Chapter 922 – #200_Cyberpunk And The Witch (6)
#916
1.
A transcendent being who had thrown off her shackles, a lawless individual who even rejected the rules of the witch society created by Keter.
Public Enemy.
They do not hesitate to use humans as materials for their magical research.
Because they disregard human life, there are many who kill humans for mere amusement.
Didn’t Urshula alone sink tens of thousands of naval personnel?
However, despite these actions, Urshula doesn’t particularly hate humans.
The public enemies’ view of humans is not much different from how medieval nobles viewed serfs.
Just as most nobles regarded serfs as ‘natural beings’ simply because they were educated, powerful, and wealthy,
the public enemies look down on humans because they are beautiful, live eternally, and possess special powers.
Therefore, they simply despise them.
Hatred and contempt may seem similar at first glance because they are both negative emotions, but they are completely different perspectives.
Hatred is accompanied by disgust and strong hostility, or malicious intent towards the target.
On the other hand, contempt simply regards the target as worthless.
If they are not equal, there is no need to harbor hostility.
No matter how foolish and ugly humans may be, there is no need to even pay attention to them.
[Hello. Welcome to Witch Beach]
[I am Dumdum, the manager of Witch Beach]
[Please select a work at the kiosk and proceed with payment to receive a playroom key]
[The machine is currently under maintenance, so please use the kiosk at the back door]
The expressions on Urshula and Priscilla’s faces, who visited Witch Beach following the guidance of the soliciting drone, were no longer those of nobles out for a stroll.
Urshula silently stared at the video playing on the kiosk.
Horrific videos of witches being treated like human toys, even apprentice witches being violated.
“I-is this… real?”
“……”
Urshula is a public enemy.
She kills fellow witches without hesitation and, if she has the leisure, uses them as playthings.
If she lives long enough and her senses become dulled, she might one day bring an apprentice witch into her bedchamber.
The atrocities Urshula has committed against witches were not much different from the videos playing on the kiosk.
“I haven’t particularly hated humans until now…”
Nevertheless, she feels an indescribable rage and humiliation.
Killing and defiling nobles is an act only permitted to nobles.
It is an act that humans, who are merely objects of contempt, should not dare to attempt.
“Now I have a reason to hate them, huh?”
Urshula doesn’t yet know what this city signifies.
However, if humans who have come to understand the existence of witches are given enough time.
Just as the seemingly immortal noble class was swept away by the flames of revolution and ended up on the guillotine, such a world might become a reality.
“These damn, damn, damn bastards…!!!”
Priscilla wept.
She is not crying over the tragedy of individual witches or apprentice witches.
In a sense, public enemies are like extreme witch supremacists.
They are witches who have decided that the duty of a witch is solely to hone their magic, ignoring the ‘order of coexistence with humans’ led by Keter.
The sight of witches being tragically ruined by human hands must have turned into unbearable rage.
“This, this kind of place… must not be left standing!”
Priscilla’s bangs fluttered, and the lights began to flicker due to the aftereffects of her magic reflection.
“Hey, what are you trying to do?”
“I-I’m going to destroy it!”
“Stop it right now. I’m not kidding.”
Urshula agrees with Priscilla’s anger.
However, making up for this humiliation is more than enough to do after obtaining the gate and going out into the present world.
It would be good to use the gate to wipe out the human race and eliminate even the slightest possibility of revolution.
If the gate is here, wouldn’t they have to dig through the collapsed ruins like moles?
“I’m! Not! Kidding! Either!!!!”
However, Priscilla went ahead and eroded the entire area with her magnetic magic.
The underground shopping district of the developed human society was much sturdier than ordinary buildings, but it was still just a shopping district.
The shops that traded the nobility of witches were buried under collapsed ceilings and earth.
2.
The Witch History Museum was located in the middle of a fairly large park.
I was a little worried because it was completely dark night, but it seems that museums in future cities are open 24 hours a day with the power of drones.
A sophisticated design and an open sense of space.
Even the entrance, which gives a unique impression by naturally blending the old-fashioned stairs into the park scenery.
It looked exactly like a museum, no more, no less.
[Hello! Visitor! I am Wingwing, the curator of the Witch History Museum!]
[My mission is to provide detailed information and assist all visitors in cultivating correct historical knowledge!]
[Please take care of me!]
As soon as Siwoo and his group arrived, the screen door opened, and one of the drone piles that had been closing its eyes in the corner flew in like a mayfly.
It was a mechanical voice as lively as a child.
“It looks clean on the outside.”
Not only the exterior, but the interior space also felt calm and organized.
[That’s right. The Witch History Museum is a famous architect…]
Knowing that the drone was a bit of a chatterbox, Siwoo immediately got to the point.
“What is this place?”
[This museum is a place where you can understand the importance of peace and learn lessons through the history of witches and humans, and the wars between humans and witches!]
[You didn’t come here by mistake thinking it was an adult toy history museum, did you? Ha! Ha! Ha!]
Siwoo’s face hardened at the shitty joke that came out while he was already worried about his teacher.
“……”
[……]
The drone became quiet as if it was looking at the situation, then continued.
[That joke was enjoyed by 68% of male visitors]
“I’m not enjoying it.”
[Turning OFF the sexual joke function. If you come this way, I will explain the overall history of witches]
The drone led them to an arched tunnel.
There was a very slow-moving walkway under their feet, and the screen that smoothly connected the ceiling and walls was reminiscent of an aquarium.
Visitors only needed to keep their feet still.
Video materials appeared on the screen following the visitor’s gaze.
It was not a photo or video, but a cute and charming deformed animation.
[The exchange between humans and witches first began around the 15th century. Witches passed on magical knowledge to humans, and humans spread science to witches]
[Witches naturally took their place in the upper echelons of human society and colluded with a small number of powerful people to exploit humans]
[Since witches are virtually immortal, this class structure was very solid. A deformed pattern occurred in which a relatively small number of witches monopolized wealth and power]
[During this period, humanity was no different from slaves of witches]
In the video, witches are seen wielding whips and reveling in the offerings made by humans.
[And then came the emergence of a historical turning point. As you all know, the magical engineering revolution took place in England in the 18th century]
[This revolution brought about changes in various fields such as society, economy, and technology. In fact, humans were able to obtain the technology to manipulate and control magic, which was monopolized by witches, based on scientific principles]
[In the early days of the revolution, this worked in favor of witches who had broad political and social influence and possessed land and capital]
[Witches tried to continue to exploit humans, accumulate wealth, and maintain their social status through active investment and adaptation]
[However, in the end, the revolution in magical engineering triggered changes in the rigid social structure and between classes. Previously, only witches and a small number of high-ranking people had the power by monopolizing magic, but thanks to the magical engineering revolution, the bourgeois class and ordinary citizens were able to access magic. In addition, the middle class grew with the development of magic-based industries, and the influence of witches began to weaken]
[The development of human magical engineering technology even showed signs of gradually surpassing the unique magic of witches]
[The witches, who were dissatisfied with this, used the ‘Madras Clone Incident’ as an excuse to start the First Witch War on July 28, 1914]
“Madras Clone Incident?”
[Yes! That’s right! It is the incident in which the British government kidnapped apprentice witches and cloned them at a secret research institute in Madras, southeastern India]
[Of course, this is a one-sided claim by the witches. The Allied Forces of Humanity conducted several investigations and verifications, but it was revealed that this was a political agitation to justify the war of aggression and to unite the witches]
I’m not naive enough to believe that at face value.
After all, history is the testimony of the victor.
After that, a war broke out between witches and humans.
No matter how much humans accepted magic and gained power, it was not easy to face witches head-on.
The witch forces, which started in Germany and spread their power to Western Europe and Russia, continued their explosive occupation, causing the whole world to tremble in fear.
[But humans, as always, found the answer]
[Russian biotechnology scientist ‘Alexander Volak’ successfully led the ‘Proletaria Project’, which artificially cloned witches and cultivated powerful decisive weapons]
[Based on this project, humanity was able to mass-produce a large number of ‘Witchroids’, which meant that humans could control the magnetic magic that only witches could monopolize]
[In addition, ‘Colin Adams’, a British expert in conceptual science and quantum mechanics, developed a ‘Providence Generator’ that could prevent the unique providence distortion phenomenon of great witches. With this, human magical engineering capabilities became effective even in the Great Witch War]
[The witch empire, which succumbed to the superior technology of humanity, eventually declared unconditional surrender on November 11, 1918]
After that, humanity imposed ‘reasonable’ war reparations on the witches and built a special accommodation zone in Greenland, which was then a wasteland, and drove the witches there.
And they named the special accommodation zone ‘Gehenna’, which is a metaphor for hell in the Old Testament.
[This was a very humane treatment]
[Instead of executing all the war criminals, they created an autonomous zone for the witches and allowed them partial freedom in exchange for cooperation in research]
[After the end of the war, humanity enjoyed unprecedented prosperity]
[But that was only for a while. The resource consumption of overly prosperous humanity began to far exceed the Earth’s resource reserves]
[In 1992, humanity’s underground resources were depleted with the completion of the Arctic seabed drilling station]
[But we, as always, found the answer again]
[Witches were an excellent alternative resource and a source that hid endless possibilities for technological development]
[Therefore, humanity has decided to deprive the witches of the autonomy they have been granted so far. For the survival of all mankind, they have agreed to use the war criminals who had been granted a stay of execution as a new energy source]
[However, the Gehenna side strongly opposed this]
[The great witch ‘Noah Genesis’, who led Gehenna, gathered the remaining witches and called the accommodation zone the ‘Witch Empire’.
She started the Second Witch War]
A familiar name.
Siwoo’s eyes widened.
“Noah Genesis?”
[That’s right. The Empress of the Witch Empire. She is the Witch of Creation who later created the Ark and escaped]
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