Chapter 54 – A Sudden Reversal
Baron Juan spouted a lot of nonsense, most of which were fabricated charges. The accusations were so absurd that they perfectly demonstrated the saying, “When you want to condemn someone, you can always find a reason.”
As his long speech finally neared its end, Baron Juan concluded, “…According to the Iberian Empire’s statutes and the laws of the Inquisition, I sentence you to be burned at the stake!”
Wait? The Iberian Empire? Iberian? I seemed to have heard a familiar place name. Wasn’t that the name of the peninsula where Spain and Portugal were located in my previous life?
However, there was no quiet environment for me to ponder. As Baron Juan’s speech ended, the onlookers became agitated, shouting loudly, “Burn her! Burn her! Burn her!”
The roar of the crowd was like a tide, rising one after another, then converging into a unified chant, venting the collective malice. Their own lives were unsatisfactory, so they craved to see others suffer to satisfy their own dark and twisted inner desires.
Baron Juan raised his hands and pressed them down slightly, signaling the crowd to quiet down a bit. The clamor of condemnation gradually subsided.
Baron Juan continued, “Although I wish to burn this wicked witch immediately, I will give you one chance to repent. This is my final mercy. Confess your deeds before the Lord and beg for the merciful Father’s forgiveness for your sins!”
Baron Juan was clearly skilled at swaying public opinion. At least with this performance, the surrounding populace praised his compassion. The executioner, who wore a cloth bag over his head, stepped forward and removed the gag from the witch’s mouth.
As the executioner made his move, I heard the old man beside me anxiously shout, “Fool! Don’t remove the gag! What if she’s a real witch?!”
But his words couldn’t possibly reach the noisy execution ground. Moreover, even if the executioner heard him, he wouldn’t care what a commoner said. He had already removed the gag.
I noticed that the gag was a long, cylindrical object that not only firmly held the tongue in place but even extended into the throat, ensuring that the person gagged could not speak at all, nor even make a sound. It also caused extreme pain to the wearer.
However, after the gag was removed, I saw a strange smile appear on the witch’s saliva-covered lips. She opened her mouth and uttered a few words, which I, of course, couldn’t hear.
“This is bad!” The knights, priests, and guards surrounding the execution ground shouted simultaneously, drawing their swords and rushing towards the platform. Just as they got close, a large patch of dark green mist suddenly erupted around the witch.
“Cough, cough, cough!” The guards immediately scrambled down from the platform in disarray. Those who were slower collapsed on the spot, clutching their throats and coughing painfully.
The priests quickly pulled up the collars of their robes. The knights seemed unfazed by the deadly mist and charged directly into the poisonous fog. The next moment…
“Boom!” A deafening explosion rocked the platform, and the poison cloud erupted violently. The shockwave swept across the entire area. I felt as if I had been hit by a car, knocked to the ground together with Jayad.
However, Jayad held onto me tightly. He fell to the ground, acting as a cushion for me, so I didn’t suffer a major impact.
What’s going on? What happened? I was completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events. My mind couldn’t process it all at once, mainly because the scene was so beyond my comprehension.
“Crack!” Just then, a tall, sturdy body landed in the pile of people next to me. He wore a cloth bag over his head, his entire body was charred black, and there was a large hole in his chest. It was the executioner who had been on the platform moments ago.
