Episode 21: What Is Missing
“…That’s a problem.”
“I’d say so. Without that magical staff, Sere-chan can’t fight.”
“Isn’t there anything you can do?”
“Nope. Well, first, I think you need to understand the basics.”
The Wandmaker pointed at her own ample chest.
*
“The raw material for that thing is a Witch’s heart, a Magus Engine.
“And right now, it’s completely shattered.
“Without a new heart, there’s nothing I can repair it with.”
*
Sere knew that much.
But she hadn’t realised the situation was quite so bad.
“Well, its lifespan was probably nearly up anyway. The material it was originally made from, [Jade Green], or rather, the [Witch of Gemini], was in a pretty terrible state when she was defeated, too.”
“…I was the one who…”
“Mm. Smashed it to pieces. I’m amazed you had the nerve to show your face here. After completely killing your friend.”
Sere was at a loss for words.
“…Not that I’m going to say that.
“By the time someone becomes a Witch, their thought has completely collapsed. There’s room for debate over whether you can still call such a thing human, but personally, I think that once their M-particles turn black, it’s fair to treat them as dead.
“Otherwise…
“You wouldn’t be able to fight any more, would you?”
“…Thank you.”
“It’s not kindness. I’m just establishing the facts.”
The mask split in two, and her long tongue lolled out, as if to say, tee-hee!
It was a habit of the Wandmaker’s, something she did when trying to lighten the mood.
“If I were really being kind, I wouldn’t be trying to make you fight in the first place, Sere-chan.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“You’re not a magical girl, or anything of the sort. You’re just a child who was handed a magical weapon and told to use it.”
“I’m not exactly a child any more. And I’m fighting of my own free will.”
The Wandmaker’s brow twitched.
Even without eyeballs, her face was extraordinarily expressive.
“…You damn [Blue].”
“Ah, well, my big sister is dead.”
“At my age, there are far too many death notices from people I know. Damn it all… Oh, right.”
The countless pairs of scissors on her arms clicked.
The Wandmaker licked her coffee.
On the brink of losing her sanity, she managed to claw her way back to reason.
“…Even so, the staff can’t be repaired. You can leave the stage, if you want.”
“All I need is a Magus Engine, right? I’ll attack another magical girl.”
“Pointless. To turn it into a Witch, you need an engine contaminated by M-particles. Those fresh, pristine Magus Engines inside magical girls just don’t have enough output.”
“…Then…”
“Mm.”
The Wandmaker told Sere:
*
“There’s only one thing you can do. Kill one of your fellow Witches.”
*
Sere had already arrived at that conclusion at the end of her own train of thought.
“…What about the waiting list?”
“There’s someone in this city who’s been waiting for five years.”
“Good.”
“… …[Emerald Green], or rather…”
The Wandmaker faltered.
But her lucid moments were few and far between.
With an effort that seemed to wrench the words from her, the eyeless girl with her monstrous arms finally spoke.
“Send her to her other half. The younger sister of the [Witch of Gemini].
“Please, [Raven Silver].”