“Ocean Witch Aserni, why are you here?” Freese’s expression was unpleasant, yet she still forced herself to maintain composure as she asked.
Aserni sat on a rock by the sea, enjoying the sea breeze and listening to a conch shell. She replied carelessly, “I live nearby, why can’t I be here?”
Freese: “You should still be at Gloria’s, attending the witches’ gathering.”
“You came back early too, didn’t you? Of course I also had something to take care of, so I came back in advance. But—” Aserni stood up and patted the dust from her skirt, “now I suddenly feel bored again, so I want to go back to Gloria’s and continue.”
Seeing her about to leave, Freese called out suspiciously, “Wait, Aserni, you should have seen a young girl come this way, right?”
Aserni smiled with narrowed eyes. “I did see her, but which direction she went, I am absolutely not going to tell you. Hahaha, if you don’t chase after her now, you really won’t be able to find her. The little girl runs very fast!”
She was deliberately delaying her? Freese cast another suspicious glance at her, then could no longer be bothered with her, and followed the tracks left by the swamp monster on the ground to track them.
Holding the conch shell and giggling, Aserni said, “Now that she’s been tricked away, let’s hurry and go too!”
She was preparing to head to Gloria’s witches’ gathering. With so many people watching, the prideful Freese would not be able to forcibly drag someone back. If she went to make trouble, that was fine too—Aserni loved seeing Freese embarrass herself the most.
A voice came from inside the conch—Meili’s voice. “Why are you helping us?”
Aserni: “Because I can’t stand Freese!”
Also, it was her first time seeing a swamp monster—she was extremely curious, and she wanted to bring it along to share with everyone. A swamp monster would stay in a certain swamp for a long time, and if one didn’t specifically go searching for it, it was very hard to come across. As a sea witch like her, she had never seen one before.
Freese followed the muddy tracks for some distance, and saw Mr. Bole the owl fainted on the ground. With a spell, she made him float upward.
The owl barely opened his eyes. “Lady… Freese… oh, my head is spinning… Meili suddenly gained powerful… magic… and injured me…”
After saying that, his eyes rolled back, his two talons twitched, and he fainted again.
Freese frowned as she grabbed him in her hand. Finally sensing something was wrong, she snapped her head toward the sparkling sea surface.
No—she had been tricked by Aserni!
“Aserni!”
Her always-elegant face suddenly twisted with a trace of ferocity. She spun around and rushed back to the seaside, only to find that Aserni had already vanished without a trace.
It must have been her who took Meili away! Doing something that brought her no benefit at all, just to oppose her—what an utterly boring and utterly hateful witch!
Freese wanted to chase after her, but the ocean was Aserni’s domain. Here, Aserni had a natural advantage—she simply could not catch up.
Aserni had already flown far into the distance, yet through a small conch she left by the shore, she could hear Freese’s furious shouting. On the sea surface, she laughed with great arrogance.
Today, the ocean was calm and peaceful, the weather was good.
At the witches’ gathering, the witches were exchanging their magic or sharing their daily lives. The atmosphere was relaxed and leisurely. Although not every witch got along harmoniously, with Gloria there, no one dared to stir up conflict.
Aside from witches, there were also some fairies and non-human creatures here. Having learned about the witches’ gathering, they had also come to join the fun. The witches did not drive them away. These mysterious beings born from nature were, for the most part, fond of witches, and their relationships were friendly.
This gathering would last for several days. Even when night fell outside, the world created by magic here remained bright. As the witches shared food, they suddenly felt another ripple in the magic world. A fiery figure burst in, accompanied by the scent of sea wind.
“Aserni? Didn’t she leave early following behind Freese, saying she had urgent matters? Why has she come back again?”
The moment Aserni appeared, she drew the gazes of many witches. She jumped onto a table and shouted loudly, “Ladies, look what I’ve brought!”
She took out the conch shell and tipped it downward, pouring out a swamp monster holding Meili in its arms.
The swamp monster moved sluggishly. Even though the place had changed, it showed little reaction, only lowering its head to look at the little girl lying in its embrace.
The gentle and kind Gloria came over to ask what was happening. When she saw the swamp monster, she was a little surprised. “This… is a swamp monster?”
She was a Lake-and-Marsh Witch. There were some marshlands near where she lived, and the magic she used was also related to swamps. She would occasionally see marsh fairies said to be the most unwilling to associate with humans, but it was her first time seeing a swamp monster.
“Aserni, how did you bring a swamp monster here?” She was startled—weren’t swamp monsters known for avoiding people?
“I snatched it from Freese!” Aserni replied with pride.
The witches all crowded around to watch the spectacle.
Meili, dizzy from being dumped out, hadn’t even figured out where she was before noticing that she was surrounded by women of many different appearances and ages. They were observing her and the swamp monster as if they were watching a giant panda with a little panda.
Some were focused on the swamp monster.
“So this is a swamp monster?”
“Aserni said she snatched it from Freese, could it be Freese was trying to imprison the swamp monster?”
“That’s not good. We should coexist with them more harmoniously.”
Some were focused on Meili.
“Look, this seems like a little witch too.”
“I feel it as well—she seems to be a Forest Witch?”
“I thought Freese was the last Forest Witch.”
Meili held onto the swamp monster’s hand, listened to them for a while, and finally managed to understand that these women were all witches, holding a gathering, and they all knew Freese.
In short—this was Freese’s circle of friends.
What a coincidence!
Just then, the Witch who seemed to be the host—Gloria—stepped forward and asked, “Child, who are you?”
Meili blinked and answered, “I’m Meili. My mother was Lady Freese’s… younger sister. She died not long ago, and Lady Freese brought me to her manor. Because she used some forbidden magic, her body has developed problems, so she wants to destroy my soul and take over my body. I just escaped, and happened to run into Aserni, who brought me here.”
The witches gasped in shock. Even Aserni, who brought them here, was stunned. She was only acting out of habit, opposing Freese for fun—she never expected there was actually such a story.
Though some witches had done things less than honorable in private, with so many witches gathered here, they were instead compelled to maintain a respectable image, and all began condemning Freese.
Gloria, the Lake-and-Marsh Witch, was truly kind and wise. Seeing the looks exchanged among the witches present, she began carefully questioning Meili.
Meili told everything she knew and guessed, practically equivalent to writing a scandal email about Lady Freese and sending it to the entire company.
While she spoke, the swamp monster remained quietly by her side. A passing fairy attracted its attention, and as it lifted its head, it saw the branch of golden broom blossoms hanging above.
He reached out, plucked one, and gave it to Meili.
Meili, who had been talking nonstop, suddenly choked for a moment. “…Cough, cough.”
A witch who was more interested in the swamp monster asked, “The swamp monster seems to be very fond of you. How did you do it?”
“Yes, your relationship seems very close?”
Sure enough—compared to scandal, everyone cared more about romance.
Holding the flower and the swamp monster’s hand, Meili kept a calm face. “His name is Cute, and he is my husband.”
The witches: “!!!”
This was even more shocking than what Freese planned to do!
Even the elderly Gloria was struck speechless. Only Aserni reacted the fastest and praised, “You little witch are truly a unique warrior. Since that’s the case, why not just give up inheriting the Forest Witch title? From now on, just call yourself the Swamp Witch.” After all, she hated Forest Witches the most.
The witches suddenly began discussing this matter.
“Although there has never been a Swamp Witch before, she really is more suited to that title.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t she be the only Swamp Witch?”
Meili: “.…” Aren’t we supposed to be talking about Freese’s crimes, dear elder sisters, aunties, grandmas?
She and the swamp monster were temporarily kept here.
Gloria spoke kindly, “Don’t worry, child. Stay here for now. At least during the witches’ gathering, Freese won’t dare to act recklessly. Afterward, if you wish, you may continue living here.”
Aserni patted her shoulder comfortingly. “When the witches’ gathering ends, I’ll stay here too, to make sure Freese doesn’t drag you back!”
No matter what, Meili finally got a chance to breathe. She could relax for the moment, and there were many people she could ask about magic.
She was the youngest little witch here, surrounded by older witches.
They squeezed her hands, checked her eyes and hair, asked her to try using magic, and corrected and explained things for her.
Meili fell into a one-student-many-teachers situation. With so many instructors teaching her whatever they liked, she couldn’t understand nor remember everything at once. The pressure was overwhelming.
While trembling as she studied, she couldn’t help looking toward the swamp monster sitting quietly in the mud. Because she was nearby, he felt secure. He stayed there quietly, looking like someone who had everything he needed in life just by having a girlfriend.
“All right, Meili, stop looking at your swamp monster. You should study seriously!” A stern witch snapped at her, cutting off her silent plea for help.
This aunt looked very much like one of her math teachers!
Meili nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay.”
After stuffing her head full of all kinds of magic, the witches finally got their fill of teaching her and regrouped to chat, giving her a temporary break.
Meili finally escaped with her life. Out of habit, she looked toward the mud pit where the swamp monster had been, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She immediately sprang up from her chair.
Meili: “Cute?!”
A drinking witch pointed toward the doorway. “If you’re looking for your swamp monster, he just went out.”
Meili ran outside anxiously. There were lakes and wetlands there, the moonlight glimmering on the water’s surface—silver and gently rippling between heaven and earth.
The swamp monster stepped across the shallow water toward her, holding a few freshly picked purple irises. He came before her and offered them to her.
Meili held both the flowers and his hand, took two steps forward, and leaned her head against him.
Seeing the tall and short paired reflections leaning close together in the water, Aserni sighed. “This is truly a lovely sight, isn’t it, Gloria? They, just like us, possess emotions.”
Gloria nodded kindly. “Yes… but the irises he picked are the ones I planted.”
