Release That Witch

Chapter 217: The Origin of the Disease

hen Roland was about to retire to his bedroom and take a nap after having lunch with the witches, Carter darted into the castle hall.

“Your Highness, the refugees from the Eastern Region have just arrived at the dock!”

“That fast?” Roland was surprised but at the same time also pleased at the result. It appeared as one of the former members of the patrol team, who had connections with both government officials and their illegal counterparts, Theo was quite efficient. However, Roland instantly noticed something had gone wrong at the sight of the chief knight. The latter was moist with perspiration, brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

“The crews have caught a weird disease.” Carter briefly described the symptoms. “There were only a few people who got infected at first. Now the disease has spread to all the passengers on the several boats we have, including the soldiers from the First Army!”

“A contagious disease whose main symptom was dark spots?” It sounded like a plague, which was also widely known as Black Death. Nonetheless, Yersinia pestis could not change the blood color and certainly would not result in cracked skins.

Roland’s brows drew together.

He first thought of Lily, but he was not sure if Lily’s ability could cure this unprecedented contagious disease. If she failed and also got infected, it would be a huge problem. So, he must act with an abundance of caution. Yet according to Carter’s description, these patients would not hold up for long and he had no time to lose.

Anyway, he had to first cordon off the scene.

At this thought, Roland gave Carter his order. “Ask the First Army to circle out a caution zone outside the dock and forbid anyone to enter or leave it. Also, make sure to tell them that we, and also Miss Nana, are on the way.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Trouble?” Nightingale asked.

“I’m not sure yet. It all depends on Lily’s ability,” Roland answered in a low voice. “Ask everyone in the Witch Union to come here. We probably can’t have a nap today.”

…

After thoroughly reflecting upon the matter, Roland felt it was advisable to stay away from patients before he confirmed that Lily’s ability did work.

Fortunately, Lily’s preservation ability belonged to the summoning type, which meant Lily did not need to touch her targets to apply her ability. Like most witches, her magic power was effective within a radius of five meters.

Given that, Roland asked two carpenters to build a rectangle box room with the help of Anna. The room was segmented by a windowed division, through which one could see the other side. Below the division hung a soft curtain drawn by Soraya, which had two symmetrically arranged holes where Lily could put her hands through. The soft azure curtain would tightly wrap around the little girl’s hands to stop the airflow between the two sections. Roland believed as long as Lily washed her hands with alcohol later, she would not be infected.

There were around 50 soldiers from the First Army maintaining the order at the dock. They being able to keep self-disciplined despite the rampant plague was not because of their strong wills, but purely because of their firm belief that angelic Miss Nana would eventually cure the disease.

After the box room was ready, an infected soldier was picked out for treatment. Although there were dark spots on his arms, he still had the capability to walk on his own.

The soldier went into the room and stood still as instructed. Shortly afterward, Lily reached out her hands through the division to apply her ability. Meanwhile, Roland stood behind her, observing the patient through the window.

The magic power produced no audible sounds. After the little girl nodded her head, notifying that she was done, Roland asked the soldier, “How are you feeling now?”

“Your Highness?” Hearing Roland’s voice, the soldier at once administered a military salute in excitement. With a little exclamation, he was rooted to the ground immediately. “Wow, I feel my strength has come back to me again. Good Gracious, Your Highness, I feel much better!”

Roland also noticed that the dark spots on the soldier’s hands were fading rapidly. Now he was positive that the disease was not a plague, for he remembered that dark spots caused by a plague were originated from the concurrence of septicemia and hyper cyanosis. Those dark spots normally lingered on skins for quite a long time even after Yersinia pestis were killed. Lily’s ability, however, did not include reviving muscles and skins.

Roland felt a little relieved after knowing that Lily could cure this unknown disease with her new ability.

“I’m glad to hear that. Call the other soldiers in. Ten at a time. No matter he has symptoms or not, everyone needs to receive treatment.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The soldier paused for a second and then saluted again. “Thank you, Miss Nana.”

Roland corrected him with a smile. “You should thank Miss Lily this time. She saved you instead of Nana. You’ll only need Miss Nana if your skins start to bleed.”

“Real-really?” The soldier scratched the back of his head. “Well, thank you, Miss Lily.”

After the soldier left, Lily glanced at the prince and said, “I don’t mind you attributing it to Nana. I don’t need anyone to thank me.”

“Is that so? Then why did you stand so erect just now?” Roland looked at Lily’s dangling double ponytail and gently rubbed her head. To his surprise, Lily did not protest this time but simply uttered a muffled snort.

Roland wondered what had caused the disease if it was not a plague. He was approached by Nightingale as soon as he walked out of the box room. Nightingale reported, “Your Highness, I’ve noticed something unusual. There seem to be… signs of magic power in the blood of those patients.”

“What?” Roland was astonished.

“They look like glitters of stars at night in the Mist.” Nightingale affirmed. “I’ve never seen such feeble magic power before.”

This accidental discovery made Roland realize that the disease, which contained magic power, might have something do with witches or the church. At least he was now pretty sure that the disease did not result from bacteria or viruses in nature.

“I see.” The prince pondered for a while. “In that case, let’s take some blood samples.”

“No, you may be infected!” Nightingale stopped him, looking quite worried.

“Relax.” Roland smiled at Nightingale. “Lily’s new ability has completely got the disease under control.”

Roland sampled the blood of an unconscious peasant. He put a slide with black blood on it under a microscope and adjusted the objective working distance. If the cause of the disease was bacteria, most likely he would not see anything. However, the image started to become clearer gradually. The moment the object came into focus, Roland almost could not believe his eyes.

In the confined microscope field, several worms with tentacles and big bellies were slowly wriggling in the liquid. Their tails ejected thin threads of slime from time to time. The worms were as small as unicellular algae, but like the parent algae Lily had created, they were not transparent. Therefore, it was hard to tell whether they were unicellular creatures or not.

Fortunately, the magic power carried by the worms did not affect the little girl’s ability. After the blood mixed with duplicate algae was added to the sample, the clones soon began to attack the strange worms and assimilate them.

Out of caution, Roland instructed the recovered soldiers from the First Army to take the refugees to the box room. Each refugee would have to wear a mask when they entered. At the meantime, another box room was set up primarily for Nana to treat patients in critical conditions with cracked skins.

The treatment started at noon and did not end until the evening. When all of the 500 passengers on the 10 boats were healed, the multitude roared in ecstasy. Many of them knelt down to appreciate Roland’s help. The loud chorus of “Long live His Highness” reverberated across the dock and lingered for quite a while before it completely died down.

“You don’t look very happy?” Nightingale winked at him.

“I didn’t cure the disease, but Lily and Nana, the witches did.” Roland shook his head. “People should thank them instead of me.”

Roland knew that before the public completely accepted the existence of witches, the sensible way was to hold back the truth. He breathed out a sigh, hoping that eventually, witches could meet the public face to face without fear or mortification.

Nightingale seemed to read Roland’s mind. She patted his shoulder heartily. “We won’t mind. You’ve already done a great job, and I’m sure that day will come sooner or later. Don’t you think so?” After a short pause, Nightingale added, “Right, I forgot to tell you a piece of good news.”

“What news?”

“The Witch Union is probably going to have a new member.” Nightingale beamed.

Chapter 218: Lucia

ing’s condition had stabilized.

Similar to the strange arrangements of the initial boarding, mercenaries carrying wooden spears on their backs divided people into a number of teams. Those in critical condition were carried into the strange wooden buildings for treatment first. Following them were the young people, families with children, then adults, respectively.

Lucia and Ring were in the first group. The entire treatment process flew by fairly quickly. Blindfolded, she held her sister and walked into the hut with the mercenaries supporting her. Before long, a pill was placed in her hand. The pill was small and slightly sweet. The person at her side told her not to worry, as her sister had already been given her medicine.

When she left the room and lowered her hood, she was pleasantly surprised to see visible improvement in Ring’s complexion. Although she was still in a coma, her forehead was no longer hot, and the flushing on her face had diminished. The dark spots had disappeared without a trace.

Those who had been freed from the terror of death’s door and regained their lives could barely contain themselves. They bent their knees before the gray man off in the distance and rejoiced, giving him the highest respect. They knew from the mercenaries, that this man was the lord in control of the Western Region, His Royal Highness, Roland Wimbledon.

What they could see matched the rumors. The lord not only lit the bonfire at the pier and boiled meat porridge for the people, but also walked among them speaking. He told them that should they be willing to do things for the town, they could receive remuneration, food, and residence here. Everyone enjoyed the tasty meat porridge, talking amongst themselves that it was fortunate they boarded the western fleet and thanked His Highness for his kindness.”

Only Lucia felt a hint of anxiety.

Just how would she manage to get in contact with the Witch Union? The information that had been quietly circulating said that there were witches residing in Border Town, but it never mentioned how to find them. Maybe an important part of the information had been lost during transmission. She heard that the news had started in the large cities in the center of the kingdom.

Once everyone had a full stomach, a few mercenaries led them to a wooden shed near the river. Lucia suddenly heard a woman’s voice behind her.

“What’re you looking for?”

Shocked, she turned her head and jumped two steps forward, prepared to run. Yet when the woman came into sight, Lucia could not help but stand still.

Heavens, this woman was beautiful. Long curls swaying in the firelight granted her hair a soft orange glow, her eyes shone bright like stars, and a sweet smile was in her mouth corners. However, what was the most noticeable was the temperament she emanated, similar to that of a towering man, no less than a noble.

“My name is Nightingale. I’m a witch. Welcome to the Western Region.”

Lucia could not help but bow her head at the woman’s aura. “I… my name is Lucia White. I wish to join you.”

“Then come with me,” said Nightingale, smiling, “I’ll take you home.”

By this time, the sun had already set behind the mountains, and the sky gave off only a weak light. Carrying the sleeping Ring, Lucia followed slowly behind her.

“When did you awaken?” she asked.

“Awaken?” Lucia was startled.

“It’s the moment when you turned into a witch,” said Nightingale, “from then on, your body will continue to converge with magic power. We call this change the awakening.”

“I think… probably two years ago,” Lucia recalled. “Is magic the power of the devil?”

“That’s just the rhetoric of the church.” She shook her head. “Magic is a power bestowed upon us by the heavens. It has nothing to do with good or evil. The Demonic Torture is the bite from the body full of magic. You can avoid it if you exercise your powers.”

“You mean there’s a way to avoid such pain?” Lucia stared with wide eyes.

“Yes, if there were no church oppression, no witch would ever have to bear the pain of the bite.” Nightingale blinked. “But here we’re free to use our abilities at home.” She pointed behind Lucia. “Is this cute thing your sister? And as for your other family members…?”

“They’re all dead, and only Ring and I escaped.” Lucia was silent for a moment. “A group of people attacked Valencia, burning and looting everything. Because my father tried to resist them, they… he was stabbed several times. My mother told us to run and in the end sh-she too…” A long-felt sadness filled her heart with grief, making her unable to speak. All the hardships that they had endured over their passage, the hunger, thirst, fear, all the grievances came gushing out. For the sake of her sister, she gritted her teeth and tried to stay in the moment. But it was like she was unable to stop the wall she had built in her mind from tumbling down, and she burst out in tears. This was no good. The first time you met someone, you were supposed to be elegant, and proper. How was it that she could not stop the tears from flowing?

Would this make Nightingale dislike her? She felt her tears mixed with snot and her mouth filled with a salty taste. However, to Lucia’s surprise, she was suddenly surrounded by a pair of arms, holding her in a warm embrace. Nightingale gently patted the back of her head, showing that she did not mind the mess and tears that covered Lucia’s face. Rather, she said warmly, “Cry. It’s okay to cry.”

…

Once Lucia had calmed, she raised her head, only to see Nightingale’s shoulders were wet with her tears.

“I, I’m sorry…” She blushed.

“It’s okay. Do you feel a bit better?” Nightingale took out her handkerchief and helped Lucia wipe her face. With one hand, she held Ring, with the other, Lucia. “Let’s go. There’re many more sisters waiting for you.”

Lucia had thought that the witches would be housed in abandoned warehouses and basements. She did not expect Nightingale to bring her to the castle district. Was not this the personal domain of the lord? Even more surprising was the fact that the guards waved her in instead of stopping her.

Could it be that the entire town was under the control of the Witch Cooperation Association?

On the third floor of the castle, they entered a brightly lit room. She was impressed to find that the man sitting across from her was the well-known lord who had accepted the cheers of the crowds previously.

“This is the leader of the Witch Union, His Highness Roland Wimbledon. He has taken in the survivors of the Witch Cooperation Association and spread the news throughout the cities, hoping to attract witches who have nowhere to go,” said Nightingale, “Border Town is the home to witches. You needn’t doubt anything because the person who treated your sister before was actually a witch.”

Lucia’s head blanked. She had never thought a noble could accept witches, especially when they were not used as tools or slaves. When she had recovered, she threw a panicked bow in salute. Nightingale could not help but laugh at the strange motion. “Don’t worry about it, His Highness pays no heed to such rituals.”

“So, you come from the Eastern Region?” The lord’s voice was peaceful and relaxed. It was like he was chatting instead of inquiring.

Lucia stole a look at the man who sat in an oddly relaxed way with his face full of interest.

“Yes…”

With the deepening of the conversation and Nightingale’s explanation, her mood gradually softened. Although Roland was a noble, he did not have an aggressive attitude. Rather, it was an attitude similar to one caring for their elders.

“So, it seems that when you awakened two years ago, you aren’t yet an adult…” he said with interest, “What’s your ability, then?”

“To return an item to its original form.” Lucia hesitated. “But it doesn’t work for everything.”

“Original form?” The lord touched his chin, and pushed an elegant cup across the table. “Can you show me?”

“It’ll destroy it.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Lucia nodded, went to the table, and placed her hands on top of the cup.

Soon, the cup began to shrink. It became deformed, and ultimately separated into three unique substances. The far left one looked like a pool of oil, dark and thick. The middle was a small cluster of black powder. And on the right sat a puddle of water, slowly flowing across the table.

.

Chapter 219: Sisters

quot;Welcome to the Witch Union!” In the hall, a colorful group of witches of various ages made a joyous toast.

“Thank you, thank you.” Lucia felt her eyes heating up. She breathed in through her nose and held back the tears. Impulsively, she took another drink of ale in one sip. It was not as bitter as she remembered. Rather, it carried a slight sweetness.

After meeting with the Lord, Nightingale had helped her and Ring take a hot shower, and change into clean clothes. When all was arranged for her sister, Lucia followed Nightingale back to the castle hall. Here, the witches threw a welcome party for her.

It was the first time that Lucia had seen so many witches, and the doubt that lay deep in her heart finally dissipated. If the witches had been imprisoned or forced into allegiance, they would not have had such bright and lively smiles.

She remembered what Nightingale had said, “this is the witches’ home.” Suddenly, she was having this type of pleasant experience, in comparison with that of the witches who had been exposed, hunted and killed by the church. For them, finding a safe and comfortable shelter had always been so difficult. Since Valencia had been attacked by thugs, just over a month ago, she had gone through all sorts of suffering and endless wandering. The Witch Union’s warm welcome, made her feel greatly relieved.

Meanwhile, a party thrown by witches was an incredibly amazing thing to behold.

Black flames cooked a piece of meat instantly, without damaging the pot that it was held in.

A little girl with short golden hair flew around in the air, carrying a jug to fill everyone’s cup.

An alien-looking witch simulated all sorts of instruments, eventually joining them together to form a beautiful song.

…

She quickly remembered the name of each witch that Nightingale introduced to her. As she assimilated unconsciously into the group, the pain in her heart had grown lighter.

Within the Witch Union there were many unique witches, the reliable Scroll and Wendy, the older-sister-figures, Leaf and Echo, as well as her peers, Anna, Soraya, and others. No matter who it was, nobody treated her like a stranger. For this, Lucia’s heart was full of gratitude.

After the banquet, she and the other witches said goodnight to each other and Lucia returned to her new home. His Highness had given her and Ring the last room on the second floor. He did not try to separate them, despite the fact that Ring was not a witch.

“Sister?” Hearing noises, Ring opened her eyes.

“You’re awake!” Lucia’s heart was filled with joy, she took three steps, then ran the remaining two to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Ring looked as if she had just woken from a heavy sleep, yet her body bore no traces of suffering the disease. Her eyes were confused, and she muttered, “I’m so hungry.”

“Wait a moment…” Lucia quickly took out a bag from her pocket. After she opened it the smell of grilled fish filled the air. It was the dried fish that Nightingale had given to her. “Here, eat this.”

Seeing Ring sitting on the bedside and gnawing at the fish, pleased, she patted the little girl on her head. Her sister was only 10 years old and had no parents. She had only Lucia to rely on.

After Ring had swallowed a few bites of fish, she was much more alert. She looked around. “Where are we? The ship didn’t seem to have such a large bed.”

“Border Town, in the Western Region. We just arrived there.”

“Already?” She touched her cheek, saying. “But haven’t I… been sick? They would allow a sick person to enter the town?”

“No, they wouldn’t,” Lucia smiled at her sister’s confusion. “But the lord has a witch who healed you.” She told Ring what had happened at the pier, in detail. “Now we are staying in his castle.”

“A witch?” Ring tilted her head and asked, “just like you, sister?”

“Yes, everyone is very good to me, especially a witch by the name of Nightingale,” Lucia gently fiddled with her hair. “She also helped you to bathe.”

“But, don’t you often say that nobles hate witches? Why is the lord willing to shelter them?”

The question left Lucia slightly stifled, and she coughed twice. “That’s… there are occasionally one or two good people among the nobles.”

Ring grabbed the last piece of dried fish from the bag. “Then, do you need to work for him? Like a housemaid, sweeping, cooking, or warming his bed?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Lucia pulled at her sister’s face, “I’m a witch! It’s my ability that is useful to the lord! And who told you that a maid should do those things?”

“Mom,” Ring replied. “That’s why she never let dad hire a beautiful maid.”

When it came to her family, her face grew dark. Instead of blaming Ring, Lucia hugged her sister in her arms and let out a sigh.

She was not worried about her sister’s statement because she could tell what His Highness’ intentions were when talking to him. Other than asking about her life experiences, everything else he had asked was about her ability. Obviously, his main concern was whether a witch’s ability would benefit him.

But thinking about her own ability, Lucia became worried.

She was not ignorant of the world of witches, as she had met many in Valencia. But six months ago, they had begun to gradually withdraw from the city. She had heard that they were heading to the fjords to find new homes. She did not want to leave her parents, so she did not agree to travel with them. But after several dealings with them, Lucia at least knew that witches’ abilities were typically divided into two types: combat and non-combat.

Her ability to restore objects could be seen as useless. It was an ability with little effect during peacetime, let alone in battles. Her father was a businessman who’d operated a papermaking workshop, so their living room had often been filled with fresh paper. The day that she became a witch, she had cast her ability subconsciously and had accidentally turned the sheets of paper back into flying blades of grass and broken pieces. Her parents scolded her severely but did not hand her over to the church. Rather, they carefully hid her, making her wear a God’s Stone of Retaliation. It was necessary to disguise her as a devout believer.

In the beginning, Lucia was curious about her ability. She would often hide in her room and secretly attempt to restore various items. But soon she found that the ability was extremely difficult to control. Just like with the paper, sometimes it turned into blades of grass, but sometimes it would turn into black particles. If she continued to use her ability on the same object, then it would become smaller and smaller. The final product would be either powder or just fine granules. This meant that her ability could not be used to restore the damaged items. All she was able to do was destroy products that others had finished.

Other witches also thought that Lucia’s ability was not so useful. When it came to fighting, her range was too short, and it could not be used on living things. It was difficult to hit a common farmer, let alone well-trained knights. She was not a combat witch and was useless as a non-combat type. She really had the lowest form of ability.

This had depressed her for a long time.

But now… Lucia’s greatest worry was that His Highness would deem her useless, and kick her out of the castle.

With an uneasy heart, she blew out her candle. Holding her sister, who was satisfied after finishing the dried fish, Lucia slowly closed her eyes, and waited for a new day to come.

Chapter 220: Assembly and Disassembly

arly morning, Roland was already in his office arranging various kinds of test tools on the floor.

There were all kinds of things—from solids to liquids, minerals to metals, inorganics to organics.

“You look quite happy.” Nightingale bent down, picked a dumpling from a plate, and gobbled it.

“That’s of course. We have a new witch in town, and her abilities are incredible.” Roland raised his eyebrows. “Also, don’t think I didn’t see that you just ate one of my test items.”

“There’re enough left.” She wiped her mouth. “How useful are Lucia’s abilities?”

“Very. Her assembling and disassembling abilities will improve our smelting and manufacturing by leaps and bounds,” Roland replied excitedly, “Together with Anna, she can improve the strength of our machinery by severalfold. Even if she’s unable to mass produce, and instead can only handmake a few machines, the quality of our production will be upgraded significantly.”

At present, the machine tools used in Graycastle’s factories had already been improved by Anna. Though they were extremely precise even before that, they gradually wore down due to imperfections in the materials used during the production processes. The problem of deformation became increasingly evident over time, and it was common for the tools to break or splinter. Had Anna not improved and maintained their components, they could only last for up to two years.

Lucia’s abilities would make it possible to precisely control the composition of the materials used. Machine tools made of high-strength cast iron, rolled steel, or even alloy would not only last longer but would have a higher level of processing efficiency and quality. For example, revolver, which only Anna could produce at present, would become possible to batch produce.

“Is it?” Nightingale leaped back on to the table. “But she doesn’t seem to think so herself.”

“That’s because she hasn’t recognized the value of her own abilities, just like Mystery Moon.”

“…” Nightingale silently stuffed her mouth with two pieces of dried fish.

When Lucia had finished her breakfast and came into the office, the ability test officially began.

Roland watched in anticipation as she transformed each test item into a pile or a few small piles of substances—the iron ingots and ores turned into silvery white granules, and on close observation, there was some variegated powder on the side. There were no changes to the grapes and steak, while the dumplings turned into water, minced meat and flour.

Halfway through the test, she suddenly stopped and said a little embarrassedly, “I feel like… my magic power is used up.”

Roland glanced towards Nightingale, who nodded and said, “The amount of magic power in her body is very small. It looks like a drifting cloud of smog. However, this is the first time I’ve seen this type of color.”

“What color is it?”

“… Gray,” she replied.

Roland returned to his desk and beckoned to Lucia. “A witch’s magic power will increase with age and practice. What you’ve done isn’t bad for a child.” When the young girl walked to the side of his desk, he placed the parchment he had long prepared in front of her. “Since you’ve decided to remain in Border Town, please sign this agreement.”

Lucia lowered her head, read through the agreement, and gulped a mouthful of cold air. “One gold royal per month? Your Highness… but, I haven’t completed the test?”

“This isn’t based on your capability at all.” Roland laughed while shaking his head. “As long as you’re a member of the Witch Union, this agreement will be effective.”

“Even if a witch’s abilities are useless?” she queried in disbelief.

“You may put it that way.” The prince shrugged his shoulders. “But I believe that every witch’s ability has its unique uses. It’s only a matter of finding them. So, you don’t have to worry that you won’t be of use.” He paused before continuing. “Also, you should have heard from the other witches the real reason why magic power tortures the body. To ensure that you get through the Day of Awakening safely, you’ll have to practice your abilities every day. After dinner, Teacher Scroll will be teaching witches in the parlor. You’ll have to go and listen—although you’ve already mastered reading and writing, there’re still primary mathematics and natural foundation lessons to be learnt.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Lucia forcibly nodded.

“You have a younger sister, right?” Roland smiled. “Please bring her along for lessons. She has also reached the age to start education.”

Lucia was slightly surprised. She raised her head to make sure that he was not joking before she bowed and replied happily, “I obey.”

After the young girl made her leave, Roland kept the signed agreement in his drawer and stared, deep in thought, at the test items on the floor.

“How’s the result?” Nightingale asked.

“Amazing.” He raised up the plate that was filled with dumplings, and touched the broken bits of meat and flour. “Look at this… when dough is kneaded, its gluten forms a reticular structure which enables the dough to become stretchable. After boiling it, the high temperature causes the protein-formed gluten to denature. Even if it’s grounded into flour again, it’s impossible to get back the fine and smooth appearance. The change is usually irreversible, but…” Roland took some flour and laid it on his palm. It felt soft and smooth as if it was freshly-grounded flour. “She’s made the flour return to how it was at first.”

“Eh, I don’t quite understand.” Nightingale curled her lips. “If that’s the case, can her ability be seen as reverting things to their original form?”

“Not quite.” Roland pointed at the iron ingots. “If it’s only to revert, the iron ingots should have become iron ores. Instead, they’ve been disassembled into iron powder and other impurities.”

“Then what exactly is her ability?” Nightingale asked confusedly.

“I’m still not sure at the moment, but I guess that her ability could have two different kinds of effect, and which of these is seen depends on her knowledge.”

“Know-knowledge?”

Essentially speaking, steak isn’t that different from iron ores. They’re both composed of many particles. However, Lucia’s ability can only disassemble iron ores, and not steak. I think that this may be because she doesn’t understand organic compounds… or should I say, the makeup of living things,” Roland explained. Though he was uncertain about this conjecture, he had no doubt that Lucia was the witch who most needed to improve her knowledge as quickly as possible.

Three days later, when the second fleet of ships carrying Eastern Region refugees arrived in Border Town, it was discovered that there had been a similar epidemic onboard, and it was more serious than the first fleet’s. Nearly half of the people onboard were infected. After asking, Roland found out that some of those infected had shown black spots as symptoms on the first day of boarding. This meant that they had been parasitized by insects beforehand, and thus the latent period correspondingly shortened.

Meanwhile, Roland also received a letter sent from the king’s city. The sealing wax was stamped with the mark of Margaret’s Chamber of Commerce.

After reading the contents of the letter, he began to frown.

Currently, the demonic plague was spreading wantonly throughout the king’s city. The church thereby claimed that this was a plot by witches, and informed the masses that it had holy medicine which could cure this plague. There were also a large number of infected people outside the city. Due to safety considerations, Theo decided that the transport of refugees would be temporarily halted.

If Roland estimated the time correctly, the first fleet should arrive back in the king’s city in four days. It would bring news that Border Town could cure the demonic plague. Unfortunately, the people who were already infected were unlikely to be able to pull through for the one week’s journey. Furthermore, the church’s announcement caused him to smell a conspiracy.

After thinking it over, he decided to dispatch a team to escort Lily to the king’s city. Or else, the people of the king’s city and the Eastern Region refugees would lose half of their populations over the course of this man-made catastrophe, while the survivors would all become devout followers of the church.

Roland had to do all he could to prevent this situation from happening.

Chapter 221: A Rescue Plan

ince he had made this decision, the first question he had to consider was: should he personally go to the king’s city?

This would be the first time the First Army of Border Town fought a battle far away from the Western Region. Unlike the previous cases of defensive warfare, there were sure to be problems caused by unfamiliarity with the terrain. It was unclear how well they would fight without being able to set the battlefield. Roland felt that he could not be at ease if he did not go—though his military knowledge was heavily limited, his understanding of firearms was certainly ahead of the times.

However, there was no one to manage the Western Region when he left Border Town. If this news spread to Longsong Stronghold, a few noble families might have some devious ideas. And if someone leaked this news to Timothy, both the front and back lines would suffer—Timothy would probably not pay too much attention if it were just a few witches, but if he heard that Roland was near the king’s city, he would certainly mobilize his main forces. Moreover, even if he decided to spare Roland and instead ordered his forces to attack the Western Region, it would yet be a disaster for Roland.

All in all, compared to a frontline defeat, a capitulation in his backyard would be far worse.

Eventually, Roland decided to remain in Border Town.

The primary task of the First Army was to protect the witches, while the second was to lead refugees on to the ships in batches. Conversely, it was not part of their main agenda to engage in head-on battle with Timothy’s patrol team in the king’s city or the church’s Judgement Army. So long as they performed their relief work well and without incident, they might never have to fire a gun.

Of course, Roland had to draw up a rescue plan that was as complete as possible.

That afternoon, Roland summoned over Carter, Iron Axe, Brian and the Witch Union members.

There was only a vague impression of the topography around the king’s city in the prince’s childhood memory. However, this would not be much of a problem. Roland got Soraya to draw a simple map on the dining table in the parlor before he assigned instructions to Iron Axe and Brian.

“This central diamond represents the king’s city, while this blue line represents the canal,” Roland explained as he contemplated, “You’ll have two tasks. The first is to protect the witches while they treat the refugees, and then escort everyone back to Border Town. The second is to stop the demonic plague from spreading in the king’s city. I’ll tell you now that this plague is likely to have been created by the church.”

“Wh-what?” Brian stared at him in bewilderment, while Carter’s forehead began to furrow. Only Iron Axe remained completely expressionless—as a Mojin Clan member from Sand Nation who worshipped the Three Gods of Nature, he did not revere the church or the “one and only God” it proclaims. This made Roland feel very relieved.

“After annexing the Kingdom of Everwinter, the church has begun to attack the Kingdom of Wolfheart. I believe that if the latter collapses as well, the Kingdom of Dawn and the Kingdom of Graycastle will become their targets sooner or later. In fact, I would question the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince itself.” The prince subsequently gave a simple account of how the church simultaneously provided the pill to Timothy, Garcia, and himself. “From this point alone, we can see that they aren’t supporting a particular person, but are instead encouraging us to fight among ourselves. Furthermore, the people who consume the pill won’t turn into veteran soldiers, but will instead become paralyzed and die after the effect wears off. The current epidemic is the same. Shortly after the demonic plague began to spread in the king’s city, the church has already claimed to have an antidote. Ironically, they still haven’t distributed it to the people.”

“The light shone into Hell is the brightest.” Iron Axe remarked.

“Indeed. To pose as a savior of the world, the best thing to do is to appear when people are most in distress. The greater the sense of contrast, the deeper the people’s impression of the church. Those who perished halfway were simply deemed as sacrifices whose faiths weren’t devout enough.” Roland articulated. “So, apart from rescuing the refugees in the Eastern Region, we’ll also have to foil the church’s conspiracy.”

“What should we do?” Brian inhaled deeply.

“Try not to be noticed, and keep them in oblivion as you complete the tasks.” Roland pointed at a large open space to the south of an outskirt pier along the canal. “This area should be full of crop fields and is thus very suitable for hiding. Try to find a high spot in the area to build a sentry post that overlooks the pier. The soldiers responsible for fetching the refugees will disguise as caravan mercenaries and escort the treated refugees onboard. I’ll contact Margaret the merchant to prepare as many ships as she can, so that we won’t have only two fleets for this mission.”

Whether it was Longsong Stronghold or the king’s city of Graycastle, the patrol strength of a large city rarely extended to its fringes. The guaranteed surveillance range was fundamentally determined by the height of the city wall—the distance that could be seen standing on the city wall was equivalent to the range that could be monitored. By this measure, the area to the south of the pier was outside the church’s surveillance range, and therefore Roland’s troops were unlikely to be noticed by the guards if they set up base here.

“How will the disease be treated?” Iron Axe asked.

“We’ll mainly depend on the replicas created by Lily.” Roland gave a general explanation of the young girl’s strange ability. “She won’t need to enter the refugee camps to treat these people, as she can turn any microbe into a replica—in other words, your job is to gather river water for her to purify and serve the water to those who are infected.”

“Just… like that?” Iron Axe was surprised.

“Take note of two things.” The prince held up two fingers. “First, ensure that everyone on board has drunk the purified water. Second, don’t use boiled drinking water to produce the purified water—in fact, the purified water should be as dirty as possible. The more microbes it contains, the more replicas that can be produced. You mightn’t have understood, but just do as I say.”

“Is it the same for the patients in the king’s city?”

“More or less. But we can’t use our men to send the cure as that’ll be too conspicuous. This part will be handled by Theo,” Roland replied, “As long as the money is right, even the Rats of Black Street can do an efficient job.”

“Your Highness, but these Rats aren’t reliable. If they smell profits elsewhere, they may stab us in the back at any time,” Carter suggested.

“Therefore, although you should do your best for the second task, it isn’t necessary to complete.” The prince stood up and continued, “If you sense that something’s not right, the First Army shall immediately evacuate the witches. It’ll be a victory as long as we bring the refugees back smoothly. We’ll simply treat as many people in the king’s city as we can. The plan to defeat the church doesn’t solely depend on the purified water to actualize. So long as we make it clear that the truth isn’t like what they declared—that ‘only the holy medicine can treat the demonic plague’—their act will fail.”

“Finally, I shall announce the people selected for this expedition to the king’s city.” Raising his voice, he shouted, “Iron Axe!”

“Yes!”

“You’ll lead 240 musketeers to protect the witches, control the canal piers, and eliminate potential threats. You must ensure that the witches and the Eastern Region refugees are safely brought back.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Iron Axe immediately stood at attention and saluted.

“Brian!”

“Yes!” The young knight held his head high and raised his chest.

“You’ll lead 60 soldiers to disguise as caravan mercenaries, send the cure to the camps, escort the refugees on board, and maintain order on the ships.

“I sincerely obey Your Highness’ orders!”

“Next will be the witches. The ones who’ll be going to the king’s city are Lily, Nightingale, Echo, Lightning, and Wendy.” Roland then lowered his voice and continued, “I’ll expatiate your task later. Most importantly, take good care of yourselves and come back safely.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness.” Nightingale beat her chest and asserted. “There’s me around.”

Roland nodded. “My final and most important point is… when the contingent arrives in the king’s city, you may only stay for three days at most. When the time’s up, no matter the situation, you must return to Border Town.” He enunciated his word clearly. “If the church is intent on withering the resistance of the Kingdom of Graycastle, it’ll certainly not just create an epidemic in the king’s city. The Western Region will likely become one of their targets. That’s why you can’t stay in the king’s city for more than three days, understood?”

”Yes, Your Highness!” Iron Axe and Brian replied in unison.

“Great. Then begin to carry out the plan.”

“Hold on… Your Highness, what about me?” Carter raised his hand and asked.

“You’ll lead the remaining First Army soldiers to guard Border Town, that’s all.” Roland gave him a pat on his shoulders.

.

Chapter 222: A Long-anticipated Victory!

he Fjords, Sea Dragon Bay.

The church’s followers climbed onto the walls and fired bolt after bolt at the witches. However, this produced little effect, thanks to the resistance of Shavi’s invisible barrier and Molly’s magic servants. The arrows either fell out of the air or were swallowed by the magic servants. Only the magic-breaking arrows, which were embedded with God’s Stones of Retaliation, posed any kind of threat.

However, the quantity of God’s Stones of Retaliation was ultimately limited. The witches who were unfortunately struck by these arrows were immediately brought to the backline to be treated. As long as the bleeding was stopped in time, their lives were not in danger. After two or three rounds of firing, more than 20 witches managed to advance to the city wall. Ashes leaped directly on to the top of the wall and sorted out those followers who dared to show themselves.

After several days of reconnaissance, the witches had fully learned about the weak spots of the walls on this side. Screeches of varying lengths were heard from a pigeon in the sky—it was Maggie informing everyone that they had reached their correct positions.

Lotus, who already had a few battles’ worth of experience, used her ability without hesitation. Suddenly, the floor began to shake. The church’s followers charged at her to stop her, but Ashes finished off every one of them. Without the God’s Stones of Retaliation’s protection, the wall quickly collapsed. The witches rushed through the subsidence and used their abilities to attack the followers. Those who did not have a God’s Stone of Retaliation were knocked over in a blink, while those who remained standing were swiftly cleaned up by Ashes.

This was the first time the cathedral suffered a frontal assault since it was built. Furthermore, the assaulter was none other than the mortal enemy of the church. The priest who was stationed here understood that this was the final moment. He thus ordered the remaining followers to consume a pill and sacrifice themselves for God. A group of more than 10 crazed believers surrounded Ashes while the rest charged at Lotus and the other witches.

Lotus, who was already prepared, raised up an earthen wall from the ground to obstruct the enemies temporarily, knowing that their God’s Stones of Retaliation could not dispel the realized effects of magic power. By the time the followers made their way around the wall, they discovered that the space was empty.

Thus, the manic followers could only return to attacking Ashes. However, the witches would appear behind them spontaneously to catch them off guard and knock them out. Each time this happened, the strength of the followers decreased. Within an hour of fighting, the cathedral was filled with the followers’ bodies, leaving only the priest alive.

Shuddering, he placed a pill in his mouth, but before he could swallow it, Ashes chopped off his arm with a single stroke.

“God damn you, evil witch! You cursed monster!” He held on to the amputated arm and barked hysterically, his eyes filled with fear.

“Are you scared? When you tortured and slaughtered those innocent people, did you ever consider how they felt?” Ashes responded icily, “Compared to witches, the lot of you are more like the Devil’s minions, and scumbags who stop at no evil. So, may you go and report to Hell in peace.” With that, she swung her sword at his throat, where his angry curses would remain forever.

“Have we won?” Molly walked up to Ashes with some disbelief lingering in her tone.

“Indeed.” Ashes sighed heavily. “This is the last cathedral in the Fjords. From now onwards, the church has no stronghold left in any island. We’ve won!”

Although the church’s power in the Fjords had always been weak, the number of followers in each cathedral was barely in the hundreds, and there were no sections of the Judgement Army stationed here, this was nevertheless the witches’ first head-on victory over the church. From being chased in all four directions by the latter and being panic-stricken by even the slightest sound of the wind, to today’s attack on the cathedral and downing the colossus of old, even though this was only an insignificant section of the church, it was still sufficient to hearten the witches.

As she expected, after everyone acknowledged this long-anticipated victory, they began to cheer loudly. The church had been a huge mountain weighing on everyone’s minds. Now, they had finally pried a hole in the foot of this mountain to see a glimmer of light. From this moment onwards, the Fjords became their real home.

“We’ve won!”

“Long live Lady Tilly!”

“Coo, coo!”

…

After arriving in Sleeping Island by boat, Ashes rushed to Tilly’s residence and told her the news of the witches’ outright victory. The latter brushed her gray hair behind her ear and revealed a radiant smile. “Maggie has already told me. It’s wonderful that all of you are safe and sound.”

Indeed, compared to the sailing ship, Maggie’s flying speed when she transformed into a seabird was much faster. Ashes looked around the room but did not catch sight of the familiar figure. “Where’s Maggie?”

“She left right after reporting the news to me.” Tilly shook her head helplessly.

Ashes was surprised. “She… returned to the Western Region?”

“Yes.” Tilly smiled again. “She has probably made some really good friends over there. After just a few days, she couldn’t wait to go back. “If it wasn’t to help us defeat the church, she would perhaps have gone back to Border Town after sending the letter… I’m becoming increasingly curious about that place.”

Ashes hesitated before she opened her mouth and asked, “Am I wrong to leave her over there?”

“No, it’s great this way,” the princess replied in an assured tone. “It’s precisely because you allowed Maggie to stay in Border Town that we were able to get in touch with them easily. I even allowed her to bring along my reply letter to Roland Wimbledon.” She made a funny face and asked, “Can you guess how I replied to him?”

“You must have rejected his request. Sea travel is full of risks. How can we send our witches to the Western Region?”

“No, I agreed to his request.” Tilly tilted the corners of her mouth upwards. “I even briefly introduced the abilities of our non-combat witches to him. I also said in the letter that if he can guarantee the safety of our witches, I’ll consider allowing a few witches to go to Border Town. Oh, what did he say in the letter? That’s right—’Study and learn, enhance our friendship, progress together.'” She paused before continuing, “He also said that I can visit Border Town if need be.”

“Your Highness!” Ashes could not help exclaiming the honorific she used when she was working as a palace guard.

“I know what you’re worried about, but at present, the witches’ biggest enemy is the church. An extra ally is an extra source of strength. Our dealings with the Fjords are on a benefit basis, while the Witch Cooperation Association of Border Town is a natural friend. As such, why can’t we show a little goodwill?” Tilly laughed. “Furthermore, I heard from Maggie that witches can evolve their abilities by learning knowledge. Don’t you feel curious? If the witches that we send can also pick up this technique, Sleeping Island will benefit greatly.”

“But if you personally go there, what’ll happen if they…”

Tilly reached out her hand and interrupted Ashes. “Don’t worry. I didn’t say that I’ll set off immediately. I won’t put myself at risk until the situation is clear. Don’t forget that Sylvie can see through all deception, whether it be exquisite cosmetics or magical illusions. She’ll follow the first batch of witches to Border Town and help me find out the truth about Prince Roland. Besides, even if I run into danger, don’t I have you by my side?”

After gazing at Tilly for a long while, Ashes finally nodded her head.

“Of course, the specific circumstances can be discussed when Maggie returns next month.” Tilly laughed. “Right now, we have something more important to do. ”

“What?” Ashes asked in puzzlement. At present, the church’s forces in the Fjords were completely wiped out, and it appeared that the only thing left to do was to peacefully develop Sleeping Island… but Tilly’s expression seemed to say otherwise.

The princess pointed at a red gemstone on her white silk glove. “Not just on the kingdom’s continent but in Shadow Islands of the Fjords too, there’s an ancient ruins. More than half of the Magic Stones purchased from the islanders came from this ruins. With the church gone, I want to visit it myself.”

“Is it the Ghost Shadow Red River of folklore?” Having spent some time in the Fjords, Ashes had heard a little about these legends. This ruins appeared intermittently in the ocean and its surroundings were full of dangerous undercurrents and sea monsters, hence most people had no way of reaching it. Ever since it was first discovered, many explorers had lost their lives in Shadow Islands because of this incredible spectacle. “You don’t even know its specific position. How will you enter the ruins?”

“I indeed don’t know its position. But I know who can bring us there. In fact, this remarkable explorer is on Sleeping Island, and he was the first person to discover this ruins,” Tilly replied and smiled gently.

Chapter 223: The Premeditation

hese days, Theo spent his time in the Inner City’s inn waiting anxiously for Border Town’s reply.

The tall inner city wall divided the king’s city into two different worlds. There was strict control on entering and exiting. Whether they were nobles or merchants, everyone had to be checked in a small room at the entrance, and if they had any sign of illness, such as fever, flushing or black spots, they would not be allowed to enter. If Theo left the Inner City area, he would have to return in the evening, or else, once the sun sets, the gate would be locked and he would spend the night outside.

However, these policies did not prevent the demonic plague from spreading. He heard rumors the previous day that there were nobles in the Inner City area who were infected. Had the church not finally release the first batch of holy medicine, the nobles would probably have gathered and left the king’s city.

On the sixth day after sending out the letter, Theo finally received news from Margeret’s Chamber of Commerce. He hurried over to the agreed place – a tailor shop, where he was led into the basement by a shop assistant. The lady of the Chamber had been waiting for a long time.

Margaret sat upright beside a low table, on which there was a jar of iced water that continually gave off cold air. While still profusely sweating, Theo walked to the opposite side of the table from her and sat cross-legged. He felt a cool breeze blowing against his face at once, and was immediately invigorated.

“His Highness has asked me to hand this letter to you.” She passed to him a folded sheepskin envelope, which seal seemed to be completely intact.

Theo impatiently opened the envelope and took out the letter. On it was a brief of the action plan, news of the First Army’s set-off, as well as the tasks which Theo had to complete. After carefully reading through the letter once, he stolidly placed the letter in his pocket and looked at Margaret. “Did His Highness request anything from you?”

“No. All he did was to have the carrier pigeons send this letter. Of course, sending messages by express will require a fee, which I’ve already recorded in the accounts.”

“Ahem, I see.” Theo cleared his throat. “His Highness needs to fetch all of the refugees back to the Western Region within a very short time. Therefore, he hopes that you can provide him with a large number of ships that’ll be used for non-stop transportation, instead of just one or two fleets.”

“Even if they’re infected?” Margaret conjectured with interest. “I believe that His Highness certainly won’t want to turn the entire Western Region into a land of death, so… has he found a cure for the plague?”

“Indeed so.” He nodded his head. “In fact, they discovered infected people on the first fleet, but it didn’t spread and was only discovered upon reaching Border Town. At present, they’re on their way back to the king’s city, and all of the ship’s crew are in good shape.”

“His Highness is truly an incredible person. Even the church didn’t bring out the antidote so soon.” Margaret gasped in admiration. “How many days does he intend to take to transport the refugees? A week?”

Theo raised three fingers.

“This… impossible!” The female merchant was stunned for a moment, and shook her head in disapproval. “Even if half of these people died, there would still be more than 5,000 of them. Transporting them within three days means that I’ll have to prepare close to 100 ships. Even if the chamber’s other ships stop their ongoing operations for the sake of this, there’ll only be just enough ships. But if so, my losses will probably amount to thousands of gold royals, while the subsequent loss of customers can’t be counted. Even free steam engines won’t be sufficient to offset a portion of these numbers. Therefore… pardon me for my rejection.”

“If the people onboard sat on the deck instead of sleeping in cabins with bed boards, the capacity of a ship can be doubled.” Theo contended. “If comfort isn’t a factor, the two-masted sailing ships usually used for transporting ores can also be employed. With the hatch opened, these ships will be able to fetch around 200 people each time. Your old friend, Hogg, should have many ships like this, right?”

“He indeed has several large ships like this in Silver City…” Margaret appeared a little hesitant. “And according to your calculation, the number of ships can be reduced to around 50 or so. But… this isn’t a good deal nevertheless.”

Theo thought the same way. In order to assemble dozens of ships on the canal, the scheduling and coordination alone would be extremely exhausting. Furthermore, the chartering fees would not all go into his pocket, and yet the task demanded lots of thought and effort from him. If the reward was not high, it could not be a good deal in any way. Thus, he could only use his last resort.

At the end of the letter, His Highness had written a short line: If Margaret is unwilling to help, tell her that Lightning is coming as well.

This line was puzzling. [Does Margaret have a special relationship with that lively and adorable golden-haired young girl? By appearance, it doesn’t look that way at all… but His Highness must have his reasons for saying this.] Having thought this far, Theo opened his mouth and spoke slowly, “There’re no alternatives but to transport the refugees within three days. What Roland is doing is akin to snatching food from a tiger’s mouth. If it takes too long, the church will likely go to his doorsteps. Lightning is also in this contingent, and there’ll be danger if they discover the presence of witches.”

“What did you say?” She raised her voice a notch suddenly. “Lightning’s coming as well?”

“That’s what it says in His Highness’ letter.” Theo acted as honest as he could. “Probably to lead the way and provide early warnings of danger to the contingent. This is the new king Timothy’s territory after all.”

“I got it.” Margaret stood up at once. “When do you need the ships?”

“Probably in four days, if they don’t get sidetracked along the way.”

“I’ll do my best to arrange it.” She walked over to her desk, lifted up a pen, and quickly wrote down something. “But I have one condition. You must inform me of the position where His Highness’ contingent stations. If they intend to enter the city, I’ll also be able to arrange adequate lodgings.”

[Alright, seems like this method is indeed effective,] Theo thought. “This won’t be a problem, I think,” Theo replied while chuckling to himself, “and I have something else that needs your help.”

“Speak.” Margaret sighed.

“I need a team of carriages for transporting beer barrels. The greater the number of barrels, the better. Don’t fill them with ale or wine, but instead river or well water.” According to the explanation in His Highness’ letter, the key person for curing this plague would be Lily. She could turn plain water into medicine for this disease. However, there was a huge flaw in this plan. The Rats must never be allowed to get close to the First Army’s camp. If they found out that there was someone in the camp who could continuously produce the “holy medicine”, Theo would bet that this news would be all over town the next day.

“River and well water?” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“Don’t worry, His Highness will pay for this service,” Theo replied, laughing.

Due to secrecy and safety considerations, he would have to personally transport these barrels between the First Army’s camp and the king’s city. If he brought one barrel at a time to cure the plague, like when treating the Eastern Region refugees, it would not only be troublesome but also very ineffective. Thus, he had to think of a way to transport as much purified water as he could in one go.

On the surface, storing the water in large beer barrels mounted on four-wheeled carriages seemed like a good choice.

Chapter 224: Launching the Rescue

heo’s anxiety finally quelled when he learned that His Highness had a cure for the plague.

It was also good that he had things to get occupied with so that the next few days would pass faster.

Aside from visiting the wine manors in the countryside and arranging the carriages’ routes, he also memorized the terrain of the road from the canal pier to the city gate.

At present, it was much more troublesome to enter the king’s city. Due to the presence of refugees outside the city, every one of the city gates was sealed to prevent outsiders from entering. Especially because news had spread that the church was currently distributing the holy medicine, there were hordes of desperate people pounding on the city gates every day, hoping to go to the church to seek treatment. The guards on the city walls did not hesitate to respond with their bolts. Thus, there were piles of bodies at the entrances, giving off a foul smell under the scorching sun.

The only side gate that could be opened was restricted to nobles as well as merchants who transported grains. Fortunately, Theo had worked for the patrol team for a considerably long time, and he was also a native of the king’s city. As such, most of the guards on duty recognized him and he could enter simply by saying hello.

Due to the restrictions, there was a breakdown of contact between the city and the outside world. Even if the transportation of refugees at the pier was done without any attempt at concealment, it was difficult for the news to be spread into the city. Moreover, the upper nobles were only happy that someone took away all of the Eastern Region’s refugees, whom they considered to be a volatile bunch. This would save the patrol team the trouble of suppressing the inevitable riot.

Theo broadly understood His Highness’ feelings when he made the decision to send an expedition on the very day he received the letter. These people had been forsaken by the king’s city. If the church sent priests to distribute the holy medicine now, most of the refugees would probably become devout believers.

If His Highness was able to act faster than the church to bring the refugees under his command, as well as provide them with a new life and a safe place, they would undoubtedly become His Highness’ fanatical supporters.

In the morning of the fourth day, the returning fleets reached the canal pier on time. Theo was astonished to discover that Roland had sent more than 300 First Army soldiers, and that they were mostly equipped with revolving rifles. With this powerful contingent as safeguard, the church would probably not be able to stop the refugees from leaving even if it heard the news.

“Lightning!” Margaret, who was also waiting on the pier, caught sight of the young girl’s figure, and impatiently ran up to hug her.

“This person is…?” Iron Axe asked.

“The Lady of the King’s City Chamber of Commerce, Miss Margaret.” Theo introduced. “All of the ships used for this transportation are arranged and provided by her. She has done a great deal to help actualize this plan.”

“I see.” Iron Axe nodded at her to give his regards. “Thank you for your help.”

“I’ll deduct the expenses from His Highness.” She shrugged her shoulders. “And you should thank Lightning rather than me.”

Lightning tilted her head in surprise. “Why?”

“Ahem, it doesn’t matter.” Theo coughed twice. “What do you intend to do next?”

“We’ll set up camp to the south of the pier, and at the same time control the pier area. The rescue shall begin tomorrow afternoon,” Iron Axe replied. “As for the ships, we’ll leave them to you.”

When Brian led his men into the refugee area, he could not help but frown.

There were plague sufferers on their last breath everywhere. Dark-colored blood and pus flowed from the blisters all over their bodies, attracting swarms of flies to them. They did not even have the strength to shoo away these little insects, and thus these insects crawled along their bodies and fed on their blood.

He recalled that during the Months of Demons, the people of Border Town who lived in the slums of the stronghold were cold and hungry, and were hence similarly helpless. If this was really the doings of the church, it would be an absolutely unforgivable crime.

“Gather all of those who can still move.” Brian ordered. “It’s on you, Miss Echo.”

If it was announced hastily that they brought medicine which could cure the plague, it would almost certainly cause a huge stir and the refugees would surge towards the pier area in a way that his men would not be able to control. Thus, the notification had to be carried out in batches. His Highness’ decision to send Echo was based on this consideration – her ability could dictate which areas heard the notification, or even who heard it.

Brian saw her opening her mouth as if to speak. Although he did not hear anything, a few refugees began to look over.

Soon, a group of refugees came stumbling in his direction. “Lord Brian, is what you said true? If you can cure my disease, I’m willing to go with you to the Western Region!”

That was enough to make Brian feel pleased. “Of course. Our ships are already waiting in the pier. Bring all of your family members and follow me!”

The other soldiers helped to carry the sufferers who lay on the ground and could not move. In the blink of an eye, a few hundred soldiers were seen heading towards the pier. Many people noticed this and decided to follow them. When they reached the pier, they discovered that bags of purified water were placed neatly on a long table, while the bridge that led to the ships was guarded by Iron Axe’s men. Only two people were allowed through at one time so that they could make sure that everyone onboard had already drunk the purified water.

“Listen up everyone. These bags contain the cure. You’ll recover once you drink it.” Several soldiers stood atop a platform erected on one side of the long table, and repeatedly read aloud the manuscripts prepared by His Highness. “The church’s assertion that ‘the demonic plague was created by the witches, and only the holy medicine can dispel it’ is completely groundless. All that they want is to make even more money, while making you fall on your knees and thank them for saving your life. His Highness Roland has not only brought the real medicine, but is offering it for free! That’s right, not a single bronze royal is required!”

These words caused a flurry of commotion among the crowd. The first person to drink the purified water quickly felt the changes in his body. He tore his clothes in disbelief and saw that the black spots rapidly disappeared. “This medicine is truly effective! I’m well, I’m well!”

“So am I! Thank God, my wounds aren’t bleeding anymore!”

“What God? Where is it? All I see is a bunch of liars!”

“You’re right, this medicine has nothing to do with the church!”

“Long live His Highness Roland!”

As more and more people were healed, the response of the crowd became even more excited. If the First Army soldiers did not maintain order, the refugees would probably have burst the water bags placed on the long table.

“His Highness Roland is currently opening up the Western Region. He’ll require many hands to till lands, build houses and repair roads… He isn’t collecting any money for the cure, and neither will he force anyone to go to the Western Region.” The soldiers who were in charge of propaganda continued loudly. “However, His Highness promises that those who go and serve him will receive food, housing, and wages! No matter what you’re skilled at, you’ll be matched to a job! So, for those who’re willing, take one step forward and follow the soldiers onto the ship and towards your new home! For those who’re not, no problem. You may leave after assisting us for these three days. During this time, you’ll be provided with food by the caravan!”

“Will there really be housing and wages?” Someone shouted.

“Certainly. These terms were promised by His Highness himself!” The soldiers nodded and replied.

“Please allow me to get onboard. I’m willing to serve His Highness!”

“Me too!”

“And me, Sir!”

“I’m a blacksmith!”

“…”

Brian was pleased to see that not one person chose to remain in the king’s city out of this batch of hundreds of people. All of them boarded the ship destined for Border Town. When a ship was fully boarded, it would set off straight away, and an empty ship waiting behind would take its place. Under Margaret’s command, there was not a single moment of pause.

Subsequently, Brian repeatedly traveled to and from the refugees’ camp and the pier. He relied on Echo’s sound transmission ability to draw in batch after batch of refugees. The size of each batch was controlled at between 300 to 400 people. As he was fetching a new batch of refugees back to the pier, he suddenly saw that the First Army stationed in the southern wheat fields began to mobilize. A small platoon dashed rapidly towards the north bank of the canal while wielding their firearms.

“What happened?” he asked one of Iron Axe’s men.

“The lookout, Miss Lightning, says that someone has jumped ship and escaped.” The latter replied after saluting. “Perhaps a Rat that hid among the refugees?”