45 Chapter 44: Cinderella and the Glass Slipper

Upon hearing his words, Miss Witch, who had been turning the pages, paused slightly.

She glanced up at Char, seeming somewhat surprised by this revelation, although she didn't show it outwardly.

Seeing Char's face filled with anticipation, Miss Witch fell silent for a moment and didn't outright refuse.

She gracefully stood up, surveyed the expansive hall with a glance, and then waved her hand gently.

As if the creator had sketched a painting with an ethereal brush, accompanied by the familiar "transition animation," the scenery of the entire hall slowly faded away, revealing another space before Char's eyes.

It was a vast library that defied description, with bookshelves embedded into the walls on all sides, neatly and orderly displaying countless books of various kinds.

Not only that, but the floor was covered in a red carpet embroidered with golden patterns, and the carpet was strewn with books that had already been read.

Miss Witch turned around and spoke softly, "I have read every book here."

Though it was just a simple sentence, Char sensed the underlying meaning.

She meant to say that in the vast span of her divine life, she had read all kinds of books, making it difficult for any story to pique her interest.

Was she questioning the wisdom of countless literary giants from another world over thousands of years?

Seeing Miss Witch casually pick up a book without any interest and quietly sit down by the steps, Char became displeased.

As someone with a writer's alter ego, he knew all too well how lacking literary works were in this world.

"You might as well listen to it first before passing judgment," Char said.

Miss Witch didn't respond. Her slender and fair legs gently came together as she placed the selected book on her lap and lowered her head to flip open one of its pages.

There was neither refusal nor agreement.

Char looked around but found no place to sit, so he simply crossed his legs right where he stood, surrounded by a pile of thick books.

"The story I'm about to tell is a fairy tale," Char said,

.....

Meanwhile, in a certain department of the Tower of Judgement in the upper district of the capital city, a conversation took place.

"Lord Rode, are you here for an inspection?"

"Yes."

"Please come in quickly!"

"I remember that the minimum age requirement to join the Tower of Judgement as an internal member is 18, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"We have a rather unique file here. Take a look."

"A student from Norton Academy... Apart from age, they meet all the basic criteria. Are you suggesting an exceptional appointment?"

"Yes."

"Understood. I will handle it immediately."

"Assign him the position of a junior patrol officer. He's too young and still needs to hone his skills."

"Understood."

....

The story of "Cinderella" is neither too long nor too short.

In reality, Char didn't choose to tell the original version of the fairy tale but opted for the live-action Disney film version, adding embellishments and emphasizing the elements of romance.

Throughout the storytelling, he occasionally glanced towards Miss Witch, secretly observing her reactions.

Char kept track of the frequency at which she turned the pages.

At the beginning, she turned a page every ten seconds, then every twenty seconds, and later only once every half a minute.

It had been almost a minute since he started, and Miss Witch remained still, still on the page she had looked at earlier.

Moreover, when he described Cinderella's tragic background and her nickname "Cinderella," Miss Witch inadvertently lifted her head once, but quickly concealed it.

Char felt a sense of amusement in his heart.

If he had stuck to the original fairy tale version, it might not have been as captivating. But with the added adult elements, it transformed from a simple fairy tale into a proper story of a counterattack.

When Char reached the part about the glass slipper, Miss Witch gave a clear physical response for the first time.

She slightly lowered her head and glanced at her own exposed crystal-clear foot, seemingly contemplating something.

However, she soon seemed to sense Char's gaze and silently averted her eyes.

Retracted beneath her black skirt, along with it were those snow-white delicate feet.

"...As the clock struck twelve, Cinderella, who had regained her senses, recalled the fairy's warning and hurriedly lifted her skirt, intending to leave the ball. However, just as she was about to depart, the prince grabbed her and, in the process, she accidentally stumbled and lost a glass slipper at the doorway."

"After returning home, as the day dawned, Cinderella, now deprived of her magic and reverted to her former Cinderella appearance, continued to endure the oppression of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters day after day."

At this point, Char suddenly paused.

In reality, from a realistic perspective, the story could possibly end here.

But for Cinderella, that night was more like a fleeting dream. When she woke up from the dream, there was no fairy, no magic, and no glass slipper.

All that awaited her was a future devoid of hope.

The atmosphere suddenly fell into silence.

Char lowered his head, opened his palm, and a pool of black liquid slowly seeped out, which, under his control, instantly solidified into a pitch-black single-handed sword.

He condensed an "Interpreter" with [Ember], eagerly brandishing it twice.

If he were to face Angelica's Ice Thorn Spear again, he could boldly shout, "Starburst Stream."

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"..."

Sensing the prolonged silence, Miss Witch lifted her head, glanced at Char, and remained silent.

However, the temperature around them inexplicably dropped a few degrees.

After all, nobody likes an interrupted story.

After a while, seeing that Char showed no intention of continuing, the witch subtly clenched her fist.

Finally, she slowly closed the book in her hand and turned her gaze toward the young man.

The witch softly inquired, "What is the ending of the story?"

Indeed, compared to supposed deities, both in behavior and character, Miss Witch leaned more towards being human.

To the extent that there existed an imperceptible accommodation between her and Char.

Char smiled and retracted the black longsword in his hand.

He shamelessly spouted nonsense, saying, "On Cinderella's side, she was bullied by her stepmother and stepsisters every day, engaged in strenuous labor, which caused her to age quickly. She passed away within a few years."

"And as for the prince, he searched the entire city but couldn't find the woman he held in his heart. Thus, he remained unmarried for the rest of his life, melancholically leaving this world."

Miss Witch calmly looked at him, her expression unchanged.

"A story that aligns well with reality."

She coldly commented in a calm voice.

It was unclear whether it was an illusion, but it felt like her tone became even colder after hearing this false ending.

Char shook his head. "In reality, this story has a second ending."

"After the evening banquet, in order to see his dream lover once again, the prince mobilized the entire city, using the glass slipper left behind by Cinderella, searching for the girl who could wear it."

"Upon hearing this news, the two wicked stepsisters, desiring to become the queen, cut off their toes and heels and led the prince to their home."

"But they couldn't deceive the wise prince."

"Just when he was in despair, thinking he would never see that girl again, he suddenly saw 'Cinderella,' who was sweeping dust in front of the fireplace."

"Out of curiosity, the prince took out the glass slipper and asked her to try it on."

"Under his gaze, Cinderella successfully put on the beautiful glass slipper and admitted that she was the girl who had danced with him that night."

"Thus, at the climax of the story, it arrived at a perfect resolution."

"From then on, Cinderella entered the palace, becoming the cherished wife of the prince, and lived a life of glory, wealth, and happiness."

As he reached this point, he looked up and gazed at the somewhat absent-minded Miss Witch.

For some reason, Char thought of her unknown past. Although she was the ultimate antagonist that everyone talked about on the continent, it was difficult to say what kind of past she had.

Perhaps it wasn't impossible for her to have experiences similar to Cinderella's.

After all, no one simply appeared in this world. Even from Char's perspective as a transmigrant, gods were nothing more than immensely powerful humans.

Of course, these were just speculations.

But looking at her current demeanor, maybe it wasn't all wishful thinking on Char's part.

He didn't know why he felt compelled to say these words.

"So, you're saying that a perfect ending does exist." Char stood up slowly, took a couple of steps forward, and slightly spread his hands, one on each side. "The difference lies in which one people choose... in the end."