In a mountain of sharp rocks, where not a single blade of grass could grow, a girl with dark violet hair was walking barefoot with her eyes closed.

Yet, remarkably, not a single wound was on her feet despite such dangerous behavior. To others, it might seem like a bizarre phenomenon, but for the girl, it was simply a matter of course.

And of course, it was just that.

In the past, even when a race known for their unparalleled craftsmanship forged an exquisite legendary sword with all their might, and their underground city was buried deep in the earth, not a scratch had appeared on her body. How could mere shards of stone harm her?

She had always been this way since ancient times.

Perhaps, even if the world were to end tomorrow, she would remain unscathed.

For hundreds of years, the only pain she had felt was the endless boredom of a life without incidents.

An existence that could neither be stopped nor harmed by the will of others.

That is why people called her the Witch of Apathy.

And Beatrice, the Witch of Apathy, was savoring a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time — an emotion other than boredom or annoyance — since accomplishing a task and leaving the city of humans.

Evangeline, or was it now Scarlet Evande?

What a curious existence that had rekindled her interest after several hundred years.

Just the anticipation of how things would unfold when they met again was enough to chase away her profound boredom, leaving Beatrice feeling unusually good for the first time in a long while.

That very reason was why she couldn’t help but feel less annoyed at the familiar presence she suddenly sensed nearby.

Half-opening her eyes for the first time in days, Beatrice stared into the emptiness before her and murmured,
“Hey, what’s going on now?”

As she murmured, a black hole appeared before her. A hooded woman jumped out, crossing her arms and shouting at Beatrice in an irritated tone.
“What do you mean ‘what’s going on’? After messing up the task I asked you to do, you’re trying to weasel out of it now?”

Cocking her head, Beatrice replied,
“Messed up? I did exactly what you told me to.”

“I told you to let it loose somewhere inconspicuous! If you had actually hidden it properly, it wouldn’t have been found so quickly!”

The woman, wanting to express how annoyed she was, jumped around dramatically. Beatrice, as always, gazed at her and continued in a relaxed tone.
“I hid it just fine. It was a contract, so there’s no way I wouldn’t do it right.”

“Ugh, I know that! But then why was it found so fast? I can’t understand a thing!”

For witches, even trivial contracts must be adhered to. Knowing this, the woman shouted out in frustration, and Beatrice responded nonchalantly.
“Well, I told someone where I hid it.”

“…Huh?”

At Beatrice’s answer, the woman let out a strange sound, looking utterly bewildered. Stunned into silence for a moment, she regained her composure and pointed a finger at Beatrice, shouting in a shrill voice,
“You! Why on earth would you do that? Why are you doing things I didn’t even ask for?”

Seeing the woman, who had assigned her a bothersome task, getting angry left Beatrice feeling oddly satisfied, and she whispered with a slight smile,
“You didn’t tell me not to reveal the location. You only asked me to let the monster loose somewhere it wouldn’t be seen, so what happened after that isn’t my concern.”

“…Well, that’s technically true! Argh!”

With a ridiculous cry, the woman plopped down on the ground, bowing her head and starting to mumble in an irritated voice.
“One of them was told not to give anyone a reason to find her, but she couldn’t help but play with dolls and got caught, while another ruined a rare opportunity by throwing everything away. Ah, my plans. I wanted to keep manipulating the city into a constant state of chaos, watching humans brimming with distrust and worry over who to believe, thinking ‘Haha, foolish mortals. They don’t even realize they’re all dancing to my tune!’ Ah, it’s so annoying. So very annoying!!!”

Just then, after babbling like a madwoman, her voice escalated as she screeched about her annoyance when she suddenly lifted her head and, with a bright smile, shouted at Beatrice.
“Just kidding~!”

Gone was her annoyed demeanor as she jumped off the ground, laughing and saying that. Beatrice made a face as if she were staring at a lunatic.

The woman, evidently pleased by Beatrice’s expression, burst into laughter.
“Look at your face! Did you think I was really angry? If so, that’s unfortunate! Actually, this plan was never important in the first place, so it really didn’t matter! I mean, it would have been fun if it had gone well, but I can enjoy it just as much when things don’t go my way. If everything turned out perfectly as expected, it would just be boring. Ahaha!”

While laughing, the woman leaned in closer to Beatrice, a meaningful smile spreading across her face.
“By the way, I’m surprised! You told someone where you hid the monster? The Beatrice I know would never do that. So, something in the human city caught your interest enough to make you move? Ah, now I’m curious. If it’s truly something like that, I might want it for myself.”

This made Beatrice’s expression harden.

The woman standing before her was someone who, if she desired something, would surely find a way to uncover it, no matter how well it was hidden.

The thought of losing this intriguing existence she had finally encountered after so long because of this woman…

Upon reaching that point, Beatrice grimaced and swung her hand toward the woman.
“Ugh?!”

When she swung her hand, the woman quickly opened a black hole and leaped inside to evade Beatrice’s strike.

Reemerging a short distance away, the woman wiped the cold sweat off her brow as she inspected the edge of her hood where Beatrice’s hand had brushed against.

Discovering a gaping hole as if it had always been there, she turned pale and shouted at Beatrice,
“Whoa! What the heck was that for? I could’ve died!”

Beatrice frowned and murmured in a low voice while keeping her eyes on the panicked woman,
“…If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”

“Ah… Okay! I won’t touch her! Whatever it is, I won’t touch it!”

With her hands raised as a sign of surrender, the woman pleaded, and upon seeing that she was truly alarmed, Beatrice relaxed her expression and slowly lowered her hand.

The woman, swallowing hard, cautiously asked,
“Um… what is it that you’re so fixated on? Can’t you let me know?”

“…Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“No! That’s not it! I need to know what it is so I can avoid it later! What if I accidentally touch it?”

At the woman’s excuse, Beatrice narrowed her brows.

…Indeed, if the woman were determined to find it, she undoubtedly would, and as the woman said, if she touched it by mistake, it would only spell trouble for Beatrice.

Considering this, Beatrice withdrew the hand she had almost lifted again and replied,
“…A red-haired woman.”

“Hey! You think there are only a few red-haired women among humans?”

“It doesn’t matter since she’s not human. You’ll know as soon as you see her.”

Beatrice answered the incredulous woman as if it was a matter of fact.

After all, the woman herself was a witch.

Witches can recognize other witches, so it wasn’t necessary to explain in detail.

The woman’s eyes lit up with curiosity at Beatrice’s answer.
“Hmm, so a red-haired woman who isn’t human. Got it! I promise not to touch her if I see her! And since you probably won’t believe me just because I say so, let’s seal it with a contract.”

The moment the word “contract” left her lips, Beatrice felt a connection trying to form between them.

No matter how simple, witches cannot be free from the confines of contracts.

Reassured by this, Beatrice slowly nodded.

Once the contract was finalized, the woman smiled once more, opened a black hole in mid-air, and half-inserted herself, pulling her head out to address Beatrice.
“Anyway, I just came to let you know that you have one request left in our contract, so I’ll take my leave now!”

With those words, the woman vanished through the hole.

*

Near the northern border of the human city, the woman who emerged from the black hole quietly reflected on their recent conversation.

A non-human red-haired woman.

Who could possibly spark enough interest in Beatrice, the Witch of Apathy, to make her act?

While lost in thought, an unexpected roar echoed from behind her.

[■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!!!!]

When the woman turned her head slightly, she saw a fiery creature resembling a lizard — the Flame Beast, known for its fury.

The creature unleashed a torrent of flames directed at her.

However, those flames did not reach the woman.

The black hole she had opened absorbed all of the flames.

“The creature has been calm for a while, but it seems to be getting restless lately,” she murmured, waving her hand. The expanding black hole swallowed both the flames and the beast whole.

As she watched the last of the embers die down, she pondered the situation.

Since the death of the Fury Witch at the hands of the elves five hundred years ago, the Fury Beasts had only hovered around the forests once inhabited by the elves. Recently, however, they had become more active, coinciding with Beatrice’s visit to the human city.

What could possibly be the reason for the long-dormant fury beasts to regain their vigor?

And who was this non-human woman who had caught Beatrice’s attention?

The answer was clear.

The more pieces there are on the chessboard, the more exciting the game becomes.

“I think I can make use of this,” she murmured, smiling with delight as she gazed toward the human city.

static: initiate intrigue…*