"Well, little witch? Are you finally ready to show off your talents? No need to be shy! Come on, show us what you can do."
Hope looked around uncertainly.
"Are you sure no one will see us?" she quietly asked again, still feeling uneasy because of her mother's tragic fate.
It wasn't hard to understand her emotional state. After all, it was in this very forest that two disgusting traitors had first seen her mother use her witch abilities, which eventually led to her death before the eyes of the entire city.
Grey swept his perceptive gaze over the surroundings and nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry. It's just you, me, Lily, and Cheryl here. Don't doubt that we'll keep your identity a secret. You may not know this, but everyone here has their own skeletons in the closet. In the eyes of the Magical Empire, we're far greater sinners than a harmless witch who has only just awakened. It would be simply foolish of us to expose you. I hope you understand..."
"I understand..." Hope obediently lowered her head, feeling slightly guilty about her own suspicions. "It's just that my ability isn't as useful as Cheryl's, so don't judge me too harshly..."
"I highly doubt that," Grey whispered so quietly that no one could hear him.
Although he still considered himself a newcomer to this world, even he had heard about the incredible abilities of witches that Junior had told him about. They were strange and unusual, but very useful from his point of view, so Grey eagerly awaited Hope's performance.
She stepped into the clearing, prepared herself, and tightly shut her eyes.
Grey waited for a minute... then two... then five. But nothing happened.
He looked around uncertainly, trying to notice even the slightest change in their surroundings. He didn't rush to conclusions, since Hope's ability might not be as obvious as Cheryl's. It could affect a larger area, be more subtle, or even influence aspects that couldn't be perceived through ordinary senses.
However, the minutes passed, and everything around them remained the same.
In the end, Grey couldn't take it anymore:
"What exactly is supposed to happen?"
He scratched the back of his head in confusion, feeling a little awkward that he still couldn't figure out what Hope's ability actually was.
"You're putting too much pressure on her," Lily intervened, pushing Grey farther away from the girl. "She's nervous... She's afraid of making a bad impression, so she can't concentrate."
Grey helplessly spread his arms.
He hadn't said anything at all. He had simply waited calmly. What else was he supposed to do to reassure the little witch?
"Aren't you supposed to be our psychology expert?" he mocked Lily. "Then try helping her relax a little. We're in no hurry."
"I'm fine..." Hope replied so quietly that Grey could barely make out her words. "I'm just... a little nervous right now. Give me another minute."
At that moment, her face resembled a sour peach. That was how deeply disappointed she was in herself.
That's exactly how psychology works. When you're most afraid that something won't go right, that's usually when it happens.
Senior Grey knew this from personal experience. He cast a fleeting glance at his own pants and chuckled with slight relief, involuntarily recalling an extremely awkward moment from his past life.
At one of the many parties he had attended, Grey had gotten terribly drunk but had still managed to impress a famous Hollywood actress and convince her to follow him to a room. However, no matter how hard he tried, his drunken state prevented him from bringing the evening to its logical conclusion.
That painfully embarrassing experience had remained a nightmare in his memories ever since. It was one of the reasons he appreciated the advantages of a teenage body with its raging hormones so much.
Recalling that traumatic experience, he decided to encourage Hope with the words of a doctor he had once consulted.
"You can do it. There's no need to worry. Just relax and act naturally. If not today, then tomorrow, you'll fully master your abilities. Let your instincts guide you. In any case, no one here will think any less of you."
After his words, Hope's expression gradually softened, becoming almost peaceful.
Grey had no idea how much the opinion of someone who had once saved her almost on a whim meant to this girl.
In her eyes, Grey was a true hero and a role model. He never blamed her for her failures, never set impossible goals, and never demanded anything extraordinary from her.
He was simply there, silently supporting everyone like an older brother.
Grey might have thought that only he and Junior could truly appreciate how much effort they had put into making the lives of those around them better. But that was far from the truth. Although his reputation was hardly perfect due to his frequent bouts of madness and peculiar way of communicating, no one could deny his phenomenal work ethic and dedication. To his subordinates, he had already become a role model and someone they looked up to.
Hope knew that Grey was in a hurry and had plenty of things to do. And yet, he patiently waited for her and even encouraged her with gentle words, hoping to see what she could do. How could she possibly let him down?
At that very moment, Hope's tiny body curled up even tighter. A strange grinding sound rang out, resembling the cracking of bones.
And in the very next instant, the eight-year-old girl standing before Grey was replaced by an inconspicuous black swallow.
The bird looked slightly plumper than its fellows and quietly chirped something unintelligible:
"Chirp... chirp..."
Grey's eyes widened in shock.
He stared in utter disbelief at the little witch, who had undergone such an unexpected transformation.
He extended his finger, as if inviting her to fly over.
Hope obediently flapped her wings and gently landed on his index finger. She did it so naturally, as if she had been a bird her entire life.
Grey examined the swallow with great interest. He peeked under its wings and carefully ran his fingers through its soft feathers, as if trying to convince himself that all of this was real.
For someone who had come from another world, such close contact with magic was truly amazing. Even Cheryl's cloning ability hadn't impressed him nearly as much as Hope's transformation.
Hope let out several unintelligible chirps and hurriedly flew from Grey to Lily.
The little succubus gently stroked the swallow's head and shot Grey an angry look.
"Stop embarrassing little Hope. She's already having a hard enough time as it is."
Grey immediately felt like an idiot.
In his shock, he had completely forgotten that despite looking like an ordinary bird, Hope was still a little girl who could easily feel embarrassed. It was rude of him to examine every part of her body so openly, even if that body currently belonged to a swallow.
"And how long can you maintain this form?" Grey asked with genuine curiosity, trying not to show his own embarrassment.
"Chirp... chirp..."
Hope tried to answer, but almost immediately realized how inconvenient it was to communicate in this form.
She flapped her wings, flew to the center of the clearing, and carefully returned to her normal appearance.
"I don't think there are any real limits... I only spend mana on the transformation itself. But this form seems useless to me. I can't fight, and I doubt I can help with anything," Hope admitted sadly.
At her words, Grey almost slapped his palm against his forehead.
What were these girls even thinking? Did they really have no idea how ridiculously overpowered their abilities were? Why was all they could think about fighting?
Wouldn't turning into a swallow be the perfect disguise for covert surveillance? Hope could become an even better scout than Cheryl.
And they called this ability useless?
She had literally achieved the dream of every person from Grey's previous world. She could fly!
Good grief, Grey could already think of nearly a dozen ways to use her transformation.
She could hide from enemies, deliver messages without being noticed, monitor every movement of the enemy, and gather the freshest intelligence right from their camp.
After all, who would ever suspect a swallow of being a spy?
"Please, don't use such harsh words in the presence of a cripple like me." He looked at Hope sadly and pretended to be deeply offended.
Realizing that Hope still didn't look convinced, he decided to explain further:
"Hope, do you even understand how exceptional your ability is?" Grey shook his head, still unable to believe that this little girl considered herself useless. "There are swords, magic, and powerful people for fighting. But information... information is sometimes worth more than an entire army."
Hope blinked in confusion.
"But I don't know anything about torture, and I can't even capture an enemy. So what could I possibly learn from them?"
Grey rolled his eyes.
"You don't need to. You'll be able to sneak into places none of us could ever reach. Eavesdrop on conversations, keep an eye on enemies, and deliver messages. Any sane person would be more likely to suspect a rat of spying than a harmless swallow sitting on a windowsill."
Hope understood the basic idea, and her lips involuntarily stretched into a smile.
"So I'm not useless at all, and I can help everyone too?"
"Of course. In fact, your ability is frighteningly useful. You just haven't realized it yourself yet."
The girl awkwardly looked away. Her shoulders relaxed.
"Then... I'll do whatever you say."
"Deal," Grey nodded with a satisfied smile.
The awkward atmosphere gradually dissipated.
Hope no longer looked dejected, while Cheryl kept sneaking glances at her clone, as if she still couldn't believe that it had actually worked. Even Lily seemed pleased, though she tried her best to hide it.
Grey mentally went over the girls' abilities once more and was quite satisfied with the results. At the very least, their little group now had many more options at its disposal.
After thinking for a while, he pointed out the main strengths and weaknesses of each ability that he had noticed and suggested what he considered the most effective training methods. Even Lily wasn't left out, since Grey believed she greatly underestimated her ability to toy with her victims' minds.
In the end, they spent a whole hour discussing everything. Once the main issues had been settled, Grey clapped his hands to signal that it was time to wrap things up.
"All right, that's enough experimenting for today," he finally said. "I'm sure you know that we're expected back. I'm afraid that if we delay our return any longer, our friends at the estate might start a rebellion against me."
The girls chuckled, but still nodded and followed Grey.
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