Chapter 1171 – #279_Declaration Of War
#1165
1.
The Verdant Witch. Verda Tiamat.
She rarely showed herself for trivial matters, and after Keter’s order was firmly established, she had been quietly enjoying shopping, but witches who happened to encounter Verda immediately recognized her, their legs trembling as they fled.
It wasn’t because Verda’s frequent public appearances had made her face as well-known as Duke Tiferet’s.
It wasn’t because of her deep blue-green hair and eyes, which instantly brought her epithet to mind.
It wasn’t because of her baffling fashion sense, where she insisted on wearing outdated clothes she had no idea where she got them, claiming they were the latest fashion, even though it hadn’t been half a century since they were in style.
The reason why the great witch with a youthful appearance, not yet finished with puberty, was so unusual was that, except for the manager of the prophecy agency, she was the only Verdant Witch.
There was an unusual story behind this unusual youthful appearance.
Verda had killed her master when she was an apprentice witch and completed her succession with her own power.
At the time, shocking events were commonplace, but the fact that this anecdote was still being talked about showed how significant it was.
It meant that Verda was a very dangerous witch.
And she still was.
A barren field where even the hardiest crops would wither and die if planted.
About 500 humans were walking in a line.
“Save me… Mom…”
“Where am I… Please send me home!”
“A witch, it’s a witch… We’re dead. She’s going to eat us alive…”
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”
Compared to the despair and chaos they were creating, they were very well-aligned.
The bodies of the sacrifices were out of their control, and they stood at appropriate intervals on the field, following Verda’s orders.
Verda, swaying slightly, and Orselia, exuding an elegant grace like a noblewoman, strolled between them.
Judging by their expressions, both of them seemed to treat the despair coming from all directions as white noise.
“Verda, aren’t those shoes too high? Why don’t you wear something more comfortable?”
“They are a bit high. But they’re pretty, so it’s okay. I like red shoes. And they suit me, don’t they?”
“……”
No matter how much Verda dressed up like a mature adult woman, her appearance was that of a lolita to an unspecified number of Humberts.
Her efforts to force herself to look mature were one of Verda’s long-standing quirks.
Verda took a handful of soil from her pocket and sprinkled it on the insteps of the humans lined up, wandering around.
The two of them looked like a mother and daughter taking a walk while planting seeds in a garden.
“I don’t really know.”
“What is it?”
“As Orselia knows, I like humans. It’s true that I had to live quietly because of Keter’s boring ways, but the culture of humans I’ve seen while wandering was so beautiful. And the fashion, too.”
“What we’re trying to do isn’t to kill all humans.”
“Is that so? No, what I’m worried about is this. Won’t humans who are subordinate to witches become different from the humans we know? I feel like the current world I love will be different from before. The thought that there might never be another Beatles or Marilyn Monroe in the world we rule makes me so sad.”
Although she said that, Verda didn’t look particularly sad.
Like Orselia, it was one of the characteristics of those with an oversized and worn-out ego, those who had lived too long.
“Then why did Verda accept the position of commander of the Western Legion?”
“I’m more surprised that Blanche, that gravedigger, joined than I am about myself.”
“She’s always been a witch supremacist, so it’s not surprising. The current actions of Gehenna are too lukewarm.”
“But she was always a sucker for Keter’s words.”
Verda brought the conversation back on track after it had briefly veered off course.
“Anyway, the reason I agreed to create a witch empire is because I love humans. If even one pro-human witch like me is in the witch empire, there will be a brake.”
“……”
“I believe that humans and witches can get along better than they do now. If there is proper control. I really hope it works out.”
Orselia didn’t particularly agree with Verda’s opinion.
After all, they were beings who could never understand each other.
If their goals were different but their processes were the same, there was no need to do so.
“Okay, that’s done. This is hard work.”
“Can’t you do it with telekinesis?”
“No, it’s a ritual.”
Finally, Verda placed soil on the insteps of all the prisoners, put her hands together, and closed her eyes.
“May it flourish.”
Deep green particles floated around her.
By itself, it looked like a sacred scene of a priestess serving the goddess of abundance offering a prayer.
But the result was quite grotesque.
“Gyaaaak! My body! My body!”
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Save me! Save meee!!!”
The change started from the humans’ feet.
Bones and blood vessels that had broken through the skin dug into the ground like roots.
They soon became literal roots, and the humans began to transform into trees.
The screams were short.
The skin became rough bark, and the arms and bodies of the sacrifices became trees with branches reaching into the sky.
A small forest had formed on the barren field where even weeds had withered and died.
If you hadn’t seen the process of the forest forming, it would have been a peaceful forest, like a charming and cozy fairy tale.
Each tree was laden with unique fruits that did not exist in reality.
This was Verda’s ‘Magical Fruit,’ which was strengthening the Qliphoth Legion.
Witches who had been waiting at a distance used telekinesis to harvest various types of magical fruits and carefully placed them in boxes.
Orselia picked a fruit from a heavily drooping branch with an interested look.
Unlike the fruit that had emitted black flames, this artifact was filled with a pale blue liquid.
It looked as if it had just been made, but the intricate magnetic magic contained within reminded one of the miracles that a being of the 23rd tier could achieve.
“It’s amazing no matter how many times I see it. Oh, if you don’t have any plans today, would you like to be invited to a banquet?”
“Can you not talk to me? I’m doing a memorial prayer. And I’ll decline the invitation in advance. Your meals are unpleasant.”
“Are you in a position to talk?”
Verda’s refusal after finishing her prayer of gratitude for the humans who had become sacrifices.
Orselia, glancing at the lush forest, smiled wryly and threw the fruit she had picked into a box.
2.
Since Duke Erelim’s betrayal had become known, Gehenna was shaking in real time.
The aftermath of that shaking was greater than the release of MIRACLE-Y’s experimental video,
greater than the subsequent announcement of the truth of the world,
and greater than the declaration of the witch empire by Hexennacht immediately after that.
One-third of the members of the Truth and True Name Society left Gehenna.
Some chose to join because they believed in and followed Duke Erelim more than anyone else, and some chose to disappear altogether in the unbelievable situation.
So what happened to the remaining two-thirds?
They chose to close their doors, like the Shaolin Temple’s ultimate move against the invasion of the Murim cult.
They declared that they would cut off all contact with the outside world and not interfere in any events unless the Gehenna mainland was attacked.
“Ha, damn it, this is so frustrating.”
Even Siwoo, who had recently been refraining from swearing to maintain her dignity, couldn’t help but say something about the frustrating situation.
But what could they do?
In fact, orthodox witches had been like that since a long time ago.
They had no choice but to consider it fortunate that the entire Truth and True Name Society hadn’t just followed Erelim and joined Qliphoth.
The alliance of academic societies was also creaking in various places.
It was a well-known fact that morale was a very, very important factor in war.
It was especially true in this war.
The most important thing for a witch was magic.
The next most important thing was to preserve and pass on that magic to future generations, that is, survival.
The pride of the nobles, that is, the cause, was to put witches who valued their lives so much on the battlefield.
In the case of the alliance of academic societies, they were united by the cause of ‘We know humans are dangerous, but we can’t create a world where the enemies run rampant.’
However, Duke Erelim’s betrayal was an act that made them question their cause.
It was as if one of the three dukes, a founding contributor who had been with Gehenna since its founding, had declared, ‘Hexennacht is right. You guys are wrong.’
Even though they hadn’t even fought properly yet, their morale immediately plummeted.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just lock the doors like the Truth and True Name Society? If we receive only the minimum supplies from the current world, Gehenna has a self-sufficient system.”
“That’s right! Count Hesed has blocked all the kernels, so if we just hide well, there’s no way for the outside to interfere!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to make a truce with Hexennacht and divide the world now?”
“A truce with them? Absolutely not. Have you forgotten what kind of people the enemies are?”
“Above all, the balance of power has already been reversed. Would they even accept a truce? They absolutely wouldn’t.”
The only saving grace was that witches were inherently stubborn and inflexible.
“But still, what’s wrong is wrong.”
“Duke Erelim? No, now she’s not even a duke, she’s a traitor. We’ll punish her in the name of Gehenna’s pride.”
“Reconcile with the enemies? Absolutely not. My friend was killed by Qliphoth.”
Despite this worsening situation, many witches still remained on the side of the alliance of academic societies.
That is, to the extent that the outcome of the war could not be completely predicted.
The high-ranking witches gathered their heads, reorganizing their formations and devising strategies, and gradually took steps for the great war.
A week later.
Hexennacht declared war on Gehenna.
It was the starting signal for a witch war of unprecedented scale in history.
