The women I set free are obsessed with me

After spending a night at the inn, we headed to the Mage's Association located in the city center.

The association building was bustling with groups of people in robes, large pointed hats, and carrying staffs—dressing in a way that screamed 'I'm a scholar' wandering around.

When Mirabelle and I entered, her maid outfit immediately drew attention. The timid Mirabelle shrank under the barrage of stares.

I took the lead, and she scurried behind me, hiding. As we approached the counter, a female scholar greeted us with a customer service smile cranked up to eleven.

"Welcome. What brings you to the Mage's Association today?"

"I've come to check for a magic aptitude."

"Oh, you mean for the cute maid behind you, right?"

"Haha, good one. It's for me."

That was a lie.

We were here to test Mirabelle's magic aptitude.

Project: Turn Mirabelle into a Great Witch (not the drug kind).1

Confirming her magic aptitude was the first step.

Of course, I already knew Mirabelle had magical potential. Not just as an ordinary mage, but as a great witch—the kind that's said to be born once in a thousand years.

But not like I could explain how I knew this information. If I suddenly said, 'You're going to be a witch', what would she think?

She'd be suspicious, of course. She was already wary because of the name thing.

So I was pretending to get myself tested while having Mirabelle take the test too. This way, we would discover her talent and set her on a path of magic.

"An examination is possible, but it's not free. It will cost fifty silver. Is that alright?"

"Of course."

The employee gave me a doubtful look. To become a mage, one usually needed to hone their talent from a young age. At my age, mid-twenties, I was way past that point.

But you never know.

I had been transmigrated to another world, after all. There might be some hidden perk.

I handed over one gold coin. When the employee tried to give me change, I told her to keep it until after the examination. It'd be a hassle since Mirabelle needed to be tested too.

The employee brought out a crystal orb about the size of a human head. It was the kind of magic tool that often functioned as a scouter. You know, the one that always broke when the main character touched it and people would freak out saying, 'Ah! This much mana?!' or 'All seven elements?!'

"Please wrap your hands around the orb and channel your mana inside."

I followed the employee's instructions, and straining myself like I was taking a dump, I felt my mana move.

Upon draining my mana, the orb flickered momentarily.

Oh, a reaction?

Can it be?

"Did you see that flicker just now? This must mean I have talent."

"No, it's the opposite. It flickered because there was no reaction even after waiting. It's just to show the tool isn't defective."

"Pardon?"

What kind of stupid function is that?

"You don't have even a speck of talent. It's not easy to be this talentless. You seem to have a talent for having no talent."

The employee mercilessly tore into me with an unchanging expression, stabbing a magic missile right into my heart. Yeah, me? What mage. Let's just stick to what I'd been doing.

"Since we're here, why don't you try too, Miss Mirabelle?"

"What?"

"Please test this child as well."

"Understood. I will include her test in the one gold coin fee from earlier."

With the employee and I in perfect sync, Mirabelle, who was terrible at speaking up for herself, got caught up in the momentum. Suddenly, she found her hands placed on the crystal orb.

"Now channel your mana inside."

Following the employee's much kinder instructions, Mirabelle channeled her mana. At first, nothing happened, but soon the crystal orb began to fill with a multicolored light.

"W-What's this?"

Mirabelle continued to pour her mana into the orb, ignoring the employee's confusion. The light was not contained only within the sphere but erupted into blinding radiance in all directions.

BOOM!

"Kyaaa!"

The orb suddenly shattered, sending fragments flying in every direction.

As expected.

Mirabelle had the makings of a great witch.

Though I couldn't let on that I knew, and played dumb.

"What just happened? The orb exploded, was it defective? Does this mean I actually have talent?"

"That would never happen, not in a million years. This is… the opposite. It seems her magic talent was so extraordinary that the orb couldn't withstand it. I-I've never seen a case like this before…? Excuse me for a moment. I need to report this to the Association Head."

The employee disappeared in a fluster.

Mirabelle seemed surprised herself, unable to hide her anxiety as her hands fidgeted nervously.

I wanted to tell her how amazing she was, to encourage her to stand tall and proud instead of being intimidated. So I said.

"To have such extraordinary talent. This may very well be worth more than a thousand gold coins."

"…"

The employee who had disappeared returned quickly.

"The Association Head wants to see you personally. Please follow me."

We followed the employee to the Association Head's office on the second floor. A kind-looking middle-aged scholar with round glasses was waiting for us. Mirabelle and I sat side by side on a sofa.

"Welcome. I've heard from our employee. I understand this cute young lady shattered our mana-measuring orb?"

"That's what happened as far as I know. I heard my Mirabelle might have a talent for magic. Is that true?"

"We will need to conduct more tests to know the details, but she certainly has talent. Which is why I have a proposal. I want to teach her magic."

"Hmm?"

Everything was going according to plan, but I pretended to consider the offer. As a merchant, accepting immediately would be foolish. You always needed to negotiate, no matter the situation.

"Even so, teaching magic to a slave seems a bit…"

"S-Slave? I thought she was just an ordinary maid…"

"The shackles are unsightly, you see."

The Association Head's face darkened, clearly not having considered that Mirabelle might be a slave. This was a golden opportunity to nurture a mage who could shake the world right in his own association.

When Mirabelle eventually became an archmage, he could claim, 'I raised that child', positioning himself as her mentor.

But Mirabelle was a slave. Without my permission, she couldn't learn magic.

Nonetheless, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. The Association Head composed himself and tried to persuade me.

"Young Master, many people keep mages as slaves. They can act as bodyguards or be sent into dungeons to earn money."

"I am well aware. Simply being able to use magic makes them valuable commodities."

"Indeed. It would be a great benefit to you if this child learns to use magic. You would have a mage slave without paying a high price."

"Hmm… When you put it that way, I see your point. What do you think, Miss Mirabelle? Do you want to learn magic?"

I asked for her opinion.

Her answer, of course, was…

"I… I d-don't want to."

A NO.

***

Mirabelle's heart pounded painfully like a criminal on the run suddenly encountering a guard.

Cold sweat poured down her face.

She couldn't control her expression.

Learn magic?

Mirabelle knew better than anyone that she was a witch. For her, that was the root of all tragedy.

So she didn't want to learn magic. She refused to nurture with her own hands the seeds of tragedy that had claimed her mother's life.

That was why she said no.

Even though she was a slave and would have to obey if Karami ordered her, she said no when asked for her opinion.

"Hmm, she says she doesn't want to. As much as I care for my slaves, I won't force them to do something they dislike."

"But Young Master, is there no way to persuade her?"

"Persuade, huh…."

As Karami's inscrutable, narrow gaze fell on Mirabelle, she flinched and lowered her eyes.

"Miss Mirabelle, I am unaware of what you have been through in the past, but I know you were abandoned by your father. He sold such a cute daughter, didn't he? What a terrible person."

"…"

"Miss Mirabelle, don't you wish to take revenge on the one who abandoned you?"

"…What?"

An unexpected proposal.

Mirabelle raised her head.

Her eyes met Karami's.

"Learn magic and confront him proudly. Ask him why he abandoned you that day. Tell him how, because of him, your life has been nothing short of a living hell. And then, pay him back in kind."

Mirabelle's ears perked up. She wasn't sure what Karami was saying, but one word pierced her eardrums like a knife.

Revenge?

Against dad?

Could she really take revenge on the man who sold his own daughter into slavery for the sole reason that she was a witch?

Could she really take revenge on the man who made her mother's sacrifice worthless?

"Is that okay…?"

"Of course. I, as your master, give you permission. If you agree to learn magic, I will find that man for you."

At that moment, life returned to Mirabelle's dead eyes.

The eyes of someone with a clear purpose in life tend to shine brighter than anything else in the world, and Mirabelle's eyes were no exception.

Mirabelle declared with her own will.

"I… want to learn magic."

And become a witch.

She would become a witch like her mother and take revenge on the father who had abandoned her. At that moment, the magic power sleeping deep within Mirabelle began to awaken.