The Stagnant Witch’s Survival Method

Sharen recalled her childhood from the past.

‘Where are we going?’
‘To where you truly need to be completed.’

Sharen was captured by those witches said to be great and amazing.
The pink-haired child, at an age when she craved parental affection, was taken from her home to the Witch Society.

In the Witch Society, there were many young girls like her who had been captured.
Children with something special about them were gathered, and the children suddenly separated from their parents quickly became friends due to their shared circumstances.

‘Sharen, are you lying around here again?’
‘The witch ladies will scold you again.’

While looking at the children huddled together chatting with her, Sharen comforted her young heart.
Those friends who shared many commonalities became close in an instant, hanging out together, laughing and chattering, and one day the girls made a vow.
‘We’ll all become witches together.’
‘Without a single one falling behind.’

After that, Sharen was continuously educated.
All the education needed to become a witch.
In the process, the witches obsessively instilled in the girls how great and amazing witches are, and how grateful they should be to become such beings.
Sharen really thought so too.
If witches, who they had to become by blindly pouring in everything in their lives and their friends’ lives, were trivial beings, Sharen would crumble.

Among them, she somewhat remembered a child named Grace.
A child who didn’t particularly mingle with others and looked up at the stars alone every night.
A child whose cute appearance particularly caught the eye.

And that night approached.
Everyone had been running towards this day to become witches.
A frightening atmosphere, dark fog swallowing everything.
Finally, when Sharen’s turn came and she faced the demon, she felt pain as if her entire body was being torn to shreds.

But she endured.
Because she wanted to see her friends again, to see her parents again, and… to keep living.

Sharen finally became a witch.
The witches acknowledged her as a colleague, and Agrasha gave her affection like a parent.
After fainting from intense fatigue upon becoming a witch, when Sharen woke up again, she looked for her friends.

‘I, I’ve become a witch.’

But she couldn’t find her friends.
Because everyone had failed.
Because everyone had died.
Facing the demon and unable to endure.

Sharen was somewhat dazed after that.
It felt like something that had supported her had crumbled.
Where did everyone go?
Did they disappear leaving only me behind?
What am I supposed to do?

There was a starlight that became hope for such a Sharen.
A girl with white snowflake-like hair falling down and cute blue eyes.
Grace, whom she had only seen a few times from afar, was one of only two survivors among the Witch Society’s children along with Sharen.

She wanted to become friends with her, felt that she had to become friends.
An amazing child who had contracted with an even greater demon and was enduring.
A child she wanted to hold onto even more because she seemed likely to leave.

Grace unexpectedly accepted Sharen’s affection easily.
The girl who seemed unlikely to become close with anyone mingled with Sharen, showing unexpected fun at times.
Though she looked like a boyish kid, sometimes she was cute and fragile like a delicate girl.

Sharen wanted to ask Grace.

‘You won’t leave me, right?’

The girl who had always shown a cynical appearance would probably answer like this.

‘Well. I don’t know that either.’

So Sharen didn’t bother to ask.

Today was the same.
Grace, who had returned badly injured from somewhere, spoke playfully.
Though Sharen was worried, even if she asked, Grace wouldn’t answer.
The band-aid on her cheek looked somewhat pitiful yet cute.

“Hey, if you keep slacking off like that, won’t you fall behind alone while the others advance? Study some magic.”
“I am working hard, you know? And it’s just you and Bella I can’t surpass, I’m right after that.”
“I see. Miss Second-to-last out of seven.”

Though she was speaking quite annoyingly, it was still worrying to see her limping as she walked.
That’s why Sharen sticks close to her.
Even in this state, she was going to study magic while carrying books, but Sharen helps because it seems like she’ll damage her bones at this rate.
Of course, since Grace had secretly risen to Rank 8, it wasn’t a big problem even if she pushed her body a bit here.

**

Studying magic is good.
It might seem strange that someone who never properly studied in their life has now taken a liking to studying, but when you learn, it becomes magic that shoots from your hands, right? How can you not do this?

Sharen, who was holding the book across from me, asked with a complex expression why I was injured, but it was difficult to answer.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say I got beaten up after acting cocky against a Rank 7.
Though it was worth boasting that I almost won against such an opponent.

Why was I injured?
Oh boy, you saw? I fought with that Kayla, that non-recyclable trash…
I mean, I really almost beat her, you know.

Of course, Elender, who had intuited this situation, tormented me terribly.
Even after I woke up again, she grabbed my cheeks and stretched them, then banned me from going outside for a while.
I was told to be more careful, asking why a Rank 9 witch would fight against a Rank 7.
Though I thought there was no reason not to fight if I could win, what could I do against her eyes filled with worry and sadness?

I just said I understood.

In fact, even if I were Rank 8 instead of Rank 9, it would still be suicidal.
If I fought recklessly against a Rank 7 like Elender who built up slowly, not like Kayla who rose in rank for nothing, I’d lose 100 times out of 100 fights.
Of course, if I brought out a demon and put everything on the line for one battle, it might be different, but that would be suicidal for me too, so I wouldn’t do that.

Of course, that’s based on just having risen to Rank 8.
If I gradually master the realm like now, it would be a different story.

Anyway, while continuing to study, other witches gradually gathered around.
Belladrin quietly sat nearby and read a book, and Ulrisa came from somewhere carrying a large piece of meat and chewed on it noisily.

What she was holding was what’s commonly called cartoon meat, a large bone with a big chunk of meat attached to it.
…Does such a thing actually exist? I’m a bit curious about the taste.

Anyway, that’s not important, the really important thing is something else.
In the past, I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble and wanted to move quietly, so I spent time here peacefully.
But as I gradually observed the atmosphere, I realized that I couldn’t stay like that.

To protect myself, my own power was important.
And if I have people I want to protect, I should move even more actively.

So I concluded.
Regardless of whether high-ranking priests come or not, the Witch Society is in a very unstable state.
I need to find a way to survive before the set time bomb explodes.

Of course, there’s a limit to getting stronger alone.
Being fast means not discriminating between extreme means and methods, and that often leads to unmanageable consequences.

Therefore, I need to utilize what’s around me.
Among them, I think the witches who haven’t fallen yet are the forces I need.

Aren’t witches evil beings that can’t be associated with?

But from what I see, these girls are not yet in a fallen state.
Moreover, even if they inevitably fall, if they keep one condition, they won’t move past the first stage of losing emotions towards humans.

That is not killing people recklessly.
Witches killed people again and again, saying it was unavoidable.
Either offering them as sacrifices, using them for their own promotions, or saying it can’t be helped because they’re evil-aligned.
But no matter how evil-aligned, killing people recklessly leads to a bad end.

It was always like that in the game. Ranks gained by recklessly slaughtering humans were very fast, but couldn’t rise above a certain rank, and the character quickly became corrupted.
It would be the same here.

But I have a method.
While witches must offer living human sacrifices to promote, [Promotion Condition Relaxation] could affect other characters’ promotions as well.

So these children could rise to Rank 8 without killing people.
This is the answer I’m thinking of.

“Now, I have something important to tell you all.”

As soon as I said that, their eyes became serious.
As if they had been waiting for this.
…No, why?
Were these kids always this quick on the uptake?

Anyway, I explained the situation here and what just happened, with some embellishment.

The will of ‘The Gathering’ trying to corrupt us into human scum, Kayla and Carmia trying to forcibly take me away.
Adding a bit more embellishment here, my words seemed to resonate, as complex expressions appeared on the two people’s faces.
Especially Sharen’s face turned pale.
Well, Ulrisa doesn’t seem to have much thought about it.

Belladrin, perhaps because she’s from a noble background, seemed to have grasped the flow to some extent.
Fidgeting with her fingers, she answered.

“I had my suspicions. The previous mission felt very unsettling, but to think that was the full story. If you hadn’t seen through it, we would all have been dead.”
“Right? I saved you all, didn’t I?”
“…If you didn’t speak so smugly, I might have maintained more gratitude.”

When I jokingly boasted a bit, Belladrin’s expression seemed to cool down.

“So what are we supposed to do from now on? You must have a reason for bringing this up, commoner.”
“Well, the state of the Witch Society is ominous, and it seems that elder is preparing something big, so we can’t just sit still. So I need to raise you all to Rank 8.”
“Rank 8 is a position we should reach eventually, but how? Did Lady Elender say she would pull us up?”
“No, I’m going to pull you all up.”
“??”

I didn’t particularly plan to rely on Elune’s existing forces.
They have their own judgments, so they’re leaving Carmia be, and I couldn’t see a way to twist that.

So there’s no choice.

I need to create my own forces and find a way to resist.
If it seems hopeless, I’m thinking of using as well.
The rank of the demon I contracted with is quite high, and at that level, I could win even against a Rank 6 witch.

As for the after-effects, I can endure them with mental fortitude.
If there’s a remaining problem, it’s that I’m alone in the end.
While Carmia has positioned various witches under her, we don’t have any notable forces at all.

And that’s something we can create from now on.

“I’ll show you.”

I can create plenty of evidence.
They’ve probably finished preparations outside by now.
I’m not sure how faithfully the werewolf will carry out my orders, but as long as he does the basics, it’s fine.

As I was about to ride my broom and leave, Sharen asked curiously.

“Wait. Grace, aren’t you banned from going out?”
“…It’s fine if I don’t get caught.”
“Hey…”

She looked at me with an exasperated expression, but I had already mounted my broom and risen high into the sky.
With the refreshing air, I head towards the place where they are gathered.

To pull up to Rank 9 those who had been living ordinarily because they didn’t know the method, even though they had already accumulated enough deeds.