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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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In the blink of an eye, Johan found himself in the Empire. It was a disorienting experience, no matter how many times he’d done it.
The power of magic, reducing the travel time that would take hours even in a supersonic jet, to zero.
Johan, who thought he’d seen it all, was once again awestruck by the sight that greeted him.
“Whoa…”
“Woooow…”
Clang, clang—
A massive train chugged along, spewing thick, acrid smoke. After a few moments, it hissed and lurched forward.
The people around them seemed completely unfazed by the several-hundred-ton vehicle moving past them. They were accustomed to this technology.
‘A train? Damn—I thought they only had electricity…’
They had invented the steam engine as well. Well, if they had electricity, the steam engine was a logical next step.
The strange thing was that they still called themselves an “Empire,” despite their technological advancement. He didn’t know if it was an absolute or constitutional monarchy, but the fact that they still had a monarch in such a technologically advanced society…
‘Is it because of the witches?’
If this technology wasn’t the product of national scientific progress, but the result of a single witch’s magic—then the ordinary citizens would simply be passive consumers of technology, oblivious to its workings.
Like the proverbial cargo cult, utilizing technology without understanding it…
‘That’s just my guess, but…’
Johan glanced around and saw guards carrying spears and halberds, confirming his suspicions.
Spears in a civilization with trains? They should at least have muskets, if not pistols.
‘Where do we go now…?’
Lost and unsure where to head in this unfamiliar city, Johan felt a buzzing sensation in his pocket.
He pulled out the business card. One corner was glowing blue. He turned slightly, and the light shifted to the side of the card.
It was like a beacon, guiding him. Johan looked at Evangeline.
“Should we follow it?”
“…Are you sure? What if it’s a trap—?”
“A trap? What’s going to happen if it is?”
Evangeline grinned.
“You think a trap can stop us?”
“Oh, right.”
Johan remembered who he was with. The most powerful, most dangerous witches, capable of rendering armies useless.
Even an army of witch hunters would struggle to capture them.
If this was a trap, Machina would soon realize she had dug her own grave.
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Witches stood out.
Each one was a stunning beauty, and their curses often added a touch of… alluring depravity.
In the witch-hating kingdom, any strikingly beautiful woman risked being accused of witchcraft and imprisoned.
But not in the Empire.
“Oh, miss, come with me—”
“No, with me…”
The citizens of the Empire flocked to the beautiful witches like moths to a flame. Johan, caught in the middle, was treated like a mere pack mule.
After all, who would think an ordinary man surrounded by five stunning women was their lover?
While not uncommon in the capitalist society of modern Earth, it was different in this world. Though nobles existed, they considered such open displays of female companionship vulgar.
They rarely paraded their women in public, so commoners rarely even saw noblewomen or wealthy merchants…
“Excuse me, could you move aside?”
“Hehehe, I apologize, but my legs seem to have stopped working after seeing your beauty—wh-what?”
“Move.”
However, none of the men managed to block their path or secure a date with the witches.
Though some were handsome, others well-built, the witches paid them no mind.
Mere humans couldn’t even register on their radar. In fact, the witches, sensing Johan being subtly ignored, clung to his arms, asserting their ownership.
“Master?”
“Hm? What?”
“It’s hard to walk like this. Let go.”
“No. They keep hitting on us even though you’re right here. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“I don’t care what they think. You’re mine, and that’s all that matters.”
“…Johan—”
Evangeline, hearing his sweet words, looked at him with a strange expression in her eyes. Johan chuckled, meeting her gaze.
Smiling at each other, basking in the attention, Johan and the witches arrived at a large castle. The Imperial Palace. The largest structure in the city, in the entire country.
“Halt. Do not approach.”
“Um… here.”
“…?”
The guards at the gate, who had pointed their halberds at Johan, looked at the business card he presented, their expressions shifting from suspicion to uncertainty. They exchanged glances.
Then, sighing, they lowered their weapons and addressed the group.
“Welcome, guests of the Empire. …We shall escort you inside.”
The guard who had initially challenged them led Johan and the witches inside, his reluctance evident.
They weren’t subjected to any kind of search, and Johan, wondering how they could be so lax about security, then saw the guards patrolling the castle grounds and understood.
‘…Guns. Breech-loading rifles.’
Unlike the guards at the gate with their halberds, the guards inside carried rifles.
Johan, recognizing the design, realized the Empire’s technology had developed unevenly, just as he’d suspected.
After a short walk, the guard led them to a door in the basement and told them to enter. He then quickly covered his nose and hurried away.
Johan tilted his head, confused by this strange behavior, and Evangeline chuckled, hugging him.
“…Master?”
“Stay still. We’re being attacked.”
“…Attacked? What are you—”
“Welcome—!”
The door suddenly opened, and Machina, whom they had seen just yesterday, appeared. Dark circles ringed her eyes. She grinned and gestured for them to enter.
“What are you waiting for? Come in, come in. It’s not dangerous.”
“…Not dangerous?”
“Nope. Not really.”
“Something’s definitely attacking us.”
“—Ah, that?”
Machina, hearing Evangeline, scratched the back of her head, as if she’d forgotten.
“It might be… lethal to humans, but for witches, it’s… something you can just endure.”
“There’s a human here.”
“Oh, right.”
“Then do something about it.”
“Sorry, it’s not something I can control.”
Machina pointed to a fluorescent mineral within the room. Johan, seeing it, instinctively backed away.
Machina, noticing his reaction, looked at him with interest.
“What? You know what that is?”
“…Uranium?”
“What’s that? Well, you seem to know, so no need to explain.”
“We don’t know, so explain it properly.”
“Too much trouble—uh, it’s… a mineral that… self-destructs and releases energy… a divine mineral?”
She poked the beaker containing the radioactive material, tilting her head. Johan, understanding the danger, finally understood why the guard had been so reluctant to approach the room, why he’d covered his nose and fled.
Though the concrete walls blocked most of the radiation, being near it would still cause exposure. The guards who patrolled this area were probably constantly sick.
And, unaware of the true cause, they likely attributed their illnesses to a curse emanating from the witch’s room.
“…It’s radioactive. Similar to the nuclear fusion I told you about, Master, but this is nuclear fission… and it’s lethal to humans.”
“You… know quite a lot. Impressive.”
“You brought something like that into the Imperial Palace…? Are you insane?”
“Yup! Totally sane!”
Johan shuddered, looking at Machina, who declared her sanity without a shred of doubt despite having brought radioactive material into the palace.
This woman was not normal. While he was thinking this, Marguerite, who had been listening quietly, walked over and grabbed the beaker.
And—made it disappear.
“Wh-what!? My mineral!”
“Guests shouldn’t have to deal with hazardous materials.”
“You, you—! What did you do with it!?”
“Hm? Tossed it somewhere. I don’t even know where.”
“Noooo! Do you know how hard it was to get that…!”
Marguerite tilted her head and asked,
“Do I care?”
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