◆ ◆ ◆
A small light was cast in the room. Men in white coats, who seemed to be researchers, were all focused on the same container.
The bottle-shaped container was filled with a thin green liquid, and in the center floated a white egg about 15 millimeters in diameter.
――This is definitely the egg of Vurfi Margaret, right?
――Yes, there's no mistake.
――This is a fresh egg created from Vurfi’s cells, who died of illness three nights ago.
Amidst the serious conversation, occasional gleeful laughter could be heard. The room’s atmosphere grew heated.
After all, what was about to be conducted was a top-secret human creation experiment ordered by the world government. Given that human creation is considered an absolute taboo, it’s understandable that the researchers who constantly pursue the depths of life would be so excited.
Soon, another material would arrive.
Originally, the researchers gathered in the lab upon hearing that the material was completed.
――The sperm has been delivered.
――Is this really it?
――How did those people create sperm from the statue?
――Well, it doesn’t matter. We should focus on our own objectives.
The sperm, packed in a vacuum-sealed state, had its magical protection removed, and one of the researchers inserted it into the bottle-shaped container.
A single strong sperm wiggled its way toward Vurfi’s egg, approaching and penetrating it with a decisive motion.
"Wow!" The researchers collectively cheered, surprised at how easily it went.
The process was now complete.
A new life had been created from the sperm extracted from the statue and the egg of the deceased witch.
――What name should we give it?
In response to the question, a young researcher muttered while peering through a gap in the curtain at the rainy sky.
――Perhaps something casual would be fine; after all, it’s not like it will have a good life.
The fertilized egg, under the watchful eyes of the researchers, began to show the rhythmic beats of life.
◆ ◆ ◆
Friday, May 24th. Evening.
The end of the week leaves my body feeling heavy and sluggish. The cause is probably the constant tension I’ve been under.
The day before yesterday, there was an incident at the foot of the mountain with Laral and Yurizia, and yesterday I heard the truth from Laral and had sex with Rain.
"Hah."
How many times have I sighed now?
Why is it that humans always seem so eager to fight? Or am I just too naive in my thinking?
Today, I felt like walking alone for the first time in a while, so I turned down Aira’s escort this morning.
So, here I am, walking home alone and looking up at the evening sky, something I haven’t done in a long time.
It all started on the night of May 13th, the moment I met Aira. I’m surprised that more than ten days have already passed since then.
The Battle of the Defiled Land, The Super Criminals from Another World.
Will we ever be able to restore the peaceful daily life of this city… no, of this world?
"—!?"
Suddenly, a feeling of suffocation hit me.
It was only after a delay that I realized that someone was strangling me from behind.
Thin arms, veins prominently showing, continued to strangle my neck. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze…
Damn it, of all times, it had to be when Aira wasn’t around――!
"Gah… who, who are you?"
I attempted to figure out who was attacking me.
I channeled mental energy into my eyes to activate my Basic Information Reading ability. …There it was. A convex mirror.
Once I confirmed the attacker’s figure in the mirror, however, my consciousness began to fade away.
"Yu… ri—?!"
Witch: Yurizia Aswell—
I knew it was definitely Yurizia if someone was going to attack me, but somewhere in my heart, I still believed in Yuri.
Determined to at least inform the two of them, I activated the purple mark engraved on the palm of my right hand and sent an emergency message to Rain. This serves as a sort of personal alarm system.
In the convex mirror, the expression of a beautiful girl with flowing light golden hair and a pure white dress was—
"Harima… san—… I’m sorry… I’m sorry—"
The oxygen in my blood grew thin, impairing my bodily functions, and my consciousness began to fade away.
As I sank into darkness, an abstract object resembling a spiral staircase floated before my eyes, but I had no time to ponder what it was before I completely fell unconscious.
※ ※ ※
I woke up to a terrible stench.
A sharp, distinctive ammonia odor. After confirming that my body was bound and that I was fixed to a western-style toilet, I looked ahead.
The space was unusually large for just a toilet. It seemed there was only the one toilet I was bound to, and there were handrails scattered around.
It didn’t take me long to confirm that this was probably an accessible restroom for people with disabilities.
And then.
"…Yurizia…? No… Yuri…?”
Standing in front of me was Yurizia, her hands clasped and trembling while she looked down.
"H-Harima-san…"
"Are you Yuri…?"
"—…"
For me, Yurizia and Yuri were considered separate individuals.
The one who offered assistance during the Aira Rescue Operation was Yuri.
And the one who suddenly betrayed us during the operation with a pitch-black appearance was Yurizia.
Needless to say, the two have identical appearances.
However, I’m speculating that perhaps they are being controlled by some ability similar to the divine artifact possessed by Livia Betagard.
"Yes, that’s right. The person standing before you is undoubtedly Yurizia Aswell—"
"!?"
A voice was heard from somewhere.
In stark contrast to Yuri’s voice, which conveyed a comforting warmth, this voice sounded like a swamp filled with poisonous liquid.
From behind Yuri, someone appeared effortlessly.
"And I am—Yurizia’s older sister, the one who will achieve victory and freedom in this war, Marizia Aswell."
Her hair, long and dyed an obscene purple, was tied into a side ponytail on the left, mirroring Yuri's.
She exuded a noble air reminiscent of a princess from some country, and also an oppressive presence similar to a demon lord who controls all.
Her height was nearly the same. Her facial features were similar, but to me, she seemed like a completely different person. I didn’t even want to think of them as sisters.
She is undoubtedly the one—Marizia Aswell—the one who has been controlling Yuri from behind the scenes.
"Don’t look so frightened. The only reason I arranged this meeting was to explain things to Harima-kun and ask for your cooperation."
"Don’t mess with me…! Who would cooperate with someone after being treated like this…!"
"There’s no need to hurry. We have plenty of time. I’ve already killed the nuisances."
Nuisances—? She can’t be talking about Aira and Rain, can she…?
When I glared at Marizia with that thought in mind, she dismissed me lightly and revealed a shocking truth.
"No, it’s not them. I’m talking about that filthy Dragon Horned Person, Laral."
"—What!? Don’t mess with me!! There’s a limit to how far you can joke before it becomes cruel!"
"A joke—? Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean, but the fact is, I did kill her."
She states it matter-of-factly.
She feels no guilt or remorse whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Yuri's trembling grew stronger. Marizia then asked her a cruel question.
"Hey? You did kill her, didn’t you? With Yurizia’s body—"
"—Eek, no… Yuri didn’t… y-you’ve got it wrong…! Yuri didn’t kill…!"
"Oh, well. Those past matters don’t really matter now. What’s important is what’s right in front of us."
Click—click—, Marizia approaches me and gently strokes my chin with her cold hand.
If Yuri is a legitimate witch, then it is natural for Maritsia to be a legitimate witch as well.
Despite her relaxed smile, I feel a chilling sense of fear.
"Now then, let me explain in detail to Harima-kun. Our purpose as Demon Witches."
As Marizia extends her right hand, a jar appears with a whoosh.
The rim is wide, but the neck is narrow— a dark-colored jar with a thick body and handles on both sides.
It’s clear that it’s not an ordinary jar, but beyond that, I can’t discern much.
Even using my Eyes ability to check, all I saw were unreadable strings of characters.
"Our objective is simple: to secure freedom, return to Ivral, and take the throne."
Although I can understand the surface of the words, I can’t agree with or comprehend the underlying, unrealistic ideal.
At first, I thought that was the case, but as I listened to Marizia Azwell’s story, I began to see things differently.
"Actually, although Yuri claimed to be a witch to Harima-kun and the others, that’s not true."
"...Huh...?"
"The Azwell family is a lineage known for the most heinous acts in witch history— the Demon Witches"
She chuckles with a sense of pride, as if she’s boasting
"Therefore, our bodies have an inherent urge to plunder and massacre. An inescapably vile yet noble desire."
"That’s your story alone! Yuri said she would help us!"
"You mean that night? Heh…! Of course. I ordered Yuri to do that."
"An order…?!"
Witnessing Aira being kidnapped by Laral, Yuri had offered to assist in any way possible.
Are they saying all of that was a lie――?
"Don’t mess with me… What gain is there in pretending to help us…?"
While I was arguing, I suddenly realized the answer.
"Of course, it was for reconnaissance on enemy activities. Additionally, it provided an opportunity to contact the other participant, the dragon-horned person. The benefits are more than enough.”
"…To risk Yuri’s… safety… You…!”
Sending one's own sister as a spy into the enemy’s camp during wartime is something a person with normal thinking would never do.
Her sense of ethics and morality is completely absent. She might be even more dangerous than Livia.
I glare at her with all the hatred I can muster. …That’s all I can do.
"What are you saying? Yuri didn’t object at all, did she? ―Isn’t that right, Yuri?"
"H-hii――!"
As Marizia called out, Yuri’s body jerked, and a surge of magical power erupted from within her.
A slimy black tentacle appeared from behind Yuri - from around her tailbone, and it bound Yuri's own body with a squelchy sound. It was a strange sight to see Yuri tying up her own body with the tentacles she had created. Yuri spoke with heavy breaths, facing the ceiling so that at least her mouth was uncovered.
"Gui... Ah, ha... Ha-gah...! -- Yes, Yuri... followed Onee-sama's orders... of her own accord... I approached Harima-san and the others... and killed Laral-san..."
…I couldn’t say anything. Even though it was clear that Yuri was under some sort of attack from Marizia, her expression was strangely vivid.
"—As demon witches, while we lived in Ivral, we carried out guerrilla attacks on powerful witches around the world and seized every magic tome we could."
"…!?"
"Heh. I didn’t want to get my hands dirty, so I made full use of my sister’s body for everything."
According to them, a magic tome is a compressed storage of the process to activate magic. Normally, casting a spell requires setting up specific rituals or tools, which is cumbersome, but if stored in a magic tome, one can use powerful magic just by channeling magic to invoke it.
What Marizia stole can be considered the lifeblood of witches.
A magic tome that contains spells developed over a lifetime, that is meant to be passed down to their children.
There was another phrase that caught my attention. Yes, the statement about using her sister—Yurizia’s body for all the wrongdoing.
Marizia herself has kept her hands completely clean.
In contrast, Yurizia’s hands have become completely tainted.
The younger sister acted as a puppet for her cruel older sister, plundering the world. Yurizia was labeled as the worst of the plunderers. Marizia, as the sister of Yurizia, was merely arrested for being a demon witch.
It seems that the secret is related to the ability of the artifact, the jar, that Marizia holds in one hand.
Unlike Rain, who received her's just before the war, it seems this is something Marizia had from the start. It might be something passed down through the Aswell family, similar to Aira.
…What must Yuri have felt?
Being controlled to fulfill her sister’s desires—hunting down witches who were supposed to be her kin—taking every magic tome.
I can taste blood in my mouth. Perhaps I bit something from the stress.
"So, our combat power is perfect—ensuring victory in the war. As thanks for your cooperation, I can offer you several treasures. And of course, I’ll let you indulge in Yurizia's body as much as you want. What do you say? Are you interested in switching sides?”
Next to Yurizia, who is bound by her own tentacles and suffering, Marizia grins.
"You should know without me saying it…!"
"—Yes, I didn’t expect you to agree so easily."
"…!"
At this point, I had already launched about five telekinetic blasts at Marizia’s body, but all were deflected.
However, there is still hope.
Since I transmitted a danger signal to Rain before, if I can manage to stall for a bit longer…
"It’s pointless. I’ve dispatched another force to the location where Aira and Rain are waiting."
My hope was immediately shattered. This means I was kidnapped with a clear plan in mind.
Marizia, after licking her lewd lips with her hot tongue, touched Yurizia’s pale golden hair as she writhed in agony from her own tentacles—and whispered in her ear.
"Now, Yurizia, you will work for me again. —Daunaru's Final Edict, First ability, Absolute Command."
Under the orders of the wicked demon witch, Yurizia trembled violently and then let out a beast-like cry.
With that the black tentacles disappeared, and Yurizia fell heavily onto the floor of the disabled restroom and used her hands to support herself.
Crawling on all fours, Yurizia approached me, who was still bound to the toilet, and then lifted her face.
“No… no… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… hic… please forgive me… Harima—san…”
Yuri's face, scrunched up, is streaming with tears.
Then, rubbing her soft cheek against my crotch, she let out muffled cries.
“Hii, ugh… oh… mmm, eh—…!!”
※ ※ ※
Clang, clang――.
The sound of metal clashing echoes through the quiet residential area.
The clashing of swords in the apartment parking lot continues without any sign of ending
"Ugh! Why――are you――!"
"I don’t understand……! But…… I just can’t help but want to defeat Aira-san――!"
"――!?"
The pink-colored beautiful girl darts across the ground with a speed rivaling that of Aira Verfane Quatronix, swinging her sturdy sword.
The crimson sword, slender yet strong, blocked it.
And then, a lock of swords.
In that moment, Rain, with her dark long hair swaying, inscribed a magic circle on the cherry-colored beauty’s side, but it was repelled with a clang.
"――No, it’s no good――!"
"Tch! With the danger signal from Yuki and everything, what’s going on……!? Ugh――!?"
Finally, the pink-colored maiden’s sword gains the upper hand and sends Aira flying
Her back grates against the tough asphalt with a loud scrape, making her clench her teeth in pain
"Ha…… ha…… I can feel my strength increasing…… And my desire to defeat Aira-san seems to be growing as well――!”
Holding a sword that seems out of place with the private Arakujou Academy uniform, the pink-colored beauty channels power through her whole body.
She is the staller sent by Marizia Aswell to Aira and Rain.
Hinoshita Haruka, who had the first ability, Absolute Command, and the third ability, Physical Enhancement, of the Human Binding Daunaru's Final Edict used on them.
Once the condition of offering the target’s blood to the jar is fulfilled, Daunaru's Final Edict becomes an inviolable absolute power.
Clang――! Once again, the swords of Aira and Haruka clashed.
Chapter length 7103 characters.
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