Witch

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Witch (女巫)
Species/Race	Human female spellcaster; a woman has a small chance of awakening as a Witch 12
Gender	Female 178
Affiliation	Witch Forest; some Witches also live independently or under noble protection 24 209
Occupation/Role	Natural spellcaster; combatant, scout, healer, craftsperson, or support specialist depending on her spells 178 258
Status	Extant; persecuted by the Papacy and scattered across multiple refuges 246 312
First Appearance	Chapter 11

Nature and Awakening

“What is a witch? It's simply a female wizard.” 178

Witches are natural spellcasters whose magical potential may remain dormant for their entire lives. Awakening requires unusually strict conditions and may be stimulated by outside forces; many potential Witches die without realizing what they could become 166.

Unlike male wizards, whose power is tied to lineage, Witches can appear unpredictably among ordinary women. This makes them difficult for the Papacy to eliminate completely 178.

Aspect	Details
Innate Spells	Some Witches awaken with a personal spell that suits their individual talent, such as Gevra's control of destiny or Sana's bodily enhancement 178
Universal Spells	Learned spells developed from earlier Witches' Innate Spells; a mid-level Witch is expected to master roughly a dozen 255 283
Training	Awakening alone does not make someone a qualified Witch; targeted training is needed to control and develop her powers 157
Growth period	Becoming qualified may take three to five years, several decades, or even a lifetime for unusual Innate Spells 178
Limits	Witches are human and require food, rest, and recovery. Sustained high-output spellcasting can cause exhaustion, injury, premature weakening, or death 255 271

Classification

Rank	Description	Notes
Newly awakened Witch	Has manifested magical potential but may not recognize or control it.	Gevra and Sana initially did not understand their awakenings 157
Mid-tier / Intermediate Witch	A trained Witch broadly comparable to a Tier 3 Knight; effective use with support can rival Tier 4–5 Knight results.	Most of Romain's first recruited group belonged to this rank 255 257
High-tier Witch	A powerful Witch whose abilities can threaten elite opponents, though specialized defenses and stronger Knights can resist certain spells.	Margaret's blood magic is less effective against higher-ranked Knights 257
Seat Witch	A high-tier Witch holding one of the Witch Forest's inherited court seats.	Every Seat Witch is high-tier, but not every high-tier Witch is a Seat Witch 257

Abilities & Skills

Spellcasting

Witches use Innate Spells and learned universal spells to attack, defend, support allies, gather intelligence, or perform specialized work 255 258.

• Innate Spells are instinctive and particularly potent for their original wielder 283.
• Universal Spells require study, seals, repeated practice, and refined casting methods 283.
• Common combat tactics include creating distance, using Mind Impact to disrupt an opponent, Energy Impact to break balance, then attacking with a blade 277.
• Witches can accomplish tasks that conventional troops cannot, but their limited stamina prevents them from serving as inexhaustible battlefield weapons 255 258.

Specialized Magic

A Witch's usefulness is defined more by the application of her spell than by a single standard of strength 282.

• Dream interrogation and concealment — Shasta can become smoke, put ordinary people to sleep, and question them through their dreams 11.
• Destiny manipulation — Gevra's magic governs luck and misfortune; its later potential is described as “Rewriting Destiny” 29 282.
• Blood magic — Margaret can manipulate her own blood and that of enemies, while drawing strength from blood to reduce her consumption 257.
• Time magic — Mona can slow or “muddle” time in an area of roughly one hundred meters, though range reduces her power and strong transcendent targets resist better 215 312.
• Elemental magic — Mabel's flames can reach roughly 1000–2000°C, while the Thunder Witch can wield devastating lightning 255 216.
• Monster-beast possession — The Monster Beast Witch can place her consciousness in a bonded beast, allowing rapid long-distance reconnaissance or message delivery at risk to her soul if the host dies 246 258.
• Amplification — Lyra can enhance another Witch's spell; under full-moon conditions, she increased Gevra's output by about one-third 282 283.

Defenses and Counters

• High-tier Knights possess increasing resistance to blood magic as their rank rises 257.
• Amber, jade, and armor made from mithril, adamantine, or orichalcum can resist magical effects to varying degrees 257.
• The Holy City's Sanctuary contained a field that disrupted or suppressed Witch spellcasting 216.
• Folk claims that salt can defeat a Witch are widespread, but the setting demonstrates that trained Witches can be formidable combatants 12 405.

Witch Forest

The Witch Forest is the largest secret society of the era, composed entirely of Witches who hide from persecution by the Church and secular powers 24 157.

Origins

The organization traces its roots to the Conqueror's era. Court Witches left behind when the Conqueror took his fighting forces on expedition escaped before the Pope could seize them; these survivors became the earliest members of the Witch Forest 225.

Historical fact	Details
Court system	The Conqueror's court once maintained twelve Witch seats; the Prophet occupied the last seat and later helped establish the Witch Forest 251
Prophetess Witch	Can glimpse the future, use the Magic Mirror, and awaken hidden potential in Witches and mortals with spellcasting talent 251 278
Magic Mirror	A divine artifact from the Conqueror's treasury said to reflect the entire land; it helped conceal the Witches' raid on the Holy City 251
Black Iron legacies	Alster willingly gave the Witches the Shield of Immortality, while the Oak family passed the Sword of Glory through the Perea family 226

Decline and Exile

After Alster's death, Gale—his successor as Duke of Black Iron—moved against the Witches. Their attempt to strike the Holy City ended in failure and severe losses, leaving them without their former strongholds 226 246.

More than five hundred Witch Forest members infiltrated the Holy City during the assault. They reached the Sanctuary but faced the Pope's spell-suppressing field; the survivors escaped only after Valia transformed into a Frost Giant and the Thunder Witch sacrificed herself during the retreat 215 216.

Persecution

The Church considers Witches and mages “unclean” sources of disaster. Demon Hunter Knights have hunted them for generations, and the Church may execute not only an exposed Witch but also her entire family 12.

• Witches are naturally antagonistic to the Papacy and cannot safely coexist with it 157.
• The Papacy suppresses spellcasters to preserve its religious authority and monopoly on transcendent power 166 178.
• Fear of Witchcraft causes villagers and nobles alike to treat Witches as omens of misfortune, regardless of whether they have committed wrongdoing 30 247.
• Some nobles secretly seek the Witch Forest's aid or magical knowledge, but few openly protect Witches because of the political danger 209.

Known Witches

Witch	Epithet / Specialty	Notes
Shasta	Nightmare Witch	Witch Forest leader; uses smoke, dream interrogation, and assassination-oriented combat methods 11 286
Gevra	Fate Witch	Controls misfortune, luck, and destiny; recruited by Shasta for her high potential 29 282
Sana	—	Newly awakened Witch with a body-strengthening Innate Spell 156 178
Margaret	Bloody Witch	Youngest Seat Witch; manipulates blood and is troubled by the pain and instability associated with her magic 252 257 325
Edith	Mind-Reading Witch	Can read minds, though Amber interferes with her ability 252
Mona	Witch of Misty Times	Seat Witch capable of time-based area control 312
Valia	Frost Witch	Seat Witch who transformed into a Frost Giant during the Holy City escape 216 257
Felicia	Gemini Felicia	Seat Witch whose paired magic manifests as destructive light-cannon attacks 401 403
Isabella	Prophetess Witch	Seat Witch who sees the future and awakens hidden potential 251 257
Lyra Silvermoon	Amplifier Witch	Support Witch whose Innate Spell strengthens another Witch's magic 282 283
Mabel	Flame Witch	Can generate extreme heat but rapidly exhausts herself at maximum output 255
Lusha	Healing Witch	Supports injured Witches and tends the Monster Beast Witch's dormant body during possession 258
Shalulu	Monster Beast Witch	Bonds with and possesses monster beasts for scouting and courier work 246 258

Relationships

• Witch Forest — The principal refuge and secret society for persecuted Witches; it preserves magical knowledge, court legacies, and the Prophetess's methods 24 251.
• The Papacy — Primary persecutor of Witches and spellcasters; its forces include Demon Hunter Knights, Templars, and Paladins 12 215.
• Romain Armor-Splitting — Initially clashes with Shasta over Gevra, then later shelters wandering Witches in Origin City in exchange for loyalty and service 24 252 258.
• Morey Pereya — Merchant linked to the Witch Forest who assists Shasta's search for Gevra and later brings exiled Witches to Origin City 11 250.