Witch Redemption

She closed her eyes, feeling only fear—fear of death, fear of forgetting her friendship with Vesta, fear of harboring resentment towards her dearest friend.

"Relax, the process may be a little painful. If the surgery is successful, you may lose your recent memories and you will still know Vesta, but you will also forget all the truth about the witch."

Before transmigrating, Nina was a renowned neurologist with considerable expertise in lobotomy. She never imagined that after transmigrating to this damned world, she would be forced to erase her companions' memories in such a barbaric way.

At this moment, no matter how much pain he was in, he had to carry out the surgery to the end.

Because they had no other choice, North's grimoire class was Trickster, and according to that ancient will, only her death could create a "sealed object" powerful enough to change the status quo. However, the birth of a sealed object required the witch's own intense resentment, and no one knew just how strong that resentment had to be, so they resorted to this desperate measure.

The reason they chose to tamper with North's memories before the Flame Witch Vesta returned was because they all knew this kind-hearted witch.

Kindness is a noble virtue; however, in this desperate world, if kindness is not tempered, then so-called kindness will become a form of cowardice!

Let's begin!

No matter how painful or sorrowful they are, they will not stop moving forward.

They are different from those who only wallow in self-pity, numb themselves, and escape from reality. They all have their own strong will. No matter how hopeless the road ahead may be, they will use their own way and their insignificant lives to resist this world!

They too yearn to survive, but unfortunately, they are so weak that they place their lifelong hopes on a certain witch.

She was the backbone of all of them, the bond that connected them, and the noble person for whom they could give everything without complaint.

"Everything is for Vesta to escape this hell. For this wish, what does it matter if I give up my life?"

"Close your eyes, North, don't be afraid, we will always be with you."

...... ...... ......

Several days later.

"Why? Vista? Why...?"

The cold Libra cross greatsword pierced her chest, and along with the unbearable pain, an uncontrollable rage surged within her.

She couldn't understand why her best friend would do this, why she would betray everyone.

They clearly trusted this guy so much, so was all the goodwill he'd shown so far fake? Was it all just an act?

"I'm...I'm sorry...Noss..."

The girl with fiery red hair pursed her lips, squeezed out words that sounded like she was about to collapse, and without hesitation drew the sharp blade from her hand, letting the gushing blood stain her face red.

Vesta had always known that all her comrades were working tirelessly, even at the cost of everything, just to give her a sliver of hope for survival.

In order to allow her to survive in the monster-infested area, they were willing to choose death without hesitation, sacrificing their bodies. In order to create a sealing artifact that could interfere with fate, they orchestrated this series of "betrayals," causing Nos Enki, who trusted her, to lose all memories of the truth.

However, she had no way to repay them and could only be "forced" to silently endure all of this, bearing the unbearable pain in her heart.

He kept apologizing, trying his best not to break down at this moment. Vesta's hand, which was gripping the greatsword tightly, began to tremble uncontrollably, and intense self-blame filled his consciousness.

In contrast, North, betrayed by her best friend, lies in a pool of blood, staring resentfully at the nearly broken "murderer."

Her gray, beast-like eyes were completely bloodshot, and her blank mind kept replaying the shocking scene from not long ago: her best friend Vesta had ambushed all her accomplices, killing five of them, and in the end, she herself had also died tragically at her best friend's hands.

She didn't realize what she had forgotten; all she knew was that a strong sense of resentment welled up inside her.

“Damn it… Vesta… We trusted you so much… but you… I curse you… I curse you, you damn hypocrite…”

The eyes, gradually losing focus, left only with resentment.

At that moment, as if infected by this incredibly intense resentment, the grimoire that had fallen beside North Enki began to undergo a strange transformation. Its black cover turned into pale skin, and its silver patterns turned into hideous blood vessels. An intense, suffocating resentment completely enveloped the space.

"I'm sorry, North, I'm sorry everyone, it's all my fault..."

The witch, finally breaking down completely, knelt helplessly in the pool of blood. On the night the torrent of the crimson night was about to arrive, she killed ten of her closest friends, officially launching her final escape.

...... ...... ......

As everyone knows, a weak person cannot resist their own fate. So why not place the hopes that you cannot achieve on another person?

One by one, the names etched deep in their souls were being awakened by the self-sacrifice of the elven witch before them, transforming into scene after scene of memories that appeared in their minds.

At that moment, she remembered everything!

"Is all of this fake? No, it's not...it's all fake? I did it for..."

She was willing to forget all the truth in order to protect Vista; she chose the same path as everyone else in order to leave Vista with hope of survival.

Everyone was like moths to a flame, willing to die to save their most respected Vesta Hestia, without any regrets.

However, she forgot this point, and after death, she turned into resentment, watching helplessly as Vesta gradually headed towards destruction. It shouldn't have happened, so why didn't she realize it sooner? Why did she act so contrary to her wishes after death?

Intense self-reproach transformed into an unbearable lament, causing the dark red ghost to wail bitterly.

In less than a second, the resentment that had filled his entire life vanished completely. The hideous body of the dark red ghost slowly turned into dust and disappeared. The natal magic book that had transformed into a strange shape also began to return to its original state.

A person is born for a certain mission, and when that mission is accomplished, it is time for death.

As this life was about to truly come to an end, the collective of resentment, overwhelmed by grief, suddenly and recklessly lunged at the lifeless body on the ground.

“Vesta is dead… She placed all her hopes on Karen… As her senior, I cannot stand by and watch Karen die… at least not until then…”

The hideous claw suddenly seized the dagger that had pierced her heart. In the final, intense will before her body completely dissipated, North Enki seemed to transcend the limitations of time and space, pulling out the deadly blade.

...... ...... ......

Li Lan had an incredibly long dream. In the dream, he was surrounded by a large number of witches, including familiar ones numbered 47, 86, 93, and 94, as well as the Flame Witch Vesta, and many unfamiliar faces. Even though they were strangers to each other, Li Lan could guess their identities.

"I must be dead. This is the afterlife..."

Everywhere was a void of darkness, and all the witches wandered aimlessly through this endless void.

Will death be the way to end the time travel?

It was a lie from the very beginning. In this world, once you die, you have nothing, not even your soul. Your consciousness then wanders in endless darkness.

Suddenly, all the witches who were walking forward stopped in their tracks, because they heard a series of extremely hurried footsteps behind them.

The moment he turned around, he saw a witch with gray-yellow sheep horns rushing towards him, "Vesta, wait for me!"

"Nors?"

A witch with fiery red hair standing next to Li Lan muttered in surprise, then turned away and avoided eye contact.

"Hey, Vesta, that's not your fault."

A dozen or so witches, who were quite unfamiliar to Li Lan, surrounded the Flame Witch Vesta. He had glimpsed two of them from Vesta's memories before.

The witch named North looked somewhat frail and shy. She excitedly rushed into Vesta's arms, and then her gray beast eyes, which were somewhat teary, began to stare at Li Lan, her gaze filled with gentle kindness.

At that moment, Li Lan felt four familiar presences approaching from behind him.

"Karen, go back. You don't belong here."

"Senior No. 47?" The familiar, gentle voice surprised Li Lan, making her want to turn around.

"Don't look back!"

An extremely cold hand quickly pressed down on his shoulder.

"Number 47, don't scare this cute young man... Karen, take this opportunity and move forward." The somewhat noisy Number 86 joked a few times, then reached out and touched Li Lan's cheek, as if he was savoring the moment.

It was icy cold, bone-chillingly cold. Li Lan felt that these witch seniors no longer possessed any warmth.

"Go, and survive. Believe in yourself. You're not needed here right now."

Number 47 released Li Lan's shoulder and then gave him a gentle push. Li Lan only felt himself stagger a few steps. Then, a pure white light appeared in the direction from which Norse had come, guiding him forward.

"Goodbye, Karen, please give our regards to Lana."

The voices of numbers 94 and 93 came from behind again. Then, all the witches continued to walk into the dark depths, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

"..."

Despite the vast amount of words accumulating in her heart, Li Lan couldn't utter a single one. She was like a passerby in life, only able to witness everything unfold as a spectator.

He felt a lump in his throat and was deeply moved.

At this moment, he really wanted to turn around and take one last look at those witch seniors. However, after Senior No. 47 stopped him from turning around, it was as if a strong force was constantly hindering him, which made him only able to keep walking back.

This departure meant missing out for a lifetime...

I opened my eyes in terror, and what greeted me was the gloomy sky at dawn, the writhing darkness around me already fading away unnoticed.

"I'm alive?"

Before I knew it, my cheeks had become wet, as if a deep sadness had filled my heart.

Li Lan only remembered that in order to repay the price of using the Book of Judgment, he chose to commit suicide, using his own soul to give hope to all the surviving witches.

But now, he is still alive, as if living in a dream.

Startled, Li Lan struggled to her feet from the rough, gravelly ground, her weakened body straining against the wall. To her horror, she discovered a large pool of dried blood on the ground.

The blood-stained dagger was thrown several meters away, and the wound on his chest had already healed.

"Why did this happen? Did the Book of Judgment fail to work? Was it because the 'Potential Awakening' skill, unique to the priest class, caused my recovery to be too strong, ultimately leading to my failed suicide attempt?"

Completely baffled and terrified, he stood there dumbfounded for a long time until the warm sunlight enveloped the area.

At that moment, the slime, which was gradually recovering from its weakness, and the ten constellation series creations also awoke one after another.

...... ...... ......

On June 16, 10003 of the New Calendar, the seven remaining witches successfully escaped the Empire. Under the cover of the Book of Judgment, their "death" became a fait accompli, and the Empire did not send troops or heretics to pursue them again.

On the same day, the sealed artifact "Book of Judgment" was purified, and the resentment of the sealed artifact was completely dissipated. Its new master, "Karen Elf," did not need to pay a price, or rather, he had already paid his price. The price was to use his resolve and will to write a new chapter of hope for the Book of Judgment.

Because of the disappearance of resentment, according to the theorem that "darkening makes one ten times stronger, while redemption makes one three times weaker," the Book of Fate's Judgment has new limitations.

One limitation is that the Book of Judgment can only be used again after a week has passed since its last use.

The second limitation is that the precognitive effect of dreams is permanently lost, and one can no longer see any destiny.

The third limitation is that it will forever belong to "Karen Elf", becoming something similar to a "natal magic book".

On the same day, the transmigrator, originally named "Li Lan," chatted with his creations for a few minutes before finally hardening his heart and sending the remaining eleven creations back to the border of the empire, preparing a new hope of escape for the next batch of witches who might arrive.

At that time, the use of the Book of Judgment will be achieved through long-distance communication between master and servant via telepathy.

Before that, Li Lan, who was continuing his journey towards the United Principality of Ries, would focus on improving his spellbook level. He was also looking forward to the day when he could reunite with Lana, Lolina, Della, Peggy, Sherry, and Matilda.

"Target! The Golden Spellbook! The Ruins of Annihilation!"

June 23, 10003 (Gregorian calendar), Mori Defense Forest Area.

A young man named Rainer Litt, who was contemplating suicide due to grief, was saved by eleven girls who had a familiar presence in him.