Maydare Volume 6 Chapter 8 - Reminiscence (3) ~Torc Twilight~

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After that, I spent my days in a daze.

Ever since I met the Black Demon King, I had been feeling lonely and empty no matter what I did.

It was as though there was a hole in my heart.

I was a witch who would never grow old. Would I continue to stay in the Salt Forest and simply spend eternity here just wasting my time and power?

Should I do something like the Black Demon King?

What can I do with this magic?

The more I thought over these questions, the more I didn’t want this power.

I didn’t want this power. I wanted to fall in love like a normal girl, get married, raise a family, give my children and grandchildren the finest names, age…and die with many members of my family watching over me.

At the very least, I wanted to be a witch like my grandmother.

“Will Dontanates and Popoloactus…also leave me one day…?”

In front of me were the two dwarf hamsters.

They gnawed happily on the walnuts I cracked open for them and stuffed them into their cheek pouches. I stared blankly at them, stroking their soft fur and poking at them. 

The yellow one was Dontanates.

The white one was Popoloactus.

The two dwarf hamsters, who came to this forest on the back of a migratory bird, ended up living here. They had taken to me quite well, and were always together with me.

But they were small animals with transient lives. The thought of them dying in a few more years brought tears to my eyes.

The two dwarf hamsters squeaked and comforted me by nibbling on my fingers. They seemed to be telling me that they would always be with me.

Ah, the sweet smell of baking apple pie wafting through the air.

I was weeping and feeling depressed, but I decided to eat something sweet and have a cup of tea to take my mind off things.

“...Hmm?”

I heard a strange booming sound in the distance.

Then, I was struck by a strong impact, as though something had landed.

The whole hut shook violently and dust fell from the ceiling.

“Huh? Huh?” I exclaimed as I threw myself over the freshly baked apple pie and the two hamsters.

Did something fall nearby?

Don't tell me it was a throw from the Scarlet Witch subjugation unit?

I need to turn the tables on them…! I thought as I gripped my wand and ran out of the hut.

But, what was in front of me was an unexpectedly large dragon.

“What…”

What’s more, there was a black-haired man sitting astride the dragon, staring down at me with a serious look on his face as I came out of the hut.

I immediately knew who he was.

“The Black…Demon King…”

“It’s been a while, Scarlet Witch. You seem to be doing well.”

The Black Demon King smiled fearlessly when he met my eyes.

On the other hand, I turned chalk white. 

This happened less than a month after I visited the Black Demon King’s country of demons.

I never expected him to come here, as if launching a surprise attack.

W-Wait a minute. 

What was his goal?

Did he come here to force me to keep quiet as someone who knew where his country was!?

But more importantly, I was wearing my very plain everyday clothes, and my hair was a little messy.

It’s too cruel to have a reunion when I wasn’t dressed up or had any makeup on!

“W-W-Why are you here…”

I panicked, smoothing down my hair and patting my apron while still holding my wand. I was sure that I looked very suspicious.

On the other hand, the Black Demon King spoke calmly and indifferently.

“Scarlet Witch. I came to see you. I…didn’t thank you for the other day.”

Still flustered, I invited the Black Demon King into my hut.

He took off his heavy robe and wore a casual shirt and vest.

The southern Kingdom of Ruschia seemed to be quite hot for him, considering that he was from a snowy country. The Salt Forest was one of the coolest places in the kingdom, but…

I hadn’t had any guests lately, so I had forgotten how to provide hospitality. My hands shook and I got nervous no matter what I did.

For now, I served the best tea in the hut and cut a slice of the freshly baked apple pie.

The Black Demon King took a sip of the tea and looked at me intently.

“When you’re dressed like that…you really do look like an ordinary girl.”

“Wha…I never thought you would come here!”

Feeling like I was being made fun of, I retorted with a red face and teary eyes.

Certainly, I wasn’t wearing my crimson robes and witch’s hat right now.

I was wearing a thin dress and a white apron, looking like any other town girl you might see. It was easier to move in this outfit, after all.

“I wasn’t making fun of you. I just thought that even though you’re the infamous <Scarlet Witch>, you have a simple and artless side.”

Seeing my red face, the Black Demon King chuckled.

Even though he was in a witch’s house in a foreign land, he was much too relaxed…

It felt like I was the only one embarrassed here, which made me angry.

“I thought I smelled something sweet outside. Was it this?”

The Black Demon King stared intently at the apple pie placed before him.

That reminded me of the incident with the apple pie from the other day.

“Oh, but you hate apple pie, don’t you? You even threw one down into the bottom of a valley.”

“...It’s not that I hate it.”

The Black Demon King looked a bit awkward.

Oh, so he was a little concerned about what happened at that time.

“I used to get poisoned by baked goods like this. I was just being cautious.”

“You were poisoned? Just what kind of life have you led…”

“...”

The Black Demon King kept silent at my question, instead picking up the pie slice and taking a bite.

“...I’m surprised. This is really good.”

The look of surprise on his face at that moment seemed somehow innocent.

There was no tension like what I felt in the country of demons.

“It’s been a long time since I thought food was this delicious.”

“You’re, you’re exaggerating. It’s all because of the salt apples.”

“Salt apples?”

“It’s a mysterious fruit that grows in this forest. If you eat it, the magical power in your body will recover quickly. I eat them every day.”

“Huh? Such a rare fruit exists in this country? Indeed, it enriched my magical power and made me feel refreshed. It tastes good, by the way.”

“Thank goodness, I was wondering if I was the only one who thinks they’re delicious…”

I was relieved to hear that. 

Why were we talking so calmly talking about the deliciousness of salted apples?

I cleared my throat, then folded my arms and spoke in a sharp tone that maintained my dignity as a witch.

“So? What do you want from me now?”

“...”

“I never would have thought that the Black Demon King would come to such a remote place in person. Did you come to kill me to keep me quiet?”

It wouldn’t be that easy, though.

I’m going to turn the tables on you.

I was about to say those confident words, but the Black Demon King shook his head with a serious look on his face.

“No, I just wanted to apologize for my rudeness and thank you.”

“Eh…?”

I was so taken aback by those unexpected words that all my confident words withdrew.

“Thank me? Why?”

“You saved the children of my country, didn’t you? I asked about the details afterwards. You said that you would save them no matter what…”

“...”

“And yet, I said terrible things to you and tried to chase you away. I couldn’t thank you, even though you got injured for all your trouble.

The Black Demon King stood up. 

Then, he drew a circle with his index finger in the air next to him.

To my surprise, a circular hole appeared, as though cut out from the air. The Black Demon King reached inside and pulled something out.

It was as though he had taken something off a shelf.

“Sorry. This is the least I can do. Please accept it.”

The Black Demon King held out the object to me.

“...This is a basket?”

I was astonished at being given something unexpected.

“Yes. It has a spell on it that expands the space inside. You can put anything inside the basket and carry it around, no matter what size it is.”

“What, really!? That’s amazing!”

My eyes sparkled. Right when I was about to open the lid, I noticed a strange pattern engraved on the metal keyhole of the lid.

“This is…”

“Oh, that’s the dragon claw emblem. It’s also the emblem of my nation. When I give something to someone, I always make sure to engrave it with it. It also serves to maintain the effectiveness of the spell.”

“Huh, hmm. Incredible. I see, the emblem is a substitute for your name,” I answered, seeming calm but barely able to hide my excitement. 

This basket must have been prepared by the Black Demon King as an apology for throwing my basket into the valley.

I was ecstatic on the inside.

It had been a long time since I received a gift from someone.

As I was playing with the basket, flipping it over and sticking my hand into it, the Black Demon King smiled and spoke again.

“Are you fine with that as my apology? If you prefer money or something like that, I can give you that as well.”

“Huh? I don’t care about money. This basket is much more wonderful. It’s got so many spells that I can’t do!”

The Black Demon King seemed to be good at a unique kind of magic called “spatial magic,” and thanks to that magic, this basket could store anything inside.

I got my hands on a rare item that would definitely be useful!

“But it’s kind of surprising. The Black Demon King giving me an apology gift. My image of you was more ruthless.”

“It’s the same as you. People imagine things that don’t exist and make up false images. The false image of the Black Demon King. Though…some of the rumors can’t be denied,” the Black Demon King said, then turned to me once again. “Scarlet Witch. Since then, I’ve been looking into the rumors regarding you. They called you an arrogant, selfish, jealous, and greedy witch, but…as expected, the rumors can’t be trusted. I’m truly sorry.”

“Huh…?”

“You’re more of a normal girl with no desires than I expected.”

“...”

I hugged the basket tightly.

The rumors about me were now so embellished to the point where I could no longer do anything about them, but I was shocked that there was someone who declared that they were just gossip.

I didn’t think there was any point in correcting them anymore…

“W-Why are you saying that all of a sudden? You’ve gone out of your mind.”

Unable to bear the Black Demon King’s straightforward gaze, my eyes wandered around.

We were both powerful magicians who were demonized by exaggerated gossip. Even so, I found the contrast between the relaxed Black Demon King and me, who wasn’t at all relaxed, a bit frustrating. Or maybe not…

“Also…I’m not at an age where I can be called a girl anymore…”

I pouted my lips and mumbled.

The Black Demon King, seeming to find something funny, burst into laughter.

“Ahahahahaha…! If that’s the case, then I have no right to talk about others. That guy said that if your magical powers were too strong, you won’t grow old after a certain age. It’s the same with him.”

“That guy?”

The Black Demon King sat down again and sipped his tea.

I sat across from him and asked again.

“Hey, who’s ‘that guy’? Are there other people like us?”

“Oh, don’t you know? He’s quite famous. The magician called the <White Sage> doesn’t age, just like us.”

“The White Sage…?”

I’ve never heard that name before. 

Or maybe I just didn’t know him because I rarely ventured out of the forest?

“One of these days, I’ll introduce you to him. He’s a black-hearted old man who travels the world in search of spirits.”

“Black-hearted old man?”

The Black Demon King said that he didn’t age, just like us, but he was an old man?

My image of the White Sage was still unclear.

“So there are still people like that in this world.”

Was it because I muttered something so ignorant?

The Black Demon King taught me about the outside world, which I knew nothing about. What kind of countries there were, what kind of people there were, how people like us with extraordinary magical powers lived…etc.

“You’ve really been holed up in this forest for a long time, haven’t you? I don’t know how you decided to go to my nation, on the northernmost edge of the world.”

“That’s…that’s because I wanted to meet you.”

“...Meet me?”

“Ah!”

My words were so straightforward that I surprised myself, so I covered my mouth without thinking.

“No, um, I mean…” I panicked, my eyes spinning around in circles.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“W-What are you laughing at!”

“That the Scarlet Witch, who uses such incredible magic, can say something so cute.”

“...”

And once again, the Black Demon King elegantly sipped his tea.

C-C-Cute!?

The only people who had ever called me cute were my grandmother and parents when I was little.

I was completely taken aback by those words. My face turned bright red and I looked down. I think my body temperature was probably very high right now. 

I was completely at the mercy of this man.

The Black Demon King was to return to his nation that night.

It felt like time had passed in the blink of an eye.

“Sorry for staying so long.”

“N-Not at all. I didn’t know anything about the outside world…so, um, it was very fu-, I mean, very helpful!”

I was about to say it was fun, but I ended up saying it in a very uncute way. I wanted to punch myself.

“...H-Hey. Come visit again. I’ll make lots of salt apple dishes.”

I mustered up the courage to say that.

I was happy that the Black Demon King came to see me.

I wanted him to visit my house again.

I couldn’t hold back the elation and excitement that welled up inside me. It really had been a long time since I had such a fun and exciting time.

“Sure. And if you ever want to go out again, come to my country. I’ll treat you as a guest.”

“...Huh? I can visit again?”

“Yeah, there’s more I want to tell you. And it seems that you’re just like me.”

“...”

“I want to know more about your magic. Next time we meet, let’s have a magic contest.”

“Y-Yes…!”

I would be able to see the Black Demon King again.

I almost cried with joy at the thought of such an agreement.

The Black Demon King looked at me again.

“...My true name is Torc Twilight.”

He announced his name in a striking voice.

“...Torc Twilight…?”

“Yeah. I don’t use that name often, but it’s definitely my name.”

I’m sure my eyes changed color the moment I heard that name. After learning his true name, I could clearly see the outline of his character.

At the same time, I quickly realized that his name was cursed.

“Your…name…is cursed.”

“Oops. Don’t say any more than that.”

The Black Demon King put his index finger to my lips and cut me off.

“If you have something you want to tell me, come to me again. I’ll listen to you seriously next time, Makirié Lucia.”

“...”

He met my gaze and smiled daringly.

I was so shocked that I froze up. I couldn’t answer back with anything.

Torc Twilight.

The man with the cursed name left me at his mercy once more and rode back to the northernmost country on the back of his dragon.

I rushed back into the hut and threw myself onto my bed, still clutching the basket.

“~~~~~~!”

The excitement in my chest and the heat in my cheeks were unusual.

My heart was pounding so wildly that I felt out of breath. I blinked my wet eyes over and over again.

“Torc…Twilight…”

When would I be able to see him next? 

Even though I pressed my hands against my chest tightly and told myself over and over to calm down, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

That’s right. Though I had been alive for decades, I was in “love” for the first time.

I didn’t know that this love would continue to burn my soul.

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