The Shaman Desires Transcendence

<The banquet hall wasn't exactly a palace, and running away was just going to lead her to some predictable outcome... but it had to be better than feeling that stare!>

<‘...So persistent, really.’>

<Thus, Odilia moved to a corner of the banquet hall.>

<Yet even then, she sighed inwardly at the forceful gaze that still felt like it was digging into her back.>

<What was so remarkable about Odilia that had her being stared at like this? She wasn’t some holy sorcerer battling inner demons or a shaman receiving weird prophecies! >

<That gaze, that relentless gaze! It felt like fire trailing up her back! >

<Seriously, why was God allowing this? Was she a ‘not-yet-ripened fruit’ meant to be hammered into hardened steel? >

<One could only shiver at the absurdity. >

<‘But here, that gaze is gone.’>

<Yet, just as mentioned, God does not give trials beyond what one can endure.>

<Thankfully, that intense gaze didn’t follow Odilia when she moved. >

<It wasn't like the 'Red Commie' stood up and obsessively trailed her everywhere she went.>

<If Gabriella had chased her down, she would’ve been plotting her escape anyway, so it actually worked out well.>

<For both the chaotic green-haired lady and Joanna, who would be tormented later, and even for Gabriella, who clearly had no idea why she was there, it was a stroke of luck.>

<Though it was indeed a twisted circumstance. >

<Sure, God only sends trials we can handle, but never just one at a time! >

<It was the same for Odilia. >

<‘…What a lunatic.’>

<There’s no paradise to escape to.>

<Rushing to a corner of the hall to avoid Gabriella’s intense stare, Odilia soon realized she was not arriving at a paradise but another hell altogether.>

<‘Wait, is that a broom? And what’s with that syringe?’>

<The corner of the banquet hall looked like a den of iniquity.>

<I heard people call the place where smokers hang out a 'raccoon hole.' If that’s the case, this was truly a 'witches’ den'. >

<Gathered here were nothing but witches, and they were engaged in the kind of debauchery that suited the theme of a 'Witches' Banquet'.>

<Whether it was some spell or a summoning technique, Odilia couldn’t tell.>

<From the outside, it just looked like a few witches chatting peacefully, but as soon as they crossed some line, the scene flipped upside down.>

<"Ah, ha, h-hah!" >

<"Hnngg—" >

<As soon as she stepped into the corner, she was hit with breathy moans.>

<The mix of heat and shrill sounds filled the air, feeling like a reenactment of 'the witches’ depraved and indulgent gatherings' recorded by holy sorcerers of medieval times. >

<Odilia couldn’t help but close her eyes tightly. >

<The stereotype of witches riding brooms came from their use of hallucinogenic spores to trip out, right?>

<That was just a stereotype, right? >

<"You foolish hatchlings, what are you doing in here?!" >

<These crazy witches seemed intent on recreating the records, huddling together with long brooms rolling around! >

<And unlike the primitive pleasures of the old broomsticks, they were indulging openly in modern science! >

<The name of that science? Drugs.>

<An evil spirit that wrecks all human reward systems.>

<Odilia was taken aback. >

<This made no sense! >

<Seriously, how could they be doing this at an event hosted by a Great Witch when they could have rented a villa to do this in secret? There was even a thought crossing her mind that someone was deliberately setting up a prank video with this ridiculous situation!>

<But Odilia knew better. >

<The world doesn’t run purely on common sense.>

<People abound who ignore and transcend common sense.>

<If the world operated that way, there wouldn’t have been a Nazi decades ago. >

<They wouldn’t have killed Jews with exhaust gas, turned them into leather crafts, stuffed their jackets with hair instead of feathers or cotton, or attempted to make soap from human fat. >

<Madness is unpredictable and utterly baffling. >

<That’s why Odilia was able to doubt the reality yet accept it quickly. >

<In Korea, they might have prank cameras, but this was the real deal where crazy witches were doing drugs at a proper banquet! >

<So she thundered, like lightning striking.>

<"You’ve set up these curtains for a Great Witch’s banquet, and you’re pulling this crap? Do you think this is a witches’ gathering where you fool around with evil spirits?" >

<But seriously, what could these drug-fueled individuals fear? >

<You can’t scare someone on drugs with loud thunderous roars. >

<Unless the heavens decided to pour down real lightning, or Odilia spewed thunder from her mouth, there was no way to bring those witches back to their senses.>

<Odilia's head quickly pieced that together, and she realized that scolding the witches at the moment was as useless and foolish as reading the Bible to a beast. >

<But still, just turning away with a 'Well, I shouldn’t associate with those kinds of people' was a blow to her pride.>

<Pride.>

<Odilia was an elder respected as a Great Witch among many witches. >

<How could someone like her simply pass by when witnessing witches indulging in ridiculous drugs? >

<At least in her mind, she was bound to scold them, even if it meant raising her hand! >

<‘Tsks. It’s not my business what they do at home, but doing that here, among witches, should be kept in check.’ >

<Thus, Odilia chose one of the empty chairs forlornly waiting for someone to use her, nestled between the witches rolling around, and fixed her gaze on them.>

<She intended to scold them soundly once they woke up from their drug haze.>

<‘Making them feel embarrassed would be too harsh, so let’s leave that out. First, drain their life force until their skin is as thin as an old man's, cause a ton of skin problems… and then make it so they can never think about injecting again, by heightening skin sensitivity to lower their pain threshold, and cover their mucous membranes in pollen so they can’t even take pills... then let them suffer! >

<The longer Odilia gazed at them, the stronger the punishment they would receive.>

<Her resolution to ensure they never touched drugs again became increasingly firm, driving her motives into clarity.>

<Finally, that clarity brought her to a focal point. >

“Ugh, ugh…?” >

<One of the witches practically rolling on the broom suddenly opened her eyes. >

<It was as if she had woken up from a drunken stupor, grimacing in pain. Like some hungover individual, she was retching a couple of times, then slowly began to rise.>

<With her bleary eyes, she surveyed her surroundings, and when she locked eyes with Odilia, she froze. >

<Staring at her blankly for what felt like an eternity, the witch seemed to question the reality of what she was seeing.>

<And so, Odilia mirrored her confused head tilt, locking eyes back with her. >

<What you see is reality, and in front of you is a Great Witch. >

“…Great Witch Odilia?” >

<Gradually, the light returned to the witch’s eyes.>

<The gaze that had been muddied by the haze cleared up, and her confused eyes fixed firmly on Odilia. >

<Slurred speech spilled from her mouth, her swaying body barely remaining upright. >

<Was it the drugs wearing off? Or was it because she was facing a Great Witch that the effects didn’t seem to matter? >

<As clarity returned, the witch stared at Odilia in fear, and when she confirmed the elder’s face, an odd expression crossed her features, as if she were trying to sort out some complex thoughts. >

<Then, with what seemed like a resolve, she looked directly at Odilia, her face saying, 'Let’s see what kind of excuse you make for this.' >

“O-Oh, Odilia! This place is a trap!” >

<...That was an exceedingly desperate cry, not so much an excuse.>