Chapter 161: Slim (1)
In this world, if there are witches, naturally, there are also male witches.
However, compared to women who are born with an innate affinity for magic, men fall far short in both perception and natural attunement. As a result, even if they possess a magical bloodline, the vast majority of men can only serve as “carriers” of that lineage throughout their lives, completely unable to use the power within them.
Hmm… if we borrow a term from a famous children’s fantasy series from a previous life, most men with magical bloodlines are “squibs,” and only a very, very small number of lucky individuals are favored by nature and become true male witches.
Even so, due to differences in constitution, male witches are generally weaker than female witches. This is also why stories of witches are widespread in the West, while the term “male witch” is rarely heard.
Everly suspects that the reason Orff was able to enter an infinite loop on the day of his death is precisely because of the magical bloodline within him.
Having inherited a wizard’s bloodline from the same lineage as Erica, the Witch of Time and Space, he may also have gained magic related to time. However, because he is male, he cannot control this power as freely as Erica could. As a result, the time loop affecting Orff becomes a passive trigger, independent of his own will: as long as he dies on the final day, he will return to 8:25 a.m. of that same day and attempt to overcome it all over again.
In fact, this is already quite fortunate. Although the countless loops are painful, they have at least saved Orff’s life.
However, whether Orff will be able to trigger the time loop again in the future is uncertain. The heavens are fair—triggering it once is already a mercy granted to his magical bloodline. If it activated every time he faced death, that would be far too biased.
“Look into families with the surname Barnes who lived in Mokhan City, Dalifer State, during the 1940s. They should be your great-grandmother’s original family,” Everly said, recalling fragments from Erica’s diary and trying to piece together useful information. “With this information, you should be able to find some leads, right?”