Miss Witch, please don't leave your fragrance everywhere

Chapter 2: Miss Witch Doesn’t Like Riding a Broom
“Turned into a man? Impossible.”

That was Angelica’s immediate reaction. If changing genders were that easy, she would’ve done it herself a long time ago.
Sure, some might think there’s nothing to complain about when you look like a soft, sweet-smelling beauty. But those people were naive. Once you’ve had a certain visitor show up regularly for thousands of years, you quickly realize just how not ideal it is.
Maintaining peace of mind becomes a monumental task.

“There’s no such spell in any known magic sequence that can alter a person’s gender… Unless someone’s developed a new form of inherent magic?”
“My master said it was a curse. Technically, she doesn’t fully turn into a man. During the day, the princess is normal. But once night falls, the curse activates—and… only her lower half changes.”
“That’s even worse.”

“Exactly. His Majesty is beside himself with worry. The princess is his only child—and the heir to the throne. But he can’t publicly ask for help. If word got out, it would ruin her reputation. That’s why Master, as the royal court magician of the Kingdom of Bilsen, recommended someone who could break the curse.”
Slude’s gaze settled on Angelica.
“You—the foul-smelling orc from the Misty Mountains!”

“I’m a witch! Not an orc! Honestly, you elves and your weird prejudices are so frustrating!”
“Gluttony Sequence Eight: Fantasy Costume!”
Each magic sequence had nine spells, ranked from Sequence One (most powerful, rarest) to Sequence Nine (most basic, common). The lower the number, the stronger and rarer the spell.

And with rarity came restrictions.
Each sequence had a limited number of users allowed to master its spells simultaneously. For instance, a Sequence Nine spell could be learned by up to 999^999 people. (Do the math yourself.) Meanwhile, Sequence Two allowed just four simultaneous users—two squared. Once that cap was reached, no one else could learn it, no matter how talented.
After a brief chant, Angelica was engulfed in a radiant magical light, much like a magical girl’s transformation sequence.

Seconds later, the light faded—and Angelica stood fully transformed.
She now wore a wide-brimmed wizard’s hat and a flowing black robe adorned with constellations along its hem. A red gemstone shimmered at her waist, embedded in her belt. Several small flasks containing unknown liquids hung from her hip.
But despite the dramatic appearance, dust coated the tip of her hat and her purple bow tie, revealing she hadn’t worn this outfit in quite some time.

In her hands was a hybrid weapon: a broom fused with a magic staff. The broom’s handle bent into a crescent shape at the end, a scarlet agate suspended in the curve like a floating heart of power—pulsing with dense, high-level magical energy.
Witches were often imagined soaring through the skies on broomsticks, but Angelica had always found that uncomfortable.
Side-saddle riding felt awkward. Straddling the thing? Even worse.
Honestly, the concept of “flying brooms” wasn’t much different from Apus Sequence Six: Levitation Magic. Other witches rarely used them anymore either.

Underneath the robe, Angelica wore sheer black stockings patterned with a spiderweb motif. Though this world resembled medieval times with its swords and sorcery, the quality of the stockings was absurdly modern.
At first, Angelica had resisted adapting to this world’s quirks, but eventually… she gave in. Not because she’d awakened some secret femininity.
No. It was simply because the quality was that good—and they were ridiculously comfortable.

Altogether, the ensemble practically screamed “Witch” from head to toe.
Even Slude had to concede.
“Okay… I believe you now. So, your mission is to lift the princess’s curse in the Kingdom of Pilsen, right? But honestly… I really don’t want to go.”

“I’m willing to pay any price for the princess!” Slude declared with fiery determination. “Even if I have to become your slave—or a breeding ground for tentacle monsters—I’ll do it!”
How touching.
If you ignored Slude’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, Angelica might have taken that seriously.

Expressionless, Angelica held up two fingers.
“First—despite how annoying this is, I’ll go. I promised that dumb disciple of mine that if he ever became a national court magician, I’d grant him one request.”
“Second—tentacle monsters reproduce asexually. Yes, they wrap around their enemies and dissolve clothing with mucus, but it’s just a combat tactic—meant to restrict movement and break armor. Nothing more.”

“Aww…”
And just like that, the fragile, glittery dream Slude had pieced back together was utterly shattered again.
　　"There is no time to lose, let's set off now."

　　"It will take about a month to get to the Kingdom of Bilsen from the Misty Mountains. Don't you need to pack your luggage? Or put on some makeup?"
　　The fastest means of transportation on the continent are domesticated griffins and wyverns, which have the ability to maintain high-speed flight in a stormy environment. However, griffins and wyverns can only be used within a country. Flying to another country's territory without authorization can easily cause unrest. Almost no country is willing to issue flight permits to its neighbors. Allowing the shooting down of UFOs in the air is an unwritten rule between countries.
　　The means of transportation used by Slude is the velociraptor, a short and powerful creature that can trek on land and adapt to terrains such as mountains and deserts. The only drawback is that it causes severe bumps when moving quickly, so it is not popular among ladies.

　　In Slude's bag, there was enough money given by King Bilsen to hire the most expensive velociraptor.
　　"Makeup... no need. Even without makeup, I have the confidence to overwhelm all the beauties in the Kingdom of Bilsen. The real question is whether to wear a veil."
　　Angelica lived alone, so she naturally didn't need to wear makeup. Slude was very upset when she heard Angelica say that, but even though she had the blood of elves, who were famous for their beauty, she had to admit that the witch lady without makeup had the capital to be proud of the Bilsen Kingdom.

　　"Besides, I've long been accustomed to the days of being accompanied by fat otaku happy water, so I plan to finish it within a day and go home to sleep. Even though we have developed a civilized society, it is still stuck in the Middle Ages. I miss the days when I could go online, although I almost forgot what a computer looks like——"
　　Angelica muttered to herself as she used the broom in her hand to draw a circle on the lawn that enclosed both her and Slude.
　　Slude was full of doubts. Fat House Happy Water? Computer? What were those? And even if she rode a griffin, she couldn't travel from the Misty Mountains to the Kingdom of Bilsen in one day. Unless...

　　The lazy witch held up her wand and began to chant softly.
　　"The Kingdom of Bilsen... The capital [N O V E L I G H T] of Bilsen... Coordinates N11°4′, E5°14′. Projection sequence 2, spacial warp."