"What, what is it? Why are you all staring at me like that?" Sato inquired, seated upon the table with his hands folded. The group of witches who were previously seated in their chairs appeared astonished and taken aback by what they were witnessing.
Their gazes were fixed on Sato, who appeared to have transformed into a child, or at the very least resembled one. The sudden alteration had left the witches in disbelief, and they could not help but stare in shock at their former Successor.
The room was filled with a palpable sense of confusion and uncertainty as the witches struggled to make sense of what they were seeing.
"Uhm, Successor," Kirah spoke up, her tone firm as she struggled to find the right words. Sato turned his attention towards Kirah, his expression curious as he awaited her question.
"I apologize for any rudeness, but I must ask," Kirah paused, glancing around the room at the other witches before continuing, "What is the reason for your sudden transformation into a cute child?".
The room fell silent once more as all eyes turned towards Sato, awaiting his response. The atmosphere was tense, filled with an air of uncertainty and confusion.
It was not every day that they witnessed such a peculiar occurrence, and the witches were understandably curious about the reason behind it.
Sato appeared to take a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, "I used too much magic during the war, and now I look like this." He replied.
"Could this be a side effect of the forbidden technique you utilized?" Levia inquired, her tone stern as she gazed at the table. "I was unable to partake in the war, and thus I was not present to prevent you from using it," She continued, directing her attention towards Sato.
Terafona, seated calmly as always with her umbrella shielding her from the stares, was the next to be addressed. "Why did you not intervene and stop him from utilizing the forbidden technique?" Levia asked, her tone laced with accusation.
Terafona responded with a simple "What?" which only served to further incite Levia.
"Don't 'what' me," She snapped. "You are far more mature and responsible than anyone else here, including the Successor. Why did you not prevent him from using such a reckless technique?".
"Hey! I'm responsible!" Kirah yelled underneath Levia's words.
Terafona remained unfazed. "It was his choice to make," She stated calmly. "There is no need to be so emotional about it."
Terafona's composed demeanor remained unchanged as Levia's face turned red with frustration at the response. "I am not… emotional," Levia insisted, although her tone betrayed her agitation.
Suddenly, Ava interjected with a conciliatory tone. "You are right," she admitted. "We should have paid closer attention to the Successor."
Ava stood up and walked over to Sato, who was still seated on the table observing the drama. She picked him up and sat down on the nearest chair, placing Sato on her lap and running her fingers through his hair.
"That is precisely why I will keep an even closer eye on him from now on," Ava declared, a gentle smile on her face as she looked down at Sato.
Her words seemed to soothe the tension in the room, and the witches gradually relaxed as they watched Ava interact with their new, younger-looking Successor.
Out nowhere, Selfy let out a teasing remark directed towards Ava, "My, my, Ava, you have become quite bold," She said with her fist resting under her chin. "Just make sure Yuri doesn't catch you like that," She added with a sly grin.
Ava scoffed and turned her head to the side, clearly unimpressed by Selfy's teasing. "I am not afraid of that witch," She retorted.
Selfy, however, continued to poke fun at Ava, reminding her of her past losses to Yuri. "You say that, but didn't Yuri already beat you twice now?" She teased, her tone lighthearted.
"I was not at my best on those days," Ava replied defensively. "Please do not bring it up."
Selfy let out a playful giggle, clearly amused by the exchange. "Oh my, how unladylike of you," she remarked.
"Shut up!" Ava yelled.
Despite the playful banter between the witches, Sato grew bored and let out a deep sigh. "Enough already," he interjected, effectively breaking the tension. "We've already sidetracked from the reason I came here in the first place".
The witches immediately quieted down, sensing the seriousness in Sato's tone. They turned their attention back to him, their playful expressions replaced with more solemn ones.
"Oh yeah, I was wondering that too, why did you come? Not that I mind it." Kirah asked, her voice respectful and deferential.
Sato took a deep breath, considering his next words carefully. "I'm ready to take the next step of turning this land into a nation," He declared, his voice firm and resolute. "But I can't do it without your help".
Kirah looked up from the table, her expression one of confusion. "Why not?" she asked. "We already gave the land to you, so what's the big deal?".
Terafona interjected before Sato could answer. "That is something only we Lilivils know," She explained. "It's not like every person who turned the forest into their home knows about it."
Sato nodded in agreement. "And that is correct," He said. "The first step in turning a land into a nation or kingdom is its citizens, in this case, the villagers here."
He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I can't just enter any random village in the forest and command them to acknowledge me as their lord," He continued. "I need to gain their trust, or atleast make them see that I am the ruler either way".
"That's not a problem at all." Kirah stood up from her chair, slamming her hands on the table with her focus on Sato, "If anyone refuses to serve you, I'll simply destroy them…".
"That's not exactly, very helpful." Sato responded.
"Then what would you have us do?" Selfy asked.
"Before anyone could enter the forest, they always had to seek recognition from you guys, if I'm not mistaken." Sato hinted.
The atmosphere in the room shifted as the witches exchanged looks of understanding. Terafona was the first to speak up, her tone serious and thoughtful. "That's correct," she said. "We have always been the gatekeepers of the forest."
Ava added her agreement, her expression contemplative. "So far, only one person has been able to pass our radar undetected, and that person would be you, of course."
Sato nodded, pleased with their acknowledgement. "Exactly," he said. "Now imagine this… if one of the witches goes to every village in the forest and announces the new ruler, and if they don't accept this ruler, they'll get kicked out. How do you think most of them would react?"
Terafona's eyes widened in surprise as she realized where Sato was going with it.
"That's definitely going to work," She muttered, impressed by the simplicity of the plan.
Kirah's face lit up with a smile as Sato's plan seemed to be coming together. "When do we begin?" She asked eagerly.
Sato considered for a moment before responding, "I'll be heading to the human territory tomorrow to sign a peace treaty with Warthniq, but I plan to finish whatever needs to be done here first."
Levia, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up. "I have more influence on the west side of the forest, I could start from there," she offered.
Kirah's confidence was evident as she said, "Oh, I have more in the north, so leave that to me!"
Selfy, always eager to help, said, "I'll take the Canyons, that's mostly where I meet the travelers."
Ava's response was more resigned, "I'll just go with the west," she said with a sigh.
Terafona, who had remained quiet until everyone had spoken, finally added, "I'll take whatever place is left."
Each of the witches seemed to have a specific area of the forest that they were more familiar with and had more influence in. It was clear that they were ready to use their powers and influence to help Sato achieve his goal.
"Awesome, this should reduce the…" Sato suddenly paused when he sensed something, his expression foreshadowing danger. "Hey Ava… put me down," he said urgently.
Ava, who had been holding Sato in her arms, looked confused. "Uhn… why is that? Do you not like my thighs?" she joked.
"No, that's not it," Sato replied, his tone serious.
Selfy also sensed the danger and quickly stood up from her chair. "Ava, you need to put the Successor down right now!" she exclaimed.
"What has gotten into you guys?" Ava asked, still perplexed by their sudden reactions.
"No time to explain," Selfy said as she walked towards Ava and grabbed Sato by the legs, pulling him away from her.
"Selfy, you're hurting him!" Ava protested, refusing to let go of Sato's arms.
"Then you let go!" Selfy retorted.
Sato sighed in relief as a bright light suddenly filled the room, and Yuri appeared, causing both Ava and Selfy to freeze.
Yuri glared at them coldly. "What are you two doing to my master?!" she demanded.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com