The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 66

“Let’s head back.”

After getting into the carriage, Ciel sat across from Avena and closed her eyes to rest.

“That’s it?”

Avena sounded a little surprised. Adele’s antidote had only been used for a few drops.

Did Ciel… really have so few friends?

Avena had initially wanted to observe Ciel’s social circle, but it turned out to be pitifully small.

Aside from her sister and the school principal, the only other person Ciel considered worthy of giving the cure to was just one friend.

Her life was truly a straight line between two points.

Avena glanced at Ciel, who had her eyes closed, uncertain if she should offer some words of comfort.

“Yeah.”

Ciel opened her eyes and looked at Avena. “When we get back, I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Hearing this, Avena took a deep breath.

“Can I… choose not to talk about it?”

Her voice was noticeably weaker.

But Ciel didn’t answer—she simply closed her eyes again.

She didn’t know if Avena was still under cultist surveillance. It was best to ensure they were relatively safe before bringing up the topic of “Mother Goddess Sadhana.”

On the way back, Avena felt increasingly uneasy, wondering what Ciel wanted to ask her.

At the same time, she couldn’t shake her curiosity about why Ciel had bought so many first-tier potions.

For someone with such a limited social circle, why would she need so many potions?

Could it be for the intelligence organization behind her?

Unlikely.

A highly capable intelligence group wouldn’t waste money purchasing the Reconstitution Rituals along with the potions. They would already have documentation on those rituals.

Was Ciel using them herself?

Even if she needed them, she wouldn’t require so many. It wasn’t like one person could drink them all.

Even if Ciel did need potions, Avena would have recommended the “Detective” path.

She couldn’t vouch for the others, but when it came to the “Detective” path, Avena could provide expert guidance.

Avena’s home wasn’t far from Amy’s, both located in the Sir’s Bridge District. Soon, the carriage arrived at Avena’s estate.

Since the antidote hadn’t been widely distributed yet, Avena hadn’t called back the estate’s servants. The rubble and debris on the right side of the property were still untouched.

“Where’s the most private place to talk?”

After stepping inside, Ciel turned to Avena.

“The stud… my room.”

Avena paused before correcting herself. “My room is smaller than the study. It’s better for setting up a ritual.”

Ciel gave Avena a questioning look.

In the simulation, Avena had set up a ritual in the study. Did room size really affect a ritual?

But Avena remained expressionless, gazing straight ahead. Ciel couldn’t detect any unusual emotions on her face.

Without overthinking it, Ciel returned to her guest room on the second floor. She placed her newly acquired potions and ritual notes alongside the “Judicator” potion Avena had given her earlier. Then, she made her way to the third floor and stopped outside Avena’s door.

Knock, knock, knock—

Ciel knocked and waited about half a minute before the door opened.

“Come in.”

Avena stepped aside, making room for Ciel to enter.

Ciel walked in. She had stayed in this room once before, so it wasn’t unfamiliar. Finding a sofa, she sat down and noticed that two cups of freshly brewed black tea were already set on the table.

Click—

Avena locked the door behind her, then seated herself in a single-person sofa next to Ciel. “I’ve set up a ritual to block eavesdropping. What do you want to talk about?”

Even when discussing life-or-death matters before, Ciel had never requested such precautions.

Avena reached up and scratched her neck. The bite mark Ciel had left earlier was almost healed, leaving only a faint scar and an occasional itch from the healing process.

She hadn’t applied any ointment to speed up the healing. She wasn’t sure why—perhaps she simply hadn’t thought about it.

Ciel picked up her tea, took a sip, and asked, “Have you studied Sherlon’s notes?”

Avena nodded. “I read them thoroughly before handing them over to the Redemption Society. I wouldn’t call it research, but I remember the contents.”

“What do you think was suspicious in those notes?”

Ciel continued to ask.

Avena enjoyed solving mysteries, so Ciel approached it from her area of expertise.

“Now that you mention it, there were a few things I couldn’t quite figure out.”

Hearing this, Avena perked up.

Even though she hadn’t followed the “Detective” path like most of the Roswell family, she had grown up surrounded by it, which had made her naturally inclined toward mysteries.

“He was utterly obsessed with his research results, but the way he described them was vague, as if even he didn’t understand the principles behind them. Adele later confirmed this suspicion.”

“Apart from that, I found three unresolved questions.”

Avena paused briefly to organize her thoughts, then looked down at her tea and said, “First, where did he get his ‘Source of Cholera’ potion and its Reconstitution Ritual?”

“The Redemption Society operates on a point-based system. Publishing papers and research earns contribution points, which can then be used to acquire materials. They don’t pay much in su pounds. So where did Sherlon get the funds? Where did he buy the potion and the ritual?”

“Second, the origin of his sealed artifact is vague. Deton Manor only sells low-grade artifacts with minor effects and side effects. They don’t offer something as perfectly tailored as the artifact you described—one designed specifically for his ‘dehydration syndrome’ contagion.”

“This artifact was clearly custom-made for his needs. There’s no way he could have obtained such a perfect setup—potion, ritual, and artifact—on his own.”

“Third, in the latter half of his notes, there’s a sudden and intense hatred for the Church of the Savior Goddess…”

Avena’s voice trailed off. She looked up at Ciel.

Was this what she wanted to discuss?

She had considered this possibility before but hadn’t dwelled on it.

It had seemed unlikely. That particular organization operated in secrecy. Most of their actions only came to light long after their schemes had succeeded. They didn’t get exposed as early as Sherlon had been.

But if it weren’t for Ciel, maybe this time…

Seeing Avena’s expression, Ciel knew she had figured something out.

“Avena, do you know about Sad—”

Before Ciel could finish, Avena lunged forward and clamped a hand over her mouth, whispering urgently, “Don’t!”

Ciel shut her mouth and stared at Avena, puzzled.

“Don’t say the name.”

Avena slowly released her grip, shaking her head. “This ritual isn’t strong enough to block His gaze. If you say it out loud, He might notice.”

Just mentioning the name could attract attention?

What had she gotten herself into? Was the cult’s god an actual deity?

“He?”

Ciel frowned slightly. “Are they truly worshiping a real god?”

“Uncertain.”

Avena shook her head. “But when dealing with heretical faiths, it’s safest to assume they are real.”

Not certain?

Ciel’s mind raced.

She had a hunch—Sadhana wasn’t a real god.

Or at least, that wasn’t the being’s true name.

If it were a true deity, according to the system, communication with them would require accessing the Other Side.

Ciel had witnessed a glimpse of the Other Side before—she had even stepped into it and returned.

Even just describing what she had seen would have sent a third-tier “Radiance Bishop” like Hugh scrambling to silence her.

A real deity’s name wouldn’t leave its speaker conscious.

For now, she had no concrete answer regarding Sadhana’s authenticity.

She set that thought aside and asked, “How much do you know about this cult? That’s what I wanted to ask you.”

“They call themselves the ‘Divine Advent Church’… yes, just one word different from the Church of the Savior Goddess. Rumor has it they were once an internal faction called the ‘Advent Order.'”

Avena continued, “After an internal schism, the entire ‘Advent Order’ defected, taking numerous sealed artifacts and divine potions with them. They became a clandestine cult operating in the shadows.”

“The Divine Advent Church doesn’t just recruit transcendent followers from the ‘Avenger’ and ‘Ascetic’ paths—they also accept members from other transcendent paths. Their number of ‘Missionaries’ might even surpass that of the Church of the Savior Goddess. It’s a vast, secretive organization.”