The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 65

Ciel opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

She looked at the system interface before her, recalling the sensations she had just experienced.

Was that… brainwashing?

Ciel found it difficult to distinguish whether the overwhelming, maddening whispers that had nearly drowned out her thoughts upon drinking the “Gambler” potion came from the potion itself, from the “Missionary” Kitty, or from the so-called “Mother Goddess Sadhana.”

Either way, the “Gambler” Ciel save file was unquestionably heavily contaminated. Using it would require extreme caution.

“System, if I load save file No.3, will I still be in that state of uncontrollable mind domination?”

Ciel asked internally.

【Save file No.3 carries the “Sadhana Mark.” Under its influence, No.3 cannot attack others who also bear the “Sadhana Mark” and will wholeheartedly believe in “Sadhana.”】

【Upgrading mental skills such as 【Calm Mind】 can strengthen resistance against mental corruption.】

“Can the mark be removed?”

【The “Sadhana Mark” is irreversible.】

Hmm…

Corrupted save file?

No, not exactly.

According to the system, improving her mental resistance skills would allow her to resist its effects.

And those who bore the “Sadhana Mark” could not attack one another.

In other words, if Ciel used the “Gambler” save file, transcendent cultists wouldn’t be able to harm her.

This was effectively a sleeper agent save file—an infiltration tool against a cult.

Not bad. It was like planting a spy within enemy ranks.

Ciel recalled Kitty’s words before she lost consciousness.

Kitty had asked what Ciel’s relationship was with those who had “disrupted her plans.”

Disrupted plans? What plan?

The only disrupted plans Ciel could think of were Thomas’s Reconstitution Ritual and Sherlon’s.

Thomas could likely be ruled out—his diary had revealed him to be nothing more than an opportunistic scumbag with good luck.

Sherlon’s research notes, however, had been full of suspicious gaps.

Where had he gotten his third-tier potion? Where had he obtained his sealed artifact?

Moreover, Sherlon had deliberately chosen to conduct his ritual right outside the Church of the Savior Goddess.

His hatred for the church had seemed sudden and extreme, as if it had been planted in him.

But if this entire event had been orchestrated by the cult worshiping “Mother Goddess Sadhana,” then everything made sense.

Now, Ciel just needed to confirm whether this Sadhana cult was truly opposed to the Church of the Savior Goddess. If so, she could connect the dots to the larger conspiracy.

She could verify this with Avena later—or, if necessary, ask Adele.

For now, she shelved the issue and opened the save file menu.

Previously, she had only been able to store three save files.

According to the system, now that all three had been used, all save slots had been unlocked—meaning she could now see exactly how many paths existed.

As she opened the character save menu, a much longer list appeared before her.

【Select Character】

【No.0: Ciel (Pure Mode)】
【No.1: Ciel—Avenger】
【No.2: Ciel—Avenger (2)】
【No.3: Ciel—Gambler, Sadhana Cultist】
【No.4: Empty】
【…】
【No.16: Empty】

Sixteen?

Excluding her original pure mode, there were sixteen save slots. Just looking at them made her head ache.

Sixteen first-tier paths…

Even if she ignored everything else, just buying the necessary potions would cost at least 12,000 su pounds… System, are you serious?

Ciel already knew she had unlocked quite a few paths, but seeing so many empty slots still made her dizzy.

Was this some kind of grind-heavy system? Did she really have to collect sixteen character cards?

What a garbage system. Couldn’t she just draw them like in a gacha game?

Ciel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, suddenly, a thought struck her, and she asked internally,

“System, if I promote a path to the second tier and save it, does it still count as having collected that path’s first-tier form?”

【Yes.】

“Then… if I transition from ‘Judicator’ to the adjacent ‘Missionary’ path and save ‘Missionary’ in a separate file, would that count as completing the first-tier ‘Ascetic’ path?”

【Yes.】

That made things a little better…

At least she didn’t have to drink every single potion.

Still, it was a huge undertaking. After counting the paths she already knew and comparing them to the empty potion slots in Deton Manor’s underground exchange, she realized a few were still missing.

This wouldn’t be completed overnight. She needed to take things step by step, starting with her immediate challenges.

Avena, who had directly ruined Sherlon’s ritual, was undoubtedly on the cult’s radar.

As Sherlon’s student, Adele was likely under surveillance as well.

The real question was whether she herself, in reality, had already caught the cult’s attention.

Ciel had no way of knowing—so she needed to use the simulation to find out. Before her Death Roulette win streak, had she already been noticed by the cult?

And with her “Sadhana Mark” save file, she might be able to infiltrate the cult at some point.

Of course, she would need to figure out a way to stay conscious while using that save file.

Ciel stood up, tucked the notebook from the maid into her handbag, and stepped out of the room.

“Please take me to the exchange area,” Ciel told the maid waiting outside the door.

She had no intention of returning to Death Roulette. All she wanted now was to buy the potions and rituals she needed and leave Deton Manor as soon as possible.

The maid led her toward the underground exchange. Standing outside the exchange area, Ciel spotted Adele and Avena in conversation.

“Ciel, where did you go? I turned around, and you were gone.”

Avena sighed slightly in relief when she saw her. She had been worried that Ciel had wandered off and gotten lost.

It was her first time here, after all. If she had been tricked into sitting at a gambling table, she could have lost everything in an instant.

Worst-case scenario, if she ended up in debt and forced into Death Roulette, it would have been a death sentence.

“I had the maid take me to a lounge to rest for a bit,” Ciel replied.

“A lounge?”

Avena frowned, studying Ciel. “What did you do there?”

“What do you mean?”

Ciel blinked in confusion. “I just asked the maid for a notebook and wrote some things down. Does that count as doing anything?”

Avena coughed lightly and changed the subject. “Have you decided what to buy? Adele and I already finished shopping.”

Ciel lifted her handbag, filled with su pounds and some chips. “I want to exchange all my money for chips first.”

“I can assist you, Miss.”

The red chip-mask maid curtsied slightly.

Ciel handed over her handbag and watched the maid enter the exchange area. Shortly after, she returned and handed the bag back to Ciel.

“4,500 pounds in chips. Please confirm.”

Ciel took the handbag and inhaled sharply.

Robbery!

Over 5,000 pounds had turned into 4,500!

“Since you’re a newcomer, we applied a small discount when converting your chips. I hope you don’t mind,” the maid added, mistaking Ciel’s silence for dissatisfaction.

The maid grew nervous—had she overstepped by applying a discount? If she had offended a rich guest, it would be a disaster. Wealthy people were hard to predict.

“Thanks.”

Ciel stiffly nodded before carrying her handbag over to the first-tier potion exchange.

Avena and Adele had already finished their shopping and were now leisurely following behind her, curious to see what she would buy.

With 4,500 pounds in chips, she could afford a maximum of five potions. Choosing which ones to purchase was the real challenge.

First, the “Gambler” path was immediately ruled out. Aside from the fact that non-members of Deton Manor couldn’t purchase it, if Ciel wanted to ascend in that path, she could simply enter the simulation, return to the manor, and execute fifty people. She wouldn’t even need to waste additional Fate Points on redemption.

With her increasing proficiency in executions, she’d be able to kill even faster next time—saving both time and effort.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t examine the Reconstitution Rituals beforehand. That meant she had to rely on what she had previously read in Avena’s study, along with the potion names, to make an educated guess about which ones she might have already completed.

Ciel purchased the “Blood Painter,” “Adventurer,” “Detective,” “Butcher,” and “Coroner” potions.

With the remaining chips, she bought materials for the “Instigator” potion. She had previously gathered only part of the required materials, but now that she had the full set, she could attempt to brew the potion herself.

Ciel also wanted to buy the “Instigator” potion directly, but she simply didn’t have enough chips.

And so, carrying five potions and a set of potion materials, Ciel followed Avena and Adele as they left Deton Manor.

As they reached the carriage, a sense of emptiness washed over Ciel—the feeling of post-shopping regret.

She looked at the bottles packed tightly inside her handbag, feeling as if her heart were bleeding.

She had barely gotten her hands on her newfound wealth, and now it was all gone, converted into potions and materials before she even had time to enjoy it.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. Thank you both for accompanying me on my purchases.”

Adele gave a slight bow toward Ciel and Avena in gratitude.

“Wait a moment.”

Ciel called out to Adele, looking at her. “Do you have any more of the dehydration syndrome cure? Could you sell me a few bottles? I… might need to pay you later.”

“You don’t need to pay. It’s not a valuable item, and distributing it to more people is my responsibility.”

Adele pulled a small vial from her waist pouch and handed it to Ciel, instructing, “For ordinary people, dilute a single drop in water before consumption. There are about twenty drops inside.”

“I’m currently staying at 31 Gem Street in the city center. If you need more, come find me.”

Leaving her address, Adele then bid them farewell. It seemed she was ready to begin researching the Reconstitution Ritual for “Plague Doctor.”

“Want me to come with you to deliver the medicine?”

Avena, sitting on the carriage, opened the door and gestured to Ciel. “I don’t have anything to do when I go back anyway.”

She knew that as soon as Ciel got her hands on the cure, she would want to deliver some to her sister—maybe even to other people she cared about. Tagging along would give her a chance to see what kind of people Ciel associated with.

“Come on, the carriage is faster.”

Avena shifted aside to make room. “Getting it there even a second sooner could make a difference.”

Her last remark finally convinced Ciel. She accepted Avena’s offer without further argument and climbed into the carriage, listing off several addresses.

Since they were still in the outskirts, each of Ciel’s destinations was quite a distance away. It took about half an hour for the carriage to reach the first stop—Berren Private Academy.

The graduation ceremony had taken place yesterday, and though the decorations from the event were still up, most of the staff had already left. Only a few teachers remained, cleaning up.

Ciel approached one of the teachers to ask for the principal’s home address before returning to the carriage and instructing the driver to head there.

The teachers assumed that Ciel had simply missed the graduation ceremony and was coming back for her diploma.

But Ciel hadn’t forgotten what had been written in the simulated diary—the one that described seeing Principal Jenny’s corpse in the quarantined Clock Tower District.

Jenny had contracted dehydration syndrome.

She had been kind to Ciel, and Ciel intended to return the favor.

When they arrived at Principal Jenny’s home, they found her lying in bed, barely conscious, with only a worried elderly servant tending to her.

Ciel diluted a drop of the cure and fed it to the principal. Only after ensuring she was no longer showing signs of dehydration did she leave.

The next stop was the jewelry district, where her sister, Lichie, lived. Ciel handed her a bottle of diluted medicine, and Lichie, without question, drank it immediately.

They chatted for a bit before Ciel returned to the carriage.

Throughout the conversation, Lichie kept sneaking glances at Avena, who sat waiting in the carriage. Eventually, her silent stares made Avena so uncomfortable that she had to step down and formally greet Lichie.

The final stop was Amy’s home.

Baron Hastings had heard of the dehydration syndrome outbreak. He was surprised that Ciel had gotten her hands on the cure so quickly, but upon seeing the Roswell family’s carriage outside, he quickly understood and accepted her gift without hesitation.

Amy, on the other hand, wasn’t very concerned about the illness or the medicine. She was more focused on why Ciel hadn’t attended graduation the day before—wondering if something had happened to her.

It was clear that being unable to contact Ciel, combined with her father forbidding her from going to the Clock Tower District, had left Amy worried sick. She had been terrified that something had happened to Ciel.

After chatting with Amy for a while, Ciel returned to the carriage once more.

She had given the cure to all the ordinary people she cared about. Now, it was time to focus on her own potions and Reconstitution Rituals.

She needed to analyze all the potions and rituals she had gathered, figuring out which ones she had already completed or which could be completed simultaneously.

Additionally, she needed to find a safe place—namely, Avena’s home—to ask her about Sadhana and the cult.