Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The knights found nothing in the end. They arrived with a rumble and left with a rumble, leaving behind a mess and a portrait. That is to say, the so-called witch.
Mole attended choir practice every weekend. The priest there, who worshipped some unknown god, had told him what a witch was. Witches were people who had been bewitched by demons and gained forbidden power. They brought great harm to those around them. To prove how serious this harm was, the priest gave many examples: For instance, a certain witch burned a certain village to ashes, or a certain witch froze her relatives and neighbors into ice sculptures. It sounded terrifying. Mole believed that witches were evil and deserved to be killed by everyone! At least, that’s what he thought before he saw the portrait.
But when he saw the portrait, he was completely devastated. Because the person in the portrait was none other than his elder sister, Vanessa. How could Vanessa be a witch? Mole absolutely refused to believe it.
From the time he could remember, Vanessa had raised him. The two depended on each other. Mole knew Vanessa’s kindness and gentleness better than anyone. Even those in the village who had had some contact with Vanessa praised her endlessly. Vanessa was beautiful, meticulous, and skilled with her hands. The young men in the village all liked her, and they found it hard to find any fault with her.
The wanted poster had already been issued, and Mole began to worry about Vanessa’s safety. As expected, Vanessa did not return during the vacation. It wasn’t until the second week after the wanted poster was issued, after the third batch of knights had searched the village, that one torrential rain night, Mole’s room door was gently knocked. He opened the door to see Vanessa standing outside, soaked and in tattered clothes. Only by the color of the fabric could one vaguely tell that it had once been a maid’s dress.
Vanessa fainted on the ground before she could even say a word to Mole. Half a month of fleeing had weakened her body, and coupled with the mental strain and the cold rain, she had unfortunately contracted a very severe cold. Mole tried to use the only divine art he knew. But his clumsy purification spell had little effect. Mole was at a loss. He couldn’t watch his sister die here, nor could he brave the torrential rain to take her away. In the end, he could only take out all his savings and go to the village chief’s house, begging the chief to save his sister. Besides him, the village chief was the person who understood Vanessa best. In Mole’s eyes, this old village chief was like his father!
As it turned out, Mole’s gamble paid off. In the middle of the night, the village chief braved the torrential rain to come to Mole’s house to check on Vanessa. He found that Vanessa’s forehead was burning hot, and her body felt like it was on fire. A fever of this degree was beyond the help of herbs. The village chief finally proposed going to the nearby big city to buy holy water. A bottle of pure holy water cost 100 gold coins, and diluted holy water cost 10 gold coins. Legend had it that diluted holy water could cure all diseases, and pure holy water could even bring the dead back to life.
However, Mole and the village chief together couldn’t even afford 10 gold coins. So, the next morning, Mole and the village chief announced Vanessa’s situation, and with the help of the villagers, they managed to gather 10 gold coins to buy the diluted holy water. The holy water was indeed effective, and Vanessa recovered under its healing effects. But a more serious problem immediately arose. That was how to deal with Vanessa.
Setting aside whether Vanessa was a witch or not, the fact that the lord’s knights were looking for her was enough to cause a headache. Vanessa, who had just recovered from her illness, had a pale pretty face. In front of the entire village, she swore that she was not a witch. But when the villagers asked her what had happened at the lord’s manor, Vanessa would always hold her head in her hands, looking pained. She said she couldn’t remember anything anymore.
Mole and the village chief both believed that Vanessa was not a witch. However, to reassure the villagers and to repay the debt, Vanessa and Mole decided to provide labor to the villagers free of charge. No matter what kind of work it was, they were willing to help, hoping to convince the villagers of Vanessa’s innocence and slowly pay off their debt. At the same time, they also hoped that the villagers would help conceal Vanessa’s continued presence in the village. Every time the knights came to patrol, the village chief would hide Vanessa in a secret cellar in the warehouse.
Time passed, and Vanessa showed no unusual signs. Plus, she worked very diligently. Gradually, the small village seemed to return to its former quiet and peaceful appearance. However, troubles never cease. Finally, the sixth batch of knights once again visited the village. This time, the knight leading the team had more ornate armor, and even the sword on his back gleamed with a mysterious light. A pair of sharp eyes scanned the crowd from within his helmet, and no one dared to meet his gaze.
“We are looking for Vanessa! You may not know what she has done… she almost burned the lord’s eldest son to death while working at the lord’s manor, so if you see her, you must report it immediately. The lord will pay a reward of 500 gold coins!” Before leaving, the knight left a wanted poster. He deliberately glanced at Mole and coldly added, “Harboring a witch is a capital offense. I hope you don’t bring disaster upon yourselves!”
Long after the knights had left, the village chief convened a small meeting in his moderately sized wooden house, gathering all the adults who could make decisions. However, compared to last time, everyone seemed somewhat silent. Only Mole and Vanessa sat nervously in a corner. This time, Vanessa was thoroughly confirmed as a wanted criminal. Helping a wanted criminal was a capital offense, and harboring a witch was also a capital offense. With two capital offenses combined, wouldn’t they be tortured to death? But if they turned Vanessa in with the wanted poster, they would receive a reward of 500 gold coins. These gold coins, distributed among every household in the village, would improve everyone’s quality of life.
“Vanessa grew up in the village since childhood. We all know what kind of person she is. Moreover, Vanessa has been helping us with work during this time. Besides sleeping and eating, she has hardly rested all day. I don’t believe Vanessa is a witch,” the village chief stated first with a somber expression. The surrounding villagers looked at each other and said nothing more. The matter was discussed briefly and then dropped. However, the kind and amiable villagers seemed to have undergone subtle changes.
Normally, when Vanessa worked particularly hard, villagers would offer her words of comfort or proactively suggest she take a break. But starting from today, things slowly began to change. Even if Vanessa worked all day, the surrounding villagers would only watch with cold eyes, and even deliberately add more work for her.
