The Legendary Villainess Who Vanished on the Guillotine, in Her Second Life She Wishes for Peace as

Chapter 38: A Witch

“What exactly is a witch, Alondra?”

Sick Beauty [Rebirth] Chapter 1

I voiced my fundamental question, as Alondra and I were doing research on witches in the library.

She looked up from the stack of materials and nodded.

“That’s a concern for all magic researchers. Research on the black magic of witches has been ongoing for about a thousand years, but there are still no clues.”

What are witches?

Where does their power come from?

Why are there only women?

Why do they have such immense power?

All of these are shrouded in mystery.

“Witches don’t even appear in records from before the Middle Ages.”

“Right. Among scholars, there’s a recognition that there was some kind of trigger for their appearance.”

“A thousand years ago, I wonder what happened…?”

Even if I were to ponder it endlessly, I know it would be futile, given that even the desperate research by scholars couldn’t solve it.

I was researching to see if I could find anything about Yserra-sama, but now I seem to be going off track.

However, for some reason, it bothered me. Where did this feeling, almost like intuition, come from?

“Hey, come to think of it, the first time the royal family was in chaos was because of Yserra-sama, who is a witch, probably.

But in the history so far, there hasn’t been a story where a witch with such extraordinary powers did so much harm that they were remembered as evil. People were just afraid and discriminated against them, which led to hatred, and now we’re seeing some kind of reconciliation.”

“…That’s right. It’s safe to say that there’s hardly  a story where a witch with such exceptional powers has gone down in history as evil. It’s been extensively studied and questioned by historians, but it ultimately led to the conclusion that it just didn’t happen by chance. Well, there’s also a possibility that it hasn’t been exposed.”

“That’s certainly possible. But if it wasn’t like that…?”

As I spoke, I felt my thought process converging towards one possibility.

Alondra also gasped in surprise. We stood up with a sound and ran towards the shelf where the books on magic research were gathered.

We were scolded by the library committee, but we couldn’t afford to care.

“Alondra, um, that person…! Who was the magic research scholar who met the goddess Sheila a long time ago?!”

“Leocadio Nemesio! Found it, it’s a modern translation of his own memoir!”

Alondra, whose voice trembled with excitement, quickly flipped through the thick book with lightning-fast movements.

Eventually, on the page where she stopped, there was a description like this.

❂❂❂

When you’re stuck in your research, taking a walk is good. The greenery gives your eyes a break, and I think the sunlight helps relieve shoulder tension.

That day, I was walking around the neighborhood. When I came to a deserted alley, a woman appeared in front of me who was so beautiful that I couldn’t believe she was from this world.

She called herself the Goddess of Time, Sheila. She said she had been managing time since ancient times.

I wonder what reason there is for such a beautiful woman to capture an unsuccessful researcher and make jokes.

Although I was initially wary, as we sat on a nearby bench and talked, I began to feel clearer in my head.

She was intelligent, and when we spoke, she responded beautifully, with eyes that seemed to see everything.

Maybe she really was a goddess. She had a mysterious charm that made me want to believe that.

❂❂❂

I opened my eyes wide and read that section over and over again.

Alondra seemed to be doing the same thing, with no sign of turning the page.

“Oh, that’s right. Leocadio met the goddess Sheila on this earth. The time is not certain, but…”

I muttered quietly and opened the page of the first author, as if driven by something.

“His era was about a thousand years ago.”

“A thousand years…!”

My repeated voice was tinged with shock.

A thousand years. In other words, it coincides with the time when the black magic of the witch appeared.

“Could it be that this is what happened? The appearance of dark magic caused the goddess to come to the surface for an inspection.”

“And every time a witch caused trouble, she turned back time and made them do it again…?”

As we exchanged shocked glances, we looked back at Leocadio’s journal once more.

There were detailed descriptions about the research, but the goddess Sheila never appeared again after that.

It seemed that there was no more information available, and our hypothesis was nothing more than a guess. However, I couldn’t help but feel that this researcher’s journal couldn’t be just a wild idea.

“We may never find a way to prove it… but if this is true, it’s a historic discovery.”

Alondra let out a wry smile that was almost like a shiver.

If this hypothesis is true, maybe the goddess wants to stop Yserra-sama.

As we left the library for the time being and walked back to our dorm, we saw Camilo’s figure beyond the hallway.

We descended the stairs, catching a glimpse of his profile as he talked and laughed with his friends.

I want to talk about my speculation regarding the goddess and the witch that I obtained at the library, but it’s not a story to disturb my friends while they are here. It’s enough to share it later with Elias-sama included.

“Camilo-dono is always here, isn’t he? Maybe he’s just using the excuse of being a bodyguard to keep an eye on you.”

“What? No way. He’s just a worrier to the point of being sorry for me.”

Alondra said jokingly with a wry smile, and I shook my head, at a loss.

Camilo has been amazing lately.

What’s amazing is that he’s incredibly subtle, yet always in my peripheral vision.

Even though it’s for the consideration of not exposing our engagement, he goes through so much trouble to always be there, to the point where I wonder if it would be better to just announce it instead.

He’s always there when we move to a different classroom with Alondra, when we head to the cafeteria, and when we go back to the dormitory.

Camilo appears at least once, whether he’s chatting with Elias-sama, passing by while fooling around with male friends, or carrying baggage for a teacher.

I remember reading in a spy novel that surveillance doesn’t always have to be from behind.

As a dragon knight, he probably receives training in stakeouts without showing hostility, including VIP protection, but this is overkill. I don’t think Yserra-sama would launch an attack in broad daylight.

Even though he was asked to assist the Mardiq Club, I wonder if he still has time for practice.

“We have to research about the witch, but let’s go back to the dormitory right away. Alondra probably has her own research to do.”

“I don’t mind either way, but it’s true that our own dorm rooms are the safest.”

With Alondra, who seemed to be enjoying herself, we returned to the dormitory without stopping by anywhere.

This has been the situation lately.

I think we should relieve the guards soon if nothing happens, because it’s also causing trouble for Alondra, but it’s hard to get permission.

Elias-sama reported safely to His Majesty and said that he would investigate, so I wonder if there will be any changes in our lives by the time the results come out.

While I was thinking about such things, Yserra-sama didn’t have any particular movements, and another two weeks had passed to the weekend.

Finally, the day of the practice match for the Mardiq Club, which Camilo participates in, arrived.

“Is Alondra really not coming?”

“Yeah, she’s busy with her research.”

Alondra’s room, which was still overflowing with documents and experimental equipment, still suits its owner very well.

Her black lab coat, which is used for experiments, hasn’t been seen in a while. It’s a shame that we can’t cheer on Camilo together, but I don’t intend to disturb Alondra’s research.

As for me, I’ve switched to my winter uniform from today. As it is now October, I’ve been feeling the cold even during the day.

Although it’s Sunday, it’s a practice match held on campus, so everyone will probably come in their uniforms.

“Well then, I’m off. Alondra, good luck with your research.”

“Thanks. Leticia, make sure to take care of yourself and not be alone.”

“I know, I’ll be fine. You worry too much.”

I puffed out my cheeks at the phrase that sounded like something you would say to a child, and then let out a small, happy laugh.

Crustia-san and Luna were waiting at the entrance of the dormitory, and the male members were planning to meet up at the venue.

I never thought I would be able to see Camilo’s match until recently. I’m really looking forward to it.