Burn the Witch

Corporeal Punishment

I stood at the front door of Lucent White and looked at my watch. Thirty-five seconds until 6:00 AM.

I was already up and running at the crack of dawn. I didn't get that much sleep anyway. Alex's books were thick as f***s, and I felt like he would fire me right away if I didn't memorize and learn all of them. That led to an all-nighter.

Was this already grounds for unfair employee treatment? I doubt that whoever is running this community has labor standards. Besides, I'm too desperate for money to complain.

The voice at the back of my mind kept saying that desperate people were the ones who get taken advantage of. I shut it up and entered the shop.

The shop looks ethereal in the low light. Some of the bottles had a faint glow on them, and some were sparkling. The plants hanging from the ceiling sway slightly from the light breeze coming from the ajar sunroof. Combined with the sun's rays, the scene was magical. Standing there looking at it all, the knowledge that magic exists seems less like a fever dream.

I walked towards the counter at the end of the shop and rang the bell. Only silence greeted me. I rang it again several times. When there was still no answer, I decided to proceed to the workstation.

Unlike in the shop, the workstation was as cluttered as before. No magical scene whatsoever. Just a bunch of messy silhouettes around the room. I fumbled on the wall and looked for the light switch and turned it on.

I situated myself on one of the tables and waited for Alex. When several minutes rolled by and he hasn't yet arrived, I brought out the books and started studying again.

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

It's been three freaking hours and there's still no sign of the white-haired guy. I considered simply leaving since I didn't want to waste any more of my time, but I thought against it. This was his shop. He would have to go here soon enough.

I already finished the prepped cup noodles that I brought and had gone through the books almost twice when Alex arrived quarter to ten.

Alex was still wearing the same style of clothes, although this time he has khaki pants and a white polo shirt. I also wore similar clothes since I was pretty sure I won't be doing office-type of work here. Loose-fitting gray pants and a white blouse would allow freer movement.

Two huge wicker baskets that were covered with a satin cloth caught my gaze. They were being hauled by Alex. He approached me and placed them on the table I was using. His disgusted look also didn't go unnoticed. I saw him scrunched up his face when he saw the empty cup of noodles, although he tried to cover his reaction with an impassive look just as quickly. I immediately threw the cup back in my bag.

Well, not everyone has enough money to buy decent food. I'd also rather die than be caught littering anywhere.

Alex uncovered the wicker baskets and faced me.

"Tonic for Abrasion," Alex said.

It took me a second before realizing that he was asking me.

"Tonic for Abrasion works well with, obviously, abrasions. It's uh- composed of two pieces of dried leaves from a Goodding Fern, powdered Trillium, and a sprinkle of Corydalis. Boil the dried leaves for a couple of minutes, then after collecting a milligram of its steam, mix it on a teaspoon of the powdered Trillium. Immediately remove the boiled leaves from the heat at exactly the two-minute mark. Mix everything in a dried pot together with a pinch of Corydalis," I replied.

Thank goodness I did study. Pop quizzes were the bane of my existence.

Alex stared at me for a few seconds, but then he nodded and looked around the room. I tried to hide my smile. I bet he didn't expect me to master what's in those books in a short amount of time. I am nothing but diligent.

"From the herbs and plants here in this room, where are those three ingredients you mentioned?" Alex asked while crossing his arms on his chest and leaning on the table. I'm beginning to think that it's his signature pose.

That question would've been tricky if I didn't look at the pictures closely as well. I couldn't recall them completely, but I'm confident my mind would recognize them once I set my eyes on them. I'm familiar enough with the colors and distinct characteristics of those plants.

I looked around the room and pointed at one of the potted plants in the corner. "That's the Goodding Fern."

I let my eyes wander again and tapped the group of small flowers on the table beside me. "Trillium, but not yet powdered."

I turned around, but nothing piques my memory for the Corydalis. I looked at the wicker baskets suspiciously, then grabbed the satin cloth and uncovered them. Bingo! "The Corydalis."

I dare say there was a slight twinkle in Alex's eyes when he nodded at me. Feeling brave, I tried to ask the question that's been niggling my mind.

"Most of the potions I've read are for common cuts, wounds, and ailments. Why use potions if there's already made drugs for those?"

Alex moved from his position and started answering me while emptying the contents of the baskets. It turned out that aside from the Corydalis, there are other plants and herbs in them.

"Most of the potions we use can cure those common issues, but not a single drug or human medicine can work on what the potions are made for. For example, the tonic for abrasion works on normal wounds, but its main purpose is for those that are magically inflicted," he said.

"What about the way you made the healing potion? I haven't read anything that can be prepared like that, appearing out of thin air."

Alex smirked at me and I swear I almost toppled over. Amusement transforms his face into something more beautiful that his usual annoyed and cold look.

"That's because we can make potions immediately by using magic if one is an expert and strong enough. Although, using magic usually leads to a defective potion. Why is that, human?"

I almost rolled my eyes at him. This human has a name. But his question caught me off-guard. Why is that?

Then I remembered the first statement I'd read in the books.

"The secret of the art of potion making is exactness."

"That is correct. Using magic rarely leads to accurate measurements. Now," Alex gestured towards the plants from the wicker baskets. "I want you to categorize each of these and label them. For every mistake, you will receive five hits."

With that said, he grabbed the books he had given me yesterday and turned around, going towards the door at the end of the room.

Corporeal Punishment?!

But that is illegal!

I wanted to shout and complain, but I could see that I'd put him in a good mood. I just need to pass this test again to cement my position as his apprentice.

I faced the plants and began working.

***

Several hours later, everything was going well until Alex discovered one misplaced plant.

One. Just a single one.

It wasn't even that much of a mistake! There were a dozen of the same plant and all eleven of which were properly categorized and labeled. I probably just dropped that one and didn't notice it.

Alex didn't care, though.

"I believe you know what's coming," Alex said, and there was a slight tone of anticipation in his voice.

"This is illegal. You can't physically punish me for this!"

"And to whom would you send your grievances?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

I'm right. These people didn't have any labor standards.

I huffed and extended my hands, palms facing upward. But instead of getting a wooden stick and hitting me, Alex grabbed a chair and sat down. He then grabbed my hands and pulled me towards him.

I fell on him, stomach down, and my whole torso straddling his lap. My hands kept swinging around, trying to find support.

"Alex! What are you doing?!"

"I admit my name on your lips doesn't sound too bad."

My face blushed red and I struggled even harder. He put his hands on my lower back and pinned me in place. I was still struggling when I felt a sting on my butt, the impact jolting my whole body.

Smack!

Did he- Did he just spank me?!