The witch joins the energy drink project.
Now that was a genuine ray of hope.
Why am I so happy about this?
You'd think that's weird, given the whole herbal tea thing.
But other than the herbal tea, the witch is perfectly competent.
Really. Her cooking is delicious, she knows her medicine, and she can brew all kinds of potions.
So aside from herbal tea, she's genuinely amazing.
Well, even the herbal tea is impressive — just in a completely different way.
I'd love for her to put those skills to use on the energy drinks, too.
But making an energy drink version of that herbal tea? Forget it. Absolutely not.
The witch took a sip of tea and let out a breath.
"Now then. Setting that aside. Young Wof, you remember that bundle of Relic plates, right?"
"Yes, I remember."
Goes without saying. There's no forgetting that.
It was that mysterious bundle I'd found right next to the Lord Yomido figure.
"Well, it turns out they've figured out what kind of Relics those are."
"You found out?!"
"Mm-hmm. That's actually why Kon went to the Royal Capital."
Oh, right. The Royal Capital did have the Relic Research Institute.
"You went to the Royal Capital to learn about the Relic Plates?"
"Yeah, yeah. Turns out they contacted me from over there. They figured out all the Relics in the bundle of Relic Plates, but they said they'd found something out about it."
"Found something out...?"
"Well, first things first, let me start with the bundle of Relic Plates. There are twenty-seven plates in total. Seven of them are elemental Relics — fire, water, wind, earth. And the remaining twenty are Transformation Relics."
"S-Serious...?"
I'd suspected as much, but that was still too many.
Transformation Relics. Those were the ones that transformed you into an Anomalocharis, right?
"Okay, now here's the main thing. We've confirmed that if you use these Transformation Relics, you will inevitably become a non-human."
"Inevitably... become a non-human...?"
Wh... at...?
"Mm-hmm. Because they transform your soul. Once the soul undergoes transformation, you're guaranteed to become a non-human."
So that's why they turn into Anomalocharis.
"But once your soul has transformed, there's no way to become human again, right?"
"No, no, you can become human again. The soul only transforms while you're using the Relic. You're only a non-human during that time."
"Is that so? But if someone kept using them over and over... could their soul really withstand it?"
"Well now, well now. Good catch, young Wof. Noticing that, are you? Of course, if you keep using them, eventually the soul won't be able to take it."
"And if that happens... what would... become of them...?"
I swallowed hard.
"That would be... they'd never be able to return to being human."
A chill ran through me. What did he just say?
Ah, unable to return from the Anomalocaris...!?
"Oh, t-thhat is terrifying..."
I felt true fear from the bottom of my heart.
I had felt fear of this magnitude before―― well, actually. Yes, I had.
Quite a few times, actually. Surprisingly many. More than I thought.
But it had been a while since I'd felt this level of terror.
"Now then, now then, it's time for the main event."
"Main event?"
So everything up until now was just the prelude...?
"Oh, by the way, by the way, young Wof. Haven't you noticed something strange?"
"Something strange? There are plenty of strange things."
Rather, it was nothing *but* strange things.
The witch laughed at my response.
"Indeed, indeed, that's true, but... having 20 Transmutation Relic Plates, that's weird no matter how you look at it."
"When you put it that way... I'm not very familiar with it, but is it common to find piles of the same Relic Plate like that?"
"No, no, not at all. Can't say I've seen it. Relic Plates themselves are rare things, you know. This is the first time I've seen a bundle of this size."
"How did they get their hands on them?"
"Hmm, hmm. I figured you'd think that."
"Am I wrong?"
"Wrong, wrong. These Transmutation Relic Plates might have been created by someone very recently."
"Y... You can make them. If we use Hiyarn's lab — that rabbit!?"
That rabbit finally did it. Tonight's dinner is rabbit stew.
I'm going to use this without holding back.
The witch offered a wry smile.
"No, no. At the very least, this isn't Hiyarn's doing."
"Not Hiyarn?"
"Mm-hm. Besides, Hiyarn wouldn't do something this underhanded."
"So you're saying someone mass-produced Transmutation Relic Plates?"
"Well, that's what it looks like."
"But who on earth...?"
What purpose would anyone have creating Relics that turn you into an Anomalocaris?
"Who knows, who knows. We have no idea who it is yet. There's not a single clue."
"Right. The founder of Paled is dead too."
Well, I did kill him in one shot. But even if I'd heard what he had to say, that founder...
He probably couldn't have reverted from being an Anomalocaris, even if I'd captured him alive.
Maybe it worked out for the best.
"In any case, in any case, I've told Leold to investigate this carefully."
The witch for you. Already contacting the head of the nation's intelligence agency. Quick judgment.
"What happened to the bundle of Relic Plates?"
"Oh, that? Of course. I disposed of all of them."
"You did that. All of them...?"
I was shocked. I'd assumed she'd kept at least some of them.
I figured the witch wouldn't use them as-is, but might keep them for crafting materials or something.
The witch took a sip of tea and spoke.
"Those — there was no way I could leave even a single one behind. Turning a soul into something inhuman is absolutely not an act that can be permitted, nor a technique that should ever be used. It's far too dangerous."
"That's true..."
The witch was angry. Quietly seething, but angry.
I could fully understand that anger.
Becoming an Anomalocharis wasn't just dangerous — it was beyond that.
As expected of the witch. She understood the essence of it. Quick judgment and quick resolve.
Still — transforming someone's soul and turning them into an Anomalocharis.
Hearing it laid out again, I realized how terrifying it truly was. How unforgivable.
"That's right, that's right. I did keep the elemental Relic Plates, though."
Well, those aren't harmful, I suppose. Not that I'd use them myself.
After hearing the whole story, I found myself thinking:
"Witch, I have a question. What kind of power is it that someone would pursue so desperately they'd reshape their own soul, give up being human for?"
"Hmm. Hmm. Now that is quite the deep question."
The witch nodded and gazed at me.
"I'm not really a fan of fighting and all that, but I do understand wanting to become stronger. In this world, you have to be strong."
"Mm-hm. That's right. Kon understands that too."
I understood why she craved strength.
This world, even among the many worlds in my past life memories, had an extreme survival-of-the-fittest nature at its core.
Honestly, even someone like me who didn't really like fighting wouldn't deny the need for strength.
Without strength, you couldn't survive in this world.
Without strength, you couldn't overcome the unfairness, plunder, and tragedy that befell you.
But I thought being too strong was also a bad thing. Power that was too great was more than a person could handle.
That excessive craving for power was what had turned her into an Anomalous.
"I think a reasonable amount of strength is fine. A reasonable amount is more than enough. There should never be a need to throw away your humanity just to have power. And yet, craving power even at that cost is something I just can't understand. Why would you go that far..."
The idea of wanting power so badly that you'd become an Anomalous was something I just couldn't comprehend.
When I finished expressing how I felt, the witch looked down briefly before meeting my gaze.
I could see my face reflected in the witch's pale, emerald-like eyes.
"Oh my, young Wof. Kon thinks it must have been born from a sorrowful heart."
The witch seemed to be looking at me, yet her gaze deepened as though she were staring at something far away.
"A sorrowful heart?"
"Mm-hm. A sorrowful heart. Something must have happened, some reason that made her start seeking power. But before long, chasing after power became her main goal. And the end of that road was the transformation of her soul, to the point where she even stopped being human. How sad."
The price and the end of the road for chasing power.
I mused over the witch's words as I listened.
I had no idea who it was, but if I ever met the person who had created the Relic of [Transformation], there was something I wanted to say.
Humans are not Anomalous.
Humans must not become Anomalous.
After making that clear, I wanted to hit them with a full-powered Deep Banish.
I wanted to unleash everything I had on them. Yeah. I definitely would.
I secretly swore that to myself.
"Hey, hey, young Wof. Mind if I have one of those energy drinks?"
"Go ahead, go ahead. Have them all."
"No, no, all of them is a bit much. I'll take that silver can there."
What the witch asked for was the mixed flavor.
As expected of the witch. She's got good taste.
Still, that was a really thought-provoking conversation.
And if they could mass-produce the Relic of Transformation...
Would I end up fighting the Anomalocharis again someday?