It felt like an entirely different world.
First, the ceiling was incredibly high.
The depth was also impressive…
Eve let out a gasp of amazement.
"There's a sky… underground?"
Liz looked around in wonder.
"It's amazing…"
"Is this the power of magic? Or maybe… once you pass through the door, you enter a completely separate space."
It was a classic setup often seen in stories from the original world.
For a powerful witch, it felt like the perfect stage device.
The unusual mechanism was surprising.
But it made sense.
Anything could happen here.
I licked the pad of my finger and held it up in front of my face.
"…There's wind."
I waited a moment.
"And the direction isn't constant."
We were underground.
Yet wind was blowing.
The flowers and plants swayed gently, as if comfortable.
"Is this… the surface?"
Eve still couldn't hide her confusion.
"No, look."
I pointed forward.
Roots, perhaps.
Huge, twisted tree roots.
They stretched down from thick clouds that covered the sky.
That alone was proof we were underground.
The massive roots plunged straight into the ground.
Was the sky some kind of illusion?
Something like Seras's light spirits, perhaps.
Seras said,
"Those… look like the roots of the contaminated trees."
"It's very likely."
"They've spread this far underground…"
I touched my chin.
The contaminated trees.
The vast amount of magical energy that had accumulated at the bottom of the lake…
The giant trees on the surface were completely withered.
But were the underground roots still alive?
Were the roots of the former Sacred Tree still generating massive amounts of magical energy?
And was the Witch storing it somehow…?
"..."
I see.
If she had as much magical energy as she wanted,
"This might be the perfect environment for the Witch."
On the surface of the roots were several horizontal holes that looked artificial.
Wooden stairs led up toward those holes.
There were also entrances large enough for people at higher positions.
Looking closer, there were even terrace-like structures—
"Touka."
Eve noticed "it."
"Yeah."
A human figure.
On a terrace-like protrusion high up.
A person had stepped out.
The space was bright enough that the leather bag's light was unnecessary.
The figure was clearly visible.
Long ears.
Earrings in those ears.
Brown skin.
From the body shape, it was clearly a woman.
In the original world, the term "witch" could apply to men as well.
But this one was unmistakably female.
Long, cold eyes.
An expression like ice.
Her eye color… seemed to be purplish-blue.
Her hair was jet-black twin-tails.
The hair hanging on both sides was extremely long.
It reminded me somewhat of a long-legged spider's legs.
Large white ribbons were tied at the ends.
Her clothing…
It looked somewhat like a cheongsam.
Perhaps because of the front drape and slits.
But if someone said it was Western-style, it could also pass for that.
It was a fusion of Eastern and Western styles.
The amount of skin shown was quite high.
…Well, this wasn't a place where one needed to worry about public eyes.
She held a highly decorated staff in her hand.
That was probably—
**The Forbidden Witch.**
The Witch looked down at us with a cold gaze.
Eventually, her well-shaped lips opened.
"※Kk, mk■▽hjn＊gkt◇h"
"…What?"
The language was different?
No, that couldn't be.
The Witch had met Eve's tribe in the past.
**The Witch who knew too much.**
That was why she had become forbidden.
That was how the world told the story.
A Witch with vast knowledge.
There was no way she wouldn't know the common language of this world.
Then,
"sW...■hbt※t?"
The one who spoke was Seras.
It was a language I couldn't understand.
The Witch,
Tap!
Struck the ground with the base of her staff.
"To think you know that ancient tongue."
This time it was a language I could understand.
Seras stepped forward.
"Was that some kind of test?"
"Yes, I wanted to see what kind of people you are."
I stared intently at the Witch.
The Witch was speaking with Seras.
But her gaze was fixed on me.
Seras asked,
"You are—"
"Ridiculous."
Before the question could finish, the Witch cut Seras off.
"There's no need to ask obvious things one by one. By now, your hunch has already become nearly certain, hasn't it?"
Her tone was scolding.
But it didn't feel harsh.
Personally, her way of speaking was a little surprising.
It sounded almost like a young girl.
Her face and body looked mature.
Her first impression was one of bewitching beauty.
If there was no gap, that would be a lie.
With a light motion, the Witch twisted her waist slightly.
"So there's no need to ask every little thing."
Twirl.
The Witch spun her staff once in her hand.
It looked almost like pen-spinning.
"First, allow me to introduce myself—"
The Witch boldly spoke her name.
"My name is Erika Anaorobael."
She declared it clearly.
"I am indeed the one you call the 'Forbidden Witch."