Rapunzel Is Raised by Her Stepmother

Chapter 10: That, you know, something like a dowsing rod. (1)

“...What, sense?”

“Witch sense.”

I once again pointed at the tuft of hair on my crown that swayed on its own.

In truth, this tuft of hair wasn’t just clumped together from not washing. Nor was it one of those so-called ‘idiot hairs’ you see in Japanese manga or anime.

Well, because I wasn’t an idiot.

This hair was, how should I put it, you know, that thing. Like the L-shaped metal rods that people in the old days supposedly used to find underground water veins. Was it called a dowsing rod?

Just like how a dowsing rod would cross into an X when it detected a water vein, my tuft of hair would stand on end and tremble whenever it detected the Remnant of a Witch.

When I had run around the mansion for my speedrun, the reason I could easily locate the Remnant of a Witch was precisely thanks to this trembling tuft of hair.

How should I describe it? When the Remnant of a Witch was nearby, it was like receiving a signal—like a sudden zap! My crown would tingle and shiver.

Anyway, whenever the Remnant of a Witch was near, that’s how it felt.

Since this detection ability didn’t have a particular name in the game, I had named it ‘Witch Sense’ myself. It kind of had a similar vibe to SpideX Sense.

Thinking I had done a good job naming it, I shrugged my shoulders, but Dorothea simply sighed and waved her hand dismissively. Did she take my words as a joke?

“I have no intention of entertaining a child’s nonsense.”

“No, I’m serious! Just wait a moment! So...!”

I lifted the junk inside the basket and focused on the sensation coming from my crown. But no matter which item I touched, the Witch Sense didn’t activate.

“Th-this means everything here is fake! See my crown?! My hair isn’t trembling!”

“People’s hair doesn’t just tremble on its own. You truly lack common sense.”

“No!!”

You dare talk about common sense in a world where cut hair turns into gold?!

I jumped in place, frustrated, but Dorothea only looked at me with a pitying expression. Seriously, I was about to lose my mind!

“No, I’m telling you the truth! If my hair suddenly goes zap! and stands up, that means it’s a real item used by a witch! What will you do if I’m right?! What if my hair really trembles?!”

“What else? It would mean the wind blew and made your hair move.”

“Nooo!!!”

Why won’t she believe me?! I pounded my chest in frustration, but Dorothea only kept an expression that showed she had no interest in my exasperation.

“Are you done talking now? Sophia, take that child back to the tower—”  

“W-Wait a minute! Mom! Just a second!”  

Just as the order to lock me up in the tower again was about to be given, I spread my arms wide and hopped up and down in place as I rushed toward Dorothea.  

“Can’t you just trust me this once?! I can really do it! I can sort through all the witch’s belongings in the mansion and pick out only the real, valuable ones!!”  

The number of ‘Remnant of a Witch’ items I knew of totaled thirteen. I wasn’t sure if there were more, but including the three I had already found, I knew the locations of the remaining ten.  

If I showed them to her, even Dorothea would have no choice but to believe in my hair’s ability. After all, each and every Remnant of a Witch possessed a ‘subtle’ power.  

“I really mean it! Just trust me this once! Okay?!”  

“...Haa.”  

As I jumped and pleaded desperately, Dorothea wore an utterly exhausted expression. She ran a hand down her face before shifting her gaze to glance down at me.  

“Fine, let’s say your hair really can distinguish between genuine and counterfeit items. But do you think that alone is enough for me to take your word for it?”  

“...? So, what you’re saying is that my hair trembling isn’t enough proof, and you need additional evidence? Something that will make you look at the item I bring and go, ‘This is definitely a Remnant of a Witch’ with certainty?”  

“Exactly. What’s stopping you from bringing just any item and insisting it’s real because your hair trembles? You could be lying, so—”  

“There is.”  

“...What?”  

“There is proof. Proof that will make even you certain that the item I bring is a Remnant of a Witch.”  

At my confident declaration, one of Dorothea’s eyebrows twitched upward.  

As I had explained earlier, real Remnants of a Witch each had ‘subtle’ yet peculiar powers.  

Like how the [Thorn Garden Scissors] were dangerously sharp.  

Or how the cookies in the [Witch’s Pastry Basket] were especially popular with animals.  

Or how a fairy resided inside the [Hand Mirror of a Certain Queen].  

Anyway, the real Remnants of a Witch all had these ‘subtle yet peculiar abilities.’ If I demonstrated that, Dorothea would have to believe in my hair’s trembling ability to some extent.  

With a confident expression, I straightened my shoulders and stood before Dorothea.  

“Mom, how about we make a bet?”  

“...A bet?”  

“Yes, a bet. If I can find and bring back even one genuine Remnant of a Witch by the end of today—”  

I held up my index finger and declared boldly to Dorothea.  

"Promise that from now on, I’ll be provided with three proper meals a day in the tower, three hours of outdoor walks, and a snack once every lunchtime."  

".....? That’s all you’re asking for?"  

"...Two snacks? No, wait. Add clothes and daily necessities too..."  

Was it too modest? When I held up two fingers to suggest two snacks, Dorothea let out a short laugh and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling.  

She seemed to be in deep thought as she lightly tapped her forearm with her smooth fingers. Then, after a brief pause, she lowered her gaze back to me.  

"Alright, let’s do it that way."  

Once the bet was settled, I was dragged along by Dorothea and Sophia to a room tucked away in the mansion’s corner.  

The moment I stepped inside, I was met with a chaotic mess of clutter, crammed so tightly that there was barely any space to step.  

I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.  

"Whoa..."  

I had seen this room in the game before, but witnessing it in person left me speechless. The only word that came to mind was ‘overwhelming.’  

A room filled with miscellaneous objects, with no apparent connection in terms of era, origin, or purpose, exuded an eerie atmosphere.  

Back when I saw it in the game, I honestly thought this mansion had some kind of ‘haunted house’ theme. After all, this wasn’t the only room in the game stuffed with random junk.  

As I stood there, gaping in shock at the sight before me, Dorothea let out a sigh and lightly poked at the crown of my head.  

"...Your hair is still limp and useless."  

"It’s about to become firmer than anything, just you wait!"  

"What are you even talking about?"  

Determined to prove my scalp’s newfound strength today, I took a step forward toward the overwhelming heap of clutter—  

"...? Sophia?"  

"The lady’s orders..."  

"?"  

Before I knew it, Sophia had slipped her hands under my arms and lifted me up completely.  

The ‘lady’s orders.’ In other words, Mom’s orders. When I turned to look at her, Dorothea began to explain.  

"Even if everything in this room looks like trash, you can’t just go around touching things carelessly. If something were to break... you understand, right?"  

"...? So, you’re telling me to find the Remnant of a Witch while being held up like this by Sophia?"  

"That’s right."  

Well... it wasn’t impossible.  

Letting out a deep sigh, I relaxed into Sophia’s hold, stretching both arms forward. My position now resembled that of a cat being lifted up by a person.  

Seeing my strange posture, Sophia tilted her head in confusion and asked,  

"...? Aren’t your arms uncomfortable? What kind of pose is this?"  

"Dowsing rod."  

"? What?"  

"Rapunzel rod."  

"????"  

Sophia tilted her head even more, clearly lost.  

When I wiggled my feet and asked her to walk forward, she finally snapped out of her confusion and started carrying me toward the pile of clutter.  

“Ziiiing—”  

“......”  

I scanned the pile of junk with my fingertips, focusing on the sensation in my scalp.  

Back in the game, there had been a ‘Remnant of a Witch’ in this very room, so I was sure I’d find one soon.  

And just a few minutes later—  

As a certain ‘object’ passed before me, I dramatically crossed my hands into an X shape, my eyes widening like a dowsing rod discovering an underground stream.  

“Gasp!”  

“W-What is it?!”  

“My hair! My scalp hair! It’s standing up!”  

“...!?”  

Behind me, Sophia—who was still holding me up—gasped in shock.  

A sharp, electric sensation buzzed from my scalp, followed by an unmistakable tremor.  

It was the exact same feeling as when I had found a Remnant of a Witch before.  

Without hesitation, I grabbed the ‘object’ my fingertips had pointed to, wriggled out of Sophia’s arms, and rushed over to present it to Dorothea.  

‘So it really was in this room.’  

What I had found was a bundle of multicolored thread, tangled together in a tight mass.  

Dorothea took it from me with a puzzled expression, as if asking what on earth it was.  

Ah, right—I needed to explain.  

The Remnant of a Witch I had found was—  

“Mom, can you hold out your hand for a moment?”  

“What?”  

“You said you needed proof. Hurry up.”  

“......”  

Dorothea hesitated slightly, looking a bit uneasy, but she eventually held out her hand.  

I pulled out the richest, most vibrant red thread from the bundle and looped it around Dorothea’s ‘pinky finger.’  

Then, I tied the other end around my own.  

“This is called the [Red Thread of the Moonlit Ice Couple].”  

“The Red Thread of the Moonlit Ice Couple...?”  

A red thread that connects two pinky fingers.  

As I stared at the thread, I continued my explanation.  

“Yes. When you tie this red thread around each other’s pinky fingers, it signifies that the two of you become lo—”  

Before I could even finish my sentence, Dorothea hastily yanked the thread off her finger.  

With a look of utter horror, as if she had just touched something cursed, she snapped the red thread and spat out a furious curse at me.  

“You—you insane...!”