CHAPTER 360: CHAPTER 360: A CRYING TOUKO

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’If I can understand it directly, who would waste time gnawing on an endless book?’

This was Haru’s most honest thought.

However, Alice, who couldn’t read minds, naturally misunderstood his words, and stared at him as if looking at God.

She remembered him saying that this was all a manifestation of the knowledge in his mind. Such a vast library, in a magical world where knowledge equaled power, what was the difference between that and omniscience?

"The tea’s ready. Would you like to try some, Alice?" Haru turned his head and called out to Alice.

After a long moment of no response, Haru turned his head and, seeing the young woman’s dazed face, called out with a puzzled expression, "Alice???"

Startled by his call, Alice blinked, her eyes shining slightly.

"Are there any grimoires related to witches here?" she asked, her voice filled with a faint hope.

Though her expression was as calm and serene as ever, her heart was in her throat.

The title of rare fairy tale witch, which the mages had placed on her head, was both a praise and a mockery.

Praise for the witch’s lofty mystery, passed down for thousands of years. Mockery for the tragedy of her not being able to find a path forward.

Due to the nature of the witch’s bloodline and magic, the lineage was passed down from mother to daughter. But how could one person’s research compare to the joint exploration of countless mages?

Finding a research direction was Alice’s current impasse. And the nature of a witch meant that even finding a companion to discuss things with was exceptionally difficult.

And now, seeing Haru’s terrifying knowledge reserve, a faint ripple spread across Alice’s calm heart. If he was a True Magic User, with such a vast amount of knowledge, he should have knowledge of witches, right?

"Oh, Yes."

The young woman’s hopeful tone made Haru startle for a moment. He didn’t think much of it and directly manipulated the study, revealing the bookshelf containing the knowledge of witches.

"This is the basic knowledge of witches, a total of ten million volumes, of which thirty thousand involve the divine domain," Haru said to Alice, his tone flat.

The knowledge of witches was practically worthless to Haru, who was favored by the Earth Mother Goddess.

After all, the ancient derogatory term for the priestesses of the Earth Mother Goddess was ’witch’!

Looking at the bookshelf before her, and hearing Haru’s words, Alice was a little dazed.

After a long moment, she tore her feverish gaze from the massive bookshelf and looked at Haru with a pitiful expression.

"Where should I start?" Alice looked at Haru, her voice weak, a perfect embodiment of a ’poor child’ who had suddenly encountered an inexhaustible amount of money, a feeling of helpless panic.

"Let’s start with the essential spiritual vision of a witch," Haru said with a smile.

Five books silently floated out from the bookshelf, circling before Alice, gently fluttering.

Alice still stared at Haru’s face with her bright, dark eyes.

For some reason, Haru understood the meaning of the young woman’s strange behavior.

His expression softened as he walked up to her, took one of the fluttering books with his left hand, and took her soft hand with his right.

"I’ll teach you."

————

On a small slope opposite the Aozaki family’s mansion, in the mountains on the left side of Misaki Town, where the ley lines converged.

Touko Aozaki, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, a cigarette dangling from her lips, stood under a large tree, silently watching the middle-aged woman busy in the kitchen through the glass window.

After an unknown amount of time, she reluctantly turned her head, intending to leave. But just then, the busy middle-aged woman subconsciously looked up.

"...Touko?"

————

"You didn’t even say you were back. Here, this is your orange juice." The middle-aged woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Touko Aozaki, only older, handed her a glass of orange juice.

"..." Touko silently took the glass, took a sip, and listened to the middle-aged woman’s complaints about family matters.

"I came back to take what’s mine," Touko said, pushing up her glasses, intending to coldly reject her mother’s warmth.

But the words that came out were gentle, almost like a sob.

Facing her own mother, Touko couldn’t bring herself to be harsh. But the thought of her stolen magic inheritance, and the first half of her life—which had been denied by her grandfather, filled her with a boundless rage and grievance.

As for her younger sister, who had done nothing and had magic fall from the sky into her lap... to be honest, she was so jealous she was going mad.

Especially since the magic was supposed to be hers. How could she not be jealous?

Hearing her words, the middle-aged woman fell silent. After a long moment, she said, her voice pleading, "You’re sisters. It’s normal to fight. Mom understands."

As a member of a magus family, even without any magical aptitude, she understood the cruelty of the magical world. A mother who loved both her daughters dearly could only plead with Touko.

"I’ll deal with Aoko personally." Touko said, her voice suddenly firm. She stood up, drained the juice, and left the normal-looking Western-style house.

Touko understood her mother’s meaning. She understood that sisters fight, but killing each other was absolutely forbidden.

"Honestly, not even staying for a meal, just rushing off like that." A relieved, complaining voice faintly reached Touko’s ears.

Touko’s steps slowed, her gaze softening.

After a long moment, she took off her black-framed glasses, her icy gaze fixed on the forest on the slope above. Having lived here for over a decade, she knew all too well that the nest of a True Magic User was lurking there.

————

Beside a karst cave deep in the forest.

Touko squatted on the ground, carefully carving the last rune, her expression grave. "A thirty percent chance of success. It’s enough for a gamble."

She’d been back in Misaki City for a week.

The reason she’d gone to the Aozaki residence to visit her family was no different from a prisoner seeing their relatives before execution.

’Imprison the True Magic User.’ This was her current goal. As for killing a True Magic User, having deeply felt the old True Magic User’s power, she knew it was impossible.

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