Since I Like Teasing Little Boys

Looking at the elegant, luxuriously dressed stranger before him, Ian could not help feeling nervous.

Although he had the talent to enter the Misty Illusion, he had only encountered two people in this world so far.

This woman before him was the third.

This was the World of the Departed.

Who knew what identity or past this woman possessed?

"Who are you?"

Ian quietly prepared to bolt at any moment.

At Ian's question, the young woman lightly raised an eyebrow.

"That pitiful girl followed your wandering friend to look for some ridiculous Golden Apple. How could a place like this possibly have Golden Apples?"

Her words were clearly laced with mockery.

Wandering friend?

After giving it some thought, Ian understood. The person this mysterious young woman referred to should be his other friend. Like Ariana, that friend was a wandering soul.

Pandoro Natger.

It was a very ordinary name. He was a boy full of passion for adventure, which was probably why the mysterious young woman called him a "wanderer."

Even within the Misty Illusion, Pandoro had tirelessly explored this world for many, many years. In his own words, he had already lost track of time.

Despite being a soul who had existed for at least a thousand years, his face had miraculously remained that of a fifteen-year-old. Perhaps that was the wonder of the Misty Illusion. According to Ariana, who was also in this world, Pandoro had already looked that young when she first met him.

Ian wondered whether Pandoro had offended this mysterious young woman.

Did they know each other?

What kind of relationship did they have?

Ian's gossiping instincts could not be restrained.

He did not know much about Pandoro Natger either. His impression of this friend was that he possessed an elder's wisdom and a youth's vigor.

Sometimes, he could be rather foolish as well.

He probably was not a character from the original story. After all, whether from history or his knowledge of the original work, Ian had never heard that name before.

He wondered what kind of obsession

had kept Pandoro Natger in this Misty Illusion for so many years.

Still, an adventure like "searching for Golden Apples" did sound exactly like something Pandoro would do. Dragging Ariana along as his partner was also very much his style.

Ian recalled how Pandoro had once pulled his five-year-old self along, excitedly declaring that they were going to find Helpo, the most notorious Dark Wizard in the wizarding world.

Me?

At five years old?

Fighting Helpo?

Whenever Ian recalled that incident, he still found it absurd.

"Is this Golden Apple the kind of Golden Apple from the fairy tales?"

Looking at the elegant young woman in her black formal gown, Ian tried to make his attitude as humble as possible. He even attempted to take advantage of his young age by putting on an innocent expression.

"Something flashy but useless. Did you expect the Golden Apple Tree to bloom in this world?" The noblewoman continued mocking him, looking at Ian as if he were an idiot.

"I cut down the last apple tree long before I died, let alone the fact that the Misty Illusion could never have Golden Apples." Her tone was extremely certain.

"There are Golden Apples in the living world?"

Ian was somewhat stunned.

At that moment, the mysterious young woman turned her head. Her exquisitely beautiful face suddenly drew close to Ian's, and she even took two steps forward. The fragrance of roses washed over him.

Ian hurriedly stepped back.

The mysterious young woman was simply too oppressive, whether in presence or in some other way.

"What do you think fairy tales are? Do wizards count?"

The moment she said that,

Ian was left speechless.

Looking at Ian before her,

the mysterious young woman suddenly smiled.

"Though you truly are an idiot, as dim-witted as a little pig, you are the different one, after all." She raised a pale finger and pointed toward the Vaguely Visible castle in the distant mountains.

"If you want to learn magic, come find me there."

Following the direction of her finger, Ian saw the castle, its appearance weathered by time and made ancient and grim. He immediately understood.

So this woman was the Witch in the Castle Ariana often mentioned!

Sure enough.

His urge to run away was not cowardice! It was merely a wizard's instinct! Yes! That was it... It had to be his innate ability to sense powerful wizards!

"What would I have to give in return?"

After finding excuses for himself in his mind, Ian remained cautious in the face of the mysterious Witch's invitation. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Hm?"

The Witch looked at Ian with a surprised expression. She even walked around him in a circle, her black robe sliding over the muddy ground.

Yet it did not pick up the slightest bit of filth.

"It seems you still don't know just how special you are..."

The Witch gave a scornful laugh.

Then,

her expression changed again.

"Of course, the fact that you understand the rules of the wizarding world at such a young age proves that you are only temporarily foolish. That would not be a bad thing in the living world."

The Witch stopped and looked into Ian's eyes.

"If you truly wish to follow the principle of equivalent exchange, then bring my magic mirror back to me."

After she spoke, Ian saw a trace of reminiscence in her beautiful eyes. Yet her tone soon turned cold again.

That longing look vanished without a trace as well.

"Find my Mirror and bring it to me... and you will learn the most powerful magic from me."

"A Mirror?"

Ian frowned in confusion.

The Witch did not answer, merely revealing a meaningful smile.

"Actually, even if you fail to obtain the Mirror, you can still come learn from me." Her smile was somewhat mysterious, and Ian could not tell whether she was deliberately trying to scare him.

"Since I like teasing little boys, after all."

The words carried a hint of evil.

As soon as the Witch finished speaking,

Ian felt that his time was up. The last thing he saw was the elegant Witch quietly watching as he gradually turned transparent and disappeared.

Once the sounds of their conversation were gone,

the entire town became silent once more.

The Witch's expression gradually turned lonely. She turned around, her high heels stepping over the cobblestone path as she entered the quiet forest and returned to her castle.

The castle stood in a clearing within the forest. Vines coiled around its high bluestone walls, whose surface bore the mottled traces of time. Sharp spires pierced the cloud-covered Skyline.

The weather here

was the complete opposite of that in the town.

It was gloomy and oppressive, yet once the heavy doors were pushed open, the castle's interior revealed a magnificent sight—an ornate marble table stood in the center of the spacious hall, draped in a bright red silk tablecloth. Gold-rimmed utensils lay scattered atop it, while flames roared in the fireplace, casting the shadows of exquisite murals across the walls.

The tale of the Knight and the Princess in the paintings seemed to come alive in the firelight.

The Witch moved with graceful steps. From the instant she entered the castle, everything around her began working on its own.

Candles lit one by one. The tablecloth flew down from the air and spread itself neatly across the table. The utensils arranged themselves in order. All kinds of food floated out from the kitchen, settled onto plates, and flew in orderly fashion to the dining table.

Among them was a little suckling pig, roasted to a gleaming golden brown.

The Witch merely glanced at it. The previously silent woman suddenly said in a low voice, "I've already seen one stupid pig today. I don't want to see another."

After she spoke, the suckling pig flew back to the kitchen from where it hovered. Soon, a lamb flew onto the dining table in the same manner.

Invisible magical starlight flickered over the Witch's clothes, leaving them immaculate and spotless. She did not eat. Instead, she slowly walked into the bedroom.

"Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in this world..."

In the empty room, the Witch seemed to be talking to herself. Sitting before a dressing table without a Mirror, she murmured softly, her voice tinged with self-mockery and complicated emotions.