"I want to make a wand!" Mina said abruptly, a triumphant look beaming on her face.

Calypso nearly froze.

"I want to be a witch when I grow up, just like you Ms. Calypso!"

The black-haired witch immediately choked and broke out in cold sweat. For some reason, her chest hurt, and a stabbing feeling of nausea made her feel sick in the abdomen. A ill premonition arose from her bones, and she instinctively knew that this was a terrible idea. The political climate right now... was not favorable to witches...

"Mina..."

"Ms. Calypso? Are you okay? You don't look very well."

She laughed and coughed simultaneously, clutching her stomach. Somehow, she couldn't believe it.

"It... would be better to be mage or an enchanter. What about a priest? A wizard?"

In this universe, magic was divided into either deterministic or nondeterministic families. Witchcraft was a form of nondeterministic magic, which meant that it was highly subjective and depended heavily on personal qualities of the caster. Two witches could use the same ingredients in a potion, yet produce entirely different effects. In contrast, classical magic that Imperial Mages learned in the academy was highly orderly and reproducible, and the same chant and conditions always activated the same spell.

Witchcraft was a life's craft, and it was hardly profitable as a career. A witch spent a bulk majority of their adulthood on a journey of self-discovery, trying to figure out the odd unpredictable quirks of their own magical power that was unique and unlike anyone else's. It was filled with frustrations and road blocks, and many budding witches struggled for decades on simple magic that a classical magician could easily achieve with a trivial chant.

Objectively speaking, it was far more versatile to be a mage. A magician had centuries of books and the vast knowledge of their predecessors' trial-and-error to draw from, whereas a witch nearly always started from scratch. It was always easy for a mage to find employment, whereas most witches struggled to get ordinary jobs.

"I know what I want," the young troll-girl said resolutely. "I want to be a witch."

"Mina... I don't think this is a good idea..."

"I know what I'm getting myself into. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Look Mina, I have a box of wands in the back room. They're manufactured to a standard with safety precautions and good for anyone interested dabbling in magic, and maybe you can try out a simple charm or too. If you like it, we can talk about what it takes to apply to the Imperial Academy of Magic, and I can teach you the bit I know about classical magic."

"Ms. Calypso, we both know that mass-produced wands are no good for witches. Every witch has to make her own wand."

"..."

The black-haired woman hesitated for a long time.

"I already have the wood," the troll-girl continued. "White alder. Seasoned, mature, taken with the tree's blessing underneath the full light of October's harvest moon."

The girl took out a wooden stick from her cloak and placed in on the countertop.

Calypso reached out hesitantly and picked it up.

The wood was ordinary, but for a witch's first wand, it didn't matter. More importantly, the piece of wood was properly cut, and it had been carefully handled and collected under the right conditions. The technique was nearly perfect, except for a jagged section near the base, but every witch's wand had imperfections. Those knots and crooked sections would mature into a wand's personality over the years, and those flaws would later on become its strength.

"I just need to get a core. Unicorn hair would be typical, but in our area, the most accessible source would be will-o-wisp heart."

"So you want to go to the dark swamps."

"Right, and it would be helpful if you were willing to come with me."

"Where have you been reading about this, Mina? All of this is very dangerous. Why didn't you come to me earlier?"

"Because you're overprotective just like Dad. I knew you wouldn't approve, Ms. Calypso."

"Still..."

"I thought you would understand, at least. Doesn't almost every witch basically run away from home? Wasn't it the same for you?"

Calypso was suddenly deeply conflicted. She couldn't deny Mina's statement, and it was true that most witches left home at a young age, often without their parent's approval. No parent would want their child to suffer through the difficult life of a witch, and Calypso's biological parents in this isekai universe had been similar. However, Calypso's situation with her own family had been slightly different, and the argument over her gender had naturally been an area of serious conflict.

"Your father would be devastated..."

"If you were willing to teach me, there would be no reason for me to run away to find a new witchcraft mentor."

"..."

Calypso suddenly understood now that this was basically a child's form of blackmail.

If she didn't agree to help Mina, and then the girl wholly intended to run away and do it herself.

The headstrong troll had a resolute look in her eyes, and Calypso knew from experience that it wasn't an empty threat. The girl legitimately planned to blaze her own path, and Calypso knew her well enough that that this wasn't something that she should dismiss lightly.

"Okay, I'll do it." Calypso said. "I'll teach you."

"Thank you. I'll study hard, Witch Calypso. I really admire you."

Truthfully, she still didn't like the idea of Mr. Varnes's daughter becoming a witch. However, agreeing was the simple way to extinguish the immediate fire, and her main objective was to stop Mina from doing anything rash right away. She would be satisfied simply by delaying the girl, and superficially becoming her nominal teacher was a straightforward way to accomplish that.

"But I still want you to go to regular school, Mina. You still need to finish  your chores, and you mustn't make your dad upset."

"And the will-o-wisp for the wand?"

"You're not ready," Calypso replied immediately, almost dismissively.

Truthfully, that was a lie, but Mina didn't need to know that.

Calypso was too indebted to Mr. Varnes to take his daughter away from him.

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