your imagination. You will fall in love with me again and again, for I will still be beautiful in my old age.”