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Chapter 55 Part 8 – The secret of the Blue Diamond. The story of how the Witch of Doom was born. In order to get those children back one day ……

‘…… You can’t do this ……!! Teacher ……!!’

Dwayne gently placed his hand on Kele’s head as she desperately tried to stop him.

「……That is my last wish as a useless adult …… Please, rely on an adult …… I’m sick of making children even hold back their tears …… so will you tell me how you really feel?」

Kele’s expression crumbled at Dwayne’s words.
Dwayne nudged her with his eyes as she trembled, not knowing what to do with her overflowing feelings.
Kele clenched both of her hands and yelled as she thrusted them downward.
Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.

‘…… Teacher …… Please ……!! Save Kele and the others ……!!’

Dwayne nodded.

「I will definitely save you guys. Even if it takes me a thousand years, or even ten thousand years, I will definitely come to welcome your souls. So, will you trust me and wait?」

Kele wiped away her tears and smiled.
It was a bright and innocent smile.

‘…… Okay …… We’ll wait …… It’s a promise ……’

Dwayne smiled back, held up his pinky finger, and held it out in front of Kele. Kele twined her little pinky finger around his. With a happy smile on her face, Kele’s figure faded and disappeared.

「…… Good girl …… It’s …… a …… promise ……」

After seeing her off with a smile until the end, large drops of tears fell from Dwayne’s eyes.
His eyelids closed, his body slumped, and his hands silently fell to the floor.

Whether Dwayne had really met Kele’s spirit or was it just an illusion, no one knows. Dwayne was the only one who had witnessed the whole thing. Except for those whose lives were first absorbed by the Blue Diamond, all the others were able to escape from the collapsing temple, thanks to Dwayne’s strenuous efforts.

The collapse of the temple covered everything.

Finally, the altar in the center began to collapse and the Blue Diamond was sucked into the culvert.

The demon once again disappeared into the darkness of history.

The body of the high priest was rigid with a face carved with the anguish of death and clawing at the void. It ended up being crushed and obscured under the rubble.

The collapsed Dwayne was in a gruesome state while being covered in blood.
However, his expression as he welcomed death was tranquil.
Around Dwayne, the dolls of the children that he had carried in his chest pocket rolled to get closer to him.
As if trying to recreate the happy days.
The light from the collapsing ceiling stood out even more clearly in the dust, illuminating them like a religious painting.

But it was short-lived. A tremendous amount of earth and sand had fallen on the temple and the stone roof broke down from the center. An ear-deafening roar swept down and swallowed everything.
Eventually, when everything had turned quiet, the temple that had been the center of the people of the forest’s faith for so many years had vanished from the earth without leaving any trace.

…… This disaster caused the people of the forest to abandon their long-established hometown and disperse throughout Hydrangea, adapting themselves to live amongst the other citizens. The wind and rain wore away the ruins where there was no one left and the greenery of the overgrown trees swallowed it up. With the exception of the priests, the people of the forest rarely used letters and so their history was forgotten as the memories of their descendants faded away.

And the time goes by.

◇

We were confronted by the new Witch of Doom, who called himself Dwayne.

The scene of green vines swaying in front of his face was the same as before, but strangely it was not unpleasant. His small build was wrapped in a hooded robe, and it is hard to tell if he is a man or a woman. Or maybe he could be a child.

However, I sensed from this person, whose face I could not see, the feeling of a strong man similar to Matzo, the captain of the Imperial Guards. Do not underestimate him by his effeminate tone. This person is a warrior who possesses both overwhelming strength and a will of steel.

Bradd and mother seemed to feel exactly the same way as I did.

Bradd jumped up and down on the spot to warm up. He exhaled and raised his spirits. This is an unusual sight to be seen from Bradd since he had always conducted himself as though he was on a battlefield.

「…… Sorry about this, but you seem like a tough opponent. I can’t afford to go easy on you.」

「…… That’s not something a child should be worried about for an adult. …… Don’t hesitate and come at me.」

The new Witch of Doom said so. He looked like he was smiling.

「Even though I’m not sure about your mental age, you definitely do not look like an adult with that body. Looking at the sudden change from the old lady to you earlier, it’s like that body is possessed by multiple spirits. It seems that the sapphire around your neck is the object which the spirits are summoned from. I can feel a horrifying vortex of power coming from it ……」

The Witch of Doom’s eyes widened at Bradd’s conjecture.

「I’m surprised. You are very perceptive at your age. Excellent intuition is essential for a true warrior. With the way you carry yourself, when you grow up, it looks like you will become one of the strongest humans …… Most of it was right. The only thing that’s a little bit wrong is ……」

As expected, this person is amazing.
He has accurately seen through Bradd’s strength, who would later become the strongest person in the world.
I interrupted and continued his sentence

「…… Bradd, that’s not a sapphire. It looks a lot like one, but it’s a blue diamond. But any jewel that glows like that is not of this world. Make sure you never touch it during the fight.」

I tightly grasped the ruby pendant hanging on my chest.

The luminescence that seems to shine from within itself despite the night is exactly like the Ruby of God’s Eye. But it’s different. The Ruby of God’s Eye only curses those who touch it, even though it contains the grudge of the Light Bat Tribe who were killed due to a false charge. My intuition tells me that the blue diamond spreads a more dangerous malice.

「How well-informed, ruby princess. I’ll correct my earlier statement. Even if you have not mastered the ruby’s power, with that intelligence, you should be considered a threat. Although you are a little girl, I must not underestimate you ……」

The Witch of Doom was calm and collected as he made that statement.
While acknowledging our power, he is confident that he can win.

「Everyone, be careful. That witch probably has a lot of dangerous stuff …… So, I will take command in this battle.」

I gave a warning and pulled a few spare fans out of my skirt’s side pockets and handed them to Bradd.

This is definitely going to be a battle of wits. This is definitely not an opponent that can be won against by brute force. I remembered the ruthless rivals who I had fought with during the battle for the succession to the throne in the previous「108 times」. This person is even stronger than those tough rivals. In addition, he has yet to show his cards and what he’s capable of. But I can roughly predict it. He is most likely both a strategist and a warrior, and he also has the ability to suppress his opponents. An extremely troublesome opponent. If Seraphy was here, I would have thrown it all at him, but right now I have no choice but to step out. Good grief ……

I sighed.

「…… I can’t just continue to keep quiet and hide behind the others. …… Imperial Guards, ready your tridents!! Everyone from the〈Lawless Crew〉, prepare White Tactics no. 2. Bradd, you’ll be in charge of disruption, assisting allies, and attack. I’ll leave it up to you how to do it, but just to be safe, don’t touch the plants with your bare hands. Mother, please provide cover.」

Everyone shouted in response to my voice and entered into a battle stance.

The Witch of Doom seemed happy.

「…… So this battle will be a game of wits between the princess and me. I like it. It’s been a while since I’ve been serious about a battle to the point of giving off sparks ……」

「That’s just what I was hoping for.」

I put on a dignified expression and stood up, but inwardly I screamed and broke out in cold sweat.

Stop it!! You don’t have to be so serious!!
I just earnestly wish to live a laid-back life as a shut-in!!
I don’t want to play such a life-threatening game!!