The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 52

Ciel sprang to her feet and ran straight toward the door. Just then, the study’s doors were flung open.

Who?

The shadow behind Ciel surged, ready to emerge at any moment.

The door swung open, revealing Avena at the entrance. She slammed the door shut behind her and swiftly pulled a luminescent blue, prismatic stone from her waist pouch. With a flick of her wrist, she embedded it into the wooden door.

Faint blue patterns spread rapidly along the door, extending to every corner of the vast study. Soon, the entire room was lined with glowing blue veins.

“He really came to kill me!” Avena panted slightly, looking toward Ciel as she spoke quickly. “The ‘Crown Guard’ should be able to kill him, but watch the door for me—I need to send for reinforcements.”

Without another glance at Ciel, she rushed to the center of the study, pulling out various vials and bottles from her pouch. Judging by the fine crystal craftsmanship of the containers, their contents were undoubtedly valuable.

Ciel’s shadow darted out and stationed itself at the door, while Ciel herself prepared to draw the Deadly Blood Laurel at any moment.

“What’s happening outside?” Ciel asked in a short, urgent tone.

She needed more information to determine the best course of action in reality.

“When I entered with the ‘Crown Guard,’ his expression immediately shifted. His vigilance was incredibly high. Just a few exchanges into the conversation, he had already begun secretly releasing poison mist. The ‘Crown Guard’ was affected… I should have trusted you and ordered a preemptive attack,” Avena said while drawing strange symbols on the ground.

As she arranged materials into place, she chanted a few incomprehensible words. The symbols ignited, and the objects within them gradually disintegrated in blue flames.

Once her ritual was complete, Avena exhaled deeply. “At most five hours, and someone will arrive with the antidote.”

Boom—

The entire building shook violently. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, and the oil lamps on the walls flickered wildly.

Avena’s frown deepened with each tremor. She muttered, “The ‘Crown Guard’ hasn’t finished him yet? I cut off Sherlon’s legs before I came upstairs…”

A third-tier transcendent against a second-tier should have been an overwhelming advantage.

“He already drank the potion on June 13,” Ciel fixed her gaze on the wooden door. “If he falls into despair, the potion might completely consume his mind, turning him into an uncontrollable third-tier ‘Source of Cholera.’”

Avena pressed her lips into a thin line. At this point, nothing Ciel said could surprise her anymore.

Earlier today had been their first real encounter. At first, Avena had thought of her as a quiet and pleasant girl, but within just a few hours, she had arrived bearing shocking intelligence.

And now, barely two hours after Avena had reported to the church, Ciel’s so-called “intelligence network” had already identified the traitor—and even pinpointed the exact moment he had consumed his potion.

As if someone had been watching Sherlon for twenty-four hours, witnessing him drink the potion firsthand!

So he really had already consumed it… That made things much more dangerous.

If he fully lost control and became a third-tier maniac, even the defense-specialized “Crown Guard” might not be able to stop him.

The “Crown Guard” could forcibly extract Avena should things go south, but at least half of Sir’s Bridge District would be engulfed in a catastrophic plague.

Most of the residents here were nobles and merchants unaffiliated with the transcendent world. If a “Source of Cholera” ran rampant in this district, an enormous number of influential figures would die, sending shockwaves through Ansu. Even the Roswell family wouldn’t be able to distance themselves from the fallout.

Avena took a deep breath and swiftly lifted the hem of her dress, revealing a black thigh strap lined with small syringes and vials.

She removed several of them, unsealed the first, and downed its contents in one gulp. Then, she extracted a syringe, pressed it to her heart, and slowly injected a luminescent green liquid into her chest.

“What are you doing?” Ciel heard the movement behind her. When she turned around, Avena’s lips were pale, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.

Her dark purple pupils flickered with starlike glimmers, and the ends of her jet-black hair gradually turned white.

“Come here, Miss Ciel.” Avena grabbed Ciel’s arm and pulled her toward the bed. She pushed open the window. “Go down from here. Run. Thank you for the information, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to return the favor.”

“What about you?” Ciel asked.

“I have to help.” Avena glanced toward the door. She could no longer maintain her usual stoic expression. Pain wracked her body, causing her facial muscles to twitch uncontrollably. Blood trickled from the corners of her eyes. “I can’t let the ‘Source of Cholera’ escape this estate.”

Boom—

The manor trembled once again. Avena rushed toward the study doors, only to hear footsteps following behind her.

“Miss Ciel?” Avena gripped the doorknob, looking back at Ciel. Her trembling voice carried a note of confusion.

“I won’t let him leave this estate either,” Ciel smiled at Avena. “Besides, there are still so many stories I haven’t told you yet.”

There was no way Ciel was leaving. She had to stay and see this through.

If Avena and her guardian survived, then in reality, Ciel would make the same choice to save her again.

But if everyone perished here and the one who emerged was the “Source of Cholera,” then Ciel would have no hesitations about taking her sister and seeking refuge in the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Avena couldn’t hear Ciel’s internal thoughts, but her heart trembled slightly at Ciel’s words. The girl’s figure became clearer in her vision, pushing away some of the bloody haze before her eyes.

Avena said nothing more. She yanked the prismatic crystal from the wooden door and flung the doors open.

Hiss—

A thick, viscous blend of green and purple liquid oozed like living sludge, spreading rapidly across the floor, the door, the ceiling, and the walls. For an instant, Ciel felt suffocated.

Everything outside had changed.

The once-luxurious hallway was now coated in the strange purple-green mucus. The ceiling was covered in grotesque, barnacle-like growths, their porous surfaces continuously secreting pulsating globs of sludge.

“Drink this.” Avena handed Ciel a vial.

Without hesitation, Ciel took it and drank it down in one gulp.

Her body felt like it was heating up, but her breathing became steadier.

“Move!” Avena charged through the sludge-covered floor, heading for the staircase.

Ciel followed right behind her.