Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Liszt was peering out of the window, trying to see what was happening outside. People with torches were speaking in the Kewan dialect, which Liszt had been studying intensively for over a month before boarding the ship. He could roughly understand some phrases, like "keep an eye on the door" and "no one is to be let out."
How could he sleep under such circumstances?
He wanted to find his companion in the other room to discuss the current situation and rushed out of his room in a hurry.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw several people standing in the corridor, including the companion he was looking for.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know either!" his companion replied, looking just as puzzled.
"Let's go downstairs and ask the staff at the inn!" someone suggested, and the others agreed.
A person dressed as a servant rushed up the stairs, shouting loudly, "Guests! Guests! Don't run around!"
"It's the Church's Purification Squad! Don't run around."
The Purification Squad? What is that?
Liszt, being new to the area, was confused, but the people around him turned pale.
"A witch? There's a witch hiding in this inn?"
Someone screamed in terror, and the corridor instantly became chaotic!
The servant, with a troubled expression, said, "Guests, please return to your rooms and stay there. The Church will leave once they find who they're looking for."
Although he spoke casually, his expression indicated that it would not be that simple.
Having heard the mention of witches and the Church, Liszt now understood what was happening and what the so-called Purification Squad was.
Before coming here, he had done his homework and knew that the Kewan region was undergoing a "witch-hunting movement," which was intensifying.
For Liszt's generation from the northwest, the "witch-hunting movement" was a distant concept, something only heard about in stories. He never expected to experience it personally so far from home.
"I'd really like to see a real witch," he muttered out of curiosity.
The person next to him turned pale immediately.
"Hey! You must be from the north, from Aldor, right?"
He had somehow understood Liszt's words.
"Foolish person, witch hunting is no joke!"
They were standing in a corner, and the person looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then leaned in and whispered, "Witches and Purification Squads are both terrifying to ordinary people."
"Really? Isn't the Church supposed to protect ordinary people from witches and sorceresses?"
"Sigh... It's a long story. It was indeed like that when the movement first started, but things have gradually changed."
"This..."
Liszt wanted to ask more questions.
"Enough. Speaking too much may bring trouble. Just stay in your room and do as you're told when the Purification Squad arrives. Don't resist," the person said hurriedly before leaving.
Liszt glanced at the empty corridor. After some silent communication with his companion, they both headed back to their rooms, feeling anxious. He wasn't in the mood to see the witches anymore.
"Is it bad luck or luck?" he muttered to himself as he closed the door.
He hoped that as a foreigner, he would be left alone.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cold sensation on his neck.
"Don't move! Or my knife won't recognize you!" A cold female voice came from behind him.
"Y-you... Who are you?" Liszt was terrified; this woman must have sneaked into his room during the chaos.
"Speak quietly. Just cooperate, and don't ask questions!" The voice was full of coldness, and the dagger pressed tighter against his neck.
"Alright, alright! Miss, I will cooperate," Liszt hurriedly agreed, his life in someone else's hands.
They stood like that by the door, and soon they heard chaotic footsteps outside.
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.
"Where is he?" someone shouted angrily outside.
Then came the sound of rummaging through the room, indicating that it had been turned upside down.
"You scoundrel, where is the person in this room?" a gruff voice demanded.
"Sir, I... I don't know!" The servant's voice seemed to be pleading.
"Those who dare deceive the Purification Squad will have a terrible end. You and your boss will end up on the pyre!" the gruff voice threatened.
"Sir, we really don't know. He did stay in this room, and he hasn't come down since he went upstairs."
"What should we do?" The rough voice seemed to consult someone of higher rank.
"Hmph!" A sarcastic voice said, "You brutes have made such a commotion. That person must have noticed by now. Search every room!"
"Please, gentlemen, don't do this!" The servant begged, "Disturbing other guests will ruin our business."
A loud slap was heard, "Get out of the way! If you keep talking, we'll take you with us."
Then another door was kicked open, and frightened voices were heard.
"Aldorians!" The dagger at Liszt's neck moved, and he focused on the noise outside.
"Miss... What should I do?" he asked.
"Later, when someone comes in, you'll say... say..." The woman behind him seemed hesitant.
Finally, she made a determined decision, "Just say I'm your companion from Flower Street."
"Huh?"
Liszt was bewildered. He had heard from his companions on the ship that Flower Street in Niceport was infamous.
"Miss, why do this? Aren't they looking for you?"
The Purification Squad was said to be looking for a man.
"Be quiet. You don't know anything! Just do as you're told!" the woman ordered.
The dagger tightened again, causing Liszt to quickly comply.
With a bang, the door to the adjacent room was smashed open.
"Suspicious person, take him away!"
"Why are you arresting me? I'm not a witch! I'm not a witch!"
"Why are you still dressed so neatly in the middle of the night and have black hair? If you're not suspicious, who is? Take him away!"
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! The servant can vouch for me."
The man's protests were in vain; it sounded like he was being dragged away.
"Hehe! And these 'spoils' will be confiscated too. Pack everything up."
"Wow, didn't expect such a rich person to be staying in this small inn."
"Next, next. Examine everyone who looks suspicious."
As the noises approached Liszt's room, he thought this might be an opportunity to escape from the threatening woman.
How despicable to use his life as a threat. He planned to seek help from the Church people later.
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking," the woman suddenly spoke.
"What? I'm not thinking anything!" Liszt was caught off guard.
A small hand suddenly covered his mouth and shoved a round object into it.
"Swallow it!" the woman ordered.
This was too cruel! Liszt thought, cursing inwardly. She was forcing him to swallow poison and then using the antidote to coerce him.
"Swallow it!"
"Alright, alright! I'm swallowing!" He swallowed the pill with tears in his eyes.
It was sweet-tasting. This poison was disguised as a candy, confirming that witches were indeed evil, just as the elders had warned.
He was now certain that the woman behind him was the witch the Purification Squad was looking for. She must be a witch who disguised herself as a man and sneaked into the inn to avoid detection.
After swallowing the pill, the dagger was removed from his neck, and now she could do whatever she wanted with him.
Liszt turned around to see the witch who had humiliated him.
By the moonlight, he could see her face clearly. She appeared to be in her early twenties with chestnut short hair. Although her eyes were full of malice, she was quite pretty.
Forget about disguising as a man. The hair color and hairstyle didn't fit...
Oh right, she must have some unknown means. After all, she is a witch.
(End of the Chapter)
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