An encounter with a mysterious witch.

  The mysterious woman looked at the trio awaiting an answer. However, not expecting to be recognized they were too stunned to reply.

- Erm. Do I need to repeat my question? You weren't expecting to be recognized, were you? Hehe,- she chuckled slightly. Once they regained their senses, they replied.
- Who are you? - asked Rin cautiously.
- Ah, right. Apologies. According to etiquette, I should have introduced myself first and asked questions after. - Slightly embarrassed by her actions, she close her eyes for a moment and with a completely different, serious look, continued. - I am the XXI sovereign witch, working under the contract with the king of Polni. My duty is to watch over the safety of the country and of the entire world. Part of it is also creating and executing any plan needed to uphold the peaceful state of all. But you guys. You can call me Elia. - She announced with a warm smile at the end.
- And how do you know us? - Rin continued the questioning while making sure he did not say anything wrong, feeling something extremely powerful and dangerous. Something hard to describe, He felt like his fight or flight instinct started kicking in. Noticing that, Elia decided to assure them she means no harm.
- First, before I answer your questions, I want to say you have nothing to worry about, as I mean no harm to you. Seeing as you're all so tense, I can see that I haven't masked my mana well enough. - After she said those words, suddenly everyone felt much easier, and the feeling from before vanished.
- Now onto your question. - Suddenly the girl standing in front of them, the same one that made them terrified with only her presence alone before, was sheepishly hiding embarrassment over what she was going to say. - You see. I am the one who has summoned you to this world… however. W-weeelllll. Uhm. - While still attempting to mask her humiliation, her tone has changed, and she has begun speaking very quietly. - It was an accident. - she said under her nose. Hearing the completely unexpected answer to the question the group felt as if their heart had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
- IT WAS AN ACCIDENT ?!?! - shouted furious Mitsuki. Before anyone could add anything, Elia said that they shouldn't raise their voices, as she doesn't want unnecessary attention and asked if they could continue their conversation somewhere else. Eventually everyone decided it would be best to go back to their new home.  

After a short 10-20 minute walk they arrived at their destination and decided to speak in the girls' room since it is bigger of the two.

- Back to our conversation from before. - said Elia
- Yes, back to it. We want a full explanation. - replied Mitsuki after cooling down a bit since hearing the shocking news.
- I-I am sorry. - Started the girl with a big hat looking at the three people in front of her. - Maybe I'll start from the beginning of why I was doing what I was doing. So, after my master passed all the responsibilities, including me, I began to practice everything necessary to fulfill the "prophecy."
- The prophecy? - Suzume cut in with confusion and curiosity.
- Yes, I suppose you don't know it yet. It's a very old tale or maybe just a myth eitherway it has been taken seriously ever since it was discovered in ancient texts. - She spoke with great confidence in a calm yet grim voice. - The prophecy reads, “In the future, a primordial danger will reoccur. When the disaster shall strike, a hero capable both in magic and sword will arrive in our world, and together with his two closest friends, one of whom will be a master of the sword and hand-to-hand combat. The other will be a great magician knowing spells of past, present, and future. The hero together with his friends and allies he will make on his journey will put an end to it.” That's a rough summary of the parts that focus on you. - She finished looking slightly stiff from the gravity of the information mentioned.

After hearing the prophecy from Elia silence befall in the room for some time. Everyone processing the information and feeling uneasy about the situation. Elia just hoped that her “heroes” wouldn't feel overwhelmed by the weight of everything put on them. In that moment Suzune spoke.

  - So, I understand the part about the hero summoned to stop the "disaster" going on a journey. The hero in question, I would assume, is one of us, making the others the master of the sword and the great magician. However, since we were summoned, how does that connect to "arriving" as the prophecy says? At least from my understanding, it seems like the hero would arrive alone, and also there isn't any mention of being summoned by someone. - Said the blonde girl, analyzing the prophecy and noticing its lack of consistency with the action that led them to their current position.
- As I said. The prophecy is very old, so a lot of it was interpreted like the part about knowing all the spells or being a master in hand-to-hand combat and being a master of all weapons. All of it was interpreted, and summoning was part of that hence why I was practicing it. - said Elia, earnestly hoping that she would be forgiven.
- And what about the “danger” and the “disaster”? - asked Suzume, trying to get a further grasp of the situation.
- Is it some kind of dragon? Or Demon Lord? Those are quite popular in anime. At least from what I have heard. - Added Mitsuki, much more calm and energetic.
- Well. We still don't know. We have been trying to find out the whole time, but a lot of texts from the past don't mention anything like that. Almost like it has been erased by magic or something else. - Elia was visibly disheartened to not be able to answer all of their questions.
- I think we're forgetting the most important thing here. - Suddenly Rin, who had been silent the entire time, spoke. - What are you even here for? - asked the boy bluntly without caring about the feelings of the girl in the hat. Noticing that he became restless, Suzume tried to calm him down.
- Rin, don't be rude like that. Elia clearly means no harm, so please don't spea-. - As she was saying that suddenly Rin cut in.
- Alright, alright, Suzume, I hear you. I know you want to resolve things calmly, but I just want to hear an answer. - Rin, still in a bad mood, looked at the girl with a big hat, startling her.
- W-well, I am here to guide you all and help you as much as possible. - she said hoping to calm the tension in the room.
- Then. Could you send us back to our world? - Rin asked with visible anger. Forgeting the fact that he was terrified of Elia before.
- Huh??? I-I uhh… I ... - Elia tried to think of a reply, but all that came out were desperate noises. - I think if I tried to learn the spell for it, then yes. - She gave her answer.
- That's great. Now if you could learn it and send us home, please. - Still ignorant of everyone in the room, Rin spoke in anger.  

For a moment a silence befell in the room once again. The tension was clear, and while Elia looked uneasy, Suzume tried to calm Rin while Mitsuki looked angry at Rin, ready to argue. Rin having enough spoke once again.

- Please send us home. - he repeated before he started yelling. - BECAUSE IF YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST RIP PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR LIVES AND SEND THEM TO ANOTHER WORLD AND ASK THEM TO SAVE YOUR WORLD… THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!! - He said as he ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Mitsuki tried following the boy to his room, but Suzume stopped her, making Mitsuki lash out. She then left the room and headed to the kitchen to “eat the stress and anger away.” Elia, on the verge of crying, sat in the room not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth as if to apologize; however, out of nowhere Suzume sat next to her, comforted her with a lap pillow, and said.

- Don't worry about them. They care about their close ones a lot. It's just it has been a really tough week for us without having anyone to rely on. We got lucky finding a house and a job, but everything was so new to us, that we were lost. - said Suzume, slowly headpating Elia.
- I am sure that after some time and rest they will calm down so you can come back tomorrow. I will help you if you feel unsure or need help saying something. Until then, it's best to get some sleep. - She gently finished while fixing Elia's hair.
- Th-thank you. - replied Elia, feeling a little better.

Later, when Elia was leaving, Suzume tried to apologize for suddenly getting so close to the girl. Elia, however, said it was fine, and she was sorry for the trouble. They both laughed and wished each other a good night. Suzune came back to her room and saw Mitsuki already sleeping. Seeing that, she decided to quickly check on Rin. She slightly opened a door and, through a crack, peeked inside. The boy was lying down on the bed sleeping. After confirming that, she went back to her room and went to sleep herself.