Episode 160. The Witch of the Night (1)

The night was draped like a curtain of darkness.

On a towering rock that seemed to have the spear of a god thrust upside down, a white-haired young man sat perched.

Thud, thud, thud.

With vibrations that shook the earth, something massive approached him.

No, to be precise, an old man riding atop that massive something.

“Another hiccup in the plan, huh?”

The old man asked in a cracked voice, looking at the white-haired young man.

The white-haired young man nodded slightly with a bitter smile.

“That’s how it turned out.”

“Kekeke. The Archbishop of Corruption failing repeatedly, that’s a rare sight.”

“Things don’t always go as planned.”

The white-haired young man, called the Archbishop of Corruption, Mephisto, shrugged his shoulders and gazed at Valhalla City in the distance.

The lights spread out like the Milky Way, as if the night sky had been flipped upside down.

The starlight created by human civilization brightly illuminated the night sky.

“Serpente, was it? I remember that child being quite dear to you.”

At Jackal’s words, Mephisto’s shoulders twitched.

But only for a moment.

Mephisto smiled faintly and continued.

“It’s fine. She was just a pawn to be used and discarded anyway.”

“Hoh. You should learn to cherish your subordinates more.”

Jackal sighed, gently stroking the back of the monster he was riding.

Grrrr.

Every time Jackal stroked its back, a pained groan escaped the monster’s mouth.

Mephisto, watching this, swallowed a bitter smile and adjusted his golden monocle.

“At least, that’s not something I want to hear from you, Jackal.”

“Kekekeke.”

Jackal laughed with a gurgling sound.

“By the way, what’s that brat up to lately? He’s been unusually quiet recently.”

“I’m not sure what Seto is up to either.”

“Hmm. Laktasia suddenly went silent too… Tsk tsk. How can we break the seal of the Devil God with the Archbishops so scattered?”

“……”

At the mention of the Devil God’s seal, Mephisto wore a peculiar smile.

“Well, it’s not a matter of a day or two, so why worry?”

“Kekeke. True. Ah, by the way, what about that ‘witch’ you mentioned before?”

“That’s progressing without a hitch.”

Mephisto raised the corner of his mouth and shrugged.

“I’m not doubting your words… but still, it’s hard to believe. Does it make sense that a mere candidate girl has the power to destroy half the continent in an instant?”

Honestly, destroying half of this vast continent in an instant was impossible even for him.

Perhaps only the ‘Archbishop of Ruin,’ who could be considered the top-ranked Archbishop, might attempt such a feat.

“Well, you can just watch and see.”

Mephisto continued with a deep smile.

“Soon, the ‘Witch of the Night’ will awaken.”

* * *

“Phew. It’s been a while since I’ve had some alone time.”

I sat in my newly repaired dorm room during summer vacation and washed my face.

Lately, I’ve been caught in the crossfire of Iris and Yurina’s rivalry(?), so this alone time has become precious.

‘Well, if you ask if I’m happy or not, I am happy.’

Having two beautiful lovers like Iris and Yurina, how could I be unhappy?

When I first confessed to them, I was so guilt-ridden that I couldn’t sleep properly, but lately, my heart has become much more at ease.

‘Professor Elisha…’

As my heart eased, Professor Elisha’s face naturally came to mind.

‘I’ll think about that later.’

For now, just handling Iris and Yurina was already overwhelming.

“Now, let’s see…”

With the rare free time I had, I calmly organized the current situation.

‘It’s incomparably better than my past life.’

Half a year ago, when I returned, I resolved to change the future and lead my comrades.

But honestly, I never expected things to go this well.

Not just Iris, Yurina, Berald, and Senior Sophia, but also Professor Elisha, Camila, and Juliet, whom I had never even spoken to in my past life.

Everything was going smoothly, embarrassingly so compared to my past life.

But.

“It’s not time to relax yet.”

The Devil God is strong.

No, to be precise, they are on a completely different level where the term ‘strong’ doesn’t even apply.

They are more like a natural disaster with the sole purpose of destroying the world than a sentient being.

To fight them, our current strength is woefully inadequate.

‘Well… the best thing would be to prevent the seal from breaking in the first place.’

Since we can’t predict what will happen in the future, we must prepare for anything.

“First, among the people currently at the school, who should I establish connections with…”

The top priority, of course, is ‘Starlight Spear’ Aaron Baek.

Among the geniuses gathered in the 4th-year candidates, he confidently holds the top spot and is destined to become a powerful hero, even called Yuren’s rival in the future.

‘If I can bring Aaron Baek to our side, he’ll be a tremendous asset in the future.’

In my past life, Yuren himself once said.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass Aaron.

‘A talent even Yurina acknowledges.’

If I can help him unlock his potential, just like I did with Yurina and Berald.

Aaron Baek will undoubtedly become a major pillar of our strength alongside Yurina and Berald.

“…But before that.”

Establishing a connection with Aaron is important.

But there’s one task I need to handle first.

“……”

A problem I’ve been putting off.

A being that, if mishandled, could freeze half the continent.

The monster that gave me the most terrifying nightmares in my past life.

‘The Witch of the Night, Lanes Malam.’

Just thinking of her name sends a shiver down my spine.

A snowstorm-covered tundra unfolds in my mind.

“Ah, ugh.”

A suffocating sensation.

I clutched my chest and trembled.

Even though I knew the Witch of the Night was at the same school, I never went to meet her.

The reason was simpler than I thought.

‘I’m scared.’

Yes.

I’m scared to face the Witch of the Night.

I’m terrified that the horrific disaster she created, the irreversible nightmare, will repeat.

Unbearably.

Unendurably.

It’s terrifying.

“Ha.”

A dry laugh escaped my lips.

“…A guy who won’t die even if his head explodes, trembling in fear.”

I know how pathetic it looks.

But what can I do?

Having witnessed the disaster caused by the Witch of the Night firsthand, I can’t help but fear her.

‘In a way, she’s more terrifying than the Devil God.’

Just as we feel awe rather than fear towards natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons, the Devil God is such a transcendent being that awe precedes fear.

But the Witch of the Night…

“……”

I clenched my trembling fist.

Honestly, just thinking about her makes my legs shake.

But I can’t keep my head buried in the sand forever.

‘I have to meet her.’

Yes.

I need to meet Lanes Malam before she becomes the ‘Witch of the Night.’

After thoroughly investigating her.

‘I’ll kill her.’

Before the seed of calamity within her blooms.

I will eliminate her.

* * *

“Now, let’s see…”

Arriving at the building used by the 4th-year candidates, I looked around, scanning my surroundings.

‘Where is Lanes Malam’s classroom?’

Originally, at the Reynaldo Hero School, candidates move between classrooms for different classes, but from the 4th year onwards, classrooms are fixed.

The reason for fixing classrooms is to deepen the bonds between party members.

Unlike lower-year candidates who form new parties for each class, 4th-year candidates form more or less ‘fixed parties,’ so classrooms are fixed to allow party members to attend classes together.

‘Though if you end up in a bad fixed party, you’ll suffer for the entire 4th year.’

I swallowed a bitter smile, recalling memories from my past life.

As I wandered around looking for Lanes’ classroom.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Senior Sophia.”

Sophia, who was loitering in the hallway, noticed me and approached.

“Hmph. A 3rd-year wandering around the 4th-year building like it’s your own home?”

“Well, there’s no rule saying 3rd-years can’t enter, right?”

“That’s… true, but. Anyway, what brings you here?”

“Do you happen to know a 4th-year candidate named Lanes Malam?”

“……”

Sophia’s shoulders twitched at the mention of her name.

“…I do. Why?”

“I’m running an errand for Professor Elisha. I was looking for Senior Lanes’ classroom.”

Once again, I smoothly used the all-purpose excuse (Professor Elisha).

“By any chance, is she in the same classroom as you, Senior Sophia?”

“…No. She’s in Class A. I’m in Class B.”

“Then where is Class A’s classroom?”

“Over there.”

I nodded at the classroom Senior Sophia pointed to.

“By the way, how are things with Berald lately?”

“Ahem. Why do you care?”

Sophia turned her head with a pout.

Judging by her flushed cheeks, things weren’t going too badly.

“Seems like things are going well.”

“Ugh…”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Hmph, get lost!”

I chuckled and headed to the Class A classroom Sophia had indicated.

Opening the door, I saw an empty classroom.

I stood at the front, waiting for the Class A candidates to arrive, but after over an hour, there was no sign of anyone.

‘No class today?’

It was a bit anticlimactic after mustering the courage to meet Lanes Malam.

“Ugh.”

I thought I’d come back later and left the 4th-year building.

As I stepped outside.

“Huh?”

Behind the building.

In a shady corner where people rarely went, I heard murmuring.

Curious, I walked towards the back of the building.

What I saw there.

“Ugh…”

A woman with purple hair, crouching and trembling.

“How many times do we have to tell you? Don’t shamelessly wander around, you witch.”

“Stop bothering Aaron, you b*tch.”

“Why did a demon’s child even crawl into the hero school?”

“She’s vicious, so vicious. Why won’t she just drop out?”

“Get out of the school, please. Just seeing your face makes me sick.”

A group of candidates surrounding her.

“……”

A scene filled with malice.

Though her face wasn’t visible as she was crouching.

It wasn’t hard to figure out that the woman with purple hair was the ‘Witch of the Night,’ Lanes Malam.