Songstress of Schwarzwald: The Secret of Zoe, the Exiled Music Mage Chapter 15 : Spring's Arrival, New Encounters

I couldn’t visit Lang Village much that winter.

Before, I could endure it because I only knew life with just Selina and , but once I’d experienced the joy of talking with friends and singing while doing needlework, winter felt unbearably long.

I went to the goat shed hoping rry and Ben would comfort , but I was the only one talking while they just answered with bleats.

What worries more is that rry and Ben are getting old. rry's producing less milk, and they didn’t have any kids this year.

Selina gets angry, saying, “This is what happens when you give them nas and get attached!” But she stops short of suggesting we butcher them for at.

eting Maggie made realize that goats are livestock to farming families. When autumn deepened, most animals were slaughtered to save on winter feed and provide food—salted or turned into dried at.

The Great Forest has monsters, so we can get at even in winter. But that’s only because Selina is such a skilled witch.

“rry, Ben! I’ll take care of you until the end.”

Since they’re eating less grass, I gather tender-looking shoots from the Great Forest. I even sneak them leftover porridge when Selina isn’t looking... though I’m not sure if that’s really the right thing to do.

For pets in my past life, this would be fine, but according to Lang Village standards, goats that produce less milk end up on dinner tables.

Learning about the outside world has helped understand my strange position a little better.

Still, I can’t wait for spring so I can visit Lang Village again!

“If you’re bored, you should practice being a Troubadour,” Selina tells .

Even Selina doesn’t seem to fully understand how a Troubadour trains, despite reading that thin, ancient book. It only said they play music to cast powerful spells.

There were so black dots that looked like musical notation, but they’re completely different from the sheet music I knew in my past life!

“Selina, are these black dots supposed to be notes?”

I ask because I think Selina was probably nobility and received musical education, but she shakes her head.

“Look, this is modern sheet music. I bought it for you. Those old scores with just black dots are completely undecipherable.”

The sheet music she shows resembles what I knew in my past life. There are so differences, but if soone taught the scales, I could probably sing from it.

But those rows of black dots are completely incomprehensible!

“Then practicing to be a Troubadour is impossible!”

I’m totally right about this! But I can never win a verbal argunt with Selina.

“If you practice harp with modern sheet music, maybe you’ll be able to play those black-dot scores right away once you figure out how to read them. Besides, Zoe, you sing when casting magic, but you’re just making up those songs yourself, aren’t you?”

“That has nothing to do with being a Troubadour! I have incantations, and singing just makes them more efficient!”

“I’ll keep looking for more Troubadour books. So practice playing the harp!”

She hands a harp practice book and sheet music. At least now I don’t have to figure out scales by making random sounds anymore.

The long winter finally seems ready to give way to spring.

I’m so happy I can visit Lang Village!

“I’m going to Lang Village tomorrow too,” Selina announces. Lately she’s been leaving all the grocery shopping to !

“You’re going to chat with the general store lady!”

Selina doesn’t talk much with the village chief, but she’ll sit and have tea with the general store owner.

“Well, I need to gather information sotis.”

Hmm, it just sounds like gossip to .

Well, if Selina’s buying groceries, I’ll have plenty of ti to talk with Maggie!

The next day, I show up at the general store with Selina, but Maggie isn’t there.

“Oh, Zoe! Maggie’s with Matthew.”

Huh? I don’t know that na.

“The village chief’s son Matthew?” Selina apparently knows him. That’s kind of annoying!

“Yeah, he spent the winter at his relatives’ place in Marton. They have a school there.”

I know about Marton. Maggie told about it while we were sewing.

It’s near the Great Forest like Lang Village, but it’s a town, not a village.

I heard they have an Adventurers’ Guild, but I didn’t know they had a school too.

“Where are they?”

If Maggie’s at the village chief’s house, I won’t be able to see her.

“They’re probably gathering firewood near the forest. Matthew can handle small monsters, so he took the other kids with him.”

Hmph, I can defeat Almirajs too!

I feel a surge of rivalry toward this Matthew I’ve never even t.

“Zoe, you can go, but you know the rules!” Selina gives a warning look. I’m forbidden from using storage magic in front of people.

“I know! Where exactly are they?” I didn’t see them on the path from the Great Forest to Lang Village.

“Well, if you leave the village and head left, you’ll reach a stream. They should be in the forest just before that.”

I run out of Lang Village and head left. That must be the stream! I want to play in the water when sumr cos.

Oh, there are several people there. One of them looks like Maggie, but I don’t know the other three.

I only started coming to Lang Village near the end of autumn, so I haven’t had a chance to et them.

Of the three strangers, the tallest one is probably Matthew. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and looks just like the village chief.

He’s carrying a spear—is that supposed to be for protection? Can he actually use it?

The other two must be Maggie’s friends: a girl about the sa age with greenish-black hair, and a slightly younger black-haired boy.

“Zoe! You ca to the village!” Maggie introduces to everyone. The tall boy is indeed Matthew, as I thought.

The girl with greenish-black hair is Marie, and the black-haired boy is Marie’s younger brother Jeff.

“Huh, so you’re the forest witch’s granddaughter.” Matthew stares at , which makes feel a bit uncomfortable, but I join Maggie in gathering firewood.

Then out of nowhere, Matthew commands, “Don’t move!”

A Moag appears.

Maggie and Jeff freezes, but it’s really nothing scary. Moags damage crops a lot, but they’re not that strong.

Matthew spears the Moag and defeats it.

“Amazing!” Jeff looks at him with admiration.

And whaaat? Maggie and Marie are looking at him like he’s wonderful too!

Ugh, I’m about to say sothing stupid. Like bragging that I can defeat Almirajs too. I’d be so embarrassed afterward that I’d hide under my blankets screaming.

I rember from my past life doing sothing embarrassing at school, then going ho and screaming “Aaaah... I want to die!” under the covers.

My past-life self was apparently a show-off with a silly personality, befitting soone who wanted to be an idol. Well, at least I knew enough to be embarrassed, so I wasn’t completely hopeless.

“It’s about ti we head back to Lang Village,” Matthew announces.

Maggie looks disappointed that we couldn’t gather firewood and talk more.

anwhile, Matthew shoots a small smirk. He probably thinks I’m scared of monsters and want to go back to the village.

That’s not it! I scream internally.

I sohow manage to hold back and return to Lang Village, but thinking about having to et Matthew again makes a little depressed.

Looks like being raised by Selina has made quite prideful. Maybe that’s part of why spellcasters are disliked.