#086 Becoming a witch!?
I was led into the building by Emerald.
The interior of the association was so sophisticated that it was hard to believe it was from the era of the game world I knew.
The walls and floor were all sparkling with marble, and there were many incomprehensible engineering structures lined up, befitting the name of the Magic Association.
The Emerald Princess dragged me along and took me to a woman with white hair.
“President of the Association. We caught a witch. “I am a 17-year-old nobleman.”
The woman adjusted her glasses and answered with a soft smile.
“Thank you for your hard work. “I am always grateful for your achievements, Emerald.”
“… “That’s too much praise.”
Emerald turned around, made slight eye contact with me, and nodded her head.
Probably we should part ways from here on out.
What I had to do from now on was to play a noble girl named Luna.
‘If you were a nobleman, how would you react here?’ ?’
Coincidentally, the first thing that came to my mind was Clara’s tone.
Self-defensive and sharp words that always give the feeling of looking down on others.
It was definitely the classic style of a noble daughter who grew up in a noble and proud manner.
Left alone in front of the mysterious woman with her hands tied, I spoke in as blunt a voice as possible.
“… Where are we? “What are you trying to do to me?”
It was a little more awkward than Clara’s, but fortunately the woman in front of me didn’t seem to have any doubts that I was a noble.
“Be at ease, child. “We didn’t bring you here to harm you.”
“Then why…?” ?”
“You are now suffering from a terrible disease. “We called you to cure it.”
‘I’m sick?’
It was a nonsensical story, but it seemed better to just obey her words for now.
“Follow me. “I have somewhere to go with you.”
She led me through three doors and arrived at the entrance to the basement.
‘This seems to be the basement that Emerald was talking about.’
I heard that there is a facility in the basement of the Magic Association where witches are confined and housed.
“There are many children down here in the same situation as you. “As long as you follow the rules, you will have no problems.”
“… “
There was a large auditorium where she followed her.
A woman came out of the auditorium and bowed her head towards the president of the association.
“Welcome, President of the Association!”
“It looks like it’s prayer time now, right?”
“Yes. President of the Association. This kid… ?”
“I am the child of a new noble family. She is 17 years old and her name is Luna. “They said she was from the Magic Academy.”
“It’s been a while since I’m new. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes. “For now, let’s fill this child up with her restraints.”
As soon as she snapped her hand, a group of strangely dressed people in black grabbed me and took off her shoes.
“Now, wait a minute…” ! What did you do… !”
Without me having time to resist, they put anklets made of unusual material on my feet and left.
“Then please take care of me.”
The president of the association went up to the ground without even looking at me anymore.
“Hey. Now you’re doing this because you think I’m a child of some kind of family… ?”
As I spoke with as much nervousness as I could, the woman’s hand was raised high above my head.
I was very frightened by the gesture as if he was trying to hit me.
‘Oh, did I say that too aggressively!?’
I reflexively closed my eyes tightly, but then opened them in surprise at the sensation I felt.
“You said Luna, right? “Your hair color is pretty.”
‘… What?’
Instead of hitting me, she gently stroked her head and lightly pushed me on the back.
“Let’s change clothes first. “Don’t worry, we’ll give it back to you when you leave the facility.”
The clothes she gave me were the pure white gowns you see in places like hospitals.
I had no choice but to take off my original clothes and change into a white gown.
‘This anklet thing is really annoying…’ ‘
It was made of a light material, so it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the fact that I was wearing something on my foot felt very uncomfortable.
The woman who was waiting for me to change saw me in a gown and said,
“Oh my, it suits you well. Sit next to that kid over there. “There is nothing to be afraid of.”
Contrary to what I thought would be coercive treatment, the treatment was very kind.
“… Hmm.”
In the end, she did as she was told and sat down lightly on a cushion in a corner of the auditorium where many children were gathered.
‘There are a lot of people my age. Dozens of people… No, even if I can’t do it, will there be 100 people?’
As I was astonished by the size of the auditorium and the number of children, an ordinary-looking girl next to me spoke up.
“Hey. “Is this your first time here?”
It was an unexpected situation. I never thought I would get talked to by my peers.
If you are a noble here… Okay, maybe you would say something like this.
I said to her, her eyes full of tears.
“… “Do you know who I am and talk to me so casually?”
As I was glaring at her, nervous that it would be discovered that she was a commoner, she sighed as if she was used to it.
“At first glance, it looks like he’s a noble like me, so it would be good for him to become friends with me.”
“… ‘Why?’
“There is such a thing as an aristocratic faction. “Among them, the faction I belong to is the best.”
She seemed quite familiar with the conditions in this facility.
“Would you like to join our faction? “If you stay here, you’ll naturally join a faction, so I’m giving you a good opportunity.”
“… Let’s think about it. “I’m still getting used to it right now.”
“Hmph, I’m going to come in anyway, but I’m going to bounce.”
It seems that the noble girls here are completely absorbed in clique games.
Maybe the gap between nobles and commoners is bigger here than outside.
“By the way, are you sick too?”
“It’s a disease… ? “What do you mean?”
“Witch disease. “Isn’t that why you were caught?”
‘Witch disease? ‘What on earth is that?’
Earlier, the president of the association said something about me being sick, and it seemed like she was saying that.
While I was dazed, trying to absorb the constant influx of information, a woman dressed in black with her mouth covered tightly came into the auditorium where we were gathered.
“Attention, please pay attention!”
The children, who had been talking noisily, all sat upright and fell silent at every word she said.
“You all have a terrible, incurable disease. “If you leave it untreated, it will one day mutate into a terrible monster.”
From Noble mtl dot com
‘Turn into a monster…’ ?’
As far as I know, there was no such disease in the original game.
What nonsense is it that a normal person turns into a monster?
“That is why they are being quarantined and receiving treatment at this facility. Always remember that trusting us is the only way to get out there as quickly as possible.”
It was a visual reminiscent of a pseudo-religion.
The girls were made to believe that they were sick and were waiting for them to treat them.
“Pray sincerely to God every day. That is the only way to cure witch disease.”
“Yes-“
Hearing her words, without any doubt, the girls put their hands together and began to pray to God.
‘It’s pure nonsense…’ ? ‘How do you treat something like this?’
They seemed to have no intention of treatment in the first place.
No, because before that, there was no such thing as a witch disease.
While everyone was praying with their eyes tightly closed, I opened my eyes and looked around.
Then, I made eye contact with a girl in the front row.
A girl with white hair and white eyes, all white from head to toe.
‘It’s pure white. Pretty… ‘
As I was admiring the mysterious aura she gave off, before I knew it, she was right in front of my nose.
The girl looked at me curiously and she asked.
“You’re a little different from other kids.”
“… Yes?”
She asked, locking her eyes as if she could see through my thoughts.
“They say it’s treatment, but they make you do all kinds of useless things. “Sounds stupid, right?”
“… “
“Actually, we are not sick. Right.”
“I, I…” “
When I was about to answer, I heard a woman dressed in black yelling.
“There! Chatting during prayer is prohibited!”
“Let’s talk more later. “If you are willing.”
“… “
After finishing the prayer, we followed the guide and lined up somewhere.
‘What line?’
As I was looking around in confusion, the noble girl who had earlier encouraged me to join the faction explained to me.
“It’s time to take your medicine.”
“Medicine?”
“You have to eat that with every meal so you can get to the surface quickly. “It’s a healing medicine.”
Everyone seemed to have no doubts about swallowing the medicine.
They swallowed the medicine with water in front of a woman dressed in black and naturally headed somewhere.
When my turn finally came, I became serious.
‘What should I do…? ?
Before entering the facility, Emerald warned me.
Do not eat food, water, or anything provided by the facility.
At that time, the girl who was in front of me turned around and said to me.
It was the mysterious girl with pure white hair that I saw while praying earlier.
The girl who just made eye contact with me and said something incomprehensible.
“Look carefully. “This is how we do it.”
She put the pill in her mouth with great skill and pretended to swallow it, then turned around and spit it out.
Then he passed me by with a grin and whispered.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t eat that.”
What on earth is that kid…? ?
Not only did he refuse to pray alone, but he also cleverly avoided taking medicine.
The noble girl standing behind me glared at her with a scowl and said to me.
“Don’t listen to him. “She’s a commoner named Pearl, and she’s a famous crazy b*tch who’s been around since before I came along.”
‘Pearl… ‘
It seemed like the name of the white-haired girl earlier was Pearl.
Soon, a red pill was placed in my hand, and I popped it into my mouth.
‘Let’s not swallow it. Just put it in her mouth like she did earlier.’
After holding it in her mouth like Pearl did earlier, she turned around and spit it out.
After taking the medicine, it was the scheduled meal time and everyone lined up to go to the restaurant.
It looked like an ordinary restaurant, but you couldn’t eat whatever you wanted and could only take the set menu provided by the facility.
‘It’s more luxurious than I thought. ‘Is this a quarantine facility?’
Although it was not the quality meal provided at the academy, the meal in front of me was flawless.
I looked around to see if everyone had received it like this, but something was strange.
While there were children like me who received a perfect diet, there were also children who received a meager diet consisting of only an apple.
As I was feeling puzzled, someone came and sat next to me.
“Is the treatment different? That’s because you’re a noble. “I am a commoner.”
The girl sat next to me in an awkward posture, brushing away her tangled white hair.
“… Pearl?”
“Do you know my name? “I guess other kids told you?”
She looked at me intently and said with a grin.
“As expected, you are a bit different. “With other kids.”
I reflexively said in surprise at how close the distance had become.
“… Sir, that’s rude! “You’re staring at me like that.”
When I spoke in a deliberately blunt voice, Pearl laughed and asked.
“Are you saying that’s acting like a nobleman? It’s so cute it makes me cry. Phew… !”
‘Oh… ?’
Pearl laughed, as if she knew I was acting like a noblewoman.
Why did you get caught? It was a flawless performance as a noble lady.
“… Did it show much?”
“That’s it. Ah, at least I can fool the innocent kids here. “After all, these are kids who have been away from the outside world for several years.”
No matter how I looked at this woman, she didn’t look ordinary.
She looked at me curiously and asked, as if I was having fun.
“You didn’t come in by lying about your name, did you?”
If this girl is like a watchdog planted by the association… ?
… She had thought about it, but judging by the way others treated her, it didn’t seem like it at all.
Anyway, no matter what lies you tell this woman, you will be found out right away, so it doesn’t matter if you tell me her name.
“… Her real name is Amber. “I’m a commoner.”
“For some reason, it seemed like that. Nice to meet you, Amber. I’m Pearl. “You probably already heard it.”
She was a mysterious girl with pure white hair and pure white eyes.
I felt it even when I first saw her, but it was a truly unforgettable visual.
“By the way, did you become a witch after seeing someone die? “My grandmother when I was 10 years old.”
“I saw someone die…” ? What are you talking about?”
“Surely you didn’t even know that? “A person who witnesses someone else’s death becomes a witch.”
After hearing her words, I fell into confusion.
If she witnesses someone’s death, she becomes a witch… ?
“… “I’ve never seen anyone die.”
“What?”
“Actually, I wasn’t captured.”
At my answer, she burst into laughter.
“Puhahahaha, you’re really funny. “So she’s not even a witch and she came here on her own?”
“Yes. Really.”
“What you just said was funny, Amber. “You have a talent for comedy.”
Pearl laughed for a while, then suddenly looked at my tray and asked.
“… Amber, don’t you eat this?”
“Huh? Huh. “I’m not really hungry.”
“Then I’ll eat it!”
As soon as I said anything, she grabbed the food on my plate and ate it.
Looking at her like that, I asked.
“… Pearl, why are you stuck here? “I don’t believe in witchcraft, and I know what a curse is.”
“… Because I was caught. “The surveillance is so thorough that escape is impossible.”
“Can’t we use magic to escape? “Everyone here is a wizard.”
“You think I haven’t tried it? It’s impossible. “The anklets on our ankles absorb the curse, blocking us from using magic.”
‘Sucking up the curse…’ ?’
Does that mean that I, who cannot use curses, do not apply?
I lifted my finger as a test and activated the electric magic.
“Yep.”
Then, sparks crackled and jumped out from the tips of my fingers.
Pearl was shocked when she saw that and asked me.
“What? “How did you just do that!?”
“Did you just do it?”
“Aren’t you a witch!? Really?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“So, I told you so. “I’m not a witch.”
Pearl put down the spoon she was holding and said with a blank expression on her face.
“… Oh my god.”
Somehow, I felt like I needed to talk more with this girl.
—-(Digression)
Emoji creation has reached its final stages.
I have produced 17 out of a total of 20 pieces, so I will probably finish them all by today or tomorrow.
Thank you so much for waiting so long!