She Is Not a Witch

Brief flashes erupted from the gun barrels, accompanied by the scent of gunpowder. Spherical lead bullets whizzed through the air, shattering shields and sending metal shards and wood splinters flying. Agonized cries echoed through the streets.

Against these new weapons, once-sturdy armor seemed useless, penetrated by bullets as if made of paper. Flesh and bone were pulverized, causing massive casualties.

When Loranhil, standing atop a tower, saw the cylindrical barrels extending from behind the shields, her heart tightened. As the muzzle flashes appeared and smoke filled the air, rows of her people fell. She clenched her fists.

It was as if a voice whispered in her ear:

‘My lady, times have changed.’

No, not yet, she told herself. She descended the stairs, her red dress swaying rapidly with each step as her mind raced to find a solution.

Early flintlock guns had slow loading speeds and no rifling, resulting in poor accuracy. They could hardly hit targets beyond 200 meters. Moreover, gunpowder technology hadn’t yet reached its peak, so the shooting power wasn’t yet capable of penetrating steel plates as in later eras.

Loranhil tried to reassure herself, though she was deeply shocked. She hadn’t expected this world’s technology to develop so quickly, with guns already being deployed and showing considerable combat effectiveness. Or was this the inevitability of history?

Exiting the tower, she immediately ordered the personnel outside the association to retreat inside, close the gates, and defend from the buildings.

The Carithes Merchant Association had considered defensive needs during its initial construction. The outer perimeter had a low wall about 6-7 meters high, with watchtowers on the inner side for observing enemy movements and providing firing positions.

Upon receiving the urgent retreat order, the association’s armed personnel quickly contracted and fell back. Fortunately, the flintlock guns were still muzzle-loaded, slow to reload. After enduring the first two volleys, the rear ranks had already begun to retreat, significantly reducing casualties due to the guns’ poor accuracy.

The Tisphone forces didn’t rush to pursue, as they were still reloading. Running would also disperse their formation and consume energy, and they wouldn’t kill many more. So they maintained their original pace.

On the Carithes side, those wounded earlier were quickly dragged away by those behind. Everyone began to contract, the main gates were lowered, and some archers and crossbowmen took cover in the shooting holes on the walls to return fire.

The Tisphone shield bearers easily blocked these counter-attacking arrows and bolts. The troops continued to advance, gradually approaching the association’s walls. Ladders could be seen being carried at the rear of their formation, making the situation increasingly dire.

The spacious hall inside the association had been temporarily converted into a medical area. A few herbalists began urgently treating the wounded, with cries of pain and weeping echoing throughout. In the courtyard stood over two thousand armored warriors, plus those stationed on the association’s walls – this was now Carithes’ main fighting force.

These people had received some military training and possessed combat ability and will. However, many more were ordinary personnel without any experience or preparation. They could assist and support, but in such difficult times, sending them to the battlefield would likely result in immediate rout.

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On another side of Hopland, the Helis family and Anemis family were engaged in fierce combat.

Benefiting from Melu’s recent reform measures to eliminate long-standing problems and strengthen the main family’s control, the Helis family had significantly expanded their armed forces. They had also purchased a batch of new weapons from Ruluna. Although they didn’t have firearms like the Tisphone family, their arsenal was much improved.

After initial confusion that allowed Anemis to catch them off guard, the Helis family quickly counterattacked. As the oldest major merchant association established in Hopland, though somewhat bloated, they had accumulated considerable strength and treasures.

A group of tree artisans wearing withered leaf attire emerged from behind the ranks. Dust-covered wooden boxes were opened, filled with dried, yellowed camellia flowers.

An ancient ballad began to rise from these tree artisans’ mouths, slightly desolate, with overlapping melodies of strikingly different styles.

Accompanying these melodies, the dried yellow camellia flowers rose into the air unaided, layer upon layer, like a waterfall of fresh flowers flying towards the sky, then beginning to scatter and fall.

The falling camellia flowers began to ignite without flame, silently landing on the enemy. Seeing this, the Anemis family immediately brought water buckets to extinguish their burning comrades, but unfortunately, even when soaked, these camellias continued to burn. Their flames, like a stubborn disease, penetrated leather and iron armor, causing enemies to roll on the ground in agony.

Whoosh——

Whoosh——

A faint sound cut through the night sky as arrows struck the tree artisans in withered leaf attire. Those hit immediately fell, their faces turning blue, bodies shaking uncontrollably before their eyes widened and they died from poison.

The Helis side was both shocked and enraged. They quickly organized a dense shield wall to protect the remaining tree artisans, but without visual observation and assistance, the speed of falling camellia flowers in the sky began to noticeably slow.

Faced with the Helis family’s sky-falling flower fire, the Anemis family also began to use their trump cards. As a fresh, pleasant fragrance drifted on the wind, many of the Helis family’s armed personnel began to feel paralyzed all over, losing sensation before being cut down by the charging enemy, breaking through their formation.

But the camellia flowers in the sky began to fall again, the scattered tea flower fire igniting enemies, streets, and debris below, once more blocking the streets.

The flames burning the air released a strange fragrance that permeated this area of streets. Both sides temporarily halted, facing off across the flames.

Noys, the head of the Anemis family, sat on horseback wearing exquisite golden armor at the rear of the formation. Looking at the burning flames ahead, he sighed:

“As expected of the renowned Helis family, rooted in Hopland for nearly a thousand years. To think they had such trump cards, kept so well-hidden that we’d never even heard of them before.”

“What a pity.”

Fenrai, standing beside the horse with a group of protective guards in front of her, asked curiously: “What’s a pity, Father?”

Noys leaned down to stroke Fenrai’s hair.

“It’s a pity that times have changed. There will be no more Helis family in the future.”

In the corners of the Helis family area, black shadows began to appear. These shadows, let in through side doors opened by internal moles, began to rapidly move towards the association’s main building where the Helis family’s core members were located.

“Assass-” Several patrolling team members couldn’t finish their warning before being silenced by the attacking shadows, a sword ending their lives as they fell, mouths covered, in frustration.

These suicide assassins killed their way through, quickly charging into the association’s main building. Only then were they blocked by the guards at the entrance. An emergency bell rang out, and armed personnel from the surrounding area began to rush over, but time was already running short.

Green poisonous smoke filled the main hall, blocking the incoming rescuers. The assassins charged directly up the stairs, opening doors and searching room by room.

Since Melu had been managing family affairs recently, the original family head, Hoss, had moved to another location with Bel to avoid suspicion. The only direct Helis family member still in the main building was Melu.

Some maids screamed in panic upon seeing the sword-wielding assassins, then fell with blood on their faces.

In a small room used for storing cleaning tools and miscellaneous items, the head maid forcibly stuffed Melu into a low, small cabinet, trying to hide her inside.

“Let me out, Aunt Liger. They’re coming for me,” Melu said, looking at the elderly head maid whose forehead now showed some wrinkles and whose hair was disheveled.

“Be quiet. Don’t talk nonsense. Live well.”

With that, she closed the cabinet door and moved other items to block this inconspicuous small cabinet in the corner.

Melu hid in the cabinet, surrounded by darkness, only able to see a sliver of light through the door crack. Besides her own heartbeat, all she could hear was the nervous breathing of the head maid outside.

Then came a series of rapid footsteps, growing closer. The sound of doors being broken down, shouts, sword thrusts, falling bodies, and searching grew nearer and nearer. Finally, the door to this storage room was kicked open.

The head maid seemed to resist for a moment, then there was a dull impact. A body slowly slid down against the cabinet door, blocking the last exposed part of the small cabinet.

Melu held her breath, tears silently streaming down her face.