Chapter 116:
A Defining Puzzle Piece
"Priscilla's research on a new spell?"
"Yes, I heard a witch named Vera mention it at your gathering... Priscilla is researching some new spell that can help wanted witches stop hiding, maybe even rescue you."
In the evening, inside the warden's office, Aiden and Dailey sat across from each other.
"I'm not sure about that. Think about it, how many years have I been in prison? I haven't had any contact with her during that time," Dailey said calmly.
"True...."
The response was just as Aiden had anticipated.
Even if Dailey knew what exactly Priscilla's new spell was, she wouldn't disclose it to Aiden. This information held no bargaining value for Dailey, and even if she did reveal it, there wouldn't be any significant benefit.
Aiden had no intention of coaxing the exact answer out of her; he was merely making conversation.
When he infiltrated the witch gathering, Vera's mention of the spell Priscilla was researching had piqued his interest.
"Warden, how is Priscilla doing today?" Dailey suddenly inquired.
"Much better than expected. The medicine Melusine made is quite effective. By this afternoon, she was completely pain-free. It's possible that she might be back in her cell tonight. Just to be safe, we'll have her on a liquid diet for a couple more days," Aiden replied.
"That's wonderful news," Dailey genuinely seemed happy about it.
With a foreign object in the digestive tract and such severe gastric bleeding, even with the medical technology from Aiden's previous world, it would require a highly advanced surgery and a period of hospitalization to cure. For the current ordinary medical standards of this world, it presents a rather challenging problem, almost a matter of life and death.
Melusine beastification medicine and hemostatic medicine completely cured her within a dayalthough the treatment process was somewhat bizarre, it undeniably proved effective.
In this world, witches and alchemists treading the line of forbidden research possess knowledge and techniques that surpass their time. However, due to mainstream rejection and their self-serving nature, they rarely share their research with the outside world.
From Aiden's perspective as a transmigrator, this is a regrettable situation, which is why he leverages his past experiences to allow inmates like Dailey to earn sentence reductions based on research achievements.
"It seems like you and Priscilla have quite a good relationship," Aiden remarked casually.
"For now, we could be considered friends," Dailey smiled. "Even in my current state, I don't wish to see her bullied in prison. Taking care of her out of gratitude seems appropriate."
"It's somewhat surprising. I always assumed that the relationships between witches were more..." Aiden paused at the right moment.
"Indeed, the relationships among most witches are quite distant, even a bit adversarial. But in the end, we simply have a different way of doing things from ordinary folks. If we get along with someone, a bit of interaction is normal, right?" Dailey teased with a smile, gesturing back and forth between herself and Aiden. "Look at how well we, the warden and I, understand each other."
"Who understands you? Alright, that's all the questions. Go back to your cell," Aiden waved his hand to dismiss Dailey.
After the guards and riot squad waiting outside escorted Dailey back to the core area, Aiden sat down on the chair, and fell deep in thought.
Still couldn't find the crucial 'piece'...
he was starting to get a faint idea about Rebecca and Priscilla's issue.
From their various abnormal behaviors, it was undeniable that they were far from simply suffering from amnesia.
Director Harold had noticed this even earlier than him, but unlike Aiden, Harold seemed focused solely on Rebecca.
During his conversation with Harold, Aiden could roughly discern his thoughts.
Harold seemed to suspect that Priscilla might have done something extra to Rebecca during the capture. Priscilla, being a powerful witch specializing in psychic black magic, could have potentially implanted deep hypnotic suggestions into Rebecca's consciousness. Therefore, Harold had temporarily suspended Rebecca's privileges under sick leave and had her monitored.
Considering Rebecca's unusual behavior, this suspicion seemed reasonable.
However, the Inquisition clearly overlooked Priscilla's issue. Priscilla's complete amnesia led them to prematurely conclude she had no interrogation value, and swiftly transferring her to Rose Prison.
It was certain that Priscilla had done something beyond erasing memories from Rebecca; the crucial point lay in what exactly she had done.
If we consider both individuals' situations together, the scope of "what was done" can be narrowed down instantly.
The most crucial point is that both individuals exhibited symptoms of using their non-dominant hand.
Rebecca is left-handed, but after "losing her memory," she subconsciously started using her right hand, whereas Priscilla did the opposite.
It's as if their bodies and consciousness had reversed their memories of their dominant hands, which leads to the possibility of a body swap...
"Indeed, the highest likelihood is a body swap," Aiden thought.
During the capture that day, in a moment of desperation, Priscilla used a spell to directly swap bodies with Rebecca, erasing Rebecca's memories and masquerading as partially amnesiac to temporarily deflect suspicion.
In other words, the one currently active in the city within Rebecca's body is actually Priscilla.
The "Priscilla" thrown unknowingly into prison is the real Rebecca.
If we start considering things from this assumption, many previous mysteries suddenly become clear.
The pendant, a symbol of the Great Witch, being inexplicably swallowed by "Priscilla," then "Rebecca" showing intense interest in the pendant but losing interest as soon as its was damaged...
And also, the insistence of "Rebecca" on being transferred to Rose Prison...
Moreover, the spell that Vera mentioned Priscilla was researching...
It all makes sense!
However, even if it all makes sense, it ultimately remains a highly probable speculation.
After all......
A crucial piece is still needed, even if not as evidence but to definitively settle the matter. That's why he had just tried asking Daileyalthough without much hope.
"If only there was a way to directly delve into someone's subconscious..." Aiden suddenly had this thought.
At that moment, he paused.
realizing that perhaps... there actually was a way.
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