The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch-Chapter 66 - Not Sure Who to Kill? Kill Them All! (2/2)
“In my family, there’s an old saying—’If you find a Divine Advent Church cultist in a district, chances are the entire district is already under their control.’”
“Their higher-ups and members only communicate through one-way channels. They have a unique indoctrination method that ensures they never fear exposure or internal traitors.”
“Every major sacrificial event they’ve carried out has targeted the Church of the Savior Goddess, as if deliberately seeking revenge. They are locked in a never-ending conflict with the church...”
Avena took a deep breath and looked at Ciel, her voice slightly hesitant. “You’re not about to tell me... that Sherlon’s potion came from the Divine Advent Church, are you?”
“Most likely.”
Ciel nodded.
“Can I ask... where you got this information?”
Avena seemed unwilling to accept it without further proof, seeking confirmation from Ciel.
“...My intelligence network.”
Ciel replied without hesitation, her expression unreadable. “They informed me that the Divine Advent Church in Berren City already knows we disrupted the ritual.”
The worst-case scenario Avena had feared had come true.
They had dealt with Sherlon, only to discover that he had been backed by the Divine Advent Church.
She felt the distinct sensation of having kicked a steel wall—except this time, the wall had actively moved toward her.
“Avena.”
Ciel suddenly spoke, watching Avena’s troubled expression. “Do you know what method they use for indoctrination?”
Having gone through it herself, Ciel wanted to know if Avena had any way to counteract it.
To Ciel, Avena was like a walking treasure trove—always capable of pulling out some expensive or impossibly rare artifact just when it was needed.
Like that hair dye potion.
“I don’t know the exact method they use.”
Avena shook her head. “But when I left my family, I was given something that provides resistance to brainwashing.”
She reached into her collar, tracing along a silver chain around her neck, and slowly pulled out an odd pendant resting over her heart.
It was a small, intricately designed golden cage, inside of which was a pitch-black, irregularly shaped object.
“A Sacrificial Saint’s Relic—it’s not classified as a sealed artifact.”
Avena explained, “If you place a drop of your own blood inside, your consciousness will temporarily switch places with the relic. After a few seconds, it will return to your body.”
“Upon returning, any external influences on your mind—including deep hypnosis, contractual bindings, or spiritual imprints—will be transferred into the relic. It bears the burden of those effects, allowing you to become aware of any manipulations affecting your thoughts.”
“I use this relic once a week to ensure I haven’t been unknowingly compromised. Right now, I estimate there’s only enough left for about one more day of use.”
Wait.
Ciel suddenly realized something.
This relic... could remove mental influences and allow someone to recognize changes in their behavior?
It could even temporarily resist the Eye of Order’s contract effects?
“Come to think of it, I haven’t used the Sacrificial Saint’s Relic this week yet...”
As Avena spoke, she habitually grasped the golden cage.
The sharp barbs inside pricked her fingertip, drawing a single drop of blood that seeped into the black substance.
Immediately, Ciel’s instincts screamed at her.
Damn it!
No wonder Avena had been so willing to sign that one-month binding contract with her! She had a way to nullify its effects!
Back in the simulation, Avena had hidden plenty of things during their conversation. Now, it turned out she had been playing tricks with the contract as well!
A faint purple flame flickered inside the golden cage.
Avena’s body suddenly went limp, collapsing sideways toward Ciel.
Reflexively, Ciel reached out to catch her.
What now?
Before she could think, Avena stirred and woke up, her nose catching the faint scent of Ciel’s presence.
Realizing something, she immediately straightened up, scooting to the other side of the couch and lowering her head. “I... I didn’t do that on purpose. Using this always makes me faint for a few seconds...”
“But it’s fine. My behavior over the past week seems normal. I don’t appear to have been influenced by the Divine Advent Church.”
Avena looked up and noticed Ciel studying her with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong, Ciel?”
She...
Hadn’t realized the contract existed?
But the contract had clearly taken effect. So why hadn’t she noticed that she had been unconsciously allowing Ciel to get too close? Why wasn’t she rejecting those memories?
If she wasn’t aware of it...
That meant that even without the contract, Avena wouldn’t have revealed her secrets—nor would she have resisted Ciel’s touch?
Ciel had taken advantage of the contract to do some rather excessive things—pulling Avena’s clothes, even biting her! And yet, Avena didn’t seem to mind at all?
Had she... wasted that contract?
While Ciel was deep in thought, Avena stood up and looked at her.
“Ciel, if what you’re saying is true, and Sherlon really was working for the Divine Advent Church, then this situation is beyond what we can handle.”
“The Divine Advent Church operates on a one-way contact system. If the cultist who knows our identities reports this in their next scheduled communication, we’ll be placed on their wanted list... Do you have any evidence proving they were behind Sherlon’s actions?”
“If you do, we could report this to the Church of the Savior Goddess ahead of time and have them take care of the cultists for us.”
Let the church handle it...
Ciel wasn’t sure if there was enough time. She also didn’t have solid proof.
She had no way of knowing how much the cultists, especially Kitty, had already learned.
Should she eliminate Kitty before their next meeting?
Kitty was a second-tier “Missionary.” Ciel would need to be at least second-tier herself to ensure she could take her down.
“Judicator” potion...
Ciel sprang to her feet and hurried toward her room, with Avena following closely behind.
She didn’t know what Ciel intended to do.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Ciel entered her room and grabbed the potion bag Avena had given her earlier. She pulled out a tightly rolled scroll from inside—it contained the Reconstitution Ritual for “Judicator.”
She untied the seal and unrolled the scroll, revealing the requirements.
【The Soul of Judgment must be forged in the blood of heretics.】
【Purge fifty traitors, heretics, and blasphemers. Interrogate a heretic of at least the second tier and deliver judgment before consuming the potion.】
The moment she finished reading, the parchment ignited, quickly turning to ash.
Kill traitors? Heretics? Blasphemers?
Did that mean the heretics identified by the Church of the Savior Goddess? Or the heretics perceived by the Divine Advent Church?
If the target wasn’t clear... she might as well kill them all, just to be sure.
“Avena.”
Ciel turned to Avena, who had caught up to her.
“There’s something I need to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Can I borrow your ‘Sacrificial Saint’s Relic’?”
Ciel’s plan was simple.
If she didn’t know which side to kill—she would just kill them all.
Her strategy, if everything went well, would only require two simulations.
She could gather all the necessary information while simultaneously completing the Reconstitution Ritual for “Judicator.”
