Witch Taming System-Chapter 17: The Erudition Society [2]

In the end, a decision was reached.

Angelica was temporarily banned from entering the Horizontal Horoscope and the Library of Babel, two of the primary libraries witches relied on when gathering materials for research.

Faust received a different punishment.

For the time being, she was prohibited from engaging in trade with suppliers. That meant whatever research she wished to conduct would have to rely solely on the resources she already possessed.

With the matter settled, Cyrene clapped her hands.

——Now that everything is resolved, I believe it’s my turn.

The witches present immediately turned their attention back to her projection.

——This started about a year ago, when I left to deal with an Outer God.

No one interrupted.

The title of Grand Witch was not something Cyrene had earned merely through intellect or academic achievement. She held that title for another reason as well.

She was the most powerful witch of the current era.

Among all witches alive today, Cyrene was one of the very few capable of confronting Outer Gods.

In fact, she was the only one alive known to have actually defeated one.

——At the time, I managed to drive away the Outer God that had been observing our planet.

Her tone remained casual. Then dipped all at once.

——But there was something I failed to notice.

The chamber fell silent.

——While I was dealing with it, something slipped past my watch.

Cyrene’s eyes narrowed.

——An Outer God has already descended into our world. And right now, I’m trying to track it down.

Among the many reactions present, Faust found herself noticing one in particular.

Angelica.

"...?"

Of all the witches gathered there, she was the one who had shown the strongest reaction.

——If any of you encounter it, retreat immediately.

She said it as if there was no room for argument. But that was beside the point. None of the Eruditions were confident they could even survive an encounter with an Outer God in the first place.

Not even Faust herself.

——Do not engage. Simply report its location.

That was all Cyrene had to say.

* * *

"Angelica."

"Good timing. I was just about to speak with you."

The directness of the response caught Faust off guard for a moment. She had expected resistance, perhaps even hostility, but not something like this.

Angelica looked straight at her.

"Faust. I’m telling you this for your own good. Let go of Lancel."

"...."

Faust said nothing.

The shift in Angelica’s attitude was sudden enough to catch her off guard. Just days ago, she had said, "Make good use of him." And now it had become "Let go of Lancel."

Was Angelica really just bipolar?

Or was there something else behind those words that Faust had yet to understand?

To call them mere acquaintances would have been an understatement.

The truth was far more complicated.

A long time ago, Faust had once been one of Angelica’s mentors. Back then, their relationship had been that of master and student.

But that was centuries ago.

Since then, whatever remained between them could hardly be called anything close to a mentor and her student.

"I’m going to ignore whatever you just said."

Faust’s voice remained calm, but her gaze narrowed.

"What exactly have you discovered about Lancel?" she continued. "Why did you pour so much research into him?"

Faust took a step closer.

"Are you afraid?"

"...."

"Is that why you want me to let go of him?" Faust asked. "Because you’re afraid of whatever he might know?"

Her tone dropped.

"And if that’s the case, then why let me take him in the first place?"

Angelica clicked her tongue. "Tsk. What do you actually know about Lancel before he became a slave? Do you even know where he came from?"

"Emadestrin. An acquaintance of mine asked me to save him from you, you evil bitch."

Angelica’s expression barely changed.

"Let me tell you something, Faust," she said. "Lancel isn’t as pure or innocent as you seem to think."

"I don’t care who he was back then. He’s done no crime against me."

"...."

"And it’s rather ironic that you have the nerve to lecture me about someone’s innocence," Faust said coldly. "Especially when you yourself committed a sin against me."

By now, several pairs of eyes had turned toward them.

The tension between the two witches had become impossible to ignore.

Angelica noticed the attention first. With a sigh, she reached out and grabbed Faust’s arm, but Faust immediately pulled it away.

"Let go of me."

"Haah..." Angelica exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "Let’s take this somewhere else, alright?"

Soon, Angelica led Faust to her office.

The room was immaculately tidy. It was the complete opposite of Faust’s own office back at home, which was usually messy with papers, scribbled notes, and half-finished research.

Faust stopped just inside the doorway and crossed her arms, refusing to step any further.

"I’ll give you five minutes."

Angelica didn’t seem bothered by the ultimatum.

"Do you know the Leviathan Group?"

Faust frowned. "That group of contract killers? The ones who don’t even hesitate to kill witches?"

She tilted her head.

"What about them?"

By now, Faust already had a rough idea where this conversation was heading.

Angelica spoke calmly. "Lancel used to be one of them."

"So? Are you warning me that he might kill me in my sleep?" Faust scoffed. "Sorry, but I’m fairly confident a man three hundred years younger than me wouldn’t manage that."

Angelica shook her head. "That’s not the point. Now that you know his line of work, let me tell you how this all started."

Faust said nothing. If she claimed she wasn’t interested, she would be lying.

Perhaps she could spare Angelica a few more minutes.

"That man," Angelica continued, "was originally contracted to hunt a specific witch. To be exact, one of my apprentices."

"...."

"She was outside Riviere at the time conducting field research. And Lancel killed her."

Faust’s gaze hardened. To say an ordinary human would be able to best a witch wouldn’t be strange. It had happened before. Just not all the time.

Angelica nodded once.

"After the job, Lancel was injured. His arm had been broken during the encounter. Eventually, he came to Riviere looking for someone who could heal it."

Faust nearly scoffed. If that were true, his shamelessness knew no bounds.

"But the arm wasn’t just broken. It was cursed."

As a result, the physicians in the city referred him to someone more capable. Angelica, a witch who specialized in curses.

"When I examined him, it wasn’t difficult to piece things together."

Angelica’s eyes darkened as she recalled the moment.

"My apprentice’s mana was still present in his body."

Later that same day, the news reached her. Her apprentice had been found dead and the convict was unknown. Of course, Angelica already knew the answer.

"So I prepared to kill him."

"...."

"But when I examined the curse on his arm more closely..." Angelica continued, "...I noticed something."

Her voice lowered.

"The curse itself... It wasn’t from my apprentice."

Angelica slowly met Faust’s gaze.

"It was a curse of an Outer God."

"...."

"That man... had already encountered the very same Outer God that Cyrene mentioned earlier."

"...."

"And that happened before he ever arrived in Riviere."

Faust opened her mouth. "Why couldn’t you—"

But her words died halfway.

Angelica tilted her head slightly, clearly not catching what she had said.

"Excuse me?"

"You’re willing to explain yourself now," Faust said, stepping closer. "All because of some nobody."

"...."

"But you’ve never even explained to me why."

Faust’s hands clenched slightly at her sides.

"Why did you leave my sister to die?" she asked. "Why did you... why did you kill her?"

"....’

Angelica’s pupils trembled. For a brief moment, it looked as if she might say something.

But in the end, she said nothing.

Seeing that silence, Faust turned away.

"Your five minutes are up."

Without waiting for another word, she walked to the door and left.

It had only been three minutes.