Silencing Her

(Ceruno)

After venting her frustrations, Achernar called Liu and asked him to bring Miss SpiCa to brainwash the dark-skinned witch...

This involves both brainwashing and body modification.

I think the villains are the ones here.

In short, the filthy coal witch finally woke up.

The current location is an interrogation room outside the prison.

Because it's an island, even though it's a windowless, enclosed room, there's always a lingering dampness.

I and Achernar were in charge of the interrogation, with only a long wooden table between us.

"Here it is...?"

She didn't riot; she just asked blankly.

"Nabu Island Prison is specifically for witches and magical girl prisoners like you."

Achernar doesn't like to talk, so I'll have to handle the negotiations. But to interrogate the enemy witch, I need to overwhelm her with my presence.

Therefore, I pointed at her and coldly declared:

"And you, are our prisoner."

But the dark-skinned witch who noticed me seemed unusually surprised, and the way she slapped the table was almost excited.

"You... you are the Prophecy Star Guardian..."

Prophecy?

Star Guardian?

Is she talking about skins for some game?

Just as I was about to ask further questions, the dark-skinned witch suddenly launched an attack.

She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled a plume of black smoke and flames, accompanied by a choking heat that rolled over the area.

But Achernar seemed to have anticipated this, and the water curtain that rose from under the floor completely negated the attack.

Unexpectedly, the dark-skinned witch took advantage of the smoke to rush out of the interrogation room and attempt to escape.

"Sigh, I knew this would happen."

Miss Achernar sighed, rubbing her forehead, but didn't appear flustered.

"They ran away! Are you okay?"

She gently touched her chin with her fingers and whispered, "Ceruno, I didn't put handcuffs and shackles on her because it wasn't necessary. Here, she can't leave my grasp."

I understood what she meant.

This interrogation room is located on the sea surface in the northwest corner of Nabu Island.

The ocean, however, is the territory of sharks.

"You see, the witch's power is still necessary, isn't it?"

She simply raised her hand, and the dark-skinned witch was enveloped and lifted by a giant water sphere, struggling as if she were about to drown...

"Hey, she's about to hang up!" I said urgently.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This is just to teach her a lesson."

When the dark-skinned witch truly reached her limit, Achernar threw her onto the ground next to the interrogation room.

"How unfortunate, it seems my magic just happens to be your weakness. Coal won't light if it gets wet, right? Hmm?"

So we went back to the table in the interrogation room.

Except for the fact that the dark-skinned witch was now soaking wet, everything was the same as before.

"Name."

She hesitated for a long time before answering.

"... Pawa."

"Your name is Dali?"

"It's Pawa."

She repeated it again.

I wrote "[Power]" on the prisoner registration form.

"So, Miss Pawa, from today onwards you are one of the prisoners held in this jail. There aren't many rules here, but escaping is still a red line that cannot be crossed. Including you, there are only fourteen witches imprisoned here. Admittedly, witches who have fused two powers are stronger than magical girls, but this world currently has fourteen thousand registered magical girls. Before you think you can escape, you'd better consider your own abilities... Besides, you are just Artificial Witch, weaker than ordinary witches."

Perhaps I'm not good at making threatening remarks; she didn't seem afraid or nervous at all... Was I just too weak-willed?

"Of course, we won't easily sentence witch prisoners who attempt to escape to death, but we have special punishments for witches."

Achernar snapped her fingers, and the television hanging on the wall of the interrogation room turned on.

A girl with long blue hair huddled in the corner of a dimly lit cell, her head buried in her hands in a mental breakdown, her face buried between her knees like an ostrich, completely still.

"You should know who she is, right?"

"... to Purge Unit."

Miss Achernar, with a sullen face, finally spoke.

"Yes, Betelgeuse, we stripped her of her witch powers, and now she can only wait to die in her cell... I unfortunately died at her hands once, but fortunes change, and she's just unlucky to have fallen into my hands."

Is it really a difference in aura?

Achernar's voice, sharp as a cat's claws scratching a blackboard, revealed a set of sharp shark teeth with a laugh, causing Pawa to frown.

Is that all you have to say?

"Huh? What else should we say?"

I thought about it and understood what she meant.

"If you want us to ask you about confidential information, we'll find other ways to get it out of your head later. After all, we don't know if you're lying or hiding anything if we ask you now."

"... Other methods?"

"Hehe."

Did those words actually frighten her?

"Wow, Artificial Witch?"

The black-skinned witch, covered by White Silk, was unable to move; even her will to resist was easily erased. If SpiCa were an enemy, she would definitely be the most troublesome type.

SpiCa reached out and pulled down the White Silk covering Pawa's chest, revealing the Artificial Crystal between her full breasts.

"Hmm, it does indeed resemble the Simulacrum Factor of flow. I didn't expect Aldebaran's technology to be so advanced."

Technology is developing too fast.

It's important to know that time flows much slower on the "The Other Side" than on our side, but from the Flow (high-order Simulacrum Factor), to the Golden (the prototype of Artificial Crystal), to the Old Man (Artificial Magical Girl), and finally to the Artificial Witch in front of us.

While the research and development process can be clearly outlined, the speed of this technological progress is simply outrageous.

Is science and technology truly the primary productive force?

"At this rate, we really have no chance of winning; we can't drag this out any longer."

SpiCa muttered to himself, "But what can we use to fight against the Other Side? Sending 14,000 magical girls Past in one go might give us a chance, but with top-tier forces like the Fomalhaut, numbers would be meaningless."

SpiCa asked:

How many Artificial Witch can your production line manufacture in a day?

Wrapped in White Silk, Pawa answered honestly:

"Artificial Witch cannot be mass-produced."

"Huh? Aren't you a mass-produced witch?"

"I am a witch who has been transformed."

"Oh? So what were you originally?"

"High-ranking warriors are honorable members of the Supreme Council."

I remember those Monster's official name was Fusion Soldier.

Soldiers who fuse with Simulacrum Factor containing elements of this world and use this as power to launch their invasion... So, Miss Pawa is a witch directly transformed from Monster and Artificial Crystal?

"Was he originally a coal Monster? What is that Supreme Council?"

That sounds incredible.

"The Supreme Council is a council composed of the most powerful Fusion Fighter. We coordinate all strategic information, devise attack plans, and act solely to realize the ideals of the Great Will."

"Wow! We've struck gold!"

Pawa is still an experimental product of Aldebaran, and she is still one of the high-ranking members on the Other Side. Although it sounds like she could be replaced by her subordinates at any time, she must have heard a lot of secrets during that Supreme Council.

"Hmm--"

Just as I was about to say that, Pawa suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Achernar frowned and pulled off the White Silk from her head. When he helped her up, her pupils were already dilated...

She died.