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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 14: She’s the Real Deal.
Anyone could see she was an innocent victim.
Anyone could see the victims testifying that they got stomach aches from eating some herbs and blamed it on the witch's evil schemes.
Anyone could see a village girl wrongfully accused by a spiteful man who got rejected.
From an objective standpoint, the accused woman appeared to be an innocent victim.
The problem was:
'This bitch is actually a witch?'
Margaret's soul was tainted with deep black-red sin. Which was the undeniable proof of her vile nature.
In other words, she was undoubtedly a despicable human trash, a minion of evil who had embraced demonic power.
The real issue was the atmosphere among those who had come to interrogate the witch.
'Doesn’t she look like an innocent woman to anyone?'
'Ugh, these commoners... accusing someone of witchcraft just because their feelings got hurt.'
Given the circumstances, Margaret the witch seemed completely wronged.
On top of that, the suspicions against her overlapped with the abilities of the warlock Ray had recently slain and also had plague-related curses.
'Please, Father Moro! Expose the true nature of this wicked, cunning witch!'
Father Moro's expression was one of pity, shaking his head as if lamenting the ignorance of medieval villagers.
But no.
She was a witch.
The villagers' instincts had miraculously pinpointed the real witch.
Instead of praising these devoted followers of the Solar Theocracy, he was looking down on them as ignorant fools?
However, Father Moro was an armed priest of the Eclipse Inquisition.
He surely had the means to identify demon contractors.
"Margaret. You stand accused of witchcraft. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
'Father Moro?'
Why the polite speech?
Shouldn’t an inquisitor start by throwing the suspect into boiling soup or something?
"I’m innocent, Father! I swear I’m not a witch!"
"Let us proceed with the verification first."
Finally!
Father Moro! Expose the true face of this vile witch!
"Aaron, Ray! Father Moro asked for straw and a torch!"
While Father Moro conducted the interrogation, the three prepared what he had requested.
"Aaron, do you know how witch interrogations work?"
"...I’ve never been taught such things."
Of course, the Eclipse Inquisition was the most secretive institution in the Solar Theocracy.
Its methods wouldn’t be disclosed so easily.
"How do you think Father Moro will interrogate the suspect?"
"The doctrine says the Burning Holy Spirit draws out evil hearts."
As Jenny and Aaron speculated about the witch interrogation, Ray suddenly voiced a thought that crossed his mind.
"Like making them walk over burning straw...?"
"...?"
The two turned their heads sharply.
Their wide, disbelieving eyes fixed on him, making Ray falter.
"What’s wrong?"
"Are you... is that something a human should say?"
"Ray, what the hell are you talking about?"
Aaron’s unexpected reaction made Ray tilt his head in confusion.
And you’re the noble and clergyman saying this...?
"Ray... if you burn a person, how do you expect them to survive?"
"Well... if their faith is strong, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit protect them? If they burn to death, then..."
Ray shut his mouth under their incredulous stares.
Is this lunatic serious?
When Father Moro asked for straw and a torch, Ray had thought.
‘Ah, of course! They’re going to burn the witch first! This is the Middle Ages!’
"Even devout believers burn to death. Stop embarrassing yourself with your ignorance."
"Uh, well..."
Why is everyone so rational?
‘Is this really the Middle Ages I know?’
Ray was baffled.
Here he was, acting like a medieval person, only to be met with uncomfortable stares from actual medieval people who found him barbaric.
Father Moro instructed the three as they brought the straw and torch.
"Light the straw and place it nearby."
"See?! We are burning her, right?!"
‘This is the Middle Ages! I knew it!’
Ray’s face brightened.
Of course, medieval witch trials were all about burning people if they didn’t burn, they were innocent; if they did, they were guilty. Drowning worked the same way.
A suspected witch right in front of them?
Just burn her and see what happens, right?
Naturally, since no normal human could survive being burned, Ray fully expected the witch to burn to a crisp.
"Uh... Brother Ray? Why are you piling straw around Margaret?"
"Huh? Aren’t we burning her?"
"......!"
Everyone recoiled in horror.
This madman was serious!
He genuinely thought burning a person would prove their innocence!
'That lunatic was the top scorer?'
Their shock was justified.
Only a complete madman would suggest burning someone alive to test their guilt.
And clearly, such extreme ideas did exist. Father Moro saw that same fanatical glint in Ray’s eyes.
'Don’t tell me...'
Suppressing his unease, Father Moro explained the proper interrogation method.
"We light the straw, yes, but only for the Mass. We burn consecrated straw to dispel dark magic and observe the accused’s reaction."
"O-Oh, I see."
“Couldn’t you just sprinkle holy water and be done with it?”
Father Moro answered Ray’s unspoken question.
"Some believe sprinkling holy water alone purges evil. But holy water isn’t that potent."
Holy water purification doesn’t work by mere sprinkling.
Its true power comes from tracing the sign of the cross with it, amplifying divine energy through ritual and prayer.
Father Moro lit the consecrated straw and dipped his finger in holy water, tracing a star-shaped cross on Margaret’s forehead.
"Evil spirit, in the name of Light, I command you to reveal yourself."
'Not so different from my past life.'
Ray recalled the exorcisms Pastor Kim had performed.
In a world haunted by malevolent spirits, clergy naturally took on the role of exorcists.
Exorcism had many methods, but spoken incantations were among the most important.
A clergyman with strong verbal power had to first vocalize the incantation to drive out evil spirits.
'The problem is we don’t even know the witch’s true identity.'
This witch was a contractor of a demon.
Not the demon itself, and likely using an alias no way a spoken incantation would work.
"Hmm."
Seeing no reaction from Margaret, Father Moro tried another method.
A consecrated bell is an object as sacred as any holy relic.
Its clear chime resonated, mingling with the smoke of burning straw.
Father Moro’s interrogation followed standard procedure.
Test everything evil spirits despise.
If any of them provoked a reaction, they could confirm Margaret as a witch.
The problem?
None of Father Moro’s methods worked on Margaret.
'Her soul is connected to something!'
Every time a sacred prayer was recited, the witch’s corrupted soul reacted.
But like a flickering lantern in the wind, her unstable soul was being replenished by an external force.
And the source of that power was...
'The lord’s castle?'
From the city’s center, where the lord’s castle stood, an immense power was flowing outward.
It was granting the witch the strength to resist the incantations!
"Father Moro, are you alright?
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
Father Moro wiped the sweat from his brow.
As an ordained priest, Father Moro’s spiritual energy was far from weak.
In fact, his soul was far larger and more powerful than that of a witch who had been captured by mere villagers.
But the energy emanating from outside was anything but ordinary.
"Everyone! Let’s cheer for Father Moro!"
"Huh? What’s this all of a sudden?"
"No, even if we do, how...?"
Ray suddenly stood up and pulled out the lute he had prepared.
And with a light accompaniment...
(Recommended BGM: Mercy is falling )
"Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling. Mercy, it falls like the sweet spring rain. Mercy is falling, is falling all over me."
"Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling. Mercy, it falls like the sweet spring rain. Mercy is falling, is falling all over me."
"???"
"???"
He suddenly started singing a hymn.
"What, what are you doing?"
"Ray, we need to help Father Moro focus...!"
Ray’s abrupt actions confused not just the two of them.
The accusers who had come to demand the witch’s judgment, the villagers who had gathered to witness the trial all were bewildered by Ray’s inexplicable behavior.
“Hey, oh, I receive Your mercy. Hey, oh, I receive Your grace. Hey, oh, I will dance forevermore. “
Ray even added choreography. He mimicked rain falling with his hands for ‘Your mercy falling’ and for ‘Hey~ho!’ he pumped his fists like a baseball cheer.
'Three years as a youth pastor means praise dances are second nature!'
The repetitive lyrics, simple movements, and the lute’s resonance made it much easier to follow compared to the usual solemn hymns.
"Hey! Everyone, stand up and praise Sol Invictus to drive out the witch’s evil spirit!"
"Hey...!"
Margaret was more likely not a witch. But Aaron’s protests were drowned out by the accusers responding to Ray’s call.
"As the priest says! Let’s drive out the witch!"
"Drive her out!!"
Ray wasn’t a priest, but the villagers followed his lead and began singing along.
Of course, since it was their first time singing it, matching the melody was difficult, but Ray guided them with each new line.
“Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling.”
“Mercy, it falls like the sweet spring rain.”
“Mercy is falling, is falling all over me.”
The Solaryon Choir amplified the power of hymns through group singing.
The key here was that not everyone needed to possess the hymn’s power; just one person with the ability and a congregation singing along was enough.
"Ugh...!"
Margaret’s face twisted.
The hymn Ray had sung was taking effect.
Seeing the strange change, Aaron shouted.
"What’s the effect?!"
"Exorcism!"
Exorcism is the act of driving out evil.
Unlike exorcisms that expel internal corruption, this was a ritual to repel external evil forces.
Why sing an exorcism hymn during a witch trial? No one knew, but the three were certain Ray’s hymn was working.
"Ordinary believers won’t have enough holy power! Aaron, Jenny, you join in too!"
"U-us too?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Aaron’s face turned red as he followed Ray’s hymn.
“Hey, oh, I receive Your mercy. Hey, oh, I receive Your grace.”
“Hey, oh, I will dance forevermore.”
“Hey, oh, I receive Your mercy. Hey, oh, I receive Your grace.”
“Hey, oh, I will dance forevermore.”
This was strange.
Since when were hymns this lively and lighthearted?
"Do we really have to copy these weird movements too?!"
"Tsk! Mercy, it falls like the sweet spring rain....!"
“Sigh! Just follow along. You’re killing the vibe!”
Aaron, heir to the prestigious Graham family, had never imagined he’d be doing such frivolous choreography while singing hymns.
But as he watched the villagers singing joyfully, something warm welled up inside him.
Aaron had always been a devout believer, attending mass in his hometown.
The church was one of the few places where nobles and commoners shared the same space.
Though their seats were separate, it was rare for nobles to spend time alongside commoners.
How had the commoners behaved during mass?
"Yaaawn~ Mom, when will this end?"
"Kids! Can’t you sit still?"
"But... I’m sleepy."
To the congregation, mass was a boring obligation.
Children dozed off, and adults struggled to stay awake.
And the nobles weren’t much different.
Faith didn’t always translate into attentiveness during mass.
'But now... no one’s losing focus.'
The hymn’s upbeat rhythm was nothing like the solemn choir music they were used to.
With the lute and Ray’s guiding gestures, everyone was fully immersed.
At that moment, they were all united in praising Sol Invictus.
Wasn’t this, too, a form of worship?
"KYAAAAH! Stop! Stooooop!"
Then it happened.
Margaret, cut off from her energy by the exorcism barrier, collapsed.
Her face twisted grotesquely as Father Moro’s prayers took effect.
"Witch...!"
Father Moro declared Margaret a witch and drew his mace.
But before he could strike, her body swelled with monstrous muscle.
Her skin grew bestial fur, her pupils slit like a snake’s, and she grabbed Father Moro’s mace.
"You wretch...! A beast-contracted witch!"
"Damn it...! How the hell did I get caught like this?!"
Her jaw distended into a maw.
The villagers recoiled in horror as the armed priests drew their weapons, but the witch smirked.
"Kehehe...! It’s already night! You pathetic dogs of the gods can’t even receive the Sun's Blessing...!?"
That was the moment.
The shadow falling over the witch’s face. She realized too late it was the lute that had been resonating just moments ago.
CRACK!
The lute shattered along with the witch’s face.
"Die, witch!"
Jenny charged in next, axe raised without hesitation.
"Get her!!"
The other priests rallied and rushed forward.
"Ghk! W-wait...!"
"Death to evil!"
"...Death to evil!"
One after another, the clergy drew their weapons and swarmed in. The villagers joined the fray.
"Death to evil!"
"Kill the witch!!"
Thud! Smash! Thud! Crack!
"W-wait! Hold on!"
"Shut your evil mouth!"
CRUNCH!
It didn’t take long for the witch’s soul to leave her battered body.
[PR/N- Can’t find the BGM? Just message me on Discord. I’ll send you the link.]
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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