Painfully Wounding One of Our Own

(Bai Ziye)

He was fully conscious.

But he did not wake up.

This description is contradictory, but I don't know how to describe my current situation. I'm not even sure if this world is real.

The surroundings were a pure white space.

The ground is made up of irregular hexagonal pillars, and there are also pavilions, stone tables, and stone benches, but everything is white.

Even worse...

I have no body, and I don't know how I perceive the scenery around me.

"What are you looking around for? What's so interesting about a scene that hasn't even been colored yet?"

The voice of the Golden Witch.

"I interfered with your thinking and severed your connection with your body."

Her words felt like they ripped my soul out of my body.

"Oh right, you can't speak yet. Wait, let me build you a body to make do first."

Like a 3D printing process, an image of a... Corgi began to appear before my eyes, from head to toe.

Wait, am I supposed to make do with this short-legged body?!

But I couldn't protest, and the Golden Witch grabbed me and shoved me inside.

Once I could speak, I couldn't help but yell, "Don't go too far!"

"Don't get excited, at least he can talk now."

Her figure appeared before my eyes.

Not a short, clumsy girl, but a fully grown young woman, which is what the Golden looks like.

"What exactly do you want? And what kind of place is this?"

"This is part of the tuning program, a place to temporarily store the souls of malfunctioning Monster when they're being repaired. Sometimes, the souls are also tuned, which is very difficult, but turning you into an idiot is easy."

Clearly, I am nothing more than a fish to be slaughtered by her here.

"Don't be so tense, let's get along amicably."

She sat down on the stone bench and then opened her arms to me.

"Come on, if you let me have a good time, I'll tell you some secrets I can take back with me."

She really treats me like a dog... uh, wait a minute.

"You're going to let me go back?"

Is there something wrong with my dog's ears?

"Of course, otherwise why would I have made a special trip all the way to Fomalhaut to see you, just to chat with you?"

She put me on her lap, then rolled over and started rubbing my stomach.

This feeling is truly shameful... yet somewhat pleasurable... Is it a dog's natural bodily reaction?

"So what is your purpose?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was on your side?"

"I don't believe it," came the reply.

Everything Aldebaran has done so far has had nothing to do with friendly forces.

It was the Special Monster she created that led to a series of casualties and tragedies.

"That's really decisive."

She wrapped me up and let the back of my head rest on her chest.

"Morning Star, do you remember what I told you before about Spica's magic?"

"Why are you mentioning SpiCa again?"

"Her magic is incredibly powerful. While it's ineffective against brainless Constructed Monster, it works on most magical girls... except for me."

"You?"

"That's right. When I was still a magical girl, I mastered the ability to Goldification. My mind resides in a body made of gold, Spica's magic is completely ineffective against me... Even the witch transformation didn't affect me at all. I am still me, and I haven't been replaced by the witch's personality."

Gold has a stability that is unmatched by any other metal.

"Are you still the Golden Consort?"

"I am still me, but I have indeed become a witch. Although I have the opportunity to go back, I am more effective staying here to do work behind enemy lines."

"... What evidence do you have? Do you think I'd easily believe your nonsense?"

Although dissatisfied, the dog's body couldn't do anything, and it even felt good when touched.

"You recognize it, right? The Prototype Infiltration Weapon that the former head of the Monster Development Department painstakingly developed."

"Flow."

"To remove the former director from office, I tampered with that infiltration weapon. Besides making him protect Vega, I implanted false human memories into his biological brain. The source of those memories was actually my own Past."

Liu kept calling Ceruno "Princess," was it because of the order implanted by Aldebaran?

"So, you used to be a man?"

"Hey, are you surprised? The proportion of male magical girls is actually not low, it's just that most people choose to hide it, which is why they seem rarer than animal magical girls."

Actually, I am also... and I do sometimes choose to hide things.

"Then why did you create those Black Crystal that turn people into Monster?"

They poked a finger into my stomach, making me curl up involuntarily.

"First of all, my position is just the director of the development department. Although it's not a low-ranking position, I'm still considered a researcher. Strategic matters are not under my jurisdiction. Not only me, but also Fomalhaut and Betelgeuse are in the same boat. The witch's influence currently cannot interfere with the decision-making level... On the other hand, that guy A-Ji has climbed up very quickly. He's only been here a short time and he's already become a special consultant."

"Secondly, my research direction differs from that of the former director. He tended to create Monster and release them directly, while I aim to integrate humanity with the power of this world... That power originates from a Great Will, but if it's only a small part, humanity can theoretically control it through its own will."

Halley did indeed succeed, until he was shot by Betelgeuse.

"If we stop producing Fusion Soldier, our combat power will be weakened. And since the Black Crystal may not be able to control humanity, the balance of power between the two sides will eventually tilt in our favor."

"What about those who died?"

"Although it's regrettable, it's a necessary price to pay. I need to achieve something to climb to a higher position. Witches are much stronger than those pure Monster, but we've never been trusted by the higher-ups, not even powerful warriors like Fomalhaut. We're just useful tools. But things have improved recently, especially after A-Ji arrived..."

Fomalhaut clearly takes pride in her identity as a witch, yet she is not trusted by anyone? This outcome is rather ironic.

So, what exactly is going on in this world?

"I still don't understand this matter after more than two years, but I'm certain... they invaded Earth simply for survival."

Survive.

The topic suddenly became heavy.

Is the world about to end?

"Ha, do you think a normal planet would curl up like an ice cream cone? They only have this much land left, which is why they're so desperate to conquer Earth..."

What exactly happened in this world to cause this situation?

Even Aldebaran didn't know this.

"So if we just keep defending, they'll just collapse on their own?"

"I don't know. Time flows very slowly here. Waiting is a troublesome but safe option for humans."

I thought for a moment, then asked, "The witch is the strongest force, right? Since the higher- Monster are no match for you and don't consider you one of their own, why don't you try to turn Fomalhaut against you?"

Instead, I got even more roughed up.

"Of course not! Why would I use such troublesome methods to communicate with you?"

It's not just troublesome.

It still hurts a lot.