Chapter 867: A Witch Destined to be a Betrayer Rebel Witch?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 867: A Witch Destined to be a Betrayer Rebel Witch?
"Come out. Such crude tracking techniques are hardly befitting of your status, don't you think?" Mei Lind’s clone came to a halt and turned slightly. A figure then appeared behind her, making no effort to hide.
"Is that so? Does that mean... you were actually hoping I’d come find you directly?" Sheryl spoke in a relaxed tone, her gaze drifting toward a nearby Witch Cat Cafe. "Nice choice of location. Since you called me out right here, how about treating me to a Fool's Dream Drink inside? I’ve been craving one lately~"
"Let’s go in."
Mei Lind didn't waste words or offer much of a rebuttal. While she truly didn't enjoy dealing with this Rebel Witch, life was often like that—one couldn't simply turn away from the opportunities it presented.
"Oh~ A Gold Cat Card?"
"A gift from Dinah," Mei Lind said casually.
As the witch who ran the Witch Cat Cafe, Dinah naturally looked forward to having someone of the Academy Dean's stature come by to enjoy the service.
"Two full Fool's Dream Drink sets," Mei Lind ordered. The staff at the cafe were efficient, quickly handling the order and guiding them to their seats.
As the Academy Dean, Mei Lind’s face was practically common knowledge within the academy. However, as she and Sheryl entered, they seemed no different from any other ordinary pair.
"Derivative spells for cognitive weakening, cognitive replacement, and cognitive blur?" Sheryl remarked casually to Mei Lind as she followed a waitress in cat-ear maid attire to a prime window seat with the best view.
"Yes. Status can be a burden sometimes."
"Actually, for things like this, a Disguise Spell is much more convenient~" Sheryl said with a smile.
"But my specialty is Weakening Spells." Mei Lind saw nothing wrong with her methods. "Let’s get straight to the point."
"The point? Fine, fine~" Sheryl sighed. Although Mei Lind hadn't started their meeting with their usual verbal sparring, it was clear she still harbored a slight prejudice against her as a Rebel Witch. "Straight to the point then... When do you plan to kick Danielle out of the Main World Witch Academy?"
Sheryl’s question struck Mei Lind into silence. She hadn't expected the "point" to be quite so direct.
"Isn't your prejudice against her a bit too deep? I recall she is also part of the Rebel Witch Project, isn't she? Or is it that you Rebel Witches just can't stand each other?"
"Your prejudice against me is quite deep too, you know~ I haven't done anything to you..."
"You have no right to say that," Mei Lind interrupted. "You’ve done plenty of other things; I simply chose not to hold you accountable."
"Fine~ For the sake of keeping this conversation going, I think we should drop that topic. How about it?"
"Then let’s switch to another."
"The witch who sabotaged Xiao Han’s experiment was Danielle, wasn't it? How do you plan to handle her?"
"Do you have proof?"
"You have proof," Sheryl said, smiling.
She continued, "On one hand, you have a Little Witch with limitless potential and an unbounded future. On the other, you have a fellow member of the small minority that is the Transcendent Witches."
"Don't tell me you're so fed up that you're going to step in for me. If you did, I might actually have to thank you. After all, isn't that exactly the kind of thing you Rebel Witches love to do?"
As the Academy Dean, Mei Lind had many factors to consider. Witches were indeed devoted to their race, but that didn't mean there were no internal frictions. It was just that these disagreements were usually trivial on the scale of the entire witch race.
"Really? If you want me to do it, I certainly can. But is it really a good look for an Academy Dean to have a secret tryst with a Rebel Witch in a cat cafe, only for that Rebel Witch to 'resolve' a conflict immediately after?"
"So... you’re just here to watch me make a fool of myself?"
"Only if you're willing to put on the performance~ Let me guess how this will play out. Hmm... in the end, the blame will fall on a student, right? Are you going to stop cherishing your students now and make them the scapegoats for the Transcendent Witches?"
"I can only say that they aren't innocent. I cherish my students, but that doesn't mean they go unpunished when they do wrong."
"And the Transcendent Mentor?"
"..."
"There’s no way around it, is there~"
"Sometimes, the problem isn't the witch, but the philosophy the witches subscribe to. Many issues can't be generalized. As a Rebel Witch, you should understand that better than anyone, shouldn't you?"
"They believe... that Self-Generated Mana, a power exclusive to Transcendent Witches, shouldn't be desecrated by other races—not even by Prospective Witches. Is that it?" Sheryl asked with a smirk.
"Yes. But that sentiment is a minority voice in the Witch Academy. What I’m busy with now is negotiating a mutually acceptable solution through proper channels."
"Isn't that a ridiculous question?"
"Ridiculous?"
"Refusing to acknowledge other races... that’s happened before in witch history, hasn't it? The original Truth Dedication of 'Witchification Racial Transformation' acknowledged the value of other races. Was that a desecration of the witch race? They have fully embraced the concept, power, and identity of a witch in mind, race, and body. So, are they witches?"
"It’s not the same," Mei Lind argued. "One is becoming a witch entirely. The other is seizing the power of a witch. The latter carries the risk of using that power to rebel against the path of the witch."
"What a joke... Haha... Does becoming a Transcendent Witch make that impossible? If so, where did all those Betrayer Rebel Witches I’ve killed come from?"
"..."
Mei Lind looked at the Rebel Witch before her with a complicated gaze. She had to admit that, at times, she couldn't win an argument against a Rebel Witch. This group was powerful not just in strength, but in their convictions.
After all, to stand in opposition to witches while being a witch yourself, to act as a lash for the entire race—they had to constantly ask themselves if what they were doing was right.
Faced with the questioning of so many witches, what kind of resolve must they have to continue down that path so firmly?
She had to acknowledge that the Rebel Witch before her looked down on the Main World Witch Academy.
Sheryl viewed the current academy as a closed world of self-indulgence, where everyone played a role and stayed within the academy to "retire."
This was no joke. In the Main World, far too many witches came here seeking a comfortable retirement, treating even the most significant events with the mindset of an amused bystander.
"Then... what do you think I should do to satisfy you?"
"You're asking me? This academy isn't mine. Why ask me?" Sheryl caught the responsibility Mei Lind tried to shift onto her and tossed it right back. "If you don't know what to do... perhaps you should put yourself in the shoes of the person involved. For instance... what would Xiao Han want you to do?"
"Thank you for the suggestion. I will consider it."
"Just... consider it?" Sheryl was clearly unsatisfied with that answer.
"If you're unhappy, keep talking. My intuition tells me that this time, 'you' are the one who needs something from me."
"Listen to you~ Heh heh~" Sheryl merely chuckled, her expression giving nothing away as to whether Mei Lind was right.
"Guests~ Your freshly prepared Fool's Dream Drink sets. Shall I prepare them now?" At that moment, a cat-eared waitress pushed a small, specialized cart over, carrying two adorable Fool's Dream spirits.
"Yes, prepare them here," Sheryl said first. Her gaze softened considerably once the Fool's Dream spirits arrived. "They're so cute. May I pet them?"
"Of course~ Just please don't go overboard. Also, please don't pet them while the Fool's Dream Drink is being prepared!"
"Is that so? That’s wonderful~" Sheryl teased the Fool's Dream spirits for a moment before turning her gaze back to Mei Lind.
"It’s fine. They won't care about what we’re saying."
"It seems your spells are quite convenient indeed~"
"If you have something to say, say it plainly. We’ve had enough beating around the bush."
"My, you certainly are impatient~"
"I’m busy. I don't have your leisure. Even if this is just a clone, I have much to do," Mei Lind stated.
"Very well then~" Sheryl nodded, finally getting to the point. "Mei Lind, do you believe... that among witches, there are those destined to be Betrayer Rebel Witches?"
"My answer is no. If this is something you’ve sensed with your Rebel Witch instincts... I have nothing to say. This isn't a matter of one person convincing the other."
"Then... how about a wager?"
"Humanity cannot be tested. The moment you conceive the idea to test it, it becomes like a pane of glass—destined to shatter. Witches are the same. No living being can escape such a test."
Mei Lind’s words were a direct refusal, and a tacit admission that within the witch community... there were indeed those who could not withstand a test.
What Mei Lind distrusted even more was the intensity of a test conducted by the Rebel Witch before her!
No one possessed an absolutely objective standard to judge good or evil. Once such a standard existed, it would destroy everyone!
"I understand~ Of course I understand~ No one has the right to test humanity. But... that’s an ideal test scenario with no background or events. Right now, we... oh no, you... you all are doing something big. And for this thing to be completed, it needs a bottom line..."
Sheryl paused mid-sentence to take the drink handed to her by the Fool's Dream spirit. "Thank you~ little one~ Would you like a tip?"
"Ugh... no. My salary is enough! If you appreciate my craft, your praise is the best reward!"
"Is that so?" Sheryl took a careful sip. The texture was slightly different from the last time. It seemed true that every Fool's Dream spirit produced a slightly different flavor of drink. "It tastes wonderful~ A flavor that truly lingers in a witch's memory. It was hard enough finding time to come here today; I don't know when the next time will be."
"Hehe~ Then we’ll meet again if fate allows. If you want me to serve you again, just request me by name. I’m Yu Cha~"
"Mhm~"
After her pleasant exchange with the Fool's Dream spirit, Sheryl turned back to Mei Lind.
"What did you mean by those words just now?"
"I didn't go through all this trouble just to talk about testing someone. I’m here out of the goodness of my heart to help you eliminate a hidden threat~"
"Be specific. What do you plan to do?"
"Xiao Han’s ability... you and I have both witnessed it. I’m sure you won't be able to keep it hidden forever. A Little Witch possessing such terrifying power—it transcends the system of Void power and the Transcendent framework, bypassing the only existing grade classification."
"And?"
"I plan to go public with this news. Guess who will have the biggest reaction?"
Bang!
"You wouldn't dare!"
With a slam of the table and that sharp interrogation, Mei Lind instantly became the center of attention in the cat cafe. Even her Sensory Weakening spell couldn't mask such an agitated outburst.
Realizing her loss of composure, Mei Lind slowly sat back down. The surrounding gazes grew dazed for a moment, and soon, everyone returned to their business as if nothing had happened.
"It seems you’ve given me the answer. You had the biggest reaction~" Sheryl said half-jokingly.
"I suggest you don't do that."
"Then... let’s both take a step back. How about we try a different approach?"
Hearing Sheryl say this, Mei Lind had a rough idea of what the other woman was plotting...
"Heh... so this was your goal all along. But you’ll have to tell me the details first."
* * *
The Laboratory.
Researching Nightmares isn't something that can be done overnight. It requires a massive investment of time and energy; a single idea doesn't just manifest into a finished product.
As my research drifted further and further from conventional knowledge, I began to understand why Transcendent Witches' experiments lasted anywhere from a few months to over a century.
Time is the best catalyst and verification method for Transcendent experiments.
While researching the Nightmare Purification Method, I was also looking into something else. Since I had given up on the simultaneous progress of so many purification methods, I suddenly had a lot of free time.
I poured that time into another study.
Specifically... the experiment of converting dream creatures into Soul Essence.
Dream creatures love to consume Soul Essence from reality, but that Soul Essence certainly doesn't just vanish. I suspect that "Dream State Soul Essence" might be found by exploring this lead.
The reason I’m doing this is that other witches have performed similar experiments, and there is a significant theoretical foundation within the Tree of Great Knowledge. Thus, I prepared to understand Dream State Soul Essence from multiple angles.
However, I’m also prepared for failure. After all, none of those theoretical foundations have produced a successful case yet. Otherwise... the term "Dream State Soul Essence" would already exist in the academic world.
If I really do discover Dream State Soul Essence, there’s a real chance the academic community will adopt my terminology for it.
Just thinking about it makes me a little excited.