She Is Not a Witch

Squads of armed personnel in purple robes carrying torches moved through the streets. They were guards from Carithes’ three major fleets, among their strongest fighters. Since Carithes focused on shipbuilding and maritime trade, their elite personnel were concentrated in naval forces.

With Tisphone’s elite forces advancing on Carithes and partially blockading Hopland’s northern district, their own association headquarters was left vulnerable.

A group of black-clad crossbowmen took up defensive positions in the streets, but Carithes’ landing party charged forward, wielding round shields.

Speed was crucial in battle. Though a few fell to arrows during the charge, most quickly reached Tisphone’s defensive checkpoints. After a flurry of sword and axe strikes, Tisphone’s crossbowmen and the few gun-wielding guards were cut down, lying in pools of blood.

In the flickering firelight, Carithes’ guards advanced, their boots treading on blood-stained stone pavements. Their steaming breath formed a continuous stream in the cold night air as they approached Tisphone’s main gate.

Tisphone Merchant Association, main building hall.

Hearing the cannon fire and battle cries outside, the old family patriarch opened his slightly clouded eyes.

“What have you decided to do now?” he asked his two sons beside him.

By now, many buildings in the Tisphone association headquarters had been hit by cannonballs. Some were on fire, others had collapsed. Guards were everywhere, either fighting fires or running about.

Vic didn’t answer, instead turning his gaze to Edmond.

Edmond leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table. After a moment, he replied.

“Carithes’ fleet was indeed unexpected, but it’s still within our manageable range.”

“The Master from our organization will intervene. Gerald’s earlier threat to burn the city gives us a reasonable excuse to interfere.”

As Edmond tapped, the ring on his finger emitted a faint blue light. The gem set in the ring showed some kind of flowing radiance, seemingly transmitting information.

After speaking, he stood up, picking up the slender curved sword from the table.

“However, I’ll also prepare for battle.”

“After all, to become the ruler of Hopland, one must demonstrate their strength.” A bloodthirsty smile appeared beneath his short black hair.

As he left the hall, two squads of elite guards who had been waiting followed closely. These elites wore tight-fitting soft armor, entirely black, with black masks covering even their heads. The black masks bore eerie red patterns. They moved extremely fast, like shadows among the fire and ruins.

Shink——

The curved sword was drawn from its sheath, its cold light gleaming. Deep red patterns adorned the blade, seeming to flow like fresh blood in the moonlight.

Tisphone’s surrounding wall had long been breached by cannon fire, with gaps everywhere and purple-clad guards pouring in.

Following closely behind Edmond, the group of black-and-red masked elites moved like shadows, swiftly and lethally cutting down enemies who had entered the association. Blood sprayed through the air.

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Carithes headquarters, Loranhil stood atop the tower, watching as cannon fire roared, bombarding the enemy lines. Morale within the association soared as they managed to drive the enemy outside the walls. The huge weight in her heart finally lifted, and the giant wind sphere above her head slowly dissipated.

Caught between two forces, the Nisos family troops finally decided to retreat. They withdrew northward, falling back to defend their own headquarters.

Seeing Nisos retreat, Loranhil ordered her forces not to pursue, instead allocating more manpower to defend against and counter Tisphone’s attack, as they were the primary threat.

With the return of the fleet’s guards, Carithes headquarters began their counterattack. Taking advantage of the cannon bombardment that had disrupted the enemy formation, their cavalry quickly struck, charging into enemy lines. Infantry followed closely, engaging the opponent in close combat, rendering the firearms ineffective.

Flintlock guns required a relatively stable environment to reload and had poor accuracy. In close combat, the risk of shooting one’s own side was very high, so they couldn’t utilize their advantage and were quickly suppressed. Tisphone’s attacking forces found themselves trapped in a bitter struggle they couldn’t easily escape.

More than half an hour had passed since the ultimatum, and with no sign of the Helis family releasing their hostage, the camellia flowers gradually filled the sky above the city, like yellow floral clouds emitting a scorching, dangerous light.

By now, not only were the neutral parties in the city worried, but even Carithes’ side began to feel concerned. Yet they dared not overly provoke their ally for fear of losing control.

Just as the hour was nearly up, the bright yellow camellia flowers began to burn and bloom in the sky. The atmosphere was filled with a stifling, sweltering sensation. The air in the sky seemed to distort, as if viewed through colorless flames.

A beam of deep blue light flashed across the night sky, sweeping horizontally. The burning camellia flowers instantly froze into ice shards and fell from the sky, shattering on impact.

After several such sweeps back and forth, the night sky, once filled with a sea of flowers, suddenly cleared. In a certain part of the city stood a “giant” with a body like gray granite, streams of deep blue light flowing across it. The massive core in its chest slowly dimmed after emitting the light beams, returning to the same color as its body.

An alchemist in a black robe stood on this “giant’s” shoulder. Aided by supernatural power, his voice broadcast throughout the entire city.

“I am Snape, an alchemist from Ruluna. I shouldn’t interfere in Vegar’s internal affairs, but the Helis family’s actions threaten the safety of all city residents and myself, forcing me to act.”

“Now, in the spirit of preserving strength and unity within the Snow Flower Seven Countries, I declare an immediate ceasefire. The rights and wrongs of this matter will be justly decided by the Alliance Guild in due course.”

“If either side stubbornly continues to attack, I will join their opponent to punish them.”

As his words faded, everyone looked up at the giant golem, as tall as a dozen floors. The city fell into a brief silence.

“Disgusting, ptui!” A Carithes ship captain spat in contempt after hearing the declaration.

These seemingly fair words were not fair at all. Why had there been no word when Carithes headquarters was nearly overrun, but now that Tisphone was faltering, they stepped in?

And what about the future internal judgment by the Alliance Guild? Any clear-minded person could guess that the Alliance Guild was having internal problems. Who knew what kind of ghosts would come to judge later? What if Tisphone had already made arrangements with Yuberei? By then, would the guild coming to judge even be the same guild as before?

Why not take advantage of the moment to defeat Tisphone? Should they wait for them to catch their breath and call for help?

Although many were dissatisfied, they gradually ceased fighting, just like their enemies. Both sides were waiting for decisions and orders from their respective leaders.