Witch?!

Alice didn't get to wait for the Underground Market as planned—she was called in to help.

Last night, Triss entered the Underground Market to buy materials. After being discovered, he fled all the way to Lower Iron Cross Street. The Punishers searched this street and found Triss's temporary lodging, but the trail went cold there.

"So, why me? Don't the Punishers have anyone who can track?" Alice "Doesn't Want to Work" Kingsley complained discontentedly.

"Machine Heart has a senior Mystic Seer. I even suspect he's already a Sequence 8, but in terms of Divination, maybe you have an advantage, and that dream of yours..."

Dunn explained, but Alice felt the main reason for this was the dream she had. Maybe after hearing about it, the Punishers thought it would be better to have her visit the scene?

Alice reluctantly followed Dunn to Lower Iron Cross Street. After handing things over with the Punisher Squad, she entered Triss's temporary residence alone.

This temporary lodging looked unremarkable—meaning there were no personal belongings to be found. It made sense; if there were, the Punishers would have likely taken them already.

Alice walked around the room, found nothing, and decided to do a Dream Divination to get it over with.

"Anyway, it won't actually yield any results... What should I write?"

Alice rubbed her chin. After writing "How Triss left here," she repeated it a few times to make sure she remembered it, then began the Dream Divination.

Her consciousness fell into the dream. She saw a slender figure in a deep black dress flash for a moment in the dream, then shatter and disappear as if the signal was bad... Huh?!

Alice's eyes widened. She pulled out a copper coin, silently repeated "Triss has turned into Trissy" seven times, tossed it lightly, and watched it flip and fall.

It was the king's head.

Alice expressionlessly wrote "Trissy's current location" and attempted to enter Dream Divination—then she was mercilessly kicked out.

"Someone interfered with the Divination? Then why not before... Is it because they just found out?" Alice blinked in confusion, deciding to perform one last Divination.

She wrote "The reason Triss turned into Trissy" on the paper, then sank into the dream.

Alice saw a "book" being passed from a woman's hand to a man's hand. The "book" had an ancient, mottled bronze cover with a strange star-shaped lock hanging beside it. Written on the bronze cover was—Witch.

"..." Alice was too shocked to make any expression. She could only calmly pack her things and absentmindedly walk downstairs.

"You don't need to worry if there's no result. We just called you here to try our luck anyway." Dunn clearly misunderstood Alice's expression.

Alice sighed weakly, shook her head, and didn't respond to Dunn. She just turned her head to look at the Punishers: "I couldn't divine her location... The Divination was interfered with."

The Punishers showed expressions of understanding. These children of rage clearly hadn't realized the difference between "she" and "he."

"But, perhaps you need a new wanted poster," Alice added expressionlessly, "Trissy has now become a Witch."

"?" The Punishers were full of question marks.

Seeing the Punishers' expressions, Alice was quite satisfied, feeling her damaged spirit from upstairs had been healed: "I need to prepare a ritual to draw Trissy's portrait... Captain, did you bring the materials?"

"I..." Dunn's words were interrupted.

The Punishers, who had finally sorted out the mess in their brains, couldn't help but speak first: "No, wait, what does Witch mean?"

"It's the Sequence 7 Potion of the Assassin Pathway, called Witch," Alice sighed helplessly, patiently answering, "Triss drank the Witch Potion and became the Witch Trissy... Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"So, he's a woman now?" The Punishers simultaneously showed expressions of disbelief and incomprehension.

"It's she." Alice corrected their wording, although it didn't change anything.

After confirming they hadn't misheard, the Punishers' expressions were filled with a complex mix of emotions. The calmest person there was probably Dunn—it was unclear if he was genuinely calm or just didn't know what expression to make.

After drawing Trissy's portrait, Alice returned to Blackthorn Security Company and greeted Leonard weakly.

"...What's wrong with you again?" Leonard looked at Alice in surprise, as he had seen her like this several times in the past few days.

"Haha." Alice forced a stiff smile. "Do you know what the next Sequence is after Assassin and Instigator?"

"...What is it?" Leonard suddenly had a bad feeling.

"It's Witch." Alice returned to her expressionless state, confirming his premonition.

"Huh?" Leonard, as expected, showed an overloaded brain expression. "Then, if a man drinks the Potion..."

"Then he will become a Witch," Alice answered.

"...Let me process this," Leonard's expression looked very confused. "I remember you went to help find Triss..."

"Yes." Alice looked at him encouragingly, signaling him with her eyes to continue.

"He was an Instigator before..." Leonard continued speaking under Alice's gaze, but his pace gradually slowed. He felt Alice's encouraging gaze wasn't well-intentioned.

"Yes." Alice looked at him approvingly, hinting with her eyes for him to hurry up.

"So, Triss is now...?" Leonard opened his mouth but still didn't voice the possibility that seemed utterly absurd to him.

"You'll see what the Witch Trissy looks like when the Punishers copy the new wanted poster and send it over." Alice shattered his last delusion.

"..." Leonard left as if he had lost his soul, leaving only Alice in the hall.

What? You ask what Alice is doing here? Well... she's going to tell the story of the Instigator Triss and the Witch Trissy to everyone she meets who will listen.

So, all day today, everyone who left the hall of the Blackthorn Security Company, except for Captain Dunn who looked as calm as ever, had the same dazed and dispirited expression on their face.

Well, it's good news, I guess. The Church's Sequence information has gained another entry...

Once I start writing a paper, typing feels especially fun