Chapter 88: Kidnapping
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Kidnapping
Having achieved his goal of finding a way to charge his smartphone, Yohan looked down at the device with a satisfied expression.
The phone couldn’t connect to the internet, but it was still a true marvel of civilization.
It contained several movies and TV shows he’d downloaded back on Earth, along with a few useful apps that worked offline.
‘It’s not like I can accomplish anything major with this right away, but…’
Of course, just having a smartphone wouldn’t allow him to transform this world into a civilization befitting of it.
At best, it might offer some help with mathematics or engineering. It couldn’t do much more than that.
This was simply a piece of proof. Proof that his life on Earth hadn’t been a dream. It was an object steeped in nostalgia, something that would let him recall Earth whenever he grew tired of this world.
‘Well, my descendants centuries from now are going to have a field day…’
He was a little curious how humanity in the distant future would react upon discovering a smartphone. By then, his bones would have long since turned to dust and vanished.
When Yohan announced he had accomplished his goal and was ready to leave, Makina stared at them with a dumbfounded expression, as if to ask if they had really come all this way just for that.
Insisting they look around the Empire before leaving, she handed Yohan some imperial currency. The other witches thought it wasn't a bad idea and demanded Yohan take them on an outing through the Empire.
They seemed quite intrigued by an empire where witches weren't persecuted and wanted to see how other witches lived.
“Yohan, let’s go over there this time!”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Yohan was dragged here and there by his teacher, taking in the sights of the Empire. Normally, a city running on machines powered by things like coal should have been blanketed in a thick, acrid smog, but surprisingly, the Empire’s air was clean.
Looking up at the clear sky, Yohan tried to reason why. It didn’t take long for him to figure out the reason for the city’s cleanliness.
The mechanical civilization they used was entirely the product of a single witch’s hand, with the Imperial Family lending out the right to use them to others.
Not only could the Imperial Family control air pollution, but when a more eco-friendly technology was invented, they could simply confiscate the old machines and lease out the new ones.
This process generated no complaints. To be precise, even if there were complaints, there was no way to voice them. The people of the Empire were enjoying unprecedented prosperity thanks to these technologies, and besides, they had no idea about the principles of how the machines worked in the first place.
‘Electric lights, and is this shaved ice…? I wonder if they have air conditioning. Why is the technology so bizarrely developed?’
As the product of one witch’s magic rather than conventional scientific progress, the Empire’s technological level was all over the place.
Things he expected to see were absent, while the streets were lined with things that made him wonder why they even existed…
As the witches wandered around, exclaiming in awe at the unfamiliar scientific civilization, they noticed something strange.
“There are none, right?”
“Yeah, none.”
No matter where they looked, they couldn’t find any witches. While witches were rare to begin with, if the Empire was actively employing them, it wouldn’t have been strange to run into one walking openly down the street.
But they hadn’t met a single witch all day, aside from Makina. This implied one of two things.
“Maybe all the witches are in the Imperial Palace.”
“Hmm… Or maybe they just kill all of them except her?”
Either the witches were not allowed to leave the Imperial Palace.
Or useless witches were executed.
The group leaned toward the latter possibility. Witches were not beings that humans could easily control. They possessed powerful magic and, just as potent, terrible curses.
Some of those curses were bound to cause harm to humans, so it was unlikely the Empire would employ every single witch.
“Then was what Makina said a lie?”
“It’s too soon to call it a lie… Or do you want to ask her directly?”
“Directly? Not a bad idea.”
Evangeline and Margaret exchanged words, then glanced at Yohan.
“Yohan, your teacher is just going to step out for a bit. Why don’t you look around nearby?”
“What? Teacher, what are you talking about all of a sudden…”
“Let’s go, Margaret! Move out!”
Watching his teacher and Margaret leave after saying only what they wanted to, Yohan stared awkwardly into the empty air.
He then cautiously turned to face the three witches staring back at him.
“…For now, should we find a dessert shop or something to wait in?”
Leading the three nodding witches, Yohan began to look around for a dessert shop.
The two witches returned to the Imperial Palace they had seen earlier. They didn’t even need to ask for directions. After all, those in power always reside in the highest places.
Likewise, finding the Emperor was not difficult. As the witch of space, Margaret’s spatial awareness was beyond imagination; she could scatter her magic power to map out the building’s structure.
The two walked confidently without getting lost, only to be stopped by the Royal Guard patrolling the palace interior.
“Halt! Who goes there! This area is restricted to authorized personnel…”
“Nice try, kids.”
Evangeline grinned and flicked her finger, shattering the weapons they were holding. Seeing the guns in their hands spontaneously disassemble and fall to the ground, the guards realized the two were witches.
“Dammit, what the…”
One of the guards immediately pulled a button from his pocket and pressed it, after which both of them quickly fled. They had deemed it pointless to even try fighting against witches.
It was a decent decision, and Evangeline and Margaret paid the fleeing men no mind, heading straight for the Emperor’s office.
When they arrived, they found the office door ajar. Tilting their heads, they pushed it open.
Fzzt-!
The moment their hands touched the door, a powerful electric current shot out. The electricity melted the shelf supporting a flask full of poison, and poisonous gas began to spread across the floor.
If the intruder had been an unsuspecting commoner or a weak witch, their life would have been in danger. Unfortunately for the trap-setter, the ones present were old witches who had been through it all.
“Looks like she already fled.”
“How did she know?”
“I guess that button was the signal… She couldn’t have gotten far, though. Carpet, would you mind telling us?”
Evangeline looked down at the carpet on the floor and used her magic. The enchanted carpet fell in love and began to glow, highlighting the path the Emperor had taken.
Seeing the Emperor’s footprints and confirming she had left only moments ago, the two witches levitated slightly and flew off in pursuit.
They were much faster than the Emperor, who was likely out of shape from sitting at a desk all day, and it wasn't long before they caught up.
“Ritz.”
“I know.”
The moment she was in sight, there was no need to chase her further. Margaret snapped her fingers, and the Emperor, who had been fleeing in the distance, suddenly materialized right in front of them.
Realizing his surroundings had changed, the Emperor let out a hollow laugh and looked at the two witches.
“What… There was a witch with such an ability…?”
“Hey, you’re the Emperor, right?”
“…That is correct. I am the Emperor. Will you not show some courtesy, witches?”
“Hmm… Is she really the Emperor?”
Evangeline tilted her head and whispered to Margaret, who was standing beside her. The “Emperor” standing before them was not a dignified ruler, but a single young girl.
Margaret, who had been just as confused, saw the guards rushing about in a panic in the distance and realized the girl was either the Emperor or someone of equivalent status. She nodded.
“Must be.”
“Alright then, Your Majesty. Got a moment to talk?”
“—Talk? What do you mean…”
“Let’s go, Ritz.”
Evangeline seized the Emperor, and together with Margaret, they left the Imperial Palace. Then, they located Yohan’s magic power somewhere in the city and teleported next to him.
The entire process took less than a second. The Emperor felt the space shift in the blink of an eye.
She found herself inside a tea shop somewhere in the Empire.
“This place is…”
“Oh, Teacher. You’re back?”
“Mhm, we’re back.”
“Who is this child?”
“…Child?”
Hearing Yohan’s words, the Emperor frowned slightly. Evangeline, however, kindly answered his question.
“Ah, this is the Emperor… what was her name?”
“…Frederica.”
“She says it’s Frederica.”
“Oh, the Emperor?”
“…?”
Hearing the word “Emperor,” Yohan looked at her nonchalantly. From the witches who had kidnapped her to the man who reacted so casually upon hearing she was the Emperor…
The Emperor wondered if she had fallen into another world. A strange world where the roles of emperor and commoner were reversed, a world she had been kidnapped into…