The Witch and the Doll Swear

Physical fatigue is lingering.

"Hoo... um..."

My head hurts, and I feel dizzy.

"So hot……"

The cold wind blowing is very comfortable. After turning over a little bit, the cool stone slab can also cool down the hot skin, bringing a little relief to the distressed moans.

"Well……"

Liliana opened her eyes and propped herself up.

It was still a night sky with few stars.

The stars that were distracted by the strange but full moon were scattered in the sky, and even if one's position had changed, one could still easily see them all.

——What kind of world would it be if the Saigon sun never rose again, and the continent was forever shrouded in darkness by the moonlight of Diana or Artemis?

When she was still young, because she liked the tranquility of the moonlight and the tranquility of the night, Liliana also had this kind of imagination, although at that time she got the answer that if the great Saigon Sun no longer rises, all things will decay. , but until now, Liliana was able to personally feel how uncomfortable life without sunshine is.

Even in this short period of time, my sleep cycle has been messed up. Even after falling asleep with strong exhaustion and sleepiness, after waking up, I can't feel the full energy that I should have after a full sleep.

wrong.

"Um...too bad..."

Because of the strange drowsiness and nasal congestion, Liliana touched her forehead with her palm.

Amazingly hot.

Although the temperature of this small world that may be hidden under the Majestic Tower is much lower than the summer in the elegant inland sea, but even so, my body temperature is too high. Also, the brain This drowsy feeling...

"...fever...pain!"

The girl tried to get up, but gasped because of the pain between her legs.

It wasn't until then that Liliana saw the blood stains on the fingers that she put down from her forehead.

"..."

After being silent for a while, the brain, which seemed to be dizzy from heat, finally started to function.

Liliana stared at the three torii gates not far from her for a long time, took out a bottle of healing potion and a bottle of healing potion from the space storage ring, and drank it in small sips.

The cause of the fever is conceivable.

In the process of jumping into the river and allowing the current to take her far away, Liliana remembered quite clearly that because of the side effects of the medicine, the waves of fatigue and drowsiness continuously invaded her body, like a bird protruding from the abyss. The Devil's Claw wants to drag the existence named Liliana Einstein into the abyss of coma.

In order to resist the drowsiness that would make her irreversible, Liliana could only rely on pain to fight. Now, the bruises on the girl's white thighs and arms are the traces of this struggle.

But as fatigue gradually took away her strength, and she couldn't even squeeze out a small bruise, Liliana had to find other ways.

Biting the tip of her tongue is one of them, but she is too tired, whether it hurts or not, if she really bites too big a wound, the gain will not be worth the loss, so she doesn't think about it, so after that, Liliana used the With the physiological knowledge I read in the book, I thought of another method...

"Healing potions flavored with honey should be drunk later..."

Seeing the blood on her hand, Liliana wrinkled her face in a daze, and put aside the bottle of healing potion that was bitterer than bitter gourd juice. She wanted to stand up, but just as she moved her abdominal muscles, it felt like a heart attack. The pain came from the girl's stomach.

"...don't... don't get infected..."

Thinking of her reckless actions, the girl shook her head violently, as if she could get rid of the pain from her mind.

Although reckless and not self-loving, judging from the current results, such a risky move is worth it. During the drifting that lasted for an unknown amount of time, the pain that seemed to be slowly grinding away the delicate skin with a file completely overwhelmed my sleepiness. Suppressed, no one can sleep peacefully in such pain.

This made Liliana not miss the diversion of the river.

At the mouth of the waterway flowing to the black curtain beside the river, Liliana reluctantly downed a second bottle of clear potion to force herself to concentrate and use the last spell slot on [Water Sculpture], pushing herself into the edge of the riverway tributary.

After that, it was another period of drifting.

At the section of the river where the water flow slowed down, she stumbled up to the river bank and poured herself a bottle of extremely effective painkiller, and her memory and thinking were completely disconnected.

Wet all over, without a fire, lying on the cold stone slab and sleeping in the cool night wind for an unknown amount of time.

Hurting yourself is never a pleasant experience. I hope that when I go home, my father and mother will not blame myself for losing... I hope, I can really go back.

Now that I think about it, this is really a reckless move. Let alone a cold and fever, it is not surprising that you can’t wake up because of hypothermia after falling asleep, or you can see bleeding and pus from the wound when you wake up. , but I actually just had a fever and no infection... Maybe it's because the seawater introduced into the river from nowhere is high enough in salinity, and it has a disinfection effect instead...

Well, because I inevitably drank a lot of sea water while rafting, I am a little dehydrated now.

After drinking the potion, the girl who took out clean drinking water from the space storage ring drank the clear water in the 500ml carton in one breath, and took a long breath.

...Blessed by the Holy Light.

Even though she didn't believe in the Holy Light, Liliana still couldn't help but draw a cross of the Holy Light on her chest and prayed in a low voice.

After this time, my body may have some sequelae, but as long as it doesn't affect my actions now, I don't need it—and I don't have the ability to take care of it.

The current self——Liliana thought so, yes.

The present self may die anytime and anywhere, just like a beggar on the side of the road, a mercenary who throws silver coins into a woman's corset in a tavern, so far into the future, it is no longer within the scope of my consideration.

Because you have to live first, and then you have a future.

As for now...

At least she was already standing at the door of the future.

Looking at the three vermilion torii gates, Liliana was silent for a moment, then looked at the dark green glass-like crystal rock pillars lined up on both sides, and the road paved with square stone bricks.

She compared the scene in front of her with the image that the mysterious being gave her from a dream, and found some subtle differences.

The road seen in the dream should be a facility called Shinto in the ancient land of Dongguo. Compared with the smooth but still somewhat rough road seen in the dream, every stone brick on the Shinto in front of us They were polished so smooth that Liliana reminded Liliana of the terrazzo in the Emerald Emerald Bath.

And the crystal rock pillars on both sides looked even more turbid, turbid like inferior glass, with some dark moss attached to it. There is no sun here, so even the moss that grows by moonlight has no green color.

But at the end of Shinto, the amphitheater surrounded by some rocks is different.

The stone pillars supporting the white dome are coiled with ivy vines, and the lights in the theater are orange and warm, so these vines on the stone pillars and the withered vines of the ancestors are still dark green in color. And in the dream, not to mention the ivy, there should not even be a blade of grass on the lush mountain rocks.

Other than that, the most obvious thing is the mahogany of the torii. The bright red color seen in the dream has faded, and there are some cracks on the pillars. Time has carved traces of decay and decay on these precious woods. Remember the passing of water.

That's right.

Compared with what I saw in my dream, the scenery in front of me is more vicissitudes and ancient, because of the passage of time.

In this case, what time did you see in your dream?

The effects of the healing potion and healing potion work very quickly, at least that's what Liliana thinks, and in this seemingly static world, there is no reference for her to verify, but these are all potions with the prefix of [extreme effect] , each bottle is equivalent to the same volume of gold, so it should also have a good effect.

Liliana stayed there for a while, and Liliana, who had a full stomach and replenished water, felt that she could move around.

His consciousness has become much clearer, but he still can't meditate well, and he can't confirm the spell slots he can use.

but.

Liliana comforted herself.

"...and magic isn't a particularly reliable option when you're feverish and not so clear-headed."

This was told to her by the visiting tutor Tai Lun when she wanted to learn magic to pass the time of being bedridden with a fever.

Before that, the girl had already experienced the consequences of failing to cast the spell——[Atmospheric Hammer] The strong wind scattered when it got out of control not only made a mess of the room, but also hit her hard. The concussion and internal bleeding kept the girl in bed for an extra week.

After finally getting here, it would be too funny to die from the backlash of a failed spellcasting, not funny at all.

"...Having said that... But I can't use magic, so it's still unreliable. If I knew it earlier, I should have prepared more magic scrolls for emergency battles..."

Liliana sighed and stood up.

Now is not the time to speak discouraged words. The essence of magic is knowledge and the search for truth, and power is just a by-product of this process.

If a magician can do nothing without his magic, he is just a puppet manipulated by the power of magic.

The girl thinks she is a qualified magician, so.

"【Mysterious mighty power, please protect me.】"

"[Magic Shield]."

After choosing and using the most practical [magic shield], which only consumes mana even if the spellcasting fails, Liliana walked towards the divine way.

……………………………………………………………………………………

The black tea in the pot has only the last layer of cooled tea dregs left.

The young waiter in a snow-white sailor suit put the teapot and the snack basket back into the dining car, asked politely if there was anything else he needed and got a negative answer, pushed the cart and left the room.

So Liliana pushed open the door of the bathroom and completed the end of this story.

"Even if you put on a bathrobe..."

"...These high-grade furs and flannelettes, it's too puzzling to enjoy their touch through a layer of clothing."

For the countless times Tinna persuaded Liliana to wear some clothes, the girl failed as a matter of course. Under the bright sky, the airship flew smoothly.

"Besides, Miss Liliana just said [If a magician loses his magic and can't do anything, then he is just a puppet manipulated by the power of magic], she turned around and used a magic, and said to herself Talking to myself to cheer myself up... I feel that my image is much worse..."

"...Actually, I often talk to myself to cheer myself up, but Miss Ting Na can't hear it."

"……real?"

"……Fake."

"..."

Tina stared hard at the witch who sat back on the luxurious sofa, trying to find traces of jokes in her eyes and face.

But after her complexion darkened, Liliana's expression became less obvious. After staring hard at the witch for a while, Tingna drooped her shoulders weakly, admitting defeat in such a duel for the first time.

"As for the use of magic, Miss Tina, if something could cause harm, what would Miss Tina do?"

Alice sat on Tina's shoulders and asked the girl a small question after she lowered her head.

"...Since it will bring harm, it's fine if you don't do it."

"This is indeed a very simple aspect, cut it out once and for all, but it is actually quite stupid, just like Lily at that time, if she didn't use magic, could an 11-year-old girl survive in the ruins of the ancient magic empire? ? So far, Lily hasn’t encountered the ubiquitous traps and magic in the ruins yet.”

"Then... just take a risk and use it?"

"...It's not right. It's a stupid choice to take a risk even knowing that there is danger."

Miss Witch shook her head.

"Then what should I do... Isn't that what Miss Liliana does..."

Tina couldn't turn her head around.

"What should be done is analysis."

Alice propped her cheeks and explained to the girl seriously.

"Refine the dangers and choose options with relatively lower risks--this is what Lily did at the time. Although it is dangerous to use magic when the fever causes the mind to be unclear, the root of the danger is the backlash of the failure of the spell, not the All magical backlash will have dangerous consequences, such as [Magic Shield], such as [Black Widow Silk Web], the former will only consume some magic power, while the latter will only make a sticky mass on the caster. Net—carefully analyze, find out why the danger is dangerous, and then choose targeted measures, this is the way of thinking of a magician rather than a stupid one-size-fits-all."

"... Even so, my action didn't have any effect at the time."

"Eh? Why? Isn't magic shield the most versatile defensive magic?"

"...Universal means mediocrity. In the face of extreme attacks in a certain aspect, the magic shield is not as reliable as imagined."

Liliana shook her head.

She doesn't like to bring up this topic. After becoming a witch, this is also the scene she wants to forget the most but can't be erased from her mind.

At that time, when I tried to walk directly into that divine path from the side...

"...?"

Unknowingly, the direction of footsteps changed.

The girl moved towards the crystal stone pillars, wanting to walk directly into the Shinto from between the stone pillars, but when she realized, she was already walking in the direction of the river flowing outside the torii gate.

Obviously, it wasn't that he was so confused that he couldn't even walk in the right direction. Liliana turned around. This time, he slowed down and walked towards those cloudy crystal pillars like dark green glass step by step.

Forward, forward, forward, turn around, forward.

"?!"

Liliana stopped, turned around, and walked towards the gap between the stone pillars.

step.

turn around.

"……This is……"

She clearly realized that right here, in an instant, she turned around inexplicably, but she didn't turn around, just like she walked into a door and walked out from the door at the same time. .

Thinking of the ancient magic empire's highly developed space magic, is this a distorted fault in space? Or some other magic that I don't know about?

Between these dark green turbid crystal pillars... there may also be something undoubtedly hidden in them, making it impossible for her to pass through this empty barrier.

"...Arcane vision, I still can't..."

This time can be troublesome.

Liliana still doesn't know [Arcane Vision], which is used to view magic and analyze magic effects.

If the existence of traps and organs cannot be touched, it is even more impossible to disarm them.

In this case, she can only enter from the torii, the starting point of Shinto.

But who can guarantee that you can successfully walk on the Shinto path from the torii gate?

Up to now, Liliana has no idea what this ruin is for, but if she designs it herself, the entrance of this building that should store important things must be set up for identification, and certain credentials are required to enter.

...If this is the case, then the identity certificate...I definitely don't have it...

While thinking, Liliana, who came to the front of the torii gate, frowned at the conclusion she got.

At this time, that unknown existence should give me some hints, right?

she thought.

But when I was in a coma, I didn't fall into a dream, and now I don't have certain scenes in front of my eyes like when I was attacked by a shadow beast. The existence that helped her and guided her here was silent, and just turned to everything. Without knowing anything, I handed over to the desolate ruins.

...Does it mean there is no danger?

... Or is it just that she hasn't had time to give herself a hint yet?

The safety is uncertain, it is lifted in the air by the giant pillars, it looks like a pure water storage alchemy platform, Liliana does not believe that these ruins will not even have any protection measures, although there is a possibility that they will be ineffective due to disrepair... …

At the end of her thinking, Liliana finally left in front of the torii gate, took out firewood and gun cotton from the space storage ring, and used flint and gun cotton to set up a small bonfire in the open space beside her.

The girl attacked by the shadow beast has already realized that this ruin is not safe, facing an unknown future. She decided to be cautious.

After all, my physical condition is not very good now, just to recuperate and rest, even if there is a cold wind blowing here from time to time, the floor is hard and cold, even if I am close to the campfire, half of my body will always be eroded by the cold...

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Liliana coughed several times, feeling the pain in her throat was gradually moving down, hesitated.

Fever always comes with a cold, and she ignores it, although it doesn't seem to be that serious now, but if it turns into pneumonia... then it's really the worst.

Her regular medicines did not include cold medicines, nor did they include medicines for curing pneumonia. The medicines for healing were said to be effective for almost all diseases, but that was only for mild cases.

She looked again at the theater where the stone pillar was occupied by creepers.

No matter how you put it, there is always a place to shelter from the wind and cold...

Just as she was hesitating, an image suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.

It was the firewood she had piled up but hadn't lit yet, and not far away was the dark green turbid crystal column.

...can you see this?

Slightly taken aback, Liliana quickly asked questions in her own thoughts.

no answer.

After this scene disappeared, the image at the other end reappeared—it was the reversed image that Liliana had seen before, but this time it seemed to be playing from the beginning, and the bird with a new vision From the beginning, he entered the Shinto without hindrance, and the crystal stone pillars with no impurities on both sides were still slightly shining. Nothing happened until the end of the stairs leading from the low end of the rock to the entrance of the theater.

Then, what Liliana could also see at this moment, the Shinto and torii gates, which had been erased by time and were gorgeous and crystal clear, appeared in front of her eyes.

…If you can hear me, please erase the screen and play it backwards once before seeing this bonfire.

Liliana, say this in your mind.

But there was still no change, the two images were just switching mechanically in front of her eyes, and they became more and more blurred, as if the person who gave this scene was already unable to do what she wanted.

What disappointed Liliana even more was that that person might indeed not be able to hear her own voice.

Correspondingly, she couldn't understand the meaning of these two images that were constantly alternating.

Obviously, it passed through Shinto quite a long time ago. At that time, it walked here by itself, indicating that it is a related person of the ruins, and it is very likely to have something like an identity certificate, so this passage is nothing to me. significance.

After that, it is the scenery that I can see now, what is it trying to say? Is it as safe as ever or...

It doesn't know?

"...It's not helpful at all..."

Liliana was a little disappointed.

But this disappointment seems to be completely incapable of conveying. After hesitating for a long time, the girl let out a long sigh, and added the magic shield that had disappeared to herself again.

In the end, even if you don't know anything, and you don't know whether it's safe or not, you still have to walk through this path.

The three continuous torii gates, even the shadows are continuous.

The moonlight flickered in the sky, and his own shadow was stretched long.

Looking at it this way, my short self is actually half as tall as these torii gates.

Liliana, who had already passed through two torii gates, couldn't help but smiled wryly. Is her fever serious? To think of such a thing at such a time.

If you want to relax your nervous self, this is really... a drop in the bucket.

She raised her head slightly and watched herself pass under the third torii gate.

It seems that some kind of identity certificate is not required to pass, or the mechanism for verifying identity has been damaged... It would be great if the defense systems of magic organs that do not know whether they exist are also destroyed by time.

Thinking of this, Liliana stepped onto the path of God.

"Well……"

Immediately afterwards, she couldn't help stretching out her hand to cover her eyes.

- so bright.

The smooth stone bricks seem to have soaked through the moonlight, making them silver and white.

The moonlight reflected by the road is like the dazzling sunlight falling at noon, without the scorching temperature, but still makes people dare not look at it.

But on both sides of the road, even before passing through the triple torii gate, it is obviously not so exaggerated?

The step he was about to take hesitated again.

There is obviously a problem with this path, but Liliana can't find out what kind of problem it is. This is undoubtedly dangerous or even fatal, but.

"... Blessed by the Holy Light."

But that's the only way to go, isn't it?

So move on.

Only by putting it to death can there be a future life!

Gathering up her courage, Liliana took the first step.

- Wow.

"?!"

Stepping down, there was a sound of water splashing.

She lowered her head in a daze, and saw her ankles were flooded by moonlight.

It was thick and icy silver, which flowed slipperily through the gap between her toes, making Liliana shiver uncontrollably, and felt that the wind seemed to become even colder.

It's moonlight.

Moonlight like water.

Literally, moonlight like water.

"...Maybe I really did something stupid..."

This is already an area that the girl's cognition has not touched. Elements have the characteristics of another element. This is simply challenging the "Elemental Theory" written by the sage Elmeia!

Highly condensed light should be just light, and the transmission mode of light elements should be like rays. Highly condensed water should also be just water, and the transmission mode of water elements should be flowing. The agglutination of elements and the density of matter are not a concept, and will not cause changes in form and properties—this is one of the basic theories of "Elements", that is, elements have different stable properties and will never be alienated, even if multiple elements Mixing together is also mixing rather than fusion, and the flow of light should only be rhetoric and metaphor in literature!

But here, the light does flow, or so it seems.

Of course, it is also possible that this is just water mixed with highly reflective pigments reflecting moonlight, bending over and scooping up a handful of water should be able to verify—but the girl dare not do this at all!

Go, go, go!

She walked forward with a stiff body, as if she would be submerged by the moonlight river if she bent down.

There is nothing more terrifying than the unknown, especially when the unknown overturns the existing cognition.

Don't stop, don't stop, but if you've fallen into this trap—

Wouldn't it be wiser to stop and observe the situation first?

This thought flashed through her mind like lightning, and realizing that she had fallen into a state of panic, the girl immediately wanted to stop.

"……Eh?!"

But it couldn't stop.

Liliana was really scared this time.

The legs wearing sandals ignored their own will and walked step by step on the Shinto where the moonlight flowed.

"How come... stop, stop, stop!"

No matter how you want to stop.

Even, the footsteps gradually accelerated and became lighter, from ordinary walking to dancing.

What, what's going on? The body is still under control, but why can't it stop according to its own will?

Liliana stared blankly at the strange dance steps she suddenly took, and great fear suddenly surged into her heart.

Because it was the era of the ancient magic empire—that was the relics left over from the period when space system magic picked out a series of prosperity and development alone, so I took it for granted that I could not enter from the side of Shinto because of the prohibition of space magic, but it was wrong.

What guards this place is the mystery of the spirit, some kind of magic that directly manipulates the soul beyond the body, and then controls the body!

So is this a fantasy, or reality?

The wind began to become colder, and the silvery moonlight had unknowingly covered her calves, and there seemed to be laughter from thousands of people in her ears. Liliana bit her lip fiercely, but the pain and the smell of blood She didn't let everything in front of her disappear, and even her hands began to dance in line with her body, lifting, leaping, and twirling, like the elegant ripples of an elegant water bird on the lake.

Liliana tried to make a sound, but what came out of her mouth was an unfamiliar language, sound and song.

The girl regretted it.

She shouldn't choose to add a magic shield to herself. Here, the mind protection force field is far more effective than the magic shield, at least it won't let her react at this time.

Now she reacted, but it was too late.

A voice that belongs to someone sings with her mouth the withering of cherry blossoms, the withered glory of manjusawa, the end of a river that goes nowhere, the yellow river that flows straight down into the hidden abyss, singing continuously The moonlight seems to be stained with a cloudy yellow, and someone's will drives her feet to dance step by step towards the end of the river, just like devout believers kowtow step by step on their journey to the holy land, and it seems like a woman submerged in moonlight On both feet, put on the red dancing shoes in fairy tales.

It's too late.

Everything will also end.

The constant dancing makes the muscles in the legs twitch and hurt, and the desolate and long ballad makes the breathing disorder.

In the end, I died singing and dancing, maybe it will become a ridiculous fairy tale that has nothing to do with the facts, if someone knows that I died here.

It was obviously her own body, but at this moment, she was completely out of Liliana's control. The girl was like a child who had been kicked out of the house. She could only watch helplessly as she walked towards the end of nowhere.

And at the end, will it be death?

Available at this time.

A deep blue light suddenly bloomed from the girl's chest.

Everything in front of my eyes became different in an instant.

Countless translucent human figures hovered and danced in the field of vision, some of them still maintained their human forms, and some of them had turned into indescribable translucent bodies. Liliana looked at her body in astonishment, and several ghosts appeared. Like a mole digging soil, it poured into his body.

……Eh?

Before the girl could react, countless floating magic circles appeared in front of her eyes, and the world in her eyes suddenly turned into a brilliant totem of light. Liliana could clearly see every node and every magic rune in the ancient language magic empire era. Written formula.

A strange feeling emerged. Although Liliana couldn't identify these magic circles one by one, she suddenly knew how to break out of the current predicament.

Yes, she knows, she doesn't even use magic, just mobilize her mental power, inject her own magic power, and overload one of the circuits——

When the incomprehensible becomes intelligible, it is like finding the untwisted thread from a mess of wool. The sense of fear receded accordingly, and the pale golden magic light radiated out, pouring into the magic circle revealed under the blue light, a slender arc-shaped loop.

The injected magic power was not much, but it triggered a series of shocks. The sound of glass cracking suddenly rang in the ear, the spirit bodies approaching him screamed, and the crystal pillars around the divine way suddenly dimmed.

The blue light is gone.

The body can move suddenly.

And the silvery water no longer rose.

At this time, Liliana was finally able to stop, and saw that she was halfway through Shinto, and the stairs at the foot of the rocky mountain where the theater stood were less than a hundred meters away.

Realizing this, Liliana ran again.

Countless silver-like water splashes splashed on the silver river. After the magic circle was shattered, those wandering ghosts screamed but did not dare to approach. Regardless of the soreness of her legs, Liliana climbed to the middle of the steps with both hands and feet. Looking back from the panic, the river of ghosts and moonlight, everything disappeared.

Under the moonlight, the ancient Shinto stood quietly there, and it seemed no different from before Liliana walked through the torii gate.

"...What the hell is this..."

Panting, Liliana sat down on the stone steps, hugging her knees tightly in fear.

In the Eastern Kingdom, Shinto originally meant a way for the dead to walk.

And those are undoubtedly ghosts, right? Bound here by unknown undead magic or black magic, and become the guardian of this Shinto.

"So many souls, so many deaths, what is going on here..."

The coolness felt after walking on the Shinto path is not a colder night wind at all, but countless ghosts. Their bodies are regarded as delicious food, like a piece of cheese. The ghosts scramble to get into the hole on the top. Dancing more than...

If there wasn't that moment of blue light to reveal the magic circle in front of her eyes, if she didn't have that moment of epiphany, what would she be like... Liliana shuddered.

The creepy feeling came back again, Liliana rubbed her arms vigorously, and then slapped her sore and swollen feet vigorously.

"...The ones that have already penetrated into my body, have you dispelled them well..."

But the girl quickly realized that it was futile, and it should be futile. She moved her aching legs, and using both hands and feet, Liliana climbed over the second half of the steps.

What should be done now should not be to show off superficial knowledge of black magic and undead magic in this kind of place. What is more important now is to find that mysterious existence as soon as possible.

The entrance to the theater is already close at hand.