City ​​of Witches 440

Chapter 440 – #92_Wandering(3)

#439

1.
‘The Witch of the Constellations,’ Duchess Blanche Erelim.
One of the oldest witches, having lived for nearly a thousand years.

Although Duchess Erelim spent most of her time holed up in her academy workshop, no one within Gehenna could take her words lightly.

She was well-versed in all fields of magic, regardless of the system, and her workshop contained research materials that were more enticing to a witch than a pile of gold, ranging from her own collections to the theses of academy members.
Even the Great Witches desired to peek into her library, and there were countless others who wished to receive her teachings.

Yet, even with Duchess Erelim’s statement, the commotion in the conference hall did not cease.
It was rare for a noble to be exiled, and cases of purges were almost nonexistent.
Although Duchess Erelim was a far-right orthodox witch who prioritized the rights of witches above all else, no one had expected her to take such an extreme, hardline stance.

Deneb immediately rose from her seat and spoke.

“Duchess Erelim, the dedication of the successive Merigolds is surely included in the embers of Gehenna’s peace and prosperity. Your statement just now seems to have overlooked that. If we are to discuss execution, it should at least be after a trial.”

The connection between the Geminai Countess and Amelia was not particularly deep, but she was a witch with whom she had a clear acquaintance.
Even if she didn’t know the full story, she didn’t want her to be purged so suddenly.

“I agree with Countess Geminai’s statement. Immediate purge is too radical a solution.”
“I’ve heard that the main harmful elements have not been identified. It’s not too late to respond after a thorough analysis.”

Several witches lent their support to Deneb’s words.
It might sound like a convenient story, but a witch killing another witch was different from a witch simply killing a human.
They felt an instinctive aversion and discomfort.

Despite the negative reactions, Deneb couldn’t relax.
She realized that almost none of the witches raising their voices belonged to the Truth and True Name Society.

The Duchess listened to the dissenting opinions that erupted from various places with calm, unwavering eyes.
Her expression was like a mask, impossible to fathom.
She nodded agreeably and opened her mouth.

“Those are reasonable opinions. However, as the situation is urgent, I will show you the data regarding the current situation before the discussion becomes too lengthy.”

A large phantom image appeared on Duchess Erelim’s palm.
Like a hologram screen, it showed the chaotic state of Taro Town.

“I will explain the details.”

Count Kohab, the vice-president of the academy and Duchess Erelim’s confidant, stepped forward.

“I will briefly brief you on the analysis of the progression of the spatial randomization that has occurred in Taro Town, and the future predictions.”

Count Kohab lightly flicked his finger, and the video playing on the phantom image rewound.
This was a video recorded in real-time by an observation post near Taro Town, showing not only the situation at the time but also the measured values by magical observation.

“The time of the incident that can be confirmed by the observation device is 0:04:35. When the fireworks of the Harvest Festival had not yet ended, Baroness Amelia Merigold’s self-magnetic magic ‘Particles’ began to be scattered. At this point, they were fine particles that had not yet crystallized…”

The screen changed.
It was a scene of rain falling in the night sky where the embers had not yet completely died out.

“0:13:33. With the full surge of magical power, it begins to rain. According to the records of the previous Merigold, she uses magic specialized in spatial domination by scattering magnetized magical particles. In other words, she exerts influence on the space that the rain touches.”

The video showed the rain starting from the center of Taro Town and gradually spreading, stopping its expansion only after it had covered the entire town.

“After 14:20. In less than a minute, the entire Taro Town falls into her hands. And here, an anomaly occurs. A distortion of space.”

As Kohab explained, the magic that was expanding was unnaturally faltering.

“15:04. The exact reason is unknown, but the force trying to expand outward and the force trying to suppress it became intertwined, leading to a superimposed space of magical power, and the result is the occurrence of randomization.”

Up to this point, everyone sitting here knew the content without any special report.
Spatial randomization was not a common phenomenon, but it was famous due to its peculiarity.

“Spatial randomization has almost no effect on the human body. The amount of magical power present in the human body is negligible or weak, and they will lose consciousness, but it is not harmful.
You have already confirmed my report that ‘it is not yet harmful to the citizens,’ so you can guess. But please look at this.”

The cube that had been showing the horizontally observed video disappeared, and another cube appeared.
It was a landscape with a bird’s-eye view, as if it had been filmed from a high place.

“This is a video that Duchess Erelim observed directly.”

The witches murmured among themselves as they saw the video.
The view from above seemed to emphasize that this phenomenon was not a simple happening.

It was as if a black hole had been photographed from above.
There was a black circle swirling closer to the center of the distorted Taro Town.
Looking at the center, it was so dark that it seemed to absorb even light, and it was impossible to see inside with the naked eye.

“As of 0:15:04, the expansion of the anomalous space itself has been stopped. However, for some reason, the randomization is becoming more severe as it approaches the center.”

Count Yesod threw down his pen as if in despair upon hearing those words.
He realized that the calculation of the decryption key for the randomization pattern he had been working on was meaningless.

“That’s impossible. Normally, spatial randomization doesn’t act equally on all coordinates, does it? Once it spreads, it’s a binary state where you can only discuss existence and non-existence… To become more severe as you go inward…”

One witch expressed the doubts of everyone.
It was Duchess Erelim, not Count Kohab, who answered instead.

“That’s right. That’s one of the reasons why I suggested a somewhat extreme solution. If it were just a case of spatial randomization, there would be plenty of middle ground. There would be plenty of time, and this commotion could also be just an accident.”

Duchess Erelim rose from her seat.

“But as you can see, this is not a normal randomized space. Baroness Merigold is freely using magic within the randomized space, and what is captured in the video is a sign of spatial collapse due to that.

The Baroness’s magic is slowly expanding its range even at this moment, and in about an hour, it will engulf the entire Taro Town.
Currently, it is maintaining a precarious superimposed state, but as the range of collapse expands, its control will weaken.
At that point, her intentions and purpose will not matter.
If one side of a stretched rubber band is released, the resulting event could potentially cause the collapse of the barrier surrounding the entire Gehenna.”

A bustling silence flowed.
No one spoke out loud, but some witches swallowed their groans, and others nervously combed their hair.

“Earlier, I said that this was one of the reasons. During the observation process, I tried two things.
First, I used magic to stop the unidentified magic. But I failed.
Second, I sent a warning to the Baroness at the center of the collapse. There was no response.
The above two attempts were my middle ground.”

Finally, Duchess Erelim took out a stack of documents.

“And this is the last reason why I made my decision. This is the manifest of the immigration office that has gone through the ‘Gate’ to and from Gehenna in the last year. There is a record of the Baroness going to the mortal realm, but there is no record of her re-entering. She has illegally entered through a backdoor without going through the proper procedures.”

The moment those words ended, those who had been reluctant to execute Amelia, including Deneb, felt it.
At least more than half of the public opinion was leaning towards Duchess Erelim’s side.

There were certainly some questionable points, and there might be a better solution.

However, time was running out, and it was not easy to come up with a solution that was better than Duchess Erelim’s right now.
Moreover, if such a spatial collapse and erosion were to occur within Gehenna, which maintains a delicate balance as a pocket dimension, the worst catastrophe could not be ruled out, as the Duchess said.

“The nobles of Gehenna are witches who have made great contributions to the prosperity and development of the city in the past. I understand that many of you are not happy with my opinion.
Regardless of the circumstances, having to kill a fellow witch is a heavy matter.”

Seeing the narrowing of the differences in opinion, the Duchess drove in the wedge.

“I received confirmation from the prophecy agency not long ago. Duchess Keter is no longer moving. I believe you all have guessed this by looking at the past ten years and the current situation.”

Duchess Keter.
That name was the one that many witches had in their minds even at this moment.
Why was she, who had always been the first to step forward when a deviation from her self-imposed rules occurred, still silent?

There were already many stories circulating in the world.
Rumors that Keter could no longer move for some reason.
However, it was a different matter entirely for that to remain just a rumor and for a big figure like Duchess Erelim to come forward and confirm it in an official setting.

Duchess Erelim suppressed the conference hall, which was about to become chaotic, with a monotonous tone, speaking with emphasis.

“Duchess Keter was the system that supported the witch society. That system has collapsed.
The public will become more rampant, and the exiles will also be shaken.
That is why it is even more time for a decision.

What witches must achieve is magical innovation, but it must be placed on the bedrock of stability and control.

Even if Duchess Keter is absent, we must show both inside and outside Gehenna that we can uphold the rules.
I have no doubt that this is the path for witches and the path for Gehenna.
If you are reluctant to stain your hands with the blood of a fellow witch, I will stand at the forefront.”

A combination of powerful speaking rights, a firm conviction, and appropriate physical evidence to support it, along with a righteous cause.
There was no one here who could object to Duchess Erelim.

“The abnormally occurring magical accident will be normalized if the source of magical power is removed.
However, considering that the space is a randomized space and that citizens are detained nearby, we will begin calculations for a precision strike.
We will send a surrender recommendation to Baroness Merigold, taking about 30 minutes as the last chance.”

There was no opposition.
Deneb immediately sent a message to her sister, Albireo.