Editing Failing Witch:Volume2 Episode4 (section)

===Part 16===

Dorothea rode her broom skimming just off the ground of Temple School City at supersonic speed.

Flying so low had very different rules from flying in the open sky. The scenery was so ''close'' it seemed to melt into flowing lines and the air compressed against the ground lifted the Formula Broom in an unsteady way. That was called the ground effect. So she couldn’t just observe directly ahead. If she didn’t pay attention to the small ups and downs of the ground too, she couldn’t predict the fluctuation of the compressed air and she would be thrown around. This was especially important in a city with so many stairs.

Windows shattered whenever she passed through, but she couldn’t worry about that right now.

The Dracae swarm was definitely pursuing her.

She had made sure they would because she was buying time for Viocia and Melehe to make their move.

“Observation: you really drew the short straw this time. Annoyance: aren’t people with special abilities supposed to have an easier time of it as they ensure a safe position for the exam?”

“Yes, sorry, Aristotle. Eep. B-but if we can buy time like this, Viocia and Melehe will find some way of fixing this.”

“Statement: my complaint is with your gloomy thinking that keeps you from giving yourself that kind of advantageous position!! Question: were you always neglecting your own needs while raising all your younger siblings!?”

Just then…



“Wah! Wah!! Wah!?”

“They’re only attacking the witches. Roslynica, don’t let go of my hand! This way!!”

“Oh… Wait, Lady Moloch. Those children will be crushed by the crowd of adults, so grab them! But gently so they won’t get hurt!!”

“Moo!!”



The view around Dorothea suddenly changed.

A change far out ahead would arrive in a split second for a supersonic witch.

Just before a collision, she yanked her Formula Broom’s helm to the right.

“Tch. Are you stupid!?”

“Eep!?”

She lost control and crashed right into a purple group approaching from a different direction.

That was the Dracae.

(Th-they’re this close to the ground!?)

That one color filled her vision all at once. Her sense of direction was thrown off and she crashed her broom into a building.

That already crumbling building was a privately-owned store for magical goods.

She crashed into a pile of dried herbs out front – likely one of the store’s products – but this collision happened during supersonic flight. That alone wasn’t enough to save her life. And the split-second she had wasn’t enough to think up the Three Aspects needed for defense magic.

Someone had helped her.

Her face lit up and she turned toward her partner.

“Thanks – eep – Aristot-”

She heard a strange noise.

The red, yellow, blue, and green lines of light running along Formula Broom – Lyceum slowly flashed before vanishing.

Something was definitely wrong.

“…ksh, ksshh…”

“Aristotle!?”

“Dammit. Assessment: I screwed up. One of those damn Dracae got into my core and damaged it. I can’t fly…like this.”

“No.”

A great swelling surrounded them.

The purple Dracae continued to spread across Temple School City’s sky. Dorothea had been hit while skimming just off the ground. No one could say how long until the people inside the labyrinthine city were attacked.

“Assessment: it was lucky we crashed into a magic shop. Observation: Dorothea, I see a few brand new Formula Brooms lying on the floor over there…”

“Eh?”

“Advice: throw me out and complete the consecration with another Formula Broom. That will save you and allow you to fly again.”

Dorothea froze up for around three seconds.

Her mind had gone entirely blank.

“Wait.”

“Supplement: don’t worry. Reminder: I am the Formula Broom who once became a Voland and hijacked your body. Assurance: no one will think you wanton for trading brooms in the middle of studying for the exam.”

“Eep. Wait!! Y-you’re malfunctioning, but where are you damaged? If I can ''unseal you'', open the broom, and check the map inside…”

“I said my core was damaged, didn’t I, you fool? Ksh. Confirmation: this isn’t about the bis or the MTD. Only someone from Maleficium can directly mess with this part.”

''Why?

''Why didn’t I pass last year?'' thought Dorothea, biting her lip.

If she had, she could have ''unsealed'' Formula Broom – Lyceum and repaired the damage!!

It all came down to her own inadequacy.

She had crashed while flying and it was her lack of knowledge and skill preventing her from repairing the core.

It was all on her.

And yet…

“Advice: go.”

“Eep. No…”

“There’s nothing you can do here. Leave me and consecrate yourself with another broom – any broom. Ksh. Conclusion: do that and you can fly again.”

“This isn’t about that!! Eep, I can’t leave you behind!!!”

“Question: then will you stay here and be crushed to death by the Dracae?”

Dorothea’s voice caught in her throat.

The fear of a very real death rose up to the surface.

“Are you stupid? Reminder: weren’t you going to push past all your rivals and get into Maleficium this year? Ksh. Then don’t get hung up over a mere tool. Focus on surviving and returning to the entrance exam competition.”

“No.”

Even so, Dorothea raised her voice with tears spilling from her eyes.

She spoke clearly.

“I can’t do that!! I can never abandon you to continue onward on my own!”

“…”

“Then I give up. Who cares about the exam? Doing that wouldn’t make my parents or my siblings happy. And I couldn’t look Viocia, Melehe, or the tutor in the eye!! …I’d rather go back home with you than do that. Sob, sniff. I’ll go back home and inherit the store if I have to!!!”

Crying and screaming weren’t going to change reality.

Myousou Yagoro wasn’t here, nor was Viocia Modestlucky.

The Dracae must have sensed something.

The purple swarm in the sky moved slowly and began dropping toward the city. The massive suspended ceiling made from a multi-layer grid was definitely dropping toward Dorothea.

She could no longer use witchcraft.

Nor could she fly to safety.

Dorothea Rockpool could only look up at the falling ceiling of doom when something happened.

A pure white pillar of light dropped from heaven to earth, burning right through the purple ceiling.

She still had a chance.

This wasn’t over yet.

They might not be right here, but Myousou Yagoro and Viocia Modestlucky were fighting too.