SB Ch106: True or False Witch

Chapter 106: “I just feel like we’re in the same boat.”

Just as Toudou Sakura leapt up, many possibilities flashed through Lao Yu’s mind.

He himself was a witch, and his perspective was different from others. Before him, Toudou Sakura had been the first to stand up and bluff his identity during the election process. At that time, afraid of exposing himself as a priest, he wore a commoner’s camouflage.

But now, Toudou Sakura falsely claimed she was the witch and gave a silver water card to someone who had received a wolf card.

She had really hit the iron board this time!

Toudou Sakura was still emphasizing her identity at this moment.

“I am the only real witch here. Considering your own cards, analyze whether Andrew can truly be a seer. How is it that his prophecy just happens to target the person I saved? I won’t delve into the self-inflicted wound logic. In a game like this, with the gargoyle card that doesn’t meet with the wolf team, the wolves start with only three members. With just three members, would they still wound one of their own? As a witch, with the gargoyle present, I would definitely be cautious about using the antidote, fearing I might save the gargoyle. So, I don’t believe Megan can be pretending to be attacked.”

“As for the gargoyle,” Toudou Sakura smiled, “someone with her kind of speech cannot be a gargoyle. The main behavior of the gargoyle in this game should be finding their wolf teammates and hinting to them about the person they checked on the first night. But Megan hasn’t commented on anyone, hasn’t specifically said who’s good or bad, and only chose the seer who didn’t target her among the two. This mindset doesn’t match a gargoyle’s behavior. If she were the gargoyle, she wouldn’t have jumped here.”

Toudou Sakura spoke logically, shedding her earlier playful tone and appearing very different from the election phase.

“She can only be a good person who fell at night. I indeed saved her last night, so in my eyes, the one who claimed to be a seer and gave me a silver water card must be a wolf and not a gargoyle. The true seer is Matsubara Mori, and Andrew is a wolf.”

Her speech was assertive, “I’ll say it again: I am the witch. If anyone challenges me, I will use my poison tonight. Whoever challenges me, I will poison. Today, I will ensure this fake mid-priest is out. Pass.”

All attention was shifted to Lao Yu.

An Wujiu slightly turned his face.

He didn’t comment on Lao Yu during the election phase, not because he minded Lao Yu’s emotional gameplay, but because An Wujiu felt there was an issue.

A divine card being bluffed would certainly be confident, tough, and unafraid of being bluffed. The more agitated and helpless one is, the more likely they are to be a commoner who cannot prove themselves and lacks information.

But Lao Yu’s emotions were overly intense, making him seem more like a divine card dressed as a commoner.

An Wujiu couldn’t point this out during the election phase. If Lao Yu was indeed divine, pointing out this logic could get him labeled as a wolf; only wolves seek out divine cards. So An Wujiu played it safe and didn’t discuss Lao Yu.

An Wujiu was somewhat worried that Lao Yu might lose his composure and reveal his identity this round.

He suspected Lao Yu was the witch, seeing Toudou Sakura’s expression and the signs of her struggling to conceal the truth. If Lao Yu were indeed the witch, he could avoid revealing his identity and poison the challenging player at night.

But this involved the issue of real and fake seers. If they couldn’t vote out the fake seer this round, it might affect the witch’s poisoning decision.

In summary, it required psychological maneuvering from the witch.

Lao Yu’s face was heavy, not as aggressive and close as in the election phase, but calmly he said, “I am the real witch. Toudou Sakura is fake, and her silver water is fake. I saved Matsubara Mori last night.”

“Honestly,” Lao Yu sighed, “I initially wanted to stay hidden, wearing a commoner’s appearance to avoid being targeted, but I feel the good people can’t see the situation clearly. If I don’t step out, someone else might claim my identity and deceive everyone. Toudou Sakura’s speech during the election was very off. Her statements were very strange. Now she’s siding with Matsubara; I suspect she’s using an obvious wolf identity to tarnish the real seer’s team. If you think Toudou Sakura, speaking as she did and siding with Matsubara, is legit, then next round you’ll doubt the real seer, Matsubara. By then, it will be even harder for us good people to find the gargoyle.”

“So I have to stand up,” he looked at Toudou Sakura to his right. “Just listen to Toudou Sakura’s speech; you’ll know she doesn’t have a witch’s perspective. Since she saved this number five Megan but keeps considering if number five could be a wolf, a real witch would just declare the silver water without speculating on their role. Megan is not today’s focus. Plus, Toudou Sakura didn’t explain why she saved Megan last night; they don’t seem to have any relation.”

“So you must be voted out today.” Lao Yu looked at the others and said, “Toudou Sakura is a wolf. She’s trying to dirty the seer’s identity. From my card and the person I saved, Andrew is clearly a wolf. That’s two wolves now. Megan is Andrew’s target. I initially thought Megan might be a good person, but it’s possible wolves are framing each other. Then Toudou Sakura jumped up to save Megan, so she might be a gargoyle.”

He explained to the others, “Think about it. The gargoyle doesn’t meet with them at night, so Toudou Sakura and Andrew don’t know who the gargoyle is. But Andrew gave her a target. If she were a normal person, wouldn’t she try to defend herself properly? But Megan’s speech seemed deliberately poor, as if signaling.”

“I think Toudou Sakura figured out she was the gargoyle and jumped as a witch to save her. This logic is possible, right?”

Lao Yu pointed at Megan and said, “She must be the gargoyle, playing dumb. So my suspects are Andrew, Toudou Sakura, and Megan. Toudou Sakura and Andrew are framing each other and the gargoyle.”

His demeanor indeed resembled that of a witch, but An Wujiu had a lingering sense of unease.

If Lao Yu were truly the witch, the analysis seemed too smooth.

Would the Wolf team really play so recklessly?

But if the wolves’ tactics were more intricate, it would indeed be hard to believe. This way, wolves framing each other might at least allow one to survive till the third day.

The wolf team is not simple this time.

“Let’s vote Megan out today. If she is the gargoyle, the wolf team loses their backing,” Lao Yu said firmly. “Tonight, I will poison Toudou Sakura for sure. There will definitely be a double kill tonight. Matsubara Mori is the real seer. I don’t think the wolves would self-inflict, and even if there is a self-inflicting wolf, don’t forget, we have a priest among us who specializes in dealing with self-inflicting wolves.”

An Wujiu’s face showed no expression.

Lao Yu was referring to him, the grave keeper.

If there really was a self-inflicting wolf pretending to be a good person, and they vote someone else out in the morning sacrifice, then he just needs to check the morning sacrifice’s identity at night to clarify everything.

If the sacrificed person is a good person, then the one opposing them is definitely a wolf.

If the sacrificed person is a wolf, then their decision was correct, and the good people didn’t choose the wrong side.

But this identity card couldn’t be easily revealed. The witch at least has a vial of poison, and the hunter has a gun and can kill the challenger. But as a grave keeper, all he can do is examine corpses.

“I heard the oracle telling me Matsubara Mori died last night. Initially, I didn’t want to save anyone. I don’t know him, and I feared that the wolf team might have killed the gargoyle without knowing it. What if my good intentions backfired? But I heard a sentence, not on purpose, but overheard when Toudou Sakura was talking to Matsubara.”

“Matsubara said if he couldn’t succeed this round, he might not be able to revive.”

Matsubara was taken aback when he heard Lao Yu mention this.

“I thought about it and felt we were in the same boat, so I decided to save him. As long as he is a good person, he can see the situation clearly. This is my thought process as the witch.”

He spoke sincerely, which was very different from his demeanor during the election. An Wujiu specifically observed others’ expressions. Due to Lao Yu’s previous emotional outburst, many still seemed doubtful, despite his current sincerity.

“Anyway, I must vote out this mid-priest today. I am the witch, and Matsubara is the one I saved last night. I’ll accept the golden water he gave me. Andrew is definitely the reckless wolf. Megan might be the gargoyle. Toudou Sakura is definitely a wolf. I’ll listen to the back positions’ speeches to identify the last wolf. That’s all for now.”

It was An Wujiu’s turn.

He thought for a moment and then spoke: “Now there are two seers and two witches, one wolf and one good person each. I can’t reveal my identity. The probability of us three consecutively finding three identity cards is not high. As they spoke earlier, I considered which one of the five key cards—two seers, two witches, and one targeted card—would be the safest to sacrifice. This is what we good people need to consider.”

“Honestly,” he turned to Lao Yu, “I also want to vote out the gargoyle on the first day, but I don’t think Megan is the gargoyle unless everyone after Andrew in the election is not a wolf card. If they were, a wolf teammate would have noticed the gargoyle being targeted and jumped to save them. In that case, three wolves would be in the election, with two jumping as seers. But no one in the back positions jumped as a seer.”

“Another point: If Megan were the gargoyle, not a regular wolf, think about it. If you were the gargoyle and the seer targeted you during the election, what would you do? Wait for the unseen wolf teammate to save you, or jump yourself? Most would choose the latter because the gargoyle has a natural advantage; they can check others, possibly even identify divine cards, right?”

After speaking, he looked at Megan, who didn’t look well.

“So I think she is most likely a regular wolf, assuming Andrew is the real seer. If Matsubara is the real seer, then this view needs to be overturned. Matsubara checked on Lao Yu and said he was a good person. Lao Yu jumped as a witch after Toudou Sakura, claiming the wolves killed Matsubara last night. If Matsubara is the real seer, Lao Yu is the witch, Toudou Sakura is a wolf, Andrew is a wolf, and Megan is unknown.”

“If Lao Yu isn’t the witch but another good person card, it’s still possible because jumping as a witch here would strongly support the real seer, Matsubara.”

“In other words, if Andrew is the seer, Toudou Sakura, Matsubara, and Megan are three wolves. Conversely, if Matsubara is the seer, Lao Yu and Toudou Sakura, one is the witch, Andrew is the reckless wolf, Megan’s identity is uncertain, and Wu You (8) and Noah (9), who voted for Andrew, should be considered wolves. There might also be a back-stabbing wolf in the election, making this side’s wolf pit harder to identify clearly.”

“I listened to the speeches earlier. No. 7, Shen Ti, is a good person.”

As soon as An Wujiu finished, he glanced at Shen Ti, who was clutching his chest in an exaggerated manner of gratitude.

“The wolf pits he identified are similar to mine, and he didn’t jump as a seer, withdrawing from the election to give the staff to the real seer. In my mind, he is temporarily a good person.”

Hearing the word “temporarily,” Shen Ti pouted and dropped his hand from his chest, resuming his lazy posture with his hand supporting his face.

“For the three voting cards, Nan Shan’s state is relatively good, but he voted for Matsubara during the election and now doesn’t support him. Actually, you must support one of the two seers. You can listen to the speeches, but not taking a side is unacceptable. Wu You and Noah only gave reasons for their votes; you should elaborate because voters will be the focus of attention and will have to keep explaining why they voted that way.”

“I don’t want to comment on the two witches because you can handle your own matters. I certainly won’t bring the poison onto myself,” An Wujiu said with a smile. “Actually, when I heard the two witches talking about their rescue information, my first reaction was relief. I thought I would die on the first night, but surprisingly, neither of the blades was aimed at me. However…”

“I suddenly realized this wasn’t something to be relieved about.” An Wujiu raised an eyebrow. “Because I thought, if I encountered a wolf team that wasn’t very skilled but was very wary of me, they would definitely kill me on the first night, taking the gamble that the witch wouldn’t use the potion. But I didn’t die, so I have to think, why didn’t the wolf team kill me? Is it because they really aren’t afraid of me?”

An Wujiu extended his right hand, placing it on the glass cover of the kerosene lamp atop the lamppost. The warm, burning temperature immediately transferred to his cold palm.

“I think they want to use others’ wariness of me to intentionally keep me in the game. This way, I might end up in the good team’s wolf pit as a scapegoat, directly taking the fall for a sacrifice, achieving two goals with one action.”

This statement seemed to open up a new perspective for all the players.

The smile on An Wujiu’s face gradually disappeared.

“So, I guess this wolf team must be highly skilled players.”

After speaking, he returned to a relaxed state. “That’s all I can share. As for the speeches from the two seers, Andrew seems more favorable, with flawless speeches and good choices of targets, but Matsubara was the first to jump, so I have some tolerance for him. I actually find the witches harder to distinguish, but fortunately, you can prove your identity. The wolves definitely won’t go for the witches, so I don’t need to analyze too much.”

“I originally wanted to vote out Megan because her speech was weak, but I’m afraid if we push out Megan and the grave keeper says she is a wolf the next day, we still won’t be able to define Andrew’s identity because Megan might have self-inflicted. I’ll listen more to the two seers. I still think sacrificing the seer is the best way to define identities. If the grave keeper confirms it’s a wolf, then it’s a wolf.”

“That’s all.”

After An Wujiu finished speaking, it was No. 12, Matsubara Mori’s turn.

His expression was no longer as relaxed as during his first speech; he even sighed lightly before speaking.

“Speech by No. 12: I am indeed the real seer, and I indeed checked No. 2 last night. No. 2 is a good person. I can’t say for sure that he is the witch, but he is the genuine good person I checked last night. I hope everyone won’t consider No. 2 as a wolf; he is a good person. Whether he is the witch can be proven by himself, so I won’t discuss his specific identity.”

“You say my choice of targets wasn’t good enough, that’s true. Because I was the first to jump as a seer, the first three speakers were either bluffing identities, being bluffed, or I thought An Wujiu was a good person, so I didn’t listen much. After the election, I can change my mind.”

“Secondly, about the gargoyle: In the fourth speaking position, it’s not easy to point out the gargoyle, which can’t be identified by just looking. The first three didn’t seem like it. In my opinion, the gargoyle in the first round definitely doesn’t want to make themselves a focal point; otherwise, it’s very dangerous. The wolf teammates might not even recognize them. Plus, I hoped good people would recognize me as the seer, so I spoke more cautiously, hoping to get votes for me. In this situation, I wouldn’t strongly accuse anyone of being a wolf or gargoyle. I wanted the staff.”

Matsubara Mori’s expression was sincere, even with a hint of helplessness and self-mockery for not being recognized. “Only Nan Shan voted for me. In my eyes, he is a good person, and his speech was favorable. I don’t know if you can stand with me this round, but I’ve said everything I needed to. If you can believe me, this round, vote out Andrew. He is the wolf challenging me.”

“Tonight, I won’t check No. 1. I’ll check No. 8, Wu You, who voted for Andrew and spoke briefly. If I survive, I’ll check No. 4 (Zhou Yijue) tomorrow night, because I think No. 1 An Wujiu is a good person. Lao Yu is a good person; I checked; Toudou Sakura jumped as a witch; and the witch will definitely use poison tonight, so I don’t need to check. Megan, I heard An Wujiu and Lao Yu say they want to push her out. I don’t think it’s necessary. She was checked as a wolf, and we can keep her and listen to her speech. This round, we must destroy the staff and vote out Andrew. I’ll check Zhou Yijue tomorrow night.”

“I don’t have much else to say. I speak to all good people. I am the real seer. I hope everyone can accept my speech this round and destroy the staff. I’m done.”

Then it was Yang Ce’s turn.

Yang Ce’s face showed a bit of confusion.

“I don’t think No. 12’s speech was good. They didn’t support you because your election speech wasn’t good.”

“He didn’t dare talk about the witches; did you notice?”

Yang Ce addressed everyone, “Just now, Matsubara said the witches would handle it at night, but this round, because the witches jumped out, it became such a strong confrontation. If none of you talk about the witches, I’ll talk about them. Two witches came out, one giving a silver water card to the checked target, and one giving another silver water card to the other seer.”

“So, let’s look at it this way. No one else jumped as a witch. I think one of these two must be the witch, right? Let’s not consider the seers for now. Let’s calculate from the witches’ angle. If Lao Yu is the real witch, then Matsubara is the silver water seer, right? A very high identity. Doesn’t that mean Andrew must be the reckless wolf?”

Yang Ce continued to analyze: “Let’s look at the reverse. If you believe Toudou Sakura is the real witch, fine, some will believe her. Then Megan is her silver water card, and last night the wolves killed Megan, right? Doesn’t that make Andrew the wolf who checked Megan as a wolf? We can reconsider Megan next round because her speech was too weak. But did you notice? No matter which witch you support, we can only vote out Andrew.”

“In both witches’ logic, Andrew is wrong. Throughout the speeches, they criticized Matsubara’s speech and reserved targets poorly, but the two witches desperately inserted themselves into his empty team. So, are his teammates the two witches?”

___________

Note:

Toudou Sakura and Lao Yu both claimed to be the witch, each accusing the other of being a wolf and presenting their own version of events. Toudou Sakura argued that Matsubara Mori was the real seer and Andrew was a wolf, emphasizing the improbability of wolf self-wounding and the suspicious behavior of Megan, whom she saved. She confidently asserted her witch identity and threatened to poison anyone who challenged her.

Lao Yu, on the other hand, insisted that he was the real witch and that Matsubara Mori was the seer he saved. He pointed out inconsistencies in Toudou Sakura’s speech and behavior, suggesting she was trying to tarnish the real seer’s reputation. He also suspected Megan might be the gargoyle due to her seemingly deliberate poor speech and Toudou Sakura’s decision to save her.

An Wujiu suspected the wolf team was highly skilled and intentionally trying to frame him. He suggested focusing on identifying the real seer as a key step in determining the wolves. He also raised doubts about Megan being the gargoyle, as a gargoyle would likely be more proactive in defending themselves and finding their wolf teammates.

Matsubara Mori defended his seer identity and choices, acknowledging his initial caution and explaining his reasoning for targeting certain players. He expressed his belief in Lao Yu’s good nature and Andrew’s wolf identity.

Yang Ce contributed to the discussion by highlighting that, regardless of who the real witch was, Andrew’s role as a wolf seemed certain due to the contradictions in the witches’ stories.

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