Secrets of the Silent Witch - Volume 6 - Chapter SS

Secret Episode - Starseer and Starspear

Deep in the Kelielinden Forest, in a house by a spring, the Gem Mage Emanuel Darwin sat in his chair and listened to the fire spirit Relva’s report. The spirit had taken the form of a red-haired woman in a thin dress; she looked at him with her scarlet eyes and slowly told him what she’d seen.

“Man with purple hair. Man with red hair. Plant-based attack.”

Communicating with spirits under the control of Galanis was rather difficult—the item’s main drawback. Nevertheless, Emanuel could easily put together a picture of what had happened from her report.

“The Abyss Shaman and the Witch of Thorns are here,” he said.

And according to another spirit’s report, someone had summoned the king of the wind spirits in the western part of the forest. That would be trouble. Even the ancient magical item Galanis couldn’t control a spirit king.

“The spirit king destroyed many of the traps I placed to deter intruders, as well as several magical armored soldiers. Judging from the element, it must be either the Barrier Mage or the Silent Witch…”

He was thinking out loud so Galanis could hear. The item currently hung from his neck.

“This won’t be any problem, my master! No matter how many Sages come, none of them can compare to you now!”

Galanis’s words echoed comfortably in Emanuel’s mind.

Mages of incredible talent were approaching. Once, he would have paled in fear.

But now he had Galanis, the Flute of the False King. He also had his puppet spirits, the magical armored soldiers, and a stupendously powerful secret weapon.

Emanuel put Galanis to his lips and blew a few notes to strengthen his control over Relva. Then he gave her an order. “Capture all those who step into this forest—alive, if possible. You may kill the Barrier Mage, however.”

Emanuel was confident that when he showed the other Sages his ancient magical item’s astonishing power, they would be eating out of the palm of his hand…except for the Barrier Mage. He would never obey, even if it killed him.

And someone else will be quite happy to see the Barrier Mage gone. He was hoping for hostilities all along—he must think very highly of my forces here.

Emanuel’s mind filled with visions of a radiant future. He smiled, entranced.

And all the while, he remained ignorant of the ancient item’s terrible ambition as it squawked into his ear.

Atop a small hill with a good view of Kelielinden Forest stood a woman.

She was beautiful, with straight, smooth, silvery hair. Her name was Mary Harvey, the Starseer Witch. Right now, she was wearing a fur coat instead of her Sage’s robe, and in place of her staff, she held a gorgeous jewelry box.

“You’ve finally crossed the line, Emmy…”

She lowered her silver eyelashes sadly, casting a shadow over her pale-blue eyes.

Galanis, the Flute of the False King, was an ancient magical item in the form of a flute that could call forth the ravages of war. If left alone, a great calamity would fall upon the kingdom of Ridill.

They had to destroy it here and now—at any cost.

As she sighed, another woman walked up behind her.

The second woman was around thirty years old, with brick-colored hair tied loosely behind her. Her face was bare of makeup, and her clothes were worn, like she’d used them for many years.

She came to stand beside Mary and said casually, “I’ve gotten the gist of the situation. Guess settling things peacefully won’t be so easy, eh?”

“Indeed. It’s quite troubling… Even I couldn’t possibly cover the entire forest in an illusion.”

Mary was skilled at illusion magecraft, but she knew this was beyond her. It was quite different from covering the night sky in stars.

“If Ra-ra gets too serious, Emmy will die for sure… And if my dear Ray gets too serious, the whole forest will wither… It’s quite the conundrum.”

The Seven Sages each possessed incredible abilities, but most of them specialized in a specific field. The Witch of Thorns and the Abyss Mage, in particular, had powers with limited applications.

With slender fingers, Mary stroked the jewelry box in her hands.

A faint voice echoed from inside it. The sweet, sad voice of a woman inflamed with love.

“Oh, oh, yes, I understand. I do. You’re right nearby, my beloved one! I love you, I love you! Come with me, my beloved!”

The woman in traveling clothes smirked. “She’s quite worked up,” she remarked as she gazed out at the forest.

She performed two quick-chants in a row, casting two spells. One for seeing at great distances, the other for detection. Maintaining both, she took out a cigarette and used a quick-chant to light the end of it.

In general, it was said that mages could maintain only up to two spells at once. This woman, however, had just used three without batting an eyelid.

She smiled at the taste of the cigarette. “Louis is the best for this situation, but he’s been flying since yesterday. He can’t have much mana left. And Ryn isn’t exactly in a position to help right now.”

The woman was right. After learning about the situation, Louis had flown around, notifying everyone without taking any breaks.

Of the Sages, Louis was particularly powerful in combat. Right now, however, he was far from being in top form.

“Actually,” said the woman, “Momo is here, too, isn’t she?”

“And what is my dear Monica to you?”

“We met a few times in Master Rutherford’s lab. She’s my adorable junior.”

The woman held her cigarette with her left hand and rubbed the back of her neck with the other—all while keeping her farsight and detection spells going.

Mary knew the woman was capable of doing all this, even while her mind worked at an incredible speed.

Eventually, the woman disengaged both spells and turned toward Mary. “I don’t like sticking my neck where it doesn’t belong. But my fellow apprentice and my junior are in a tight spot. I suppose I can help you out a bit.” A mischievous, catlike smile appeared on her plain, unadorned face. “…You okay with me butting in and helping out, Lady Mary?”

“Yes. By all means, we could use you…”

Mary nodded, then said the woman’s name—the name of a legendary genius who could maintain seven spells at once, and Louis Miller’s fellow apprentice.

“…Carla Maxwell, Starspear Witch and former Sage.”