Chapter 150
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Punishment for the Runaway Child (2)
Fuuu... Anyway, joining a guild, huh.
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her, for some reason.
Her original self, trapped in that mansion for decades—maybe even over a century.
How desperate must she be for even her witch's clone to say something like that?
I mulled it over for a moment.
I quickly weighed the gains and losses of bringing her in.
The conclusion was obvious: the benefits massively outweighed the risks.
Even if she clung to her original mission of spying on me, I would've eventually found a way to neutralize it.
But if Laupey stepped forward like this, handling things would be far easier.
Smiling at her, I said,
"Alright. Then... this'll be the first official interview for our Arbiter Guild."
"I-in, interview?"
At my words, Laupey blinked at me in surprise.
Then, as if she couldn't believe her ears, she shouted,
"Interview? Me? This me? Are you out of your mind? Don't you know who I am? Laupey! The famous Three-Eyed Witch, Laupey!"
"Of course I know."
"And you still say crap like that?"
"No choice. It's the guild's rules."
"Rules?"
"I'm not the guild master to begin with. The current master of Arbiter Guild is your loyal slave, Doris Finch."
Her eyes narrowed.
With an utterly baffled expression, she shot back,
"That makes it even weirder! Why would I, of all people, need an interview to join a guild run by my own slave? They should be scouting me!"
"Dunno. That's not for me to decide."
I'd gone through an interview myself just to join the pioneer team.
I couldn't just overlook a witch's combat prowess—especially not when curses might have weakened her even further.
"If you're that confident, why not show me directly just how amazing your abilities are, Laupey? Prove it with your skills."
"Hah, playing it like that, huh? Fine!"
Provoked by my words, Laupey bristled and activated her skill.
The third eye on her forehead gleamed with an eerie light—blood-red and deep as the abyss.
The moment it happened, Aira sensed danger and drew her mana thread, but I raised a hand to stop her.
There was no killing intent.
"Heh heh heh... Found it."
A strange laugh escaped Laupey's lips.
She fixed her glowing red forehead eye on me.
Like she'd just spotted an incredibly amusing toy.
"You're planning to fuck another new girl this time, aren't you?"
"...You read my memories?"
"Hee hee. It's one of my mind domination skills. Surprised?"
She smugly recited the conversation I'd just had with Aira.
"Marsha Leosica... virus... memory overwrite... Hmm, cooking up quite the interesting plan. The idea's pretty intriguing."
"Academy Class A? That's your goal? With abilities like that, it's such a modest target."
"Taking on rifts with puppets, huh? If it were me, I'd never reveal a skill like that. Selflessly helping others for no reason isn't my style."
"......"
As Laupey chattered on smugly, quoting my memories, I felt deeply unsettled.
I already knew her powers were formidable.
But I hadn't expected her weakened clone—hampered by restrictions and curses—to wield this much power.
It's not just surface-level thought reading.
It was like she'd burrowed into my head, reliving every experience as vividly as if she'd been there herself.
But that unease didn't last.
Soon, I sensed something off.
Everything she was spouting was from the exact hour before—just my recent thoughts and talks, nothing else.
That's weird.
If she'd truly read all my memories, why cherry-pick only the freshest ones?
As if she couldn't access anything older.
"Anything else?"
"Huh?"
"Keep reading. Childhood memories, or stuff with other women."
"T-that's..."
At my words, the witch stammered, flustered and unable to respond.
"Don't tell me you can only read the last hour?"
"N-no, that's not it! Just wait! I'll show you something really impressive!"
She waved her hand through the air, and illusion magic unfolded before us.
A lush forest, a beautiful lake, and fantastical birds soaring overhead.
Impressive, sure. But something felt off.
The illusory birds flapped like paper cutouts, and the lake's water didn't ripple at all.
Crude and sloppy, like a grade-schooler's drawing.
"Hm."
"T-this is just 'cause I haven't adjusted to this body yet! My real skills are way better than this!"
She desperately made excuses, then demonstrated her materialization skill.
Particles of light gathered in her palm, forming a tiny black kitten.
"Meow..."
But it barely took a few steps before dissolving into smoke.
Just as I thought.
"You really have gotten weaker."
Confronted with my brutal fact-check, Laupey collapsed to the floor in despair, burying her face in her knees.
A small, frustrated sob—"Uuuh..."—leaked out.
She knew better than anyone that her powers weren't what they used to be.
She just didn't want to admit it.
It's that curse's fault, no doubt.
If she returned to the underground mansion now, she could reclaim her original strength and reign as a fearsome witch once more.
But it was clear she didn't want that.
Well, I'd hire her anyway, even with her weakened abilities.
A one-hour memory skim was still a remarkable skill.
It just didn't have an immediate use right now.
"Hold on a sec."
That was when Aira, who'd been quietly observing, stepped forward with a suggestion.
"Um, Witch."
"...What."
"If your power turns imagination into reality, how about copying an actual object? Mimicking something real might be easier than creating from nothing."
"Mimic?"
Aira's words made Laupey lift her head.
A faint spark of hope lit her eyes.
"Alright, let's try it...!"
Aira smoothly handed her a single component.
I saw it and clicked my tongue in amazement.
It was a machine part used for making clones.
Aira, you planning to turn that witch into a parts factory?
Looking at her now, Aira seemed even more ruthless than me...
Laupey stared intently at the part Aira offered.
Then she focused her third eye, channeling power into it.
Light particles gathered in her palm again.
But this time, it was different.
They meticulously shaped themselves into an exact replica of the original part.
"Nngh... Ngh...!"
Sweat beaded on Laupey's forehead.
But she didn't give up.
And finally, a near-perfect copy emerged in her hand!
Of course, close inspection revealed some sloppy spots here and there.
Aira examined it closely, then nodded.
"Not bad."
"R-really? It was okay?"
"Yes. How about this one next?"
Aira handled Laupey like a seasoned trainer.
Praise flowed freely on successes, followed by tougher, more intricate parts.
On failures, she'd offer a simpler one without a hint of disappointment, keeping her motivated.
"Hah... Hah... How's this...? See, I'm useful too...!"
"Impressive."
Laupey panted heavily as she asked Aira.
Her face was drenched in sweat, but brimming with pride and confidence.
Aira smiled faintly at her.
Then she beckoned me over, suggesting we switch places for a bit.
"Why?"
I asked with a puzzled look, and Aira whispered softly in my ear.
"Now's the perfect timing."
"For what?"
"To implant the virus chipset in Laupey."
"What?"
Aira's utterly sudden proposal made my eyes widen.
"Aira?"
"Yes."
"I didn't hear that wrong, did I?"
"No, you didn't."
"We made it for Marsha Leosica."
"She's already hooked. But with the witch's clone back in play, we need a firm leash on her."
Aira continued with a chilling smile.
"Don't let her innocent-child act fool you into pity. She's still the Three-Eyed Witch Laupey's clone. Considering my own case, she could turn against us anytime without it being strange at all. I once tried to betray you too, after all. Plus, she's already proven her value. Locking her to our side now would be a huge boon to our operations."
"Will it really be that easy? She's a witch, curse-weakened or not."
"Don't worry."
Aira said confidently.
"Like I told you before, I'm far better at manipulating existing puppets than making new ones."
"Still..."
As I hesitated, Aira pressed closer.
Her hand gently stroked my cock through my pants, her voice a seductive whisper.
The sensation was vivid even through the fabric, sending a jolt to my lower belly.
"Master, think rationally. First off, the witch clone slipped our control and caused a scene at the Association. That alone marks her as an uncontrollable risk—one who could stab us in the back with solo actions anytime."
"But with Yujeong, it was too impulsive and ended up with that weird ex-husband setup—"
"Trust me. This time, it'll be much more refined. Above all, I'm not destroying or dominating her. Just tweaking a chunk of her memories to make her the perfect fucktoy for you."
Her touch grew bolder.
Fingers pressing firmly on my zipper, gauging my reaction.
"All it takes is making her irresistibly attracted to you sexually, tweaking her personality a bit more vulgar and slutty. It's simple—preserving her essence while turning her into the ultimate toy for us. Please, Master, give the okay."
Succumbing to her sweet whispers and blatant seduction, I made my decision.
Aira was right.
Better to eliminate risks upfront.
Besides, whether prickly brat witch or refined mature one, a named character like that spreading her legs and begging before me... just imagining it was enough to get me hard.
With my approval, Aira flashed a satisfied smile and got straight to work.
"Laupey, you're truly amazing. After discussing with Master, we've concluded your skills more than qualify you for our team."
"Heh, of course! Who do you think I am?"
The teary face from moments ago was gone, replaced by a triumphant little brat.
To her, Aira offered a tiny, intricately crafted chipset component.
"This is the last one, Witch."
"Hah, leave it to me!"
Laupey took it without suspicion and began replicating it, her third eye glowing once more.
I swallowed dryly, watching the scene in tense silence.
The virus chipset.
The instant it touched her hand, Aira quietly snapped her fingers.
Pzzt!
A faint blue spark flickered from the chipset.
Laupey seemed oblivious, focused on the duplication.
But the virus was already riding her mana, burrowing deep into her body—her mind.
It was terrifying.
What cognitive shifts, what crude memory manipulations lurked in that virus?
For now, only Aira knew.