Witch and Mercenary

Witch and Mercenary (Japanese: 魔女と傭兵, Hepburn: Majo to Yōhei) is a Japanese light novel series written by Kaeru Chōhōkiteki and illustrated by Bench Kanase. It began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in June 2021. It was later acquired by Micro Magazine, which began publishing it under their GCN Bunko imprint in May 2023. A manga adaptation illustrated by Makoto Miyagi began serialization on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket manga website in January 2024.

Witch and Mercenary
First light novel volume cover
魔女と傭兵 (Majo to Yōhei)
Genre	Action[1] Fantasy[2]
Novel series
Written by	Kaeru Chōhōkiteki
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	June 9, 2021 – present
Light novel
Written by	Kaeru Chōhōkiteki
Illustrated by	Bench Kanase
Published by	Micro Magazine
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	GCN Bunko
Original run	May 19, 2023 – present
Volumes	6[a]
Manga
The Witch and the Mercenary
Written by	Kaeru Chōhōkiteki
Illustrated by	Makoto Miyagi
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	Kodansha (digital)
Imprint	Shōnen Magazine Comics
Magazine	Magazine Pocket
Original run	January 28, 2024 – present
Volumes	7

Synopsis

On the Old Continent, witches are regarded as magic-wielding symbols of fear. Mercenary Zig Crane agrees to join a witch hunt against the witch Saoirse, but bonds with her after fighting her to a stalemate and realizes they are the same: people forced to become killers by their environment. Agreeing that they have no future here, Saoirse hires Zig to escort her to the New Continent, where magic is common. Unfortunately, upon arriving, they find that this peaceful land ostracizes mercenaries rather than witches, as it does not need them. Will Zig and Saoirse be able to adapt to this new home where their dynamics are reversed?

Characters

Zig Crane (ジグ＝クレイン, Jigu Kurein)

Saoirse (シアーシャ, Siāsha)

Media

Light novel

Written by Kaeru Chōhōkiteki, Witch and Mercenary began serialization on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on June 9, 2021.^[3] It was later acquired by Micro Magazine who began publishing it with illustrations by Bench Kanase under their GCN Bunko light novel imprint on May 19, 2023. Six volumes have been released as of July 2025.^[4][a] The series is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.^[5]

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	North American release date	North American ISBN
1	May 19, 2023[6]	978-4-86716-424-2	September 12, 2024 (digital) October 8, 2024 (print)[7]	979-8-89160-302-8
2	September 20, 2023[8]	978-4-86716-471-6	February 6, 2025 (digital) March 4, 2025 (print)[9]	979-8-89160-897-9
3	March 19, 2024[10]	978-4-86716-547-8	May 22, 2025 (digital) July 29, 2025 (print)[11]	979-8-89373-185-9
4	July 20, 2024[12]	978-4-86716-608-6	August 28, 2025 (digital) October 28, 2025 (print)[13]	979-8-89373-797-4
5	November 20, 2024[14]	978-4-86716-663-5	February 17, 2026 (print)[15]	979-8-89561-231-6
6.1	June 20, 2025[16][17]	978-4-86716-776-2 978-4-86716-777-9 (SE)	—	—
6.2	July 22, 2025[4][18]	978-4-86716-793-9 978-4-86716-794-6 (SE)	—	—

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Makoto Miyagi began serialization on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket manga website on January 28, 2024.^[19] The manga's chapters have been compiled into seven tankōbon volumes as of November 2025.^[20] The manga's chapters are simultaneously published in English on Kodansha's K Manga app under the title The Witch and the Mercenary.^[5]

No.	Release date	ISBN
1	May 9, 2024[21]	978-4-06-535542-8
2	July 9, 2024[22]	978-4-06-536134-4
3	October 8, 2024[23]	978-4-06-536765-0
4	January 8, 2025[24]	978-4-06-537761-1
5	May 9, 2025[25]	978-4-06-539453-3
6	August 7, 2025[26]	978-4-06-540354-9
7	November 7, 2025[20]	978-4-06-541547-4

Reception

The series was ranked fifth in the bunkobon category at the 2023 Next Light Novel Awards.^[27] The series was ranked second in the same category in the 2024 edition.^[28]

The manga adaptation was nominated for the 11th Next Manga Awards in the print category in 2025, and was ranked thirteenth and won the U-Next Award.^[29][30]

Notes

1. Seven volumes in total, including the second part of the sixth volume.