[Chapter 1] Welcome Home to the House of Light. -One Day, the Witch Picked Up a Girl-

The Witch and the Girl

――They say there is a witch in this forest.

At the man's words, the girl slowly lifted her head. On the rattling wagon bed, the girl tucked her short, dark hair behind her ears and pressed her ear against the wall.

"What are you talking about? Witches were all supposed to have died during the witch hunts, right?"

There were two men on the other side of the wall. The other man asked the one who had spoken first in a voice tinged with fear.

"Not all witches died. People from the nearby village don't go near this forest."
"Why?"

The man answered in a hard voice.

"Because that witch eats humans."
"......"
"It's dangerous here. That's why it's hidden from people's eyes. It's best to get through it quickly."

The men on the other side of the wall fell silent. The girl pulled her ear away from the wall, and the short hair she had tucked behind her ears fell onto her cheeks. She stood up quietly so as not to be noticed by them.

The children around her didn't even lift their heads. Everyone was wearing tattered clothes just like the girl. They were huddled over, clutching themselves, enduring the cold.

The girl walked toward the entrance of the wagon bed while keeping her balance. When she poked her head out, the horse-drawn wagon was speeding through the forest. If she fell from here, it wouldn't just be an injury.

The girl turned around and looked at the children. She waved at them, though they didn't look her way. One child lifted their head.

Hollow eyes reflected the girl. The version of herself reflected in those eyes looked like she was smiling.

"......!"

She jumped off the wagon.
She hit her shoulder against the ground, and her breath caught. Her light body rolled on the ground, and her skin was cut by small stones.

Perhaps noticing the sound, the man driving the horse called out, "What was that?" She picked up her aching body and hurriedly hid behind the trunk of a thick tree.

Holding her breath to observe the situation, the two men stopped the horse and came to check the back of the wagon.

"What, there's nothing here."
"What about the number of children? Has it decreased?"
"More importantly, let's go. It'll be bad if the witch comes."

Saying that, they headed back to the front. Confirming that the wagon was moving away, the girl slowly stood up. She winced in pain. Even so, the girl started walking into the depths of the dark forest.

A cold wind brushed against her scraped cheeks. The leaves had fallen to the ground, and the trees were left with only their branches. The forest, devoid of people, was quiet, making it feel as if she had wandered into a world of her own. Yet, she felt a terrifying sensation of being watched from somewhere.

The girl walked one step, then another, but suddenly her strength gave out and she sat down. She huddled under a tree, curling her body up. Her tattered clothes could not possibly keep out the cold.

The girl tried to make a sound.

It hurts.

She wanted to say that, but she couldn't make her throat tremble.

She was hungry. It hurt. She was cold. She was sleepy.

Her eyes grew heavy. She wondered why she was so sleepy.
But it didn't matter. It felt very comfortable.

She thought about just falling asleep right there. She felt like she might have a good dream. She hugged her knees again and slowly closed her eyes.

"--What are you doing here?"

She heard someone's voice.

The girl lifted her eyelids and looked toward the voice with just her eyes.

"Are you planning to die?"

Peering into her face was an old woman wearing a deep robe, her face covered in wrinkles.

"I've done it again."

The witch let out a deep sigh.

She sat down on a wooden chair and looked at a door. On the other side of that door, a human girl was sleeping. It was the girl she had just picked up.
She looked to be under ten years old. And, judging by that appearance, she was likely not a girl from a nearby village.

The clothes she was wearing were even shabbier than those worn by village children. Her dark hair was cut crudely. In this country, there is a custom for women to grow their hair long. Therefore, a girl of that age should normally have slightly longer hair. Her skin was pale, with no sign of having been tanned by the sun. Judging by her thin limbs, she was so emaciated that it looked as if she hadn't eaten for days.
In the first place, people from the village would not come near this house. Since there had been a good harvest lately and there were no signs of anyone struggling for food, there was no reason to abandon a child who could also serve as labor.

“...I wonder where she came from.”

It is a fair distance from the town. It would be difficult for a child to walk all the way here. If so, could she be a child kidnapped by heathens?

The witch looked at the door once more and let out another deep sigh.

“Even so, picking up everything I see is a bad habit of mine.”

When she looked down, a black cat was watching her with large eyes. Perhaps understanding that she was talking about it, it replied with a “meow.”
The black cat slipped past the witch and stood in front of the room where the girl was. There was a sound from the room. She must have woken up.

The witch stood up, picked up the cat, and moved it aside. The black cat let out a reluctant “...meow.” The witch ignored it and entered the bedroom.

“............”

The girl was curled up small, wrapped in the futon. She was glaring at the witch with a wary look.

“How are you feeling?”

The girl did not reply to the witch's question. The witch, seemingly unbothered, approached the girl. The girl flinched and trembled. While glancing at her, the witch placed a pitcher and a glass on the table nearby.

“For now, drink some water. Once you've calmed down, come out of this room.”

Having said only that, the witch left the room.

“Well now, what to do.”

She probably won't come out of the room easily. But she can't stay cooped up forever, either.

“Honestly, and I say I hate humans.”

Even while saying that, the witch looked at the bedroom where the girl was with worried eyes.

The house where the witch has lived for many years was something she received from someone else.
Although small, it is a fine brick house for one built deep in the forest. It has several rooms: a living room for cooking and eating, a laboratory for making medicine, and two bedrooms. Now, a human girl is in one of those bedrooms. Usually, the witch would sleep in the other bedroom, but that night she spent it in the living room. This was so she could respond whenever the girl came out of the room.

She put firewood into the hearth to warm the room. She let out a sigh, sat deeply into her chair, and watched the fire.

It had been a long time since she had a night with someone else present. Even though she was the one who invited her in, having a stranger in this house felt strangely unsettling. But she didn't hate it.

There was a scratching sound at the door. It was coming from the room where the girl was.

"Did a cat get in?"

The witch stood up and opened the door to the bedroom where the girl was.

"Meow."

The black cat's yellow eyes looked up at the witch.

"So you were there after all."

After looking at the witch, the yellow eyes turned toward the back of the room. Following its gaze, the bed was empty, and the window was open.

"...Did she run away?"

The witch sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well then, I suppose I'll go to sleep now."

She closed the window and started to leave the room. The black cat remained staring at the window, refusing to move.

"Come on. If you don't get out of there, I'm going to lock you in."

The black cat looked up at the witch. The witch frowned at the eyes that seemed to want to say something.

"What are you trying to say?"
"Meow."
"Are you telling me to go look for that child?"
"Meow."
"No way. Why should I have to take care of a human?"
"Meow."
"......"
"Meow."

The black cat stood up, brushed past the witch's feet, and walked toward the entrance.

"...Good grief."

The witch followed the black cat and opened the front door.

"...I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight, so I suppose I'll go for a walk."

Hearing those words, the black cat let out a high-pitched meow.




The cold air stung her throat and lungs. Her breath was a cloudy white.

The girl had slipped out of the witch's house and was walking through the forest alone. She didn't know where she was walking. She didn't know where she should go.

The night forest is bright, with moonlight illuminating the ground. However, the depths of the trees are stained black. My body hurts terribly. The shoulder I struck when I jumped from the wagon, the leg that sends a jolt of pain every time I step on the ground, and the side that grows more painful with every step I take—everything is agonizing. Yet, the girl did not stop walking. She continues on with a stride that does not doubt that a destination must exist somewhere.

Rustle, the sound of leaves being stepped on reached her ears.

“…………”

She stops and turns her gaze toward the source of the sound.

Perhaps trying not to be noticed by the girl, no further sound is heard. However, the girl steps back, remaining vigilant. As she holds her breath and glares at the source of the sound, a single wolf emerges from the shadows of the trees.

“…………!”

The girl stiffens her body and takes a step back.

The wolf approaches, keeping the girl locked in its sharp gaze. Rough breaths spill from its mouth, where its fangs are visible. Stepping back once, then twice, the girl can no longer bear it and turns her back on the wolf to run.

As if that were the signal, multiple wolves appear before the girl. With her path ahead blocked, the girl reflexively stops and looks back. Catching sight of the wolves closing in on her, the girl squeezes her eyes shut tightly.

“——Stop.”

At that voice, the wolves stop moving. When the girl turns around, a witch is standing there. The witch approaches the wolves with a staff in one hand. Her eyes shine sharply, with a terrifying intensity as if she might devour the wolves herself.

“You lot should be smart. You know who’s superior, don’t you?”

At the witch’s low voice, the wolves shrink back as if frightened. Their sharp eyes become weak, darting about as if trying to gauge the witch’s mood.

“Go.”

At the witch’s words, the wolves run off as if fleeing. The witch glances at them, then approaches the girl.

The girl looks at the witch as if glaring at her. The witch smiles at this.

“Vigilance is important. You still intend to live, don’t you?”

The girl continues to glare without even nodding. The witch looks satisfied, curling the corners of her mouth into a grin, and points her staff at the girl.

“That’s the spirit.”

In an instant, the girl’s body floats into the air. Glancing at the girl, who blinks in surprise, the witch transforms her staff into a broom.

"Are you okay with heights?"

Without waiting for the girl's reply, the witch placed her on the broom. The witch sat on the broom so that she covered the girl's back. The witch's feet left the ground. The broom carried the two of them and floated up into the night sky.

As the girl squeezed her eyes shut, the witch said, "Open your eyes."

When she opened her eyes as told, they were flying through the starry sky. The witch pointed to a distant village while supporting the girl's stomach with one hand so she wouldn't fall.

"You see that village over there? You were walking in the opposite direction. At your pace, it would take about half a day to get there. Next time, make sure you walk toward the village."

As they rose into the sky, the village grew smaller little by little. Beyond the village, a slightly larger town could be seen. The witch pointed to that town.

"There is a town behind the village. If you came from the town, that's where you should head. You could walk, but the villagers go to town by horse every day. If you ask someone, they'll probably give you a ride. You can go anywhere."

The girl stared at the place the witch pointed to, then looked up at the witch. There was no color of fear in her eyes.

"......"

The girl pointed to a house away from the village. It was a small brick house with a light on.

"Ah. That's the house where I live."

The witch looked at the house and narrowed her wrinkled eyes. She began to descend slowly toward the house.

"...It's called the 'House of Light.' That house accepts anyone. Even someone like me."

Once her feet touched the ground, the witch took the girl off the broom. She walked up to the house and opened the door.

"...If you have nowhere to go, you can live here. This house should accept you, too."

When they entered the house, warm air enveloped them. The witch had the girl sit in a chair. The girl looked around restlessly, appearing uneasy. Watching her, the witch stood at the kitchen counter. Inside the pot being warmed was steaming soup. It was a broth-only soup without ingredients, made so that the girl, who hadn't eaten for a while, could drink it.

The witch placed the cup of soup in front of the girl. A pleasant aroma wafted through the air.

"Drink it. Judging by your appearance, you haven't been eating properly, have you?"

The girl took the cup in her hands, looking a bit wary. The cup must have been hot for her cold hands. She pulled her hands back once, but then reached for the cup again. She sniffed it, blew on the cup, and then gently took a sip.

"......"

The girl opened her eyes wide and drank the soup slowly, as if savoring it. As her cheeks softened from the warmth of the soup, tears began to stream down her face.

"...

The girl cried silently, her sobs breaking out. At that moment, I realized she couldn't speak. She must have been fighting all on her own, unable to even call for help.

"You should just make this house your home."

The witch wiped the tears from the girl's cheeks with her wrinkled hand.

"First, get some rest. It's alright. This is a place where you can rest easy."

Upon hearing those words, the girl clung to the witch's clothes. As she shook while crying, the witch said nothing and gently patted her back.

The girl seemed to have cried herself out, and she fell asleep in the witch's arms.

The witch sighed as if she had no choice. Then, she lowered her brows and gave a small smile.

"...Humans really are such troublesome creatures."

The girl's cheeks relaxed as she gripped the witch's clothes tightly.

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