Chapter 1075 – #256_Small Wars(2) – DeepL

#1069

1.
The fireworks were over.

Just before the door completely collapsed, Xiu and Sharon stepped out through the gap they had secured earlier.

“Whoa, that was exhilarating.”

Sharon’s white cheeks were flushed.
She’d had a lot of help, but together they’d perfected a spell worthy of a master.

Moreover, she’d been able to perform it in front of dozens and dozens of vicious public figures, and it had helped Xiu more than anything else.

Above all else, Sharon was overjoyed to finally be able to stand beside him.

“Sharon, are you going to…!”
“Oh, I don’t know, first a kiss!”

Suddenly, Sharon threw her arms around Xiu’s neck and planted a bold kiss.

The idea of a couple sharing a sticky kiss after a large-scale bombing is a strange one, but Xiu was happy about it.

Herya’s rampage from epilepsy to Gehenna has certainly brought benefits, but he wants nothing more.

If the end justifies the means, then it is no different from the exploits that Xiu has made in the past.

It is one thing to insist on a difficult path without crossing the line, Master, and I’m sure you’ll agree.

Therefore, I have decided to retaliate by proxy, at a moderate level, to quell the rising tide of public opinion in Gehenna.
It’s a bonus that I’ve planted a bunch of exploits in the city that will hinder my future endeavors, and I’ve given Lydia a pass on the annoying aftermath.

I have a vague understanding of Lydia’s ideas, having spoken to her when she was kidnapped.
She wants to avoid a pointless war, and she’ll give you control of the new Clippot for a while.

The reason I flip the switch on this seemingly haphazard plan is because I trust Lydia’s competence.

I trust Lydia, the new generation leader who has created a huge public entity called Solidus Top, to keep the war in check, even at great political cost and damage.

“Whoa…. I’m dizzy.”
“Good work, Sharon.”
“Hard work, you did.”

When the kiss ended, Sharon staggered away, out of breath.

Had she just gotten over a big hurdle?
I feel a little tense.
But then Sharon’s face darkens.

“Sharon, we need to go back.”
“…I don’t want to.”

Sharon’s mission in this life is over.

Her magic is depleted, but she’ll need to rest her battered head from the magic circle for a while.

“It’s your job to return to Gehenna with a victory lap.”
“I know, I know, but I don’t feel safe leaving you alone.”
“Not with Leroy with me.”

Now Sharon goes back to Gehenna and rings the bell.

What we see on the news and what we hear have different impacts.
It’s Sharon’s job to make sure that the word gets out about the Xiu-Sharon collaborative revenge play, and that it stays out of the mainstream media.

For most Gehenna witches, this should be enough to satisfy them.

Even if those who are not motivated by emotion but by personal gain say, “Hey, we have to fight, and that’s good enough for you?”, the mainstream opinion will be, “That’s good enough for me”.

The asses of Gehenna witches are not so light as to be worth the trouble of coming to this world and wreaking havoc when they’ve already been beaten to a pulp.
They’re all spirit beings, so they’re all virgins.

“…….”

Dew beads on the corners of Sharon’s tearful and expressive eyes.
It was very much like her to hold back her tears.

“We have to make sure you get back safely.”
“Of course.”

With a final kiss to Xiu, Sharon walked into the ocean, clutching her citizenship, and disappeared with a shimmering distortion.

“Haa….”

Xiu let out a sigh.

He’s unharmed, but his head is pounding.
More than just a wisdom fever, it felt like someone had cracked open his skull and stuck a lump of cooled charcoal in it.

Not only did I activate Dorothy’s Angelic Rings with glue, but I also doped with Linnaeus’ Staircase.
I’m sure there’s going to be some repercussions.

After taking a moment to recover, Xiu was about to take a step to join Leroux… when he stopped.

“…Hmm?”
“…….”

What a coincidence.

Dorothy had seen this face countless times in her memory, but she had never seen it in real life.

A giant, 190 centimeters tall, taller than Xiu.
His body is not only thick from top to bottom, but also from side to side.
He has rock-hard muscles and a Mohican haircut with all of his sideburns shaved off.

Herya Valhirie, War Witch, leader of the Lehar Group.
The beast that swung the massive axe at the fallen Dorothy’s throat.

The white cloth of the morgue, lifted with trembling hands.
The jagged stitches that barely held the cut together flashed before my eyes like a seizure.

My breathing becomes ragged.

Not from fear of the unexpected.

Every cell in her body boils with a heart-searing anger and the good fortune of having someone to vent it on.

It was no coincidence that Herja was headed here.

There were a total of five kernels of ‘doors’ to Hexenacht in this neighborhood.
But even with her citizenship card in hand, the gate didn’t open.

Thinking it was a minor malfunction, I wandered to the other kernels and encountered a strange man at the third.

[“Hey, man, that crazy bastard hit the city a while ago, it must be a real war!”]
“Yeah, what’s his description?”

The deputy leader’s report rang out over the receiver.

He looks down at Xinxiu on the deserted beach with dry eyes.
Xinxiu crosses his arms over his spear and looks up at Herya.

The two meet as if by fate.

[Hmm, black armor, red spear. Isn’t he already famous?]
“Ah, that’s him. I have something to do, so I’ll call you later.”
[Huh? Huh? Far away?]

Herya nonchalantly cast her specialty, Hang Up First, and cleared her thick throat.

Xiu’s behavior had been near-perfect so far.
He had left so few clues that it would have been impossible for Lydia to figure out his identity.

But her intuition puts the pieces together like a puzzle.

Herja has just killed the Witch of Composition.
She betrayed the city to lure a male witch out of Hexenacht.
Xinxiu and the Witch of the Sphere have a deep connection.

There has been a conflict between the Lehar group and Solidus Upper.
Xinxiu suddenly attacked Hexennacht.

“No way…”

A coincidence if ever there was one, a confirmation bias if ever there was one.

“Was it you?”

Herya’s laugh rang out, seemingly in disbelief.

“…….”

Sometimes silence is an affirmation.
Not to mention if that silence was accompanied by life and determination.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to apologize to Mrs. Magnus for this.”

Herja scratched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.
But then, as if on cue, she pulled out a huge axe.

“Okay, I’ve decided. I’m going to cut you in two, and I’m going to take one half to Thalia’s tombstone and the other half to Lady Magnus as a gift of apology.”

As they each hefted their weapons, they both thought the same thing at the same time.

Kill him.

2.
With the vast expanse of the ruined ocean at her feet, Lydia strolled silently over the lapping waves as if she were taking a stroll.

She wore a light dress and elegant gloves that wrapped around her elbows.
Her leisurely pace, the waves lapping at her ankles, was unreal, and beautiful for that reason.

“I think that was it.”

Humming a tune, Lydia stopped dead in her tracks.

The coordinates Kiara had given her were 25 kilometers around here.
It wasn’t precise, but it narrowed the search to a tiny dot on a vast ocean.

“I have a feeling.”

I can’t feel it at all.

Even if it were deep, it would only be a few kilometers, and Lydia’s personal search spell hasn’t caught anything.

A submarine can’t be that small.
That means it’s well concealed.

Assuming the deep-sea witch hasn’t spotted the trail and fled, we’d be able to find her if she were to dive down herself.

The only reason she hasn’t done so is because there’s a better way.

“Much.”

Lydia clears her throat.

“Do you hear me? I’m the Witch of Gold!”

Even if the precision of Kiara’s searching magic is off the charts, perhaps even this is a trap.

Erelim’s promise to keep Gehenna at bay makes a full-scale ambush unlikely, but even a vigilant Cynthia would recognize that Kiara’s discovery of the submarine could be a trap.

Nevertheless, Lydia showed up here alone because she was confident.

Lydia’s equal in the 23rd rank, the home turf of the Witch of the Deep.
Even with Xinxiu on top of her, if she was caught in an unexpected ambush, she could defeat it or flee.

It’s not just Lydia’s political skills, game-reading, and cunning that put her on top of Solidus.

Overwhelming force made it possible.

“I know you’re here!”

I shout, but she doesn’t answer.
Only a fool would hide.

“You said you and Dorothy were close, like aunt and niece, and I’m sorry, and I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart, because I accidentally gave the order to kill her. Let’s take a moment to mourn the dead together, and we can reminisce and honor our memories of her together!”

But Lydia didn’t stop.

“You know, Dorothy was actually a big coward, and she cried all day when she was captured by me, just like you are now, down in the ocean, scared of me, and she probably cried herself to death, too!”

Taunts are sometimes better than any wide area search spell.
Do you think a young, inexperienced witch could pass up a taunt like this?

“I told you, now it’s your turn!”

Instead of an answer, the sea splits.

A whirlpool that once gave sailors nightmares as they crossed the Sea of Japan by sail and wind rises, and a figure floats in the empty space.

Dark blue hair and eyes like the night sea.

There’s a hint of anger in his voice, but it’s hard to tell if he’s responding to a provocation.

“Jim knows Dorothy well. She is a bold and faithful witch. He does not believe the lies you tell.”

Jade Yin is as silent as the deepest ocean.

“However, I will respond to your provocation.”

The sea surges with the queen’s anger.
From beneath her feet to the rounded horizon beyond.

The entirety of this vast ocean is under the control of Lerue Nukelabi.

“This is more than I ever imagined…?”

Lydia stared at the crumbling sea with her mouth slightly open.
A shift of magic that stirred even the air, proving that her reputation as an old witch was not in vain.

“I’m suddenly curious.”

With a satisfied smirk, Lydia’s pink tongue licked her lips.

“How much are you worth?”