Home/The Reason I Was Reincarnated as a Witch in a Novel/ch 5

Chapter 005

Lindsay leaned her ear toward the Wind-Bird Flower flying toward her. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth at the sight of Lionel replicating her demonstration so quickly.

"Yeah. That's how you contact me."

"The communication methods of witches are fascinating. I brought something that turned out to be useless, but it was a good experience, so it's fine."

Lionel held up the communication magic tool he had brought and waved it.

Lindsay reached out her hand toward the wood-carved magic tool.

"If you brought it to give to me, then hand it over."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

After handing the communication device to Lindsay, Lionel's cheeks flushed pink.

"I'm so happy. That Lindsay would covet a magic tool I made myself... I can take that as a good omen, can't I?"

What kind of omen?

Unable to parse his meaning, Lindsay blinked. She had simply seized the opportunity to acquire an expensive magic tool.

Even in this Golden Age of Magic, magic tools crafted by mages were far too expensive for commoners to even dream of owning. Since emerging into human society, the only magic tools Lindsay had encountered were the standardized streetlamps.

Her witch's intuition told her that pressing further would only be mentally exhausting, so she asked something else instead.

"Why did you come here?"

Surely not to have his mana absorbed again? It's only been a day—has the corruption already progressed?

"Because I wanted to see my Lady Witch."

Lindsay frowned at Lionel's fox-like smile. It was the kind of smile that could bewitch you without your realizing it if you weren't careful.

"How can you miss someone you only met yesterday?"

"I really did come because I missed you. And I have a proposal as well."

"A proposal?"

Lionel pulled a single sheet of paper from within his cloak. It was a contract detailing the terms between Party A and Party B.

Only one line was written under what Party A would provide to Party B, while the section for what Party B would provide to Party A was left blank. Unlike ordinary contracts, the one Lionel handed over had letters that shimmered with light.

"Party A shall absorb Party B's corrupted mana once per day. However, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, this may be deferred?"

"Yes. Party A is you, Lindsay. Isn't it good?"

"No. Not good at all."

Lindsay looked at Lionel, who was beaming as if this were perfectly reasonable. Absorbing Lionel's mana was beneficial to her, but having to face this fox-like man every day would be a nuisance.

"The blank section below is for you to fill in as you wish, Lady Witch. I'll agree to any request you make."

"Pick one form of address and stick with it."

"Understood, Lady Witch."

"Ugh! Do you want to spread rumors that I'm a witch? Just call me by my name."

"I liked 'Lady Witch' because it felt like a pet name... But if Lindsay wishes it, I'll do as you say."

A pet name, my foot!

Lindsay snapped at Lionel's nonsense, then examined the contract from all angles. She checked for any clauses hidden by magic, but what she saw was all there was.

Lionel watched Lindsay scrutinizing the contract seriously and smiled radiantly.

"I thought you'd tear it up immediately, but you're giving it a serious look."

"You said you'd agree to anything, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. I've decided how to use you."

Lindsay grinned, baring her teeth as she looked at the contract. Her fingers gathered mana and traced letters through the air.

The sentences written in jade-green mana settled into the blank spaces of the contract. The document, now filled with shimmering letters, fluttered and flew toward Lionel.

"That's all I'm asking for."

Lionel read through the contract, which had expanded from one line to six. After reading to the very last line, he raised his head, shook the paper in his hand, and spoke in a voice as light as the fluttering contract.

"Is this perhaps a slave contract?"

Yes. That's exactly it.

Lindsay nodded gravely. Though it was a nuisance, Lionel was far too useful to turn away.

His reputation, his abilities, his wealth—there was nothing about him that she couldn't use. He even supplied her with mana.

With her last shred of conscience, she offered Lionel a warning.

"This is a losing deal for you. Think it over carefully."

"It's strange to hear that from Lindsay, who just wrote me a slave contract."

Without hesitation, Lionel infused the contract with mana. A violet hue, reminiscent of his eyes, enveloped the document.

The contract rose into the air, and all the letters burst out of the paper, swirling around Lindsay and Lionel.

"The contract shall proceed. Lionel Belmontshe, as Party B, pledges to uphold the terms of this contract."

He's actually going through with it?

Watching Lionel proceed with the contract for real, Lindsay rejoiced inwardly at her good fortune.

She breathed Lionel's mana—the mana she had absorbed yesterday—into the contract. The violet-hued document was now mixed with jade-green.

"Lindsay Monahan, as Party A, pledges to uphold the terms of this contract."

The letters that had been drifting around them moved swiftly, completing the sentences inscribed on the contract. As the final period was placed, Lionel declared the penalty for breach of contract. The penalty was binding.

After the contract was sealed, the document duplicated itself, and one copy appeared in each of their hands. Lindsay smiled briskly and said:

"You've reviewed the price for absorbing your corrupted mana and signed, right?"

"If I can escape that suffering for just a million gold, it's a bargain."

How generous.

Having solved her chronic financial troubles with a single contract, Lindsay jerked her chin toward Lionel, who was grinning happily while clutching his copy.

"Shall we start the work as written in Clause 4?"

"Party B shall provide up to eight hours of labor per day upon Party A's request. Correct?"

"Correct."

"Why eight hours? You could have written twenty-four."

"You don't actually think this is a slave contract, do you?"

Lindsay had once dreamed of living a life of eight hours a day, five days a week. Recalling her past self, who had been forced into unpaid overtime every day under that cursed comprehensive wage system, brought tears to her eyes. That was precisely why she had capped Lionel's maximum daily working hours at eight.

"Since you say you're not my master, I can hardly claim to be a mere slave, can I?"

"If you want, I could actually treat you like one."

"If it's with Lindsay, that wouldn't be so bad either."

Lindsay grimaced and pulled out baskets stacked in the workshop's storage. The baskets were filled to the brim with unidentified leaves and branches.

She spread a cloth on the floor and carefully stacked the baskets in the center, piling them higher than her own height.

"Your job is simple. There are fifty portions' worth of ingredients in those baskets. Just dump them onto this cloth, prep them, and put them back into the baskets."

Lionel glanced at the ingredients in the topmost basket.

"Poplar bark and Recovery Herb—that would be a wound-healing potion."

"As expected of a Magic Tower mage. I don't need to give you separate prep instructions, do I?"

"Of course not."

With a confident answer, Lionel took down a basket and poured its contents onto the cloth. Then he began preparing the ingredients with practiced skill.

Having acquired a capable worker, Lindsay also grabbed a basket and sat across from him. I'll make good use of you, second male lead.

Peeling the poplar bark, Lionel asked Lindsay a question.

"Business must be going well, seeing how many potions you're making."

There was a faint note of curiosity in his question. Though not uncommon, the capital maintained a steady population of mages, and its residents didn't buy magic potions or tools from shops not accredited by the Magic Tower.

Even the signboards of the shops near Lindsay's bore green-glow stones—proof of the Magic Tower's certification. With such shops around, few would visit Lindsay's establishment with its shabby sign. Though the signboard made of boxwood, which appeared to be Lindsay's own handiwork, did happen to suit his taste.

"Business? Not at all. Only flies visit. Customers all go to the Ohara Magic Potion Shop next door."

There was a reason Lindsay dealt in hair-growth potions on the black market. While she gathered her own ingredients for potion-making, when producing lower-grade potions in bulk, buying ingredients was faster. But now, she wouldn't need to do that anymore.

Lindsay gazed contentedly at the purse of gold that had rolled in on its own. Next time, she might even be able to buy pre-processed ingredients that had been too expensive to purchase raw.

"What are you planning to do with all these potions?"

"I'm stockpiling them. You never know when they might come in handy."

Lionel watched the witch hoarding potions like a squirrel gathering acorns, then examined the contents of the other baskets. Energy-restoring potions, mana-restoring potions, mind-and-body stabilizers... The varieties were many, yet their purpose was singular.

"You only make recovery potions?"

At Lionel's question, Lindsay's hands, which had been preparing ingredients, stopped.

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