Silent Witch

A young boy, who was the owner of this elegant room, mumbling uncomprehendingly as he was looking at the necklace on the table. Occasionally, he would glance back and forth between the grimoire and the necklace in his hands, before placing his small palm on the necklace and chanting the spell that was written in the grimoire.

"…What are you doing, Lord ******?"

The servant boy, who had been silently watching his master, asked in an indifferent voice to keep his dismay at bay. And the boy who had been staring at the necklace turned his head and looked back, in return.

"The teacher from basic magic class today told me that a spirit has resided in the necklace I've got from my mother."

"Yes, I've heard Lady Irene has a good aptitude for magic and made a contract with a high-ranking spirit."

"Then, won't my grandfather would be pleased if I could do the same thing as my mother?"

The boy's sky-blue eyes gleamed, leaving his servant in complete loss.

Oh, why is my master so dull-witted?—Hiding his thought, the servant quietly told him the cruel reality.

"I doubt your grandfather will be pleased."

"Eh?"

"To contract a high-ranking spirit, you must have the same aptitude with the spirit you will make a contract with. But, Lord ******, you have different aptitude with the spirit Lady Irene had contracted with, so it can't be achieved."

In the first place, making a contract with a high-ranking spirit requires a huge amount of mana and the ability to understand magical formulas. The servant boy was inwardly exasperated, thinking why did he say that when he should have been taught this subject in his class.

The boy hung his head down dejectedly, staring down at the necklace. That sight made the servant let out a sigh inwardly. After all, he didn't want to make his master sad.

"Lord ******, could you give me a moment?"

"…?"

The servant flipped open his own jacket and pulled out a book that had been tucked on his back.

Grownup people would have been able to sneak a book under his jacket, but the servant was a boy not much older than his master. So, the only way to bring in a book without the adults finding out was to hide it in his jacket, tying it to his body.

"Here, take this."

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw the title of the book the servant held out to him.

"It's an astronomy book by Mary Harvey, the [Star Oracle Witch]!"

"I've been hearing you mention of wanting to read this book."

"Whoa! Thank you! I've been wanting to read that for ages!"

The boy hugged the book to his chest and jumped in delight, expressing his joy with his whole body. Normally, he would scold his master for his ill-mannered behavior, but, only for this time, the servant boy feigned ignorance.

The boy—master of the servant boy—had taken an interest in the stars in the night sky. However, the grownups always tried to keep such books away from him, saying that astronomy was not necessary for his future. That was why the servant boy had secretly procured the book—only to please his master, nothing more.

"You know, the [Star Oracle Witch] is one of the Seven Sages, in fact, she's an amazing prophetess who can forecast the future of the country by watching the movement of the stars! It said there are many fortune tellers in this country, but the only person who's been titled as the "prophetess" was the [Star Oracle Witch]. Many said the color of the stars and the number of times they blink are important, considering that the color of the stars directly indicates the lifespan of the star…"

"I regret to inform you but we should postpone this discussion until later. I believe the daughter of Marquis Shellbury should be arrived by now, so we should get ready."

At the servant boy's words, his master pouted.

"…now that reminds me, I promised Bridget to accompany her in dancing practice today…but I don't feel like doing it… You know how bad I was at dancing… Bridget also gets really mad when I step on her feet… Besides I'm not very good at talking to girls. I would be nervous when doing so, which makes it hard to speak properly."

"I don't think it's appropriate to say such a thing to your future fiancée."

"Of course, I won't dare to say that in public. I did so because it was you."

The boy took a deep breath jovially, hugging the book which he had received from the servant like a treasure.

＊ ＊ ＊

That night, the boy was summoned to his grandfather's room but stood stunned by the scene before him.

Kneeling at his grandfather's feet was the servant boy whom the boy looked up to like a brother. He was wearing nothing on his upper body, and his white back was severely swollen with whip marks from the chastisement.

"G-Grandfather… W-Why he…?"

"I've got a report that this mongrel had brought you something unnecessary."

My grandfather then directed his gaze to a book on the table. It was a book that the servant boy had secretly procured for him. ‘How!? I've had it hidden in my room for sure!' thought the boy in shock.

"…I-I'm sorry, it was my fault. I was the one who forced him to bring that book…"

"In other words, he's not following my orders, but yours…? How dare a servant like him mistakenly identify his master!"

With that, his grandfather swung the whip down to the servant's back. The servant, who was not much older than a boy, gritted his teeth to endure the pain without uttering a single word.

"Please stop, I beg you, grandfather, please stop, I will never again ask for any more astronomy books. So please…"

"Throw that book in the fireplace."

After he was ordered by his grandfather, the boy picked up the book on the desk and stood in front of the fireplace. Then, with trembling hands, he tossed his precious book—which the servant boy had taken secretly only for the sake of pleasing his master—into the fireplace.

Trying to hold back the tears as he watched the letters burning up, his grandfather revealed another his misconduct in a low voice.

"I heard today's dance lesson was a disaster."

"I-I'm sorry…"

There was a sharp snapping sound as the whip was swung down again. But it was aimed not to the boy, but to the back of the kneeling servant boy, His grandfather knew all too well, it was more effective to hurt the servant whom the boy adored like a brother than to hurt the boy himself.

"You've brought shame upon me in the eyes of Marquis Shellbury."

"…I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'll do it properly next time… I promise I won't embarrass you again. So, please…"

After pleading with tears in his eyes to stop whipping the servant, his grandfather delivered the whip for the last time with a single, loud snap. Even so, the servant boy did not scream and held on.

"There won't be next time."

"…Yes."

After the boy nodded his head tremblingly, his grandfather cast a cold stare, more frigid than a winter lake, at his badly-behaved grandson and spat.

"To think such a failure is Irene's son, how deplorable."