Chapter 234

That glance was fleeting; Tachibana quickly looked back at Haihara.

"Yes, would you like me to introduce it to you?"

Haihara actually felt that she had been away from Ms. Suzuki for a while, but now that she had Kuroki Yuka with her, it shouldn't matter if she went for a stroll with Tachibana- san for a while.

So, after she nodded in agreement, Miss Tachibana took her hand.

Next, Ms. Tachibana led her on a tour of the museum.

Ms. Tachibana's explanation was certainly excellent.

Aside from some items that looked familiar and seemed related to R'lyeh, there were also many artifacts unearthed on Earth itself, which Haihara found somewhat interesting.

Miss Tachibana is a very thoughtful person.

She would always tell things that Haihara would find interesting.

After walking around the area for a while, Haihara noticed that Tachibana was leading her to an area that few people went into. She thought she saw a sign at the entrance that said "No entry for non-staff members".

Compared to the outside exhibition area, this place is much quieter, but the overall style and atmosphere are more somber and elegant. Compared to the dazzling array of artifacts outside, there are far fewer artifacts on display here.

"The artifacts here are from the museum owner's private collection and are not usually on public display. I thought you might find them interesting."

After hearing what she said, Haihara started looking around the room to see if the thing she had just been thinking about was there.

However, there was another corner in this room, hidden behind a curtain, which Haihara, being just a tourist, couldn't, of course, explore on her own.

Her dark eyes gazed quietly at Tachibana, and after a while, she asked:

Why did you bring me to see all this?

Haihara and the woman in front of her hadn't known each other for very long.

But Ms. Tachibana always displayed an enthusiasm that didn't match the level of their friendship.

If it's not just genuine friendliness, it's hard to imagine what they're plotting.

Miss Tachibana slowly turned around.

Then, Haihara heard what she said:

"I just noticed you seemed a bit down, so I thought bringing you here might cheer you up."

She slightly opened her eyes, and then Haihara raised her head, silently looking at Tachibana- san.

That's a little unbelievable.

Anyone who heard these words would have thought they were some kind of flattery or polite remarks; however, when Miss Tachibana said them, her tone sounded very sincere.

Feeling down... Is it her?

Haihara finds it hard to imagine that anyone could tell from her expression that she is different from her usual self.

After all, whether she's happy or sad, her appearance won't change much.

Haihara was wondering if she looked really bad.

But after thinking about it carefully, I decided against it.

Haihara seemed to understand why she was feeling down.

The reason was just stupid, and she didn't want to admit it.

After a while, Haihara wandered around the room and found a book on a cabinet next to the display stand.

The book is already open.

This is clearly not a precious cultural relic; it also has hand-drawn pictures on it, which, although simple in line, are very vivid.

After reading the text for a while, Haihara realized that it seemed to be some kind of fairy tale?

"Does this also belong to the owner of this place?"

The characters above are written very beautifully, and there are many Chinese characters in them.

However, after noticing this, Tachibana blushed slightly and smiled.

"I'm sorry, this book is mine. I hope you'll forgive my poor writing."

She walked over, gently picked up the book, and held it in her hands.

So it belongs to Ms. Tachibana?

Haihara was somewhat curious.

What's written inside?

Anyway, just looking at these collections didn't evoke any particular feelings in Haihara, so listening to Tachibana- san's stories seemed like a good idea.

Are you interested?

After seeing Haihara, she pondered for a moment, seemingly considering whether or not to speak.

After all, who knows what the outcome would be if I told this story to the woman in front of me?

Thinking of this, Miss Tachibana slowly closed the book:

"Well then, I'll give a brief explanation."

Just as Haihara guessed, the book was written by herself, and it wasn't some profound literary work or a professional book involving complex knowledge.

It's a fairy tale.

As for the content, it was something that Haihara cared about a little.

The protagonist is a "Witch".

Next, Tachibana slowly began to tell the fairy tale she had written about Witch.

Long, long ago, in the distant R'lyeh, lived a group of immortal Witch.

They do not age, have long lives, and possess incredible beauty. Compared to those short-lived mortals, Witch are like Fairies in fairy tales. Although they have many similarities with humans, they are also completely different.

To them, mortals are like fleeting flowers, blooming in the morning and quickly fading away at dusk.

These Witch rarely come into contact with mortals; they either live in castles and towers or secluded themselves deep in the forest, leading lives isolated from the world.

Occasionally, some mortals, having heard rumors about Witch, would travel long distances to their secluded dwellings, hoping to meet these fairy-tale Fairies.

Among these mortals, some desire a longer life, some crave immeasurable wealth, and others may have loved ones suffering from incurable diseases—who knows?

But for Witch, there's no point in doing that.

Even if those fragile lives are saved, what then?

When they take a short rest and open their eyes again, the lives they saved yesterday have already naturally aged and passed away in the blink of an eye.

They will never... will never understand.

Until one day...

A new Witch was born in R'lyeh.

She possessed a beauty as radiant as Morning Flowers or dewdrops, and a talent blessed by the heavens. From birth, she was adored and fawned upon by Witch.

She received countless loves.

From the Queen of Witch, from her sisters and blood relatives, from her elders, from her apprentices, everyone longed for her love and offered their love.

Everyone is speculating about who will ultimately win her favor.

However, the person ultimately chosen was not an immortal Witch like her.

--But it was a mortal girl whom she named Silver Feather.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Witch's Tale

For that Witch, there were few things in the world that she couldn't understand, whether it was the trajectory of stars, the changing weather, obscure ancient texts, or profound mathematics; they were all innate talents to her.

There's only one thing that's really hard to understand.

That is—what exactly is love?

Love is truly a very complex and difficult thing to understand.

To put it simply, the Witch certainly knows what love is, because she is surrounded by the love of others every day. Many people express their love to her, and the Witch has tried to reciprocate.

Sweet words, warm hugs, or gifts to please her, leading to kisses and deeper intimacy.

These things resemble love.

Or rather, it can give people the illusion of love.

The Witch is very willing to reciprocate those who love her, so she loves them in this way. She kisses her sisters, embraces her Queen and knights, and gives her students the rewards they desire. Her love seems so vast that she can love so many people at the same time.

However, while doing so, the Witch gradually became confused, confused about love.

Why do I have these preferences?

What is it that makes them love her?

This is just a minor confusion.

Such confusion is merely a trivial episode in the Witch's long life; she will have plenty of time to figure it out later.

She is different from her compatriots.

The Witch has a soft spot for mortals.

Perhaps because she was too young, or perhaps because she was filled with curiosity about everything she didn't understand, she didn't heed the advice of her fellow citizens and always went to places where there were many mortals.

Listen to their suffering, witness their joys and sorrows, and sometimes respond to their cries of pain as they pray and cry out.

Some mortals worshipped this omnipotent and mysterious Witch as if she were a deity.

What surprised her compatriots even more was that she later even adopted an ordinary girl.

That girl was exceptionally fragile even among mortals. It is said that when the Witch found her, she was starving, emaciated, and on the verge of death from a serious illness.

Moreover, her body was so fragile that she couldn't even come into contact with Magic Power, so much so that even the Witch herself had to go to great lengths to take care of her.

The other Witch didn't know much about this mortal girl; they only knew that she was later named Silver Feather.

At first, the other Witch didn't take this mortal girl seriously.

After all, this skinny, sickly girl was like a stray cat on the roadside, who knew whether she would starve or die of illness. Perhaps it was because she looked pitiful that the Witch felt pity for her and took her home to raise her.

However, the Witch really doted on this little wildcat.

Not only did they give her a pet name and dress her in beautiful clothes, but they also allowed her to sleep in their bed and fall asleep with them.

If she were just a maid, that would be one thing.

But in fact, the Witch's favoritism towards this little girl was even arousing jealousy.

I've heard that when the little wildcat and the Witch were alone together, the little wildcat would shamelessly press against the Witch's chest and whisper "Mommy."

It is said that some people who are closest to the Witch will often squat at the door, gritting their teeth as they listen to the "slurping" or "glug-glug" sucking sounds coming from inside, criticizing her with the most profound physical actions as they listen.

If you ask the Witch afterwards what they were doing, Witch will answer that they were "nursing".

That's strange.

The other Witch couldn't understand what was so good about that mortal girl.

Maybe it's kind of cute?

Perhaps a little bit obedient and considerate?

Perhaps she always managed to say something to please the Witch, just as a clumsy puppy can make its owner laugh more than anyone else.

Although they felt jealous, most of them didn't have any particular thoughts about it.

After all, she was just an ordinary girl.

She doesn't even possess the qualifications to become Witch. Even if that Witch were by her side and favored her, that girl would forever remain a short-lived mortal.

The Witch herself has a long life ahead of her, many fellow witches, and Her Majesty the Queen who favors her. They are engaged early on and may even have a child someday.

For Witch, this is no difficult task.

Rather, they were somewhat worried.