NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32 - The Witch of Aghno
A witch.
Unlike demon worshippers treated as mere subordinates to demons, it referred to spell-casters who formed equal contractual relationships with full-fledged demons.
“Jibreel, you had no premonition about this?”
[……. ;_; ]
Though Sophia asked her holy spirit Jibreel, it seemed Jibreel too had not foreseen this situation, only making a puzzled expression.
“If it evaded the holy spirit’s premonition, then the opponent must be a higher-ranking witch than expected,” said Hildegard gravely.
Since even her holy spirit Ariel had failed to foresee any anomaly, it was certainly a serious matter.
Holy spirits, transformed from the souls of benevolent Golden Age creations, could perceive premonitions from the flow of the world, guiding Paladin knights to places where public misfortunes or demonic disturbances occurred worldwide.
To conceal one’s deeds from such spirits’ premonitions meant deceiving the very flow of the world – something virtually unattainable for human mages. At best, it was a feat only those granted the ‘Grand Sage’ title from representative guilds of each magical discipline might attempt once in their lifetime, risking everything.
The conclusion differed little for non-humans. Only the so-called ‘demon lords’ among demons and the seven sisters bearing the ‘Great Witch’ title could deceive the world’s flow and veil themselves from holy spirits’ premonitions.
‘Hmm, we’ll see about that.’
Sophia tried ascertaining the situation’s veracity but soon gave up. Ultimately, if the messenger spoke the truth, she would have to act to save Aghno – a Paladin nun knight’s duty.
‘Let’s go and see first. I’ll confirm the truth upon arrival.’
If the messenger had deceived her, so be it – she would simply demonstrate the Church’s authority accordingly. However, if his words proved true, Sophia had no choice but to intervene.
In the end, Sophia didn’t need much contemplation to decide on going to Aghno.
“If a witch has truly concealed herself from holy spirits’ sight and occupied an entire town, she’ll be no pushover. Are you really leaving immediately?”
Hildegard asked with concern, to which Sophia chuckled:
“Worried about me?”
“Of course!”
Sophia continued smiling:
“An opponent’s strength should never deter action. If we hesitate simply because the enemy is formidable, the result will inevitably be abandonment and failure.”
She then calmly boasted that she had never avoided a task that way throughout her life. Hearing this, Hildegard let out a sigh before grinning boldly:
“Heh, I suppose I’ve come to like you. I’m going to Aghno too.”
“Hm? Listen Hilde, Aghno is Frangian territory, not imperial. You have no obligation to come help, do you?”
“Then what obligation did you have to come help in the imperial territory of Badenbaden?”
“…Hah, I spoke foolishly. My apologies.”
With Hildegard’s joining decided, Conra said:
“Master, then I’ll prepare for departure.”
But as Conra hurried to pack, Sophia suddenly remarked:
“Conra, how about you stay behind and wait here?”
“What nonsense is this all of a sudden, Master?”
Conra looked back at her with an expression of ‘what kind of ridiculous thing are you saying?’ However, Sophia was serious:
“The place we’re headed is occupied by a witch whose strength even I haven’t fully grasped yet. I can’t begin to imagine how many undead and chimeras under the witch’s dominion we’ll face. There’s no need for you, still so young, to follow into such peril, is there?”
From Sophia’s perspective, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility. After all, Conra was ultimately the child entrusted to her by Setanta and Kali whom she had met in the forest. While she could brave the dangers alone, she could not impose such a path on Conra.
However, Conra’s response was unexpectedly blunt, as if he had heard something utterly nonsensical:
“Don’t you recall just saying that an opponent’s strength should never deter action, Master? Surely you didn’t think I’d meekly stay in a safe place after hearing that?”
Upon hearing this, Sophia had no further rebuttal. In the end, she groaned and permitted Conra to accompany her.
“Ugh. You’ve made your choice. Don’t blame me later.”
“As you said, it’s the path of hardship I chose for myself. I’ll endure it through sheer stubbornness.”
Thus, the journey to Aghno was decided for Sophia, Hildegard, and Conra.
“Will there be anything we can assist with?”
Suddenly, a bureaucrat’s representative stepped forward to ask the nun knights. They were reluctant to send Sophia, the leader of public administration and holder of the administrative process free-pass token, alone into what was clearly a perilous situation. If possible, they wished to offer the military forces under the command of Badenbaden’s Paladin Order and lord.
Of course, Sophia had little interest in such an offer. Against the witch’s subordinates, conscripted troops would only get in the way rather than providing real help. Instead, Sophia made a different request:
“Since the situation is urgent, we’ll depart for Aghno first. After we leave, could you place a request with the Adventurers’ Guild to assemble supporting forces for us?”
“Rest assured, the associated costs will be fairly split and billed to the Paladin Order and Lord of Badenbaden.”
The buoyant bureaucrat’s reply made Sophia slightly apprehensive.
“…Will that be possible? Perhaps we should consider billing some portion to the Church as well…”
“Is it not your role to somehow convince them of this? I’ll lay the groundwork to make it seem like we’re saddling Aghno with a debt, so have faith and leave it to us.”
Despite Sophia’s concerns, the bureaucrat confidently smiled as if it were no issue – no, he seemed burning with a sense of duty to accomplish this no matter what. With such assurances, Sophia finally nodded in agreement.
“Very well, I’ll leave it in your hands.”
At Sophia’s assent, the bureaucrat grinned broadly and turned around, shouting:
“Now, administrative slaves! You all heard Lady Sophia’s request, didn’t you? Get to work at once!”
“Have no worries! We’ve already resolved to work until death! It is you who must be prepared to work until the verge of death!”
“……”
And so the next day, having prepared spare horses to ride without rest, Sophia, Hildegard, and Conra departed for Aghno.
+++++
Aghno, a walled town that was not large but reasonably prosperous with sturdy streets and a formidable lord’s castle. However, it could no longer boast such prosperity or an imposing castle.
The people who once walked its streets were gone, leaving only a damp, eerie atmosphere lingering. And there was a source emanating this miasma.
In the sky flew wraiths craving the warmth and vitality of the living, while on the ground crawled soulless corpses lusting for living flesh and blood. The plants and animals outside the town had all lost their original forms, twisted and stitched together into grotesque chimeras.
At the top floor of the lord’s mansion with the best view, the witch Phaerellyna gazed down upon the town square where an unfamiliar scene unfolded. People who once roamed the streets freely were now bound in lines and herded towards an altar.
“Please! Please, spare my baby if you must take my life!”
“Waah, mommy, I’m scared!”
“Sa…save me…I want to live!”
Watching them become sacrifices at the altar one by one, spilling hot blood accompanied by agonized death rattles, Phaerellyna let out an ecstatic moan.
“Oh, indeed. Those damn demons, hogging all this pleasure for themselves – truly they are garbage, aren’t they?”
Feeling the turbid life force surging within her, Phaerellyna cursed the demons. The rational judgment that the Church would surely send assassins to eliminate her for her deeds did not exist in her mind at this moment. The rapturous sensation of vitality being etched into her flesh, paid for by the sacrifices’ suffering and lives, was simply too intense.
She even harbored some contempt at the thought of Paladin knights from the Church coming for her.
Although until recently she had been but a lesser witch unworthy of facing the seven sisters themselves, thanks to the relic she had obtained from a dungeon, Phaerellyna was now confident that even the seven sisters could do nothing to her.
The nun knight party arrived at Aghno just as the distracted witch was completely immersed in the ecstasy of consuming the sacrifices’ vitality and power.