No...
You can't...!
ABSOLUTELY—NOT!!!
The moment Suke turned his head, he saw Nikaido Hiro suddenly burst into loud crying.
That crying sound was comparable to a jump scare from a horror image, startling him severely.
Why are you shouting so loud? Go complain to the property management!
"Hiro (Nikaido)?"
Everyone looked at Nikaido Hiro in unison.
Perhaps even the girl herself didn't notice, but at this moment, she looked exactly like a little calico cat with a tear-stained face.
"Are you alright?"
Suke couldn't bear it, to the point that he attempted to start comforting this eldest young miss who was usually arrogant and domineering.
According to the original plot, Nikaido Hiro's Witch-transformed state seemingly could not be maintained for long.
It was a great burden for Nikaido Hiro.
As the Witch whose Taboo and magic were the most special, Nikaido Hiro had always been the most unique among the group of girls.
She possessed a maturity far exceeding her age, yet could not shake off the childishness of that age.
"I..."
Nikaido Hiro opened her eyes. At this moment, everyone had just entered the Tribunal; the ritual hadn't even begun.
Memories flooded into her brain incessantly. Those were the unforgettable impressions brought to her by an unknown number of deaths.
The ritual absolutely must not be held...
Once, twice, three times, four times... Hiro had already forgotten exactly how many times it had been.
Time and time again, the memories told Nikaido Hiro the same answer.
If the ritual is not stopped,
Not just them, but all of humanity will be buried along with them.
"Is there really... no other way to suppress the Witch Factor?"
"We cannot hold the ritual... really, we can't!"
"Otherwise everyone will die... everyone will die... Woo..."
The pain of personally experiencing death time and again, and the helplessness of witnessing her friends die miserably, stacked up continuously. After a concentrated outbreak, it completely destroyed the barrier of the heart that the girl had taken pride in.
The fifteen-year-old girl, who hadn't even experienced high school life, sobbed aloud. She firmly stretched out her hands to grasp the hems of Witch Emma and Suke's clothes in front of her.
This was the first time in her life she felt such despair.
Clearly, the cliff was right before her eyes,
Yet she could only watch as everyone stepped into the empty air, ultimately falling to pieces.
This was no longer a problem her abilities could solve.
Although she had initially thought to shoulder everyone's fate by relying on her ability of [Death Rewind],
At this very moment, she finally understood that she was merely a naive child pinning the hope of salvation onto others.
Tsukishiro Yuki, that existence who was the Great Witch, unaging and undying.
On what basis could she rely on less than three short years of getting along to change the other party's wish spanning nearly a thousand years?
The kindness she revealed during the days they spent together, the gentleness she revealed,
Was it really the truth that she, Nikaido Hiro, a little girl barely fifteen years old, could see through?
She had originally wanted to mock Meruru, mocking the other party for being merely a human tool adopted by the Great Witch.
And the result?
She felt she was terribly laughable.
"That fellow Nikaido... actually cried? ..."
"Hiro, don't be sad. Noah will draw a portrait for you, okay?"
"Hiro-chin, although I don't know what happened, please pull yourself together!"
Noticing Nikaido Hiro's abnormality, the girls gathered around one after another. These were the people whose fates she had wanted to shoulder in her eyes.
There was no one mocking her as Hiro had imagined.
Without exception, they were all trying to comfort her in their own ways,
Even the Emma from the other world...
"There is no need to weep, Hiro."
"Although I do not know what kind of future you have seen, please believe in Mr. Suke."
"Believe. Belief does not require a reason."
Witch Emma held Hiro's hand, consoling her.
"That's right, you can boldly believe in me."
"Isn't she just a landmine-type, heavy-love Great Witch? Even if we aren't her match, we can still call for backup!"
Suke patted his chest, indicating she could leave it to him.
As the old saying goes, despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically.
Although he didn't know what exactly Nikaido Hiro had seen, or which number of return from [Death Rewind] this was,
Wasn't calling for backup simple?
You're amazing because you're a Great Witch? The Door Witch in my Farm might not necessarily be disadvantageous!
As for why he didn't call Elysia—don't ask. A certain pink fatty had already burned out.
He couldn't exactly count on Elysia to give the opponent talk therapy, right?
[Conscience Farmer: Little Abi, are you there?]
Suke sent a message to Abigail. Originally, as a non-Farmhand, Abigail could not access the public channel.
But perhaps her "Uncle" exerted some power and directly got her in using some unknown method.
[Not a Bad Child: I'm here, Suke-gege~]
[Not a Bad Child: Is there something you need, Gege?]
[Conscience Farmer: I've encountered a bit of a troublesome matter over here and need Little Abi to come over and hold down the fort.]
[Conscience Farmer: Can Little Abi see if you can come over? The Cross-Realm Gate is in the cellar; come to Little Emma's world.]
[Conscience Farmer: Of course, it would be even better if you could call your Uncle to come along!]
Suke called for backup with full anticipation. He had already begun to imagine the scene of Mabel, as the incarnation of Bubbles, coming over and instantly beating that prisoner Yuki to her knees.
[Not a Bad Child: Wait a moment, Gege~]
The public channel fell into silence again. After a period of time, Abigail finally replied:
[Not a Bad Child: It's a bit strange, Gege. Little Abi has encountered a troublesome matter.]
[Not a Bad Child: There is a layer of 'film' sealing Emma-jiejie's world, blocking it along with the Cross-Realm Gate. Although Abi isn't unable to break it, it will take some effort to come over~]
[Not a Bad Child: If 'Uncle' were here, He could break it open immediately... but 'Uncle' went out last night and hasn't come back yet~]
Grass. Slacking-off Bubbles, absolutely useless.
Suke severely dissed a certain Lolita purple-haired girl with no chest or butt in his heart.
[Conscience Farmer: Then how long will it take for Abi to come over roughly?]
[Not a Bad Child: Roughly three...]
Three days?
Although not short, it was acceptable.
To be safe, Suke decided to let the girls wait a bit longer, waiting for Abigail to arrive before performing the Witch Sabbath Ritual.
[Not a Bad Child: Two... One. Okay, I'm here!]
Suke: ?
Suke hurriedly turned his head to look toward the entrance gate of the prison. A little blond girl with a keyhole on her head was already waving at him while running over.
This brat, is she making fun of him?
"Suke-gege~ And Emma-jiejie~"
Carrying a Teddy Bear toy, the little blond girl skipped and jumped, arriving in front of him and pouncing directly into his arms in public.
"Hmm?"
But immediately after, Abigail turned to look at the group of unfamiliar girls aside from Witch Emma who were sizing her up with curious gazes.
"Gege didn't say the world he went to with Emma-jiejie was a world with so many girls~"
"No wonder Gege hasn't spent much time with Abi on the Farm these past two days. So you went outside to flirt with women?"
Abigail turned her head away, puffing up her cheeks seemingly to express dissatisfaction.
"What, what a cute girl!"
"Such a young child. She looks less than twelve years old, right?"
"Hikami, you guy, to think you actually kept such a small child locked in this prison...!"
The girls discussed spiritedly. Everyone was surprised by Abigail's appearance, especially Hikami Meruru.
Suke noticed that Hikami Meruru's expression had changed; a trace of surprise and worry rose onto her brow.
"No... this girl. In my impression, I have never selected this girl to be a Witch Candidate."
Hikami Meruru spoke up to explain. For some reason, she felt that the girl before her eyes possessed a temperament similar to the Lord Great Witch she followed.
Unlike them, humans who only became Witches later, this girl was a "Witch" by nature!
"Hello everyone, Big Sisters. My name is Abigail Williams!"
"Entrusted by Gege, Abi will protect everyone well in the coming time!"
Not showing any shyness, Abigail enthusiastically introduced herself to the girls.
"Hah?"
"Such a small girl to protect us? Emma, is this really reliable?"
Shito Arisa, Sawatari Koko, and others looked at Witch Emma. To be honest, they didn't see anything special about Abigail.
Except for the tattoo sticker on her forehead that looked like a keyhole?
"'Abigail Williams'..."
"I feel this name is somewhat familiar..."
"If I remember correctly, isn't this the name of that Great Witch from the Salem trials, the most famous witch-hunting incident in modern times?"
Among the crowd, Hosho Margaret spoke after thinking for a moment.
And with her reminder, the look in everyone's eyes when looking at Abigail suddenly became different.
First, ruling out a coincidence of names, and the possibility that the always trustworthy Mr. Suke would find an ordinary little girl and jokingly claim she would protect them,
Then there was only one answer!
This little girl was precisely that Great Witch from three hundred years ago!
"Oh my, this beautiful Big Sister wearing a kimono is truly knowledgeable~"
"That's right. Although there are slight differences, that is Abi~ Abi will protect all you Big Sisters well!"
"Then Little Abi, your 'magic' is..."
"Hehe~ It is time to let the Big Sisters and Suke-gege see Little Abi's true appearance~"
Holding the small Teddy Bear, Abigail's blond hair moved without wind.
Unknown if it was an illusion of the girls, but they seemed to discover that eyes were blinking within the keyhole on Abigail's forehead.
With a flash of brilliance,
The girl's hair color turned from gold to white. A giant witch hat was worn atop her head, and a classical silver key, appearing like a weapon and as tall as a person, appeared in her hand————
The brilliance of the Imaginary Tree is boundless, the darkness of deep space is endless;
The traveler treads the star roads, pursuing the glory of the past.
Even just witnessing Abigail's petite figure suspended in mid-air and the thick darkness that followed her waving,
The girls knew that this was a designated opponent far beyond what ordinary "Witches" could defeat.
"For safety, let's add another layer of insurance!"
Suke also got interested. It just so happened he hadn't tested the ability of the "Statue of Yoba" yet, so he would take this opportunity to test it properly!
He took out the statue from his backpack and held it in his hand, communicating with it via his mind at any time.
A sense of peace, cause unknown, surrounded him.
Suke felt as if he had gained a Stand made of light, overlooking this island where the prison was located from a God's perspective.
Although he didn't know what use this Stand had, he felt the current him was terribly strong.
Will I win, Prison Yuki?
Let me see what abilities it has first...
Eh, viewing all cause and effect?
Suke shuddered for some reason. He had the illusion that he might let out an "Eee!" at any moment.
He glanced again at the giant phantom outside the window that only he could see.
The upper body of the giant phantom was hidden in the clouds, seeming to scatter bursts of golden light downward.
He sat cross-legged in the void, his entire body clear as glazed glass, merging with the color of the sea and sky.
Listening carefully, there even seemed to be... hymn singing? Or chanting scriptures? Suke couldn't hear clearly.
No matter how he looked at it, this didn't match up with that figure from Christianity...
Could I have invited the wrong god?
Suke fell into a brainstorming session.
But neither Suke nor Abigail knew that Nikaido Hiro was staring blankly at the two of them.
Those were [Variables].
Whether it was that strange statue or the girl named Abigail.
They were [Variables] that had never, ever appeared in her unknown number of [Death Rewind] loops.
If excluding the possibility that Suke had been hiding them privately...
...Why?
____
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