The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 40

“Why are you following me?”

“What do you mean I’m following you? Don’t I need to return to the Clock Tower District? This road isn’t yours, you know. Bleh!”

Ciel ignored the silver-haired girl making faces at her and continued walking toward the Clock Tower District checkpoint, her mind racing with strategies.

When it came to sheer power, she was no match for a stronger transcendent.

But that didn’t mean she had to fight them directly.

If she could locate their hiding spot, she could report it to the church once she returned to reality. Even if she only found a way to cure the dehydration syndrome, she could leave Berren City with her sister and escape this dangerous place entirely.

Ciel couldn’t shake the feeling that Berren City was cursed for her. Nothing good ever seemed to happen while she was here.

As they walked, nearing the checkpoint at the Clock Tower District, Adele suddenly broke the silence.

“Did your family… die of dehydration syndrome?”

“No.”

“Friends?”

“No.”

“‘Life companions’?”

“No.”

“Then why are you risking your life to investigate?”

Adele’s face was full of confusion. She wasn’t like Avena, who was deeply curious about other people’s lives—Adele was simply unable to understand.

When Ciel didn’t answer, Adele didn’t press further. After showing her badge to the guards at the checkpoint, she led Ciel back into the district. Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to her, she changed the topic.

“By the way, Ciel, since you’re a new transcendent, do you write a mystical notebook?” Adele asked curiously.

“Mystical notebook?” This question caught Ciel’s attention at last.

She knew that Duven’s research notes were considered a mystical notebook—they were even more expensive to redeem due to the system needing to remove the intrinsic mystical imprint.

But Ciel didn’t understand why mystical notebooks were written or how to create one.

“You don’t? What about other mystical anchor points?” Adele looked surprised.

“Mystical anchor points?” Ciel glanced at Adele.

This was the first time she had heard of such terms. Avena had never mentioned them, and no one else had brought them up either.

“Well… think of it like this: it’s something that, when you see it, reminds you that you are you. Does that make sense?” Adele gestured dramatically. “Without it, the murmurs from the potion might make you start doubting yourself. In severe cases, you could be assimilated by the potion!”

Self-doubt…

Ciel had experienced that.

Whether in reality or in the simulation notes left by her simulated self, she had struggled with self-doubt, unable to distinguish between reality and the simulation.

But the simulation wasn’t the potion… Did she need a mystical anchor for that too?

“Typically, churches and organizations are good at using mystical notebooks. You write down certain things regularly, and higher-level transcendents occasionally review the notebook to assess your mental state and intervene if necessary.”

Adele thought for a moment before continuing, “For those who don’t have anyone to check their notebooks, unaffiliated transcendents often create a unique object—a personal item. Feeling its weight and texture helps build muscle memory, reinforcing self-awareness and stabilizing the mind.”

“Of course, this item has to be something only you know about, but also something replicable. If you lose your longtime mystical anchor or it gets swapped out, it could increase your risk of mental collapse.”

“If you have time, I’d suggest making one for yourself.”

Ciel nodded, understanding Adele’s explanation. She had indeed experienced this kind of instability before.

A mystical anchor sounded like the spinning top from Inception—a tool to reinforce self-awareness.

It seemed she really needed to craft her own mystical anchor.

“Thank you, Adele,” Ciel said sincerely, her impression of Adele improving slightly.

Despite her somewhat chaotic personality, Adele clearly had a good heart.

“You’re welcome.” Hearing Ciel’s gratitude, Adele cheerfully reached inside her black robe and pulled out a gauze mask. “Here! Take this! No problem!”

Ciel accepted the mask and put it on. Since she would be staying in the Clock Tower District for a while, it was best to take precautions against infection.

“By the way, I have a question.” Ciel glanced at Adele’s silver raven mask hanging around her neck. “This mask doesn’t seem to offer any protection. Why do you wear it? Isn’t it from a hundred years ago?”

At this, Adele’s previously gleeful expression turned sour. “Because the next step in my advancement is ‘Plague Doctor.’ Don’t even get me started—everyone on the ‘Physician’ path has to wear this.”

Mask over a mask—the way Adele grumbled about it made it clear how much she hated it. She began venting her frustration to Ciel as they continued toward South-North Stone Street.

After crossing one more street, they arrived at the spot where they had encountered each other earlier. A little farther ahead was the Clock Tower Church.

“You wait here. I’ll go to the church and get you an insignia. That way, the other ‘Physicians’ won’t treat you as an unknown transcendent. Earlier, I only attacked you because you didn’t have an insignia.” Adele gestured for Ciel to wait where she was, while she continued forward on her own.

“Can’t I come with you?” Ciel asked.

“The church area is the safest place—it’s a designated shelter zone, and all the patients are there. The other ‘Physicians’ are starting their investigations from the outskirts…”

Adele’s explanation made things clear. Seeing Ciel remain where she was, Adele waved and jogged toward the Clock Tower Church.

It made sense. With so many patients in that area, the surrounding anguish would amplify and affect her more severely, just as Uris had said. If Ciel went there, the buzzing in her head might become unbearable.

However…

The thought brought a trace of doubt to Ciel’s face. Watching Adele disappear from view, she began following her at a cautious distance.

Since entering the Clock Tower District and walking to this point, the buzzing in her head hadn’t occurred even once.

There was none of the discomfort she had felt earlier—no intensifying sensations as she approached.

Step by step, Ciel moved forward cautiously, finding nothing unusual. The street remained eerily deserted.

The greater the suffering around her, the stronger the effects she would feel…

Ciel furrowed her brow as a thought struck her. Suddenly, she quickened her pace, running toward the Clock Tower Church.

The church loomed larger in her vision with every step. The rain had stopped at some point, but the surrounding fog grew thicker.

Soon, she reached the large plaza in front of the Clock Tower Church. There, she saw rows upon rows of tents…

And on the waterlogged cobblestone streets, countless bodies lay scattered in every direction, their twisted postures evidence of violent struggles in their final moments…

“Adele!” Ciel’s heart sank as she spotted the silver-haired figure standing before the sea of corpses.

Adele slowly turned, her movements stiff. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her throat, as though she were trying to scream something.

But no sound came out.

“Run!” Adele tore off her mask and shouted in Ciel’s direction. After a violent fit of coughing, she collapsed to her knees, blood streaming from her mouth in spurts.

But Ciel didn’t stop. She sprinted past Adele, heading straight for the sea of corpses and tents, frantically searching her surroundings.

There was no escape.

A crushing thirst clawed at her mind, and she fought the overwhelming impulse to tear off her mask and drink from the filthy puddles on the ground. She pressed on, determined to find the living transcendent who was reveling in the fruits of this ritual among the corpses and tents.

But the suffocating dizziness arrived right on schedule. Her life was slipping away, evaporating rapidly.