The Witch Of The Frozen Wastes Is No Joke

“Oohhh~! That thing looks kind of gross…”

“Is that a Familiar?”

“It looks like a shadow puppet.”

Standing in Konoha and Meiro’s way was a woman whose entire body was dyed pitch-black.

No, her appearance was nothing more than a silhouette. Her eyes, mouth, nose—everything was nothing but shadow. However, her body was—

“A spider, huh…”

“All I can really say is… ugh.”

Eight legs and the body of a spider, with a human torso sitting atop it. It was a grotesquely mismatched form. Even so, it was probably several times larger than Konoha and Meiro.

Familiar: Fifty-Year Festival

“Agate, come here!”

Konoha tapped her status display and took out Agate. Its artistically lacquered scabbard was such a beautiful work of craftsmanship that it captivated her no matter how many times she saw it. As someone who wielded a sword, drawing such a beautiful blade had always been one of her greatest dreams.

Meiro likewise retrieved her weapon from her status screen.

“Now then, my weapon is… a staff. I’m starting to look the part of a mage.”

“Ooh, is that an ice staff? It looks so cool!”

“It’s freezing. This thing will be a nuisance in winter.”

“But it’ll probably feel amazing in summer! Press it against your neck and fall asleep like that—it’d be perfect!”

“I’ll consider it. Now, it’s coming.”

“GROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!”

Fifty-Year Festival charged toward them, moving the eight legs grotesquely attached to its enormous black body. Its movements could hardly be called fast.

“Meiro-chan!”

“I know! Attack Skill: 《Freezing》!”

A mist-like spray of water erupted from the tip of Meiro’s raised staff. Like diamond dust, it scattered frost throughout the area and rapidly froze the ground.

“Attack Magic: 《Prayer of the Frozen Earth》!”

“W-Whoa, whoa! The ground’s moving!?”

In response to Meiro’s incantation, the freezing earth began quietly trembling. The frozen ground created in an instant connected with Meiro’s magical energy, transforming the entire field into what could practically be called her personal territory.

Fifty-Year Festival’s movements were restricted by the frozen earth. It tried to move its legs and charge forward, but Meiro’s staff restricted it even further.

“Ice… chains!?”

“Attack Magic: Prayer of the Frozen Earth is a spell that uses frozen ground—in other words, an icy field—to create any solid substance with ice acting as the substitute material.”

Meiro explained proudly.

“It’s so beautiful…”

“Yes, you may call me the Witch of the Frozen Wastes.”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. I almost created an embarrassing memory that would haunt me forever.”

“I-I think Witch of the Frozen Wastes sounds cool! Yeah, it sounds like an awesome title! I kind of admire that sort of thing!”

“Stop! Seriously, it’s embarrassing.”

The icy chains binding the shadow-covered Fifty-Year Festival gradually froze its enormous body with the cold radiating from their surfaces.

“GIIIIIIH!! GYAAAAH!!”

Clang! Clang!

Fifty-Year Festival desperately struggled to break the chains.

“Useless. They’re packed with my magical energy. I’m not going to let you break them that easily.”

Meiro pointed her staff straight ahead and added two more chains, binding its legs completely. Fifty-Year Festival’s body rapidly began freezing solid.

“Konoha!”

“Got it!”

At Meiro’s shout, Konoha raised her sword.

“Special Skill: 《Oni Princess》! Come forth, 《Ibaraki-doji》!”

An overwhelming torrent of energy burst from Konoha, and a pillar of flame reached all the way to the temple ceiling. Her hair lengthened as it turned silver-white, while her eyes rapidly changed to crimson. Then two black horns gradually grew from her head.

“Ah… aaaah…”

Konoha groaned. Yet unlike before, her eyes were not consumed by madness. They were filled with determination, fixed firmly ahead.

“Konoha!”

“I’m okay! This time, I’m properly myself.”

She placed a hand over her heart and spoke as if offering herself a prayer.

“I am Konoha, Kushibiki Konoha. Everyone’s enemy, the world’s enemy, the worst enemy of all…”

“GIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”

Fifty-Year Festival’s roar shook the entire temple and unleashed a violent gust of wind. Konoha’s silver hair streamed behind her. Yet the flame of determination within her did not waver.

“But I can use this power to save everyone. I am Konoha, Kushibiki Konoha. The Third Demon King: Moonlight!”

Information belonging to the Demon King flowed into her mind. The small Demon King raised her great sword.

“A Demon King of justice!”

“GIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“From Skills 《Iaijutsu》 and 《Sever》—Attack Magic: 《Oni Slayer》!”

Konoha’s eyes snapped wide open.

It happened in an instant.

A single horizontal arc traced through the air, and in the next moment—

Crack.

A crisp sound rang out,

Splat!

followed by the sound of flesh hitting the ground. Fifty-Year Festival’s massive body had been split cleanly in two. Its poisonous-looking black mass scattered across the floor. Sensing that the giant creature before her had ceased all life activity, Konoha slowly returned her blade to its scabbard.

It was an attack technique combining the Skills 《Iaijutsu》 and 《Sever》. Skills were essentially like folders that stored magic, and Sever was one of the spells contained within them. By drawing the sword with iaijutsu, magical energy was infused into the air vibrations created by the blade, producing an offensive spell that tore the target apart.

“Haa… haa… haa. Did… we do it?”

As Konoha calmed down, the flush of bloodlust gradually faded as well. She seemed to have become considerably more accustomed to controlling this form.

“Konoha, are you all right?”

“Meiro-chan! Thanks, I’m okay!”

Konoha opened her status screen and deactivated the skill. Her elongated hair returned to its original length, changing from silver back to brown, while her eyes returned to their original black. The horns on her head had vanished before she even noticed.

“Konoha, you’ve gotten quite used to fighting. Oh, your level went up.”

“Ooh! My level isn’t ??? anymore!”

“Oni Slayer is a new attack spell you just gained.”

Meiro opened her own status screen as well.

“Gaining this many levels from one fight… a witch’s Familiar really is something else.”

“The Witch of the Frozen Wastes is no joke!”

“Stop it. Don’t make that name stick.”

They began walking again while teasing each other like that. There was no particular need to hurry, but being with Meiro somehow made Konoha feel excited, and she naturally began walking faster.

“Oni Fire uses a lot of magical energy each time, so I probably can’t use it too often. I think using 《Oni Slayer》 more frequently would be more useful in battle.”

“You’ll have to keep a close eye on your remaining magical energy.”

They continued deeper into the labyrinth. They had probably come close to the end by now.

“Ugh, it’s so dark. I’m bad with dark places…”

“Unless you’re a nocturnal animal, very few people actually enjoy places this dark. I’d like to walk somewhere under the sun again myself.”

“…Meiro-chan.”

“What is it?”

“Can I hold your hand?”

“…What?”

Konoha’s fear meter was on the verge of maxing out.

“I-I can’t handle the dark!”

“W-Why are you crying!? You’re the Demon King, aren’t you!? Is it really that bad!?”

“Sniff… sniff… Because it feels like something might be here. Like ghosts…”

“The Familiars are far scarier than ghosts. Oh, fine. I understand. Here, give me your hand.”

“Ehehe, yay♪”

“Y-You!? You were lying about being scared too, weren’t you!?”

“Yep♪ I’m the Demon King, so of course I’m not scared. I just wanted to walk while holding hands with you, Meiro-chan~”

“Ghh! Well, fine. There’s no one else around anyway.”

“Yeah!”

Even inside the dark labyrinth, the romantic atmosphere between the two girls continued unabated. Konoha’s naturally affectionate tendencies toward other girls were no joke.

“Come to think of it, basic magic includes a light spell…”

“Whaaat!? You should’ve said that earlier~!”

“I forgot. Now then, let’s see what’s included.”

“You used basic magic on the fireplace earlier!”

“That was unconscious. I thought it would be nice if some fire came out, and it did. Magic is basically like that.”

Meiro opened her basic magic list.

“Light, Ignite, Levitation, Waterproofing, Fireproofing, Restraint, Release, Bloom, Blind, Slip, Cleaning, Manipulation, Excavation, Sedimentation, Extinguish, Expansion and Contraction, Division, Movement… etc.”

“There are so many. Did you memorize all of those?”

“Who knows? I don’t know either. At the very least, it seems to contain basically every spell necessary for everyday life. If it came down to it, I might even be able to make a carriage.”

“What about the horse?”

“We’ll acquire one in the wild.”

“Ehh…”

Whether wild horses were actually available was another question entirely.

“For now, Basic Magic: 《Light》.”

A pinpoint of light appeared at the tip of Meiro’s crystal-like staff and gradually grew brighter. It was far beyond anything a smartphone flashlight could produce.

“Wow~! That’s really bright.”

“Now you’re not scared anymore, right? Let go of my hand.”

“Nope. That’s a completely separate issue. I’m definitely not letting go.”

“Sigh… honestly, Konoha. Haven’t people ever told you that you don’t understand other people’s feelings?”

“They have. But Meiro-chan, do you hate it?”

“…I don’t particularly dislike it. Sigh. Only until we reach the next Familiar, all right?”

“Yeah! That’s fine!”

Despite her sigh, the expression on Meiro’s face clearly suggested that she did not mind at all. Whether Konoha noticed or not was another matter, but Kushibiki Konoha truly was a dangerously charming beauty.