She Is Not a Witch

Pullman’s home was in Brown Wood Village, a remote settlement near the Tisilan Mountain forest, so secluded it probably wasn’t even marked on the kingdom’s maps.

The village’s only specialty was the forest gooseberries. These bright red berries, resembling grapes, were a rare fruit with a sour taste. Some nobles were fond of them, so merchants would come to the village every year to buy them, providing the village’s largest annual income.

The incident occurred when the merchants came to make their purchase this year.

Freshness was crucial for the fruit. Master Moke would arrive in Brown Wood Village a week or two early each year to stay and sell the village’s gooseberry harvest in batches to nearby cities. These attractive berries were popular, and wealthy city dwellers often bought them to serve guests, displaying their status and wealth.

Moreover, they were cheap to acquire. Giving these simple villagers one silver coin per basket made them overjoyed. After transporting them to the city, washing them clean, and displaying them on pristine plates, he could sell them for 60 silver coins per basket—a tremendous profit.

These dust-faced country bumpkins would never have the chance to enter the high-end shops in the city’s noble district, so they’d never know the actual selling price of these fruits. Master Moke had been running this business for many years.

During his stay, he happened to encounter Pullman’s sister, Ashlee.

Ashlee was 14 years old this year. Just returning from bathing in the river, her youthful, beautiful face immediately caught Master Moke’s attention.

Pullman’s sister caught the eye of the merchant, Master Moke, who then told her parents he could take her to the city to be a maid for a noble lord.

Being a servant for nobles was considered much more fortunate than the life of an ordinary villager—stable and free from starvation. In this dangerous world, it was a highly desirable occupation for many commoners.

So Pullman’s parents happily agreed, and Moke gave them a sum of money. Pullman was also pleased.

After all, his sister would have a good job, and he vaguely felt that with this money, he might be able to discuss marriage with Joanna.

But what he didn’t expect was that from then on, he’d never see his sister again—that slightly small, obedient sister.

Two months after his sister left, he went to Trinity City to inquire about the noble’s address, hoping to see his sister, but was stopped by the guards.

As a common youth, he naturally couldn’t enter the noble’s courtyard. So he waited across the street, asking the servants coming and going for news of his sister.

Strangely, no one knew his sister. Finally, feeling something was wrong, one night he secretly climbed over the wall. Unfamiliar with the layout, he was quickly caught by the guards.

In the Western Wind Kingdom, a commoner’s life was cheap, especially one trespassing on private property. He was soon severely beaten and tortured. But since he was indeed a youth from a nearby village, and many people could recognize him, he was finally released after a stern warning and beating.

But he didn’t give up. With his knees covered in wounds, he knelt on the ground, constantly begging the guards to let him see his sister.

Finally, a young guard couldn’t bear to watch anymore. As he was leaving, the guard whispered in his ear, “You can look in the wasteland south of the city.”

When he limped to that wasteland, what appeared before his eyes were small mounds of exposed white bones.

It was a mass grave.

A bad premonition arose in his heart. He searched around and finally found a body of similar size.

From the tattered clothes, he could still recognize that it was indeed his sister.

Yes, that noble lord did want a maid, but not the kind that serves daily needs. She was merely a disposable plaything.

The young man’s hands trembled, unable to accept this reality. He sat numbly beside the body for a full day and night, finally crying as he dug the soil to bury the small body.

As he spoke of this, the young man’s voice choked up, filled with regret. If only, if only he had persuaded his parents then, if only he hadn’t been lost in fantasies about Joanna.

Why, why did it turn out like this? His family just wanted a slightly better life! Was even such a small wish not allowed?

“Do you want revenge?” The silver-haired girl’s clear voice came from across the fire.

“I do, but I don’t have the ability, and my parents won’t allow me to do it.”

The young man’s parents had vaguely realized the truth of the matter afterwards, but perhaps considering the vast difference in power, the hardships of adult life, or maybe because they didn’t care much for this daughter, they didn’t seek revenge against Moke. They prepared to let the matter rest, telling Pullman to stay home and work, not to go to Trinity City again.

“Why? Why can they be so indifferent?”

The young man gripped his knees tightly, his voice revealing confusion and anger.

In a child’s eyes, parents are everything. Aren’t they supposed to be all-powerful?

Loranhil also recalled some past memories. After middle school, the myth of her parents in her heart had already shattered. She thought she was much smarter than them.

However, after graduating and working, after being beaten down by society, she began to understand some of her parents’ choices. Many things weren’t a matter of not wanting to, but of not being able to.

Just as Loranhil was about to guide this young man, the system’s mechanical voice appeared again.

New Quest: Answer young Pullman’s doubts, receive rewards based on completion rate, at least 70%. (Current progress 0%)

Reward: For every 20% progress, gain one chance to draw a prize. At 100% completion, receive a supernatural artifact recipe.

Well, does this system come with real-time emergency quests?

Loranhil began to carefully recall the young man’s experiences and the possible questions in his heart.

“Perhaps, parents have their own considerations.”

Loranhil began to explain to Pullman the difficulties of adult life, not only raising a family but also the power of nobles and merchants, how even if they went to complain it would be futile, and they had to consider the future survival of their only son, Pullman, and so on.

But the young man was still somewhat dissatisfied. He couldn’t accept this outcome. The progress showed 26% and then got stuck.

Loranhil also understood that such a gentle explanation was not enough to convince him. If it were her, she probably wouldn’t be able to accept it either.

So, tell him the cruel truth.

“It’s because you have no power.”

The girl poked at the fire, adding a few dry branches. The nearly extinguished flames grew a bit larger.

The young man was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head again.

“That’s right, I can’t beat that noble.”

“No, that’s not the power I’m talking about. That noble doesn’t produce anything, his body is probably not as strong as yours. One-on-one, you should be stronger than him.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“Have you ever wondered why some people do nothing yet possess more wealth than you, can act without restraint, oppress and plunder?”

“I… I don’t know.”

A question he had never considered before appeared in the young man’s mind.

“Their fields are cultivated by commoners, their clothes are woven by commoners, their food is prepared by commoners, they have commoners as guards to protect them. Why can they do this?”

“Because they pay money?” the young man answered hesitantly.

“Where does their money come from?” the girl asked in return.

“Their money…” The young man’s mind began to frantically recall his brief life experiences.

“Their money comes from taxes, rent, and your labor and production for them,” the girl answered for Pullman.

“That’s right.” But something seemed off, though Pullman couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Let’s set aside taxes and rent for now. Don’t you find it strange that commoners labor and produce for them, and they give commoners money in return?”

“Why do they get richer and richer, even without working?”

“Maybe because the money from labor and production is more?” The young man answered uncertainly, and the progress began to move forward.

Loranhil silently praised him, then began to recall that era from her memory, where countless people worked hard, even doing 996 without any entertainment, yet still couldn’t afford to buy a house.

“Yes, this transaction is not entirely fair. You produce more money, and they only give you a part of it.”

“This…”

“But is it really that simple? Why don’t the commoners produce for themselves?”

By now, the young man had no idea how to answer. Yes, why not?

“Because they hold resources that commoners don’t have. These resources can be many things—it could be a cow, a shop, some special relationship, or some kind of power.”

“These scarce yet necessary things, you don’t have them, so you have to rely on them. That’s why they can achieve this unfair transaction.”

“I see.” The young man’s voice was somewhat dejected.

“Will they be able to continue like this forever? Will poor people like me always have to work for them?”

“It’s not always like this. Maintaining such behavior requires a good order, premised on everyone following the rules.”

“You’ve probably heard of bandits, right? Those who don’t follow rules, who take everything from you without giving anything in return.”

“So, they use part of their money to hire guards. Although these guards don’t produce anything or generate money, they can ensure the long-term existence of profits.”

The young man seemed to understand a lot, yet also seemed to understand nothing. The world was presenting itself to him in an unprecedented way.

Seeing the system progress reach 68% and then stop, Loranhil sighed inwardly. It seemed she would have to explain everything completely.

“They hold 10,000 gold coins, using only 10 gold coins to hire guards. Why don’t these guards betray their employers?”

Loranhil’s voice gradually became more formal.

“Why not overthrow the guards hired with 10 gold coins and seize the 10,000 gold coins?”

“Because the kingdom serves as the final guardian of order. Those who break laws and systems will be suppressed, eliminated, executed.”

“Why does the kingdom protect these people, even when they do evil? Why do they tolerate each other? Why doesn’t the law stand on your side?”

“Because they are the masters of this country—they are the nobles and rich merchants, not you commoners.”

“Naturally, they want to protect the interests of their own class.”

“Even if you killed this noble, as long as this environment exists, such incidents would continue to repeat.”

At this point, Loranhil paused, allowing the young man time to think.

Pullman was silent for a long time before slowly asking.

“I still don’t understand. Can it really be so unfair? Will it always be like this?”

“The state, to some extent, is the embodiment of just order. If it loses justice, the foundation of the state will also be destroyed.”

“You want to ask me how to change all this? It’s by establishing a country where everyone is equal, a just and righteous, wise and resolute, prosperous and powerful nation.”

In her previous life, Loranhil had participated in the science college entrance exam and studied science. Her understanding of Marxism-Leninism wasn’t very good.

But fortunately, this country, established through struggle in the wind and rain, clearly wrote the art of slaying dragons in every middle school student’s textbook. Where this country came from, how it was established, what mistakes we had made, how to solve these contradictions—all was clearly told to every citizen.

Perhaps it’s not perfect and still has many problems, but its greatness cannot be denied. Our warriors, our sacred faith, will never be erased.