Chapter 7: Encounter with a Sage

Translator: Robflag

When Shatia returned to the village, she met her angry mother. Although it had not been that long, she had returned with her clothes in tatters.

“It’s okay if you want to go out and play, but make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

Shatia’s mother warned her daughter with a worried look on her face. Shatia honestly admitted that she was to blame this time and apologized by bowing her head, saying she was sorry.

By then, the knight had finally woken up and explained what had happened in the North Valley.

On the advice of a royal court magician, a squadron of knights went to the Valley in search of an anomaly that had suddenly appeared. There they met a former royal court magician, Barbasa. The old wizard had turned evil and summoned an army of Skeletons to finish off the knights. Fortunately, this knight, who was the captain of the squadron, managed to escape alive and reach the village before losing consciousness.

After receiving new clothes from her mother and changing, Shatia returned to her room with Moffy behind her. The adults had to discuss what they would do about the knight and the situation he had reported, so the children had to return home and remain silent.

“So that old man named Barbasa was seen as a villain, what a pity…”

Shatia mumbled selflessly. After all, she had already solved that situation. Moffy was reading a book absently when she heard Shatia’s murmur and frowned.

“What is it, Shatia?”

“No, it’s nothing. I guess I’ll miss that old man…”

Although he was a human who liked witches, the knights had branded him a villain, so it was best not to meddle any longer. Shatia leaned over the window with some regret in her heart and looked up at the sky.

But her efforts had not been in vain. Thanks to her little adventure, Shatia discovered a creature that used magic she had never seen before and she also discovered that there were people like Barbasa, who tried to revive the witches of old. Perhaps this would allow her to meet another witch again. There was still a little hope.

Later on, the knight and the men of the village came to an agreement. It seemed that they would once again confront Barbasa to avoid a catastrophe and so the knight and the villagers, who had never wielded a weapon, headed for the North Valley. Shatia knew that the only thing they would find would be Barbasa passed out in the middle of the cave, so she didn’t give it a second thought. But Moffy seemed worried about her father, so Shatia pretended to be worried too to give the girl a chance to comfort her.

Some hours later, the knight and the villagers returned, and the knight had Barbasa in custody. As expected, Shatia’s plan had worked, the knight thought that Barbasa had failed in the ritual and that the creature had destroyed the altar and itself leaving Barbasa unconscious on the ground. The knight even said that he would reward those who accompanied him, but since it had nothing to do with magic, Shatia stopped paying attention.

After this, peace returned once again, at least temporarily, as a few days later, another visitor arrived in the village. An old man dressed in a dusty green robe, with a long beard and a hood that hid his face. This peculiar looking old man arrived in the village and asked the chief to allow him to stay for one night.

The villagers were immediately curious about the peculiar old man who had arrived and gathered at the house of the village chief while muttering to one another.

“Ho…This is very unusual. He is a Sage.”

Together with Moffy, Shatia went to the house of the village chief and watched the old man from the door. She immediately recognized that he was a Sage and smiled, amused.

“Sage? What is that?”

“You read about them in a book the other day. They are the best wizards, the ones with the greatest magical powers and they have mastered magic.”

Shatia explained with a smile.

“I also told you about them at that time when you didn’t stop asking random questions.”

Unlike ordinary sorcerers, the Sages had exceptional skills. It was said that their power was comparable to that of a god and that they could do many things, such as communicate with nature and with animals.

It was not known exactly what kind of being a Sage was, but Shatia immediately recognized him as one of them because of the small amount of magical power that leaked out of the old man.

Shatia had met a Sage in her past life, but they had not interacted much. But as individuals recognized as the Masters of Magic, the Sages and the Witches had a relatively good relationship. Shatia was upset that the Sages were not treated as villains although, just like the Witches, they used magic. However, she thought it best to leave things as they were.

After the adults chased the children away from the village chief’s house, Shatia calmly wandered around wondering how she could meet the Sage. For Shatia, who wanted to know all kinds of magic, the ancient magic used by the Sages was something extremely interesting.

Thinking that the best time would be at night when everyone was asleep, Shatia went to bed early. Then, in the middle of the night, she sneaked out of her room and used her Flight Magic to climb out the window and into the house of the village chief. Instead of the front door, Shatia used her magic to open the window and enter. Inside, the girl found the old man sitting on a chair, with his hood up and a warm, friendly smile.

“Goodness gracious, were you aware of my existence?”

“You caught me. Mmm… so you’re an abnormal, little girl.”

Shatia, who was on high alert, was a little surprised, but the old sage smiled softly and waved the girl over. After determining that there was no sign of hostility, Shatia sat down on the cushion nearby.

“An abnormal, huh? That’s not a nice way to put it.”

“What else would you call someone like you, who has a great deal of magical power in their body? Although, I’m not much different.”

That said, the old sage took out two wooden cups. There was nothing in them, but when the old man chanted a spell and waved his staff, a liquid similar to hot tea appeared in both cups. Shatia’s eyes widened, she was amazed at the magic. It was the first time she had ever seen anything like it.

Shatia drank the tea, looking carefully at the cup. The taste was something she had never tasted before.

“So, who are you? Or rather, who has marked your soul?

“Fufufu, as one would expect from a Sage. You can even sense that, can’t you? But unfortunately, I’m a bit shy. And

I’m not so kind as to reveal my identity so openly.”

It wouldn’t be a serious problem if Shatia revealed her true identity, however, she preferred not to mention that she was once a witch. Nowadays, Shatia lived as a simple village girl and therefore, she did not want her identity to be leaked. Since, if this were to happen, humans could hate her as it had happened in the past.

The Sage did not seem to be bothered by this and began to laugh out loud, his expression still as serene as ever.

“Okay. That’s fine. I’ll tell you who I am. I haven’t told the villagers, but I am the Sage Vesal. Please don’t go spreading it around.”

The Sage wanted to keep his identity a secret. He didn’t want others to know that he was a Sage either. Shatia nodded her head, remembering that she had already mentioned him to Moffy, but it was probably okay.

“What is a Sage doing in this remote village?”

Shatia asked as she drank the tea and fiddled with the hair that hung on her shoulder.

The Sages didn’t appear in public very often. Although some of them hide their true identity and blend in with the crowd at times. This is why Shatia wondered what a Sage was doing in such a small village. Vesal shook his half-empty tea cup and began to speak quietly as he held his staff in his other hand.

“A prophecy has brought me here, for there seems to be a wicked soul in the North Valley.

Hearing Vesal’s words, Shatia crossed her arms disinterestedly behind her head. If this was about Barbasa, the knight had already taken him. And if it was about the soul Barbasa summoned, the case was already solved. However, Vesal continued to speak.

“But that is not all. The North Valley is only the beginning, and soon, history will be shaken again.”

“Will it?”

Shatia was surprised that there was a continuation of the prophecy and showed a slight pretense of interest. She lifted her body slightly and brought her face closer to Vesal, listening carefully to ensure that no detail escaped her.

“What does that mean?”

She lifted her body slightly and brought her face closer to Vesal, listening carefully to ensure that no detail escaped her.

“What does that mean”?

“The prophecy is not infallible. But now that the Seven Witches are gone, the world is in chaos. Sooner or later, the world will be caught up in a maelstrom of war once again.”

According to Vesal, a new war was coming. The battle between demons and humans for territory, the conflict between the different races, the awakening of the dragons. Chaos will arise again. Long ago, the Seven Witches were part of that chaos. But now they were gone. A shadow of sadness crossed Shatia’s eyes as she thought that the world would again have to endure the same conflicts and violence she had experienced long ago…

“Fufu. Humans always seek conflict, and demons never give up their pride. The other races despise each other and…sooner or later…the Dragons will wake up again. Conflicts never stop, do they?”

“Indeed. But it is inevitable. I only hope that when it is over, not too many people will be grieving.”

Vesal agreed with Shatia’s words and waved his staff slightly in the air. Then a ball of light emerged from the staff and separated into several small balls of light that illuminated the room. One of them floated to Shatia and when she touched it, the ball of light bounced off her finger and then disappeared.

“Magic can deceive people. Great power can blind people and even corrupt their heart, it is a very sad thing.”

Vesal hit the ground with his staff and instantly, all the balls of light were extinguished. But before the light left the room, Shatia could see a sad expression on the Sage’s face, even though his beard hid most of his features.

“What do you want to obtain with all that magical power inside you? Fame? Power? Or is it once again about wealth?”

“Me?”

That absurd question took Shatia by surprise. The girl placed the cup she was holding on the floor and squeezed her hand tightly. Then she smiled slightly and answered firmly.

“I desire to continue the endless search for new magic. I will learn, test, and master all the magic in the world. That is all.”

Shatia said proudly as she extended her arms.

Her eyes shone innocently like those of a little girl. Although Shatia was a little girl. For a second, however, Vesal saw the figure of a beautiful adult woman with long silver hair. And not only that, but he managed to feel an absurd amount of magical power, so great and powerful that it looked like a mountain. That was the picture of an unreachable being. Vesal sighed in disbelief and then turned his attention back to the girl in front of him.

“Hohoho. That is a difficult ambition.”

“Fufufu, I am a greedy person. So greedy that one life would not be enough for me.”

Shatia could get into a big predicament if they found out that this was her second life. Reincarnation was a perversion of the laws of this world, but Shatia was sure that if she had known of its existence, she would have used it consciously when she died in her past life. She didn’t plan to die, at least not unless she could explore all the magic the world had to offer.

“Well, I think it’s time to go home. I enjoyed this conversation.”

After that talk, Shatia realized that the sun was about to rise and decided to go back to her house before her mother woke up. She got up from her seat, said goodbye to Vesal, and went to the window.

“Hmm, it’s been a long time since I’ve had such a pleasant conversation. I’d like to talk to you again, if possible.”

“I’ll pray that we can meet again, then.”

Vesal waved his hand, saying goodbye with a smile, but his expression was somewhat sad. Shatia smiled as well.

The Sages had long lives because of their great magical power and Shatia was still a child, so there was a possibility that they would meet again. Shatia was sure about that. With that in mind, the girl jumped out of the window and used her Flight Magic to get home. As he watched the girl fly away, Vesal slowly closed the window and let a few words escape.

“What a peculiar girl. Despite being so young her aura and magical power seem to be much older than mine.”

From the beginning, Vesal assumed that he was not chatting with an ordinary girl, but as time passed, the Sage realized that she was far more than that. Her atmosphere and demeanor were more refined and mature than Vesal himself.

Vesal was lost in thought. Who was the girl who had visited him that night? Was she perhaps a magical creature made by the spirits? Or perhaps the soul of a child? Could it have been the ruse of another Sage? Vesal was not sure of the answer, what he was sure of was that he would remember this encounter for the rest of his life.

“Now that I think about it, there was a continuation of the prophecy. When the earth turns red and the colour disappears from the sky the Seven Witches will meet again. I think it was something of the sort.”

Vesal muttered the rest of the prophecy, which he had not yet told anyone.

The prophecy stated that the world would be engulfed in chaos. But the most dangerous part was that the Seven Witches would be reunited. Vesal knew that if this part spread, fear would take hold of the masses and would lead to even more conflicts and wars, which is why he kept it a secret. But how were the Witches supposed to come back to life? Some kind of resurrection ritual? Or maybe they would use their magic to reincarnate? If so, there was a possibility that they had already done so and that the Witches now lived as children in this world. Vesal thought that the latter possibility was the most likely.

“Could it be…?”

For some reason, Vesal thought of Shatia. Her beautiful silver hair extended to her waist, her skin was white as snow, her body was so small that it seemed that the wind could pick her up at any moment, and her eyes were clear and lively. But for some reason, Vesal felt for a moment a vast magical power, worthy of the Witches of old. But he immediately dismissed the idea as a misunderstanding, then he let out a small sigh and stroked his beard. Finally, he drank the remaining tea and lay down on his bed to rest that night.