Subaru decided to take a walk.
An actual, honest-to-god walk.
She had spent too much time locked away in that rotting church, surrounded by fanatics, killers, and lunatics, pretending to be something she wasn't.
She wanted to see the world outside of them.
See how people reacted to her—without the Witch Cult's worship, fear, and twisted devotion clouding it.
The cultists, of course, begged to follow.
"Allow us to accompany you, most beloved!"
"We shall clear the path before your divine steps!"
"To bask in your presence is a gift, a blessing—"
"No," Subaru said simply.
And that was that.
She walked alone.
It felt strange.
The road was just… a normal road. Packed dirt, a little uneven, lined with patches of wild grass and scattered stones. The wind was gentle, carrying the faint scent of earth and woodsmoke.
But wherever she stepped—
Grass withered.
Trees blackened.
The sky dimmed, the once-bright blue fading into sickly grays and deep purples, as if even the heavens feared her presence.
And the ground beneath her feet—
It didn't just darken.
It seemed to lose something.
Like the very life force of the earth itself was being drained away.
By the time she reached the village, the people were already staring.
Humans. Demihumans. Ordinary folk. Farmers, merchants, children playing in the streets.
For a moment, there was just… stillness.
Then—
Screaming.
Pure, raw, unfiltered panic.
People dropped whatever they were holding—baskets, tools, plates of food—and ran.
Women clutched their children and fled into their homes.
Men grabbed makeshift weapons, some out of bravery, others out of sheer terror.
Windows slammed shut. Doors bolted. The once-lively village emptied in seconds.
Subaru stopped walking.
She… had expected this.
She knew what Satella's name meant to the world.
She knew how people reacted to her presence.
But knowing it didn't make it hurt any less.
She just… This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
She just wanted someone to talk to.
Was that so much to ask?
A small, wooden ball rolled against her foot.
She barely had time to react before the wood withered, collapsed into dust, and vanished.
She turned.
A little boy stood a few feet away, staring at the empty space where his toy had been.
His face scrunched up.
"My ball…"
The boy's mother screamed.
"My son! Somebody save him!"
Subaru didn't move.
Didn't step forward.
Didn't do anything that might make these people panic more than they already were.
But the boy?
He just stared at the ground, then at her, completely unfazed by the terror of the adults.
"You broke my ball."
Subaru blinked.
…Was this kid stupid?
The entire village was crying, collapsing into hysteria, screaming about the Witch of Envy coming to kill them all—
And this boy was worried about a ball?
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she lifted a hand.
The mist curled at her fingertips.
She focused.
The darkness shifted, reshaping, reconstructing.
A new ball formed in her palm—identical in size, but pitch black, surrounded by a faint, eerie mist.
She extended it toward him.
"What's this?" He frowned.
"A new ball for you."
The boy eyed it suspiciously.
Then he wiped his hands on his pants and took it.
He didn't die.
Good.
He sniffed it.
"It looks weird," he said. "But it smells nice."
Subaru nodded.
Of course it did. She was the strongest. Her creations were unique.
The boy squinted up at her. "Who are you, miss? And what's this black stuff around you?"
Then, finally, she spoke.
"I… am Satella. I am a Witch who eats other witches."
The boy blinked.
Didn't scream.
Didn't run.
Didn't seem to understand what that meant.
Meanwhile, his mother was wailing.
"Please don't hurt him! Please! Please! I'll do anything!"
Subaru barely paid attention.
The boy plucked a small berry from his pocket and held it out.
"Here! A thank-you gift!"
She took it with her gloved hand.
And instantly, it rotted to dust.
The boy's eyes widened.
"Whoa."
Subaru sighed. "Plants die around me, and humans too if I lose focus."
"Really? That's so sad!" His face twisted into something genuinely sympathetic. "Then how do you eat veggies? Or fruits?"
Subaru stared at the crumbled remains of the berry.
"I don't."
The boy tilted his head. "Then what do you eat? Meat?"
Subaru's fingers twitched.
"…Stuff."
Because she couldn't exactly say, "Oh, I don't eat like normal people. I erase things from existence and absorb them into my being, leaving nothing behind. Haha, fun conversation, right?"
The boy nodded seriously, as if he completely understood.
And for a moment, just a brief moment, Subaru thought…
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
Maybe, despite everything, there was still a small chance that people wouldn't always look at her with fear.
Then, his mother rushed forward, grabbed him, and yanked him away.
She held him tight, sobbing.
Then, with a disgusted glare, she threw the black ball onto the ground.
Subaru watched it roll into the dirt.
Watched it sit there, untouched, unwanted.
The mother held her son even tighter, eyes filled with hatred and horror.
Subaru turned away.
And left.
TBC
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