Until The Witch Dies

Section 1: Death Sentence on a Calm Day

Translated by AmaLynne

Local City of Lapis Edition
―Episode 1: The Witch with One Year to Live―

It all began with a single word of notice.

「You are going to die.」

The first thing my master said at the start of the meeting was.

I, Meg Raspberry, an apprentice witch.

「In a year.」

She says I’m going to die.

It is one o’clock in the afternoon, a quiet study.

The sky is clear, the clouds are flowing gently, it is such a peaceful day.

The word was suddenly released, and I involuntarily blurted out,「Nbuh.」

「What is it, Master? Suddenly made a joke like that.」

「I’m not joking. You are doomed to die. In a year.」

Master looks as if nothing is wrong, and flips through the papers as if nothing is wrong.

The silence was punctuated only by the second hand of the clock and the chirping of birds from the window.

Me, die? One year to go?

「You’re lying, aren’t you?」

「I’m not lying.」

「You’ve got to be kidding me.」

「I’m sorry, but it’s true.」

「I’m only seventeen. I’m not going to die.」

「You will die. By a curse.」

「A curse?」

Master nodded with a mysterious face.

「You are under a curse, a『death sentence』that takes effect at the age of eighteen.」

「Death sentence?」

「It’s like a chronic illness from birth. At the age of 18, the limiter of the body clock is removed. Then, they age at a rate 1,000 times faster than normal. In three days, you age about ten years, and in one month, you age one hundred years. No matter how long you live, you are cursed to die in a month.」

「Scary.」

She said it, but it didn’t really feel real.

「Um―, how do I remove the curse?」

「There is no way. Not yet.」

「Then who put the curse on me? Master would know. If you go and make that guy bleed and rip him off toe by toe, he will spit out a way to break the curse. If you want, I can burn him alive.」

「I said you are born with it. In other words, you’re sick. A sick person.」

「How can you say that to a seventeen-year-old maiden?」

「I’ll take care of you for a year. Rest in peace.」

This person is absurdly cold.

As I was half crying, master continued,「Well, all joking aside.」

「It’s not like there isn’t a way to save yourself.」

「Don’t make jokes that aren’t funny, just talk about it…」

「Well, it’s hard, that’s for sure. Time-wise and task-wise.」

With that, master took out a clear bottle.

「What is it?」

「It’s just a plain, ordinary bottle.」

「How can that piece of shit break my curse?」

「Bad mouth…」

Master glared at me, then let out a soft sigh and held her hand over the bottle.

「Engrave this moment and hold on to it.」

The spell sounded familiar. It was time magic.

The enchanted bottles are covered with a kind of rainbow-colored aura of magical power.

「Listen, now, I’ve just put a binding spell and a gathering spell on this bottle. From now on, you are going to collect pieces of emotions here.」

「Pieces of emotion? What’s that? Do I have to kill people?」

Is it acceptable to do such a thing in today’s society? I don’t think I can wait to be shot.

No, I can generate gas. Using magic potions, it is possible to generate volcanic gases on a large scale. Then people would cry out and die one after another. Their vindictive voices must surely be fragments of emotion. Well, at least one city in return―――「Stop, stop!」

「What a pity. It was a nice place.」

「What you mean「what」! What’s the point of killing people if you can’t live yourself!」

「That’s the way nature works. The world is the law of the jungle.」

「Shut up.」

Master sighs softly.

「…Listen, there is such a thing as a seed of life. It’s something made solely out of joy, out of all the feelings of joy, anger, and sorrow that people have. That’s what we make.」

「Then tell me how to make it as soon as possible.」

「It’s something you couldn’t possibly create after ten years of studying magic.」

「What the hell then?」

「That’s why we have these bottles! I put my time magic here. It’s powerful, and it will never wear off. This bottle collects and stores tears. You will collect here the feelings of joy of all kinds of people.」

「Feelings of joy?」

When I tilted my head, master nodded.

「Tears of joy are the tears of happiness that people shed when they are happy.」

「What are you going to do with all those worthless things?」

「Bad mouth… Tears of joy are the ingredients for the seeds of life. The seed of life makes your life immortal. In other words, it preserves your lifespan even when the limiter comes off.」

When the master said this, she tapped the bottle with a pop.

「It’s the same as if I were a perennial witch. With this seed, you do not age. Unless you unlock the power of the seed yourself. That way, even if the limiter comes off, you won’t die.」

「I see.」

「Then the curse won’t kill you. You can live until you are satisfied, and when the time comes, you can release the power of the seed.」

「Does that mean I’m going to be immortal?」

「Unless you remove the spell.」

「Ohhh…」

It’s getting kind of amazing.

I had been a new apprentice witch just a short time ago, and now I was to become the same as the great mage, my Master. This is what I call a privilege.

「I know you love your apprentice after all. So, how many tears do you want me to collect?」

「A thousand.」

 「……yes?」

「Collect a thousand tears. A thousand tears that people shed when they are truly happy, in twelve months.」

「Is that… easy?」

「People shed tears of sorrow and pain, but not so many tears of joy. It took me at least a hundred years. I used all kinds of magic to prolong my life and finally became a witch for many years.」

「Can I do it in a year? That.」

「I told you. The chances are infinitesimal. It’s next to impossible.」

「I see… thank you for the really shitty story.」

「Bad mouth…」

I, Meg Raspberry, an apprentice witch.

In one year.

It seems that I will die.