Sleeping Beauty Wants The Throne
57. The Witch Clan

Their chariots moved from the west mansion towards the palace. Alastair had already handed the keys to the mansion to Luz as a starting present for him. At first Luz felt heavy-hearted. He also did not mind the debt of the former Grand Duke. Already many things that the man did for him, it was Luz himself who was confused how to repay the good deeds of the Brighton leader.

The wind blew softly, blowing away some strands of Luz's hair that were left beautifully scattered. Alastair chuckled as he found the woman yawning, trying to endure the drowsiness. Clenching himself up, Alastair moved Luz's head which was originally leaning against the wall of the carriage now leaned comfortably on her shoulder.

"The journey is long. Sleep on."

Powerless to hold the weight in the eye peluk, Luz answered him with a soft nod. He secured the position then in a few moments, the white-blasted woman had already flown into dreamland.

Alastair who saw him became anxious himself. Gently, his hands stretched out to stroke Luz's hair which had a slight wave at the edges.

The journey continued peacefully for a while until the sound of screaming boys was heard right inside the forest formed on the side of the road.

"Stop the horse."

Slowly Alastair moved Luz's head. He got out of the carriage, staring around that looked lonely and nothing.

"Is there an emergency, Your Grace?" ask the confused driver.

"Have you heard that scream?"

The guards looked at each other. Having the same hearing, they simultaneously shook their heads.

Did Evandre's men again take action by abducting children?

"You wait here and keep Crystal Lady safe. I won't be long."

Without listening to the calls of his guards, Alastair increasingly entered into the forest. The minimal lighting did not make him tremble, it was more curious about the appearance of Evandre's men who had only heard from Duke Lancess.

After arriving at a stream of springs, the thing he was looking for finally came to fruition. Four men forced a boy into a wooden box.

Alastair brandished his sword. "Take the boy off before your heads I take off your bodies."

They turned their heads, so surprised to recognize who the people who witnessed their actions were. "G-Grand Duke!"

"Let go!"

"Can't" replied one of them who had a stocky body. "Fight us first if you dare."

"Want to play around, eh?" Alastair stomped his fingers until there was a sound of friction between the bones.

Among the four people, two of them were already trembling in fear. Grand Duke and sword were two things that could destroy a country, no matter who the opponent was. But there was no gap to escape, the exit was blocked by the Grand Duke while running backwards was tantamount to dying in vain because it would get lost in the forest.

"The four of you go forward together even I am not afraid," Alastair challenged again without showing any meaningful fear.

"Yes!"

In an instant, the quiet forest turned into a fighting arena between life and death. One of them tried to slash the neck, but Alastair swiftly lowered his head and paralyzed his legs until the man fell down.

The other three did not remain silent. Armed with a sword, they dared to surround Alastair and shower him with various incisions that could not touch the Grand Duke at all. Alastair still dodged, not giving any movement against.

After getting tired of playing around, Alastair jumped into the air, landing by stepping on the chest of two people. Pressing it right at the sensitive point of the heart until they have convulsions.

There remains one person whom Alastair believes to be the most useless criminal. His body trembled even more as he watched his companions sprawl helplessly. Alastair approached, staring coldly at the tip of the sword eye under his chin for the person to look up.

"Are you the Crown Prince's errand boy?" Not hearing the answer from the man, Alastair added with emotion. "Java!"

"I'm-i'm ...." His eyes continued to stare back at Alastair. One of his friends who only suffered injuries in the legs slowly got up, then tried to secretly escape himself into the forest.

"Or do you want to be the same fate as your friends?"

Alastair without looking back knew that one of them wanted to escape. He nimbly picked up the poisonous dagger under his black cloak, threw it and aimed at the back of the kidnapper who wanted to escape on target until he collapsed again. Alastair did so without turning his head, his eagle eyes that radiated ferocity still faithfully focused on the kidnapper he was pressing.

"Say, do you want to be the same fate?" demand again, sharp.

The kidnapper's guts shriveled. In return, he nodded quickly then replied, "Yes-yes, we were ordered directly by the Crown Prince."

"For what and where will the children be sold?"

"Authoris people like to drink the blood of young children to increase stamina so His Highness can sell one child at a high price." The kidnapper gulped his hard-earned saliva as Alastair's sword drew closer to his neck vein. "Y-all I know, those children were sold to the Authrine Kingdom."

Authrine .. hadn't Sormenia ever declared peace with that dark country? Their lives were like cannibal humans, incompatible with the peaceful safe Sormenia before Evandre dared to act.

If Evandre was on good terms with them, it was the same that Evandre himself opened the door of tribulation for Sormenia.

"Is there anything else you know?"

"It-it ... I've been begging for mercy!" he was forced to prostrate right in front of Alastair's feet. "Lately the Crown Prince has been pressuring young men from lower society to become his workers, hunting children. If we refuse, then our children will be easy targets. Please Grand Duke is willing to help us deal with this weird problem!"

"I'll help, but before that ...." Alastair glanced at one of the corpses he had already finished off. "Bring up the bodies of one of them and tell them that I will exterminate you if you don't stop immediately from the dirty work that the Crown Prince gave you. Brighton is always open if you want to secure children from abduction. The rolling patrol always runs all day so there's no need to worry."

Alastair put his sword back into the sheath that was draped around his waist. "Hurry up before I change my mind."

With a step in the steps of the kidnapper left by carrying the body of one of them. Run outwards until his figure disappears between the trees and the wild grass.

"Grand Duke, thank you for saving my son."

Alastair turned back. He saw an old woman dressed in a plain black canal with a pale mane of blond color.

Alastair had a keen sense of hearing, but he could not detect it as the woman approached. A very rare occurrence.

"In the middle of a forest like this .. where is your home?" ask Alastair carefully. Because after all, along the western forest there are absolutely no houses let alone residential residents.

"That's it." The woman pointed towards the simple building that was suddenly already across the stream. Alastair sure is right, there was no building there when he came here but why suddenly ....

"You're a clan witch?" Alastair smiled slantingly, "Unexpectedly it turns out that your population still exists."

"Life in the city is no longer comfortable, people often coup everything that is outside their field. For that all the witches decided to stay in the forest" the witch explained while holding the body of her son who was still in shock. "Oh, my poor son must be scared, right?"

The boy who had an equally pale mane nodded weakly. He leaned his head and hugged the witch's body.

"You're a witch, why not just use force to defeat the Crown Prince's people?'

"Being born a witch doesn't mean you can do everything. First of all, my son has not been able to eliminate himself so he will look like an ordinary human being. Second, I am a time wizard. Fighting is not my habit and again, they are many."

Meeting directly with the magician clan made Alastair a little more familiar with their lives. "Then my task is done. Excuse me, hope your son is in good shape."

"Wait!"

Alastair who was about to step away turned his head. He saw the magician open his palm and in an instant, a purple-colored round jade appeared suddenly after the light shimmered in a short period of time.

"I see it in your eyes, young man. Your life didn't end well. For that, I'm giving this jade to you."

Alastair received the stone with a confused feeling. "Why did I bring this stone?"

"Crack that rock and you can play with time in one try."

Playing time. That means Alastair can speed up or slow down time, right?

Next to his eyebrows raised. "What does this have to do with my life?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

Once again Alastair noticed the purple jade that was in his hands. Coinciding with that, the cry of a woman from behind suddenly made Alastair turn around.

"Grand Duke, why are you here alone. What you've been doing for so long, I'm worried!"

Alastair grinned amusedly. "Look, who can't stand to be separated from her future husband."

Hearing Alastair's speech, inevitably Luz's cheeks flushed like a sweet peach.

"Madam, if there's nothing I can do—"

Alastair's words stopped. He looked around, there was no one else standing in front of him. Just like the witch's arrival, her disappearance again surprised Alastair. The house opposite the stream also vanished unceremoniously. Like an illusion. But the purple jade of his gift was still intact in the hands of the Grand Duke.

"Let's go back."

Alastair nodded. Approaching Luz, they finally came out of the forest without any shortcomings.

The witch clan ... turned out to still exist but they chose life aside from humans.

......................

Happy 76th Independence Day all🇮🇩~

This episode is made longer than the previous episodes. Now are you wondering, why did a witch start appearing in Sormenia?

a. The arrival of the witch becomes a bright spot for Luz to be able to return to New York

b. The magician came to help Alastair accelerate the time of his rebellion using purple jade so that in an instant Alastair became emperor

c. The arrival of witches is only as a sweetener of the story

Or is there another opinion? Please write in the comments field. Yaa😆 awaited

See u next episode😉