banquet of the golden witch; chapter 18 (the witch's illusion)

[endlesswitch]

..Even though it was a pitch-black world where nothing could be seen, ......for some reason, I felt Beato's presence right next to me.
......So I tried calling out to her.
...You can exchange words with someone whether they're a human or a witch.

......So even in a world where witches have been denied, ......I should be allowed to talk to her...
"............Beato......"
"......Battler, is it..................It is done. ......I, ...did it."
"Yeah. ......I didn't hear it, .........but I watched you until the very end... I definitely saw you, ......boldly stand up to that evil witch..."
"............With this, ...I am no longer a witch. ...............So, I will definitely...become a witch again.........And then, ......I will make it so that I can be called the Golden Witch again, .........and once again, ............return, ......so that I can be accepted as your opponent........."
"No. .........You...were a witch."
"............Huh......?"
"...I...saw it. .........When you took that evil witch, ......and blew her away with that awesome magic, exposing her true form, ...I saw it with my own eyes..."
"Th, ...that wasn't magic, ......but the red-"
"No, it was magic. .........You were definitely...the Golden Witch. .........You even denied yourself. .........I'll accept it. ............'You are definitely, ...the Golden Witch'."
......When Battler said those words...
In the world that had been dark, there was suddenly a single grain.

...A small grain of gold, like a wheat seed, shone brightly.
And...even though it was small, it had a strong, gold-colored sparkle.
Then, ......it shone on the two of them, sitting with their backs together...
So they each became aware of their own form.
...They did not exist only as consciousness.

......They became aware that they had bodies, and definitely existed.

...No, maybe we should say that they each had been given an existence called a body.
When Battler looked at his own form, he wasn't that surprised.
...But when Beato looked at her own form, she was a little startled.

......From Battler's perspective, she looked just like normal, ......but for a short while, she was surprised by that form...
".........What..................is going on.........?"
"The sparkle from that grain of light, ......is slowly getting stronger..."

That grain of wheat was no longer simply gold-colored, but was like the light of the sun.
Then, it softly, .........began to approach Beato's chest.
When that grain of the sun, ......was sucked inside her chest...

......The world was wrapped in a deep blue sky, then a deep blue ocean was spread out below them.
An island rose up, trees sprouted and created a forest, walls surrounded us and a ceiling swallowed us.

And was adorned with more and more things, ......made to be like the hall in the Ushiromiya mansion.
In the middle of the fantastical hall where many gold butterflies beat their wings, ...many tables were set up with white tablecloths, like it was a party, and beautiful cooking and fruits were set out.

...And over there, ......were a great many shapes. It was everyone talking together and smiling.
"E, ............everyone........."
There was Dad and Kyrie-san, Krauss oji-san, Natsuhi oba-san and Rosa-oba-san, and of course, even Eva oba-san and Hideyoshi oji-san.

......George-aniki, Jessica, Maria, ...wait, wait, even Shannon-chan, Kanon-kun, Gohda-san and Kumasawa-san are here.
Everyone, everyone was in the party, clapping their hands and celebrating our return...
"Wh, ...why...? Even though everyone was dead...! Why are they alive...?!"
"......In the Golden Land, the souls of all the dead can be revived. ......Welcome back, Beatrice. And welcome, Battler-kun. Welcome to the Golden Land."
"............I, ...made it? ...I made it, ...to the door of the Golden Land?"
"Yes. ......Milady, you have finally been able to invite everyone to the Golden Land. Welcome, Battler-sama, to the Golden Land."
"Battler. .........So, you have finally made it this far."
"G, Grandfather............Where in the world, ...am I..."
"My, ...blood, which is incompatible with magic, runs most deeply in your veins. ...Therefore, you were the only one who could not reach the Golden Land, and Beatrice has been searching for you the whole time. ...She tried everything to bring you here."
"............What did you say......?"
"Battler-sama, if you would take your seat. Tonight's dinner is my very best work. If you would, please relish it."
"You should be honored!! Normally, I would have eaten all of it, but I left you some out of gratitude!"
"......The Nee-chans of the Seven Stakes..."
"In the Golden Land, all of those with minds are equal. ......Here, there is no distinction between us furniture, humans, and witches."
"...Battler-sama. We were waiting for you. And welcome to the Golden Land..."
"Shannon-chan, ......George-aniki...!!"
"......I'm still suspecting that this might be a dream... We should have died. ......But, ...I'm alive. And everyone, everyone is here, ......and happy. ...I can't believe it."
"That's right, this place must be a dream wo-rld! So it must be a dream that George is so friendly with a maid girl! Whaaaaaah!"
"Could ya give it a rest, Eva? For now, ya gotta stay quiet and bless the two young 'uns. The Golden Land is a city of bliss. We should never quarrel here...!"
"Here, any people are free to love each other. ...No one needs to hesitate over it."
"Jessica-chan, Kanon-kun, so wonderfuul! I'm jealo-us!"
"......H, hey, Battler... I'm a little, umm, wahahahaha..."
"Battler-sama, welcome. And welcome home..."
Jessica was probably embarrassed because she was holding hands with Kanon-kun.

And Kanon-kun wanted to act humbly like a servant and bow, but since neither of them could let go of the other's hand, he couldn't do it so well, and the whole scene looked fairly comical.
"With a servant child...?!! You can't, our Jessica cannot do such a thing...!!"
"It isn't really a problem, is it? Let her at least choose the person she likes."
"She can't, she can't, aaaaaaaaaahhh, Jessicaaaaaaaaa!"
"You can't eitheeeeeer, Geooooooooorge!"
...As Natsuhi oba-san and Eva oba-san hugged each other, they cried tears of regret for their cute children.

......Even though they had always been at odds.
...It was a very bizarre scene.
"......It isn't really a problem, right? It doesn't matter who likes who."
"That's right. It's proof that a parent can let go of their children."
"Battleer, no matter what kind of woman you bring home, I'll accept her waaarmly, alright?"
"You can't introduce her to this guy, alright? He'll get his hands on her immediately. He'll elope right away."
"............Battler. You finally came here. Kihhihihihihihihihi."
"Maria............From the beginning, ......you knew that we would be coming here......?"
"Uu-! That's why Maria wasn't scared at all. Everyone was a coward and trembling. It was funny!"
"......What the hell. ...Even though I thought you were the most screwed up, ...you actually knew the truth from the beginning."
"H, how rude...! I really won't forgive you for speaking of Lady MARIA in that way!"
"Firing Curve Formation, Attack Preparations Ready. Lady MARIA, we can attack at any time. Nihi!"
"Kihhihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi...! Ouch!"
"...Be quiet. You are in the presence of Beatrice-sama."
"Well now, don't be so cold. Let us take notice that now, everyone feels like fooling around and playing together. More importantly, why don't we begin preparing for the toast?"
"Yes, preparations for my excellent mackerel cooking are complete. I can serve it at any time."
"Hey!! You guys! Work a little more like furniture!!"
"Nooooo!! I'm gonna stuff myself some mo-re! Uu-aaah!"
"Come on, let's work. Don't keep the guests waiting. Let's work studiously and attend to them. Don't let the guests do anything. Make them lazy, make them slothful, fatten them like pigs. Ahhahaha!"
"......Beatrice. Battler-kun. This way."

Grandfather and Virgilia were standing on the landing at the top of the staircase, beckoning us.
After Beato and I turned our heads to see what was going on, we climbed the stairs together.
From the hall, it looked like a very high stage.

A small table had been set up there, as well as a piece of parchment and an old-fashioned quill pen.
I saw that strange magical characters and Japanese were written side by side.
...And below it, many names were written.
There were 17 of them.
......Grandfather was the first, and everyone's names had been signed all over it.

The people who arrived at the Golden Land probably signed this one after another.
"Battler. Now that you are here, everyone is gathered. Listen carefully."
"The Golden Land is not a world supported by the power of magic alone. The cooperation and approval of all humans who receive happiness here is required. For that sake, we must gather the signatures of everyone here."
"Last time, the door to the Golden Land was finally opened, but you refused to sign. ......Although you probably don't remember it. Because you refused to sign, this world was once again sealed in darkness."
"......Just hearing it like that, ...it kinda sounds like I'm the only stubborn one, and that I've been a bother to everyone in various ways..."
"That is because your stubbornness is authentic. It seems that you received more than just blood from Kinzo."

Beato laughed amiably.
I should have felt like she was making fun of me, but without thinking, I went along with her, laughing and smiling.
"Magic is a miracle. ......Miracles cannot be completed unless everyone believes. ......And, when you believed in the end, this miracle, ...the Golden Land was completed."
"...............It looks like I've been a real pain. ...So, what should I do...?"
"First, sign here. Then, Beatrice, sign here."
"......It's hard to use a quill pen. ...Whoa, it shot."
"You klutz. Shooting ink is a bad omen. Can't you at least write your name quickly? You are wriggling like a worm. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*...!"
"You should talk...! Don't write it in katakana!
Don't use katakana!

Katakana is the phonetic script used in Japanese, which usually used to write foreign names and is the way Beatrice's name is written every time during the game (ベア卜リ一チェ).

Apparently Beatrice doesn't sign her name with the Roman alphabet and sticks with the katakana.
Beatrice is a stylish name, so write it in cursive! You're making the quill and your name cry!"
"Sh, shut up, in school, didn't they tell you not to use cursive on tests?"
"This is a solemn ceremony. Be silent."
"Very well. We have gathered the two signatures, as well as the form for the covenant. ......Both of you, your oath please. We'll start with Beatrice. Put your hand on the covenant, and take the oath.
......'As a good witch, Beatrice swears to continue her studies from now on to bring happiness to the people'. ...Say it."
"......H, ......hmm.........I, it's a little embarrassing. ......As a good witch, Beatrice swears to continue her studies from now on to bring happiness to the people. ......Is that alright?"
"Acceptable. Battler is next."
"In the same way, Battler-kun. Put your hand on the covenant, and take the oath. ......'As a member of the Golden Land, Battler swears to serve for the sake of his own happiness and that of his neighbor'."
"Ah, ...as a member of the Golden Land, Battler swears to serve for the sake of his own happiness and that of his neighbor. ......I'm embarrassed too..."
"Listen, everyone...!! Here and now, we have gathered the oaths of all 18 humans accepting the Golden Land...!!"
When Kinzo proclaimed that, everyone applauded at once, praising us.

......Since I had been the only stubborn one and had just been a pain, I felt a little bad about being the most celebrated one.
"And with that, in accordance with the ancient rites, we ask Battler-kun, the last to make the oath, to sign the invitation to the Golden Land. ......This is something that invites the Golden Witch, Beatrice, to the Golden Land. The Golden Land invites the Golden Witch through a consensus of those who have accepted it, and becomes complete."
"Battler, I will read it out loud. Listen carefully. ............'The 18 of us accept Beatrice as the Golden Witch, and welcome her to the Golden Land'."
"What's going on with you? You won't be invited unless I send an invitation?"
"It seems that is the ceremony. It makes me uncomfortable. Why don't we end it quickly? I've been so hungry for a while now."
"......Come to think of it, I've only been pecking at canned food and haven't eaten anything good. Let's quickly resolve this signature.
What's this? 'I accept you as a witch'. .........Huh? That's pretty simple. Damn you Grandfather, exaggerating it so much."
"Come on, come on, quickly.""Sign, right here."
"............Huh...?"
"Quickly." "Sign."

......With slightly weird and uncomfortable smiles, the two of them started demanding that I sign...
At that time, an incredible sound like that of a glass window breaking reverberated through the hall, and the bustling tumult melted back into complete silence.
I dropped the quill pen and turned around, trying to see what had happened.
When I did, ............where had she come from?

...A human who clearly hadn't been there a short while ago was in the very center of the hall, ...looking up at us.
Who's that......? ......A girl?
She's probably about the same age as Jessica and me.

......But I didn't know that face.
None of the other people here knew that face either.
"......Wh, ......who are you?! Who is this?! Where did you come from?! Those without invitations are not needed in my party. Servants, get her!!"
"As you command!! Surround her!!"
The Seven Sisters of Purgatory surrounded her from seven directions, taking out magic blades that drew purple loci and blocking her.
And from out of nowhere, shuffling goat-head servants appeared in great numbers, surrounding that girl.
On top of that, the Siesta Sisters stood in front of Beato like a wall, readying a golden bow and pulling back the bowstring...
"........................"
But the girl didn't move at all.

...On the contrary, she was still staring at us on the landing, as though she didn't mind at all.
......Who is she looking at...? Beato? Grandfather?

............It couldn't be, ......me.........?
Yes. ...The girl was staring straight into my eyes, ...glaring.
Then, after our eyes met perfectly, she yelled.
"You must not sign that!!! Are you going to accept your own defeat?! Don't be tricked by the witch!!!"
"......Huh? By the witch, ......huh?!"

At that time, something incredibly strong lifted me by the nape of my neck.
...Wh, what's going on...?!
And after being made to turn around behind me, ......I saw Virgilia, with an eerie smile on her face, and the muscular forms of goat monsters...

A goat monster that looked like it was 2 meters tall was grabbing me with an arm as thick as a log...!
"Hohhohohohohohohohohohoho... There is no need to listen to an uninvited guest. Come, give your signature as well. On this written oath. 'Ushiromiya Battler accepts the existence of witches'. Come now, sign the written oath...!!"
"Ow, ...owowowowowowowowowowowow!! D, damn it, let go!!!"
As the goat monsters constricted me with the power of a vise, they forced me to grab the quill pen.
...I couldn't even touch the floor with my feet, much less resist...!
"Battleer, why are you resisting? Weren't you just about to sign willingly...? Don't change your mind now, after all that, alriiiight? Didn't you think for an instant, ...that it might be alright to accept witches? You thought that, riiiiiight? Kukkikikikkakkakakakakakakakakaka!!"
"............I, ......I was, ......t, ......tricked......? That's insane........., Beato, isn't that kind of..."
"....................."
"......Hi, ......hihhihahhahhahaaaaaaaaah!! Sorry, Battleer, I am that kind of persooooooooooon!! Aah, it's useless now, it looks like sentimental naniwa-bushis don't match well with meeeeeeeeeee!!
Naniwa-bushis

A kind of theatrical narrative and singing focused on human feelings and stories of loyalty.
Teacher, I'm counting on you to use all your strength!! That was such a plain role to play, and I got so bored!
I don't know who you are, girl!! But I'll beat you to death, mash you and crush you until threads start trailing, alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?! I'll make you regret being born a womaaaaaaaaaaaan, hyahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!"
As Beato waved her gold pipe, the massive chandelier hanging in the hall was electrocuted, and from that, a terrible purple thunderbolt fell...!

It should have been a direct hit on the girl right below it, turning her to ash.

However, ......not a single hair was singed.
"Hoh...!! So it was worth having you show up uninvited...!! Tell me! Say your name!!"
"I don't have any name to tell you. .........More importantly, ......you idiot!!! How long are you going to be tricked?!! You softy!! Figure it out quickly!! This is all the witch's trap!!"
Those words were aimed at me.

......This is all, ...the witch's trap, she says...?

That can't be...
Beato reformed and swore to become a good witch......
"............Beato..................Calling it a trap, ......is a lie, right......? Please........., tell me it's a lie......"
"......Sorry, Battleer. It was pretty interesting. ...Still, I was just trying to do what Teacher told me, but it really did work very well!
No matter what, after acting bad-tempered and exploring the depths of cruelty, by acting properly incompetent and soft, you get a massive rise on that goodwill meter thing, ri-ght?
I've heard that villains who go soft and then crazy are pretty popular these daaaays, right? Even sooo, I've studied a lot of manga, anime, and galge that have been popular recently, you seeee?
Galge

Contraction for Gal Games (Girl games). This is a synonym for the archetype of games in Japan, known as Bishoujo games, which involve beautiful girls as the name implies.
And for you, just as expected, it was 'tears please', and you're down!! Hihhyahhahhahahahahahahahahahahahaha, i-diot, what a truly simple person!! I'll call this 'the North Wind and the Sun Strategy'. *cackle*cackle*cackle*!!"
"......How could, ........................D, ............damn you......, you bastard...... How could you trick me...!!"
"....................................Yes, that expression fits you the most. That caring expression of yours really doesn't match me after all. My back was itching, and I was frantically trying to withstand it. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!
Too bad, witches don't refo-rm☆ Hyaahhahhahhahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!! You take care of the signature, Teacher! This uninvited guest is my prey!!"
"Come, you can no longer refuse to sign. ......Come on, look. Sign it and offer your body, your mind, and your soul...!!"
When Virgilia lifted her chin as a signal, the goat monsters, with an even more vise-like power, forced my arm to approach the parchment......!

Owowowow..., these guys are trying to make me sign, even if it breaks my arm......
At that time, a bright red light burst open with me at the center, knocking the witches and the goat monsters away.

Did that girl save me......?! B, but who in the world is that? I don't have a clue!
"How long do you plan to keep playing in a place like this...? Give it a rest. I'm jealous of you."
"............I'm glad you saved me, but that's a pretty cruel way to say it. ...Sorry, but who are you...?"
"..............................Witch of Rokkenjima!! Give him back!!"
"Kuhhahahahahahahahah!! Who would do that, you fool!! Battler is my toy. My most favorite toy in the world...!! I won't get tired of him, I won't throw him away, and I won't hand him over to anyone!! Even Battler is enjoying this to the fullest. Together with me, he is having so much fun playing. No matter who you are, I won't let you become a hindrance...!!"
"Yeah, it looks like you're having a lot of fun. It makes me so jealous, it's irritating!! In a place like this, guffawing and having a loud, noisy time with everyone!
Since you're surrounded by all these beautiful witches and being pampered, it must be so fun that you don't want to go back!!"
"......A, ...are you talking to me...? Wait wait, you've got the wrong idea...! This is a pain for me too! What do you mean, fun? Don't you know about my troubles...!"
"What do you mean, troubles!!! You had fun living with Father and Mother, you played around with all of the cousins, and you get to play with pleasant witches for all eternity! Don't you realize the happiness you have?! Don't you know that I'm jealous of all of you?! So much that I want to join in too!!"
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! I'm sorry, but I'll have to reject that. I am satisfied with the toy I have. A rude toy like you is not fitting for my toy box!"
"Yes, I understand. Who would ever play with someone like you? ......But I will thank you a bit. ......For bringing everyone together like this."
"......Who, .........are you........................You couldn't be..."
"I see, is that it...? .........Yes, I understand, I know who you are! ...I see, so you are the piece Lady Bernkastel threw in. I like it!!
Why don't I formally invite you to my party!! I'll welcome you fully...!! Along with Battler, I'll play nicely, break you, kill you, crush you, turn you to ash, mix you with bread dough and bake you until you're fluffy!! Fuhhahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaahh!!"
".........Aaah, it's useless, it's all useless! You can't do that! On Rokkenjima in the year 1986. ...I will expose everything that happened to the light of day!
I'll teach you that you're no more than an ice needle scared of the spring of the truth! Prepare yourself, Golden Witch! Beatrice!!!"