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umiscripts2012-02-18 11:10 pm
endlesswitch) wrote in umiscripts2012-02-18 11:10 pm
requiem of the golden witch; chapter six ( the birth of beatrice )
"......I think... I've learned just how much the woman called Beatrice influenced Grandfather's life."
"We haven't learned anything. 'Who killed Beatrice?' Unless we figure that out, we'll never be able to get out of here."
"......You're right. We need to finish this quickly. The funeral is already over, after all."
"............ You've got it all wrong. ......This is the funeral."
"You mean, what she's making us do...?"
"All of the Beatrices we've heard about so far weren't killed at all. ......We're trying to understand where the 'killed' factors in. That's the real funeral, as far as Bernkastel's concerned."
".........No one knows about the 'killed' factor. And that's the truth we're trying to expose?"
"Hmm, ......you are perceptive. It hardly feels like I'm talking to a piece from the lower plane. So, this is why I was given you as my Watson.
.........Ouch!"
"Don't call your partner a piece. ......So, what next, Willard Holmes?"
"Questioning witnesses forms the basis of an investigation. There's still a Beatrice we need to ask about."
To indicate who they should talk to next, Will nodded in the direction of George, Jessica, and Maria.
"Wow. Beatrice sounds pretty incredible."
"Yeah! And then, inside the upside-down cup, she made tons of candies appear out of nowhere!"
"Inside the overturned cup? Incredible. Sounds like magic to me."
"......Maria-chan really does love witches and magic."
"Can't avoid asking the authority on witches, can we?"
If looking for someone to ask about Beatrice, Maria rose to the top of the list.
The Beatrice she spoke of wasn't the real Beatrice, whom Kinzo and the others had talked about.
However, here and now, on the Rokkenjima of 1986, the name Beatrice probably refers to the person Maria's always talking about.
"......I don't see Battler anywhere."
Ushiromiya Battler. ......The one who was made to fight as Beatrice's opponent in many games, and the most important person in this game...this tale.
A Battler in this world would probably be the piece version, but even so, it should be possible to get some vital information out of him.
......Will probably wanted to talk with Battler too, but he was nowhere to be seen in the cousins' group.
"Battler-kun did not attend this funeral. It's a shame, seeing as he's the cousin closest in age to me."
"Are you two on good terms?"
"Yes, of course."
"......And you pinch his butt every time he says something perverted."
"Oh, how did you know? Did your detective instincts tell you that?"
"Poor guy."
......Bernkastel said that everything was gathered here.
Since Battler isn't here, that probably means it's possible to find out everything without asking for his side of the story.
Or, maybe she's intentionally hiding the core elements and making us take the long way around, as part of some fickle witch's game.
"Since he isn't here, ......that probably means there's no need to hear his story for the time being. ......Let's talk to Maria and the others. `
......I won't say anything perverted, so keep your hands off my ass."
"Then why not try choosing your words a bit more carefully?"
With a roguish smile, Lion pinched the air, index finger against middle.
"Ah, it's our Successor-sama. Are you done babysitting the old geezer? ......Gyaah!"
At least Lion is impartial. No mercy, even for Jessica. Will felt a bit gratified.
"......I see. Since the successor is Krauss's child, ......then Jessica is your little sister."
He was so used to Jessica being an only child that, though the scuffle between the two looked perfectly natural, something didn't feel quite right about it.
"Jessica. Can't you talk a bit more like a little sister's supposed to? And while we're at it, why not try talking more like a girl your age. How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Successor-sama?"
"Sh, shut up! I'll live the way I want to! I'd suffocate if I had to act all refined like you, Successor-sama...!
Eeeh?!
Ouch!
Owowowowow!!
Stop it, don't pinch me!
This is abuse...
pervert...
stop it...
owow!"
"Jessica! Why are you talking like that in front of a guest...! Do you want Mother to scold you again?!"
"......Looks like those two are close, in their own special way."
`"Well, Lion has pretty much everything needed to be the next head, and hardly any faults.
......I guess I understand how Jessica-chan feels. Lion might be a bit too perfect sometimes."
"She gets compared to Lion no matter what she does. And that made her rebel?"
"If Jessica-chan had been born an only child, I'm sure she'd have become a composed, quiet young lady.
......Ahaha, that's an interesting thought."
"Don't worry. That wouldn't be enough to change her personality."
"George onii-chan,
`......who is this person?"
"This is the first time I've met you, correct? But it sounds as though you know a lot about our family. I'm George, and this here is Maria. Pleased to meet you."
"Call me Will. I'm investigating Beatrice. I want you to tell me what you know."
"Beatrice?! Uu-!! You know what?! Beatrice exists! Uu-uu-uu-!!"
Though Maria had looked hostile towards this unfamiliar man, as soon as she heard the name of the witch she loved pass his lips, her eyes began to sparkle.
"Hey, Maria-chan. You've got to greet our guest properly."
"Hello! My name is Ushiromiya Maria, uu-! I'm glad to meet someone who knows Beatrice. Handshake, uu-!"
Maria suddenly stuck out her small hand, and Will reached out for it reflexively.
As soon as he did, ......he felt a bright light seeping out from the gap between their hands.
The theatergoing power that Bernkastel had given him had affected Maria.
"Beatrice is the witch of Rokkenjima...!
She plays with me every time I come to Rokkenjima!
She's my best friend, and a fellow member of Mariage Sorciere! Uu-!!"
The light grew brighter and brighter......
This time, he could feel himself being drawn into Maria's world...
I'm Ushiromiya Maria
My Mama is Rosa. My Papa... I don't have a Papa.
I think I remember Mama showing me a picture long ago and saying 'this is your Papa'.
It was a picture of a man with a dark suntan, on a beach wearing a swimsuit.
......Later on, when I learned what 'Papa' meant, I asked Mama to show me that picture again, but she said it didn't exist.
But it did exist. When I drew a picture of it and showed it to Mama, she got really mad and said it didn't exist, or that, if it did, she had already thrown it away.
Ever since then,
......she kept saying that I didn't have a Papa.
"......Did you know? People say you need a Papa and a Mama to have a baby, but that's a lie."
"Virgin birth, is it..."
"'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel'.
......If I was a boy, that might have been my name."
"Book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 20."
"No, verse 23. Verse 20 is 'But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'."
"......So you think your father is the Holy Ghost."
"Everyone said that everyone has a Papa. They said it was strange to not have a Papa, that I was a weird, pitiful child. But when I asked Mama, she said I didn't have a Papa, that he didn't exist. She got mad and hit me even though all I did was ask. So......I didn't really understand who gave birth to me. ......I was...not right as a human, an immature and irregular creature. I realized I was a strange, pitiful girl, different from everyone else."
"It doesn't matter who your parents are or what other people say. You are who you are."
"It must have been hard to teach that to a young, immature girl. My kindergarten teacher might have said that to me when I cried after being bullied.
`......But even those words of encouragement couldn't fill the blank space...
no, the questions. Those words couldn't answer the questions in my mind."
"And the Book is what gave you the answers?"
"A priest came to see me."
It was probably part of some teachings to enrich the minds of children through an edifying tale.
To most of the children, it was no different from an ordinary fairy tale they might have heard from one of their teachers. ......Or maybe it was just a bit too boring for us.
Then, at the end, the priest said something important.
"That God knows everything?"
"Yep. So I asked him. .....I only have a Mama. I...don't have a Papa. Mama gave birth to me without a Papa. Was that a strange, sad thing? ...I asked."
The priest taught me.
He said there was nothing strange about a child having no Papa.
After all, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
And the one who gave birth to him...
was the Virgin...Maria...?
I was surprised!
Maria, the name I was given, was the answer all along.
"I was so surprised, I asked the priest to say it again. ......He said that the Virgin Maria gave birth to a baby by herself!
So, I asked him if that meant I'd give birth to a baby all by myself too."
"He said the Virgin Maria was with child because of the Holy Ghost. The second part of the Book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 20. 'For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'.
......That surprised me again! What do you think that means?!"
"......You interpreted this to mean that Ushiromiya Maria had no human father. ......That your real father was the Holy Ghost."
Regardless of what the Bible actually meant, ......the young, sad girl, who had lost her sense of identity because of her lack of a father, had finally created a way to understand herself.
"Once I realized that, I knew why I was different from all the other kids! The ones who made fun of me were all children of Joseph.
But I alone was different! I wasn't worse than everyone else...! I was a child of God, a child of the Holy Ghost!! When I got back, I told Mama. I had no Papa. Mama gave birth to me thanks to the power of God."
It was probably painful for Rosa when Maria asked about her father.
Why did Maria have no Papa, when everyone else had a Papa and a Mama?
Every time she was asked this, Rosa flew into a rage and changed the subject.
......Then, for some reason, Maria had thought up her own answer.
She had no Papa. She was the child of Mama and God.
It isn't too difficult to imagine that Rosa, after hearing this young girl's explanation, might go along with it as though it were true......
"Beato said that the minimum number of people needed to create a world was two. I thought she meant that you need two parents to create a child.
......That's when I thought of it. Beato may be a witch, but she's a witch born of a human. Beato isn't a child of the Holy Ghost."
"But I'm different. I was born from Mama alone. I was born of the Holy Ghost! ......Beato can't create a universe without me. But I 'have God by my side'. I can make a universe all by myself, along with the Holy Ghost!"
"Beato called me the Witch of Origins. And she also said that eventually, I might become a Creator, who could create anything alone. All by myself, I can create something out of nothing! Beato can take that and make it expand infinitely! Ange was the witches' apostle, who would spread the word far and wide!"
"And that was Mariage Sorciere."
"There's a huge difference between one and infinity. That's why Beato is so great. However, compared to the difference between existence and non-existence, one and infinite are nearly the same thing.
I am the child destined to become the best witch...no... The greatest Creator in the world...!"
"Mariage Sorciere was the nest to prepare me for that! I am Ushiromiya Maria!! Maria, who stands by God's side!!"
......If we liken Maria's sense of identity to a universe, ......then this endless stream of words coming from her might be like the Big Bang.
She spent so long tormented over how to interpret her lack of a father. ......Then, by chance, she saw a line in the Bible that looked like it secretly referred to her, and she finally formed an understanding for herself.
The sad girl, who had hated herself for being different from all of her classmates, finally found a meaning for her existence.
At that moment, Maria's universe, which had once been nothingness, was born as a clump of ultra-hot, ultra-high pressured energy.
......Then, later on, she went to Rokkenjima, met the Endless Witch who called herself Beatrice, ......and the clump of energy exploded in a Big Bang, giving birth to their magical compendium.
......That was the universe known as Mariage Sorciere.
"..................We're jumping about a bit too fast. Let's take things one at a time."
"Sure. Where do you want to start?"
"After you decided that you were the child of the Holy Ghost, it's easy to imagine that you gradually became more and more interested in the occult.
.........And then what? Once you reached that state, where did you meet Beatrice, and how did the two of you interact?"
"It really did happen all of a sudden, one day. ......I had wanted to meet the witch called Beatrice, who lived on Rokkenjima. I wanted to meet her as a fellow witch."
"At that time, you already thought that you were a witch?"
"I did. I already knew more about the Bible and the occult than most adults. So, even though I couldn't use magic, I believed that I was a witch.
......Kihihi, it's a bit funny, isn't it? That's why I was only a witch apprentice."
"When did you meet Beatrice?"
"I don't really remember when.
But I do remember what it was like. It was really, really sudden."
".........Huh?"
"So, you are......Ushiromiya Maria, I presume?"
It was so very sudden.
I had just been drinking some milk tea, all alone in the rose garden arbor. Mama said that she had to talk about something important with Krauss oji-san, ......so she told me to go outside and play.
Suddenly, ......she was sitting right there.
I didn't know anyone who spoke that way.
I quickly realized that she was someone I didn't know at all......
"......Who...are you?"
"You were the one who first said that you wished to see me. Here I am, welcoming the witch who came to visit my island, and yet you ask my name? *cackle*cackle*."
".........
B...
...Beatrice...
...?"
"Precisely. I am Beatrice."
"Yeah, that is pretty sudden."
"Yep. Really, really sudden. ......Witches and spirits always exist right beside us. They just choose not to show themselves. And, when they do show themselves, ......it's always sudden, as though they've been there the whole time. ......That's what I learned that day."
"And then, you and Beatrice became friends?"
"Yeah. She stayed and chatted with me the whole time, until Mama was done with her business. We talked about magic...and witches. And about how I was a child of the Holy Ghost."
"......And what was your impression of Beatrice then?"
"I don't like saying it, but I knew more than she did back then. At first, I thought she wasn't a very good witch.
......Well, that was just my conceit. There are many different kinds of magical compendiums. Also, mine was based on self-study. I probably only viewed Beato that way because her magical compendium was different from mine. It wasn't long before I came to regret that and apologized."
"Apologized? ......Did Beatrice do something to win your respect?
.........I see. So, she showed you magic."
We moved to the beach and talked lots, sitting at a table under an umbrella.
"Very interesting. ......Maria. I see you have been quite diligent in your studies. At your age, to be capable of teaching a thousand year old witch such as myself is truly an accomplishment worthy of admiration.
......And what sort of magic can you use?"
"......Magic?"
"If you call yourself a witch, you must be able to show me some sort of magic, correct?"
I was stunned for a second.
Of course, it should have been obvious.
I was a child of the Holy Ghost, and since I'd studied so much of the occult, I was also a witch, not a human. Until that day, I had been so sure of both of those things.
So, when I was asked what sort of magic I could use, it left me in a daze...
"When one knows of magic and can speak of it, they finally reach the rank of apprentice. ......One is only a witch if they can put such knowledge into practice and use magic, correct?"
"......So, ......I'm not a witch yet......?"
"You have studied well. And, I can sense a very rare talent within you. One day, you may become a witch so great that even I could not compare, ......or perhaps even a Creator as you have told me.
However, you are still young and immature. ......You are...yes. You are an apprentice. A witch apprentice, you might call it."
"So, does that mean you can use magic, Beato?"
"Of course. I could not call myself a witch otherwise."
"Incredible...... ......Show me! I wanna see your magic!!"
Until this day, Maria had never doubted the magic-related concept that she was the child of the Holy Ghost.
`......However, no one had ever proven to her that occult phenomena actually existed.
Maria could create a universe all by herself. ......However, she wanted to share it with a second person, so that she could believe in it even more strongly.
"In the past, I could have drawn a rainbow in the sky, transformed it into seven colors of candy, and eaten them at my leisure. However, my power has weakened so much that I cannot even preserve my form as well as I would like."
"You told me about that. You can't use your full power because of the shrine."
"It will take quite some time before my power returns. At this moment, I cannot turn rainbows to candy.
......However, perhaps I can show you a bit of that power with some simpler magic."
"I wanna see...! I wanna see your magic...!!"
"Very well. However, I must ask you for your assistance.
As I have already told you, no matter how pure your soul might be, all humans are tainted and filled with the toxin that resists magic."
"Yeah, I remember. You told me about the anti-magic toxin. It wasn't in any of the books I've read. You must really be incredible to know so much."
Beatrice lifted up an empty teacup, then turned it around in front of Maria to show that there weren't any tricks or strings.
"Right, the magic to make candy appear inside an overturned cup."
"How did you know?! You're incredible, Will! You even know about witch magic!"
"......Well, that's because...that was really basic witch magic."
"It was just a normal cup, without any tricks in it. I wanted to see. I wanted to see true magic."
Maria had wanted something.
Because she wanted to believe that there was an occult side to her, she wanted to see the occult existing for others as well.
That's why she agreed to help Beatrice with her magic.
She didn't want her own toxin to ruin her chance of knowing the miracles of magic.
"Good. ......Then try looking inside that cup."
".........Ah. ......There's candy.
......There's candy...!!"
"As a gift to mark my meeting with a new witch, and as a sign of our friendship, I offer this to you."
This...was a true miracle of magic.
For the first time, I felt shame and embarrassment at my conceit.
I could feel that sense of omnipotence disappear, the idea that I was the child of the Holy Ghost and the most important and special person in the world.
......Instead of a child of the Holy Ghost who can't do anything, I'd rather be a witch who can use magic...!
Ushiromiya Maria wants to become a witch...!!
Starting off as a witch apprentice!!
I was already fascinated by Beato.
"I want to become a real witch too! I want to be your disciple!!"
`"How modest. You already have an abundance of talent and diligence.
`Also, though it may have been different when I was at my full power, I cannot take on a disciple in my current state."
"......So I can't become a witch's disciple......?"
"Correct. You cannot become my disciple.
......However, you can become my friend."
"Yes. From this point forth, we shall be friends. Let us continue to talk of the deep and profound world of witches."
"Uu-!!! Thank you, Beato!! Can I eat this candy?!"
"No, let that be a souvenir. Instead of eating it, keep it in that lovely bag of yours."
"Right. I'll eat it at home...!! Uu-, uu-uu-uu-uu-!!"
"Maria. That candy was brought into being by magic. Therefore, it is fragile. If you deny my existence with that toxin of yours, it will melt and fade away."
"Uu-...... No. I don't want Beato's precious magic to disappear."
"Then be sure that you do not forget your meeting with me.
......As long as you keep my little promise, I will greet you the next time you come to this island."
"Uu-! I'll keep it. What's the promise?!"
"Well, to start... When you get home, wash your hands. Then, rinse out your mouth. You must not complain about this, for it is an important part of a witch apprentice's training."
"I'll do it! Every day, when I come home, I'll wash my hands! I'll rinse out my mouth! If I do that, will I see you again?!"
"I promise it. If you keep your end of the promise, your body will be cleansed, and I will regain even more of my magical power. ......If that happens, then I will show you magic that is even more incredible the next time you come."
"Uu-! I'll keep my promise! No matter what!! I'll do it! I'll become your friend and a witch apprentice!"
"Your resolve is heartening, Ushiromiya Maria. I hope that you will quickly grow to become a full witch and my close friend."
"I think that was the first time I met Beatrice."
"And was that candy still there when you got home...?"
"Yep. ......But I doubted a little, so it was half-melted. I regretted almost doubting her.
If I had doubted her more, maybe the candy would've disappeared. I almost lost the proof of the magical miracle that had happened before my eyes."
"The candy melted?"
"Yeah, that caramel started melting. It was all lumpy."
"About what time of the year did this happen?"
"I'm not too sure. But I remember that the milk tea had ice in it. ......Why does that matter?"
"Never mind.
......Did you tell Rosa about your meeting with Beatrice?"
"Yep. I told everyone about it at dinner that day.
Krauss oji-san laughed at me.
Then, Mama, who was sitting next to me, got mad and told me to stop talking about it. ...Uu-."
"Next to you...? By your family's ranking system, your seat shouldn't be next to Rosa's."
"It wasn't a family conference. It was when just Mama and I came to visit. So, there was only Krauss oji-san's family, Mama, and me. There were fewer people, so we didn't sit in the same spots as a family conference."
"..................And Rosa was sitting in the seat next to you?"
"Yeah. ......Why does that matter?"
".........It doesn't. ......Have you ever met with Beatrice outside Rokkenjima?"
"No. After all, Beato's body is fragile, so she can't go wherever she wants. `
I told her she could just possess me if she wanted, but she said that she couldn't leave the island."
"And after that, you met her every time you came to Rokkenjima."
"Yeah. We became really good friends. The more I talked to Beato, the more I realized what an amazing witch she was. She showed me wonderful magic every time I saw her. Then, she told me about a magical compendium that was different from mine, and we both talked together about the mysteries of magic.
I wanted to reach her level as soon as I could. I wanted to become the kind of witch Beato was."
"Did you ever introduce Beatrice to your mother?"
"Nope. She said Mama's toxin was too strong, so they couldn't meet each other yet. ......Almost all adults are no good when it comes to the toxin. They're all tainted. Kihihihihi."
"Was anyone other than you able to see Beatrice?"
"They couldn't at first. She said her magical power was weak, so her body would crumble if even a little bit of the toxin reached her.
......But she gathered magical power bit by bit, and she could eventually appear in front of other people who had small amounts of toxin."
"Hmmmmmmm...... ......There weren't many of them. Just a few of the servants."
"All of the servants here today.
`......Uu-? But not Gohda-san, I think."
`"So, there were four of them: Genji, Shannon, Kanon, and Kumasawa."
"And Doctor Nanjo too."
Apparently, they would sometimes come to visit Maria and Beatrice's witch tea parties.
Of course, it had only been for small things, like bringing them extra tea.
However, they were certainly aware of Beatrice, and even talked with her.
"......How did the servants react to Beatrice? She was a guest who shouldn't have existed. Weren't they surprised?"
"No, they weren't. After all, Beatrice is the other master of the mansion."
She said that the servants treated Beatrice as an honored guest.
And, sometimes, they were permitted to witness the new miracle of magic along with Maria.
"So, on the Rokkenjima of 1986, the ones who could actually meet with Beatrice were you, Nanjo, and the four servants excluding Gohda, for a total of six?"
"Yeah. Beato said that she'd need to store up much more magical power before she could appear in front of anyone else."
"So, she intended to show herself in front of more people sometime in the future?"
"Yep. She said that the day she made all of the humans acknowledge her would be the day of her resurrection."
".................."
Maria, the servants, and Nanjo had acknowledged her.
She had probably appeared before new humans, starting with the ones whose anti-magic toxin was weakest.
Beatrice's game was to increase the number of humans who could recognize her, until she could make everyone on the island acknowledge her. Of that, there can be no doubt...
In that case, the last person for Beatrice to appear in front of...would be Battler, the one said to have the strongest anti-magical power.
......Does this mean Beatrice thought that Battler would be the hardest one to convince......?
It seems true that Battler was one of Beatrice's goals.
......However, if we go with Battler's chessboard thinking...
`We might say that Beatrice, who wanted others to acknowledge her existence, was a character who could not exist unless she was acknowledged.
Battler reached this thought himself back in the first game.
Yes, there is something different about the Beatrice of 1986.
She's different from the Italian Beatrice or the Kuwadorian Beatrice, both of whom certainly did exist.
The Beatrice of 1986, the one whom we are so familiar with in a mysterious way, yet who has no existence.
What does it mean to 'kill' the Beatrice who has no existence?
......The minimum number of people required to create a universe is two.
However, Maria had said that even a single person could give birth to a universe.
And yet, Maria had desired a second person. A second person to nurture the world she had given birth to alone.
Because if it was born and not nurtured, it would die and disappear?
......Let's replace the word 'universe' with 'Beatrice'.
The minimum number of people required to create Beatrice is two.
However, even a single person could give birth to her.
And yet, that single person desired a second person. A second person to acknowledge the Beatrice created by the first person.
That meeting with a second person is the scene that Maria has just described.
The single person who created Beatrice had looked for a second person to acknowledge Beatrice...and selected Maria.
We don't need Furudo Erika's heartless reasoning to know that the tea cup magic was a sleight of hand.
Maria, believing in the story about the anti-magic toxin, would close her eyes whenever magic happened.
Any sleight of hand would be possible while she had her eyes closed.
......The caramel Maria had been given as proof of her meeting with a witch had melted a little because Maria had doubted.
In a season where one was likely to put ice in their tea, it was only natural for a caramel left in a bag to melt.
Ushiromiya Maria, the girl who's too trusting and will accept a story easily.
Beatrice appeared first in front of this girl, who had, in the language of witches, very little of the anti-magic toxin......
If we liken the creation of Beatrice to the laying of an egg, then when a single person creates her, it is no more than a delusion. Like a chick inside the egg.
If, and only if, a second person acknowledges her, the shell cracks, and she appears.
She only appears when a second person comes to warm the egg.
When Maria acknowledged Beatrice, she finally hatched, and the chick was born.
In that case, Mariage Sorciere, which nurtured Beatrice and her magical compendium, was like a nest.
Beatrice is the one with the dignified presence, who calls herself the witch of Rokkenjima and who claims to have lived a thousand years.
......This sounds less like the chick Beato, and more like Beatrice the Elder, who appeared in the previous game.
So, does this mean that the meeting Maria has just spoken of marks the birth of Beatrice the Elder...?
The egg itself had already been created by 'the first person'.
Then, until the meeting with Maria, it matured fully inside its shell, becoming the 'character' with the dignified presence of a thousand years.
Then, when Maria acknowledged it, it hatched,
......and the witch of Rokkenjima finally gained a form.
Perhaps, ......that moment marks the birth of the Beatrice of 1986.
......The younger, chick Beatrice was born out of love for Battler.
Since that birth has not yet occurred at this point in time, then the birth of Beatrice the Elder and the existence of Beatrice at this time must have nothing to do with Battler.
............
Are you enjoying this reasoning, Bernkastel......?
If you are, let's at least have some applause from the spectators.
......Great, thanks a bunch.
"I had a lot of things I wanted to ask Beato to grant for me with magic. So, I helped Beato with her resurrection."
"......What kinds of things?"
"Lots and lots. Kihihihihihi. Not telling."
"So, you wanted to protect your Mama from the black witch."
"How did you know that?
You're incredible. Uu-!"
"......And you were already sure that your happy world would never return without a witch's help?"
"Yep. I love Mama. She's so nice. I want to be with her forever. For all eternity."
"..................Now I'd like to hear about Mariage Sorciere."
"............"
"............What's wrong?"
"Don't wanna."
"......Huh?"
"I'm thirsty, so I'm gonna go get something to drink. See you later."
Maria became suddenly formal, bowed her head, and left without waiting for a reply.
......It was a very un-Maria-like thing to do.
"............"
I see. So, the Game Master has moved the piece.
......Apparently, she's telling me to ask about something different.
At some point, Lion had started chatting with the other family members.
Jessica seemed to be getting irritated at having her butt pinched so much, and George was trying to calm her down.
......Jessica and George. Guess I'll hear their stories next.
Compared to Maria, the anti-magic toxin is very strong in these two.
At least at the beginning of the other games, they didn't acknowledge Beatrice.
Maria showed me the point of view of one who believes.
Now to hear from those who don't.
"We haven't learned anything. 'Who killed Beatrice?' Unless we figure that out, we'll never be able to get out of here."
"......You're right. We need to finish this quickly. The funeral is already over, after all."
"............ You've got it all wrong. ......This is the funeral."
"You mean, what she's making us do...?"
"All of the Beatrices we've heard about so far weren't killed at all. ......We're trying to understand where the 'killed' factors in. That's the real funeral, as far as Bernkastel's concerned."
".........No one knows about the 'killed' factor. And that's the truth we're trying to expose?"
"Hmm, ......you are perceptive. It hardly feels like I'm talking to a piece from the lower plane. So, this is why I was given you as my Watson.
.........Ouch!"
"Don't call your partner a piece. ......So, what next, Willard Holmes?"
"Questioning witnesses forms the basis of an investigation. There's still a Beatrice we need to ask about."
To indicate who they should talk to next, Will nodded in the direction of George, Jessica, and Maria.
"Wow. Beatrice sounds pretty incredible."
"Yeah! And then, inside the upside-down cup, she made tons of candies appear out of nowhere!"
"Inside the overturned cup? Incredible. Sounds like magic to me."
"......Maria-chan really does love witches and magic."
"Can't avoid asking the authority on witches, can we?"
If looking for someone to ask about Beatrice, Maria rose to the top of the list.
The Beatrice she spoke of wasn't the real Beatrice, whom Kinzo and the others had talked about.
However, here and now, on the Rokkenjima of 1986, the name Beatrice probably refers to the person Maria's always talking about.
"......I don't see Battler anywhere."
Ushiromiya Battler. ......The one who was made to fight as Beatrice's opponent in many games, and the most important person in this game...this tale.
A Battler in this world would probably be the piece version, but even so, it should be possible to get some vital information out of him.
......Will probably wanted to talk with Battler too, but he was nowhere to be seen in the cousins' group.
"Battler-kun did not attend this funeral. It's a shame, seeing as he's the cousin closest in age to me."
"Are you two on good terms?"
"Yes, of course."
"......And you pinch his butt every time he says something perverted."
"Oh, how did you know? Did your detective instincts tell you that?"
"Poor guy."
......Bernkastel said that everything was gathered here.
Since Battler isn't here, that probably means it's possible to find out everything without asking for his side of the story.
Or, maybe she's intentionally hiding the core elements and making us take the long way around, as part of some fickle witch's game.
"Since he isn't here, ......that probably means there's no need to hear his story for the time being. ......Let's talk to Maria and the others. `
......I won't say anything perverted, so keep your hands off my ass."
"Then why not try choosing your words a bit more carefully?"
With a roguish smile, Lion pinched the air, index finger against middle.
"Ah, it's our Successor-sama. Are you done babysitting the old geezer? ......Gyaah!"
At least Lion is impartial. No mercy, even for Jessica. Will felt a bit gratified.
"......I see. Since the successor is Krauss's child, ......then Jessica is your little sister."
He was so used to Jessica being an only child that, though the scuffle between the two looked perfectly natural, something didn't feel quite right about it.
"Jessica. Can't you talk a bit more like a little sister's supposed to? And while we're at it, why not try talking more like a girl your age. How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Successor-sama?"
"Sh, shut up! I'll live the way I want to! I'd suffocate if I had to act all refined like you, Successor-sama...!
Eeeh?!
Ouch!
Owowowowow!!
Stop it, don't pinch me!
This is abuse...
pervert...
stop it...
owow!"
"Jessica! Why are you talking like that in front of a guest...! Do you want Mother to scold you again?!"
"......Looks like those two are close, in their own special way."
`"Well, Lion has pretty much everything needed to be the next head, and hardly any faults.
......I guess I understand how Jessica-chan feels. Lion might be a bit too perfect sometimes."
"She gets compared to Lion no matter what she does. And that made her rebel?"
"If Jessica-chan had been born an only child, I'm sure she'd have become a composed, quiet young lady.
......Ahaha, that's an interesting thought."
"Don't worry. That wouldn't be enough to change her personality."
"George onii-chan,
`......who is this person?"
"This is the first time I've met you, correct? But it sounds as though you know a lot about our family. I'm George, and this here is Maria. Pleased to meet you."
"Call me Will. I'm investigating Beatrice. I want you to tell me what you know."
"Beatrice?! Uu-!! You know what?! Beatrice exists! Uu-uu-uu-!!"
Though Maria had looked hostile towards this unfamiliar man, as soon as she heard the name of the witch she loved pass his lips, her eyes began to sparkle.
"Hey, Maria-chan. You've got to greet our guest properly."
"Hello! My name is Ushiromiya Maria, uu-! I'm glad to meet someone who knows Beatrice. Handshake, uu-!"
Maria suddenly stuck out her small hand, and Will reached out for it reflexively.
As soon as he did, ......he felt a bright light seeping out from the gap between their hands.
The theatergoing power that Bernkastel had given him had affected Maria.
"Beatrice is the witch of Rokkenjima...!
She plays with me every time I come to Rokkenjima!
She's my best friend, and a fellow member of Mariage Sorciere! Uu-!!"
The light grew brighter and brighter......
This time, he could feel himself being drawn into Maria's world...
I'm Ushiromiya Maria
My Mama is Rosa. My Papa... I don't have a Papa.
I think I remember Mama showing me a picture long ago and saying 'this is your Papa'.
It was a picture of a man with a dark suntan, on a beach wearing a swimsuit.
......Later on, when I learned what 'Papa' meant, I asked Mama to show me that picture again, but she said it didn't exist.
But it did exist. When I drew a picture of it and showed it to Mama, she got really mad and said it didn't exist, or that, if it did, she had already thrown it away.
Ever since then,
......she kept saying that I didn't have a Papa.
"......Did you know? People say you need a Papa and a Mama to have a baby, but that's a lie."
"Virgin birth, is it..."
"'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel'.
......If I was a boy, that might have been my name."
"Book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 20."
"No, verse 23. Verse 20 is 'But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'."
"......So you think your father is the Holy Ghost."
"Everyone said that everyone has a Papa. They said it was strange to not have a Papa, that I was a weird, pitiful child. But when I asked Mama, she said I didn't have a Papa, that he didn't exist. She got mad and hit me even though all I did was ask. So......I didn't really understand who gave birth to me. ......I was...not right as a human, an immature and irregular creature. I realized I was a strange, pitiful girl, different from everyone else."
"It doesn't matter who your parents are or what other people say. You are who you are."
"It must have been hard to teach that to a young, immature girl. My kindergarten teacher might have said that to me when I cried after being bullied.
`......But even those words of encouragement couldn't fill the blank space...
no, the questions. Those words couldn't answer the questions in my mind."
"And the Book is what gave you the answers?"
"A priest came to see me."
It was probably part of some teachings to enrich the minds of children through an edifying tale.
To most of the children, it was no different from an ordinary fairy tale they might have heard from one of their teachers. ......Or maybe it was just a bit too boring for us.
Then, at the end, the priest said something important.
"That God knows everything?"
"Yep. So I asked him. .....I only have a Mama. I...don't have a Papa. Mama gave birth to me without a Papa. Was that a strange, sad thing? ...I asked."
The priest taught me.
He said there was nothing strange about a child having no Papa.
After all, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
And the one who gave birth to him...
was the Virgin...Maria...?
I was surprised!
Maria, the name I was given, was the answer all along.
"I was so surprised, I asked the priest to say it again. ......He said that the Virgin Maria gave birth to a baby by herself!
So, I asked him if that meant I'd give birth to a baby all by myself too."
"He said the Virgin Maria was with child because of the Holy Ghost. The second part of the Book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 20. 'For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'.
......That surprised me again! What do you think that means?!"
"......You interpreted this to mean that Ushiromiya Maria had no human father. ......That your real father was the Holy Ghost."
Regardless of what the Bible actually meant, ......the young, sad girl, who had lost her sense of identity because of her lack of a father, had finally created a way to understand herself.
"Once I realized that, I knew why I was different from all the other kids! The ones who made fun of me were all children of Joseph.
But I alone was different! I wasn't worse than everyone else...! I was a child of God, a child of the Holy Ghost!! When I got back, I told Mama. I had no Papa. Mama gave birth to me thanks to the power of God."
It was probably painful for Rosa when Maria asked about her father.
Why did Maria have no Papa, when everyone else had a Papa and a Mama?
Every time she was asked this, Rosa flew into a rage and changed the subject.
......Then, for some reason, Maria had thought up her own answer.
She had no Papa. She was the child of Mama and God.
It isn't too difficult to imagine that Rosa, after hearing this young girl's explanation, might go along with it as though it were true......
"Beato said that the minimum number of people needed to create a world was two. I thought she meant that you need two parents to create a child.
......That's when I thought of it. Beato may be a witch, but she's a witch born of a human. Beato isn't a child of the Holy Ghost."
"But I'm different. I was born from Mama alone. I was born of the Holy Ghost! ......Beato can't create a universe without me. But I 'have God by my side'. I can make a universe all by myself, along with the Holy Ghost!"
"Beato called me the Witch of Origins. And she also said that eventually, I might become a Creator, who could create anything alone. All by myself, I can create something out of nothing! Beato can take that and make it expand infinitely! Ange was the witches' apostle, who would spread the word far and wide!"
"And that was Mariage Sorciere."
"There's a huge difference between one and infinity. That's why Beato is so great. However, compared to the difference between existence and non-existence, one and infinite are nearly the same thing.
I am the child destined to become the best witch...no... The greatest Creator in the world...!"
"Mariage Sorciere was the nest to prepare me for that! I am Ushiromiya Maria!! Maria, who stands by God's side!!"
......If we liken Maria's sense of identity to a universe, ......then this endless stream of words coming from her might be like the Big Bang.
She spent so long tormented over how to interpret her lack of a father. ......Then, by chance, she saw a line in the Bible that looked like it secretly referred to her, and she finally formed an understanding for herself.
The sad girl, who had hated herself for being different from all of her classmates, finally found a meaning for her existence.
At that moment, Maria's universe, which had once been nothingness, was born as a clump of ultra-hot, ultra-high pressured energy.
......Then, later on, she went to Rokkenjima, met the Endless Witch who called herself Beatrice, ......and the clump of energy exploded in a Big Bang, giving birth to their magical compendium.
......That was the universe known as Mariage Sorciere.
"..................We're jumping about a bit too fast. Let's take things one at a time."
"Sure. Where do you want to start?"
"After you decided that you were the child of the Holy Ghost, it's easy to imagine that you gradually became more and more interested in the occult.
.........And then what? Once you reached that state, where did you meet Beatrice, and how did the two of you interact?"
"It really did happen all of a sudden, one day. ......I had wanted to meet the witch called Beatrice, who lived on Rokkenjima. I wanted to meet her as a fellow witch."
"At that time, you already thought that you were a witch?"
"I did. I already knew more about the Bible and the occult than most adults. So, even though I couldn't use magic, I believed that I was a witch.
......Kihihi, it's a bit funny, isn't it? That's why I was only a witch apprentice."
"When did you meet Beatrice?"
"I don't really remember when.
But I do remember what it was like. It was really, really sudden."
".........Huh?"
"So, you are......Ushiromiya Maria, I presume?"
It was so very sudden.
I had just been drinking some milk tea, all alone in the rose garden arbor. Mama said that she had to talk about something important with Krauss oji-san, ......so she told me to go outside and play.
Suddenly, ......she was sitting right there.
I didn't know anyone who spoke that way.
I quickly realized that she was someone I didn't know at all......
"......Who...are you?"
"You were the one who first said that you wished to see me. Here I am, welcoming the witch who came to visit my island, and yet you ask my name? *cackle*cackle*."
".........
B...
...Beatrice...
...?"
"Precisely. I am Beatrice."
"Yeah, that is pretty sudden."
"Yep. Really, really sudden. ......Witches and spirits always exist right beside us. They just choose not to show themselves. And, when they do show themselves, ......it's always sudden, as though they've been there the whole time. ......That's what I learned that day."
"And then, you and Beatrice became friends?"
"Yeah. She stayed and chatted with me the whole time, until Mama was done with her business. We talked about magic...and witches. And about how I was a child of the Holy Ghost."
"......And what was your impression of Beatrice then?"
"I don't like saying it, but I knew more than she did back then. At first, I thought she wasn't a very good witch.
......Well, that was just my conceit. There are many different kinds of magical compendiums. Also, mine was based on self-study. I probably only viewed Beato that way because her magical compendium was different from mine. It wasn't long before I came to regret that and apologized."
"Apologized? ......Did Beatrice do something to win your respect?
.........I see. So, she showed you magic."
We moved to the beach and talked lots, sitting at a table under an umbrella.
"Very interesting. ......Maria. I see you have been quite diligent in your studies. At your age, to be capable of teaching a thousand year old witch such as myself is truly an accomplishment worthy of admiration.
......And what sort of magic can you use?"
"......Magic?"
"If you call yourself a witch, you must be able to show me some sort of magic, correct?"
I was stunned for a second.
Of course, it should have been obvious.
I was a child of the Holy Ghost, and since I'd studied so much of the occult, I was also a witch, not a human. Until that day, I had been so sure of both of those things.
So, when I was asked what sort of magic I could use, it left me in a daze...
"When one knows of magic and can speak of it, they finally reach the rank of apprentice. ......One is only a witch if they can put such knowledge into practice and use magic, correct?"
"......So, ......I'm not a witch yet......?"
"You have studied well. And, I can sense a very rare talent within you. One day, you may become a witch so great that even I could not compare, ......or perhaps even a Creator as you have told me.
However, you are still young and immature. ......You are...yes. You are an apprentice. A witch apprentice, you might call it."
"So, does that mean you can use magic, Beato?"
"Of course. I could not call myself a witch otherwise."
"Incredible...... ......Show me! I wanna see your magic!!"
Until this day, Maria had never doubted the magic-related concept that she was the child of the Holy Ghost.
`......However, no one had ever proven to her that occult phenomena actually existed.
Maria could create a universe all by herself. ......However, she wanted to share it with a second person, so that she could believe in it even more strongly.
"In the past, I could have drawn a rainbow in the sky, transformed it into seven colors of candy, and eaten them at my leisure. However, my power has weakened so much that I cannot even preserve my form as well as I would like."
"You told me about that. You can't use your full power because of the shrine."
"It will take quite some time before my power returns. At this moment, I cannot turn rainbows to candy.
......However, perhaps I can show you a bit of that power with some simpler magic."
"I wanna see...! I wanna see your magic...!!"
"Very well. However, I must ask you for your assistance.
As I have already told you, no matter how pure your soul might be, all humans are tainted and filled with the toxin that resists magic."
"Yeah, I remember. You told me about the anti-magic toxin. It wasn't in any of the books I've read. You must really be incredible to know so much."
Beatrice lifted up an empty teacup, then turned it around in front of Maria to show that there weren't any tricks or strings.
"Right, the magic to make candy appear inside an overturned cup."
"How did you know?! You're incredible, Will! You even know about witch magic!"
"......Well, that's because...that was really basic witch magic."
"It was just a normal cup, without any tricks in it. I wanted to see. I wanted to see true magic."
Maria had wanted something.
Because she wanted to believe that there was an occult side to her, she wanted to see the occult existing for others as well.
That's why she agreed to help Beatrice with her magic.
She didn't want her own toxin to ruin her chance of knowing the miracles of magic.
"Good. ......Then try looking inside that cup."
".........Ah. ......There's candy.
......There's candy...!!"
"As a gift to mark my meeting with a new witch, and as a sign of our friendship, I offer this to you."
This...was a true miracle of magic.
For the first time, I felt shame and embarrassment at my conceit.
I could feel that sense of omnipotence disappear, the idea that I was the child of the Holy Ghost and the most important and special person in the world.
......Instead of a child of the Holy Ghost who can't do anything, I'd rather be a witch who can use magic...!
Ushiromiya Maria wants to become a witch...!!
Starting off as a witch apprentice!!
I was already fascinated by Beato.
"I want to become a real witch too! I want to be your disciple!!"
`"How modest. You already have an abundance of talent and diligence.
`Also, though it may have been different when I was at my full power, I cannot take on a disciple in my current state."
"......So I can't become a witch's disciple......?"
"Correct. You cannot become my disciple.
......However, you can become my friend."
"Yes. From this point forth, we shall be friends. Let us continue to talk of the deep and profound world of witches."
"Uu-!!! Thank you, Beato!! Can I eat this candy?!"
"No, let that be a souvenir. Instead of eating it, keep it in that lovely bag of yours."
"Right. I'll eat it at home...!! Uu-, uu-uu-uu-uu-!!"
"Maria. That candy was brought into being by magic. Therefore, it is fragile. If you deny my existence with that toxin of yours, it will melt and fade away."
"Uu-...... No. I don't want Beato's precious magic to disappear."
"Then be sure that you do not forget your meeting with me.
......As long as you keep my little promise, I will greet you the next time you come to this island."
"Uu-! I'll keep it. What's the promise?!"
"Well, to start... When you get home, wash your hands. Then, rinse out your mouth. You must not complain about this, for it is an important part of a witch apprentice's training."
"I'll do it! Every day, when I come home, I'll wash my hands! I'll rinse out my mouth! If I do that, will I see you again?!"
"I promise it. If you keep your end of the promise, your body will be cleansed, and I will regain even more of my magical power. ......If that happens, then I will show you magic that is even more incredible the next time you come."
"Uu-! I'll keep my promise! No matter what!! I'll do it! I'll become your friend and a witch apprentice!"
"Your resolve is heartening, Ushiromiya Maria. I hope that you will quickly grow to become a full witch and my close friend."
"I think that was the first time I met Beatrice."
"And was that candy still there when you got home...?"
"Yep. ......But I doubted a little, so it was half-melted. I regretted almost doubting her.
If I had doubted her more, maybe the candy would've disappeared. I almost lost the proof of the magical miracle that had happened before my eyes."
"The candy melted?"
"Yeah, that caramel started melting. It was all lumpy."
"About what time of the year did this happen?"
"I'm not too sure. But I remember that the milk tea had ice in it. ......Why does that matter?"
"Never mind.
......Did you tell Rosa about your meeting with Beatrice?"
"Yep. I told everyone about it at dinner that day.
Krauss oji-san laughed at me.
Then, Mama, who was sitting next to me, got mad and told me to stop talking about it. ...Uu-."
"Next to you...? By your family's ranking system, your seat shouldn't be next to Rosa's."
"It wasn't a family conference. It was when just Mama and I came to visit. So, there was only Krauss oji-san's family, Mama, and me. There were fewer people, so we didn't sit in the same spots as a family conference."
"..................And Rosa was sitting in the seat next to you?"
"Yeah. ......Why does that matter?"
".........It doesn't. ......Have you ever met with Beatrice outside Rokkenjima?"
"No. After all, Beato's body is fragile, so she can't go wherever she wants. `
I told her she could just possess me if she wanted, but she said that she couldn't leave the island."
"And after that, you met her every time you came to Rokkenjima."
"Yeah. We became really good friends. The more I talked to Beato, the more I realized what an amazing witch she was. She showed me wonderful magic every time I saw her. Then, she told me about a magical compendium that was different from mine, and we both talked together about the mysteries of magic.
I wanted to reach her level as soon as I could. I wanted to become the kind of witch Beato was."
"Did you ever introduce Beatrice to your mother?"
"Nope. She said Mama's toxin was too strong, so they couldn't meet each other yet. ......Almost all adults are no good when it comes to the toxin. They're all tainted. Kihihihihi."
"Was anyone other than you able to see Beatrice?"
"They couldn't at first. She said her magical power was weak, so her body would crumble if even a little bit of the toxin reached her.
......But she gathered magical power bit by bit, and she could eventually appear in front of other people who had small amounts of toxin."
"Hmmmmmmm...... ......There weren't many of them. Just a few of the servants."
"All of the servants here today.
`......Uu-? But not Gohda-san, I think."
`"So, there were four of them: Genji, Shannon, Kanon, and Kumasawa."
"And Doctor Nanjo too."
Apparently, they would sometimes come to visit Maria and Beatrice's witch tea parties.
Of course, it had only been for small things, like bringing them extra tea.
However, they were certainly aware of Beatrice, and even talked with her.
"......How did the servants react to Beatrice? She was a guest who shouldn't have existed. Weren't they surprised?"
"No, they weren't. After all, Beatrice is the other master of the mansion."
She said that the servants treated Beatrice as an honored guest.
And, sometimes, they were permitted to witness the new miracle of magic along with Maria.
"So, on the Rokkenjima of 1986, the ones who could actually meet with Beatrice were you, Nanjo, and the four servants excluding Gohda, for a total of six?"
"Yeah. Beato said that she'd need to store up much more magical power before she could appear in front of anyone else."
"So, she intended to show herself in front of more people sometime in the future?"
"Yep. She said that the day she made all of the humans acknowledge her would be the day of her resurrection."
".................."
Maria, the servants, and Nanjo had acknowledged her.
She had probably appeared before new humans, starting with the ones whose anti-magic toxin was weakest.
Beatrice's game was to increase the number of humans who could recognize her, until she could make everyone on the island acknowledge her. Of that, there can be no doubt...
In that case, the last person for Beatrice to appear in front of...would be Battler, the one said to have the strongest anti-magical power.
......Does this mean Beatrice thought that Battler would be the hardest one to convince......?
It seems true that Battler was one of Beatrice's goals.
......However, if we go with Battler's chessboard thinking...
`We might say that Beatrice, who wanted others to acknowledge her existence, was a character who could not exist unless she was acknowledged.
Battler reached this thought himself back in the first game.
Yes, there is something different about the Beatrice of 1986.
She's different from the Italian Beatrice or the Kuwadorian Beatrice, both of whom certainly did exist.
The Beatrice of 1986, the one whom we are so familiar with in a mysterious way, yet who has no existence.
What does it mean to 'kill' the Beatrice who has no existence?
......The minimum number of people required to create a universe is two.
However, Maria had said that even a single person could give birth to a universe.
And yet, Maria had desired a second person. A second person to nurture the world she had given birth to alone.
Because if it was born and not nurtured, it would die and disappear?
......Let's replace the word 'universe' with 'Beatrice'.
The minimum number of people required to create Beatrice is two.
However, even a single person could give birth to her.
And yet, that single person desired a second person. A second person to acknowledge the Beatrice created by the first person.
That meeting with a second person is the scene that Maria has just described.
The single person who created Beatrice had looked for a second person to acknowledge Beatrice...and selected Maria.
We don't need Furudo Erika's heartless reasoning to know that the tea cup magic was a sleight of hand.
Maria, believing in the story about the anti-magic toxin, would close her eyes whenever magic happened.
Any sleight of hand would be possible while she had her eyes closed.
......The caramel Maria had been given as proof of her meeting with a witch had melted a little because Maria had doubted.
In a season where one was likely to put ice in their tea, it was only natural for a caramel left in a bag to melt.
Ushiromiya Maria, the girl who's too trusting and will accept a story easily.
Beatrice appeared first in front of this girl, who had, in the language of witches, very little of the anti-magic toxin......
If we liken the creation of Beatrice to the laying of an egg, then when a single person creates her, it is no more than a delusion. Like a chick inside the egg.
If, and only if, a second person acknowledges her, the shell cracks, and she appears.
She only appears when a second person comes to warm the egg.
When Maria acknowledged Beatrice, she finally hatched, and the chick was born.
In that case, Mariage Sorciere, which nurtured Beatrice and her magical compendium, was like a nest.
Beatrice is the one with the dignified presence, who calls herself the witch of Rokkenjima and who claims to have lived a thousand years.
......This sounds less like the chick Beato, and more like Beatrice the Elder, who appeared in the previous game.
So, does this mean that the meeting Maria has just spoken of marks the birth of Beatrice the Elder...?
The egg itself had already been created by 'the first person'.
Then, until the meeting with Maria, it matured fully inside its shell, becoming the 'character' with the dignified presence of a thousand years.
Then, when Maria acknowledged it, it hatched,
......and the witch of Rokkenjima finally gained a form.
Perhaps, ......that moment marks the birth of the Beatrice of 1986.
......The younger, chick Beatrice was born out of love for Battler.
Since that birth has not yet occurred at this point in time, then the birth of Beatrice the Elder and the existence of Beatrice at this time must have nothing to do with Battler.
............
Are you enjoying this reasoning, Bernkastel......?
If you are, let's at least have some applause from the spectators.
......Great, thanks a bunch.
"I had a lot of things I wanted to ask Beato to grant for me with magic. So, I helped Beato with her resurrection."
"......What kinds of things?"
"Lots and lots. Kihihihihihi. Not telling."
"So, you wanted to protect your Mama from the black witch."
"How did you know that?
You're incredible. Uu-!"
"......And you were already sure that your happy world would never return without a witch's help?"
"Yep. I love Mama. She's so nice. I want to be with her forever. For all eternity."
"..................Now I'd like to hear about Mariage Sorciere."
"............"
"............What's wrong?"
"Don't wanna."
"......Huh?"
"I'm thirsty, so I'm gonna go get something to drink. See you later."
Maria became suddenly formal, bowed her head, and left without waiting for a reply.
......It was a very un-Maria-like thing to do.
"............"
I see. So, the Game Master has moved the piece.
......Apparently, she's telling me to ask about something different.
At some point, Lion had started chatting with the other family members.
Jessica seemed to be getting irritated at having her butt pinched so much, and George was trying to calm her down.
......Jessica and George. Guess I'll hear their stories next.
Compared to Maria, the anti-magic toxin is very strong in these two.
At least at the beginning of the other games, they didn't acknowledge Beatrice.
Maria showed me the point of view of one who believes.
Now to hear from those who don't.