#719 Rivalry between Veteran Witches

Out of the blue, a grand event commenced without any coherence or logical progression.

Zoth Syra vs. Teacher Carp. 

A serious match between mermaids is about to take place right here on the farm.

That being said, everyone on the farm loves events. They’re party people.

They wouldn’t dare to miss an interesting spectacle like this, so everyone on the farm left their work for the time being and gathered to watch.

Even the newly enrolled students from the Farm School are spectating, thinking of it as a special lesson.

The section of the farm set as the arena—a corner designated for future cultivation—is buzzing as a grand event venue.

I swear this corner meant for cultivation gets used this way a lot.

Excited cheers echo everywhere.

“Zoth Syra and Carp are both witches a generation older than us. No one would want to miss a confrontation between them,” says Platy, bringing her oldest son, Junior, along and holding her second son, Norito, as they line up at the spectator seats, full of curiosity. “Puffer and Lampeye will regret missing this. Let them curse their own fate for being in the Mermaid Kingdom!”

“Are they really that impressive?”

So, a match that even the Six Witches are anticipating to watch is about to begin?

“Zoth Syra is the notorious Witch of the Abyss, and now that she’s also the mermaid prime minister, she’s undoubtedly a powerhouse. Her specialty is Homunculus Generation, a monstrous magic that crosses the line of life and goes beyond the fundamentals of potion compounding. It should be a good reference for the younger generation!”

I wouldn’t want them to learn from that, though.

And then, on the other hand, Teach Carp possesses the power to rival that witch despite being a teacher at a prestigious school?

“Oh, you don’t know, Dear? Carp was once called a witch too.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know until I heard from Mom, but she used to be called the Witch of Arts and was feared. She’s from the same generation as Zoth Syra—a showdown between veteran witches! This is gonna be exciting!!!”

The venue is now abuzz with anticipation for the match to begin.

The two competitors, already in the ring, are glaring at each other, sparks flying.

“Keeehehehe…! How many years has it been since we’ve had a real showdown like this…?!”

“Honestly, if I had snuffed out your life back then, I wouldn’t be bothered today. I regret my past leniency.”

“You’re the one who started this mess, idiot! I was dragged into it! I should be the one regretting not killing you sooner to avoid this trouble!”

The verbal brawl has already started outside the ring.

I guess it’s high time we stop dragging this out and let the match begin.

Kick-off!

“Die!”

“Die!”

They’re clashing with intense bloodlust from the get-go.

Hey, is it really okay to show this to the younger generation? Won’t this be a bad influence on them?

“Let’s start with a warm-up using my dissolving potion. Turn to goo!!!”

A warm-up with that?

The test tube she hurled shatters in mid-air, its contents spilling over a wide area.

If you touch that, it’s guaranteed to melt your flesh like concentrated sulfuric acid…!

“How naive.”

“Drats, I should’ve known she’ll neutralize it right away!”

Carp swiftly throws her potion, neutralizing the dissolving solution upon contact to form mere water.

When acidity and alkalinity mix, they neutralize… Maybe it’s similar to that?

“As expected of Teacher Carp. She fights according to pharmacy magic textbooks,” explains Platy as if she’s the commentator. “Being a school teacher, her potions are always faithful to the basics. Although there’s no outstanding peculiarity, there are also no openings or weaknesses, and she methodically corners her opponent. She’s the opposite of Zoth Syra, who is a cluster of peculiarities...”

She has no prominent features but also no vulnerabilities.

In a sense, this overlaps with Platy’s characteristics as a potion compounder…

“That’s why I hate her! I can’t accept my character overlapping with such an elite teacher. It’s against my pride!”

What a troublesome sentiment.

But perhaps because of this fighting style, Teacher Carp is known as the Witch of Arts, as in technique-arts, as she’s more proficient in the basics than anyone else.

“Hehe... I wonder about that?”

“Oh, Mom?”

The one who casually joined our conversation was Lady Mahi.

She’s the instigator of this commotion.

“Grannyyy.”

Junior, seeing her as a genuine grandmother, innocently hugs her knee.

“It brings back memories of when Zossy, Carpy, and I rampaged across the Seven Seas...”

You’re suddenly reminiscing about your valorous past?

I have a feeling that Lady Mahi and the others’ past was quite chaotic, akin to the end of the century.

“Back then, they were constantly at each other’s throats, day in and day out. That’s why it makes it all the more nostalgic. Recognizing each other as rivals, they competed fiercely—until that is, I managed to beat both of them into submission. We were indeed in a fierce competition for supremacy.”

“Supremacy...?!”

Please don’t bring up dangerous topics so casually.

It’s bad for the child’s education. And can I please pull Junior away?

“That’s why, seeing them fight like this, casting aside their status and entanglements for the first time in over a decade, it warms my heart—it’s as though we’re back to the old days. This is one of the reasons I proposed this battle.”

“One... of the reasons...?”

But to feel warm and fuzzy from seeing this... As I thought, this former queen’s heart is twisted in some sense.

“Long before I met Darling, we had just leaped into the big sea. The lawless area of the mermaid realm was where those two were vying for the top.”

Zoth Syra, the Witch of the Abyss.

Carp, the Witch of Arts.

As entities equivalent to the current Six Witches... No, they’re even more absolute than that.

The winner would rule the underworld of the mermaid realm.

The two of them, clashing over that ambition, had numerous battles without settling the score because their abilities were evenly matched.

What turbulent times those were...

It’s like how the Showa era looks to someone in the Reiwa era.

As a result, their relationship is entangled with a different sort of destiny compared to their current ties with Platy, Puffer, and Lampeye.

Halfway through, they were both suppressed by the even more brutal Witch of Darkness, Mahi Kanne, and they never got to settle their score.

Does that mean they’re trying to settle that score now?

“You’ve become quite mellow... I mean, stiff since you became a teacher, sealing away your true way of fighting from when you were young, Carpy.”

“Huh?”

“Can you really defeat Zossy with your current honor student fighting style? If you can’t win, your wish won’t be granted.”

Meanwhile, the crucial match has been leaning one-sidedly in Zoth Syra’s favor.

This is due to her deploying her forte, the magical creature Homunculus.

“I guess that’s enough warming up. Time for the real deal.”

With that, she scatters potions on the ground. 

From there, grotesque artificial life forms emerge from the foamy bubbles.

They are Deep Ones, temporary lives created by the forbidden magic potion: instant homunculi.

Facing this large group alone, Teacher Carp grimaces.

“You’ve been creating artificial lifeforms like a broken record for decades…?! But the speed and quantity of their generation are remarkably different.”

“I’ve been advancing my research. I’ve grown since my girlhood days, unlike you.”

“What was that?!”

“How about you? You used to be on par with me, but can you still resist my homunculus army, which has evolved in both quantity and quality since then?”

“Guh...! It’s not just the number? The strength of each unit has also drastically improved...?!”

Taking into account Zoth Syra’s abilities, the battlefield is set to be fairly large, allowing her homunculus army to fully demonstrate its threat.

At this rate, Teacher Carp will soon be swallowed up by the sheer force of their numbers in no time flat.

“You can’t win against Zossy with your faithful-to-the-textbook fighting style, you know? To win, you must unleash all the power once feared as the Witch of Arts.”

Lady Mahi muttered something under her breath.

“Go ahead, show it to us once more. The heresy of the Witch of Arts that once shook the Seven Seas, just like Zossy’s taboo power. Exhaust that formidable strength you’ve kept sealed away. Bare it all. Love can’t be realized unless you reveal all of yourself.”