She Is Not a Witch

In the spacious hall, the previous decorations had been removed. In the center were two large tables with rows of wooden chairs on both sides.

The two sides of the five major merchant associations sat at opposite tables. On one side were the Tisphone, Nisos, and Anemis families, while on the other sat Carithes and the Helis family.

“The Helis family does not accept the conditions you’ve proposed,” Melu said after reading the terms in her hand.

The three allied families demanded that the Helis family and Carithes completely withdraw from Hopland and relinquish nearly half of their assets.

The negotiations reached an impasse from the very beginning.

The terms proposed by Tisphone, Nisos, and Anemis seemed completely insincere from any perspective.

Melu’s reaction didn’t seem to surprise the three families on the opposite side; it was within their expectations.

“Miss Melu, is it you who disagrees, or the Helis family?” Wick asked.

“Is there a difference?” Melu frowned.

“I’m sorry, but what I meant to say is that the Helis family actually agrees to this,” Noys spoke up, his thick fingers tapping the table.

“What…” Before Melu could finish, she suddenly saw a young boy surrounded by people approaching. It was her brother, Bel.

The boy seemed a bit nervous, but an elder beside him spoke up.

“Melu, as a girl, you’re not suitable to lead the Helis family.” This was Vito, Melu’s uncle.

Around him were many Helis family elders who had previously been forced to give up their power and assets. Most of them were Melu’s uncles.

Melu looked at this group, unmoved, and instead focused her gaze on her brother Bel.

“Bel, why are you here today? Shouldn’t you be at home?”

Bel seemed unable to look at his sister directly and spoke somewhat stiffly.

“Uncle Vito asked me to come… The uncles think that as a boy, I should be stronger… so I can protect my sister better.”

“Since sister became the head of the family, she’s been so tired every day, sleeping late, and often crying in secret. I know all of this.”

As he spoke, his tone became more fluent.

“I want sister to rest well and live comfortably, without being so tired and anxious every day.”

“So, what do you want?” Melu looked at her brother, so familiar yet so strange.

“I want to be a man, not always hiding behind my sister. I want to become the family head, and I want to make my own achievements.” As he said this, his eyes showed a look of envy.

“I see.” Melu lowered her head.

“Does Father know?”

“Yes, Father agreed too.” Bel nodded happily.

The hall fell into a brief silence.

After a while, Noys continued speaking.

“Miss Melu, you needn’t worry. We won’t hold you responsible, and you can still live freely overseas in the future.”

“Is this your mercy?”

Melu raised her head, her eyes slightly red.

Noys looked at the young girl before him and sighed softly.

“I’ve watched you grow up, and Fenrai is such a close friend of yours. You really don’t need to worry about your future.”

“So, no one asked for my opinion before agreeing to this?”

Melu turned to look at Gerald beside her. This cousin seemed somewhat guilty and couldn’t meet Melu’s gaze. He truly believed this was best for Melu, allowing her to escape this dangerous whirlpool and obtain a stable happiness in the future.

Gerald still remembered when his aunt came to their house when he was young, carrying this little sister. She had a lovely smile and held a red fruit in her hand, offering it to him.

Then his aunt said, “This is your big brother Gerald. Come on, Melu, say hello to your brother.”

The little girl, who had just learned to speak, sweetly said, “Hello, Brother Gerald~”. From that moment, he fell in love with this obedient little sister.

Several years later, he visited the main house with his parents. There were many guests, including quite a few children. Melu came down the stairs in a dress and, seeing him, called out “Brother Gerald” again.

She still remembered him, and a strange emotion rose in his heart, as if he were a neglected weed on a hillside, noticed for the first time among thousands.

Gerald was quite mischievous as a child. His parents had scolded him, elders had misunderstood him, and children his age had rejected him.

But Melu’s call was like a small stone dropping into his heart, its ripples slowly spreading throughout his body.

So, someone remembers me after all.

Gerald answered softly, “I’m sorry, but I sincerely hope you can find stable happiness in the future.”

“But that’s just the happiness you all think I should have.”

Melu seemed to want to say something but couldn’t. Her left hand tightly gripped the hem of her dress, and she finally lowered her eyelashes in disappointment.

Seeing Melu give in, Edmond on the opposite side smiled and continued speaking.

“As for Carithes, I don’t think we need to ask, because Miss Lacey sitting before us is not Angus’s daughter.”

As he spoke, gasps of surprise arose from the seats nearby, and everyone turned their gaze to the composed young lady.

“Angus’s daughter was named Eileen, and she has passed away. You, Miss Lacey, are nothing but an impostor.” More explosive information spread through the hall.

“What? That Lacey was actually a fake?”

“I knew it, how could Angus’s daughter be so beautiful?”

“Haha, I wonder what will happen to her now.”

Edmond also felt some regret. If he hadn’t learned this from Nell, he wouldn’t have thought that Ceres and Chelsea would willingly assist a stranger and publicly claim that Lacey was Angus’s heir.

People around pointed and whispered, and even the guards behind showed signs of wavering.

As the words fell, a wave of discussions, mockery, and sarcasm spread through the crowd. Everyone had some dark psychology, seeming to derive a special pleasure from watching a high-status figure fall, even if it had nothing to do with them.

At this moment, a messenger holding up a document entered the hall from outside, loudly announcing:

“To all merchant associations and industry branches of Hopland, the Vegar Commercial Alliance Industry Association Headquarters has now issued an official document stating that the Tisphone family will fully control Hopland, becoming the decision-maker and full representative of the industry association in this region. They will also revoke Carithes’ seat in the industry association, no longer being one of the twenty-six seats.”

“Given that the former association head Angus and all his descendants have passed away, Carithes will be taken over by personnel fully appointed by the industry association.”

As the words fell, the hall erupted in an uproar.

“This decision by the alliance violates the agreement previously established,” Chelsea’s cold voice came from behind Loranhil.

“Does this mean that the association headquarters is no longer the noble union that once pursued justice and kept its promises?”

She continued, sparking some discussion. This decision was indeed very unusual.

“The orders of the association headquarters cannot be defied,” Wick spoke again.

“But we of Carithes will not submit. In our hearts, Miss Lacey is still the most legitimate heir to the association.”

“It’s you who are the murderers of Angus.” With Chelsea’s words, several Carithes guards drew their swords, standing in front of Loranhil to protect her.

“It seems we can’t reach an agreement then.”

As Wick’s words fell, squads of black-armored soldiers poured into the hall from the side doors. They held silver-gray firearms, and with the sound of armor and footsteps, they lined up neatly behind Edmond and the others, leveling their guns and aiming at Loranhil and her group.

“You…” Lady Philia stood up, but Master Helan, sitting next to her, stepped forward first, blocking her.

“Lady Philia, please don’t be angry. Emenas has regulations that teachers and ungraduated students must not interfere in the internal affairs of other organizations and countries.”

Looking at this gray-bearded old man, several orbs of light gradually appeared around Lady Philia, with light flowing and flickering within them.

“It seems this old bag of bones needs to get some exercise too.” Helan wasn’t surprised. He took the long, slender sword handed to him by someone nearby and twirled it in a flourish.

“The last time I sparred with you was twenty years ago. I was still quite young then.” A mountain-like aura gradually emanated from the old man, with wisps of gray smoke beginning to appear around his sword, causing the air to distort slightly.

At this tense moment of confrontation, others finally reacted. Panicked cries erupted in the hall as people frantically rushed towards the exits.

Outside the mansion, the standoff between the two sides of the merchant associations also took a sudden turn. The Helis family suddenly retreated, leaving Carithes alone to face the other three families. Realizing something was wrong, the Carithes guards began to urgently regroup.

Bells rang out again across the city, and the forces of the other three families attacked once more. The Helis family remained silent, while Tisphone, Nisos, and Anemis joined forces again, advancing towards Carithes.

Seven or eight blue steel golems stood up in the city, shooting out searing pillars of fire that ignited the Carithes fleet, which was preparing to open fire. Barrels of oil were thrown from the Nisos family, setting the night harbor ablaze.

Screams and sounds of battle rang out again throughout the city.

“Fire!”

The warships further from the harbor launched shells at the Nisos family, causing thunderous explosions. Some oil barrels that hadn’t been launched exploded on the spot, engulfing the entire association in a sea of flames.

This time, the allied forces of the three families didn’t retreat but continued to advance towards Carithes, with ladders being set up one after another.

Without the support of the Helis family, and with most of their fleet engulfed in flames, the Carithes Merchant Association seemed to be in dire straits.

Bang——

In the mansion where the negotiations were taking place, the entire roof was torn off. Countless tiles rained down from the sky like a downpour, causing people to scatter and seek shelter.

In the spacious hall, violent air currents directly pierced through all obstacles, whether windows, beams, tables, or chairs, as if swept away by a giant dragon, dissipating into the sea and sky.

The dark hall no longer had any lights. Cold, silvery moonlight poured down from the heavens, illuminating the chaotic and ruined hall.

The people in the hall were sprawled in disarray, most pinned down by debris. The gunmen from before were scattered about, some nowhere to be seen.

Noys struggled to crawl out from under a fallen pillar and looked towards the young woman in the center of the hall.

Her silver hair, blown by the sea breeze, shimmered brilliantly in the moonlight, constantly dancing. Her dress was completely undamaged, with wisps of air currents swirling around her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, standing alone and unparalleled.

How is this possible, he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Out in the strait beyond Hopland, a violent storm began to form. Countless waves were swept up, rising continuously towards the sky, like the Milky Way pouring down from above, directly extinguishing the great fire in the harbor.

“Is this the result you wanted?” She finally spoke, responding to these enemies who had plotted and schemed against her.