Millennium Witch

Book 1: Chapter 16: Attacked by a Chicken

Two years later.On a summer morning, Rosalyn walked through a kilometer-long corridor adorned with wisteria, arriving at a secluded corner formed by the collapse of an overpass. She pushed aside the bushes, revealing a patch of thatch.

This was her secret foraging spot, a place where wild chickens often laid their eggs, allowing her to “borrow” a couple every now and then to improve her meals.

Now twelve years old, her adventurous attire accentuated her growing figure. Compared to her two years ago when she first arrived, she had lost some of her childishness and gained the youthful charm of a budding adolescent, standing at 1.55 meters and nearing the 1.65 meters of her esteemed teacher.

“I’ll take a look… Hmm, five eggs this time? I’ll just take two, dear Mrs. Chicken; I hope you won’t be angry…” she murmured to herself, retrieving two eggs and smiling as she turned to leave.

Unfortunately, this time she was caught, and the wild chicken that apprehended her looked different from its normal self—

It had grown to a height similar to Rosalyn’s, sporting a bulbous, leprous growth atop its head, resembling a massive gland covered in writhing tendrils. Its bare flesh and featherless wings oozed a foul-smelling slime.

“Um… you don’t seem well, Mrs. Chicken…” Rosalyn said uneasily.

The head was deformed, and the flesh bared. According to her teacher’s standards, this was a typical trait of the Basic Aberration Type. In Luminous Continent, such a monster could claim the lives of four or five adult villagers. What was more terrifying was that if one got scratched by it, the corruption would spread, eventually consuming the entire village.

“Cluck—!!” Soon, accompanied by a raucous crow, the aberration surged toward her, its sharp beak resembling a dagger slicing through the air.

Rosalyn didn’t panic; at the moment the aberration neared, she was enveloped by Aqua Flow, swiftly dodging to the side with grace. Then, she lifted her hand, and dozens of small blue projectiles the size of her pinky finger shot forth like a shotgun blast, freezing the wild chicken into an ice sculpture.

“…Let me help you find peace.” She sighed softly, snapping her fingers and unleashing crimson flames that engulfed the wild chicken.

Although it continued to roar in its last moments, it quickly struggled and fell to the ground, becoming a charred corpse.

After eliminating the aberration, Rosalyn felt somewhat saddened. Even though she had been humiliated by “Mrs. Chicken” during her prior visits to steal eggs, they had come to an unspoken understanding. Now, a year later, Mrs. Chicken was gone, deepening the loneliness of this girl who had no playmates.

What kind of life did my teacher have before I arrived?… But a hidden expert like her probably wouldn’t be as unsettled by loneliness as I am. Even without me, she could live happily and leisurely; it’s me who needs her…

Bowing deeply to the deceased wild chicken, Rosalyn mourned in silence for a minute before turning to leave with the eggs. Just as she made to move, another chicken blocked her path, glaring furiously with its small body powered by enormous energy.hat was inaccessible to others, including those from other worlds.

Now she was determined to uncover the truth behind that mist. If it truly was a Dream Mist, she would certainly end up dreaming there, while Rosalyn, untouched, could stay beside her and protect her physical body in reality as she slept.

Indeed, having a disciple proved to be useful.

…

For this venture, Yvette and Rosalyn’s vehicle had undergone an upgrade; they now traveled in a magitek motorcycle capable of low-altitude flight, capable of ascending to heights of 200 meters.

However, compared to land mode, power consumption in flight mode drastically increased, and, compounded by the elemental capacitor’s tendency to experience Elemental Deterioration over time, the magitek motorcycle that once had a thousand-kilometer range was now limited to barely 100 kilometers. Yvette often found herself needing to stop midway to use her own power to recharge the motorcycle.

Fortunately, the technology of “Elemental Replenishment” had been developed before the apocalypse; if an energy capacitor showed deterioration, as long as the depleted element was restored, it could be fully revived… Hmm, if I can successfully return to the past this time, I’ll take the chance to collect some knowledge around this technology… Knowledge changes fate…

She quietly mapped out her plans with a renewed sense of earnestness, feeling she was getting closer to becoming a professional “Magitek Machinery Engineer.”

An hour later, Yvette and Rosalyn landed the magitek motorcycle on a barren land adjacent to the facility with the Dream Mist.

Following the plan, they conducted a thorough sweep of the area, neutralizing all aberrations that might pose a threat.

Finally, using Wind Magic, they moved some large debris to block all entrances of the building, completing all the safety preparations for their operation.

“I still don’t feel anything,” Rosalyn said, climbing the stairs to the second floor and entering the fog.

Seeing this, Yvette hesitated a moment before cautiously stepping up to the second floor as well. However, just as her body was fully enveloped by the mist, the same sense of drowsiness she had experienced before washed over her once again.

“Stay here… and guard me…” she managed to say as she completed her instructions, then lay sideways on the ground, resting her head on her arm, sinking into deep slumber.