Season 1 Side Story Chapter 12. Witch (1)
Ultimately, the potion had caused all the incidents.
"P-Potion?"
Almond found the decisive clue in Lete's condition. He became completely convinced after hearing of how Lete came to be in this state.
"When Lete got hurt, they must have given him a potion. You guys even have a factory to make potions at your school."
"... Oh. Right."
"He was badly hurt, so he must have drunk a lot of it. How much did he drink?"
"He took it continuously every day... Huh?"
Continuous consumption seemed to be the exact cause.
"... Over prolonged and consistent use, one becomes prone to hallucinations even in everyday life. It becomes easier to induce the specific hallucinations that the hypnotist wants. We call this state the trance state..."
"When taken continuously, one enters the trance state. The trance state is a state where it's easier to induce spiritual possession."
Due to continuously taking the potion, Lete became similar to a summoner. If other students like Lete existed, they would become the same.
"The potion contains Blue Hole. I don't know why, but Seri's father discovered that."
Almond realized why he mistook the liquid in the bottle for alcohol.
'The guard wasn't drunk on alcohol, but on drugs.'
He didn’t know whether the guard mistakenly drank it or knew something.
The guard had been intoxicated by the potion. Both Almond and the other guard had assumed it was alcohol.
Then, Almond later gave it to Ran in a haste to save him.
"So, the potion has significant effects. However, the side effects are also tremendous, especially if taken multiple times."
"So... did Seri's father discover this and get murdered for it?"
"Yes, but the cult wasn't sure how much Seri's father knew because..."
Rustle.
Almond quickly flipped through the research papers.
"They couldn't wait for the research to be published. Otherwise, the whole world would know. So they killed him in advance and ordered you to watch over his daughter. He might have told her something."
"If Seri... didn't know about her father's research... would she still be alive?"
"No, they would've tried to kill her anyway. Maybe they wanted to check if she told anyone else to see who else they needed to kill?"
Ran recalled a story after pondering for a moment.
"Seri... was sick once. The potion is quite rare and expensive for ordinary people. I got it from the cult for her... but..."
Seri didn't take the potion. She declined it and said she just had a mild cold.
"When I reported this, the leader's reaction was a bit odd. From then on, the operation changed hastily from execution to enforcement."
"Enforcement?"
"Yes, execution is carrying out the punishment through legal procedures openly. Enforcement is when the sacred executor carries out the punishment alone."
"Oh..."
Basically, it meant to just assassinate her. The cult had deemed Seri a witch when she refused the potion.
"He asked me to continue the observation for another two weeks. It was strange to watch for another two weeks when it was already certain that she was a witch."
After that, they continued to have Ran monitor her, but not to see if she told someone else. They told Ran to observe useless things like whether she had her period, the length of her hair, or the length of her nails.
In reality, they wanted to know whether Seri had contacted anyone else. While reporting Seri's every move, Ran wondered if he had spilled the potion’s secret.
"Wow. Anyway, you've figured out a lot."
Almond made a satisfied look. He seemed to be subtly checking the chat, perhaps to appreciate the evaluations of his deductions.
— Wow, Almond's head is actually working
— He's good when he does it
— Lol
— Wow, didn't get lost as much as I thought, lol
— I expected a sweet potato eating show. It's a pity
— Why does Almond look so happy when he uses his brain? lol
— He seems to enjoy getting praised for what he can't do, lol
The viewers didn't hold back their praise. After all, Almond had used his brain quite well this time.
Almond chuckled and smiled slyly.
‘So stopping here counts as a clear.’
Now, he had completed Ran's story mode. It would be a two-star clear if he stopped here, but Almond wasn't one to be satisfied with two stars.
‘Only revenge is left.’
The remaining task was to take revenge, presumably against the cult.
"The cult probably tried to kill me because... they thought I discovered something."
"Exactly, because you suddenly refused to kill Seri."
"... Sigh."
Ran buried his face on the table.
"It's confusing."
This whispered exclamation best captured his current state.
"..."
Almond didn't know what to say. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Ran felt. He wanted to tell Ran that it wasn't his fault, but...
‘Huh.’
His vision went dark. Lete was coming back.
***
Almond didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes, but he was certain of one thing. Of all the places he'd seen so far when he woke up, this was the most peaceful.
The ceiling was covered with wood of a warm hue, and a ceiling fan spun with a soft breeze. The sound of dishes being put away came from the kitchen, and the sunlight felt warm...
‘It’s a home.’
Almond managed to sit up. Only then did he realize he had been sleeping on a couch.
"Lete, are you up already?"
Ran dried his hands with a towel and approached. He looked at Almond with a puzzled expression for a moment.
"Is it... Almond?"
"Yeah, how long has it been?"
Thud.
Ran seemed to lose strength in his legs and sat down.
"Why, what's wrong?" Almond asked. ‘Ah, could it be...’
An ominous hunch flashed through Almond's mind.
"You've only just arrived now...?"
A lot of time had passed. How could this have happened?
"Two months have passed since then."
The intervals with Lete had grown longer. It wasn't just a day or two, but a full two months this time.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't up to him."
"You don't have to apologize. Sigh."
Ran went to the kitchen and brought back several thick slices of bread and a bottle of wine. He also brought some marmalade to spread on the bread.
"Having the same body... you might not be hungry, but you should eat anyway."
Almond picked up a fork and looked around once more.
Life didn't seem easy, but they had no problems with food and shelter. It seemed like this was the epilogue, and it would’ve ended here if the player was only aiming for a two-star clear.
"A lot happened in the meantime, but I've settled in. This is the border desert city of Persta. Unlike where we were before, this is a free place with many religions. For the first time, we learned that there are multiple perspectives on the story of God."
Listening to Ran’s story, they seemed to be living well in the free city of Persta. They ate at least two meals a day and could afford bread and wine as dessert. They also had a bed and a roof that didn't leak.
"One could live like this forever."
Was there anything more to do here? Life was so peaceful and ordinary.
Almond seemed like an unwanted guest now. What should he do? Did he really have to achieve a three-star clear and walk the path of revenge?
He wouldn't have said anything if this were reality and not a game. However, Almond wanted to know Ran's feelings.
"... Are you okay now?"
"What do you mean?"
"The faith of goddesses..."
Two months wasn't a long time. It was ridiculously short to forget the death of a loved one. Almond knew that better than anyone.
"I mean, are you okay with the goddesses, Seri, and everything that happened?"
Ran silently stood up, pushed the table, and opened a secret lid hidden beneath.
Creak.
A parchment scroll could be seen.
Rustle.
The unfolded parchment had a massive map drawn on it. It wasn't any ordinary map.
"It's a distribution route that Lete and I drew every detail of. We thought that we could find the factory if we traced this distribution route..."
As expected, Ran wasn't okay either. Even that gentle guy prepared this.
"There's no way I'd be okay. Even if ten years or a hundred years pass, I never planned on letting it end like this. I will expose the person who ordered Seri's death and the cult’s corruption with my own hands."
"Can you really do that?"
"When I looked into it, not everyone in the cult agreed with the order. In fact, there were forces trying to restrain them. If we get the right evidence..."
Ran tightly clenched his fist.
"Only then will I have the face to meet Seri in the afterlife."
Ran quelled his anger and fell silent for a moment.
"Lete agreed with this plan as well. He ended up addicted to the potion because of the academy. We’re planning to follow one of the carriages passing nearby tomorrow."
Bling.
Two choices appeared in front of Almond.
[1. Let's stop. The current peace is more important.]
[2. Well done. Let's track it together.]
The second option clearly led to the three-star clearance.
— Choose 2222
— Definitely 2
— Three-star clearance, let's go!
"Alright, let's track it together."
Bling.
[The episode continues.]
"But... what will we do after the tracking?"
"If we find the factory... we can gather evidence and expose them. As I've said, there's already a force opposing the Goddess Church."
"You're saying you'll tell the other religions about this?"
"Yes."
"The two of you... no, can the two of us do it? How about gathering more allies? Like Lorang..."
"Lorang...?"
"Yes, Lorang. He's the one who sent me to prison to check on you initially. He has a lot of strange abilities. He'll be useful."
Did Ran forget because it had been a long time ago? Well... that was possible.
Lorang could have been close to Ran or he simply sent Lete out of pure curiosity. That guy was crazy.
"I think... I recall. However, I don't know Lorang well. And we already have an organization called the Red Mercenary Group helping us. We've decided to cooperate with them."
"Oh, I see."
That would do. A mercenary group seemed more useful than someone like Lorang.
"Not bad."
Almond had no issues with the plan. Generally, all plans seemed that way. They sounded feasible, but implementing them could turn out either way.
"I... Almond."
"Hmm?"
"Tomorrow's fight might be tough. Lete wanted to send a letter to his family... Could you send it on his behalf? Just attach it to a carrier pigeon."
"Oh, sure. That's no big deal..."
Then, it happened.
Snap!
The screen darkened, and it seemed to transition directly to the scene of sending the letter.
Swiff.
The screen brightened. As expected, it was the pigeon coop. Now, all that was left was to enclose the letter.
Bling.
[You may seek help through a letter.]
[The ending may change depending on whom you write a letter to.]
What was this? Quite an unexpected option appeared.
'This means I can send more than just Lete's letter... I can write something myself.'
Almond pondered while stroking his chin.
'What? Who should I suddenly write a letter to?'
A hint could possibly exist somewhere since this choice would affect whether or not he achieved a three-star clearance.
Almond decided to take his time. He tried to figure out various scenarios by writing different things in the letter. He even considered writing to the Persta market...
After much contemplation, he began writing.
Scratch, scratch...
***
[Beginner's Tip: Enchanted carrier pigeons can sometimes accurately deliver to someone without a specified address.]