Familiar Faces – Part 04

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Translator: Kell


It came sooner than I expected. We were right in front of Latette’s church, where it all started, so to speak.

A silhouette blocked our path to Plasta once more. Pooch.

“I see,” Zero said, pressing her forehead in exasperation. “She told the lass that we made contact with Thirteenth. Wolf coming out was inevitable.”

“Pooch alone wouldn’t be a big deal,” I said. “But this is quite the reception.”

I sniffed the air. Fortunately we were downwind. The scent of armed soldiers drifting in from not too far away indicated an ambush was waiting for us.

“Where’s Thirteenth?” Pooch asked. He didn’t even bother with a greeting.

“So I heard you’re kicking the Church out,” I said, not answering his question. Pooch stiffened. “Then Church officials who refuse to leave will be publicly executed, and for starters, you’re gonna kill the idiots who attacked people at the tunnel. Sounds like a fun plan to me. What a way to start a war.”

“It was the young lady’s decision,” Pooch said.

“And you simply obeyed. Yup, just like an actual dog.”

Pooch’s expression turned hard. “We won’t force you to join us. The young lady said there will be no harm on you if you don’t interfere. Head south, and you’ll reach the road that leads to the southern tunnel.”

“Are you stupid?! It’s a war between witches and the Church. Nowhere’s safe. The war you guys are starting will spread all over the world. Do you even get that—”

“A war’s bound to happen sooner or later!” Pooch bellowed. “Founding a Magical State would inevitably result in clashes with the Church. We need to know who’s friend or foe. Candidates for an alliance had gathered at the ball. We’ll then hold a public execution of Church officials, and only those who agree with it will become our ally.”

“What happens to those who refuse?” Zero asked, her voice low.

Pooch gave a tight smile. “You already have an idea, don’t you? We’ll take them as prisoners.”

Okay. So they’re determined to push forward as a heretical nation.

Expelling Church officials, publicly executing the son of the nobleman who raided the tunnels, and taking hostages of the guests who didn’t agree with them—all were good reasons for the Knights Templar to be dispatched.

“I know your men are camped along the road to Plasta. Did you set the camp upwind to intimidate us? You don’t want us to get to the kid?”

“She’ll deem you enemies otherwise.”

“You’ll even drag us away if you have to?”

“Yes.” Pooch drew his sword.

Zero and the priest braced themselves, but I raised my arm, signaling them to stay back.

“I guess that’s a no,” Pooch said. “Such a shame.”

“If you wanna go at it, call your friends. Do you think you can handle all three of us alone?”

“With the Murky Darkness witch around, numbers don’t matter. You can kill me easily if you really wanted to. But Solena entrusted the young lady to me. She asked me to protect her from all sorts of danger. The young lady herself decided to play the role of the villain. So I will go along with her plan. If you wish to stand in her way, bring it on.” Pooch’s eyes bored into me. He bared his fangs, fire in his eyes. He looked just like a real wolf. “I will stand my ground, even if it costs me my life!”

Sword in hand, Pooch dropped low. His weapon was slender and looked less reliable than my large sword, but it could easily pierce through armor. Even Beastfallen’s thick fur or scales.

From the way his subordinates acted around him, I’d say he had the skills to be Solena’s servant. If I weren’t careful, he would drive his sword to my heart.

That’s what he’s thinking, at least.

“The Murky Darkness witch, eh? Sounds like you’re underestimating me.”

Cracking my neck, I tossed my sword on the ground, and without any hesitation, walked straight towards Pooch.

His face stiffened. “What are you playing at? You want to go at me with your bare hands? I didn’t know you were that stu—”

Clenching my fist tight, I closed the gap between me and Pooch in an instant and punched him in the face. He staggered backwards.

He managed to withstand my blow, and readied his sword once more. “Asshole!” he growled, glaring at me. “Stop fucking around!”

Gripping his sword, Pooch took a huge step forward, his sword aiming at my stomach.

“You’re the one fucking around! You can’t even tell when you need to go all-out against someone? Aim for the heart, you idiot!”

I didn’t back down. Instead I took a step forward, letting the sword hit my stomach. Grabbing the blade, I pulled it towards me with all my strength, careful not to touch the edge. The momentum of Pooch’s forward thrust caused him to lose his balance.

As he pitched forward, I punched the side of his face, knocking off a few of his teeth. He wobbled, moaning in pain. I then grabbed his arm and broke his wrist and elbow. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees.

I grabbed his head and pulled him up to his feet. Blood was dripping from his mouth.

“You were saying?”

He could only manage pained groans.

“How serious are you about stopping us, Pooch? Do you want us to force our way through? If you just want to look like you tried to stop us, this should be enough. Now beg for your life and my boss heal you. If you want to side with us, you can come.”

Hand fumbling in the air, Pooch grabbed my arm. His sharp claws pierced my skin, tearing my flesh. My blood dripped on the ground.

So this is your answer.

I threw Pooch on the ground.

“We’re leaving,” I said, turning my back to Pooch. “He really doesn’t want us through.”

“Are you stupid?!” the priest shouted. “Why’d you even beat that Beastfallen up?!”

“It’s started,” I said, and the priest’s eyes widened. “Him risking his life to stop us means it’s too late. We can’t stop the kid anymore. We’re not gonna make it in time to stop the noble’s execution, are we?”

“They’ll be burned at the stake at sunrise,” Pooch, lying on the ground and choking in his own blood, replied. “The war can’t be stopped.”

If Sanare hadn’t stopped us, we would have made it. When the priest realized this, he cursed in a manner unbecoming of a churchman. Zero also fell silent, looking displeased.

“In other words, even if we kill this guy and his men camped up ahead and make it to the kid, war is unavoidable. Besides, we’ll be hunted down as criminals for slaughtering the country’s knights. The kid will be forced to kill us. Our best option is to retreat.”

“Our other choice is to kill the lass and take over this kingdom,” Zero said. “If Sept takes her head and present it to the Church as a gift, then swears allegiance, the war will end.”

“I like that idea,” the priest said.

“Sure you do,” I spat out.

But Sept was a sorcerer under Thirteenth’s tutelage. The terms of peace would definitely include his execution or life imprisonment. The Church would then select a new royal family to remake the kingdom of Wenias, molding it in a way that served their interests.

Witches would be oppressed like never before.

“Hey, witch. Don’t heal him,” I said.

“I know,” Zero replied. “Negotiations have failed. Wolf showed his loyalty to the lass and fought to stop us from going. He succeeded in inflicting a serious injury on Mercenary. But he too suffered grave injuries. He then lost consciousness and had no idea where we went.”

Smart.

“What an easy script,” the priest said.

“Big brother! Your stomach!” Lily turned pale when she saw my wounds.

I was used to this kind of injury, though. It should start closing tomorrow.

The effect of the public execution was remarkable. Clergymen fled from Wenias like a receding tide.

At the same time, anti-Church people poured into the kingdom. Taking the situation seriously, the Church immediately organized a force to purge the witches, led by the Knights Templar.

The war was beginning.

In response, Albus issued an evacuation order for those living inside the tunnels and installed a massive amount of explosives. The plan was to blow up the Knights Templar and bury them alive as soon as they entered the tunnels, but someone—Thirteenth—blew them all up. All the tunnels collapsed before the knights could march into the kingdom.

The head-on clash between the kingdom of Wenias and the Church was effectively postponed as a result, and all the bigshots from various countries who came to Wenias for the ball and subsequently became prisoners of war were trapped inside the kingdom.

Needless to say, this was all a ploy to buy time.

We needed to kill Sanare before the tunnels could be reopened and the Knights Templar came marching into Wenias.

For that…

“First, we must capture the princess and take her body back from Sanare. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the counterattack. Ah, my heart is racing. I will take my sweet time ripping off that insect’s legs and watch it wriggle around, unable to move.”

To be continued in The Mooncaller Witch (Second Half)…


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