The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 61

“Alright.” Ciel hugged the bag and moved to sit beside Avena, reaching up to remove her mask.

“Turn around.”

Avena placed her hands on Ciel’s shoulders, adjusting her position before retrieving a small crystal vial and a hair tie from her waist pouch.

The vial contained a grayish-blue liquid that emitted faint wisps of smoke. Uncorking it, Avena poured the liquid onto Ciel’s head.

A cool sensation trickled over her scalp, making her shiver slightly. “What is this?” Ciel asked curiously.

“A dye potion,” Avena explained. “It’s made with a bit of transcendent material. It changes your hair color, gives you a slight transcendent aura, makes it easier to blend in, and doesn’t damage your hair.”

Ciel had considered asking how much it cost, but knowing Avena, she decided against it.

For someone like Avena, money wasn’t even a concept.

If something could be solved with money, it wasn’t a problem.

After dyeing Ciel’s hair, Avena still wasn’t satisfied. She started styling it, quickly tying small ponytails behind each of Ciel’s ears with black ribbons, then lightly curling the ends with her fingers.

Ciel glanced at her reflection in the carriage window.

With just a slight change in hair color and style, her entire aura had shifted.

Before, she had an air of mystery and danger. Now, she exuded a sense of refined composure—more like a true noble lady. Though, from a financial standpoint, she looked like a noble lady who was about to go bankrupt.

“Are we done?”

“Done.”

Ciel immediately put her mask back on and returned to her seat, leaving Avena staring in mild exasperation.

“You didn’t even let me see…”

But Avena quickly let it go. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. For now, she needed to brief Ciel on what to expect.

“Ciel, once you enter and become a member, you’ll exchange pounds for chips with us. Then, they’ll require you to participate in a round of gambling,” Avena explained in detail. “Just pick a simple card game and lose 50 pounds worth of chips. That’ll be your entry fee.”

“There’s a rule like that?” Ciel winced at the thought.

Fifty su pounds… Once upon a time, that number would have been unfathomable, and now she had to throw it away just to get in?

“There’s no way around it. They have the most complete selection of potions and materials, and they can guarantee a reasonable degree of safety,” Avena said. “If you ever need something that’s impossible to find elsewhere, you won’t think their fees are too high anymore.”

Listening to Avena’s explanation, Ciel’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

Just as the carriage arrived back at the private clinic, they stopped to pick up Adele before heading straight toward Deton Manor.

The ride took them further from the heart of Berren City, eventually leaving the city limits entirely. The carriage followed a stone-paved road leading into the hills.

This was Creek Hill. Ciel recognized it. Berren City was mostly built on flat plains, with only a few rolling hills around. The nearest mountain was Creek Hill.

Their carriage pulled up in front of a massive estate nestled on the hillside. As they stepped out, two attendants at the gate approached them.

“Welcome to Deton Manor. May I see your membership credentials?” The lead attendant bowed slightly and inspected the membership cards of the others before turning to Ciel.

“The three of us are sponsoring her,” Avena explained. “Please take her to process her membership.”

“Of course, Miss. Please follow me.” The attendant stepped aside to let Ciel pass.

“Ciel—uh, um—we’ll wait for you in the main hall,” Adele stammered, nearly blurting out Ciel’s name before catching herself.

“Alright.”

Ciel gave a brief reply and followed the attendant inside the manor.

She glanced around thoughtfully.

The place looked no different from Avena’s home—nothing like the casino she had imagined. It resembled an extravagant vacation estate for the wealthy.

Before long, she was led into a reception hall filled with stacks of casino chips. Sitting among them was a man smoking a cigar.

“A newcomer?” The man gave Ciel a casual glance. “Chip exchange rate is 100:80. Membership credentials are over there. Leave however much money you want, exchange for chips, then take a card from the table and proceed to the next room.”

Ciel didn’t reply, simply exchanging 100 su pounds for eight 10-pound chips and picking up a membership card before heading to the indicated room.

She inspected the chips closely and noticed each one was uniquely marked. Any hope she had of taking a massive bag of chips for later use was dashed.

Her initial impression of this place wasn’t great—it felt haphazardly run.

Opening the door to the next room, she frowned slightly.

It was a windowless chamber. To the left, a glass partition separated her from another area. Beyond the glass, a man lay slumped over a gambling table—half his head missing, blood and brain matter pooling around him.

“Welcome,” a sweet voice greeted her.

A maid, clad in a black-and-white uniform and wearing a crimson chip-shaped mask, curtsied. “Where would you like to go? The betting floor, the poker room, the VIP lounge, or the racetrack?”

“The poker room,” Ciel answered, following Avena’s instructions.

“Please follow me.”

The maid opened another door, leading Ciel into a vast, opulently decorated space. Well-dressed individuals moved about, absorbed in their games. A bell rang, drawing everyone’s attention toward the central platform.

A glass-enclosed space sat atop the stage.

Inside, two men sat across from each other at a gambling table. Between them, a dealer wearing a green chip-shaped mask was loading a revolver with bullets. Even through the glass, the sound of the rounds clicking into place was unnervingly clear.

As Ciel followed the maid through the crowd, she kept her eyes on the platform.

“Three live rounds, two blanks,” the dealer announced, setting the revolver down. “Reveal your bets. The higher wager goes first.”

The betting boxes in front of both men slowly opened. The balding man on the left had the advantage. He wiped the sweat from his brow, grabbed the revolver, and pointed it at his opponent. His sweat-soaked face twisted with manic excitement.

“Three live rounds?! Kid, you’re finished! It’s my turn to win!” The balding man cackled, flipped the gun toward his own temple, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

The revolver’s sealed chamber clicked empty—an unloaded round.

“Hahahaha!” The bald man burst into wild laughter before spinning the gun back toward his opponent. “Die, you bastard!”

He pulled the trigger.

Click.

A spent casing popped out.

The bald man’s eyes widened in disbelief. Snarling, he pulled the trigger again.

Bang!

A shot rang out. A bullet, spitting fire, curved in midair—piercing the bald man’s forehead, leaving a gaping wound.

“Your fate is unchangeable.”

The green-masked dealer elegantly slid the bloodstained chips from the bald man’s side toward the other player. “Sir, your remaining debt is 1,410 pounds. Would you like to continue?”

“Yes,” the surviving gambler gasped, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing ragged.

Ciel frowned slightly.

No wonder Avena warned her not to get involved in these games… These were real deathmatches.

But what if she needed to digest the “Gambler” potion? Or complete the “Gambler” ascension ritual?

If she had been in that game just now, and she had secured the first move, she would have been absolutely invincible.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

The maid opened another door, revealing a large hall with eight poker tables. She stopped beside an empty seat and gestured toward Ciel. “Since this is your first time, do you need an explanation of the rules?”

At the mention of a first-time player, the other gamblers turned their attention toward Ciel.

Among them were “Gamblers.”

“No need.” Ciel had no interest in this. She just wanted to lose 50 pounds quickly and move on.

“Understood. I’ll explain the rules before inviting others to join your table.”

No need to invite them.

The moment they heard a newcomer had arrived to throw away money, the “Gamblers” were already gathering around her table.