(Zhenya Pov)

“That’s it. The check-point.” With Rudi, Junia, and I at the helm. We pulled up to a fort. Su opted to stay in the carriage. Something about the snug confines, surrounded by supplies, spoke to her, and she always had the back opening if she wanted to enjoy the scenery.

Even though it was slow goings, the place was on high alert. Current affairs wouldn’t allow for anything less. Danger hounded them from all sides. Bandits thrived in times of bloodshed, opportunistic wolves ready to take their fill from the living or dead. Meanwhile, rioters, dissenters, revolutionaries. Whatever this group branded themselves as, they were faceless and could be just about anyone.

Citizens swept up in the hype, criminals looking to turn profit, or rouge knights looking to make a point. Anyone could be a threat, a knife in the dark just waiting to happen. Which is why I'm surprised the Dutchy’s still allowing passage.

Despite the line being relatively short, it took forever to move. Identification, full-body pat-downs, an absurdly invasive search through personal belongings, tedious questions asked ad nauseam to weed out inconsistencies. These guys spared no expense and did their job admirably.

Yep. These highly trained border guards whose faces paled the second Junia came into view. Gone was any semblance of professionalism we observed before. On the contrary, they almost seemed apprehensive, if not absolutely terrified, of the tiny purple gremlin.

“Well, that was fast. Even with a v.i.p.”

“I did say that even among witches, Junia has a reputation. One that is not particularly-.” Rudi struggled to find an appropriate word. For what I assume is Junia’s reputation, which was abysmal enough to the point he refused to say it as is.

“It’s okay, Rudi.” The topical girl suddenly piped up, after staying quiet all this time. “People call me the Moon’s Left Hand.”

“Eh? That actually sounds flattering. They’re calling you the moon goddess's left hand.”

Rudi released a tired sigh as Junia replied. “It’s an old legend about the lunar witch. A short tale about a boy looking to cure his sister's disease who finds a pond with a pale woman's reflection one clear night. She offers him two potions. One is a remedy while the other is poison, declaring he may ask three questions before choosing.

After various hijinks, he learns the witch’s true nature. She will always offer poison with her left and remedies with her right.”

“Ah.” Yeah. Junia’s unique brand of potions does invoke a sense of misfortune. “But isn’t that title a little harsh? I understand the side effects may be off-putting, but calling it poison? Especially for an alchemist, it is crippling...”

“It’s all propaganda!” Taken completely aback by the boy’s outburst. My eyes flickered over to Junia only to find her usually passive stare twitch in irritation. “Those pathetic excuses for alchemists, bottom feeders the lot of them!”

“Alright, Rudi. Settle down. I gotcha. A buncha bullies with inflated egos...”

“No, Zhyena! They’re worse than that! Just because Teacher’s mother-” Just before her apprentice could finish, Junia ruthlessly cut him off. “Enough!” In voice befitting a mature woman than her own.

“Ah. *Cough*. Rudi, that’s enough. I don’t care what those meanies say. All I need are formulas, the freshly brewed aroma of a potion, and you.” One sunny declaration was enough to snap Rudi out of his fit.

“Hm? Su, you alright?” A thud from behind caught my attention. “Su, you there?” Slipping into the carriage, I shake the pale assassin's shoulders to no avail. “Hah. Another episode.” She was doing so well too. The last one must have been weeks ago.

“Excuse me.” Masterfully ignoring the mounting awkwardness created by her student, Junia retreated into the wagon, nudging me aside.

Now. Junia was no therapist, but she possessed a burning curiosity inherent in all witches... if someone cranked that up to eleven.

And nowhere was this proven then right now.

“Fascinating! Maybe due to her drowned psychology, Su’s consciousness has completely receded into her mind.” Quickly getting down to business, or pleasure in her case. Shoulder to shoulder with crates of supplies, deft hands expertly danced, disregarding the carriage's limited space.

“Yeah, she used to do that a lot. I don’t know what triggered this attack.” What could have set her off? Su had been doing so well, shrugging off things that would have put her past self into a panic.

“Bodily functions have nearly ceased. The patient seems to have entered a hibernation-like stasis.” Hold up! What was that first part? I would love an explanation, but this mad woman was too engrossed with her findings to hand one over.

Spending the next couple of hours making sure Junia didn’t dig too deep into the anatomical rabbit hole that is Su. We passed through the first of many Dutchy territories. Understandably, the roads were deserted. No indication of civilians or even guard patrols having passed through recently.

It’s calm. Only the rushing wind carrying the crows of animals broke this tepid silence. I don’t like it. Sounds way too much like the start of a hunt.

Like clockwork, Lyra’s warning came to mind. Bandits or insurgents... The only thing keeping me from jumping to either scenario is that we are still ways from the capital.

“Ah, I just remembered,” Rudi called out, having simmered down in the intervening time. “According to the guards, a coreless dungeon has been acting.... explosively as of recent. And that’s underplaying it. The entire area was terra-formed! It’s now a fire crystal forest. Hell, go one step further. The whole ecosystem has changed!” If he had me at explosive, he hooked Junia with that last bit.

Although, this didn’t stop her from examining Su’s body. For all of Junia’s manic exuberance, which bordered on unhealthy obsession, she carefully monitored Su’s condition as any doctor would.

Though if those rabid eyes screamed anything, she was weighing her options.

“How bout we check it out after dropping off the potions and Junia? She’ll be with us, I don’t think any of us could stop her, but we would have completed the request.”

Both of my conscious wagon mates agreed on that front.

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(Curator Pov)

“All according to pl- Oof!” Demanding my attention with a Dp-infused hit, the boyish dictator was the same as ever, a ball of stress and rage.

“You idiot! I should have objected when Whit nominated you! A fresh perspective, my ass. More like an amateur running a power plant.” That one stung, but not entirely incorrect. I did blow up. “All this mess right before the World’s Fair.”

“Woah, calm down. Sure, that was one hiccup, but look at the results. Isn’t this everything Whit asked for? I have the A.A’s and Dutchy's undivided attention, traffic is at an all-time high, and I’m surely gonna classify as a variant. Total success, don’t cha think?”

Fuel meet flame.

As to why Head’s here grilling my life decisions, he felt the disturbance a few days ago and immediately came knocking. I’m assuming Whit is somewhere nearby, enjoying the chaos.

“-ey! Are you even listening?”

“Huh? Yep. Catastrophic blunder on my part. And you want your precious convention to go off without a hitch.” No, need to tell me again.

“Yes.” The boyish core replied with a hint of poison. “But you don’t seem to understand your current situation.” ... Now that he mentions it. There is a civil war being waged right next door that I should prepare for.

“Ugh. You idiot. Let me reiterate. Not only does the A.A have their eye’s on you, which is slightly concerning. You also made yourself a prime target for the fools attempting to raze the Dutchy to ashes. Some experiment this turned out to be.” Looking around, Head made sure he had the attention of a certain white being before continuing.

“Whit, this has gone far outside the scope we set. I suggest shelving this experiment for another time. When things are less chaotic.”

“Now, now, Heady.” Whit was indeed here. “The situation’s not completely out of hand... Yet.” Thanks for the vote of confidence. Knowing the white figure, the only way this experiment gets classified as ‘out hand’ is if it threatened to end the world or something close to that.

“Although, if you’re so worried and inclined. Perhaps you would like to stay here for the remainder of the experiment.” Before Head could even reply, with what would have been scornful dismissal, Whit continued on, happy as ever. “You could make sure our littlest one stays out of trouble. And that your world fair goes off without a hitch. The current climate has been a major thorn in your side, hasn’t it?”

A crafty proposition that I didn’t expect from Whit. Though, with how Head has been stressing out. Anyone could have guessed how important the event was to him.

“Humph. While my stance remains the same, I doubt that will cease your meddling, you devil.” Once again, I’m too young to be a grump!

With Head won over, a wide almost inhuman grin spread on Whit's featureless face. If he was disturbed by those wide pearly whites, Head played it straight. “Play nice now, you two~” Departing with a tease, Whit faded out of existence. Leaving both Head and I silently agreeing on something, for once. He was still here and chugging down popcorn.

“Alright, let’s inspect this mess.” Experience rang through a weary voice. This core. No, this man was clearly a veteran when dealing with Whit’s antics.

In the wake of my accidental cataclysm, fire crystals consumed the area. Creating an entirely new biome for my cute creatures to roam above ground unabated.

Head for his part looked only slightly impressed as the morning sun’s rays refracted from prism to prism. He wouldn’t know aesthetics if it bit him in the ass. Then again, his planetarium floor was a sight and a half. But that only came from the subject rather than a conscious decision.

Trees were encased in a reddish amber substance preserving the plant. By the grace of whatever divine entity out there, though my money’s on Dp shenanigans, the surrounding plant life had adapted. Leaves continued to soak in sunlight, some even budding within their new scarlet shells.

Where once were hills now stood mountains. Gleaming monuments which only grew taller in time. And while Head usually would nag my ear off, this new ecosystem had him just about as giddy as the pink witch.

“Maybe this won’t be a waste of time after all.” As blunt as a hammer, this one. Head was engrossed with the witch’s notes, left splayed out on the table.

The research team had ramped up a notch. No longer was this ‘A strange coreless dungeon.’ This was now at the top of their list to research (and possibly exploit.) The A.A wasn’t slacking either, sending waves of eager adventurers to survey the new land and collect samples.

Usually, I’d be floored with all the activity going on. But with recent ongoings, I fear I may have painted a target on my back. Goddammit, Head was right.

Amid civil unrest and strife, a convenient source of minerals and elemental crystals suddenly appears. Fire crystals... PERFECT FOR DRIVING A POINT HOME!

Suddenly Head sticking around doesn’t sound so bad. At least I won’t be the only one dealing with this mess.