The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 16

“Strictly speaking, as long as you’ve experienced any part of the Reconstitution Ritual in your life, it counts as completing a portion of the ritual.”

Uris shook her head and continued, “But generally, most people will arrange to undergo the ritual again for greater safety…”

Arrange it again?

Ciel didn’t have that kind of time—she could only stay in the simulation for 24 hours.

Since she had accidentally completed the conditions for the Avenger Ritual, there was no way she would pass up the opportunity to drink the potion and become a transcendent within the simulation.

Even if she didn’t receive any significant rewards, it would still serve as valuable experience for her eventual ascension in reality.

“I think the conditions are perfect as they are now,” Ciel looked at the potion floating behind Uris and continued, “I’m certain that, except for the fire, I’ve already fulfilled all the conditions.”

No lies…

Uris felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

The girl was saying something utterly ridiculous, yet Uris couldn’t sense even a hint of deceit in her words.

She had truly experienced the contents of the Avenger Ritual. How old was this girl? And she had already been in a life-or-death situation, taking revenge on her enemies?

Uris didn’t understand, but she was deeply shaken.

Maybe this is what it means to be a potential saintess…

“Just to be sure, let me ask,” Uris said. “Are those two men in there your enemies?”

Uris was, of course, referring to the two men kneeling on the ground. They glared at Ciel with bloodshot eyes, full of rage, but their bodies were frozen in place, unable to move or even scream.

“Yes.” Ciel nodded.

“Alright…” Uris nodded.

The potion, black as smoke, slowly floated into Ciel’s hand, while Uris stepped outside the tavern.

Ciel turned to look in Uris’s direction, only to see the black cobblestone floor behind her being dragged with deep grooves. Soon, a semicircular boundary, resembling the insignia of the church, formed around the tavern.

“When you’re on the verge of losing consciousness in the fire, drink the potion and kill them,” Uris instructed from outside the door.

She didn’t want the potential saintess to fail her ascension right after being baptized. Uris would do everything in her power to ensure the ritual proceeded smoothly while preventing its effects from spilling over onto ordinary people.

Ciel nodded and turned back to the two men kneeling before her. She watched as the kerosene lamps in the tavern began to rise, circling around her.

“Whoosh—”

The lamps shattered, and the bursts of fire formed a blazing circle around Ciel.

The fire encompassed not only Ciel but also the two kneeling men. It spread to the wooden floors and quickly ignited the bar, along with all the wooden furniture in the tavern.

Thick smoke and waves of heat enveloped Ciel, and her hair began to curl and distort from the intense heat.

As she inhaled the dense smoke, she couldn’t stop herself from coughing violently. Her skirt had already caught fire, and the flames were spreading across her cloak.

In a few moments, she would collapse.

She took slow, deliberate steps forward, her right hand gripping the now-scorching revolver. Ciel slowly raised the gun, aiming it at the two figures kneeling before her.

“Bang—Bang—”

Two bullets pierced their foreheads with precision. Their bodies collapsed, succumbing to the flames.

Ciel reached out and grabbed the translucent vial containing the potion. She carefully removed the wooden stopper and brought the vial to her lips.

The black mist within the vial shot out like a living shadow, darting toward Ciel’s feet like a mischievous sprite.

Where’s the potion?

“Crash—”

The old wooden beam above could no longer withstand the heat and came crashing down, shattering in two just before it could hit Ciel, rolling harmlessly to the side.

At that moment, everything—the flames, the corpses, the chaos—seemed to blur into the distance. Images flashed through Ciel’s mind like a slide show.

She saw Lichie’s lifeless body at their doorstep, a ruined birthday cake soaked in muddy water, white frosting smeared over the black, stony ground.

She saw the barrel of a gun pressed against her own forehead as she willingly gave up her life to prevent the ritual from succeeding.

She saw the dimly lit tavern, Solari’s lifeless body twisted on the ground, and the black-robed man advancing on her through surreal, indescribable illusions…

The sound of gunfire echoed in her ears as the scenes played out. In her mind, she saw herself, barely alive, mechanically hacking at Thomas’s neck until his head was severed.

Evil flames and malevolent intentions began to spread in Ciel’s chest. An uncontrollable sense of exhilaration surged through her, tearing the images apart like a flood of catharsis born from avenging a deep grudge.

The fire in her heart ignited alongside the external flames, consuming her entirely.

The inferno raged within her, fueled by an endless well of hatred and fury. In the glow of the flames, Ciel’s shadow began to twitch and distort.

The black silhouette broke free from its tether, its edges dissolving like smoke, as though black flames were rising from it.

It pressed against the ground and slowly stood up behind Ciel, its smoky, flowing hair billowing outward.

It opened its eyes, and white, luminous streams flowed in them. It was like a burning silhouette of Ciel, staring coldly at everything before her with its chilling gaze.

“Thud—”

A wave of dizziness overtook Ciel, and she fell backward, landing on the burning wooden floorboards.

“Hah…”

The shadowy figure, still burning in the flames, exhaled heavily before turning to look at Ciel. It bent down, grabbed a handful of her flaming red hair, and began dragging her step by step toward the tavern’s exit.

Uris, who had been watching from just outside the door, tensed the moment her sightless perception registered the shadowy figure.

Whether this was a success or a failure would be determined in an instant.

If the shadow attacked its host, Uris would immediately intervene and destroy the ritual.

But to her relief, she saw the shadow dragging something—Ciel’s body—out of the inferno before dissipating and vanishing entirely.

Uris rushed forward, pulling off her white robe to cover Ciel, wrapping her charred body and extinguishing the lingering flames.

“She’s definitely a saintess…”

Uris lowered her head to Ciel’s forehead, pressing her own against it.

Smoke began to rise from Uris’s neck, and the exposed skin on the back of her right hand gradually burned and blackened like charred wood.

“Don’t be afraid… It won’t hurt anymore… I’ll take you to the Holy See right now…”

Holding Ciel in her arms, Uris vanished into the night, surrounded by a halo of white afterimages, leaving the burning tavern behind.

…

「Reality」

「Saint Year 741, June 17, 18:50」

「Evaluation: The longest nap yet. Congratulations, you survived a simulation for the first time and found your first viable path to survival.」

「Though I didn’t expect you to gain trust by throwing this system under the bus… Just be careful. If you reveal this in reality or in an Old Days simulation, it’ll be your downfall.」

「You’ve officially stepped onto the path of transcendence in the simulation. This is both a small step and a giant leap for you.」

「Take this—it’s your deserved reward based on your performance.」

「Rewards: Fate Points *33, New System Function Unlocked: 【Save】」

「Your transcendent character save file 【Unnamed】 has been automatically saved to 【Character Archive】. It can be accessed in reality or in your next simulation.」

「Current Fate Points: 43」