The Release That Witch
Chapters 3's

Roland swallowed the last piece of fried egg from his breakfast, took a napkin and wiped his mouth before saying, "So you are saying that you are worried that the Witch Cooperation Association will hear the news that the witch is not dead and will therefore try to save her? "

“As His Majesty said,” Barov stomped furiously as he exclaimed, “If the prisoner dies, it is bad enough, but now he is still alive! If those witches were even crazy enough to steal a baby with the possibility of them becoming future partners, how far would they go for someone who had become a stooge of the demons? With how reckless they behaved, trying to save would not be surprising. "

Roland was confused, he always felt that something was wrong with this situation. Why are the Assistant Minister and Knight Commander so afraid of witches?

The woman who was supposed to be hanged was a witch, right? That woman who was so thin as if she was about to fall when the wind blew? If he really had such a terrifying strength, why would he have to stand there and wait for death? No, he won't. According to church sermons, he was an incarnation of the devil, to be executed without trial. Even soldiers had to pay a heavy price when fighting witches. However, this “demon” was captured by the ordinary townspeople in this border town, tortured, even put up with snares, yet until now they had not seen any trace of that supposedly monstrous power.

“How can he be caught?” Roland asked.

"I heard that when the Northern Mine collapsed, in order to escape, she revealed her identity as a witch and was then captured by the angry villagers." Barov replied.

Roland thought as he listened to Barov, Why do I get the impression that this happened the day before my reincarnation?

"How did he expose himself?" The prince asked loudly.

“I, well.. I am not sure,” assistant minister shook his head and said, “the situation is very confusing, it could be someone saw it using magic.”

Roland frowned as he asked, "You didn't investigate the situation thoroughly?"

“Your Highness, continuing mining is his priority,” assistant minister protested, “Revenue from the iron mine accounted for half of the production of this city, he said, and the guards made sure that someone at the scene was killed by magic.”

What kind of magic? Roland asked, interested.

“The head and most of the body are stretched out on the ground as if melted. His body is like a finished candle, ” said the minister with an expression of disgust. "Your Majesty, glad you didn't see such a sight."

Roland started playing with the silver fork while thinking. Historically, most of the victims of the inquisition witch hunts were innocent, a tool for the church to maintain control over the population or a possibility for the ignorant townspeople to vent their anger. Naturally, a small percentage of the defendants caused their own downfall. The kind of people who dress strangely while mixing all kinds of strange materials, claim that they can predict the future and know the conclusion of life and death.

The truth is that those people discovered some tricks, such as the use of chemical reactions, but then they used them to claim that they had gained the power of the gods.

To the modern eye, these are just a few simple chemical tricks, but in the middle ages, it can be easily misinterpreted as an extraordinary phenomenon.

Regarding the person who melted, the first thing Roland thought about was the acidic solution.

But it will be troublesome to prepare such things, and you also need to soak the body with it, but it will not look like a burning candle, because for other methods they are impossible to do.

Then how did he do it?

If he relied on alchemy, and it was rare, perhaps…

Roland thought up to there and then said in a stern tone, "Bring me to see him."

The Assistant Minister was startled for a moment before saying, "Master, you want to see a witch?" Barov stood up in panic, dropping the cup with the milk he did not drink.

Yes, this is an order. Roland said looking back and smiling at the assistant minister, he was now completely grateful for the fourth prince's unreasonable style.

Roland went to the door but suddenly stopped, asking, "Right, I have to ask, why should we use the gallows?"

Roland repeated his question, “Why is he hanged? Shouldn't witches be burned at the stake? "

Barov's face looked puzzled as he asked, “Isn't that true? But he was not afraid of fire. "

*

The dungeon was small, this barren land could not afford to hold too many prisoners. Most criminals will be tried after a few days and will be released or killed.

In addition to Barov, the Prince enters the dungeon with the Knight Commander, the prison warden, and two guards.

The underground prison has a total of four levels and the walls are built of hard granite blocks. This was the first time Roland had been in this kind of place and he noted the deeper he was, the narrower the passageway was. The number of cells is also reduced. He thought they might dig a hole in the shape of an inverted cone first, and then build up layer upon layer of rock.

This rugged project certainly does not have a good drainage system. The ground was wet and muddy dirt flowed down the stairs, down to the last floor.

Clearly, the witch was at the bottom of the dungeon. Each layer they dropped, the foul smell in the air became thicker.

“Your Majesty, you risked too much by doing this, even though he was sealed with the Lord Retribution Pendant, it is not safe.”

Carter is talking. Once he knew that the prince was planning to visit the witch, he immediately chased after the prince, advising him along the way to stop passing her. But it was all in vain, even repeating the direct order of the king not to engage in any dangerous situation had no effect. Clearly, she was not only a pretty face, she was also a chatty one. After experiencing this for some time, Roland only hoped that someone would sew his mouth. "You have to look evil in the eye before you face it on the battlefield and stand from toe to toe. I think you know that." he said.

“In addition to fighting crime with courage, it is also important to assess one's abilities and act accordingly; reckless behavior is not considered bold. " Carter denies.

“You mean if you meet a weaker enemy than you, you hold justice, but if he is stronger than you, you will close your eyes?” Roland challenged.

"No, Your Honor, I mean ..." Carter stutters.

“Before you have been afraid of witch attacks, and now you are even afraid to see a little girl, my Knight Commander is indeed scary.”

Although the knight was a good speaker, he was not adept at debate, meeting a refined speaker like Roland he was completely defeated. Utilizing this effort, the group reached the bottom of the dungeon.

This floor was many times smaller than the one above, with a total of only two cells. The jailer lit a torch on the wall and as the darkness faded, Roland saw the witch who was bowing in the corner of his cell.

It was already late autumn and the temperature inside the dungeon was low enough to make people see the white mist as they took a breath. She was wearing a fur coat with a layer of silk inside, so it did not feel cold, but the girl was just wearing a rough linen that could not even cover her entire body with her hands and feet sticking out and turning blue.

The torch that suddenly lit up made him horrified with his eyes closed. But soon, he could open his eyes and stare straight at them.

It was a pair of pale blue eyes, like a calm lake before a heavy rain. There is no fear on the witch's face and you cannot see anger or hatred. Roland saw a vision, as if what he saw in front of him was not a weak little girl. Instead, it looked as if he was in front of a raging flame. He suddenly felt that the torch light from the wall was somewhat dim.

The girl tried to stand up while leaning against the wall, in slow motion as if afraid of falling. But in the end, he finally stood up and limped out of the corner, letting the light cover him.

It was already a simple move, yet it made his men inhale the cold air several times even as they retreated two steps, only the Integrity Knight Commander could resist and stand in front of Roland.

"What's your name?" Roland asked the magician and patted the knight on the shoulder, indicating that he didn't need to be too nervous.

“Anna,” answer.