The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 67

“Ciel, do you have a plan in mind?”

Avena watched as Ciel studied the Reconstitution Ritual for “Judicator.”

Ever since she had met Ciel, she had always felt that Ciel was someone who planned meticulously and carried out her strategies, even when they were highly risky—just like the ambush on Sherlon.

When Ciel insisted on executing Sherlon, Avena had thought the plan was too dangerous. But Ciel refused to let “Crown Guard” Nia engage Sherlon alone, as if she already knew what would happen.

Coordinated execution had been the most efficient way to eliminate Sherlon—one person restrained him while the other fired a lethal shot immediately after. Ciel had executed the plan flawlessly, as if she had rehearsed it.

So when Ciel presented the possibility that the Divine Advent Church was the force behind Sherlon’s ascension, Avena naturally turned to her for ideas.

“What about you? What do you plan to do?”

Ciel countered Avena’s question.

She also wanted to understand Avena’s—or rather, the Roswell family’s—course of action now that they had received this information.

Avena pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ll send a confidential letter to the church, warning them so they can investigate. If they don’t take action within two days, I’ll leave Berren City and head to Ansu.”

She let out a resigned sigh. “At this point, things have escalated beyond what I can personally handle.”

Report it first, then leave if nothing happens…

If it were Ciel, she would probably make a similar decision.

But she wouldn’t wait. She would report it and immediately escape Berren City with Lichie instead of waiting two days to see the outcome.

After receiving Ciel’s revelation about cultists hiding within Deton Manor, Avena left her guest room, leaving behind the “Sacrificial Saint’s Relic.”

Avena didn’t seem too worried about being brainwashed—after all, she had “Crown Guard” Nia protecting her around the clock. If something unexpected happened, Nia could whisk her away immediately.

While not the strongest in combat, “Crown Guards” were the best when it came to protection—far more reliable than a relic like the “Sacrificial Saint’s Relic” that required active use.

Once Avena left, Ciel opened her handbag containing five potions and began flipping through the Reconstitution Rituals she had purchased.

Different organizations had different understandings of each transcendent path’s rituals. These were compiled from the experiences of those who had successfully ascended. While each ritual had slight variations, the ones being sold were by no means the best or most efficient methods.

The true optimal methods were held by large organizations with many transcendents following the same path.

For example, since most of the Roswell family followed the “Detective” path, their ascension methods had been refined through extensive trial and error.

Similarly, the Church of the Savior Goddess would have an unmatched understanding of the “Ascetic” path. Their Reconstitution Rituals for “Ascetics” were likely the most reliable and structured versions available.

Yet, despite this, the Divine Advent Church had far more “Missionaries” than the Church of the Savior Goddess. This meant that the church had failed to discover—or had chosen not to use—the most optimal methods for advancing to the second-tier “Missionary.”

The reason was clear: the Divine Advent Church had no qualms about indoctrination. Their “Missionaries” could brainwash ordinary people and first-tier transcendents without hesitation, without worrying about their victims’ consent or the organization’s reputation. All that mattered was converting more fanatics.

As Ciel reviewed the five Reconstitution Rituals, her brows furrowed slightly.

Most of these paths didn’t align well with her current plan.

Aside from “Adventurer” and “Detective,” the other three required drinking the potion first before beginning the ritual.

For example, “Blood Painter” required an ordinary person to consume the potion, create a painting while under the influence of mental corruption, and then hold an exhibition.

If at least three spectators suffered mental instability or madness after viewing the artwork, the ritual would be completed.

However, Ciel suspected this wasn’t the optimal method.

An ordinary person needed the potion’s influence to create paintings capable of inducing madness.

But Ciel didn’t. She could hide a 【Other Side Page】 inside the painting to achieve the same effect, then find an opportunity to drink the potion later.

There was, however, one path she might have already completed—or could complete at any time.

The “Butcher” potion.

Its ritual required either dismembering a first-tier transcendent or dismembering ten ordinary people and hiding the bodies for at least five years.

This was another ritual Ciel believed could be completed before drinking the potion.

Ordinary people were unlikely to overpower a first-tier transcendent, let alone dismember one, so they needed the potion first.

But Ciel didn’t have that limitation.

She memorized all these rituals. During simulations, if the opportunity arose, she would complete as many as possible. There was no harm in performing more rituals.

For now, her priority was completing the “Avenger” ritual—so she wouldn’t be powerless when facing second-tier transcendents.

Ciel pulled out her notebook and pencil from her old canvas bag, sat at the table, and contemplated her next move.

A second-tier Reconstitution Ritual was no simple feat.

She had to interrogate a second-tier heretic, drink the potion mid-process, and then deliver judgment…

Setting aside the issue of defining a “heretic”—since she didn’t follow any religion—capturing a second-tier transcendent was beyond her current ability.

She had to rely on the simulation to find allies.

Right now, Ciel had a well-structured plan that would only require two simulations.

First, she would enter the “Gambler” save file, infiltrating the cult as a member. She would cooperate with Kitty to capture Uris for judgment and assist Kitty in purging the Church of the Savior Goddess, completing their intended mission.

As long as the Divine Advent Church’s recognition system worked correctly, Ciel could use her information on the church to gain Kitty’s trust.

After helping Kitty eliminate the church, Ciel would switch to the “Avenger” save file, reveal everything she had learned to Uris, and lead her to purge the Divine Advent Church’s base—capturing Kitty for judgment.

Then, in the “Avenger” save file, she could drink the potion immediately after delivering the verdict.

If everything went smoothly, this would be the fastest way to complete the “Judicator” ritual and ascend.

The key to executing this plan was using her “Gambler” identity to earn Kitty’s trust first.

It wouldn’t be easy—Ciel was prepared to waste an extra simulation just to test how to establish contact. Three simulations meant 30 Fate Points.

Spending 30 points for a guaranteed second-tier “Judicator” promotion was a fair trade—especially since each simulation could still earn her more points.

Ciel opened the simulation interface to check the available time slots.

The past simulation was already over 100 days in the past—she dismissed it. The future simulation, however, was set for two days later.

【Future: 2 Days (Saint Year 741, June 22, 15:05) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)】

If possible, she preferred a one-hour future simulation like before, which minimized uncertainty.

But a two-day jump wasn’t bad either—it would at least allow her to observe recent events.

Since she planned to enter the simulation using the “Gambler” save file, there was one crucial problem to address.

How to counteract the brainwashing.

The last time, she had been mentally dominated when Kitty used her white shadow ability to force-feed her the potion. It had implanted a subconscious imprint when her mind was vulnerable.

Ciel closed her eyes and recalled the sensations.

She hadn’t felt like she was being brainwashed—she had simply found Kitty incredibly kind and motherly.

When they chanted “Mother Goddess Sadhana watches over us” together, she had felt an overwhelming sense of joy, as if worshiping the goddess was the most wonderful thing in the world—even though she had no idea who “Mother Goddess” even was.

If she entered the save file, she would instantly fall back into that indoctrinated state.

At that point, she would lose control. Forget gathering intelligence—she might spend the entire 24 hours trying to serve the cult without realizing it.

She needed her future self to wake up on her own.

Ciel picked up her pencil and wrote in Chinese:

【You’re already familiar with gathering information midway, so there’s no need for me to go over it again.】

【I need you to ensure that “Gambler” Ciel remains conscious upon arrival—I can’t allow myself to think about how to do this.】

【If I think of a solution, then “Gambler” Ciel will remember it too. But if you come up with one, she won’t.】

【I need you to restrain “Gambler” Ciel, use the “Sacrificial Saint’s Relic,” and pierce her body in a way she can’t refuse. Collect her blood and wake her up.】

【”Gambler” Ciel will arrive on the 22nd at 15:05.】

【Be quick, and don’t give her a chance to resist.】

【Best of luck.】

Ciel put down the pencil, carefully reread what she had written, and, after confirming there were no mistakes, opened the simulation interface.

She could no longer think about how to wake up “Gambler” Ciel. If she came up with a solution now, the Ciel inside the simulation would likely think of the same plan—after all, they were the same person.

“Future, No.3.”

A blinding silver light burst before Ciel’s eyes. As her Fate Points dropped from 64 to 54, her consciousness was gradually stripped away…

…

【Future】

【Saint Year 741, June 22, 15:05】

【Countdown – 23:59:59】

The moment she opened her eyes, a low humming and murmuring echoed in her mind, though there was nothing visible before her.

Ciel could feel that she was seated in a chair, but her legs wouldn’t move.

Her hands and feet seemed to be tied behind her with something, but the bindings were loose—she could break free with just a little effort.

“Mother Goddess…”

Ciel let out an instinctive sigh, as if just whispering those words granted her strength.

Whoosh—

A sudden gust of wind tore through the air. Ciel instinctively tried to raise her hands to block it, but the restraints hindered her movement, preventing her from reacting in time.

Thud—

A sharp, searing pain erupted in her abdomen, forcing her body to curl forward like a shrimp. The force knocked her, chair and all, to the ground.

With a strong tug, she ripped free from the bindings on her wrists and yanked off the blindfold covering her eyes.

But at that very instant, her consciousness was forcefully pulled away, plunging her into an abyss of darkness.

The pain disappeared in a split second. The sounds around her vanished. Even the whispers in her mind ceased.

What… just happened?

Mother Goddess, bless me…

Before Ciel’s consciousness could linger in this space for long, she felt another force pulling her away.

Her awareness was dragged back into her body—along with the searing pain and the whispers flooding her mind once again.

Huh?

Ciel reached up and tore off the blindfold, finally taking in her surroundings.

She was not in Avena’s estate. Instead, she was in a completely unfamiliar room.

Judging by its size and layout, it looked like an inn.

Following the source of her pain, she looked down and realized that she was completely bare-chested.

She saw a short arrow embedded in her abdomen. The tip was bound to a small, intricately caged Sacrificial Saint’s Relic, half-buried in her flesh. The blood leaking from the wound had failed to extinguish the purple flames flickering within the relic.

Ciel’s legs were tightly bound to the chair with rope—firmly wrapped, but with a simple knot at the top that could be undone with a light pull.

It was obvious she had tied it herself.

She steadied herself by gripping the arrow lodged in her abdomen and shakily stood up. Looking in the direction she had fallen, she saw several bottles of medicine and some bandages arranged neatly in front of her. Each bottle had a white label with handwritten instructions: “Pain Relief,” “Disinfectant,” “For External Use,” “For Internal Use.”

Further ahead stood a short cabinet. On top of it was a modified crossbow rigged as a makeshift firing mechanism—the very device that had launched the arrow into her stomach. Behind the crossbow, a few candles had burned down just enough to trigger the mechanism.

Seriously?

Couldn’t I have just asked Avena to stab me with the “Sacrificial Saint’s Relic” at the right time?

Was this level of brutality really necessary? I’m still me, you know!

Ciel pulled the short arrow from her abdomen, gripping the blood-soaked, still-burning Sacrificial Saint’s Relic in her hand. Following the instructions on the labels, she treated her wound in the correct order.

After applying the final bandage, the sharp pain in her stomach had dulled significantly.

At least I was considerate enough to leave myself proper medical supplies…

After dressing in the neatly prepared clothes on the bed, Ciel approached the crossbow mechanism. Underneath it, a notebook lay flat on the table.

She was filled with doubt.

These medicines were clearly prepared by Adele, but why hadn’t she just had Adele help directly? And where was Avena? Wasn’t she supposed to be at Avena’s estate?

Had she chosen to avoid too much contact with Adele and Avena in the simulation, suspecting they were under surveillance?

Highly possible.

Ciel flipped open the notebook and began reading its contents.