Mori, who went outside without any countermeasures, immediately regretted it. The blizzard was so strong that she couldn't see straight ahead, and she couldn't even fly around properly.
The demons made magic tools to control the weather, but they could not control the weather throughout the empire. Perhaps the magic tool was busy operating in a place where the weather was worse than that of Grand Duke Ethel.
Mori, who had finally given up on flying and transformed into a cat, wandered between buildings. Thanks to her fire essence, she didn't feel the cold, but the wind was driving her crazy.
'Does that child have the essence of fire?'
There was enough essence of fire to be handed out for free on the streets, but it seemed unlikely that a child would possess it. Would a child who hated the demon race want to carry around essence created by the demon race?
There was no one on the street on such a windy night. Except for the demons from the snowy mountains, who enjoy the cold.
In the distance, she saw a demon with fluffy white fur walking.
"Ah~ It's cool~ I didn't expect to feel this kind of wind in the human world. Huh? Mori?"
"Hey, bear. Let me ask something."
"Aren't you cold? Do you think all your hair will be blown away by the wind? Your face is all crushed now."
"Have you ever seen a girl? Her eyes are green, her hair is pale brown, and she wears a sloppy black coat."
"Ah~ That young thief? It's a bit famous in the neighborhood. I saw her an hour ago."
"Where?"
"I saw her staggering near the bakery on Selane 3rd Street, so I offered to help her. She just ignored me and went on her way."
"Which way did she go?"
"It seemed like she was just going straight along the main road. Why? Are you looking for that kid?"
"Yeah, but is the girl famous?"
"It's not common to see a child walking around like a beggar these days. When I first found her three years ago, I thought she would die right away, but she survived on the streets for three years."
"She lived like that for three years? Why didn't I know about it until now?"
"It's likely she's a veteran thief. She hides so well that it's hard to spot her. Only perceptive demons like me know how to spot her."
Mori was confused. She wasn't a child who suddenly appeared, but rather someone who had been seen for three years. Could she really be the owner of the shoes? If she truly was the owner of the shoes, wouldn't it make more sense for the narrative if she suddenly appeared right when the shoes were received?
"Isn't there something strange about it?"
"There are many strange things, such as the fact that she ignores the overflowing welfare of the Grand Duke and lives alone on the streets. She also strangely dislikes the demons."
"Ah...Other than that, I didn't see any darkness at all in her eyes. It seems like something is blocking the power of the demons."
"Oh, a normal human child has such powers? That's quite interesting."
"If you don't know, that's fine. Anyway, can you help me find that kid?"
The demons from the snowy mountains have developed tracking abilities. They must hunt for prey in the harsh, snowy mountains.
But the bear demon's expression became gloomy.
"She was probably already dead, but the last time I saw her, she smelled like death. She was already on the verge of death. Ah, it seemed like she was on the verge of starvation."
"It'll be easier to find if it smells like death. Just smell it and find it."
"No, it's too windy. The smell has already disappeared."
"Fuck... then get out of here. I don't need you anymore."
"Hehe, but why are you looking for her?"
"Just."
Mori's footsteps became more urgent. She hurried forward, listening to the wind. The demon, who had been beating her, watched her for a long time. His eyes took on a strange rainbow color.
***
Mori went straight to the bakery that the bear demon had mentioned, but there was no trace of the girl.
For a moment, the wind blew furiously. Despite possessing the essence of fire, she felt cold. Mori, feeling like she'd be blown away if she wandered any further, took refuge inside the bakery.
She felt as if she had entered another world. As the cat opened the door with its front paw and entered, the bakery owner came running in, startled.
"Eh... Cat, gasp! Are you okay?"
The large man who was displaying adorable macarons ran over and tried to clear the snow off the cat's back. Mori, who didn't like having her back touched, quickly transformed into a human and asked.
“Hey, breadman.”
"Ugh! What a surprise! Oh, is that Miss Mori? What brings you here in this weather?"
"Are you the only one who sells macarons in this weather?"
"I was just baking as a hobby because I was bored."
The owner hesitated for a moment and then answered.
"Did you see that shabby woman passing by in front of you?"
"Oh, are you talking about a girl with green eyes who is about this tall?"
“Have you guessed it?”
"Yes. She was a child who often came to this store. She has come here often, holding her parents' hands, since she was very young. She especially loved these macarons."
"Was the child with her parent?"
"Yes. But at some point, the parents disappeared, and the child also disappeared for a while, and then one day, she started showing up in a mess."
The shop owner's expression darkened. He couldn't forget the day when the child, who had once held her parents' hands and smiled brightly, came to buy bread, looking as if she'd been through the worst of the world, handing over a crumpled bill.
When asked what was wrong, the child didn't answer. She gave him money, which was clearly stolen, and bought her bread, a memory of her childhood with her parents. She barely managed to eat it. Even when offered more bread for free, she ignored him and walked away, as if she were utterly rejecting any unnecessary favors.
"Do you know what happened to the child?"
"No one knows. Only the child knows. All I heard was that one day, the child's parents suddenly disappeared. The child was left in a deformed place without parents, crying for three days straight."
"Where is that house?"
"It's already gone. I heard it was auctioned off due to debt. It seems like they came from a wealthy family, so I didn't know they had debt."
Mori's expression turned sullen.
'What does the disappearance of her parents have to do with me? I didn't even know she existed, so what trouble did I cause her? If she hates me that much, I'm sure I had something to do with it.'
The question deepened. She lowered her gaze to the floor and pouted.
"Do you know where that kid might go?"
"Well, she's such an elusive kid."
"Don't you have any idea where to go?"
"Why are you looking for that child so badly?"
In an instant, the normally ordinary shopkeeper's eyes lit up with a rainbow of light. But Mori, who was staring gloomily at the floor, didn't notice.
"I was just worried."
“There is no special purpose?”
“There is.”
“Will it work?”
"I want to take her somewhere warm, feed her delicious food, and put her to sleep in a soft bed."
“What do you gain by doing that?”
"Hmm, are you happy?"
The shop owner laughed at the clear answer, which contained kind and simple thoughts unlike any ordinary witch.
"Is there really no other purpose?"
“Do you need that?”
"No, the girl probably went to the west side of town. There's a nice, cold place there. It's far from the city center, so there are a lot of unsold houses."
"Can we get there in this weather?"
“You don’t know.”
"First, wrap that up."
Mori pointed to the freshly baked breads on the shelf. The shopkeeper happily wrapped up the best baked goods. When Mori offered a gold coin, the shopkeeper, who had been offering free milk, was taken aback.
"Oh my goodness, gold coins at the bakery. I can't give you change."
"The change is heavy. Take it."
Mori snatched the bag of bread and walked out of the store. She'd put the essence of fire she'd always kept in her pocket into the bag, so the bread wouldn't get cold. Instead, she'd have to endure the cold with her whole body.
The shopkeeper watched Mori through the window for a long time as she left with the bread for the girl.
'How did such a witch appear in the world?'
Mori, the witch who reconnected the human and demon worlds after a gap of 2,000 years
The first witch in the Demon World, Sith, was incredibly magical.
'I thought you'd be obsessed with finding the shoe's owner to fulfill your wish, but I don't see any such selfishness.'
That child, Mori, seems to have long since forgotten her original purpose of fulfilling her wish. She's either stupid and naive, or innocent—it's hard to pinpoint her, but she's clearly a unique breed, one that wouldn't be found among witches.
'Anyway, witch, you have to grant my wish.'
The shop owner turned around. The little girl reflected in the glass window also turned away.
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