Responses
I still feel uncomfortable with the pedo fan service though
Well, I highly doubt that witch is an actual child. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure she was designed to play to the loli lovers out there. If you really want to get into the "pedo fan service" talk, there are plenty of manga out there that aren't advertised as such, but are clearly for people who like seeing short girls with large, childlike eyes and flat chests.
The male lead doesn't have crazy OP abilities (as far as the first chapter) and he seems to have had something traumatic happen to him in the past. He's not extremely expressive (which is one of my favorites) and he thinks fairly rationally and logically with no bias. I also like the girl. It's rare to see dark(er) skin tones for humans (not just demi-humans or beastfolk) in these kinds of fantasy manga, let alone for them to be powerful geniuses. So it's nice to see that, really.
Of course there is the loli guide/teacher sitting improperly and showing off what's under her skirt, but it's nice to see that no male characters have ridiculously lustful reactions to that (which can get extremely annoying in other manga). There is the big boob trope with the female lead, but that was expected. If not big boobs, there's always something else.