Chapter 181: The Rotten Sword

After listening to Josuna for quite a while, Perletti finally gained a rough understanding of this world’s situation.

In this world, there had been no Qingcheng.

As a result, no one interfered with “her” path toward becoming a witch.

Here, Perletti became a witch while fleeing from enemies who discovered that her family’s bloodline had not been completely exterminated and continued hunting her down for revenge.

Most of her later choices were similar to the Perletti she knew.

She wandered through countless human cities and nations while hiding her identity.

The only difference was—

This version of her had a lot of money.

It perfectly matched the idea Perletti once had of hiding within human territory while carrying a massive fortune.

Caroline taking her away to the Tower happened much later than in her own memories.

As for everything afterward, Josuna no longer knew anything.

After all, she was human.

How could she possibly know what happened inside the Tower?

But there was definitely one person who did know.

Isabella.

Overall, the Perletti of this world had lived a far more miserable life than she herself had.

Although there was no beastfolk threat, she became a witch while being hunted down, and her enemies personally witnessed her transformation.

Caroline also arrived far later to support her.

There had been no Scarlet Night protecting her the entire way either.

She had to face the relentless pursuit of both the Harmonization Class and the knights completely alone.

On top of that, she possessed no proper identity documents.

Trying to ride a train or stay at an inn would immediately expose something suspicious about her.

And reapplying for identification at the police station…

Wouldn’t that just be walking directly into a trap?

“Alright, alright. You’re already this old, so why are you still crying so easily?”

Even though Perletti repeatedly reminded herself that everything here was fake, the moment she looked at Josuna—covered in wounds and crying miserably—the aching bitterness in her chest still refused to disappear.

And she could not help but wonder—

If this were truly the Josuna she knew…

What would she do?

“But… sister, the way you turned out… it’s all my fault…”

“You really are a complete idiot. A huge idiot.”

Perletti sighed.

Her tone carried a familiarity that had not appeared in a very long time.

“I thought you’d at least become a little smarter by now. But after all these years as a Saintess, you still haven’t improved at all.”

Hearing Perletti scold her like this, Josuna felt no resentment whatsoever.

Instead, a long-lost warmth and nostalgia rose within her heart.

How long had it been since Perletti last spoke to her this way?

She couldn’t remember anymore.

But she knew one thing clearly—

If Perletti was still willing to scold her, then there was still room to fix things.

“Do you want to hear the truth?”

Perletti’s expression suddenly became serious.

Josuna froze briefly before nodding.

“The reason I became a witch had nothing to do with whether you came to help me or not. No matter how hard you tried, I would still have become a witch.”

“N-No… that can’t be true, sister…”

“Let me finish.”

Josuna immediately pressed her lips shut.

Those tear-filled eyes stared fixedly at Perletti, as though terrified of missing even a single word.

“Do you know why the people who burned our parents alive were never brought to justice?”

Perletti’s voice lowered.

“Because they worked under a Viscount.”

“Father was investigating a case related to him at the time, so they burned him alive to silence him.”

“What…? Why have you never told me this before?”

“Because you were still too young back then.”

Fatigue unconsciously crept into Perletti’s voice.

“What truly turned me into a witch was never the fear of watching people die in front of me.”

“It was rage.”

“Rage toward a world where noble power ran rampant while ordinary people could barely even breathe freely.”

“Rage toward the fact that the law father believed in his entire life was ultimately nothing more than a weapon nobles used to restrain commoners, while the people who created those laws forever remained above them.”

As she spoke, her gaze vaguely swept toward Elberna in the corner.

No one understood what nobles were truly like better than Perletti herself.

After all—

She herself had once been the daughter of a Duke.

“This is the real reason I became a witch.”

“And it’s also the reason the Empire collapsed.”

“The Empire was ultimately destroyed by the commoners it once looked down upon.”

“A sword may be sharp, but the steel used to forge it still comes from dust, tempered by fire before it becomes a weapon.”

Perletti paused slightly.

“But a sword is still steel. And steel cannot escape decay.”

“A rusted sword can be reforged and perhaps shine brilliantly once more…”

“Or—”

“It can be melted down and forged into an entirely new blade.”

Using the sword as a metaphor for the nation itself, her calm voice sounded cold as ice.

The Empire may once have flourished like a peerless blade, unstoppable and brilliant.

But now—

It was nothing more than a piece of rusted scrap metal.

“Do you understand now?”

“A lot of things are nothing like they appear on the surface.”

“This country’s destruction was inevitable from the very beginning. Even without the Church of Gluttony, there would still have been other rebellions.”

“As long as oppression exists, the fire of resistance will never disappear.”

“I’m no exception either.”

“So stop blaming yourself. Being born in this country was never your fault.”

“Now that the Empire has already fallen, hurry and leave this place. Live properly as an ordinary civilian.”

Perletti looked directly into Josuna’s eyes.

“—If you still acknowledge me as your sister.”

“Of course! Sister will always be my sister!”

Hearing that answer, Perletti gave an almost imperceptible nod, quietly relaxing inside.

What she feared most was Josuna emotionally spiraling out of control and refusing to listen to reason.

Thankfully, this Josuna remained simple-minded enough to obey.

At that moment, however, the shadow beneath Perletti’s feet suddenly began to writhe.

A small white-haired girl with crimson eyes lightly leapt out from it, a sweet smile spread across her face.

“Big sister~ You really made Scarlet Night search so hard for you.”

Scarlet Night skillfully wrapped herself around Perletti’s arm, her petite body leaning affectionately against her as she rubbed her head against Perletti in a spoiled manner.

Then she lifted her eyes toward Josuna.

A faintly provocative smile curled at the corner of her lips—

A silent declaration of ownership.

Perletti allowed her to cling close.

To Perletti, this level of intimacy still fell within acceptable limits.

But in Josuna’s eyes, the scene was unbearably glaring.

“Alright. Since you specifically came looking for me, it must be something important, right?”

Perletti lightly pressed Scarlet Night’s shoulder.

“Don’t joke around at a time like this.”

“Hehe, Scarlet Night just wanted big sister to relax a little.”

Although she said that playfully, her expression gradually became more serious.

“It’s the catnip kitty.”

“A little catgirl’s ears were twitching nonstop after hearing what happened here. She said she has something she wants to discuss with big sister.”

“Catnip kitty?”

Perletti froze.

“Which catnip kitty?”

“Who else could it be~?”

Scarlet Night replied while secretly observing Perletti’s reaction.

“Of course it’s the beastfolk queen—the green-haired short-legged cat, Nasisa.”

At the same time, Scarlet Night could not shake the strange feeling that something about Perletti today was… off.

Her reactions were slower than usual.

Almost like she had lost her memory.

Yet Scarlet Night sensed nothing abnormal from her body.

So perhaps…

Big sister was simply too exhausted.

Earlier, Ino mentioned that Perletti had literally fallen asleep in the middle of the battlefield.

Seriously…

Even after reaching that point, she still kept forcing herself onward.

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