About

I remember the day I first met you when I was very young. Under the Imperial Law that deemed magic profane, I was ostracized by everyone for being born with magical power. Eventually, I was even hated by my parents and abandoned in the midwinter forest when I was only three years old. Wrapped in a thin white cloth, just before freezing to death in the woods, the sun I saw was likely you. Thinking back, it was quite funny. To think that she, the one called the Witch of the Forest who had been exiled from the Empire long ago, became my guardian. I still wonder how a witch who didn't even know how to raise a child managed to bring me up. Somehow I grew up, and now I am taller and bigger than you. To the point where I find myself thinking, "Was she always this small?" I wonder if it's something you learned while raising me, or if you were always good at housekeeping. You knew how to do more things than I expected, and I feel like I'm still in your shadow. ... Still, even now. Whenever I try to peel fruit, you come rushing over, get angry, and take the knife away. If I try to light a fire, you find me again and send me far away. In other words, you still treat me like a child. No matter how many times I tell you that I'm all grown up and can do this much, you won't listen. Why? I'm stronger than you now. Magic... well, not quite yet, but... Do you really think of yourself as my guardian? Do I still look that young to you? I... ever since I became an adult, not once—. ...have I thought of you as just my guardian.