A little earlier, inside a certain cave.
…
“Who are you…?”
“Answer me!”
“I said, speak!”
The interrogation of a strange man stung Ai’er’s eardrums.
Reluctantly, Ai’er slowly opened her eyes.
In the next instant, she felt a wave of dizziness akin to a hangover. Dazed, she tried to stand up, but her palms pressed against a surface that felt as cold and smooth as stone.
“Hiss… Why are you shouting so loud— huh?”
Her voice was soft and delicate, like a silver bell. It was the voice of a young girl.
Ai’er was a bit dazed. She subconsciously raised a hand to cover her mouth, but as her gaze fell upon it, she froze again.
Slender and pale— no matter how she looked at it, these were the hands of a young girl.
She blinked and looked through the gaps between her fingers, her eyes landing on a puddle of water on the ground.
Long, silver-white hair, golden eyes, and a face as delicate as a doll’s— was this her?
She had…
Become a girl again?!
“Answer me!”
Following the sound of clanking metal, the knights drew their swords one after another, their wary gazes locked onto Ai’er. In the dim cave, the light from illumination magic reflected off their metal armor, making it appear piercingly bright.
However, Ai’er didn’t seem to notice. She was still staring at her reflection in the puddle, lost in thought.
‘Is— is this me? O.o… This is me! (^﹃^)’
**[Current Situation Summary: The Host is surrounded and has been mistaken for an Apostle of the Evil God.]**
An unfamiliar voice rang in Ai’er’s mind, causing her eyebrows to twitch. In that moment, she realized one thing—
This was definitely the system’s voice.
From the looks of it, she had transmigrated.
The next moment, the knights in the center suddenly moved to either side, clearing a path. A woman holding a staff slowly emerged from the gap.
“Lady Saint, the cultists have been suppressed. Only this girl who appeared in the summoning circle remains to be dealt with.”
She wore pure white robes and had her deep brown hair tied up. If her hair had been gold or silver, she would have been closer to the image of a saint in Ai’er’s mind.
The woman called “Lady Saint” still had a hint of childishness on her face, which felt slightly inconsistent with her mature figure. Overall, she seemed a bit older than Ai’er.
Apprentice Saint Eve did not issue an order immediately. She simply used her eyes to scrutinize Ai’er, who was standing in the center of the magic circle.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Ai’er’s spine.
Not long ago, she had been in her original world. Now, she had been mysteriously summoned here and turned into a girl.
Given the current situation, the one who summoned her wasn’t a proper entity like a goddess, but an evil cult that was being wiped out.
Worse yet, she was currently standing right in the middle of the “stolen goods”— the summoning magic circle.
The system’s voice rang out again:
**[Witch Contract System has been activated.]**
**[Host: Ai’er.]**
**[The goal of this system is to sign contracts with the Supreme Witches of parallel timelines. Once the contracts are completed, the Host can borrow the power of the witches to return to the original world.]**
‘Ho ho! Is the system mission finally coming?!’
The predicament and the system— both had appeared. According to general transmigration logic, this was when the magnificent adventure was supposed to begin!
Ai’er felt a surge of joy and held her breath, waiting for what came next.
…
‘Um, that’s it?’ (⊙o⊙)
After the system went completely silent, Ai’er was left staring blankly at the Saint.
An awkward silence filled the air, and the longswords in the hands of the surrounding knights gleamed with a cold light…
Ai’er swallowed hard, tried to squeeze out a harmless smile, and weakly raised one hand.
“Um… Can— can you let me go?”
Naturally, the answer was no.
The Saint didn’t reply. She simply raised her staff slightly. “Capture her.”
“Meow! Let’s talk this out!”
Dodging a large hand reaching out from one of the knights, Ai’er turned and ran!
Fortunately, the cult’s hideout was inside a cave with complex terrain, full of stalactites and branching paths. Relying on her small body, Ai’er squeezed into a narrow crevice like a startled rabbit.
But a cave was a closed environment after all. As Ai’er continued to flee deeper into the cavern, the paths left to her… were running out.
From behind her came the constant sound of clashing armor and the shouts of the knights.
“Pursue! Don’t let the Apostle of the Evil God escape!”
Ai’er sprinted through the cave, constantly looking around in an attempt to find an exit—
But she soon discovered that every cave exit she could find seemed to be blocked by knights.
She was like a turtle trapped in a jar! If she didn’t think of something, even if she wasn’t caught, she would starve to death in this cave!
‘Sys— tem—! If you don’t think of something, I’m going to die before my journey even starts!’
**[Current remaining System Points: 13.]**
**[The Host may consume System Points to make a “Wish.” The system will help the Host realize the wish within the limits of the points allowed.]**
“Then I want to spend System Points to get magic or items that can help me escape! Anything will do— an invisibility cloak, a teleportation scroll, anything!”
**[Exchangeable items are restricted or points are insufficient.]**
“We have to escape first, or how am I supposed to sign contracts with witches?”
The moment she spoke, Ai’er was forced to stop.
Finally, she had reached the end of the cave.
It was a dead end, and behind her, she could already see the faint glow of torches.
**[With the current points, no escape method can be found.]**
“…”
Ai’er stopped talking. she planned to stop running and just go find the Saint.
After all, she was someone called a “Saint.” Even if Ai’er was caught, nothing too bad should happen to her, right?
Besides, other than appearing in the magic circle, what bad thing had she done? As long as she explained it clearly, she should be able to save her life.
As for this system? “Witch Contract”— it didn’t sound like anything proper anyway!
**[Due to the binding with the Host, as long as System Points exist, there is a magic power of unknown origin within the Host’s body. This magic power will be treated as Evil God Magic.]**
**[The Holy Church of the White God kills any existence carrying Evil God Magic on the spot.]**
‘…Huh?’
The corners of Ai’er’s mouth twitched stiffly, and the foot she had just stepped forward with was jerked back.
“Then give me a place to spend these points, you broken system! Ugh, fine. Just tell me, what should I do now?”
**[In parallel timelines, there exist five Supreme Witches with special powers. If they so desire, their power can even destroy worlds.]**
**[However, the witches all seem to be searching for something.]**
**[The Host needs to enter parallel timelines, establish a connection with the witches, find what they are seeking, and then sign a contract to obtain their power.]**
Ai’er noticed the words “parallel timelines” mentioned by the system.
“You mean… I can slip away to another world?”
**[The system’s transmigration function is ready. Current stage mission: Win over Elena White, the Witch of Time.]**
**[If the Host agrees to the current mission, the system will open a passage to a parallel timeline.]**
“Over there! There’s a figure over there!”
The rough voices of the knights came from not far away. The light from their torches already illuminated the corner where Ai’er was hiding. The sound of alternating footsteps was getting closer and closer.
If what the system said was true, Ai’er had no choice left. Staying here meant certain death, and even if the parallel world was a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair, there was at least a slim chance of survival.
What was there to hesitate about?
“I agree, I agree! Quick, open the passage!”
**[Passage opening.]**
The moment the voice faded, Ai’er felt the rock wall behind her suddenly become as soft as water, and a powerful suction force pulled her from behind.
Immediately after, it felt as if her soul had left her body. Her vision was violently pulled away from her back.
**[Note: This transmigration has a time limit. Please establish as many connections as possible with the witch within the time limit.]**
**[Furthermore: During the Host’s transmigration, time in the current world will temporarily stop. After the transmigration ends, the Host will return to the original spot.]**
**[Timer starting.]**
‘Wait? Time stop? And I have to come back to the same spot?!’
“Then what happens when I come back?! Won’t I still be surrounded by knights?!”
But before Ai’er could ask, everything before her eyes vanished.
—
There was a salty, fishy smell.
When Ai’er saw light again, she heard the sound of crashing waves.
Currently, Ai’er was on a sea cliff.
Beneath the night sky were pitch-black clouds and a pitch-black sea, with a cold wind roaring as it whipped past her.
Everything was a precursor to an impending storm.
This scene… Ai’er felt like she had seen it somewhere before?
But sense of déjà vu was a baseless thing; if she obsessed over it, there would be no end to it.
Another gust of cold wind pulled Ai’er’s attention back.
Ai’er frowned. Was the person she needed to win over in a place like this?
She looked around blankly and then noticed a figure—
It was the silhouette of a young girl, standing alone at the very edge of the sea cliff, as if she might leap off at any moment and throw herself into the embrace of death…
**[Current Transmigration Mission: Prevent the suicide of Elena White, the Witch of Time.]**