The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 46

The moment Ciel finished speaking, the white robes of Hugh began to flutter as if caught in an invisible wind. Streams of yellow-white mist poured out from her sleeves, hem, and collar, coalescing around her into numerous phantom-like figures.

These phantoms scattered, moving swiftly across the plaza and turning over the corpses.

Hugh’s gaze quickly shifted in one direction, and her voice resonated in Ciel’s mind.

“There is a stone sewer maintenance hatch, Miss Ciel.”

“Let’s go—”

“No, Miss Ciel, you stay here.”

Behind Ciel, Hugh’s form flickered incessantly, becoming translucent, while the phantom by the maintenance hatch began materializing.

Several yellow-white phantoms remained close to Ciel, stationed as her protectors, while Hugh opened the maintenance hatch and leapt down without hesitation.

Upon landing, Hugh’s gaze immediately fixed on the end of the sewer passage leading toward the church. She walked along the stone-bricked path on the right, venturing deeper into the dark tunnel.

Midway through, she abruptly stopped, crouching down to lightly brush her gloved hand over the ground.

A faint alarm buzzed in her mind—there were traces of bacteria where she had just walked.

Rising to her feet, Hugh continued forward. Before long, she arrived at a circular disk suspended in midair.

It was entirely round, with a dark green border etched with intricate patterns resembling a serpent biting its own tail.

At the center of the disk was an eye embedded within it, held aloft by a string threaded through its pupil, suspending the solitary eye within the sewer.

As if sensing an approaching presence, the eye turned and locked its gaze on Hugh, staring at her silently.

“A sealed artifact…”

Hugh slowly raised her hand, and a phantom emerged from behind her, advancing toward the object she indicated.

The suspended black pupil seemed to perceive danger. The eye rotated rapidly, its form swelling and contracting rhythmically like a beating heart.

Hugh’s spiritual warning flared again, intensifying into a low-level hum. She became acutely aware of the bacteria accumulating around her, even feeling a faint dryness in her throat.

Quickly retreating a few steps, Hugh recalled the phantom back into herself. That’s when she noticed, not far from the pupil, a desiccated corpse lying on the ground.

The remains were in such a degraded state that they were barely recognizable, reduced to skeletal fragments clinging to patches of dried skin. It seemed like even the slightest touch would cause it to crumble.

The corpse was clad in a black robe, and the only clues to its identity were a patch of shriveled silver hair and a silver raven-beak mask lying nearby.

Hugh took a deep breath, her figure fading into transparency. A moment later, she reappeared behind Ciel.

“Miss Ciel, I found it—it’s a sealed artifact.” Hugh’s voice echoed in Ciel’s mind, and she quickly summarized everything she had just witnessed.

The deceased was Adele.

Ciel could guess who the desiccated corpse abandoned in the sewer must have been.

After hearing the method by which the artifact was triggered, Ciel sighed softly.

Was Adele the first to investigate and stumble upon it…

Was it Adele, unaware of the danger, who prematurely activated the artifact’s defensive mechanism?

Is that why the massive outbreak occurred earlier than expected…

“What exactly does that eye do? Is there any evidence pointing to who placed it there?” Ciel asked Hugh.

“It’s a sealed artifact. We’ll need to secure the area, then gather a team to study and contain it. For now, I don’t know its exact capabilities.” Hugh shook her head and continued, “What is clear is that it amplifies the effects of bacteria, exponentially increasing the severity of the disease.”

Amplifies the effects of disease?

That means the infection might have been spreading earlier, albeit subtly enough to avoid detection. The person who placed the artifact could have triggered it later to unleash the full lethal effect.

Ciel shared her hypothesis with Hugh, who nodded in agreement.

“How do we find the transcendent responsible?” Ciel asked.

“They’ve already succeeded in their ascension,” Hugh said flatly. “The ritual to ascend to ‘Source of Cholera’ requires creating a custom pathogen that kills at least ten thousand people within a month. They’ve met the condition and wouldn’t stay here any longer.”

At that, Ciel fell silent.

The ritual’s requirement may have been one thousand deaths, but once the pathogen spreads, the toll would far exceed that number.

“Miss Ciel, the matter has been resolved. We can now return to the Holy See.” Seeing Ciel remain silent, Hugh spoke up to remind her.

“The plaza might not have ten thousand people… what if that person hasn’t completed the ritual yet?” Ciel asked, unwilling to give up.

If they’ve already fled… doesn’t that mean all leads end here? Am I supposed to simulate everything again, this time reporting the artifact earlier, and observe how events unfold?

Don’t forget about the traitor… Until it’s clear which link in the chain leaked the information, every warning Ciel gave would only accelerate the enemy’s plan.

“If they haven’t completed the ritual, there wouldn’t just be these corpses here. We’d also have a third-tier monster running amok.” Hugh paused briefly before explaining, “Reconstitution rituals come in two forms: one where the potion is consumed after the conditions are met, and one where the potion is consumed before initiating the ritual.”

“For example, the ‘Avenger’ Reconstitution Ritual allows for the potion to be consumed anytime after the conditions are fulfilled.”

“But for the ‘Toxicologist’ path, the potion must be consumed first, and the ritual must be completed within a set timeframe.”

“These individuals typically spend a long time preparing. Once everything is in place, they consume the potion and allow events to unfold, ensuring they complete the ritual before the deadline.”

“To ascend to ‘Source of Cholera,’ one must kill ten thousand people with a custom pathogen within a month.”

After hearing this explanation, Ciel’s brow furrowed slightly.

If what Hugh says is true…

In the previous simulation, the outbreak occurred on July 4th. If the potion had been consumed a month earlier, then the preparation must have started before June 4th. The artifact could have been placed long ago, lying in wait for activation.

“Hugh, the Radiance Bishop.” Ciel spoke, looking toward Hugh.

“Hm?”

“If we disrupt their ritual in front of them, will they lose control?” Ciel asked.

“Highly likely,” Hugh said, “If they begin to suspect that their ritual will fail, the potion will retaliate against them.”

“But… the ritual has already happened. How could you disrupt it?”

“What if we preemptively eliminate all the infected before they can act? Would that still count as them completing the ritual?” Ciel asked calmly.

Hearing this question, Hugh turned her gaze toward the field of corpses. Finally, her head slowly tilted to one side.