Whose youth romance story begins with a witch's trial?!

“Um… Lord Changrong, I’ve actually been working hard to learn new positions lately, and I’ve mastered quite a few now… So let me serve you properly—”

"I told you to read more books, not to look at the Imperial Uncle's catalog! Anyway—I order Meruru, don't mess around today. Just behave yourself as a doctor and take good care of me, your patient!"

Seeing that the pair of earth-shattering thunderbolts were about to suffocate him, Chang Rong had no choice but to quickly use his Word of Power authority as the King of Witch Island to stop them.

"Hmm... If this is Lord Changrong's wish, then I understand..."

Fortunately, Meruru didn't have the tendency to admit her mistakes but not correct them. Although she was a little reluctant after hearing Chang Rong's objection, she obediently stopped what she was doing and sat down next to the hospital bed. She gently wiped Chang Rong's forehead with a wet wipe. At first glance, she did indeed look like a very holy nun.

"Ugh……"

Feeling Meruru's dissatisfaction yet still meticulous care, Chang Rong, who had just been fed with steel-rolled grass on the hospital bed, sighed helplessly.

In the end, what makes him worthy of being called the 'King of Witch Island'? On the surface, he has gained the right to order everyone around today, and he should be enjoying this last day to the fullest.

But in reality, most of these aspiring witches have their own little tricks. They'll first use some feigned actions to pretend they're making a wish, and once they've successfully tricked you, they'll use the excuse that "you've used up your free attempts for today" to continue doing whatever they want...

"To be honest, being able to be with Lord Changrong so quietly like this really... really feels like a dream."

Perhaps because she was forced to suppress her lustful desires by Chang Rong's orders, Meruru, whose kind personality had returned, revealed an incredibly happy smile on her face.

"To be quietly waiting by the bedside of my beloved in the room as evening approaches feels just like... an old married couple!"

The jellyfish covered her face, revealing a satisfied smile. She had never truly experienced what normal interpersonal relationships were like, but even so, Meruru on the ice cherished the happiness and satisfaction she felt at this moment.

"An old married couple..."

Looking at the blonde nun with her hands clasped in front of her, Chang Rong's thoughts couldn't help but wander.

In a sense, Chang Rong's relationship with Meruru on Ice is the most complicated among the aspiring witches. Before 'Episode 1: The Birth of the Old Popsicle', Chang Rong and Meruru had already become so-called companions.

However, at that time, as Meruru's 'companion,' I was unable to touch the deepest original sin in her heart. What she thought was an invitation to express her love turned into a fearful demon that she didn't even want to recall, due to a series of coincidences.

At that time, the ice rink was an absolute wound and taboo for her, something she tried to avoid even with her very soul.

Later, Meruru was cursed with a spell of forgetfulness by Yuki, and her inner softness prevented her from remembering that experience. This made her a nun of atonement belonging only to the 'Holy Child,' yet she didn't know what she should atone for. This confusion and ever-expanding emptiness eventually consumed her completely, causing her to lose the courage to face her original sin. She attempted suicide with the Witch Slayer Potion as atonement, or rather, as an escape.

At that time, Meruru on Ice was someone he had to save and correct—a 'lamb' who had committed original sins over the past century.

Now, Meruru has found forgiveness in the rift she inadvertently entered, personally offering her life for the wronged souls of those veterans. Having reconciled with her mistakes, she has finally gained the courage and awareness to stop crying and move forward. She will no longer run away from her errors, nor will she be overwhelmed by her original sin. She has witnessed her own cruel and foolish side, yet she still yearns to become an angel truly belonging to someone.

The ice angel sitting quietly beside me at this moment is someone I must protect. I will stay with her until I witness her redemption. No matter what kind of judgment she has to go through, no matter how heavy the cross she carries, I will still stand by her side.

But before that—

"Speaking of Meruru, if the ceremony is successful tomorrow, after you see Xiaoxue, will you... uh, be the same as everyone else?"

Despite his reflections, Chang Rong hadn't forgotten the most important reason he came to the infirmary to see Meruru. With the new generation of junior professionals seemingly poised to clash with the veteran witch, Chang Rong, caught in the middle, had to do something to prevent the world from exploding or him from being drained dry.

Who is Xiaoxue?

"..."

Meruru's cute, head-tilting expression made Chang Rong feel there was no need to continue the conversation. This jellyfish's brain seemed to be like a Pokémon's skill slots, but at least the Lightning Mouse could hold four skills. How come Meruru only had one slot in her brain? After she took over, she kicked the 'Great Witch' to the side of the road in the blink of an eye.

"Well, um... I was just kidding. Miss Sherry often tells me not to be so serious, and Master Changrong seems to prefer more lively and playful girls, so, so I've been trying... How about it, is it fun?"

Meruru forced a somewhat forced 'mischievous smile'. Although this jellyfish had caused quite a bit of trouble during the Witch's Trial, her personality simply didn't allow her to be anything like a cunning or scheming character.

"...Because of the stereotype, I didn't find it interesting at all. I just thought, 'Meruru, you really can do something like this.'"

"Waaaah..." Meruru, who hadn't activated her jellyfish form in a long time, started dropping small pearls.

"In short, about the Great Witch... to be honest, I'm really conflicted." Meruru sniffed and stared at Chang Rong with her big, watery light brown eyes.

"The Great Witch and I... have both done many, many wrong things. Even if there were reasons, the mistakes themselves cannot be covered up. At first, I even thought about just going to explode together with the Great Witch—"

"You should really change your tendency to kill yourself at the drop of a hat...!!" Chang Rong hurriedly stopped Meruru. Noah at least made sweet water, but Meruru could really make witch-killer potions if she didn't like something.

"However, I've thought about a lot of things during this time... Because I'm not very smart, it might take me a long time to think things through, but... I've finally figured it out!" Meruru clenched her fists, putting on a cute expression that was both serious and hardworking.

"The Great Witch abandoned me before. Although I don't resent her, I still have to find a way to avenge this 'grudge'... Whether it's giving everything for the Great Witch or walking towards the end with her, I have to settle this score with her first before doing any of these things. That's what a mature child should do, right?"

“That’s right, Meruru. Your life once depended on Xiaoxue, and whether Xiaoxue wanted you to live that way or not, that fact will not change. But no one can depend on others forever. In any case, you have to say goodbye to your childhood. As for the path you choose in life after that, that’s something else to consider.”

Chang Rong responded with a smile, and was pleasantly surprised by Mei Lulu's ability to 'summarize' her relationship with Xiao Xue, and by this growth and awareness.

"So, I will definitely hold Chang Rong tightly when the time comes, while showing off the techniques I learned from Chang Rong to the not-so-big Great Witch, and laughingly recounting in detail every little thing that happened between me and Chang Rong during the Great Witch's period of feigned death—"

"So you just wanted me dead, huh?!"

Meruru rattled on and on for ages, but in the end, she came to the same conclusion as the other prospective witches... It's hopeless. Human civilization is probably doomed this time...

"Judging from Miss Rhea and Miss Emma's reactions, emphasizing my rich inner world to those characters with relatively flat character development seems to have a much better-than-expected effect... I suppose the Great Witch, who is even flatter than Miss Emma, ​​will be even more popular, hehe..."

—This idiot jellyfish participated in dozens of witch trials and still didn't gain any intelligence, but in just a few days, she's mastered the most efficient method of killing by destroying the mind?! Ice Meruru, what a terrifying creature…!

Indeed, there are no truly stupid people in the world, only those who haven't found their own path and are wasting their time. He used to frequently find himself in embarrassing situations, like being executed, but now he's making rapid progress on other tracks.

"I... I may not be able to compete with everyone, but at least my feelings and my resolve to 'bid farewell' to the Great Witch will never be inferior to anyone, Changrong-sama...!" Ice Meluru's eyes were incredibly firm. From birth to this moment, her life, which had been too ordinary yet full of hardships, had finally found a goal for which she was willing to give her life to fight, in short, the Grass-Fed Saintess.

"Hehe, is this what youth is all about..."

Chang Rong lay sprawled on the hospital bed, enjoying a head massage from Mei Lulu while smiling with relief. It was what people often call 'I'm really out of options'.

Now that Meruru, who should be the most likely to be on the same side as Xiaoxue, has led a magnificent betrayal, I think Witch Island is probably really an alkyl octanitride!

However, at least Chang Rong no longer sensed the intense world-weariness from Meruru's words. Although she was still unsure how to proceed when she finally discussed serious matters with Xiaoxue after the ceremony, Chang Rong saw in the light in the blonde nun's eyes her longing and aspirations for the future.

Try chatting with Meruru from this angle, and then try to find out if she has any other treasures like the 'Blue Little Pill Promax'.

The mysterious man who falsified documents began to resort to any means necessary to ensure XiXi's survival.

"Meruru, after we leave Witch Island, I'll take you shopping. Although you always say you can't do anything right, at least in the area of ​​fashion design, you can already beat 99% of the professionals."

"Huh...?" Meruru was taken aback, a question mark appearing above her head at Chang Rong's somewhat abrupt topic.

“It’s true. Leia-sama also said that her ‘prison uniform’ is the most stylish and tasteful one she’s worn during her time on the job.”

"Is that so... Hehehe..." Meruru blushed upon receiving the praise and shook her head shyly.

"But the external trading systems must be very complex... I've only had contact with relevant national agencies, and I have absolutely no idea about the current trading models outside..."

"It's very simple, and it hasn't really changed. It's a cash-on-delivery transaction. Some people make money from their skills, and some people make money from those who have poor access to information."

"Speaking of which, I know absolutely nothing about the 'JK culture' that Miss Emma mentioned... It seems like people these days don't need to spend so much time working to make a living anymore? And even studying has become a mandatory law?"

"Yes, educational resources that were once only accessible to the powerful and wealthy have now become an inescapable nightmare for many children during their childhood."

"Then, um... what exactly is 'anime'? Miss Coco and Miss An'an seem to know a lot about it, and I'm curious too, but I'm too embarrassed to ask—"

Chang Rong's casual remark opened Meruru's floodgates. This 'primordial artificial witch', abandoned by time and space, began greedily demanding knowledge about the outside world from Chang Rong.

In fact, Meruru has never lacked means to contact the outside world. As long as she is willing, she can always obtain intelligence and corresponding knowledge from government agencies.

However, Meruru had never had the courage to look directly at that window, because no matter how beautiful the scenery on the continent on the other side of the sea was, it had nothing to do with her.

Having this island where I lived with the Great Witch is enough; having those memories of being with the Great Witch is enough. That's enough to keep 'Ice Meluru' running forever.

It wasn't until the white-haired boy appeared, until he held her tightly so she wouldn't die, that for the first time, Meru on Ice felt a desire to peer through that window.

I want to learn more about the stories of the world he lived in, and I want to get closer to the era he lived in, because only in this way, when everything is over, can I better stay by his side and serve my holy son.

And so, Meruru tirelessly and enthusiastically kept asking Chang Rong questions, and Chang Rong could only respond and answer them one by one with a fatherly smile.

And then—

"Whoosh... Huh!?"

After an unknown amount of time, Chang Rong got up from the hospital bed. The room, which was just evening, was now pitch black outside the balcony.

—She actually fell asleep...!?

I was originally planning to get some information from Meruru about getting some trenbolone iron supplement, but I got so caught up in teaching Meruru about iron that I fell asleep!

The owner of the brothel had long since disappeared, replaced by two girls with subtle expressions standing in front of his bed.

"Um... I didn't want to cause trouble for Onii-chan, but Onii-chan is really not proactive at all... In the end, Onii-chan not only didn't come to find me, but you were sleeping so soundly in a place like this. I... even I would get angry, meow!"

The black-haired girl, Ze Du Coco, wearing orange cat-ear shaped headphones, immediately activated her back form and yawned in complaint upon seeing Chang Rong wake up. However, considering that she obediently waited for Chang Rong to wake up naturally before yawning, she can still be identified as a child.

"I'm sorry, Chang Rong... That wasn't my original intention. In the end, I've caused you a lot of trouble today... I'm really sorry..."

Standing next to Sawatari Coco was the white-haired, red-eyed girl, Shito Arisa, wearing a hood. She was rubbing her hair awkwardly and dejectedly, looking just like a little wife who had realized she had made a mistake.

"No—it's nothing troublesome, I had a great day! Compared to those... what time is it now?"

Chang Rong rubbed her hair and gave Arisa a forced smile, then quickly asked about the time.

"It will be past midnight in less than an hour."

"Ah, this..."

When you feel like your life is a mess, you might want to look at Chang Rong. Knowing that he would be squeezed to death by 13 prospective witches the next day, and that Witch Island would most likely be blown up by the Great Witch Hong Wen, he chose to stay put and sleep.

-

Thanks to Morning Light's Heart and Lost Imagination for the generous donation of salty fish food; I'm seriously accepting today's serving of Chocola.

304. The last rua

In the infirmary late at night, Arisa Fujito knelt beside the white-haired boy. Her crimson eyes were fixed on the boy before her, but no anger could be seen on her bandaged and strangely decorated face. There was only an unspeakable sorrow.

"I'm sorry... it seems that in the end I couldn't really help Chang Rong in any way..."

Arisa looked at Chang Rong with a melancholy expression, her tone filled with regret and helplessness.

“Don’t say that about Arisa. It was because of this opportunity that I was able to open my heart to everyone at the end and know the original and purest side of each of you. Compared to facing the end in ignorance and confusion, reconciling with everyone like this and intertwining our hearts together is an invaluable blessing to me.”

Chang Rong gently raised his hand and stroked Zifang Arisa's cheek. Although his voice was extremely soft, it carried a warm and peaceful feeling that could make people feel at ease, like a cool summer night that could help people fall asleep.

"Chang Rong... is always so gentle. But this gentle Chang Rong has only ever gotten angry and hit me once. It seems I do hold a special place in Chang Rong's heart... So, if it were possible, I wouldn't mind being beaten by Chang Rong again—"

"No, no, no, don't suddenly revert to that masochistic version! Arisa, your current character is the gentlest and most docile traditional Yamato Nadeshiko on Witch Island!"

Arisa, her cheeks flushed, grasped Chang Rong's hand and whispered. Chang Rong, who had just looked deathly pale, suddenly sat bolt upright, frantically trying to stop Arisa's atavistic behavior. On Witch Island, the preference for females over females was rampant; Arisa's Yamato Nadeshiko nature was now a unique and irreplaceable trait, and they had to protect her at all costs!

"Hmm... okay, alright."

Arisa was momentarily stunned; she hadn't expected Chang Rong's reaction to be so obvious. Fortunately, some things, once formed, are difficult to revert to their original state. Having already unlocked her Yamato Nadeshiko form, Arisa successfully suppressed her original masochistic personality.

"So... thinking about it carefully, although it was a very, very long and winding journey, I truly feel only gratitude for it all. I'm grateful for meeting you all, and grateful for everything we've experienced along the way—"

After confirming that Arisa was not at risk of reverting to her mysterious masochistic self, Chang Rong lay sprawled on the hospital bed with a deathly expression, trembling as he raised his hand to stroke Arisa's cheek, whispering in a soft, rumbling sound like a roasting lamb.

"Chang Rong... I am also very grateful to you. If I had not met you, I might never have taken off my mask or stepped out of that narrow gap that had been confining me... Meeting you is the most precious miracle I have ever experienced."