Chapter 1172 – #279_Declaration Of War (2)
#1166
1.
The declaration of war was made through Russia’s state-run broadcasting station, the Hexen Nacht central army’s base, and was soon broadcast through various broadcasting stations of the puppet states controlled by Hexen Nacht.
[What is a witch? A witch is a seeker who embarks on a pilgrimage to reach transcendence. This is the essence of a witch, and it has never changed from the beginning until now.]
[However, our long-time enemy, Keter, has ignored this duty of witches and has been purging our kin under the false ideology of serving humans, which is a clear act of apostasy.]
[Under Keter’s purges, humans, who enjoyed freedom on the blood of countless witches, finally revealed their wicked nature. They were not satisfied with freedom and reached for debauchery. They tried to pursue forbidden power, and the world has already seen the result.]
[We, Hexen Nacht, intend to prevent the terrible future that will surely come. We have resolutely risen to correct Keter’s distorted order and have reached out to Gehenna. However, the Gehenna conservatives, clinging to a proven useless old order, have ignored several requests for peace negotiations and warnings, showing their will to continue the conflict in various parts of the world.]
[There was enough time to realize that it was wrong and to correct it.]
[This is a declaration of war.]
[We, Hexen Nacht…]
A small hand holding the remote turned off the TV.
“Sister…”
Psyche recalled her last conversation with Erelim.
It was a conversation where she heard the cruel truth that all witches were failures and Erelim’s true intentions.
Erelim had long thought that humans were dangerous, but she had maintained the pro-human Gehenna order to follow Keter’s will.
‘If things continue like this under the system’s limitations, the tragedy of another world line will repeat itself soon.’
But now that there was no need to do so, she planned to impose appropriate control on humans.
The Witch of Creation and Keter also talked about the ambiguous ideal of harmony between humans and witches, but Erelim had no such intention left.
‘I will overcome the wall that Keter could not. Psyche, I will lead those whom Keter abandoned.’
In addition, she intended to use the Shin Si-woo family, Keter’s final arrangement, as a milestone for the abandoned witches.
The way of thinking that something might come out if they capture and dissect another family was not much different from the public good.
But Psyche understood Erelim.
This was not because Psyche had embodied their ideology while living as a ‘public good’ for Gehenna.
Psyche had killed her own kind for thorough disguise, joined fights she didn’t want to, and sometimes caused many humans to die.
Every life after becoming a public good was like hell.
She had endured only with the same strong sense of duty to serve witches as Erelim.
But even Psyche’s pain would not compare to Blanche’s.
Blanche Erelim is a witch for witches.
Blanche’s self-nature magic originated from the wishes of all witches.
She wanted to record the wishes of all witches, from her teachers and friends to unknown witches, who had passed away in vain.
Erelim was the one who cared for the tombstones dedicated to witches who closed their eyes, leaving behind their unfulfilled wishes, the mausoleum.
It was also the reason why she was called the ‘Graveyard Witch’ before she was given the pretty nickname ‘Star Constellation Witch’ long ago.
‘Psyche will rebel against Blanche for the first time since she was born. You are trying to go down the wrong path.’
Nevertheless, Psyche tried to stop Erelim.
Just as the cause of serving Gehenna did not bring peace to Psyche, the cause of serving witches would not make her sister happy.
She clashed head-on with her, who had reached the 25th rank, and was miserably defeated.
She had already reached a different realm than Psyche.
‘I’m really sorry.’
Erelim hugged Psyche, who was sprawled out with her magic depleted, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
Psyche, who was prepared to lose her life, was slightly bewildered and widened her eyes.
She realized her sister’s true intentions in her subsequent plan.
‘Now, it’s okay to rest.’
If Psyche’s identity were revealed, she would become everyone’s enemy.
From Hexen Nacht’s point of view, she would be a notorious opportunist, and even Gehenna would have a hard time looking at her favorably.
The threads of grudges that she had been forced to weave over hundreds of years as a public good were already binding Psyche more densely than a net.
In other words, Erelim had faked Psyche’s death, thrown her to Hexen Nacht, and freed her from the old leash.
Erelim had only asked one thing.
Silence.
She asked her not to move at least until this situation was over.
Then Psyche would be able to face quiet peace.
She said that wasn’t enough.
At the time, Psyche couldn’t say anything in response.
Even now, she couldn’t think of a suitable rebuttal.
“……”
Erelim was not the only one who had lost her way.
After the role that had moved Psyche all this time disappeared, and after learning the truth of the world, she had no motivation or purpose left.
After conveying the danger to her friend Periwinkle, in case she got caught up in it, all her motivation disappeared.
“I’m so tired…”
Psyche quietly closed her eyes.
Not peace, not chaos.
A faint wave of emotion, not knowing which side it belonged to, subsided gently.
2.
There was a witch who seized power among the hardliners after the founding of Hexen Nacht.
A founding member of Qliphoth and the 23rd rank.
The ‘Nightmare Witch’ Barbara Millinoe.
The reason why the modifier ‘had seized power’ is attached here is because the power she has now is only formal.
Even right after the city of night was built, she led the hardliners by flaunting her high rank and her power, and continued a sharp confrontation with the leader of the moderates, the Golden Flower Witch.
In the old days when the public goods were scattered and each was trying to survive, the strongest was the best, but as times changed, the virtues required of a leader also changed.
Barbara was not very good at political fights.
On the other hand, Lydia Magnus was a woman closer to a politician or a businesswoman than a public good, like a viper.
Psyche, who received the order, aimed for the signboard position to seize power among the hardliners, and Lydia helped with the work behind the scenes.
For that reason, Barbara was naturally pushed to the periphery of the hardliners, as if she were standing on a slippery slope covered in oil.
It was an absurd situation where her forces were clearly powerful, but her voice was not very loud.
Even now, after declaring the proclamation of the Witch Empire and gathering in Qliphoth, Barbara has not been given a proper legion commander position.
Considering that the merits of war determine the post-war position, this is a terrible mistreatment.
But more than anything else, Barbara didn’t like this.
“Are you out of your minds? You just accept the enemy leader who surrendered and put her in the organization? What kind of scheme do you think she’s hiding?”
The three old witches were spreading out a map and having a strategy meeting.
They stared blankly at Barbara, who suddenly jumped in and was ranting.
“I clearly acknowledge that your participation has greatly changed the momentum. But how can you pass such an important agenda without proper filtering? Are you going to ruin the city you worked so hard to build?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, young friend. You’ll get wrinkles if you get angry.”
“You came without notice. Would you like a cup of tea?”
The youthful-looking Verda whined, and Ellara clinked a teacup.
Barbara felt like she was going crazy.
Barbara was also a seasoned public good who was 600 years old.
It’s just that the three in front of her were monsters among monsters.
However, Barbara was the one who had dealt with Gehenna for a longer period of time.
Therefore, Barbara had no intention of changing her mind.
“Millinoe, would you tell me if you have any thoughts?”
Orselia, who was the most reasonable to talk to, offered her a seat in a polite tone, and Barbara roughly pulled out a chair and sat down.
“I know it’s good to accept that Erelim bitch. But what did you believe in to do that?”
“Psyche was so close to Blanche. If she purged a witch like her younger sister with her own hands, she must have been very determined. She also warned about the dangers of humans early on.”
The stories of the old monsters who had lived for over a thousand years, who only knew about themselves, were not very persuasive to Barbara.
Above all, Barbara didn’t think they were very serious.
They treat the war that the fate of the witches depends on as if it were a game.
Even though they had secured an overwhelming advantage, is it reasonable that they spend more time drinking tea and chatting than having serious conversations during a strategy meeting?
“I know you guys are playing games, and I know your existence is necessary, but please be a little more serious.”
Barbara did not take this situation lightly.
The public goods had different perspectives on the series of events, but in Barbara’s case, it could be summed up in one word.
A sense of urgency.
While other witches were burning with hatred for humans, ambition for a new era, and revenge against Gehenna, Barbara was clearly seeing reality.
“If this war is lost or ends ambiguously, humans will gain time. We are in a time attack situation where we have to win decisively and seize power. In the meantime, accepting a force whose intentions are unknown is an incomprehensible act.”
“Isn’t it enough that we offered a plump sheep as a burnt offering as proof of her conversion? In addition, some of the Truth and True Name Academic Society are gradually joining our side.”
“Yeah, you said it well. They’ve already sucked all the juice out of it, right?”
“So what are you going to do?”
At Ellara’s question, Barbara calmly continued her explanation.
“Erelim is here alone right now, right?”
Some of the Truth and True Name Academic Society joined Erelim.
But this does not mean that they have joined Hexen Nacht.
They drew a line, claiming that they would only follow the orders of Duke Erelim.
“Duke Erelim is the biggest variable. It’s better to just get rid of the variable than to bring it to our side. Let’s quietly cut her throat.”
In other words, Erelim is the biggest variable in their pocket right now.
If they could exclude her, who was in the 25th rank, it would be possible to solidify the victory of the war and eliminate another variable.
In addition, they would get an enormous loot, the highest-grade brand.
“After all, even if she’s an old witch, she’s a flimsy person who’s been soaked in Gehenna water, right?”
But the old witches’ reactions were lukewarm.
Of course, Barbara didn’t come here to get their consent.
“Never mind.”
Barbara slammed the door shut and left, with a lukewarm reaction.
The Time Witch, Ellara Chronos, clicked her tongue.
“That one… she’s going to cause trouble.”
“Did you hear? She called Erelim a flimsy person.”
“It’s because you keep saying useless things, Verda, that she got angry.”
There was a bit of a misunderstanding.
Barbara criticized the three of them for acting like they were playing war, but for them, this was a natural thing.
Struggle was an everyday life that had never been separated from their lives.
“Orselia, what are you going to do?”
Internal strife is not good at a time when war is imminent.
But there was still some uneasiness about Erelim’s actions.
This matter would be resolved smoothly, so there was no need to step in and stop it.
“Let’s watch. It looks like it’ll be fun.”
Orselia smiled.
