The sight of Lizzy speaking in such a sweet, playful tone in front of the three Elders was quite a shock to me.

What surprised me even more was that the Elders didn't seem to dislike her playful behavior.

“Elder Chuchu, can’t I please take the Witch’s Trial this time~?”

“Hmmm… Well, I’m not sure….”

“There hasn’t been an outsider who’s passed the Witch’s Trial in recent years… Even for Lizzy, it might be difficult….”

It seemed that, for some reason, Lizzy was quite interested in taking the Witch’s Trial.

In fact, Lizzy, despite her appearance, was a part of the Academy’s Department of Pharmacology. She even ranked second in her class, meaning that among non-witch students, she was essentially at the top, excluding Lara.

So it made sense that she would be interested in becoming a witch.

‘I wondered how she managed to enter the pharmacology department as the second rank…’

She probably built connections with the witches beforehand to gain an edge in getting into the department.

The witches’ knowledge of pharmacology was so vast that even getting a glimpse of it would make someone far more talented than the average apothecary, even without becoming a witch.

I had just accidentally discovered how Lizzy managed to get into the Academy’s pharmacology department.

“I never give up, you know~? Right, Elder Tutu~? And didn’t I gift you that imperial rocking chair last time~?”

“Y-You’re not going to take it back if we say no, right…? I-I like it too much….”

“I wouldn’t do that! But I did bring something special with me this time—a cushion perfectly made for that rocking chair, filled with soft down feathers. It’s incredibly fluffy~. I went through a lot to get it, but for Elder Tutu, I’d be willing to give it as a gift~.”

“O-Down feathers…? Fluffy…?”

“And what about me? Don’t I get a gift…?”

“Of course, Elder Chuchu~. Remember when you were curious about ice cream? I brought some packed in a magical device that keeps it cold~.”

“I-Ice cream…!”

She had really gone all out. It was impressive in every way. When had she managed to get this close to the three Elders, to the point where she knew exactly what they liked?

Elder Chuchu loved sweet treats. Elder Tutu preferred comfortable furniture. And as for the "young" Elder Coco…

“……”

“‘Young’ Elder Coco, I brought some pretty clothes that I thought would suit you. Should I bring them to you later?”

“……”

-Nod.

“Karaham, did you hear that? Go and fetch the down feather cushion, the ice-keeping device, and the box of clothes from the carriage—oh?”

“Hello, Miss Lizzy.”

“……”

Lizzy turned her gaze toward the entrance, where Karaham was standing, and her eyes naturally met mine. For a moment, she seemed confused, but then her expression brightened as if she had just encountered a dear friend.

“Lilith~!”

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“It’s been so long! I never thought we’d meet during the break~!”

“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t show up at the last student council meeting, but it’s nice to see you again.”

“Right! It must be fate~! We’re definitely connected by an unbreakable thread of destiny~!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“…Yes, maybe you’re right.”

Lizzy hugged me tightly, expressing her joy at our reunion with her whole body.

Meanwhile, I felt the oddly piercing gazes of the three Elders, as if they were staring at me for "stealing" their one and only friend.

But I hadn’t hugged her first… so why the looks?

“Ugh… Uuuugh…”

And for some reason, even Lara, who had been standing next to me, was sending similar glances our way.

Why are you looking at me like that?

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The tension that had momentarily shifted toward me eased, thanks to the gifts Lizzy had brought, and the atmosphere became peaceful once again.

“It’s cold…! Cold and sweet…!”

“Fluffy… Hehehe…”

“……”

Elders Chuchu, Tutu, and the "young" Coco were all enjoying their gifts, smiling happily.

It was an odd moment where I inadvertently witnessed Lizzy's impressive business skills firsthand.

‘Seeing it with my own eyes, they’re all just like little girls.’

Witches in the Witches’ Forest stop aging at a certain point and begin to grow younger after a certain age.

From birth to age 25 is their ‘growing’ phase. From 25 to 80, they maintain their youth. And from 80 until they die, they begin to grow younger again.

The reason witches stop aging after 25 is due to the "Elixir of Eternal Youth," a potion that only witches can make and that only witches can digest because of their lifelong exposure to various potions.

Ordinary humans, whose bodies are fundamentally different from witches, would find the potion more like poison.

As for why witches begin to grow younger after 80, that’s because they trade their physical attributes—height and chest size—for years of life using a special "scale" that only witches can operate.

In exchange for life, witches give up either height or chest size. Typically, 1 cm of height or chest circumference equals 1 year of life.

For example, a witch who is 180 cm tall with a chest circumference of 110 cm can trade up to 80 cm of height and 60 cm of chest, earning an additional 140 years, which would allow her to live to 220.

Beyond that, the trade-off would interfere with basic life functions, so witches set the lower limit at 1 meter in height and a chest circumference of 50 cm. As a result, a witch who reaches the end of her natural lifespan typically appears to be around 3 or 4 years old.

In other words, the Elders of the Witches’ Forest, despite being the oldest, paradoxically have the youngest appearances.

Elder Chuchu, who has some height left but no chest, looks like a 10-year-old girl.

Elder Tutu, who kept her chest at the expense of her height, has the odd appearance of a child with a disproportionately large chest.

And the most senior witch, who gave up both height and chest, is the "young" Elder Coco.

‘We came to discuss the Witch’s Trial, but seeing how things are right now, it seems like now’s not the best time to bring it up.’

It was clear that interrupting their enjoyment of Lizzy's gifts would only make things difficult. It would be best to bring up the topic once they were in a good mood.

Besides, since Lara’s trial isn’t an external matter, I doubt they would refuse her request, but it’s still better to approach them when they’re most at ease.

In the meantime, there were a few things I wanted to ask Lizzy, so there was no need to rush.

“Miss Lizzy, earlier I overheard you talking with the Elders about the Witch’s Trial. Are you also here to take the trial?”

“Oh, Lilith? Your tone’s gotten more relaxed. It used to be so formal. And you’re not in your maid uniform, either.”

“…There’s been a lot going on. I plan to speak this way for the rest of the summer break.”

“I like it! It’s much more comfortable this way. Before, you kept your distance, not just from me but from most people.”

“…I wasn’t intentionally keeping my distance. I just tried to live with the mindset of a maid when I was wearing the uniform.”

“But the uniform you wore at the Academy wasn’t really a maid’s uniform. It was just the Academy uniform with some frills added…”

“If I think of it as a maid’s uniform, then it’s a maid’s uniform, Miss Lizzy.”

“…Sure, if Lilith says so, then that’s what it is.”

Lizzy gave me a strange, slightly sympathetic look, as if I’d just said something odd.

“Oh, right, we were talking about the Witch’s Trial?”

“Yes.”

“You asked if I’m here to take the Witch’s Trial too, so… does that mean you’re here for the trial as well?”

“Not me, but my friend will be participating in this year’s trial.”

“…The person hiding behind you right now? Oh, now that I think about it, she looks familiar…”

Of course she did. They were first and second in the Department of Pharmacology.

“Oh, Miss Lara! It’s been a while!”

“H-H-Hello…”

“Now that I think about it, Miss Lara is from the Witches’ Forest, right? That means we’ll be taking the Witch’s Trial together!”

“I-I-It’s not decided yet…”

“I don’t think we talked much at the Academy. But how did you become friends with Lilith? You usually avoid even me, and we’re in the same department.”

“I-I-It’s not like we’re that close… Rosewood is, uh, my friend from today…”

“Oh, right, Miss Lara. Are you taking Herb Collection next semester? I heard there’s a group project. If you’d like, maybe we could partner up…”

“Aaahhh… I-I don’t think I’m ready for that…”

“Hold on, Miss Lizzy. You’re scaring her.”

Lara was trembling so much that I could feel it through my shoulder, so I stepped in to interrupt their conversation.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve gotten so used to chatting with the witches in the forest that I didn’t realize I was being too casual with Miss Lara.”

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Lizzy looked genuinely apologetic, while Lara was still gripping my shoulder and panting heavily.

Wait, Lizzy is on friendly terms with the witches of the forest? When did she even start dealing with them?

Even with my knowledge of this world, I wouldn’t have imagined such a feat. Just how socially adept is she?

Well, I guess that explains how she managed to win over the three Elders. And the fact that she got enough of the witches' knowledge to rank second in the Academy’s Department of Pharmacology proves it too.

Perhaps because she was originally supposed to die in the story, now that she’s alive, she’s going above and beyond in every way.

“So, you’re just here to help Miss Lara with her trial, Lilith?”

“…Yeah, something like that.”

“Hmmm, I see. I thought maybe you came to buy something the Witches’ Forest could provide.”

“Well, I did think about it. It feels like a waste to visit without purchasing anything.”

“In that case, the Auguste family can help you with that! Of course, it’ll have to wait until after my Witch’s Trial, but since I’ve built relationships with the witches, I can get you almost anything you need.”

“…I’m not saying I definitely need it, but do you think you could get dried mandragora?”

“…Hmm.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just realized that Lilith, who seems so cold on the outside, must have quite the passionate relationship with her fiancé.”

“I didn’t say I was definitely going to buy it! I was just curious if you could get it…”

“Yes, yes. I’ll make sure to get about ten roots for you~.”

That’s a lot more than I asked for…

But, well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to have more.