Odilia quietly stared at the man who had spoken to her.
He appeared to be about 10 cm taller than her, with an adorably cute face that didn’t quite match his height, exuding a harmless, rabbit-like impression. Despite his smile, one could sense a mix of youthful eagerness, excitement, and a hint of fear, indicating that he had mustered the courage to approach her.
“Hmph.”
However, she merely scanned him from top to bottom before turning away and walking towards the elevator.
It’s not that the man was unattractive. He had a cute face and a tall stature, radiating a fresh charm typical of those caught between boyhood and adulthood. Such innocence was definitely something that mischievous rascals who only liked girls in skirts could never possess.
But did that translate into charm for Odilia…?
Well…
It couldn’t be said that way.
She had lived too long to be charmed by someone she had just met. And her stubbornness was strong enough to resist letting go of the first love that had settled in her heart.
“Ah, wait a moment! I just want to talk for a bit…”
But whether he understood the great witch’s sentiments or not, the man persistently followed her.
His determination was reminiscent of a youthful boy who knew no defeat, making her unable to suppress a faint smile. When she smiled, the man seemed to interpret it as a positive sign, his face lighting up instantly. His voice transformed from one filled with disappointment and urgency to one brimming with hope and energy.
“Uh… I won’t take up too much of your time. I just want to chat over a cup of coffee. Is that okay?”
The great witch stared at him without replying to his words.
Then, as if he realized something, the man hurriedly added, “Ah, I’ll pay for the coffee.”
What could be making him so eager?
What was he displaying such youthful enthusiasm over?
Before leaving the room, Odilia had witnessed the overflowing vitality and youth of children around her.
That vitality was something she had long since abandoned, replaced instead with stubbornness and pride.
Thus, she had thought of wandering aimlessly after stepping outside.
But as she stepped out, witnessing the man giving his all to engage with her, she wondered if some whim had overtaken her.
Perhaps it was the whim of an old soul.
Perhaps she found herself stirred by the passion of this young man.
Or maybe, in this unfamiliar and unwelcoming land of Russia, her heart was moved by a rare moment of connection.
Perhaps she simply viewed the encounter as a way to pass the time while waiting for the shaman.
“Alright, lead the way.”
Countless “maybes” led to that response.
It could be a stroke of luck for the young man, but lacking any intention to accept him might bring greater misfortune.
A mirage of hope, appearing within reach yet elusive, only deepens despair when it vanishes.
However, the man, seemingly delighted by this whim, grinned widely and guided her to a café.
“What kind of coffee do you prefer?”
“Coffee, hmm.”
He inquired as she sat by the window.
Countless orders flitted through Odilia’s mind, but after a moment of contemplation, faced with the man’s eager gaze, she finally spoke.
“Just order whatever you like.”
The man tilted his head, surprised by her remark.
“Is it fine for me to order as I wish?”
“Go ahead.”
With an air of nonchalance, she responded, and the man nodded in agreement before heading to the counter. Shortly after, he returned with two cups of coffee on a tray.
One cup was a foamy coffee resembling beer, while the other was a standard café latte. The latte was adorned with a heart made out of latte art, prompting Odilia to stifle a laugh.
She imagined the cute face of the barista requesting a heart-shaped latte art.
The man presented her with the café latte while he held the foamy coffee.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I went with café latte.”
“Oh really?”
Odilia gave him a condescending glance, as if to say she expected nothing less. After swirling the coffee stick to mix the drink and enjoying its fragrant aroma, she remarked.
“The scent is nice.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that. It should taste quite good too; give it a try.”
Seeing his rabbit-like face filled with pride, she took a sip.
The aroma reminiscent of chocolate danced on her palate, and the nuttiness from the milk and coffee beans wrapped around her tongue gently. Not to mention, once savored and swallowed, the flavor lingered briefly before fading away.
Surprisingly, it matched her taste perfectly.
“This is…?”
“Ah, did you like it? I found this Indian Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold coffee, so I ordered that.”
“For a cheap Asian coffee, it’s reasonable.”
She tossed out a comment that could be taken as either praise or criticism, continuing to enjoy her coffee.
As she relished the flavor, the man interrupted her enjoyment with more questions.
“What brings you to Russia?”
“That’s a strange question. I could be a Russian, couldn’t I? Why’d you assume that?”
She shot back at him, feeling that her mood was being disturbed.
But the man merely looked confused and asked, “Well, you responded to me in German, and you’re still replying in German, right?”
“…Hmph.”
Finally realizing that both of them were using German, she nodded.
“Of course, just because you speak German doesn’t mean you’re not Russian. A Russian could be fluent in German, after all. But, um… how should I address you?”
“Just call me whatever you like.”
“Alright, then simply… I’ll call you… Lady?”
Lady.
The witch chuckled at the word that the man hesitantly uttered.
He was clearly not accustomed to referring to anyone as “Lady,” displaying an awkwardness akin to a boy imitating an adult.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
“There’s a vibe about you that resonates with the Germans. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but… it’s curious. Each culture gives off a peculiar aura. At first, you might not notice, but traveling around the world allows you to distinguish them naturally. That’s how I recognized it.”
He traveled around the world?
‘What a show-off.’
Odilia internally scoffed, realizing that men, whether young or old, are all equally prone to showing off.
To conceal the smirk that naturally arose on her face, she took a sip of her café latte.
“Well, since I know you’re German, I just couldn’t help but speak up.”
He pulled a bundle of paper from a small bag and set it on the table.
“Please take a look at this.”
It was a survey question titled, “Interest of Europeans in Preferred Special Abilities.”
It was a questionnaire.
As soon as the great witch read the heading, she glared at the man, questioning what it was about, and the man, feeling embarrassed, averted his gaze.
“I-I’m sorry. I needed to gather samples of 100 people from each European country for my research… but I accidentally missed one person…”
“…So?”
“Then, since my schedule was set, I had no choice but to come to Russia… I just needed one more person, but I couldn’t find a German at the airport… and then I suddenly spotted you at the hotel. So, um…”
He shrank away a bit, sounding sheepish as he looked up at her.
“Would you mind…?”
Odilia was about to say no and storm out of her seat.
But at that moment, something caught her eye.
It was the café latte.
The coffee made from Indian Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, which had shattered her prejudice that all Asian coffee was cheap.
If it had been an ordinary coffee, she might have left without a second thought, even throwing the bundle of paper into the man’s face.
“…Hmph.”
The great witch pointed at the coffee the man hadn’t yet touched.
“Give me that coffee.”
“Uh? Sure.”
The man handed her the coffee. As the cup shifted, the foam bubbled playfully, and Odilia stared at it before taking a sip. The cold coffee cooled her mouth while its aroma spread, contrasting with the heavy aroma of the café latte that had exploded into steam.
“Is this coffee decent? Is it made from the same beans?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Good. If this coffee hadn’t tasted good, I’d have just gotten up to leave, but I’ll help you out. Just remember to leave quickly afterward.”
She pulled out a pen from her handbag and began reading the contents of the questionnaire.
“Hello!
This questionnaire aims to gather information about preferred special abilities within European cultures. Your responses will be invaluable to this research.
The collected answers will only be used for research purposes; confidentiality is assured.
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this questionnaire.
Please mark a ‘v’ or ‘O’ for the applicable items.
If an item does not apply, please select ‘Other’ and specify.”
“1. What is your gender?
Male
Female
2. What is your nationality?
France
Italy
United Kingdom
Germany
…
3. Are you a user of special abilities?
O / X
3-1. If yes, what kind of abilities do you use?
(Only respondents answering “O” for question 3 should respond.)”
The questionnaire consisted of two pages, but the content on the first page was nothing special.
It resembled those surveys handed out on the street asking for just a moment of your time.
Odilia hastily filled out the first page and looked at the next.
“This… this is poorly printed.”
The second page was stained with ink, making the words unreadable.
In fact, it was questionable whether there had even been any text at all, considering it was utterly smeared with ink.
“Uh-oh! This shouldn’t be happening…”
The man murmured, looking flustered at seeing the state of the second page.
He gave a deep sigh, as if the ground had fallen beneath him, then turned to Odilia.
“I’m sorry… You’ve taken the time to help me, and now I’ve made another mistake…”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve taken up too much of my time, so it’s fine.”
Odilia offhandedly remarked, which could easily be interpreted as an attempt to console him.
The man looked at her with an expression of wonder, and when Odilia noticed that, she frowned slightly and glared at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. But… um, doesn’t this paper look like a painting?”
The man awkwardly shifted topics in response to her sharp question, lifting the paper to show her.
Although the ink-stained paper seemed reminiscent of a spilled ink painting, upon closer inspection, it was indeed suggestive of something familiar.
“It does, huh?”
“Isn’t it interesting? Um… it resembles something, but I can’t quite recall. Do you see anything, Lady?”
“Well, to my eyes, it looks like a hammer.”
“Oh, a hammer! Right! I have something for you!”
In response to her answer, the man appeared to recall something and began rummaging through his bag.
“Ah, there’s a gift for those who answer the survey. It’s a souvenir…”
After a considerable search, he produced a small book no bigger than the palm of his hand. The thin pages felt like they belonged to a Bible, and despite its small size, it was quite thick. However, the cover seemed to be made of leather, giving it a luxurious aura.
“It’s just a small souvenir. I hope you’ll accept it.”
“Well, let me see.”
Odilia said loftily as the man beamed and handed her the book.
The cover lacked any special decorations or illustrations, only filled with handwritten letters.
“Malleus Maleficarum, M■leficas, & earum hæresim, ■t phramea p■tentissima conte■ens.”
Some parts of the text had smudged, yet those letters were all too familiar to Odilia.
With anger flashing in her eyes, she glared at the man.
“What is this?”
The book titled “Malleus Maleficarum,” which served as a weapon against witches and heretics, was a well-known sign of the witch hunts.
