SWNOVELXO Chapter 7 Part 2
Since I was little, I often saw things that others couldn’t.
For a witch who can perceive the flow of magic, that’s nothing unusual.
But—
Among the things I saw, there were many that even ordinary witches couldn’t perceive. And yet, I still don’t know what they truly are.
“Unknown beings exist just as much in this world as they do in the otherworld,” my master once told me. “Using magic is nothing more than brushing against a fraction of that truth.”
“Meg, your eyes can perceive the unknown aspects of the world. Just a little more than ordinary people or witches.”
“Master, do you see them too?”
“Clairvoyance allows me to transcend time and distance, but it doesn’t let me cross the barriers between worlds.”
She always told me that my eyes held strong magical power. That it was my innate talent.
If that’s true, then maybe the brand on Mary’s neck is something only I can see.
—
“Meg, what’s with that gloomy face?”
“Huh?”
It was nighttime.
During dinner, my master gave me a puzzled look as I sat there deep in thought.
“Milk has always been your favorite.”
“I love it to death…”
“And the meat sauce isn’t bad either.”
“A perfect masterpiece…”
“So, what, did you want steak instead?”
“Why are you only talking about food?!”
I reflexively snapped back, and my master chuckled in amusement.
“Just teasing.”
“Can you not throw in weird jokes like that…?”
“So? What’s wrong?”
The “Eternal Witch” Faust, possessing the power of clairvoyance, should have no trouble reading people’s minds.
To see past events. To foresee the future. Even if not everything, she should be able to grasp almost all of it.
But she doesn’t.
It may be due to the restrictions of magic, but I know there’s another reason.
Because she possesses clairvoyance, a power that sees through the world itself— My master chooses instead to face people directly.
After all, if people knew their hearts were being laid bare, they would shrink away. And once that happens, no one would ever approach her. No one would ever open up to her.
That’s why the witch Faust asks with words instead.
“Tell me.”
After hesitating briefly, I finally opened my mouth.
“Earlier today, I saw something that bothered me.”
“Something that bothered you?”
“There was a girl named Mary, and she had what looked like a burn mark on her neck. But… it seems like I’m the only one who can see it.”
“No one else could see it?”
“Yeah. It looked like some kind of emblem.”
Using the magic construction techniques I once learned from Sophie, I traced the pattern in the air.
At that moment, I felt the atmosphere in the room shift slightly.
My master’s expression, which had been calm just moments ago, darkened.
“Meg.”
“Yes?”
“I won’t say this twice. Stay away from that girl.”
“Huh?”
“That mark is a demon’s brand.”
“A… demon?”
“Mary was offered as a sacrifice. By someone who worships demons.”
Someone had made a demonic offering of Mary.
I inhaled sharply at the realization.
My master looked at me with a grave expression.
In her large eyes, I saw my own face, frozen in shock.
“A sacrifice… Who would do such a thing?”
“That, I don’t know.”
“Not even with your clairvoyance?”
“When someone makes a pact with a demon, both their past and future are shrouded in darkness. The power of demons is that immense.”
“Useless old hag.”
“Hush.”
With a sigh, she added:
“There are conditions to making a pact with a demon. Things like using blood as a catalyst or gathering a hundred strands of hair. None of it is easy, so it was likely someone close to her. A friend, a relative, or… family.”
“Family…”
“By offering sacrifices, demons grant humans power. And they especially favor those who offer their own kin. Whether it’s unfathomable wisdom or the ability to see the future—things that can’t normally be attained—whoever made the offering must have craved such a blessing.”
“No way… That little girl was sacrificed for something like that?”
“Listen, Meg. People who fall to temptation are foolish. And those who fall to greed are the most foolish of all. I’m sorry, but that girl can’t be saved.”
“Is there no way to save her?”
“Meg.”
My master didn’t answer.
Instead, she quietly reached out and grabbed my arm.
Her grip was strong.
As if she was desperately holding onto something precious, trying to keep it from slipping away.
“Many witches have died after getting involved with demon worship. If you meddle in this, you’ll die before the deadline of her sacrifice ever arrives.”