The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 38

“Do you know Uris?” Ciel asked.

She wasn’t going to take the word of a complete stranger at face value. For now, there was only one person whose words held any credibility in her mind—Uris.

“High Priestess Uris? I do.” The silver-haired girl froze for a moment before answering, “Uh… She’s currently handling the affairs of the Clock Tower Church.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“I do. She’s not far from the Clock Tower District.”

“Take me to her.”

“No problem.”

Seeing that Ciel had finally abandoned her murderous intent, the silver-haired girl let out a long breath of relief.

She had no idea how this “Avenger” had managed to appear out of nowhere in the heavily monitored Clock Tower District, but if this Avenger wanted to meet Uris, that was good news for her.

The Inquisition of the Church of the Savior Goddess was notoriously unpredictable, and she had no intention of getting involved in their affairs. All she wanted was to trace the source of this epidemic.

Ciel slightly loosened the grip of her shadow, allowing the silver-haired girl to lead the way while maintaining a cautious distance behind her.

After all, each simulation cost 10 Fate Points. She wasn’t about to die without gaining any useful information.

There was one thing she still didn’t understand—why wasn’t Uris, as the acting administrator of the Clock Tower Church, present in the Clock Tower District during such a major crisis? What was she doing elsewhere?

The silver-haired girl showed no signs of resistance. Whether it was due to 【Art of Conversation】 having some subtle effect, Ciel wasn’t sure, but the girl seemed focused solely on leading the way.

Ciel knew the layout of the Clock Tower District’s streets like the back of her hand, so she wasn’t worried about being led astray.

Soon, they arrived at a military checkpoint set up to block access to the district. The silver-haired girl exchanged a few words with the soldiers, showing the insignia pinned to her chest. She then turned around and gestured for Ciel to follow.

And just like that, Ciel successfully passed through the checkpoint under the girl’s guidance. None of the soldiers seemed to notice anything unusual, as they couldn’t see the shadow clinging to the silver-haired girl’s back.

Outside the Clock Tower District, the surrounding area had been cleared, with military tents set up along the way. It wasn’t until they neared a crossroads that Ciel began to see people again.

The further she moved away from the Clock Tower District, the weaker the buzzing in her head became, until it was reduced to a barely perceptible murmur.

She noticed a journalist wearing a gauze mask and holding a notepad approach the silver-haired girl, seemingly asking her something. The girl replied with an unknown remark, causing the journalist to recoil in fear and scurry away.

Before long, the silver-haired girl stopped in front of an inn. The front desk was empty, and a “No Vacancy” sign hung on the door. She turned to look at Ciel, who was standing a short distance away.

“She’s here, in room 202,” the silver-haired girl called out. “The Church of the Savior Goddess has rented out the entire inn.”

“Go upstairs and tell her to come down,” Ciel replied. “Say that Duven is here.”

“Duven? What kind of name is that for someone so pretty…,” the silver-haired girl muttered under her breath as she entered the inn.

Ciel slowly backed into a nearby alley, keeping her eyes on the inn’s entrance and upper windows. As long as the silver-haired girl stayed inside the inn, she couldn’t escape the range of Ciel’s shadow.

About a minute later, a sharp pain surged through Ciel’s body. Her shadow retracted rapidly, and with it came a flash of white light.

A tall, white phantom emerged, gripping the collar of Ciel’s shadow. It stood silently, gazing in Ciel’s direction.

The phantom emitted a faint, flowing luminescence, with shimmering wings of light hovering at its back.

It raised a hand in a beckoning gesture toward Ciel before releasing the collar of her shadow.

The moment it let go, the pain in Ciel’s body vanished, and her shadow, as if startled, retreated back into her own.

So this is Uris’s shadow…

Ciel had known about Uris’s ability to make objects float—it seemed similar to her own shadow powers. However, this was the first time she had seen Uris’s white shadow in person. This confirmed, at least partially, that the silver-haired girl hadn’t lied. The person inside was indeed Uris.

The white shadow led Ciel to room 202 and pushed the door open. Inside, Ciel took in the scene.

Dressed in an ornate priestly robe, Uris sat on a sofa in the center of the room. Her mask was pushed up to her forehead, revealing her closed eyes and long, silver-white hair.

The silver-haired girl from earlier was sitting on the floor, clinging tightly to Uris’s leg.

“Sis! That’s her!” The silver-haired girl pointed directly at Ciel, who stood in the doorway, before quickly scrambling to hide behind Uris.

So they’re sisters? That explains the matching silver hair.

But why are sisters in separate organizations?

Ciel noticed a hint of confusion on Uris’s face. She realized she needed to prove her identity.

Closing the door behind her politely, Ciel approached Uris. With her left hand, she retrieved the two notebooks from her bag and handed them to the silver-haired girl behind Uris. Simultaneously, she grabbed Uris’s hand with her right hand and pressed it against her own face.

“Read me,” Ciel commanded the silver-haired girl in a tone that left no room for refusal.

Hiding behind Uris, the silver-haired girl seemed emboldened. Unlike her earlier timid behavior, she quickly snatched the notebooks and sneered, “Fine, I’ll read!”

Uris initially looked puzzled, but as the girl began reading the contents of the notebooks aloud, her expression grew increasingly serious.

When the girl finished reading, Ciel spoke first: “Thomas is dead. I killed him. I found these on him. Thomas was my enemy. I drank the ‘Avenger’ potion.”

Ciel’s rapid-fire explanation left Uris momentarily stunned, her mouth open as if to question her, only to close again after a moment.

Ciel, like a second-playthrough gamer skipping cutscenes, succinctly summarized everything in a few sentences.

“Any questions?” Ciel looked at Uris and asked.

“Just one.” Uris nodded. “Why are you holding my hand against your face?”

Ciel: “?”

“Isn’t that how you sense emotions and determine if someone is lying?” Ciel asked.

“No?” Uris shook her head in confusion. “I just need to be near someone.”

Then why the hell did you hold my face for so long before!?

Realizing she had been played, Ciel let go of Uris’s hand.

“Thank you, esteemed one. You’ve dealt with an embarrassing matter for the Church of the Savior Goddess, completing a task that should have been mine.” Uris stood up, her expression turning serious. “Now, tell me—what is it that you seek? I will offer a reward within reason.”

“I want to know,” Ciel said, “what’s really happening in the Clock Tower District. Is dehydration syndrome caused by transcendent forces?”

“And also, what’s the nature of the collaboration between the Church and the Redemption Society?”