Chapter 85: The First Witch

This book had been preserved unbelievably well. Something that had existed for five hundred years should have already fallen apart, at least in Peiya’s understanding.

She thought of the hourglass she had seen earlier and asked,

“I promise I’ll deliver the book for you. Also, I have another question. The reason this book could last until now… it’s related to that hourglass, right?”

Based on what she had experienced before, Peiya guessed that the hourglass was holding some kind of time-related power.

Using time magic to preserve items was actually possible. It was said that in the Holy Library, there were similar magic tools that could keep books from decaying for thousands of years.

As for whether that was true… who knows?

Did the Holy Library really exist for a thousand years?

No one could say for sure.

Eh… whatever. Let them say what they want.

“My lady, your guess is correct. Many things here have been preserved thanks to the treasures left by the Witch. However, after today, the magic inside the hourglass will almost be used up. The Witch only left enough power for five hundred years. She once said that someone would come to restart it. Oh, and she also said that if people didn’t know how to call her, they could call her ‘the Ferryman.’ But if you call her the Calamity Witch, Kreis, that’s also fine.”

“Ferryman?”

Peiya was surprised.

A ferryman usually meant someone who helps others, guides them, or even leads souls and protects them.

No matter how she thought about it, that didn’t match the title Calamity Witch at all.

Even while reading the book, Peiya couldn’t feel anything that could be called destruction.

Instead, it felt warm, like lying on a pile of hay under the sky, counting the stars.

And this wasn’t just her imagination. The book actually had drawings like that.

A very simple sketch showed someone lying on a pile of harvested wheat, counting how many sheep were around.

Wait… would a witch really do something this childish?

Because of the way history described witches, Peiya had always thought of them as beings who chased mysterious knowledge.

At the very least, they should be fighting evenly with those old men from the Church.

But Kreis used her limited time… to count sheep.

Also, that name… why did it sound so familiar?

Peiya searched her memory and remembered records in the library about someone named Kreis.

It was said that she was a goddess of harvest. Even now, some farmers still worship her.

Before, Peiya wouldn’t have cared about such small details. But after everything she had learned recently, it was hard not to think the name wasn’t chosen on purpose.

Could it be… the Calamity Witch’s biggest dream was just farming?

That… that answer felt way too strange.

The common belief was that witches were the source of plagues. Because of them, winters became cold and harsh.

In some villages, when a child went missing, people didn’t look for kidnappers. They would instead suspect that a witch was nearby.

If scholars saw this part of history in her hands, they would probably call it fake history.

Honestly, even Peiya herself found it hard to believe.

She didn’t fully trust what she had seen here.

If the Church wasn’t completely right, did that mean the Witch was right?

And now, she herself was someone chosen by the Witch.

Even though it sounded a bit ironic, it was true. She would become a witch in the future.

This wasn’t about choice anymore. It was something she had to face.

She couldn’t rule out the possibility that everything here was just a plan left behind by the previous Witch to influence her.

In the past, Peiya might have run away, hiding herself from all of this. But now, she had to keep moving forward.

At the very least, she couldn’t let danger reach Elise. So she couldn’t blindly believe either side anymore.

Which version was the real history… time would give the answer.

Peiya put the book away and noticed the Ice Bear King was organizing something.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes.” The Ice Bear King let out a breath. “My mission is complete. Now, I must go find my own purpose. Take this hourglass. I’ve been using it to keep the space stable. As for its other functions, I don’t really understand them. If you’re interested, you can ask the remnant soul inside the Moon Tree. She might know something.”

The Ice Bear raised its claw and took out a crystal hourglass made with golden metal patterns from thin air.

It was much bigger than Peiya expected. But when it reached her hand, it suddenly shrank to a much smaller size.

This hourglass was quite “smart.” It could change size depending on the user. Now it was small enough to wear as a pendant around the neck.

It felt smooth and comfortable, not sharp at all. Even in the royal city, it would be considered a very high-end accessory.

Peiya gently shook the hourglass. Inside, a pink-purple thick liquid slowly flowed.

It looked extremely delicate. Even as jewelry, it wouldn’t look strange at all.

At some point, Peiya realized that her way of judging things had changed, from focusing on usefulness to asking if it looked good and matched her style.

Maybe it started from the day Elise carefully dressed up. Since then, she also began to like shiny things.

Maybe this was just a natural instinct for girls.

Still, for safety, Peiya put the hourglass into her inner pocket instead of showing it openly, so it wouldn’t attract trouble.

“I’ve put it away. Are you really leaving now? Your injuries… it’s better to rest first.”

Peiya looked at the Ice Bear King. Somehow, after these days, her opinion of him had changed.

After all, he had stayed here for five hundred years to keep a promise. Not many monsters could do that.

Five hundred years… that’s not the same as five days.

Even humans would get used to a place after five years. For a powerful monster, it must be even more so.

“Yes. I plan to go to the far north. There should be the purest ice magic there. Also, the Witch once told me to wait there. I don’t know what’s there, but I choose to follow her words.”

“……”

So in the end… this was just the next part of the story.

“I think she wanted you to grow on your own, so she sent me away on purpose. But I still don’t know why I need to go to the ice plains. I hope we meet again. Before I leave, let me ask one more thing. That Bear Guard, what is its relationship with you?”

“He is a clone I separated from myself using the hourglass. Since I couldn’t show myself, I used him to protect the upper area. Also, the mineral poison I absorb has irreversible effects on my body. With him, I can reduce the excess poison. Our bear race mostly focuses on strength. I’m a special case, I can balance strength and ice magic fairly well…”

“...But even that wasn’t enough. At first, I had no idea what to do. By chance, I came into contact with the mineral poison. I thought I would die, but I survived. After that, I began to absorb the poison on purpose. At the beginning, I couldn’t handle it well, so I made a clone. Now, I can endure it. That’s all I have to say. Good luck.”

“Take care too.”

Peiya left the cave first. She knew the Ice Bear King likely had another way out.

She chose to keep his secret.

After Peiya left, the Ice Bear King finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fell to his knees.

“My lady… have you forgotten me? But maybe that’s for the best. I should have died in that battle long ago. You saved me. Now that you have returned, my mission is complete. Finally… I can be reunited with everyone.”

The Ice Bear King curled up in the pool of blood. His memories played in his mind like a movie.

The final scene stopped at when he was still a small cub.

A rabbit jumped onto a tree branch and shouted,

“Babul! You ate all the festival honey again! You lazy and selfish bear! What will the Witch eat when she comes back?”

“I just couldn’t help it! And besides, the Witch said she doesn’t like honey.”

“……”

“You really are a silly bear. She only said that on purpose! Hurry up and bring out the honey you hid! Don’t think I don’t know you hid a lot!”

“I don’t have any left! Really!”

“If you don’t, then go climb down and get more! Everyone, push him! Don’t let him sleep here! He’s a dishonest bad bear!”

“Wait, wait! I’ll go myself! You guys are too much! I’m the most honest bear in the whole forest!”

With a dull sound, the memory ended.

The Ice Bear King opened his eyes. The path ahead was already blocked by fallen rocks.