Chapter 2418 – Witch’s Night
“Hold on, one at a time. You said earlier that witches were seen entering this manor?” I chose to focus on the information that piqued my interest.
“My father told me. Years ago, he saw witches in strange clothes entering the mansion at night, dancing and singing around a bonfire,” one of the farmers replied.
“Yes, I heard the children say the same thing. They also saw a group of suspiciously scantily clad older sisters dancing and singing in the manor,” another farmer chimed in.
“Scantily clad, what exactly do you mean? Can you describe it?” I asked. Hearing their accounts, it didn’t sound like ghosts, but rather some kind of cult or witch ritual.
Many sects advocate for revealing clothing or even nudity. For example, within Christianity, there are the Adamites and the Essenes. Among Evil Gods, there are the cults of Lust and Pleasure Goddess, and so on. If I knew what they were wearing, I might be able to directly guess their identities.
“I don’t know. I heard it from my father,” the first farmer said. The second farmer also shook his head, “I only heard it from the children, so I don’t know if it’s accurate.”
Although both of them heard it from others, their accounts were very similar: a group of women in strange or revealing clothing gathered together, performing peculiar dances or rituals. This lent a certain degree of believability to their statements.
“When did this happen? Was it during the Witch’s Night?” I pressed further.
The farmers frowned in unison. “What is the Witch’s Night?”
“From the night of April 30th to the early morning of May 1st, the eve of May Day is the Witch’s Night. It is always accompanied by the convergence of three moons,” I explained.
These farmers might not remember obscure occult festivals, but they would certainly be aware of the fixed convergence of three moons and May Day. This was related to the solar terms, seasonal changes, and their planting cycles.
May Day, also known as the Welcome Spring Festival, is on May 1st. In my previous life, Labor Day also originated from this. It was a festival to worship tree gods and grain gods, celebrate the agricultural harvest, and welcome the arrival of spring. It signified the start of agricultural work.
On this day, farmers in various regions would erect a Maypole woven from straw and wheat stalks in the center of the village. Girls would go outside the village to gather herbs and flowers, weaving them into garlands to wear for protection against evil.
Villagers would select the most beautiful girl, dress her in gorgeous, colorful clothes, and crown her as the May Queen. She would then lead the village youths, adorned with ribbons, in dancing and singing around the Maypole.
Many regions had various customs, but the common thread among these customs was warding off evil. This was because the eve of May Day was always accompanied by the convergence of three moons, causing the Magic Tide to rise, making Demons and Monsters active.
It was precisely because of the rise in magic after the convergence of three moons that crops would grow rapidly after May Day, making it a festival that farmers would definitely remember as representing the start of cultivation.
This eve was the Witch’s Night, also known as Walpurgis Night. Under the convergence of three moons, the Magic Tide would reach its highest point, and the barrier with higher dimensions would weaken to its lowest.
Last night, witches and Black Mages from all over would gather, greedily absorbing magic power from the outside, dancing and singing around bonfires in revelry. As it was mainly witches who participated, it was called Witch’s Night.
It was almost humorous. During Walpurgis Night, witches would perform rituals by dancing wildly around bonfires, and on May Day evening, the Maypole would be lit, with villagers dancing and singing around the bonfire.
These two similar customs and rituals were not coincidental but rather corresponded to each other. The witches would use their dances to draw magic power into this world, and the villagers would then use similar bonfire gatherings to repel foreign magic. This was a method of cleansing corruption.
The villagers had just told me that most of the participants were women, wearing strange clothes, and that the ritual was accompanied by firelight. I immediately thought of the renowned Witch’s Night.
Speaking of which, I am also a witch. Logically, that would be my festival too. If the time came, I could even participate.
“No, it wasn’t during the Witch’s Night,” the old farmer interjected, firmly negating my assumption. We all turned to look at him. Given his age, he would surely know things that other farmers didn’t.
“Although I haven’t personally witnessed those women, I have heard wailing sounds coming from the manor. It happens every month, and the timing is very close, always a day or two after the twentieth of each month,” the old farmer stated with certainty.
The Witch’s Night only occurred once a year, but he claimed it happened every month, and in the latter half of the month at that. So, it was indeed not the Witch’s Night. However, it was not impossible that a group of witches might be mimicking the Witch’s Night by holding various evil rituals every month.
Furthermore, the old farmer mentioned wailing sounds. In my understanding, the Witch’s Night should be filled with laughter and strange cries, not wailing. This indicated that their ritualistic practices were quite different.
Next, we listened to other farmers’ accounts. For instance, they had seen red light emanating from the manor’s windows at night, glimpsed Wraiths drifting by, and heard rumors that cattle and sheep that approached the manor would fall ill and die from strange sicknesses.
Some accounts likely referred to the same event, while others provided little useful intelligence. Some were even exaggerated rumors, not based on truth.
However, Jayad kept his promise and gave each of them one gold coin, making these farmers extremely grateful and leading them to express their thanks repeatedly.
After distributing the coins, Jayad turned and walked towards the big door. With a casual twist, he broke the chain on the door.
Actually, Ed had given us a large set of keys during the handover. But for Older Brother Jayad, prying it open was simpler and faster than fumbling for the right key.
“Wait!” The old farmer, seeing Jayad open the big door, was startled. He anxiously shouted, “Didn’t I tell you this place is dangerous and you shouldn’t enter? Why are you going in even after I told you?!”
He spoke with urgency, and his words clearly conveyed genuine concern, indicating that this old farmer was indeed good-hearted.
Jayad smiled. “I almost forgot to tell everyone, I am the new owner of this manor. Once I clear out the ghosts here, you can all move back. We’ll be neighbors again then.”
“What? You’re the new tenant here?!” the old farmer exclaimed, greatly surprised. Then he said indignantly, “You’ve been tricked by that fellow! He must have lured you into renting this manor at an extremely low rate. In reality, it’s incredibly bizarre inside, you know that!”
“Yes, this manor is uninhabitable. Young master, you should find another dwelling,” the other farmers also earnestly advised.
“No, I’m not renting here. I’ve already bought this manor. From now on, I am the owner of this manor,” Jayad said with a smile.
