She Is Not a Witch

In Hopland, both sides insisted on their own version of events, accusing the other of being traitors. The situation intensified once again, with both parties hurling insults. It became impossible to determine who the real rebels were.

Apart from the major merchant associations, smaller factions in the city remained neutral, such as branch offices of other large associations, the Pure White Church, the White Orchid Cross Sword, and tourists visiting Hopland. With the situation unclear and neither side actively targeting these groups, they preferred to avoid getting involved.

Laniel and Lingxin sat on the third floor of ‘Blooming Beach’, watching the armed association members occasionally passing by below. They conversed in hushed tones.

“Lacey is clearly a good kid, so Tisphone and the others must be the bad guys,” Laniel said, typically siding with those she knew.

“The affairs between merchant associations are complicated. Even if Lacey is a good person, she might not be aware of everything her subordinates have done,” Lingxin seemed to have a different perspective.

“No way, Lingxin. You’re not on Lacey’s side?”

“Laniel, weren’t you listening when the teachers warned us at school? We Emenas students aren’t allowed to participate in any conflicts between organizations or countries before graduation. We’re only permitted to defend ourselves.”

“Well, that’s true, but…” Laniel’s eyes darted around, seemingly having other thoughts.

“It’s no use thinking about it. Instructor Philia is downstairs and definitely won’t let you leave,” Lingxin reminded her.

“Sigh, fine. I should have just gone home. I wanted to show off a bit,” Laniel said dejectedly.

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Tisphone family.

In the brightly lit hall, two rows of fully armed warriors stood in neat formation. They wore black cloaks with white emblems of a dagger piercing a skull. These were the captains of the Tisphone family’s combat teams, all at Sequence 3 or above, with several even reaching Sequence 4.

As a merchant association that started by selling weapons and often took on bodyguard jobs—and in earlier years, even assassination contracts before growing too large and retiring from such work for the sake of reputation—the Tisphone family had far more armed forces than other major associations.

In terms of combat strength, even Anemis and Nisos combined might not be a match for the Tisphone family. The newly risen Carithes was formidable, but in terms of land-based armed forces alone, they still fell short of Tisphone.

The old family patriarch sat at the head of the hall, resting with his eyes closed. Beside him sat Edmond and Vic. People occasionally entered to report on the situation outside.

“We three families have now sealed off Hopland. We’re guarding the north gate, and we’ve also sent some elites to assist at the east and west gates. Even if the enemy tries to break through forcefully, we’ll have ample time to send people to intercept them,” Vic summarized the current situation.

“How are the Anemis and Nisos families performing?” Edmond suddenly asked.

“Can’t count on them,” one of the captains with a scar casually remarked.

“They’ve lived in peace for too long. They can handle blockades and defense, but when it comes to real killing, I doubt they have the courage.”

“Is that so?” Edmond wasn’t annoyed by this; in fact, it was within his expectations.

“But since they’ve boarded our ship, it’s naive to think they can keep their hands clean and still reap the benefits.”

“According to our previous agreement, after this is over, Carithes will belong to us, Nisos and Anemis will split Helis, and the three families will jointly rule Hopland, gaining high-ranking positions in the new national structure.”

“The future looks promising, but it’s not possible to gain without labor.”

Edmond tapped his fingers on the table, paused for a moment, then continued asking.

“How are they adapting to the new weapons?”

Vic called over an attendant, gave some instructions, and the attendant quickly left the hall.

After a while, the attendant returned and whispered something to Vic.

“They say they’re ready,” Vic gave an affirmative reply.

“Then let’s begin. Have the Black Robe Squad provide protection on the side. Attack the Carithes headquarters and capture Young Miss Lacey alive.”

“Let’s give our timid allies a demonstration.”

Edmond stood up and began issuing orders. Subsequently, the captains in the hall filed out one by one.

In the spacious courtyard, a sea of armored soldiers stood silently in neat formation, numbering nearly three thousand. All were clad in black armor, their weapons gleaming coldly, exuding a murderous aura.

Accompanied by the intense sound of hoofbeats, the battle began. A small number of elite armored cavalry led the way, charging towards Carithes’ street barricades.

Specially crafted heavy lances were held before the horses, surrounded by a dark spiral field, shattering the wooden boxes and sandbags on the street.

The warhorses trampled over the debris and continued forward. Several Carithes guards who couldn’t dodge in time were immediately impaled by the lances, then flung to the roadside, never to rise again.

However, the Carithes association members were aware that Tisphone had many cavalry, so they had scattered caltrops on the streets behind. The leading warhorses stepped on the spikes, neighing in pain before slipping and falling. Their riders were thrown off, their bodies pierced by the spikes, blood flowing freely.

Dense sounds of bows and crossbows began to ring out from the other side of the street. The front-line cavalry of the Tisphone family fell in response. The narrow streets left no room for maneuvering, and they couldn’t build up speed.

Following the command whistle of a Tisphone battle captain, the cavalry halted. The infantry behind them began to advance, holding thick tower shields, moving slowly forward and clearing the caltrops to pave the way for the troops behind.

“Fire!”

At the command of a Carithes guard captain, a row of longbowmen let loose a volley of fire arrows.

The red flaming arrows pierced through the dark alleys, shattering clay pots in the street corners. Oil flowed out, and flames spread along the liquid, igniting the wooden boxes, debris, and rags left earlier, turning the alley into a sea of fire.

The raging flames lit up the sky above the small alley. The scorching heat wave rushed towards them, creating a suffocating feeling. The choking black smoke entering the lungs felt like fire, making it impossible to approach.

Just as the Carithes crowd breathed a sigh of relief, a thunderous shout came from the opposite side. The sound of a massive water flow arose, spiral water currents shot through the alley like cannonballs, sweeping up the debris and burning oil and slamming them into the people behind. Several Carithes fighters were set ablaze, and their nearby comrades immediately had them drop and roll, helping to extinguish the flames.

Another rush of water sounded. Under some kind of field convergence, the rotating water flow scattered the debris in the alley, and the flames became sparse. If it happened once more, the opposing side would likely be able to attack again.

“We can’t hold them back, Captain!”

A guard shouted, his face covered in soot, his voice urgent. Similar situations were unfolding on other streets. The Tisphone family lived up to their notorious reputation, their combat power terrifying.

“If we can’t hold them back, then charge forward! Or do you want to run away like a coward?!”

The captain roared at his subordinates, his face contorted, veins bulging. These men came from poor backgrounds; if not for the Carithes family’s support and care, who knows where they might still be struggling to survive.

Now that they had happy, fulfilling lives, if anyone tried to force them and their families back into that life of hunger, they would fight to the death. Having experienced the darkness of mutual harm and torment at the bottom of society, they weren’t naive enough to believe that surrendering would solve everything. Any good outcome had to be fought for.

Having lived as humans, who would want to go back to being insects, living in humble subservience?

Under the dark night sky, fires broke out everywhere. The sounds of battle cries and clashing weapons rang out across the city. The initial reluctance was quickly forgotten as comrades fell bleeding, and both sides clashed in the cold night, their backs to the flames, swords flashing, blood splattering.

On the main road leading to Carithes, the Tisphone family’s Black Robe Squad advanced with thick shields, like a moving wall.

Faced with a shield wall impenetrable to arrows and bolts, Carithes’ heavy cavalry began to charge. A cold blue light began to gather on their sharp lances. The sound of hoofbeats grew from slow to fast, and within seconds, they built up speed, charging towards the enemy lines amidst the firelight.

Suddenly, the Tisphone Black Robe Squad lowered their shields. Silver-white cylinders extended from behind the shields, with black holes in their centers.

“Fire!”

At the command, flames and smoke erupted from the holes in hundreds of cylinders. Horses neighed in agony, and Carithes cavalry fell immediately, rolling on the ground with their bodies riddled with holes, blood flowing freely as they wailed in pain.

Then these gun barrels were withdrawn, and the Tisphone Black Robe Squad continued to advance as Carithes retreated again and again.

The new weapons made their world debut, and they would eventually raise the efficiency of taking lives to a new height.