Release that Witch Chapter 1499 - Release That Witch: Side Story (Part 1)

1499 Release That Witch: Side Story (Part 1)

The facility was a hidden underground laboratory.

Spotless floors and gleaming equipment clearly showed it had just been constructed.

“Prime Minister, all your requested preparations are complete,” Chief Technical Officer Von Karman informed the woman positioned at the heart of the control room. “We've run a total of ten rehearsals up to now. The failure rate sits below one percent. The official experiment can commence anytime.”

Von Karman, a vital leader in the magic technology uprising, fully grasped the purpose of this lab. It amplified magical effects, with boosting power scaling by magic stone numbers. Yet he puzzled over its placement in this airtight underground spot, as construction expenses drew zero from public funds throughout.

In his view, the tech would easily clear parliament's scrutiny and shine openly before the world. Plus, safety-wise, an open wild expanse beat any buried site.

“So pressing this green button alone activates Alice?” The Prime Minister indicated the panel before her.

“Alice” served as the codename for this test plan.

“Correct.” Von Karman nodded. “Simplicity and ease were among your instructions too.”

“Excellent. Have your team depart now.”

The Chief Technical Officer froze in shock momentarily before recovering. “Prime Minister, Alice is quite dependable, yet should something unexpected occur… I mean if issues arise, I'd handle them better from here—”

She gazed at him impassively, showing no response.

Von Karman quickly realized negotiation was futile.

Having served under the Prime Minister for years, he knew her character intimately. Her resolve and iron will marked her as the steeliest individual he'd encountered.

Her choices weren't flawless every time, yet she shielded her team from fallout during errors. Such leadership won universal respect. That's exactly why the politically isolated New Quest Society embraced her private directive.

“Understood,” Von Karman acknowledged.

“One more thing: this test runs just once. Then the project shuts down,” she stated. “Keep Alice's existence confidential—speak of it to no one.”

By now, Von Karman pieced it together: barring builders from tests, underground construction, avoiding public funds… Secrecy drove it all. “Not even... to the President?”

“Trust me, Lady Agatha would prefer ignorance on this.”

The Chief Technical Officer gulped hard.

In essence, solely he and the Prime Minister held knowledge of the scheme.

What secret demanded such extreme confidentiality?

“No need to fret. Your efforts won't go unrecognized.” The Prime Minister appeared to sense his concerns. “Once Alice ends, I'll submit the tech to parliament. You'll lead its study as top priority afterward.”

Quickly, the team vacated the lab. As the massive door sealed shut, isolation from the outer realm felt absolute.

Yet moments later, a figure materialized amid the gloom.

Just a heartbeat prior, emptiness reigned there.

“Thank you, Edith.”

A uncommon smile lit Edith's features, evoking old memories. Few in all Grey Castle dared address her by name. “Actually, I owe you thanks, Lady Nightingale. Absent your aid, the New Quest Society couldn't have pursued their true aims so flawlessly.”

Years apart hadn't changed her; the other remained youthful, unchanged in appearance.

Witches' timelessness stirred Edith's deepest envy. Decades on, age had etched traces upon her own form.

“Even without approaching me, your talents would've secured your objective in time.”

“I'd hesitate to claim that,” Edith admitted openly. “Time erodes resolve, breeding extra hurdles and unknowns.”

Though vanished from sight long ago, Nightingale's public absence didn't erase her sway. Her tie to that legendary figure endured—despite Tilly Wimbledon's rule, Graycastle's King remained one singular soul.

Still, word of him had grown scarce over years.

Edith paused briefly, swallowing her intended salutation.

“Essentially, our pact is fulfilled on my end.”

“Curious about my plans for Alice?” Nightingale removed her hood, eyes sparkling faintly in the dimness.

“No. I wish to spend my old age in peace,” Edith rejected instantly. “And I know that you wouldn’t do anything to harm the world.”

“…Well, let’s get ready to activate Alice.” Nightingale said nothing further and moved directly from the control room into the circular hall ahead of them.

Put simply, the magical power she aimed to enhance stemmed from her own innate ability.

Edith knew this woman’s power intimately. She stood as an absolute legend. No barrier could halt her advance. In every way, she embodied the witches’ sharpest blade and sturdiest bulwark. What’s more, after decades of rigorous theory and experimentation, the true limits of her magic remained utterly mysterious.

Yet… no adversaries lurked here for her to unleash it upon.

That puzzle lingering in her thoughts, Edith hit the activation switch.

Instantly, sizzling bolts of lightning erupted across the hall. The enormous magical surge warped the laboratory itself!

In the very next instant, Nightingale vanished entirely!

…

The black-and-white realm rewound at breakneck speed, just like a film in reverse.

Nightingale traced the path at a velocity that dwarfed all her prior journeys.

Right now, she hunted not a gap in space, but a rift in time. Or put another way, space and time formed a single entity. They served as core elements shaping reality. Still, the latter hid far deeper, requiring vastly more power to reverse.

In the passing years, she’d absorbed vast knowledge from the Dream World. Beyond finishing her studies, she tapped Roland’s network to apprentice under a premier expert, mastering every project tied to her powers. No genius herself, her witch talent alone outpaced countless others. Even Roland marveled at her growth. It was like the girl once sprawled in his office, greedily munching dried fish, had vanished for good.

Nightingale kept this scheme secret from everyone.

Life had forced many choices upon her, but one alone gnawed endlessly at her heart.

She’d believed time would wipe it all clean, turning every wild urge and bitter sorrow into rain-soaked tears that faded away.

Yet that seed never truly withered.

It sprouted bolder still after he confided his true origins and the full tale of his transmigration.

As velocity spiked, the black-and-white threads compressed, nearly fusing into one. Abruptly, a sight beyond all precedent burst into view before Nightingale!

Nothing stretched before her eyes.

A single luminous speck supplanted the entirety.

It hurled myriad light beams outward in every direction. Beyond Nightingale, those beams twisted into lines, warping and solidifying. Should a third party witness this, they’d spot the speck extreme left, Nightingale centered, and the world’s warped-line silhouette trailing her. From that ultra-condensed outline, it grew clear: her distance to the speck shrank relentlessly, while all to her right hurtled away at frantic pace—

The moment was here!

Nightingale poured every shred of strength into a desperate leap toward the glow!

In a flash, a titanic gale roared over her. It yanked her into the whirlpool, stripping away all bodily control!

Theory had never predicted such chaos.

Escape was no longer an option!

Teeth clenched, she balled herself up to defy the storm’s savage rending pull.

…Until her endurance shattered and darkness reclaimed the world.