She Is Not a Witch

It was already deep into the night, but no one in Hopland could sleep. The sounds of shouting, footsteps, and clashing armor were unmistakably clear from all directions.

The city’s bell towers rang out one after another. Warning red fireworks bloomed in the sky. Teams holding torches high marched through the streets, followed by the sounds of fighting, cursing, and dull breaking noises.

Ordinary people with little power could only lock their doors, barricade their windows, and hide in their homes, trembling and praying not to get caught up in the chaos.

Earlier in the night, some thugs and ruffians took advantage of the disorder to cause trouble, breaking into homes and shops to loot valuable items.

But as the five major merchant associations began to deploy and set up checkpoints in the city, these troublemakers were immediately killed with swords and spears if caught robbing or assaulting people. In times of chaos, harsh laws prevailed. There weren’t enough people to imprison these pests, and it served as a warning to deter other criminals.

Near the Nisos family winery, Manda sat with several of his underlings in a courtyard. A large table was set up with roasted chickens and wine bottles. The men were eating and drinking heartily.

“Boss, there’s so much commotion outside. Could something big be happening?” one tall, thin underling asked while gnawing on a chicken leg.

“What do you know? The bigger the better,” Manda replied, tossing a chicken leg into his mouth, his face glistening with oil.

“If we had killed some brat with a bit of fame at a normal time, the industry guild would investigate and it’d be trouble.”

“But now, who cares how many people die tonight? Aren’t we happy to get a big pile of money from the Nisos family for nothing?”

He smugly tossed a few gold coins in his hand. For ordinary people, this was a huge sum—equivalent to five or six years of wages from working in a workshop without spending a penny. How could he not be pleased to get this in one night?

Besides, no matter how big the commotion, their backer was the Nisos family—a prestigious clan rooted in Hopland for hundreds of years. Who would dare touch them?

“As expected of the boss, you’re so much smarter than us. Let me toast you, cheers!” One underling quickly flattered him, and the others followed suit, raising their wine bottles.

“Cheers!”

Manda raised his bottle, clinked it with the others, and drank heartily. They were rough men who never bothered with small wine cups.

Bang——

With a loud crash, the courtyard gate was kicked open. Amid a cloud of dust, the thick wooden door flew far before hitting the ground.

“Who’s there!”

“Got a death wish?”

The drinking men slammed the table and stood up, grabbing their weapons from the side.

A dark figure stood at the gate, face covered with cloth, indistinct in the dim night.

“You’re looking for trouble?!”

Seeing only one person, Manda’s initial tension instantly turned to rage. He picked up the iron bar at his feet.

The bar was made of scrap iron with nails haphazardly embedded in it. Thick at the front and thin at the back, it resembled a crude mace.

Though ugly, its solid weight could easily crush bones. Dried blood stains still clung to this scrap iron mace.

Bard looked at the revelers in the courtyard, feeling a wicked fire burning in his heart. When he saw the bloodstains on the mace, he couldn’t help but clench his fists, making a cracking sound.

“Ahhh!” He shouted, partly to boost his own courage, and charged in. Fear and anger burned in his heart like crushed ice, intense yet cold.

“What idiot is this?”

Seeing him shouting, some underlings knew it was a sign of insecurity. They sneered and started swinging their weapons at him.

A wooden chair half as tall as a person smashed down on his head, making him see stars. Then several iron bars struck his shoulders, jabbed his abdomen, and hit his chest.

Others kicked at his shins, trying to make him fall to his knees.

The intense pain dazed the young man for a moment, but the fear in his heart slowly disappeared.

So, this is all they’ve got.

Although his body ached, it wasn’t unbearable. As his heart beat slowly in his chest, he could clearly feel his blood flowing and the powerful force contained within it.

A sense of enlightenment gradually rose in his heart. So this is what it feels like to have power. How wonderful. No wonder countless people yearn for it, lying awake at night.

Enemies he once thought invincible now seemed as weak as ants in his eyes.

He reached out and grabbed an iron bar, letting the wooden chair smash down on his head, then watched as the chair fell apart and slid off.

One underling tried to pull back the iron bar but found it immovable, as if welded in place by an iron clamp.

Bard casually yanked the man holding the iron bar towards him, kicked and shattered his leg bone, making him fall to his knees, then took the iron bar and smashed it against his kneecap.

Crack——

The iron bar splintered and broke in two.

Seeing this shocking scene, the other underlings were stunned. Even Manda hesitated.

Bard stared at the men present, his gaze burning, as if trying to memorize their faces. He said through gritted teeth:

“You are unforgivable. You all must die!”

These men had been committing evil for more than a day or two. At first, it was just petty theft, then gradually they got bolder, robbing others of money and beating people up. Recently, they had even started doing bloody business.

The tragic state of Gretet before his death flashed through Bard’s mind. If he spared these men, who would have spared Gretet?

There were neighbors around at the time, but none dared to speak up. Because they were like his former self, afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves.

Since no one dared to punish them, I’ll do it myself. Now, I can withstand any punch, no matter how hard.

Bard roared and charged forward, veins bulging all over his body, face flushed red. He grabbed one man and threw him hard against the wall. The man slowly slid down, leaving a trail of blood.

Then Bard lowered his shoulder and rammed into another man. There was a sound of bones breaking, and his opponent coughed up blood before falling.

He continued attacking, blood and spittle flying. One by one, his opponents fell. The courtyard was filled with wails and screams until only Manda was left standing.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Manda tried to escape. He had only run a few steps when he heard a whoosh. The thick wooden table was flipped up by Bard and smashed onto his back, pinning him to the ground.

By the time he struggled to get up, the cloth-faced youth had walked in front of him, blocking his escape route.

“Who the hell are you?” Manda asked in a hoarse voice, while slowly reaching for the mace beside him.

The youth remained silent. Manda seized the chance to grab the mace and swing it violently at the young man’s head.

Slap——

The mace was caught in mid-air by one hand. Then with a squeeze, the nail teeth on the mace were crushed, and fingers dug deep into the iron shaft.

Seeing he couldn’t pull the mace free, Manda quickly let go and prepared to run again. But before he could turn, a powerful kick sent him sprawling to the ground. As he tried to get up, a foot stomped hard on his hand, making him squeal like a pig begging for mercy.

The youth removed his face cover, revealing a face flushed with blood. He grabbed Manda’s hair with one hand, forcing him to look at his face.

“My name is Bard, from Gray Thorn County.”

Just like his first response to Loranhil, but the speaker was no longer the timid person he once was.

Manda looked at the familiar face and screamed in terror, alternating between explanations and pleas for mercy, but the other remained unmoved.

He picked up the mace and swung it down hard. Blood sprayed, and the courtyard fell silent.