"Shaya — what exactly are you expecting right now?"
The moment the Great Witch's words landed, Shin's blood ran cold.
He felt exactly like Pan Jinlian caught mid-poison — though in his case it was less eloping with Ximen Meruru and more… no, wait, that comparison didn't hold up at all.
"I'm waiting for you to finish your tea, Mother, so I can take the cup away and wash it."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Of course…"
Shin had his aura under precise control — and yet, he had apparently forgotten one thing.
"Then why… can I hear your thoughts, Shaya? About an image of me sleeping and not waking up?"
Magic · [Mimicry] (Mind-Reading)
A magic that will one day be split off as a Witch Factor and passed to a young girl named Houshou Margo — a spell capable of manifesting the sounds of another person's voice, even the resonance of their thoughts.
Oh no. How did I forget about this—!
Shin's expression cracked. He had done everything in his power to control every fluctuation of his body's aura, and yet — that one brief image he had been mentally rehearsing had been caught by the Great Witch anyway.
"Could it be that…"
The Great Witch narrowed her eyes. Beneath her sun hat, her bare white-stockinged feet curled up slightly, and a visible flush crept further across her cheeks.
Was Meruru alone not enough for him?
That would make sense, she supposed. With Shaya's stamina being what it was… having those kinds of urges to this degree was perfectly understandable…
But still… was that really appropriate?
"Shaya, you don't mean you want to…?"
The Great Witch hesitated, her pale toes tightening in deliberation. She was suddenly regretting not changing into something more conservative after Shin and Meruru had confirmed their relationship.
If the boy really had developed that kind of impulse toward her — what was she supposed to do about it?
True, a child born of two pure-blooded founding witches would certainly carry stronger bloodlines than one born between Shin and Meruru… but still…
'No — no time to hesitate, this is my only window!'
Nobody knew what the Great Witch was thinking. Just as the Great Witch's limited range of [Mimicry] couldn't read every thought in Shin's head.
"My apologies, Mother!"
Seeing the complicated turmoil in the Great Witch's eyes, Shin didn't wait for her to reach for a spell. He lunged forward in a single step and seized the Great Witch by her slender wrist before she could act.
"!"
The Great Witch's small body jerked. But at this range there was nothing she could do — her physical strength couldn't catch a chicken, let alone Shin. What chance did a glass-cannon mage have against a tank charging point-blank? Especially when this particular tank was someone she didn't have the heart to strike back against.
'Oh no — is Shaya about to —'
The Great Witch's thoughts scattered. Panic had seized her so thoroughly that she couldn't decide which spell to cast, and her body went limp — collapsing straight into the boy's arms of its own accord.
But the next instant, what she received was not the storm she'd braced for. Instead —
"Mmph — !"
Shin produced a handkerchief he'd prepared in advance — soaked in the diluted nectar — and pressed it firmly over the Great Witch's nose and mouth.
Pressure! Maximum!
'Wha — wha?? Does Shaya actually have a thing for chloroform-type... wait, no — something's wrong—!'
In the instant her nose and mouth were covered, the flustered Great Witch's mind erupted into chaos. Pages from certain questionable books she'd read flashed through her head — things involving, say, asphyxiation, or body-shielding, or round-the-clock endurance—
But in the very next moment, when the "law of dreams" carried in that handkerchief — the rule of a demigod — began seeping through her nose and mouth, the Great Witch's expression shifted sharply.
"Shaya, you —"
"Sleep well, Mother."
An immense drowsiness crashed over her like a wave. Even her vision began to blur and sway. Gazing up at Shin's deep, serious eyes, the Great Witch felt the first stirring of real alarm.
In this moment, [Mimicry] triggered once more — and what it caught was the sound of the ocean beyond Witch Island.
It was very clear now. What Shaya intended — was not—
"Don't… Shaya, don't go… the humans… they're… snrk…"
The Great Witch fought to keep her eyes open, tried to say something, but her fluttering eyelids betrayed her mind into a blur — until the sound of a soft murmur drifted from that tiny body.
Her hand fell limp, coming to rest on the sofa cushion. Soon only the even rhythm of her breathing remained.
That should do it.
Shin exhaled with relief, looking at the Great Witch who had succumbed to St. Trina's nectar.
But just as he turned to make his next move, the Great Witch's fingers — trailing down, barely touching the floor — suddenly began to glow.
"?"
The light made Shin spin instinctively. He watched as the Great Witch, in the last moment before sleep took her, traced a magical sigil on the floorboards with her fingertip.
Using the floor as a medium, it treated both of them as "in contact" — and Shin felt a chill shoot up his spine as an irresistible drowsiness began rolling over his consciousness too.
Magic · [Share] (A magic that shares the caster's present condition with another person)
Are you serious — that's completely underhanded—?!
[999+ unread group messages]
[Lord of Lands Between]: @Definitely Not a God — What a shallow perspective. Why should humanity alone be exempt from destruction?
[Definitely Not a God]: Can that even be compared? You other-world tyrant!
[Definitely Not a God]: @Spreading Witch Factors — If your people are truly the kind of immortal, psychic-capable beings who don't need to worry about demonic corruption, and you possess a naturally altruistic disposition — please, consider my counsel…
[Lord of Lands Between]: @Spreading Witch Factors — Don't listen to this hypocrite's sophistry, Great Witch. I support your revenge!
[Many-Headed Monster](Admin): So it begins again — a new last-one-standing…
The messages were coming in one after another, nearly enough to crash the screen.
[Moon Princess]: @Spreading Witch Factors
[Moon Princess]: Great Witch? Great Witch? Why have you suddenly gone quiet — everyone was just arguing on your behalf!
[Aspiring to Be the Perfect Human Being]: @Lord of Lands Between — Lady Marika, is there any method to resist the effects of St. Trina's nectar…
[Aspiring to Be the Perfect Human Being]: Something unexpected has come up on my end, I need to snbfiejbsbjqojcnm
[System Message: [Aspiring to Be the Perfect Human Being] and [Spreading Witch Factors]'s status has changed from [Online] to [Away].]
[Moon Princess]: ?
[Lord of Lands Between]: ?
[Definitely Not a God]: ?
[Queen of Britain]: ?
[Many-Headed Monster](Admin): Kill!
To be continued…