The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses - Chapter 341

A Day Without Him

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“Still… no sign of her leaving today?”

Riding her broom past the door, Lis glanced at the small, mushroom-shaped hut with its tightly shut door.

“Truly… I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”

Ever since Leah returned to the Witch’s Coven without a word, Lis felt that her “daughter” had changed. Besides the “Starting Star” badge that used to be a prominent part of her attire disappearing… she had become exceptionally “quiet.” And with her quietness, she seemed more “obsessed” than before, her eyes no longer holding the “confusion” of a witch.

And… since then, she had been cooped up in her research lab all day, studying the “Primordial Candle” day and night. She had borrowed almost all the livers of the Frostmare Horses in the entire Witch’s Coven for her experiments.

But, Lis wasn’t worried.

“Mmm… a daughter has to grow up someday, perhaps?”

“Perhaps she has reached the point every witch must face.”

“Whether it’s…”

“…falling deeply, irrevocably in love with someone, or…”

“…losing someone.”

…

“Is it… noon already?”

Opening her eyes, Leah looked at her five fingers, the glaring sunlight slipping through the gaps, telling her it was time to wake up. Of course, the dungeon didn’t have the same “light” as the outside world; it all depended on whether the “emperor” ruling this place was willing to maintain a regular schedule. At least, the emperor of the dungeon where the Witch’s Coven was located had some consideration for this.

She covered one eye and sat up in bed. The hand covering her eye gradually moved to her heart. She stared at the moldy, mycelium-like carpet in her bedroom, a peculiar taste of her mother’s, for a long time. She also looked at her own feet, still bare, her toes scratching at the plush surface of the carpet.

“Waking up today… feels so quiet.”

Without her big hat or her mage’s robe, she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling small and alone.

“Both… my heartbeat, and my magic circuits.”

Leah pulled the long-haired blanket she had been under last night. It was a bit too long for her, dragging on the floor. She took her witch’s hat from the nearby coat rack. Even if she didn’t wear the robe, she always had to wear the hat.

She gathered the dragging part of the blanket in her arms—to keep it from touching the various bottles and jars on the floor.

Then, she walked to her lab bench.

“The data… yes, the data calculated last night is correct, so… so there’s no problem.”

Lighting the desk lamp with a flame, she stared at the notes on her desk. They were covered in various formulas and the “results” derived from them—more than half of which were not formulas she had used before. They were a compilation of scattered notes from over thirty different witches on the “Primordial Candle,” which had taken her two sleepless days and nights to gather.

Once… there was someone who loved to do this kind of thing. He would say that magic research and academic research were the same, so she should try a “literature review,” to see what experiments others had done before.

Once… he would organize all these things and put them in front of her.

And… he would even write notes on every part… notes on the ancient magic he didn’t understand… and then hold up his own notebook, expecting her praise, even though he knew she wouldn’t easily praise him…

“I-I told you not to think about him!”

Leah clutched her forehead, slamming her hand on the side of the lab bench, then looked up. The mirror on the front of her note-taking area, a dry and reagent-free zone, swayed slightly from the impact. A piece of paper taped to the mirror slid down a little.

[Quest 503: Teacher Leah can successfully create the wick for the Primordial Candle.]
[Quest 504: Teacher Leah can find the method to make the wax for the Primordial Candle.]

The paper covered her right eye, making her dark-circled left eye seem even more “stubborn,” staring intently at herself in the mirror and the words on the paper.

“Hah…”

Next to Quest 503, she had drawn a “√” in red ink, as if to distinguish it from Will’s notes. Next to Quest 504, she had written in red, “Before the tenth day dawns.” And on this single page, the [Reward] section was completely blank. Even the “To be filled” that was once there had been forcefully erased with red ink.

“Good, it seems… it seems the magic circuits are starting to turn again…”

Leah quickly looked down, as if unwilling to see herself in the mirror, or perhaps… unwilling to remember certain memories.

“Quest… yes, quest… quest…”

“Just follow the quests, and everything will be fine…”

“It’s already the ninth day…”

Leah looked down, rummaging through a pile of crumpled papers for something important. Her ring finger, adorned with two rings, created a series of afterimages under the lamplight as she searched.

“If… if… last night’s results, combined with the research of the Flame Witch from about… about one hundred and fifty years ago, I should be able to… get the optimal burning temperature…”

Finally, a light piece of paper fell to the floor. It was exceptionally clean compared to the others.

“Yes, this is it…”

A relieved smile appeared on Leah’s face. Then, she picked up the paper and walked towards the deeper part of the lab. On every lab bench she passed, there was a “Frostmare Horse” liver, burned to varying degrees—in a very old witch’s research, this was the most suitable material for the Primordial Candle’s wax. Many of the species mentioned in ancient magic could no longer be found in this era, so they had to find the closest substitutes in dungeons.

From a liver burned to ashes, to one where the ice on the surface hadn’t completely melted, to one even cooked brown on the inside…

But, so far, her research… had not found a way to render enough wax from the liver. According to the ancient magic book, the liver and the ice on its surface had to be rendered together. Either the heat was not enough, or it was too much.

It wasn’t until this step that Leah realized… perhaps the “test” Lis had given her didn’t have a definite “answer.” The complete annihilation of the Frostmare Horse liver with “Radiant Silence” was an over-interpretation of ancient fire magic. To truly obtain the Primordial Candle, better coordination was needed.

For example… like now.

Leah took a deep breath and threw a new “Frostmare Horse” heart into the experimental chamber. Then, she tried again to activate “Nourish with Warmth.”

“Quest… Quest 504… today, today I can definitely… complete it, right?”

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