Nina was thrown several meters away as Johan slowly walked towards her, having been the one responsible for throwing her. They emerged from the corners of a building, where Johan had kicked her out, throwing her into the middle of the town.
"Tsk, you're lucky I left my wand at Xialdre's hotel room," Nina commented.
"That's a shame, really. Should I care?" Johan replied.
The commotion drew people around them, forming a circle. One of them yelled out, "Leader Johan, why are you fighting this woman?"
"Oh well, I guess it isn't really that good to hide secrets anymore, right?" Johan commented. "This girl right here is a witch."
"You bastard!" Nina replied.
"Didn't I tell you? Once these people realize you're a witch and see you, you're dead," Johan remarked.
Whispers spread through the crowd as people pulled out their hammers, spears, knives, and more, pointing them at Nina. As day began to turn to night, torches were lit around the crowd. Nina stood up and pulled out potions from her pocket domain.
"I guess I'll just have to fight till my death," Nina exclaimed.
"Let's see how you go," Johan proclaimed.
Nina threw bottles of splash potions at Johan. He pulled out his sword and knocked the bottles away. As he reached about a meter away from Nina, he yelled and attempted to strike her, but before he could, Nina opened a bottle of potion and threw it into Johan's mouth, making him choke.
The bottle shattered inside Johan's throat, and the liquid inside it flushed into his stomach. Johan coughed up blood from the shattered glass in his throat as he felt himself slowly shrinking.
"What did you make me drink, you witch?" Johan asked, continuing to cough up blood.
"It was a potion to make you turn into a child again. Awesome, isn't it?" Nina exclaimed.
The people around them began charging at Nina. She called for her broom, sat on it, and flew away. However the peoples pulled out their bows and fired at her one of the arrows hit Nina in the shoulder, making her fall to the ground.
The people immediately tied her up as she yelled out for forgiveness and mercy. "Please, don't kill me. I will do anything. HAVE SOME SYMPATHY!"
"Why should we show sympathy towards a witch?" one of the people commented.
"Yeah, why should we?" another replied.
"All we know is that all witches are omens that could end our population," another added.
"You're a huge burden and a curse to this village, and we must burn you," another concluded.
"We HATE WITCHCRAFT," another ended.
"Please, I'll leave. I promise. SPARE ME!" Nina pleaded, her eyes beginning to water as she was carried to a pole.
The pole was made out of wood and had a sharp, pointy end on top. The wooden pole was thirty meters long.
"Wait, what are you going to try to do with me?" Nina asked horrifically.
"We will thrust you onto the sharp edge of that wooden pole by your vagina, burn the pole along with you, and then say our praise to the gods and wish for blessings for the good deed we are about to do," a villager exclaimed.
"AHHHHHH!" Nina yelled out, feeling the pain and fear of what she was about to experience.
Xialdre heard her scream, a sound that echoed throughout the town. All of Xialdre's slaves had gathered back to their room as Xialdre commented, "Girls, will you care to follow me?"
"Of course, Master," the girls replied.
"It seems like we are about to witness a very fascinating culture of these people living in this town," Xialdre exclaimed.
Nina was forcefully signed into a slave contract so she couldn't use magic. Stripped of her dignity, she continued to cry as her legs were slowly spread open by the people.
Johan watched in satisfaction and commented, "Not feeling so tough now, are we?"
"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I won't te—" But before she could finish, Johan punched her in the stomach, making her vomit blood.
"It's very sad how such a wonderful body was given to a witch. I would really like to rape you, but too bad you're a witch," Johan commented.
The wooden pole was slowly thrust into Nina's vagina, causing it to bleed because she was a virgin. The people around her laughed as Nina cried in pain.
The wooden pole stopped before it could kill her; they didn't want her to die just yet. She was fully tied to the pole as they set it on fire. Nina cried, waiting for her end, as this was the only way to escape the torture.
Xialdre arrived at the scene and saw what was happening. Without hesitation, he sprang into action, cutting through the burning pole with his dagger in a flash.
Though some parts of the pole were left inside Nina, Xialdre quickly pulled the wooden pieces from her as blood dripped from them. Nina, unconscious, was jolted awake by the pain and saw Xialdre throwing the bloody remnants of the pole aside.
Xialdre looked at the people around him as they glared at him in confusion. Shifting his eyes toward Nina, he gently lifted her into his arms.
Nina saw him carrying her and felt a wave of comfort. One of the townspeople blurted out, "What do you think you're doing?"
"The world can be really dark and, at the same time, very sinister," Xialdre commented. "To be honest, doing this to a girl, thrusting a pole inside her, isn't something you see every day, but it's something that does happen."
"The world is very cruel. Did you people think you were doing the right thing? Torturing a girl this way is the best way to end a witch's life? To punish her based on a theory you all thought of?"
"Do you really think she has done something to your town? Do you believe she is a witch because the leader of the town said so?"
"There was no proof, but you all still believed him?"
Xialdre pointed at a random girl and commented, "What if I say she's a witch as well?"
"My wife isn't a witch!" a man shouted.
"Are you sure?" Xialdre replied.
With a flick of his finger, the girl's disguise disappeared, revealing her true identity as a witch.
"Dalina, y-you're a witch? We've been married for 30 years now..." the man stammered.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me," Dalina pleaded.
"Nothing can be sure without proof, but all of you unknowingly just believed this man's words," Xialdre said, pointing directly at Johan. "All of you are idiots. You have been controlled by this man all this time, and you all are just his dogs!"
"HOW DARE YOU!" Johan shouted, attempting to strike Xialdre with his sword. Asabe blocked his attack, grabbing him by the head and slamming him to the ground.
The townspeople began to run away in fear as Natalia created a barrier, making it impossible for them to escape. Tentacles began growing from the ground, tangling all the citizens.
"All of you shall now face the terror you have inflicted upon these witches you so carelessly condemned," Xialdre exclaimed.
"Please forgive us!" a citizen exclaimed.
"Have mercy," another added.
"HAVE SOME SYMPATHY FOR US!" another concluded.
"Say, didn't this girl you all called a witch plead the same thing?" Xialdre retorted.
Nina looked at the people as they pleaded for mercy. Children and women were also tangled by the tentacles. She shifted her gaze back to Xialdre, seeing his expressionless face, dead eyes, and calm breathing.
"If all of you want mercy, say it to this girl," Xialdre exclaimed.
They turned their gaze to Nina, begging for her mercy, tears streaming down their faces as it began to rain. Nina felt their lives in her hands but felt no sympathy for them after what they had done to her.
"Say, Nina, should I spare them?" Xialdre asked calmly.
Nina answered silently, hiding her face in Xialdre's chest. Xialdre sighed and turned around, commenting, "Emiko, it's time for you to finally eat human flesh again."
Emiko crawled out of the shadows, her mouth incredibly large as the people screamed in fear. Her eyes were pure red, and she looked like a monstrous creature. The townspeople continued to beg for mercy as Emiko slowly devoured them.
Emiko feasted on the people happily, indifferent to whether they were women or children, until they were all gone. Nina felt no guilt from her decision, remaining silent against Xialdre's chest. Emiko transformed back to normal, her body covered in blood.
"*Fufu* Thanks for the meal," Emiko commented.
Isayao, Rain, and Clementine arrived with all the goods from the town as Arisawa and Furina burned the houses down. Nina had lost consciousness as Xialdre, along with his slaves, left the town under the pouring rain. Xialdre thought to himself, "The reason why I helped Nina is because she will be useful for removing Natalia's curse. That's her purpose."
"And besides, I could use another slave," Xialdre mused as he placed a slave contract on Nina, removing the one the townspeople had placed on her.
"This world is a much more sinister place than you can ever imagine," Xialdre reflected to himself.