The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 27

“Got any plans for dinner after work?”

“Not sure, maybe I’ll look for some Berren City specialties.”

“Berren City specialties? I’ve lived here for 48 years and don’t think we have any specialty dishes… Does fish head soup count?”

“Uh… absolutely not!”

“Hahaha… Oh, by the way, your house is near the Clock Tower District, right? Be careful not to go there lately. I saw in the news that there’s some unknown epidemic going around—quite a few people have died there.”

“Thanks for the warning, Manager…”

In the front lobby of Charlie Bank, a middle-aged man dressed in a three-piece suit was chatting and laughing with a young female employee in professional attire.

His name was Pauly, and he had just been promoted to bank manager yesterday. At this moment, he was full of pride and joy.

Newly promoted, Pauly couldn’t sit still in his manager’s office. He had spent the entire day walking around, inviting more people to his promotion party that evening.

Becoming a manager at 48 was undoubtedly a significant achievement. If he worked hard for a few more years and delivered results, he might even be transferred to the main office in Ansu.

A bright future lay ahead of him, and Pauly’s current state perfectly embodied an old Ansu saying: “Riding high”—a metaphor for great success.

Just then, the ornate revolving door at the front entrance turned, catching Pauly’s attention. His gaze landed on a young girl dressed simply but carrying a large burlap sack.

“Stay sharp, young lady; we’ve got a customer coming in.” Pauly patted the receptionist on the shoulder, stepping back to observe her. It seemed he was testing the new receptionist’s ability to handle her work.

At the same time, his banker’s intuition kicked in as he appraised the red-haired girl approaching the counter, trying to guess her purpose.

Her hands were delicate, her clothes spotless—not a laborer. Her features were extraordinarily beautiful, yet understated, exuding a calm and reserved demeanor with a hint of noble elegance.

She looked well-educated. Appearances aside, who could say what her background might be? For all he knew, that burlap sack she was carrying could be filled with bundles of hundred-su-pound notes.

Pauly had heard of many discreet gemstone merchants, and Berren City was the largest hub for gemstone processing, home to major companies and factories. He was already wondering which family this young lady might belong to.

“Welcome to Charlie Bank. What can I help you with today, miss?” The receptionist, dressed in her professional attire, stood up with a smile and looked at the girl, her eyes showing a hint of envy.

“I’d like to speak to the manager.” The red-haired girl spoke, extending her hand to place a gold pound on the counter and sliding it toward the receptionist.

A one-gold-pound tip?!

A big spender!

“Thank you for your generosity, miss.” The receptionist quickly pocketed the coin and immediately turned toward Pauly, unhesitatingly pointing him out.

Pauly stepped forward promptly. His earlier suspicion that the red-haired girl might be a rich second-generation heir solidified.

Talk about business coming straight to his door!

The Goddess must be watching over me.

“Honored Miss, my name is Pauly. I am the manager of Charlie Bank’s Berren branch. May I assist you with something?” Pauly walked over to the girl and, with a slight bow, bent his knees slightly to ensure he showed enough respect to the petite figure before him.

“This is my first time at a bank,” the girl said as she looked up at Pauly with a smile. “I’d like to deposit some money.”

“Of course, not a problem. Are you a new customer? Does your father or mother already have an account with Charlie Bank?” Pauly gestured behind him with his right hand, palm up, pointing toward the main banking hall. “Please, come this way.”

The front lobby, lined with marble and massive decorative columns, exuded grandeur. Beyond it, the spacious main banking hall featured a dozen individual counters, each staffed and bustling with customers conducting their transactions. The atmosphere was both professional and efficient.

“Where will my money be stored?” the girl asked curiously as she followed Pauly.

“It will, of course, be placed in our underground vault. I can confidently say that we have the most secure system in all of Berren City. Whether it’s valuables or cash, anything stored with us is absolutely safe.” Pauly answered patiently and professionally, showing no hint of condescension over her seemingly naive question.

“What if I want to deposit a large amount of gold pounds? Will those also go into the underground vault?” Ciel asked.

“Gold pounds?” Pauly was slightly taken aback. Large transactions were typically settled in su pounds; gold pounds were more commonly used in less legitimate gray-market dealings.

“Of course. Our underground vault holds the largest reserve of gold pounds in Berren City, and our confidentiality measures are second to none, which is why our clients trust us.” Pauly said proudly. “Even jewelers store their priceless gems with us.”

“Oh?” The girl’s eyes lit up at this, then she asked skeptically, “Is it really that safe?”

“Absolutely safe. Our vault is protected by state-of-the-art combination locks that change weekly. Even our former manager wouldn’t know the sequence. Only I and the highest-ranking director have access to the weekly codes—and I, myself, only received this week’s code earlier today.”

Hearing her doubt, Pauly explained confidently. “As long as I safeguard the code, no one will ever breach the vault!”

“I, Pauly, would rather be shot dead or bite my own tongue to die than reveal the code to anyone. I swear this by the Goddess!”

“I understand.” The girl nodded. From the shadow beneath her, a brand-new revolver slowly rose and pressed against Pauly’s forehead.

The girl’s lips parted slightly.

“Don’t move. This is a robbery.”

…

A shadow slowly rose from beneath Ciel, holding a revolver to Pauly’s forehead. Many in the banking hall hadn’t yet realized what was happening.

Another revolver was passed to Ciel by the shadow. Mimicking the dramatic scenes she’d seen in movies, she raised the gun high with her right hand and fired toward the ceiling.

Bang—!

“Everyone, get down! If anyone moves, they die!”

The ornate crystal chandelier shattered from the gunshot, shards scattering across the floor as screams erupted throughout the hall. Chaos broke out.

Ciel frowned slightly—things weren’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped.

No wonder bank robbers usually brought accomplices. Doing this solo did make it harder to control the situation.

Still, the panicked crowd obstructed the guards’ line of sight. Deciding on a swift approach, Ciel resolved to focus on the vault—even if she didn’t escape afterward, as long as she filled her sack, it would be worth it.

“Take me to the vault. Now.” Ciel leveled her gun at Pauly, while her shadow moved quickly through the crowd, firing at the nearest security guards.

Gunshots rang out, and Pauly, drenched in cold sweat, trembled as he led Ciel forward. They reached an iron door at the back of the main banking hall.

Two security guards stationed at the door raised their double-barreled shotguns the moment they heard gunfire, blowing their whistles as well.

When they saw Pauly and Ciel approaching, they hesitated for a moment, failing to realize that the petite girl was the robber. By the time they processed the situation, the unseen shadow had already struck them both down with two heavy punches. Their shotguns were quickly picked up by the shadow.

“Miss, please, Your Excellency, don’t kill me. I have a family to care for…,” Pauly stammered, his voice trembling with sobs. The flying guns, the guards collapsing without a visible assailant, the sheer eeriness of it all—it was enough to convince Pauly that this wasn’t some elaborate prank. He was dealing with one of the “messengers of the gods.” But why would a divine messenger rob a bank?

Outside, the bank’s alarm had already been triggered. In less than five minutes, a swarm of police officers would surround the building. No matter how powerful this girl was, she wouldn’t be able to escape. But before they arrived, Pauly needed to survive.

“I’ll take you there, I’ll take you there…” Pauly fumbled for the keys at his waist, deliberately slowing his actions. But a gunshot rang out, and searing pain radiated from his toe.

“Move faster. My patience is limited.” Ciel’s cold voice came from behind him.

Pauly quickly found the key, unlocking the first layer of security to the underground vault.