Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Ah! It hurts so much!"
"Someone, help me!"
Terrifying screams echoed as four strong men, engulfed in flames, rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire.
However, their companions hesitated, unsure if approaching would result in falling victim to the witch's evil sorcery.
Three men gradually stopped moving due to the torment of the flames. Only one, having rolled farther, reached the feet of his companions at a construction site for a new house. His comrades poured large amounts of sand on him, saving his life.
"Evil sorcery! Evil witch!"
Vileius was enraged as he watched his men die in front of him.
Yet, his mind wasn't clouded by anger. Trained for years by the church and having frequently dealt with witches, Vileius understood that magic follows the principle of "equivalent exchange." The stronger the spell, the greater the price the caster must pay. Rare spell materials and long preparation times are prerequisites for powerful magic, often draining the caster mentally.
Historically, the relationship between witches and the church in Cape Bay was like that of mice and cats. Under the church's strict pursuit, witches lived in constant fear. At the slightest noise, they would flee. If unable to escape, they were cornered by the church's forces. Even with attack spells prepared, witches couldn't match the church's numbers, leading them to focus their magic on hiding and fleeing.
Few witches prepared spells aimed at large-scale killing of church members. Over time, the church's armed forces developed a sense of complacency toward witches. So, when signals of a witch near the cathedral surfaced, they were surprised but made little preparation.
Clearly, the witch before them had planned this for a long time. As she said earlier, "Never underestimate a well-prepared witch." The chain explosions, the protective spell that made her impervious to weapons, and the flames that ignited their bodies were no simple tricks. These couldn't have been done on the spot. She must have secretly set up magical traps on the street for quite some time, traps that ordinary people couldn't detect.
Her goal was to deliver a heavy blow to the church, to kill church members, and to utterly humiliate them. That moment could have been sometime in the future, or it might be now—Vileius suspected she had deliberately revealed her identity. The latter possibility was more dangerous, indicating the witch was fully prepared for an attack.
For a long time, the church had not been vigilant near the cathedral. This was the church's stronghold in Niceport; how could a mouse run into a cat's den? Witches coming here was seen as walking into a trap. People thought this was a "forbidden magic zone," creating a dangerous loophole. If a witch, intent on mutual destruction, wanted to stir up trouble near the cathedral, it wouldn't be hard with careful preparation. Even since the start of the witch hunts, no witch had openly attacked the church. As a result, this vulnerability went unnoticed.
Vileius wasn't just angry about the loss of his subordinates—he was furious that a witch had finally dared to launch an attack on the church! This was a dangerous sign, indicating that their enemies were no longer content with passive resistance but were ready for active assault. The witch before him could inspire others to follow suit. After the first would come a second, a third... more and more witches might start attacking the church.
Vileius considered further—once witches decided to actively resist the church, they would begin to communicate with each other, no longer fighting alone. They would form alliances, develop strategies…
"I won't let you go!" he roared, hurling his spear forward.
Fueled by imagination, Vileius resolved to kill the witch before him. He couldn't let her escape, as it would send a message to others that challenging the church had a price.
Because of the witch's protective magic, Vileius had little hope for the spear to succeed; it was merely to vent his frustration.
But to his surprise, the spear hesitated slightly in front of the witch and continued forward, though it missed its mark, flying past her side.
"Her magic is failing! Now's our chance, attack!"
Without needing Vileius' command, his subordinates noticed the change in the witch.
The people carrying crossbows or slingshots immediately took out their ranged weapons and began to prepare. Since they didn't know what other tricks the enemy might have, ranged weapons were the safest choice. They didn't want to end up like the four companions who had been engulfed in flames at the start.
With a sharp "whoosh," the first arrow was shot at the witch. At that moment, a thick cloud of smoke suddenly erupted on the street, with the area where the witch was standing being the densest. Her figure disappeared instantly without a trace.
The smoke seemed to not only obscure vision but also caused many people's eyes to start uncontrollably tearing up upon contact.
"Ah!" A scream echoed, and then a figure collapsed.
With a loud "boom," another explosion occurred, injuring several more people.
"Everyone, stay alert! Gather together, back-to-back!"
Vileus loudly commanded his subordinates. He hadn't expected the enemy to have another trick up their sleeve.
After several comrades had fallen, the thick fog began to dissipate, and the church's men could finally see each other again.
But the witch was nowhere to be seen!
Vileus checked the fallen. The severely injured had their throats slit, while the less seriously wounded still bore terrible injuries. Judging from the color of the wounds, the enemy's weapons were coated in poison.
Many others had also been injured by the explosions.
The knight stomped the ground in frustration. "Damn it, and at a time when we're short on manpower!"
Indeed, they were short on men. The church had received reports of large-scale witchcraft gatherings in the villages outside of Niceport, so most of their forces had been dispatched and had yet to return. In Niceport, only a small team remained under Vileus' command.
"Something terrible has happened! Sir Vileus! Something terrible!"
In the distance, someone ran towards him in a panic, shouting his name.
"What happened?"
The knight angrily asked. Today was already a disaster and a humiliation. He had just finished counting, and over a dozen of the church's men had been taken down, yet they hadn't even touched the enemy.
The man reached him, gasping for breath, clearly having exhausted himself.
"The prison… the prison…" He struggled to catch his breath.
"What about the prison?!"
The moment he heard this, Vileus' heart tightened. He grabbed the messenger by his collar and harshly demanded.
"The prisoners… they've been broken out!"
The messenger finally managed to string together a full sentence.
"Ah!"
Vileus howled to the sky! It was a trap. The enemy had taken advantage of the church's depleted forces to lure out this last squad of armed men. The earlier report about the witchcraft gathering was likely part of this elaborate plot. With them out of the way, the only defense left in the cathedral were a few sentries, giving the enemy a perfect opportunity to raid the prison.
And the prisoners in the church's dungeon were none other than a group of witches about to be sentenced to the stake.
"Pursue them! Everyone, go after the prison breakers!"
At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about the witch anymore. If the captured witches escaped, he would have no face left in the church and would have to commit seppuku to atone.
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation and frantically followed Vileus, disappearing from the street in an instant.
In a messy and dark alley, the figure of a woman gradually became visible. If one looked closely, her cloak seemed to blend with its surroundings like a chameleon, making her hard to spot. However, with careful attention, one could still make her out.
"I hope those adventurers keep their promise. Please, members of the Lichman clan."
Murmuring to herself, her consciousness began to fade.
She struggled to keep her eyes open, taking one last lingering look at the now empty but sunlit street.
"Heh, the next time I open my eyes, it'll probably be in a dark dungeon…"
With a bitter smile, the woman could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
TL: The plot thickens...😁
(End of the Chapter)
---
Want More of (FF)?
Read ahead on [Pa.treon](pa treon . com / CinderTL) – up to Chapter 656.
Early access starts at $5. Your support keeps this going!
Translated 1000+ Chapters and 1.1M+ Words
💌 3/3 reviews left (WN & SH Combined) for mass release.