Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Three pieces.

In addition to the five fragments they carried with them—greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, and lust for life—they collected along the way.

There are a total of eight fragments.

"But aren't there nine fragments of the Holy Grail? You must be thinking that, hehe..."

A woman's voice came from the wolf rider's corpse.

Xiangzi turned his head and glanced at the wolf rider, or more accurately, at his abdomen.

Clack.

The wolf rider's abdomen emitted a sound like shells cracking, and a huge crack suddenly appeared in the black armor. This crack extended upwards along the abdomen until even the wolf-head-shaped helmet cracked open.

A woman's figure emerged from the grotesque crack that ran through almost her entire body.

It's not that there was originally a woman under the armor—the Regent was indeed a man, his posters were plastered in every corner of Sky City, and Xiao Su Shi had seen him in person—just like a snail crawling out of its shell, the woman slowly emerged from the cracks in the armor.

A light, long dress, seemingly growing out of her body, clung tightly to her figure, outlining a perfect S-curve.

Tick, tick, tick.

Mucus dripped down her limbs and the hem of her skirt, falling onto the ground.

Her entire body was white, and her skin had a smooth, pearly texture, like a marine creature that had parasitized the wolf knight's armor as its shell. The woman reappeared before Xiangzi in this bizarre way.

"You're not dead yet." Xiangzi was somewhat surprised when he saw the woman's face clearly.

The woman who crawled out of the crack in the armor, like some kind of sea creature, was the White Queen.

"Yes, it's me."

Although she had become slimy and slippery like a sea slug, the woman in front of him was indeed the White Queen.

"I cast a spell on myself. As long as I am sacrificed, the spell will spread within the person who sacrifices me, eventually emptying their memories and soul, replacing them with mine. Only in this way can I never die," the White Queen said.

"forever?"

“Forever.” The pearl-like woman curled the corners of her lips. “Let me use a few names you may have heard of: the first Red Queen, the second Red Queen, the third… the twelfth Red Queen. Every single one of them was me.”

She opened her arms as if to embrace everything.

"The kingdoms and empires are all mine, and the civilizations that followed the goddess's disappearance were all created by me."

"..."

"What?" The woman's pretty face fell as she saw that no one reacted. "It seems like none of you are surprised."

The wolf rider who likes to wear a red hood, whose abdomen is cut open by the woman he "ate"—is this a story of Little Red Riding Hood being sculpted into one person?

Xiangzi sighed, and, taking it as a way of playing along with her performance, asked:

"So the Regent is just a tool to you?"

“I knew he would sacrifice me all along. This reincarnation was specially prepared for him,” the White Queen said with a smile. “I cannot die yet. I absolutely cannot die before my final wish is fulfilled.”

"Your last wish?"

"You've already helped me achieve that, haven't you?" The White Queen reached out her hand towards Xiao Su Shi.

Om-!

A powerful suction force pulled Xiao Su Shi away from the lamp and dragged her to the White Queen's side.

"Ah!" Little Su Shi landed in the White Queen's sticky arms.

The White Queen reached out a hand and slipped it inside Xiao Su Shi's collar. White mucus stuck to Xiao Su Shi's face and slowly dripped down her cheeks.

"—!"

Xiao Su Shi looked terrified.

But before she could scream, the White Queen reached out her hand, holding a Holy Grail pendant that was only a little over half full.

"Release Su Shishi immediately!"

Aine drew her katana and charged toward the White Queen.

but--

Om-!

The spiral spear pierced Ai Yin's path, forcing her to a stop.

"Little Master?!" Aine stared in shock at the person who had thrown the pistol at her head. "What are you doing?!"

"Let her finish speaking," Xiangzi said, head down.

Her eyes were completely hidden in darkness, and Aine couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.

“That Regent wants to invade the real world to get more nourishment, but I’m different. I just hope this world can return to its original state, and I hope that Goddess can come back to lead us again.” The White Queen hugged Xiao Su Shi from behind, lifting her chin with one hand so that Xiao Su Shi could look at Xiang Zi. “Hehehe~ Our goals are not actually conflicting, right?”

"Let...let me go..."

Feeling the sticky fluid from the White Queen clinging to her skin, Xiao Su Shi looked at Xiang Zi in horror.

"Xiangzi, save me..."

But Xiangzi wasn't looking at her.

"She won't save you," the White Queen whispered with a smile in Xiao Su Shi's ear. "Do you know why?"

She gently wiped away the tears from Xiao Su Shi's eyes.

"Because you are the ninth Holy Grail fragment needed to compose the Holy Grail and awaken the goddess."

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child: Chapter 414 The Golden Age, the Bubble Age

"Xiangzi, save me..."

Xiao Su Shi's plea for help was met with Xiang Zi's deliberately averted gaze.

Didn't we agree on that?

You will definitely save me.

You clearly said that.

You said—

"She won't save you," the White Queen whispered with a smile in Xiao Su Shi's ear. "Do you know why?"

She gently wiped away the tears from Xiao Su Shi's eyes.

"Because you are the ninth Holy Grail fragment needed to compose the Holy Grail and awaken the goddess."

The White Queen's words struck them like a thunderbolt. A deafening roar followed, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos.

Xiangzi bit down so hard that it drew blood.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, suppressing her restless emotions.

The lamp realized it couldn't hear Xiangzi's inner lament.

“The White Queen is right.” Xiangzi raised his head, his face showing no sign of wavering. “The last fragment of the Holy Grail, the legendary fragment of the Holy Grail scattered throughout the Kingdom of God, is you.”

“It seems you’ve already been to that abandoned monastery, haven’t you?” the White Queen said.

"..."

The White Queen got the answer she wanted from Xiangzi's silent face.

Xiangzi knew.

Xiangzi learned everything from the room at the very top of the monastery.

It's precisely because she knows everything that she's in so much pain now. If she hadn't known that Little Su Shi was a fragment of the Holy Grail, would things have turned out differently? Even if she didn't know... it wouldn't change the fact that Little Su Shi is the last gap to awaken Su Shi.

No matter what, it seems like she can't change anything.

She can't change what's already happened.

"This is......"

His pupils were almost shattered, and his voice became broken and hoarse.

Xiao Su Shi slightly opened her mouth and murmured.

“What’s going on…?”

"What's going on? Should I, the former Red Queen, enlighten you?" The White Queen rested her chin on Xiao Su Shi's head and looked at everyone with a smile.

She is the most comfortable person here.

Because Xiangzi and she share the same goal, Xiangzi would never betray her.

She has already won this war.

"Do you know how many times this world has been destroyed? Ever since the goddess disappeared three hundred years ago?"

The White Queen paused for a moment, savoring the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, before continuing with satisfaction.

"Twelve times, the world has been destroyed a full twelve times."

she says.

"The fragments of the Holy Grail are scattered all over the world, giving rise to more and more monsters. Then, the world is on the verge of collapse due to the twisted desires. Only by finding all the fragments of the Holy Grail, piecing them together, and making an incredibly large wish, so large that only a complete Holy Grail can fulfill it."

The White Queen tightened her grip on Xiao Su Shi's shoulder.

"The Goddess is the soul of this world, and the Holy Grail is its body. A body without a soul can only bear one wish. After a wish is made, it will shatter again and enter the process of destruction once more. Only by constantly collecting and constantly making wishes can this world continue to exist."

"..."

Xiao Su Shi winced in pain and let out a soft whimper.

The White Queen released her hand, patted her head, and sighed.

“I’ve done this twelve times.”

she says.

That was a very long story, spanning more than three hundred years.

The White Queen, the first Red Queen, or... what was her original name again? I can't remember.

But she still remembered that in the very beginning, before the goddess fell asleep, this world was called "Fairy Tale Town".

The goddess created this world, transforming her own body into the Holy Grail, capable of granting any wish. Under her rule, everyone lived a carefree life.

She was one of them.

Those were wonderful days. The sky was always sunny, and even on rainy days, the sky wasn't gloomy because everyone knew that a rainbow would appear after the rain.

Everyone's wishes could be fulfilled, and everyone yearned for a better life. It was an era full of vigor and vitality, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a golden age.

That was the golden age.

I still feel nostalgic when I think back on it now.

How did it end up in this half-dead state?

It's probably because the "bubble" burst.

Our goddess is an innocent child who hopes everyone can have a smile and that this world can remain prosperous forever.

However, desires can never be satisfied, and the never-ending dissatisfaction with the status quo is the root of human progress, but also the root of conflict.

Inflated desires are like the air inside a soap bubble, constantly expanding and making the bubble look bigger and more beautiful. In the fairytale town of the Golden Age, everything could be satisfied through the Holy Grail.

However, once a soap bubble expands to a certain extent, exceeding its upper limit, it will burst with a "pop," leaving nothing behind.

Human desires are always in conflict—some want everyone to smile, some only find joy in seeing others cry, some want to possess the entire world, and some have exactly the same thoughts. As desires expand, the conflicts between them become increasingly apparent.

The naive goddess couldn't keep this bowl of water level, nor could she maintain the ever-expanding bubbles.

until.

boo.

That's the sound of a bubble bursting.

boom.

This is the sound of the first shot being fired.