Chapter 72: Ordor Forest
“Quiet already!”
The situation had changed somewhat, at least in Lily’s reaction. Unlike before, when she would panic at the sight of the mirror, this time she stood confidently with her hands on her hips in front of the witches.
She tried her best to look angry, but her puffed-up cheeks only made her look adorable.
“...So cute.”
It wasn’t working.
Instead, the witches giggled and wiggled their fingers as if teasing her, causing Lily to let out a loud, frustrated scream.
“G-get out!”
“Oh my, my poor eardrums. Lily, didn’t you say last time that you—”
“I don’t know! I don’t know!”
“...W-wait!”
Out of nowhere, brooms appeared and began whacking the witches, chasing them out.
The witches, who had initially resisted, fled in terror when a massive cauldron came flying toward them.
Once the witches were gone, Lily dusted off her hands and turned back to the large mirror. She sighed heavily, as if trying to hide her true thoughts.
“Haa… even I don’t understand.”
While she had maintained her usual demeanor in front of the witches, in truth, she was even more shocked than she had been last time.
Among those who could see the Light of Divine Names, an unspoken rule existed:
The contents of the Divine Name list might change, but a Divine Name once bestowed could never transform.
Yet, the “Hermit of the Rift” had shed its former name, evolving into a new Divine Name before her very eyes.
Shed—yes, that was the right word.
She had never seen a light so radiant before.
A rule that had persisted for eons had been broken.
Surely, those who could witness the Light of Divine Names were in an uproar by now.
‘Arcane must be losing his mind.’
Arcane was someone who revered the rules of Divine Names above all else, believing them to be the direct words of the gods themselves. To see a god seemingly contradict its own decree must have thrown him into chaos.
The gods had reversed their words.
“Serves him right.”
Lily and Arcane had always disagreed on how to interpret Divine Names. Today’s events only confirmed to her that her interpretation was the more accurate one.
Perhaps that was why she felt such immense curiosity toward the owner of the Divine Name reflected in the mirror.
A being who had caused a seismic shift in the world.
Who could it be?
And why was she, among all the witches, the only one able to see the details of this Divine Name?
“Arthur Clayton. Is he even human? Ah, I really want to know who he is.”
Lily stared blankly at the mirror, her gaze fixed on the text until the markings faded.
Resting her chin on her hand, she frowned in thought. The expression reflected in the mirror felt strangely unfamiliar.
Come to think of it, she had never truly experienced “worry” before.
Big concerns were always handled by the Dortas, while smaller worries were left to their apprentices. Lily had never needed to worry about anything in her life.
And yet, this particular issue felt like a monumental decision for her.
“All right, I’ll do it!”
She couldn’t stand leaving her curiosity unresolved.
Usually, the Dortas would solve her questions for her, but this time, they seemed to be struggling.
So, how could she satisfy this burning curiosity?
“I just have to meet him in person!”
Her deliberation was brief.
As soon as she made up her mind, she began rummaging through her dresser.
She pulled out a tote bag adorned with an adorable puppy and stuffed it with cosmetics and perfumes. These were gifts from the witches, impossible to find in the outside world, and therefore her top priority.
Next, she packed combs, headbands, and various accessories. Sitting down in front of her mirror, she began to doll herself up.
Her jet-black hair, flowing down to her waist, gleamed as she carefully combed it.
Leaning closer to the mirror as if entranced, she inspected her face.
Translucent and pure white.
Small and cute.
She couldn’t help but admire herself every time she looked into the mirror.
“So pretty!”
Complimenting her own reflection was one of her favorite hobbies.
After tying her hair with a pretty ribbon, Lily placed her hand on the mirror. With a pop, the large mirror shrank to the size of a hand mirror.
Packing the hand mirror into her tote bag, Lily confidently stepped out of her hut.
The forest village was as peaceful as ever.
Lily headed toward a massive, centuries-old tree at the center of the village.
Under the tree’s shaded base sat a rocking chair, where a witch was napping. Sneaking up behind her, Lily playfully shook the chair.
The disturbed elder witch waved her hand in irritation, her wrinkled face and hands betraying her age as the oldest witch in the forest.
“…Child, what is it you’re curious about this time?”
“Grandma Elder! What’s the most important thing I’ll need outside the forest?”
“Outside the forest? You’ll need money.”
“Money? How much?”
“As much as you can get.”
“But I don’t have any money.”
“You won’t need any, Lily. The Dortas will follow you wherever you go.”
The elder gave a halfhearted answer and closed her eyes again. It was a pleasant day, with a soothing breeze, and she didn’t want to be disturbed.
Standing beside her, Lily pulled out a notepad and carefully wrote down their conversation.
Money. She needed money.
And the more, the better.
She thought of the witches who proudly flaunted their gold, including the elder herself. It seemed she would need to gather a rather large stash.
Not long after Lily left, the napping elder flinched and curled up in her chair.
As if she had foreseen something ominous in her dreams, it looked like she was having a nightmare.
Night came early to Ordor Forest.
In the dead of night, with only the chirping of insects breaking the silence, the forest’s cottage village slept soundly.
Out of the darkness emerged a small figure, sneaking away from one of the huts.
The figure adjusted the wide brim of her hat, which bobbed with every step and obscured her view.
“Ugh, it’s so heavy.”
The bundle she carried was twice the size of her body.
She had used magic to put the witches to sleep, then raided their belongings, snatching up gold and jewels from their huts. After making a full circuit of the village and taking valuables from the most complacent witches, she came to a startling realization.
‘I was a beggar!’
She remembered once hearing that people with no money of their own, who relied entirely on others, were called beggars.
Peeking into her tote bag, she confirmed it was full of gifts she had received. No gold. No jewels.
She really was a beggar.
But that didn’t matter now.
She was now the richest witch in the village.
Feeling as though she had ascended to greatness, Lily hummed a cheerful tune as she left the village behind.
The deeper into the forest she ventured, the more its atmosphere changed.
A thick mist clouded her vision, and the chilling wind carried eerie sounds.
Ooooooo—
She soon entered a dense part of the forest, its massive trees packed tightly together. Pale, ghostly figures drifted between the trunks.
These were the spirits of the forest, wandering through the outskirts of Ordor Forest to repel intruders.
It was the so-called Haunted Forest, one of the protective barriers maintained by the witches through an annual ritual.
The spirits, sensing the presence of a living being, began to converge on Lily.
The scene was spine-chilling.
But Lily, yawning, casually waved her hand. The spirits screamed and scattered, as though terrified of her.
Finally reaching the forest’s edge, Lily stood before an open field. The scenery seemed slightly distorted, a result of the forest’s protective barrier.
Approaching the barrier’s exit, a small figure greeted her.
A cute, small dog.
It looked just like the black-furred puppy illustrated on Lily’s tote bag. With pointed ears, a bushy tail, and a sleek body, the dog lay curled up, sleeping.
Squatting in front of it, Lily tickled its nose with a blade of grass.
When the dog twitched and opened its eyes, growling, Lily extended her hand and grinned brightly.
“Hey, Doggy! Did you miss me?”
Sniffing her hand, the dog barked and leapt onto her, licking her cheek and wagging its tail furiously.
Amused by the dog’s antics, Lily momentarily forgot her purpose and played with it, tossing it in the air and chasing it around the forest’s edge.
If the other witches had seen her tossing the dog like that, knowing its true nature, they would have fainted in shock.
By the time she realized how much time had passed, dawn was breaking.
Clapping her hands, Lily snapped back to reality.
“I need to leave before Grandma Elder wakes up!”
Hoisting her bundle onto her back, Lily patted the dog’s head.
“Doggy, keep guarding the forest while I’m gone!”
“Woof!”
“Right? I know it’s a lot of stuff. What? You’ll help carry it? Like this?”
Lily unpacked her bundle in front of the dog, and the shimmering gold spilled out.
The dog sniffed at the glittering pile, then sucked it all in as though swallowing it whole. Despite being much smaller than the bundle, the dog managed to consume it effortlessly, sitting before her with its tail wagging.
“You’ve got a subspace stomach, huh? Hmm, what should I do? If I take you with me, Grandma Elder will get mad.”
But Lily couldn’t resist the convenience of having a “walking bag.” Plus, traveling together would be less boring.
“Woof!”
“Right? What’s the worst that could happen? The barrier ritual is done for the year, so it’ll be fine, right?”
“Woof!”
“Two years would be fine too?”
Convinced by the dog’s “reasoning,” Lily extended her hand.
“Let’s go on a little adventure together!”
“Woof!”
“What? You need to grab your buried bone first? Where is it?”
Laughing and digging through the dirt together, the girl and her dog disappeared into the distance, leaving the waking Ordor Forest behind.
***
“My… my gold ring!”
“Waaaah! My jewelry box is gone!”
“Who… who dared to take my gold tooth?!”
“We’ve been robbed!”
The peaceful morning of Ordor Forest turned into chaos.
The Dortas, who rarely gathered even once a year, convened urgently in a single hut.
They were the leaders of their respective factions and core figures in the witches’ hierarchy, akin to elders.
The reason for this emergency meeting was singular.
Lily had disappeared!
Elder Medeia pressed her throbbing temple and massaged her forehead.
The Dortas had gathered at her hut for two reasons. First, she was the elder responsible for overseeing Ordor Forest. Second, she was the last witch to have seen Lily.
“She took all the valuables?”
“…Yes. Who could have taught Lily to do something so awful?”
“We need to find the witch responsible and punish her severely!”
“Never mind that for now! Lily is missing!”
Elder Medeia banged the table to bring everyone back to the main issue.
The truth was, she herself had been the one to unwittingly plant the idea in Lily’s head.
She should have known something was off when her dreams felt so restless.
Before anyone could speak further, Medeia mentioned Keros, the forest guardian who had disappeared alongside Lily.
Though it looked like an ordinary dog, Keros was far from normal, and the mention of its name redirected the witches’ focus.
The stolen gold was nothing compared to the fact that both Lily and the guardian had ventured into the outside world.
Despite their unassuming appearances, the two were akin to walking disasters.
The witches, who had always played the role of Lily’s guardians, were now powerless to control her actions.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the witches clutched their heads, groaning in dismay.
“I thought the infamy of witches was finally fading….”
“This is terrible. Could this lead to another witch hunt?”
For ten years, the witches had lived quietly, free of persecution. But now, the specter of their past infamy loomed large once more.