Exiles Under the Moonlight (2)
"...But where exactly are we heading?"
"Us? Obviously to the hideout."
Selia and I were cautiously making our way through a narrow alley.
"The hideout?"
"Yeah, the place where Priscilla personally cast an illusion spell. Why pretend you don't know?"
"Uh... right..."
When we emerged onto the main street, a crowd had gathered.
"You bitches! My son died because of you!"
"Our farm's ruined because of you witches!!"
"Die!! Die!!!"
And at the center of it all, a single witch was tied to a pillar of fire, pelted with stones.
"...To think I'd actually witness a real witch hunt."
"...Unni, we need to hurry."
"Ah, yeah. Let's go."
Selia and I kept moving until we reached a wall.
"...This is it."
I could sense the faint, twisted flow of mana—this was the hideout. When I placed my hand on the wall, it slipped right through into the space beyond, and Selia and I vanished completely into it.
The space beyond the wall was surprisingly vast. Houses dotted the area, enough to call it a village.
"This is the witches' hideout, Moon Tomb."
The atmosphere in Moon Tomb was deeply melancholic. It had to be, after all the witches who'd sacrificed themselves just to get here.
"Luna... got captured instead of me..."
"Sniff... where did everyone go..."
Seeing all the witches grieving like that didn't sit well with me.
"Haa... I need to meet Priscilla. Or rather, Lady Priscilla, I suppose."
With no idea what the clear conditions were, the best way to resolve this seemed to be finding Priscilla, who probably knew the situation best.
"Selia, I'm going to see Lady Priscilla. Want to come with?"
"Mm... sure! I'll escort you!"
Selia took my hand and led me to the largest building in the center. As we climbed to the second floor and stood before the door, I faintly heard Priscilla's voice and one other familiar voice from beyond it.
"My■... this■ way ■■..."
"...■■ calm ■ down."
The door suddenly slammed open, and Asella stormed out with tears welling in her eyes.
"Asella!"
Then Priscilla's and my purple eyes met.
"Ah, hello?"
"...You, that hat and dress..."
Ah, right now I was wearing an exact replica of Priscilla's witch hat, dress, and shoes, so we looked almost identical. The differences were my sharper features and our hair—hers black, mine silver.
Asella stared up at me from below, her eyes flicking back and forth between Priscilla and me. I didn't know how far in the past this was, but Asella looked just like she did now—though it was clear this version was mentally immature. The current Asella had never looked at me with such pure curiosity.
[Player class confirmed...]
[Hidden class confirmed. A variable has been generated for quest progression.]
[Clear Condition 1 revealed.]
[Clear Condition 2 revealed.]
[Quest failure conditions revealed.]
Clear Conditions
1. Kill Priscilla and forcibly inherit the Great Witch's power
2. Escape the empire together with the witches of Moon Tomb
3. ■■■■■■ ■■■■ ■■
• Clearing the quest requires achieving any one of these conditions.
Failure Conditions
1. Asella's death
2. Moon Tomb's location discovered by the mages
3. Player's death
"..."
The moment I checked the quest details, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
First off, killing Priscilla? Impossible for me right now. It'd be like the current me trying to beat Asella in a fight. Priscilla was even higher level than her—to the point I doubted I could even scratch her. Sure, maybe catch her off guard... but no, I decided against even thinking it. I didn't want to.
Second, escaping the empire with all the witches of Moon Tomb. Better than the first, but still insanely tough. There were witches who couldn't even make