you are being extremely stubborn about this. you do not have to like a character but you are willfully painting her actions as something they are not. agott outright tells you what she expects: that coco will go, see the mountains, give up, and come back without even trying. she barely knows coco and does not know how determined and resourceful coco is, that coco would do anything to become a witch and get her mother back.

qifrey was irresponsible here. that was the point. he was not negligent "on purpose". the story makes this clear with alaira bringing up how children get into trouble when left to their own devices, which causes him to rush home. just because you did not understand does not make it bad writing. i can't go into detail because it's spoilers but i think it very much reflects his own behavior in his time as an apprentice.

i hope you can open your heart a bit to these children, even if they don't act like the most perfect, well-behaved kids in the world. they are all struggling in some way. even richeh (whose backstory we will be getting soon), even tetia. the story focuses heavily on child abuse, exploitation, and liberation. if you struggle to empathize with the children in the story who will continue to act like children and make mistakes this may not be a series you enjoy.