Viktorika's Deduction

(Ceruno)

Miss Viktorika took me back to her cell.

Despite being called a prison cell, apart from the iron door and barred windows that could be locked from the outside, it was no different from a normal single bedroom. There was a simple single bed connected to a desk with a laptop on the desk. Next to the bed was a window, and opposite it was a wall of bookshelves filled with all kinds of books.

Looking at it this way, it's clear she really enjoys reading.

"Please sit down."

Since there were no chairs, Viktorika had me sit on the bed.

"I thought you were Betelgeuse's subordinates."

"Betelgeuse doesn't trust anyone and always acts alone. Even though Regil and I were sent to follow her, she never came out of the safe house to see us even once. She just arranged a trap-free area for us on the roof."

"So, you were planted by my father next to Betelgeuse?"

Viktorika's answer to my question was somewhat erratic.

"Before your father came, I was with Fomalhaut. She was very close to your father, so I naturally took sides."

If I remember correctly, Past my father defected, witches were not trusted by the "Supreme Council" because of their overwhelming power. Even a witch like Fomalhaut had very little influence on the "The Other Side"...

After Father entered the "Supreme Council" as chief advisor, the witches who followed him also indirectly gained higher status. From this perspective, the witches, including Fomalhaut, should be quite grateful to Father, right?

"Then what did you mean by the path to peace that you just mentioned?"

Viktorika sat by the window on the edge of the bed, the Hawaii sunlight streaming in from behind her, obscuring her expression.

"Ceruno, do you know your father?"

Although I wanted to answer that I understood, I actually didn't know what my dad was thinking.

Although we are father and son, we have not communicated much. Over the years, we have probably spoken less than the security guard downstairs in the apartment building.

Why ask that?

"It seems you don't know what he's thinking either... It's alright."

Viktorika sat down next to me and pointed to her head.

"Among the magical girl memories I inherited, there are also impressions of your father, so I don't think she's the kind of person who would 'betray' us."

I don't believe my father would betray humanity, but it has happened, and it has caused a considerable number of civilian casualties...

"So I had a guess when I was still on the 'The Other Side,' and after talking to the magical girl Extinction, I became certain of it..."

"Huh? You've talked to Sister Extinction?"

"Yes, she told me everything she knew."

As Sister Extinction mentioned before, her father went to "the Other Side" to find a shortcut to peace. She only said that her father wanted to end the war, but she didn't tell me how her father intended to achieve this peace, or perhaps she herself didn't know.

Even so, many people like her still secretly provided intelligence to her father, believing that he could fulfill his promise of peace...

It feels like a cult.

"So, according to your speculation, what exactly does my father want to do?"

Viktorika continued to use questions instead of answers.

"Do you think witches are more likely to integrate into this world, or Fusion Soldier... or what you call Monster?"

"Of course, it's a witch."

Witches are products of the fusion of the powers of two worlds.

"Then, as a final assumption, if all individuals on 'the Other Side' were to become witches and break free from the control of the Great Will, and the total population were less than ten thousand, would it be possible for them to integrate into this world under such circumstances?"

"Impossible. Such massive casualties and the destruction of so many cities—the people of Earth can't forgive this..."

Before she finished speaking, I understood what she meant.

"Is forgiveness unnecessary...?"

Viktorika lifted her bangs, revealing two short tufts, and then covered them with her other hand.

"Look at me, Ceruno. Do you think I'm any different from an ordinary human without horns? If I wanted to hide myself in human society, are you really confident you could find me? I can't do it by Fusion Soldier, but I can easily blend Past with the appearance of a witch. And that's the 'future' your father was pursuing, isn't it?"

Suddenly, I felt a sense of enlightenment.

Diluting the total number of 10,000 witches among the seven billion people on Earth, trying to find them all would be like sifting through sand. As Achernar said, witches can change their appearance to a certain extent, such as hiding their horns or turning their scales into skin. Not to mention that Dad's insiders will definitely provide cover for these witches.

Is this the "path to ending the war" that Dad was looking for?

But...

"The difficulty in realizing this plan lies not on Earth, but on 'the Other Side.' Aren't you witches and the 'Supreme Council' all faithful believers in the Great Will? Can you really achieve this by getting rid of the premise of the Great Will?"

Viktorika nodded.

"That's why your father wanted to personally enter the 'Supreme Council'; he wanted absolute power and to let his prestige overshadow the Great Will."

"... Is that even possible?"

"The world is about to be destroyed. At that time, I'm afraid even the Supreme Council will have no choice. After all, the Great Will will not force us to make any choices; it will only convey its expectations... But for us, the Great Will is indeed a mother-like existence, and going against her expectations will cause us great torment."

"Mother...?"

What exactly is the Great Will?

Only Miluno, who has become a witch, can find the answer to this question.

"So, Miss Viktorika, why are you telling me all this?"

"Because this is just my deduction, but if the truth is pretty close to it, then it's necessary for you to understand your father's thoughts to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings... Although I, as a witch, don't have the concept of parents, I know that parents and children shouldn't turn against each other."

Miss Viktorika... has such a strong moral compass!

However, even if her father's plan is feasible, she will inevitably have to assist the "Supreme Council"Supreme Council in launching its invasion as an advisor before she can climb over to the top.

Perhaps the result is correct.

But the process that requires sacrifice is wrong.

"Miss Viktorika, I simply cannot accept this..."

Buzz--

The hum of a wormhole.

It came from above.

There are teleportation portals on Nabu Island, so there's no reason to have a wormhole on the overhead platform.

"An enemy attack?"

Miss Viktorika shook her head.

"No, it's Aldebaran's here."

"Huh? Miluno hasn't come back yet?"

Could something have gone wrong when they were destroying the Annihilation Bomb?

"Aldebaran has come to pick me, Regil, and Betelgeuse."

But is Betelgeuse's consciousness still with its clone?

"Attention, all groups!"

Miss Sirius's announcement rang out from inside the prison:

"The show is about to begin!"