Chương 79: Witch Hunt
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
In September, autumn had arrived in the northwest bay. The mountains were slowly adorned with shades of golden and orange as farmers diligently worked in their fields, preparing for the impending long winter.
On the road leading from Earl Alden's domain southwards to Alden Town, a convoy was slowly making its way.
This group was none other than the first batch of skilled craftsmen recruited by Quiller Foster for his good friend Paul, along with a caravan from his family. They had sailed from Angle Bay, taking the sea route to avoid the conflict zones in the south of the Kingdom of Aldor, then landed on the west coast of the kingdom and proceeded northward by land.
Escorting this group was the previously known Lichman Adventurer's Guild, though this time they had mobilized all their members.
...
Let's rewind time two months.
"How did I end up with such a useless son!"
Lord Foster, a member of the Angle Alliance Council, shouted in frustration in his mansion.
Standing beside him was his son, Quiller Foster, looking aggrieved.
Quiller retorted, "Father! I just sneaked out for a few days. Is it necessary to be this angry?"
Lord Foster glared at his son, "Your leaving without notice, we'll discuss that later."
He held up a porcelain plate in front of Quiller cautiously, shaking it, "First, tell me about this stupid thing you did!"
Quiller looked puzzled, "This is a gift from my friend, asking me to come back to promote it. He intends to sell it to the south, and I know it's valuable, so I specifically invited you, an experienced businessman, to estimate its price. How is that stupid?"
Lord Foster carefully placed the porcelain plate on the table, then tapped Quiller's head, saying with exasperation, "How did the family's business acumen disappear completely in you? You should have decisively secured its exclusive agency at that time."
Quiller suddenly realized, "Uh... so that's what this is about."
Seeing his son finally grasping the situation, Lord Foster grew even angrier, pointing at his son's nose and scolding him.
"You are completely useless, only know how to wander around!"
"Your brother made me worry less. At 15, he could negotiate his own deals."
"At twenty, you've achieved nothing."
...
Quiller appeared indifferent, letting his father's words go in one ear and out the other.
Exhausted from scolding, Lord Foster picked up a glass of water to moisten his throat, only to remember something more pressing than lecturing his son.
"Hurry up, take a caravan to the northwest bay. Secure the agency rights for this 'porcelain,' and also negotiate for that new type of paper. These are all promising prospects. Oh, isn't your friend, the earl, short of shipbuilders? Go recruit as many as he needs. If not enough, draw some from the family shipyard."
Quiller casually responded, "Alright alright, Father, please calm down."
Seeing his son still nonchalant, Lord Foster exploded, "Go now!!!"
Quiller complained, "Seriously? I just got home; can't I rest for a few days?"
But seeing his father ready to throw the water glass at his face, he swiftly ran out to handle the tasks.
...
The members of the Lichman Adventurer's Guild received their payment for this mission from the Adventurer's Guild.
Captain Meru was very pleased, holding up a pouch of money, "This mission turned out to be smooth sailing. Let's find a nice restaurant and feast."
Everyone clapped in agreement, enthusiastically searching for a good restaurant on the bustling streets.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the street, pedestrians quickly clearing to the sides, leaving the center of the street empty. The members of the adventurer's guild also moved aside with the crowd to the edge of the road.
Dean pulled the sleeve of a passerby next to him and asked, "Excuse me, we've just arrived and aren't familiar with what's happening here?"
The passerby turned to reply, "A few days ago, the court caught a witch. She's about to be executed on the pyre right now!"
Dean was shocked. He glanced instinctively at his companion, Ladia, and indeed, the scholar girl's face had turned pale.
The other members of the adventurer's guild also wore grave expressions.
The Witch Hunt, initiated by the church, was the largest and longest-lasting movement Dean knew of. During its most frenzied periods, Messiah City alone burned over four hundred people suspected of being witches within a year.
The prolonged Witch Hunt created countless tragedies. Many times, even the church had to admit to wrongful accusations and exonerate the accused.
For a while, a few scholars and nobles boldly criticized the Witch Hunt. Coupled with the rise of rational thinking within the church, the Witch Hunt entered a lull.
But in recent years, the Witch Hunt had resurged, ironically led by the supposedly enlightened southern nations.
Yet, to say the church was fabricating charges out of thin air wouldn't be accurate. At the very least, Dean knew of one...
People on both sides of the road began to shout.
"Burn this witch!"
"Burn this whore who consorts with demons!"
Under the escort of church knights, a prisoner carriage slowly passed through the main street, with many bystanders throwing stones at it.
Chained in the carriage was a disheveled woman, only her lifeless eyes visible through the gaps in her hair, unmoving despite the hard stones striking her already battered body, adding new wounds.
Ahead was the central square of the city, where the stake for burning was already prepared, sealing the woman's fate.
Ladia tugged at the captain's sleeve, whispering with lowered head, "Meru, let's go..."
Meru grabbed her hand tightly, leaning close to whisper, "Don't be afraid. We'll always protect you."
With this incident, no one was in the mood for a feast anymore, so they returned to their inn.
Entering the inn's gate, they spotted a familiar figure.
"Brothers and sisters of the Lichman Adventurer's Guild, long time no see. I've missed you all!"
Quiller came up and hugged two male members of the guild tightly.
Captain Meru sighed helplessly, "Hey hey hey! Master Foster, we've only been apart half a day!"
"Hahaha! Don't sweat the details. Hmm? Why do you all look like you've just recovered from a serious illness?"
Meru replied, "Is there something you need from us? We're about to leave this city."
Quiller snapped his fingers, "It's precisely because I'm afraid you'll leave that I hurried to find you. I have an urgent task I'd like to entrust to you."
"What task?"
Quiller pointed northward, "My father wants me to lead a caravan back to the northwest bay. Would you be willing to escort us there? You can name your price for the commission."
"Oh?" Meru became interested, not entirely due to the commission, but also because she intended to leave the south herself, leading the guild members to avoid the recent Witch Hunt turmoil.
She glanced at Dean and Kay. They quickly understood her meaning and nodded in agreement.
Meru continued, "Alright, Master Quiller. However, since it's a caravan, just a few of us won't suffice for escort. We'll need to gather several other guild members before we can depart."
Quiller happily said, "That works out perfectly since I also need some time. So, it's settled then!"
(End of the Chapter)
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