Chapter 1071 – #254_Anger, Purity, and Greed(3) – DeepL
#1065
1.
The outcasts hate Gehenna in general.
The witches within it are also disliked.
Even among the witchish outcasts, the animosity is even more pronounced when it comes to principled exploits.
An opportunist who, with the Duke of Kether at his side, has gained the most from the entire witch community.
A vested interest that has monopolized the world’s smallest businesses and relegated them to second and third world countries.
Apostates who have abandoned their witchy ways and embraced a vague humanism.
But despite all this discontent and rising public opinion, Gehenna proved to be a formidable foe.
It is for this reason that God Clippert, who had been in power since the founding of Hexenacht, naturally passed the torch to Solidus Top.
Now, it’s not that Solidus Upper doesn’t insist on a “moderate” hegemony, but realistically, it would take too much damage to play the “Never War!” card like Clippert did.
Lydia Magnus has dug deep to get to the bottom of Hexenacht.
Somewhere between inferiority, awe, helplessness, and hostility.
“Fuck.”
Lydia felt a prickle in the back of her neck.
The point was, she was walking a tightrope between Gehenna’s guile and Hexenacht’s belligerence.
It’s a tightrope between Gehenna’s pettiness and Hexenacht’s belligerence, but it doesn’t actually cross too deeply.
The goal was to have just the right amount of antagonism, but just enough to capitalize on Gehenna’s tendency to be a bystander to most events.
Of course, Lydia’s essence is greed.
She had no intention of playing nice forever.
In time, as Hexenacht grew in size and Lydia’s influence expanded, she had ambitions to go to war, if only a localized war, not an all-out war.
“But that’s not now!”
Lydia squirmed like a slug sprinkled with salt, clawing at the proud blonde.
Sea salt that Herya had sprinkled liberally.
It was the top of Solidus who had brought them into Hexennacht to temporarily suture the dispute with the Lehar group.
It was Soledad who brought them into Hexenacht to temporarily settle the dispute with the Lehar group.
Although Xinxiu’s maneuverings have completely soured the relationship between the Rehar Group and Solidus Top, the Rehar Group is, at least on the surface, a dedicated subcontractor of Solidus Top.
The Rehar Group has hit Gehenna.
From Gehenna’s perspective…
Gehenna: ?
Solidus: ?
Gehenna: What are you doing?
Solidus: I didn’t do this.
Gehenna: Damn it, you’re in charge of the Rehar Group.
Solidus: What? I’m not.
Gehenna: These bastards got all the way to Witch Point, but you dare to attack the main camp? You’re a fucking mess.
…is what it is.
At this point, it’s honestly up to Lydia if she’s up to the task.
A few troop infiltrations into Gehenna, a few smuggling ships sunk, but no major damage.
It’s not exactly a declaration of war.
We could have gotten away with it if we had quietly talked to the Duke of Erelim over the hotline, offered him a reward, and publicly severed the ties between the Lehar Group and the top of Solidus.
Trouble was, the latter was now impossible.
“To the great Archdemoness Lydia Magnus!”
“Kiya, you’re making me sick!”
“The Witch of the Gold Coin is a real bitch, I knew it!”
“The future of Hexenacht rests on Lydia’s shoulders.”
As you can see, the majority of Hexenacht’s witches hate Gehenna.
Upon hearing the news, Hexenacht was immediately in a festive mood.
“Hey, Lydia, isn’t that a big deal?”
“Big…! She’s a bitch, but for once I’ll admit it.”
“I thought you were a batty bitch who could only see the liver, but this was surprisingly a real accomplishment.”
Even the witches of New Clipport, a rival coven to the one at the top of Solidus, were quick to praise Lydia’s feat.
As soon as the news broke, witches lined up to get in line for the top of Solidus.
No matter how much Lydia thinks, “That’s enough, you crazy bitches!” she has no intention of changing the tide of public opinion.
It was no surprise that Lydia was named Hexenacht’s #1 Most Liked Witch, as she had just sprayed Gehenna in the face with her own piss.
Second place went to Herya.
In this atmosphere, can you say, ‘I… actually, I didn’t plan that, but Herya and I got into a fight and she hit Gehenna on her own accord, just to fuck with me?’
Can I say, ‘Herya was being an asshole and I had nothing to do with it’?
Can I say, “You realize this was all done by the Lehar group alone, and I don’t want to fight Gehenna!”?
You can’t.
I can’t even begin to imagine the political backlash that would ensue.
Lydia’s rise as the hero of Hexenacht would be followed by a sharp downward spiral.
She’ll be labeled a traitor, a coward, a renegade, and a whole lot of other shit.
“Ah….”
I can’t believe that simple-minded Herya has seen this far and dropped the bomb.
I’d say Lydia didn’t see this coming.
Gehenna had yet to respond with a statement.
We’ve been informed that Gehenna’s highest governing body, the Tree of Sephiroth, has convened a conclave.
The city they will declare the enemy will be Hexenacht, the group will be Upper Solidus, and the person will be none other than Lydia.
“The secretary.”
“Yes.”
“Gather the officers, all of them.”
Lydia hardened her resolve.
She wasn’t about to toss the bomb she’d been forced to hand over.
She would have to tie the knot with her hands.
Lydia pulled out the secret contact she had used to deal with the Duke of Erelim.
2.
Reaction within Gehenna to this raid was sharply divided.
“He got what he deserved, he should pay us back. How much did he think we sucked to do that?”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
“We need to remind them that Gehenna’s reputation is not in vain.”
Unusually for Gehenna, there was quite a bit of aggressive public opinion.
The witches were used to looking the other way in the face of massive raids on Witchpoints around the world, but this was different.
Whatever the scale of the damage, it has crossed the gate and hit the mainland.
Angry voices erupted around the room, demanding that they be made to pay for their actions.
“It is premature. It’s better to identify the enemy and punish them for what they’ve done.”
Standing in their way were the elder witches of the Society of Truth, led by Duke Erelim.
The older Orthodox witches tried to assess the situation more calmly.
“So you’re saying that you’re going to stand by and let a bunch of vile public figures take Gehenna for granted? This time it was just a matter of stepping on the threshold, but what’s next? Who’s to say what kind of shenanigans the snotty Hexenacht will pull if they get their way?”
“I’m not saying I’m condoning it, I’m just saying that we need to identify the enemy correctly, and if we go out on a limb when the piavungan isn’t quite right and it turns into an all-out war, whose responsibility will that be?”
“If we underestimate the enemy and it leads to additional raids, whose responsibility is that?”
“Enough.”
The Duke of Erelim’s solemn declaration quieted the room.
“I’ll post what I said.”
With Duke Kether gone, Count Calliostro, the only other Academic President who could match her, had declared himself neutral in the matter.
As such, Gehenna’s future course of action would very likely be dictated by her decision.
“As for the beastly Lehar group in this case, I’ll make sure they are dealt with, but there’s no need to provoke the Hexenacht beyond that.”
Naturally, many people frowned.
“Are there really forces behind this, and is it a problem that can be solved by tearing off the tail?”
Still, the backlash was cautious.
And not just because she was the head of a giant academy.
It’s out of respect for the sacrifices and contributions that Duke Erelim, who has lived for over a thousand years, has made to the development of Gehenna.
“I’ll take it upon myself to clean up the Lehar group, is that okay?”
“…….”
“Just let them know that they can’t underestimate the power we wield. There’s no need to go rummaging through the grass and making snakes jump out.”
It was no secret that Duke Erelim had been concerned about direct conflict with Hexenacht.
It’s not that he’s afraid of a fight, but that he wants to avoid a situation where he’s going to have to take a lot of losses unnecessarily.
However, while there are many opinions on what punishment should be meted out, no one is willing to take the lead.
The Duke of Erelim is willing to tie up loose ends, so there’s not much pushback.
At least not from the front.
“Damn it, just stick with the duke.”
“Why has he been so passive in the past, I don’t understand.”
“I won’t tolerate it. Do it.”
“Me neither, and I’m going to have to show him the error of his ways.”
Several of the witches defied Duke Erelim’s proclamation and banded together to attempt their own “retribution.
3.
By this time, the atmosphere between Hexenacht and Gehenna had become tense.
Hexenacht’s lowest class, the Dignity Towns, were basking in the glow of victory.
Hexenacht is a vertical city.
The lower the gate, the lower the town.
It was home to many witches who were relatively weak and low in the hierarchy.
It is said that the more powerful you are, the more you are pushed around.
The witches of Dignity Town’s resentment towards Gehenna far exceeded that of the higher towns.
“You Gehenna bastards. You can’t do anything, can you?”
“Long live Empress Lydia, let’s get her into Parliament!”
“I’ve been so tired…. Every day I get my business stolen and kicked out by those Gehenna bitches….”
“Who are we, the people of Great Hexenacht.”
“Honestly, aren’t the Gehenna scared of us too?”
A wild party that goes on day after day as Gehenna remains silent and unresponsive two days after the incident.
-Woof!
At that moment, a huge wave of magic power, a little different from the usual, resounded from the ‘gate’.
The witches who were playing in the tavern overlooking the gate and the marina became quiet for a moment.
Being witches themselves, they realized that the waveform was different from the one that usually spreads when the gate is activated.
“What is it? Am I the only one who felt this? Is it different from the usual?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, are you kidding?”
-Whoops!
Soon, however, a shrill beeping sound, like an air raid warning, is heard throughout Dignity Town.
At this point, even the most triumphantly brain-numbed exploiter will have a rough estimate.
“What, what, raid, Gehenna?”
“War! War!”
Wide-eyed, the witches scrambled to their feet, their gazes focused on the gate.
A giant door, two kilometers in diameter.
The axis of the city that governed the entry and exit of Hexenacht.
And in the middle of it all, an unusually large speck.
A black knight, clad in full black armor and holding a red branch.
And beside him, a green-haired witch with an ornate wand and a witch’s hat tilted backwards.
