251: The Headmaster’s Deposit
Wang Yue had considered a flying vehicle, but after some thought, she rejected the idea.
The primary issue was that safety could not be guaranteed. In the event of a crash, a freefall from several hundred meters, accompanied by violent tumbling, would result in a massive impact so quickly that those inside would have no time to react.
In contrast, ground-based vehicles allowed for jumping out at any moment and could even serve as cover.
The mothership was expendable; if the enemy was hell-bent on destroying it, it could even serve to draw their fire.
Wang Yue granted Delia access to a Demon Realm channel, allowing the tawny-haired girl to enter the Tower District directly.
The design work for the Mobile Fortress officially began.
Delia changed her look—a black shirt, a white lab coat, and a pair of hotel slippers she shuffled around in.
With shoulder-length brown hair and delicate features, she wore thin black semi-rimless glasses that framed a sharp, confident gaze. Refined and intellectual, she carried the unmistakable aura of a researcher. She seemed like a completely different person.
“I didn’t expect this to suit you so well,” Wang Yue said with a smile.
Hearing her senior’s praise, Delia’s heart felt as sweet as honey, and she shyly lowered her head.
Wang Yue had borrowed the relevant books from the library and placed them in the laboratory for her reference; before starting the actual design, she needed to become well-versed in the subject.
In addition to the mechanical structure needing to be efficient and stable, software was also a necessity. Wang Yue was quite proficient in planting, but there were also the layouts for the water and sewage systems, pressure testing, cabin interiors, and so on to consider.
Wang Yue frowned and stepped out of the Demon Realm. Having detected a commotion via the crows, she had come out to investigate.
Walking through the school, I saw the young witches looking panicked and whispering among themselves as they all rushed toward the Black Mass Hall.
Something had happened.
Following the crowd, I climbed the steep steps and entered the plaza in front of the Great Hall. From a distance, I could see a pale purple statue standing in the middle of the open ground.
The statue depicted a young girl in pajamas. Her features were exquisite and ethereal, her long hair unfurling and cascading around her. She had a thin, slender frame and looked somewhat familiar.
Wang Yue jolted as the realization struck her—it was Hatsuyuki Karuta from the Karuta Club, the silver-haired, green-eyed senior!
She drew a sharp breath, her eyes widening slightly as she focused her gaze on the disc held in the statue’s hands.
It was a flat, circular object with a hole in the center, encased in magic crystals that faintly revealed its original cobalt blue color. Its surface was engraved with dense cuneiform symbols, appearing both ancient and mysterious.
“The Decoder… the Ribbon-Bound Doll…”
Her expression stiffened as she understood everything in an instant.
Hatsuyuki Karuta was a participant in the Masquerade, the girl known as the Ribbon-Bound Doll. Previously, the Karuta Club had been wiped out by the underground truth Lilith revealed. While the Acting Method was effective, an internal closed loop could not generate mana; someone needed to restore their faith. The silver-haired girl sought help from a mysterious individual and obtained a Decoder, attempting to establish an Exclusive Channel upon the Fetal Monstrosities.
Unexpectedly, Wang Yue reported the matter to the Headmaster, and Hatsuyuki Karuta, who had been trying to sneak through a backdoor, was killed on the spot. Of course, success might not have been guaranteed even without the report; the Hush-Name Witch had surely left some measures on the fetal monstrosity. Judging by the state of the statue—completely crystallized and thoroughly corrupted—she was stone dead, beyond any hope of salvation.
Senior Hatsuyuki’s expression was as calm as ever. It seemed she had been killed in an instant without even realizing it, passing away quite peacefully.
Embedded within her crystal-clear arm was the pearl device from the ballroom invitation; there was no mistake, it was her.
Beside the statue of the young girl, which looked like a giant piece of Swarovski crystal, stood a small blackboard. On it, written in a lean and forceful hand, were the words: ‘The traitor has been executed. Consider yourselves warned — Elliot G.’
The coldness of death and the splendor of the crystals mirrored each other, creating a stifling atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.
The little witches were terrified, hardly daring to draw breath, their whispers reduced to an inaudible murmur. Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl’s classmates covered their faces and sobbed, lamenting her fate.
Just then, the sound of shoes dragging across the floor reached Wang Yue’s ears.
Turning back suddenly, I saw Gymnopedie dragging her feet, slowly walking toward the sculpture in the center. The perverted senior’s eyes were stunned and her mind was in a daze; her pupils trembled with doubt, unable to believe the scene unfolding before her. Reaching it, she tremblingly raised her fingers to gently stroke the silver-haired girl’s face, a mournful wail escaping her throat like an animal that had lost its mate.
