Yeah.
It’s exhausting.
No, seriously, there’s this absurdly steep path built on a sheer cliff at some weird angle, and unless you’ve got some special magic key, you’re just gonna have to circle the mountain fighting all sorts of monsters before you can even get there.
I do know what that special magic is… but since I can’t use magic, it’s like a delicious cake I’ll never taste.
Anyway, there’s a reason for all this game-like setup.
First off: Maleficent.
Zero friends. Born with a personality so bad it’s like it was pre-programmed to be unpleasant. It’s not just her; her whole species is like that.
And because she got scolded or something and never had the chance to develop any social skills, she’s all sharp edges and no rounded corners.
But here’s the kicker—her loneliness isn’t the weak kind; it’s the proud, superior kind. Totally opposite of me.
Me? Some tortured monster who gave in under duress and now has nothing left but survival instinct? Shockingly, my intelligence remains intact, so I’m desperately holding onto patience instead of acting recklessly.
If eating is how we sustain ourselves, then gaining warmth must also count as eating.
In that sense, I’m on a Buddhist-style diet—very disciplined. But sometimes, I crave the violent calorie rush of burgers and pizza rolls.
So, I’ve been secretly tinkering with a harvester.
Anyway…
This place is where some creatures mark their territory and treat the occasional monster horde attacks like fancy dinner parties every few years.
Plus, Maleficent being friendless adds another layer.
Anyone coming around is basically an enemy, so they’re lured into her trap to weaken them first before she deals with them last.
She doesn’t care about others, so there’s no easy path made for casual visitors. Just herself and everything else.
Just two categories.
So, I thought I’d tweak reality a bit since staying out all night wasn’t looking good.
See, I knew the framework of Maleficent’s memories, so even without magic, I tried inserting that into reality itself to see if it would let me in—and it worked!
What fascinated me most was that no cracks appeared in this magical realm.
Maleficent’s security spells weren’t supposed to be that simple, yet altering the ground beneath my feet felt easier than turning pebbles into gold.
Thankfully, the world won’t collapse from tricks like these.
While climbing up the steep cliff, I wondered if maybe I could’ve broken Thornbush Castle’s enchantments just as easily.
Maleficent could fly, so she didn’t bother making things easier for walkers. Ugh, such a hassle.
Finally, I entered Maleficent’s castle.
It used to be an abandoned fortress she remodeled. A nest far too big for one person to maintain physically.
But Maleficent had magic, which she used to keep the place running by herself.
Now that she’s gone…
Whoosh.
The crumbling stones barely hold together, creaking in the cold wind as they teeter on the edge of collapse.
Still, luckily, I have her memories, so I don’t need to waste time searching for anything.
First, I ignored the treasures. Instead, I focused on valuable magical artifacts or tools linked to Maleficent. Anything infused with deep malice was prioritized.
And finally, I grabbed her diary—not exactly a daily journal, more like entries spaced years apart—but still, a glimpse into her inner thoughts.
If these became relics, they might make someone cry.
After all, restoring Anne’s erased scribbles from faded memories sounds pretty embarrassing, right?
With similar hopes, I took the diary.
Then I noticed an open birdcage near the desk. Inside were brittle bones of a long-dead bird.
Maybe that bird was once a companion—or even a potential friend.
But finding no warmth there, I quickly left the castle.
It’ll fall soon. Parts of it are already groaning ominously. Reinforcing it would take more effort than demolishing and rebuilding.
Carrying my loot, I descended the cliff almost rolling down in the process.
My clothes were torn to shreds. Not ideal attire for such places, but I didn’t own outdoor gear, so here we are.
When I finally reached the bottom…
Hmm.
More baggage than expected.
A dusty, mud-covered girl dragging strange objects behind her—that’s me right now.
Crossing through the territories marked by Maleficent’s influence, I hurried back along the same route.
Heavy load, but this body can handle it.
***
I arrived at the inn.
Surprisingly, no one called me out during my sprint back to the capital outskirts. When I returned to the inn, though, the staff screamed at my ragged appearance.
After forcibly changing into fresh clothes thanks to frantic maids, I summoned the butler.
“Miss Bell, may I help you?”
“Can I meet the king regarding matters involving Maleficent?”
Unexpectedly, the butler didn’t ask for details. He just asked me to wait briefly.
I thought he’d at least question the reason, but while his expression hinted at curiosity, he remained silent.
That night…
I boarded a waiting carriage outside the inn, carrying the items I’d looted from Maleficent’s lair. This time, instead of the royal palace, I entered a building slightly further out. King Highpion waited in our usual meeting spot.
“So, you wanted to see me about the witch.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I carried a ton of stuff, but oddly, no one commented on it. The guards didn’t inspect my belongings either—it was like VIP clearance.
Isn’t that over-trusting?
What if I was here to assassinate him?
As I questioned the royal security system, I placed the items I brought onto the table in front of the now familiar man.
“What are these?”
After pondering how to explain, I went with a straightforward answer.
“This is Maleficent’s diary.”
Pointing at one book, I watched as the king stiffened. His guarded gaze fell upon the items.
“Where did you find this?”
“I discovered where she spent her final days.”
To my knowledge, aside from Victoria, no one knows what I said to Maleficent during her last moments.
Not a word about her hidden location escaped me. But it’s not a lie—I learned it through her memories.
“And I brought back dangerous items primarily.”
Indeed, only the truly hazardous ones: tools designed to kill, curse, or destroy.
I have no intention of teaching anyone how to use them.
Knowing too much would seem suspicious, wouldn’t it?
“Can you tell me the location?”
“Yes.”
I revealed the site of Maleficent’s fortress to King Highpion.
And added casually:
“There’s gold and silver left behind, but it’s heavy, so I left it. If you want, go ahead and retrieve it, though I don’t recommend it—the castle is old and could collapse anytime.”
By imposing a time limit and hinting at treasure, they’ll likely send someone to investigate.
Desire is better stirred by prohibition than encouragement. Especially when the risk seems manageable, it works wonders.
“Did you really venture into such a dangerous area?”
“I’m not human. Besides, those are Maleficent’s things.”
Just stating facts.
But listeners might interpret this as me retrieving dangerous materials for disposal.
Leaving the precious metals behind, I brought only the dangerous items and laid them out. Alongside, I included a detailed guide explaining Maleficent’s work.
Doesn’t this make me look like such a good citizen?
And I plan to stay that way.
Sure, I’ll quietly expand the harvesters on impulse, but otherwise, I intend to act harmless, blend in, and wait patiently.
Bern City burns amidst chaos, and inventors in Brightshin Slums tinker with new tech.
This is bribery, essentially.
Being nice means playing along.
“With all this, there’s nothing I can offer in return.”
At that, King Highpion sighed, approaching the table to touch the items.
So I warned him not to mess with them lightly—they’re dangerous.
Of course, simply grabbing or swinging them won’t activate the magic tools. But saying this makes him think I know less about them than I actually do.
Giving too much freely would raise suspicion. Let’s mask goodwill while subtly planting trouble in Bern City.
“The cries from the south never stop.”
He knows something terrible happens. Whether caused by him or not, the king expects results regarding Bern City’s situation.
And that will lead to the worst outcome.
Because the Twilight Association has already lost all trust in the nation. Who would believe the king now, even if he tries to suppress the rebellion?
Even if everything somehow resolves smoothly, the real issue still lurks beneath the surface.
A fundamental flaw in the power source for clockwork mechanisms.
Bern City, full of advanced clockworks, might’ve been the first to surpass its critical threshold. If unaddressed, another disaster will strike.
Which city comes next after Bern City in terms of clockwork density?
You guessed it: the capital.
There’s a slow-ticking bomb attached to a clock in the capital.
Will it be defused? Or will we watch it explode?
Either way works for me.
Thinking this, I nudge events forward.
How will things unfold now?