Chapter 9: The Experimental Witch

-[Amelia POV]-

My heart was pounding fast.

Although I've experienced this already, I'm still not used to it. I don't know if what I will see in this book is as terrifying as that man.

The book was named "The Experimental Witch." This name alone gives me an ominous feeling, but I will still try it to see what it's about.

"Let's see what's inside."

While flipping through the book, I suddenly became blinded by a white light.

"Ahhhh!"

That was all I could say.

I forgot that if Koala and the others hear that scream, they might come into my room and see me like that.

Though I don't know what happened to my body after I transferred to the book's realm, it will surely make them all worried.

All I can hope for is that they won't hear that scream.

Baam!

I was transferred to another place again. This time, I found myself inside a wooden house from what I could see.

There was a woman sitting on a chair, leaning on the backrest.

She seemed to be reading a book, a weird one at that, as I could see many red things on it.

"A guest?"

I could hear the woman in the chair. Her voice was a little cold and creepy.

"Umm... Hello."

I felt awkward as I didn't know how to face these powerful beings.

"Hahahahaha... Ahem... Sorry about that. Come, sit down."

What was that?

I'm starting to get scared of this woman.

I walked towards the chair opposite the woman, and there I saw her face.

The woman had stitches all over her face, and her left eye was missing. It was all scary, and that was all I could say.

"So, my master lent me to you? Am I right? Yes, I'm right."

The woman didn't even let me reply but just answered herself.

Are all the people inside the book by Mr. Azrael scary people? Maybe it's a bad decision to borrow again.

"Ahem... What's your name, little girl?"

"Amelia."

Even though I'm a little scared, I didn't show it.

"Hmm... How should I start this?"

"As you can see, my face is messed up, like I'm a dead person. I tried to fix it, but this is all I got."

"Are you scared of me?"

I don't know how to answer her question. Should I lie or tell her that she's so scary? I fear that she might kill me if I make her mad.

But I will still follow my instincts.

"Yes, I'm a little scared."

"Hoho, a nice girl. Very good."

Phew, I thought she would get mad over that.

"Now, let's start my story."

Story? I thought she would give me some kind of power, something like the Mask Man did.

"When I was a kid, I was friends with a noble from our kingdom. He was kind and handsome, so yeah, you can already tell that I started to develop a crush on him when I was young."

Noble, like the celestial dragon? Although there are some good nobles, it's hard to find them.

"We always played in the city. He told me that he snuck out of his house because his parents were really strict and would only tell him to study and learn. He wanted to have fun, so he always sneaked out."

"His father was a doctor, the doctor of our king. Many people had high expectations for him, as he always mentioned being tired. I could see and feel his exhaustion. It seemed like if he had the option to be a commoner, he would gladly accept it."

"One day, while we were playing in the capital, a big accident occurred. We were kidnapped by thugs in the valley we entered. They put the two of us to sleep."

"When I woke up, my hands were chained above me. Being a young girl, I had a hard time dealing with it. I didn't know where I was; it was all dark, and I felt like a prisoner behind bars."

"When I saw someone enter my cell, it was a noble guard. Two of them entered my cell, and I started to wonder why I was in a noble's prison. Weren't we kidnapped? I was right; we were kidnapped. But the guards told me that we were saved. No, they told me they only saved the boy. I was in that prison because they said I was part of the group that kidnapped the boy."

"They tortured and abused me, and did all sorts of terrible things. I had lost hope when suddenly I was transferred to another room. There were many medical equipment and supplies there. I saw the boy I liked entering with his father. He looked scared. I had hope that he was there to help me, but I was wrong. They were there to experiment on my body until I died."

"Yeah, that's how I got this ugly face of mine. Hahaha, don't worry. I got my revenge. After they had discarded me, a wizard gave me a new lease on life. Though my face and everything that happened to me didn't heal, the wizard's purpose was to make me his apprentice. You might be wondering why, out of all the people, he chose a dead woman seeking revenge. He's a necromancer, a well-known one at that. He needed a dead person with darkness within them, and that was me."

"He taught me a lot of necromancer magic, and later he died. No, he was already dead. It seems we had a similar situation."

"For 10 years, I collected a lot of dead humans, and later I came to the kingdom and attacked them. I focused on the mansion of my former friend and killed him, though I came out defeated. Attacking that kingdom and destroying it was nearly impossible for me alone."

"That's the end of my story."

Her story made me sad. I can't imagine what she had gone through.

Almost all of us in the revolutionary had difficult lives before we joined, but her life was even more challenging.

The nobles like to abuse slaves and torture them, but experimenting? This is the first time I'm hearing about that.

"Don't be sad about my story, child. I'm already dead, and this isn't even my body. It's just a copy of mine. The real body is already in a happy place."

I can see peace on her face, even with that scary appearance. It's like she didn't experience all that pain.

"Alright, we should start now... I told you about my story and the necromancer to help you understand. Yes, it's about controlling the dead. I'll pass my ability on to you. Use it however you want."

The woman stands up and walks towards me. She touches my forehead with her finger, and suddenly, knowledge about necromancy floods into my head.

I can't believe this!

This ability is overpowered! I just need to touch a dead person's body, and they will act as my servants, doing whatever I say.

No.

I shouldn't use it in that way. I shouldn't disrespect someone's dead body, except if it's someone who has committed many crimes, like a pirate.

This will surely boost our strength, but... How should I tell them that I have two abilities? They would think I ate two devil fruits or something. I don't want to do that as it would cause a lot of problems. It might even affect Mr. Azrael.

"Hmm, we're done here."

"Wait... What is your name?"

I almost forgot to ask this.

"Morwenna."

...

I was back in my room again.

The knowledge was still intact in my head.

"Amelia, are you okay?!"

Someone opened the rock door to my room. It was Koala.

Thankfully, when I'm inside the book, time stops in my original world. At least, that's what it looks like to me.

"I'm alright. I just had a bad dream."

"Pew~ I thought something had happened to you, judging by how loud your scream was..."

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, is that the book you wanted to show me?"

Oh no, I already changed my mind about lending her this book. It will cause trouble if Koala sees Morwenna.

"Uhh, ahh..."

"Come on, don't be shy. I love to read romance stories too!"

Huh? Can't she see how scary this book looks?

I decided to test something.

"What's the name of the book?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"Can you just answer me, please, Koala?"

"Hmm, alright. The name is 'Romeo and Juliet'... Can we read it together?"

So Mr. Azrael only wants the people he lends books to see the real book.

To this day, he really is the most mysterious person I've ever seen. I don't know much about his power, but he's certainly one of the strongest humans, probably even the strongest being in this world.

I know that even if I tried to repay him, it wouldn't be enough, but I will still try.

But first, I have to help the Revolutionary Army, become strong, and destroy the World Government with these abilities!

I smiled.

"Sure, Koala."

****

Powerstones~