The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 29

「【Eye of Order Contract * One Month (Ciel x Avena)】」

「Fate Points: 5」

「【Ciel’s Cotton Undergarments (Slightly Worn)】」

「Fate Points: 1」

「【Ansu Gold Pounds * 996 (1000g per standard unit, totaling 0.996 tons)】」

「Fate Points: 4,980」

「……」

Aside from the clothing she had been wearing, what pleasantly surprised Ciel was that the contract she had signed with Avena could indeed be exchanged into reality.

Although the contract duration was limited to one month, she could theoretically exchange it indefinitely, effectively achieving a permanent-like effect.

Furthermore, the Avena in reality would have no memory of the contract from the simulation and would not deliberately avoid contact with Ciel as a result.

This meant that if Ciel spent 5 Fate Points to exchange the contract into reality, she could secure Avena’s friendship indefinitely. Over time, she could even cultivate their relationship further and use 【Art of Conversation Lv.1】 to persuade Avena into helping her accomplish various tasks.

In essence, the 5 Fate Points would serve as a “friendship fee.”

Whenever she encountered a problem she couldn’t solve on her own, Ciel could simply redeem the contract and reconnect with Avena, establishing a relationship with her in reality.

But Ciel’s excitement didn’t last long. When her eyes fell on the interface showing the gold pounds, her face immediately fell.

4,980 Fate Points?! Why don’t you just rob me outright?!

Weren’t all items supposed to cost just 1 Fate Point for exchange? There’s no transcendent power on those coins!

「Each item in the store has fixed restrictions per slot. For precious metals, the limit is 1,000 grams per slot.」

「Since the host brought out 0.996 tons, it’s calculated as 996 standard units. Each unit costs 5 Fate Points for exchange.」

“Can I exchange one unit at a time?” Ciel muttered internally, feeling as though her heart were bleeding.

「Of course. After all, this is the fruit of your labor ^^D」

Instinctively, Ciel clenched her fists tighter.

“Haah…” She took a deep breath to calm herself and began calculating.

If 1,000 grams equaled 1 standard unit, and a single gold pound weighed approximately 7.98 grams, then one standard unit would be roughly equivalent to 125.31 gold pounds.

In other words, 5 Fate Points would net her 125 gold pounds.

No, wait.

Ciel suddenly remembered that Avena had mentioned the auxiliary potion material she had obtained was worth about 50 gold pounds on the black market.

But in the system store, an auxiliary material was worth 50 Fate Points.

That’s 1,250 gold pounds!

Thinking back to when she had first praised the system store for being “fair and reasonable,” Ciel fell into a moment of silent regret.

“Scam artist!” Ciel couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

「Non-renewable resources… charging a premium isn’t unreasonable ^^D」

For a moment, Ciel was at a loss for how to argue back.

It’s shady, yes, but it’s also undeniably useful. And some items that are impossible to acquire in reality can still be purchased here.

Worst-case scenario, she could exchange a small amount of gold pounds in the system store and then use them in the real world to buy materials on the black market.

Unless it was something that required risking her life in the simulation to obtain—and had no equivalent available in the real world—Ciel wouldn’t consider using Fate Points for those kinds of purchases from the system.

The bank robbery had been a waste.

Ciel was already considering whether her next target should be a jewelry store or a museum. If she activated the contract and got Avena to assist her, she might hit the jackpot.

She quietly began plotting her next heist.

For now, she refrained from redeeming the gold pounds but mentally sketched out a plan.

It was already 4:00 AM on the morning of the 18th. By 4:45 AM, she would encounter Thomas and Solari at the Hammer Tavern.

She would take them out first. Eddie, being a mere lackey, could be dealt with later, perhaps even by having Avena handle him. He posed no significant threat.

Come morning, she wouldn’t bother attending her graduation ceremony. Instead, she’d head straight to the academy headmaster to secure a recommendation letter for the police department.

Using the cover of her police affiliation, she could redeem the gold pounds, move herself and Lichie to a better home, and have her sister quit her factory job.

After laying low for a short while, she’d attend horse races as a way to launder her gold pounds. Eventually, she’d tell Lichie that she had saved enough for tuition and would head to the capital, Ansu, for her college entrance exams. This would provide a logical excuse to bring both herself and her sister to Ansu, severing all ties with Berren.

This way, her peaceful life could continue—and only improve.

Even after robbing a bank, Ciel’s core desire hadn’t changed. All her efforts were still aimed at safeguarding the tranquility of her everyday life.

It was time to tie up some loose ends in reality.

She resolved to compress her actions into no more than 30 minutes.

Summoning a saved character consumed 30 minutes for 5 Fate Points. If she exceeded the time by even a single second, she would lose another precious 5 Fate Points.

Losing 5 Fate Points would mean losing the equivalent of 125 gold pounds!

That was nearly four years of Lichie’s wages, assuming she worked tirelessly without spending a single coin!

Ciel refocused on the system interface, opened the simulation screen, and checked the available simulation for “Future.”

She wanted to see if the next simulation began soon. If it did, she could enter and kill them again, just to be sure.

Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed. The “Future” simulation was set at an inconvenient time—June 19, 6:30 PM—just one minute before her original time of death.

She had already visited this time slot three times, and there was no point in going again. With the contract in hand, as long as she secured a friendship with Avena, killing an ordinary person wouldn’t trigger any further investigations.

It seemed that the 5 Fate Points for the contract couldn’t be saved.

Ciel closed the simulation interface and opened the store. She spent 5 Fate Points to exchange for the Eye of Order contract.

A flash of silver light, and the familiar old parchment reappeared in her hand. The hieroglyphic eye at the top of the contract emitted a faint blue glow.

It worked properly…

Ciel deposited the contract into the system’s inventory, where it occupied one slot. Keeping it there was the safest option, ensuring that no one could discover it.

With that settled, Ciel closed her eyes to rest, silently waiting for 4:45 AM to arrive.

Although she could act sooner, waiting until the exact time she had killed them in the simulation was the safest approach.

A quick, precise plan took shape in Ciel’s mind.

As time ticked closer, a wave of nervousness crept over her. But soon, 【Calm Mind】 kicked in, suppressing those feelings.

In the simulation, failure wasn’t an issue. No matter how many times she failed, she knew she could always try again. It made her fearless—unafraid of failure, unafraid of death.

But in reality, one wrong step could ruin everything.

A single misstep might require countless simulations to set things right.

Caught in an endless loop of tension and calm, Ciel’s emotions eventually dulled. She no longer felt nervous at all.

When the system clock hit 4:44, Ciel opened her eyes and accessed her character archive.

“No. 2.”

Ciel spoke softly.