The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 273

Forte was an extremely complex individual for the Society of Merriment.

On one hand, his extensive invasions and colonization of other continents created many opportunities for the Society of Merriment to cause trouble. He could be said to be the Society of Merriment’s best assist in the past century.

However, once Forte felt things were out of his control, he would not hesitate to turn his attention to the Society of Merriment, killing those brothers and sisters who were otherwise perfectly completing their reconstitution rituals.

It was as if causing trouble had to adhere to his prescribed limits. This feeling of being restrained was detested by the Society of Merriment. Thus, Forte and the Society of Merriment had always been in a state of mutual exploitation, never truly cooperating.

They had never been friends, nor had they been enemies. The two factions only had low-intensity confrontations in certain regions, not outright hatred.

Moreover, Forte’s laissez-faire policy towards North Ansu also made Imogen feel somewhat relieved of trouble. On this matter, Imogen held a positive view of Forte.

However, Forte’s sudden demise unexpectedly brought the North Ansu problem back into the spotlight, forcing Imogen to come to Ansu City to stir up trouble and buy time for that esteemed individual’s advancement.

And setting aside these vested interests, just discussing Forte’s death indeed brought a considerable shock to Imogen.

It should be known that the Society of Merriment had indeed tried to overthrow Forte before—as a hidden symbol of an empire, an entity that stabilized the strongest empire, overthrowing him was definitely the goal of many internal members of the Society of Merriment.

However, over the years, numerous incidents, big and small, had been planned. Some genius “Subverters” had even conceived some truly perfect subversion plans that anyone would applaud, yet they never managed to sway Forte in the slightest.

No matter how covert the plan, Forte seemed to know it in advance…

An “Illusion Conductor” certainly didn’t have such an ability, and it was impossible for a human to possess such intelligence. There was only one possibility.

That is, he possessed a “prophetic” “Uniqueness.” He was also a Tier 4 transcendent holding “Uniqueness,” a Half-Ascender.

Killing Forte was considered a relatively top-tier “bounty” within the Society of Merriment. Completing it would grant abundant support and prestige within the Society. However, after such a long time, there were almost no people left who focused on this target.

Imogen’s purpose in coming to Ansu this time was mainly to investigate the specific cause of Forte’s death. She also wanted to know how such an omniscient transcendent was killed.

These past few days, through the potion from the “Calamity Apostle” and her own abilities, she successfully made the transcendents of Ansu City unknowingly step into the “script” she had set.

By observing the conversations of the people in the “script,” she also learned that Charles was privy to Forte’s death, but she could not directly probe Forte’s memories.

All current influences are merely subconscious memetic infections on them, amplified by the potion’s abilities, spreading the same worldview and script to different people… But if Imogen were to directly use her ability to delve into Charles’s memories, it would instead awaken Charles.

Originally, Imogen planned to continue playing for a while and slowly gather information, but unexpectedly, a key actor in the script suddenly “woke up” from the play today.

And, that awakened “actor” even claimed to be the one who killed Forte.

What does this mean?

It means she killed a Tier 4 transcendent with “Uniqueness,” someone who had the potential to advance to an Ascender.

It means that if she wished, she could also stop that esteemed individual in North Ansu.

The thought of her own words, “Your Excellency might not be able to get away clean,” made Imogen’s ears feel slightly hot.

If what the other party said was true… then she had truly hit a brick wall.

Just as Imogen was about to say something, she saw the red-haired young girl before her suddenly flicker—this flicker was without warning.

The next moment, the aura of the young girl before Imogen underwent a massive change, and the most obvious change was her pink pupils…

This aura… Imogen was very familiar with it.

“Subverter”!

She was a “Subverter” all along?!

She had been deceived by a “Subverter”?!

This thought, which abruptly appeared in her mind, almost made Imogen stand up from her chair. A strange sense of absurdity surged in her heart.

“I apologize, I already said,”

Ciel looked at Imogen, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy. A smile curved on her lips. She said, “My body is a little unstable… If you don’t believe me, you can try drinking ten more bottles of potion.”

Drink ten more bottles of potion… What a joke…

At this moment, Imogen completely lost all disdain for the other party. The expression on Imogen’s face also gradually became serious. She had clearly treated the other party as someone she could treat equally.

In the world of transcendents and mysticism, one must be cautious when dealing with any unknown existence.

“I apologize for my previous rudeness, Your Excellency.”

Imogen looked at Ciel before her and slowly said, “However, that’s one thing, this is another…”

“Regarding offending you, I can apologize and offer reasonable compensation,”

Imogen continued, “But whether I can truthfully disclose information about North Ansu is not something I can decide on my own.”

“Alright~ Let’s stick to the matter at hand. Let’s talk about compensation and apologies.”

Driven by the “Subverter” potion, Ciel’s excitement soared. She looked at Imogen before her with great interest and asked, “That, that thing that turned everyone into women, how did you do it? Can I borrow it to play with?”

Borrow it… to play with?

The sudden change of topic by the red-haired young girl before her made Imogen freeze. For a moment, she thought she wasn’t talking to a mysterious person of unknown strength, but a high-ranking member of the Society of Merriment.

“Your… meaning?”

Imogen asked tentatively, wanting to reconfirm the other party’s true meaning.

“You mean that sealed artifact? Or is it a potion? The one that made me accept a whole chunk of memories that defied common sense,”

Ciel directly extended her right hand, like a child asking for candy. “Let me play with it! I’ll return it in a day!”

She wasn’t joking… It was clear she really wanted to play…

Imogen swallowed hard. Her previously serious expression was now difficult to maintain.

Are you from the Society of Merriment or am I?

Why do you seem more skilled than me?