Witch Taming System-Chapter 53: Fiore [4]

Fiore had already known all this time.

That commotion back then, where a group of Fangscale Lizards and a single Darkmaw were fighting, had been enough to draw her attention toward the source.

It wasn’t the noise itself that mattered, but what she saw when she followed it.

...A man fighting while using magic.

At first, Fiore didn’t believe it. She didn’t act on it immediately, either, and instead, she chose to confirm whether what she had seen was even correct.

There were plenty of ways for ordinary humans to tap into magecraft without actually possessing it. Magic artifacts existed for that exact purpose, allowing them to imitate spells through external means.

Things like calling forth a familiar, or weapons enchanted to release a specific basic element.

That kind of thing wasn’t strange.

So she observed him more closely.

And that was where it stopped making sense.

The man’s mana flow was nearly nonexistent. It wasn’t suppressed, nor was it hidden through any refined technique. It simply wasn’t there. To the point that Fiore questioned if what she was seeing was even right.

And yet, he was using magic.

Ice magic, at that. The kind that would normally require a noticeable amount of mana to sustain and leave traces, no matter how controlled it was.

But there was no mana leaking out or circulation that she could follow.

Nothing at all.

So she checked for artifacts.

But even then, there were no signs of activation or any indication that he was relying on anything external to channel it.

That was when she decided to follow him.

And yet, ever since then, the man had not used that strange ice magic again.

Realizing that this reckless man was going to get himself killed sooner or later, Fiore had tested him.

Back then, she struck him with a light lightning spell. Not enough to seriously injure him, but enough to see how he would respond.

If he truly had access to magic, then he should have reacted to it. At the very least, there should have been some form of defense to counter it with magic.

But he didn’t.

He took it as it was.

That alone made things even stranger.

Even so, Fiore still chose to accompany him. On the surface, it was for a simple reason. To wait until her Master arrived and found them. But at the same time, it gave her the opportunity to keep him within her sight and observe him without interruption.

And yet, even now, he still hadn’t used it.

During the fight earlier, she was certain that would be the moment. The situation had lined up perfectly. A Darkmaw, a direct confrontation, and no reason to hold back.

If there was ever a time for him to use that strange ice magic again, it should have been then. Heck, Fiore herself had even set up the stage for him.

But he didn’t.

He chose to deal with it using nothing but his physical ability.

And even then, he still exceeded what she expected from him.

That only made it worse, making her impatient.

"When are you going to use magic?"

So Fiore didn’t hold back anymore. She cut straight to it, voicing the question that had been sitting at the back of her mind this entire time.

If he really was relying on some kind of artifact, then so be it.

At least then, her curiosity would be satisfied.

"...What do you mean?"

But Lancel was playing it cool.

"That ice magic. I know you can cast it."

"...."

Lancel swallowed deeply, but still kept his expression in check and calmed his racing heart.

There were only two people in the world who knew he could use magic.

Faust and Mei.

The two of them were bound to a contract, unbeknownst to them. So Lancel at least had some guarantees there.

But Fiore was different.

He hadn’t formed a contract with her.

Heck, he didn’t even have enough space to form a contract with her in the first place.

He wasn’t sure when the capacity would increase, but he sure did hope it would now.

"...."

Nevermind.

Honestly, Lancel wasn’t in the mood for sex.

For some reason, it seemed to be the condition of forming a contract, as per all his relationships lately. There was no data to go on in the first place, outside of sex.

Pushing that thought aside... right now, that wasn’t even the issue.

"...You’re mistaken."

"Am I? Then show me the artifact."

Once again, Lancel swallowed deeply, forcing himself to stay composed as he tried to come up with something that would hold.

"I’ve already burned through its usage limit."

Most magic artifacts weren’t permanent in the first place. They came with conditions that restricted how often they could be used before becoming nothing more than dead weight.

It was standard practice that kept adventurers constantly buying and replacing what they had.

"Is that so?"

Fiore narrowed her eyes as she leaned closer, her gaze fixed on him as she looked him over without holding back. The way she scrutinized him was so sharp it felt like she was digging straight through him.

Then, once she was done, she leaned back and let out a quiet sigh.

"I can’t believe I thought you were a male witch this whole time."

"A male witch? Is that even possible?"

"No? That’s exactly why I was suspicious of you in the first place."

Lancel felt a sense of relief settle in, taking the opening to steer the conversation away from himself.

"If there was a male witch out there... what would you do?"

Fiore tapped her chin lightly, taking a moment to think it through rather than answering right away.

"I’d have sex with him."

"Eh?"

"I mean... most male partners die before the witch does because of their limited lifespan. It’s really sad. I think about my father sometimes, back when he was still alive."

Fiore continued, a sense of bitterness in her tone.

"But if a male witch were real, then they’d live just as long as witches, right? That alone changes everything. If I were the first to claim him, then I’d have a partner who could stay with me for the rest of my life. That’s not something you come across often."

"...."

"And that’s something all witches want."

When she put it that way, it kind of made sense.