The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch-Chapter 101 - Ashford’s Surgery and Intentions (1/2)

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. He glanced left and right, confirmed she was calling him, then carefully bypassed the “Physicians” and walked towards Ciel.

“Your Excellency Judicator.” The man bowed his head deeply, greeting respectfully in a low voice.

“Watch this sealed artifact until Commissioner Lucy wakes up.” Ciel pointed to the gold coin on the ground and said.

Ciel had also considered asking the Deton Manor employees directly to watch it, but after thinking from the perspective of a “Gambler,” she abandoned the idea.

Who knew if some “Gambler” might impulsively decide to take a chance and snatch this sealed artifact while no one was looking?

She couldn’t command the Redemption Society’s “Physicians,” so she could only grab someone from the Church of the Savior Goddess for the task. After all, if you threw money at an “Ascetic,” they’d probably just give it away.

“Understood.” The man breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was just helping watch an item.

He had been racking his brain just now, wondering if he had done anything wrong, already planning how to cry foul later.

With someone helping her watch the sealed artifact on the ground, Ciel took two steps forward, maintaining a distance of about four meters, and observed Professor Ashford’s procedure.

She saw him pour a familiar bottle of fluorescent green potion into Lucy’s mouth. A faint minty scent drifted to Ciel’s nose.

One whiff told her it was Adele’s potion.

Stimulated by the potion, the previously semi-conscious Lucy slowly regained consciousness. She opened her eyes, saw Professor Ashford’s face, opened her mouth, but couldn’t utter a sound.

“Your condition is very serious, Your Excellency Silva.” Professor Ashford’s voice came from behind the silver raven mask. He looked at Lucy and continued, “Your brain has suffered irreversible damage... If I had arrived a few minutes later, you might have lost consciousness completely, consumed by the potion.”

“You know the abilities of a ‘Reborn’... If you want to live, look at me. If you don’t want treatment, close your eyes.”

The underground sanctuary was mostly cleared of people by now, leaving only the involved parties, a few assistant “Physicians,” and the “Ascetic” helping watch the sealed artifact. The sanctuary was very quiet.

Lucy didn’t speak, just stared intently at Professor Ashford, not blinking even when her eyes felt sore and dry.

“I understand.” Professor Ashford nodded and beckoned to an assistant beside him.

The assistant “Physician” opened a black leather square toolbox. Ciel noticed that the toolbox itself seemed to be made of transcendent material, though she didn’t know if it was a sealed artifact.

From Ciel’s angle, she couldn’t see what was inside the toolbox, but she could see the professor’s white-gloved hand reaching into the toolbox and grabbing something.

“Roar—!” A strange roar came from within the toolbox, followed by intense howling. The tearing sound was like someone scraping a blackboard from end to end with a carving knife, making Ciel’s scalp tingle slightly.

After recovering for a moment, Ciel realized the source of this buzzing howl seemed to be coming from within her own mind.

She held her breath, but looking at the faces of others, they seemed unaffected...

Was it fear?

From that box?

Professor Ashford’s hand slowly withdrew from the toolbox.

The originally pure white cotton glove was now stained with purplish-red unknown slime. What he held was a strange, marble-sized, yellowish-green eyeball with three purple pupils.

“Your Excellency Silva, your current condition is unsuitable for anesthetic potions. I have just given you a high-quality stimulant made by my student. It will keep you conscious but will amplify your senses... Please endure it.”

After speaking, Professor Ashford directly used two instruments to hold open Lucy’s eyelids. Two assistants reached out to help him hold the instruments steady.

Next, the professor picked up a sharp scalpel, aimed it at Lucy’s bloodshot eyeball, slowly lowered it, and precisely cut an incision from top to bottom.

Bloody aqueous humor and vitreous fluid flowed out from the opening in her eyeball. The professor, holding the glass-marble-sized eyeball, slowly inserted it through the wound.

The tendrils beneath the eyeball seemed to come alive, squirming into the slit.

“Mmph!!!!” It was unknown what kind of pain caused the veins on Lucy’s hands to bulge violently. Her hands gripped the white sheet she lay on so tightly that it was crushed by her own strength.

Professor Ashford’s speed was very fast, and he seemed quite professional.

He quickly took out various items from the toolbox: some skin with unknown spots, soft green brain worms with leg-like appendages and brain patterns, and various fragments of unknown monster corpses Ciel had never seen before. One by one, he stitched them onto Lucy’s face or directly stuffed them into the cracks in her skull.

This scene made even Ciel feel a bit dry-mouthed, subconsciously crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Wait? Do people of your path perform surgery like this?

“Reborn”... You basically just changed her species, didn’t you?

If one had to live with such a face... it could only be considered living, not to mention the potential side effects.

Only about ten minutes passed before the surgery concluded.

Lucy, lying on the ground, had completely lost consciousness. On her face, countless indescribable “objects” writhed wildly. Even her skin had lost its original color.

The surgery was performed on her head, yet the flesh beneath her black formal dress began to squirm, as if undergoing some kind of life transformation.

The other “Physicians” had already turned their heads away, unable to look directly. Even the “Ascetic” behind Ciel had turned around and begun slowly reciting prayers in his heart.

Professor Ashford, who had been kneeling, slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and turned to look towards Ciel.