You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 21 I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it.
Shasta comforted the little witch in front of him.

"Are you telling the truth?" Gweil asked timidly.

Her small, thin body resembled that of a little quail.

Shasta was afraid of upsetting her, so his attitude was extremely gentle, which surprised Morey.

“It’s true. You won’t have to hide anymore. I will take you to the Witch’s Forest, where all our sisters and companions are.” Shasta whispered.

But Gweil shook her head with tears in her eyes: "But I only bring bad luck."

“I know, Gweil, you blamed yourself for everything: the house collapsing, your father breaking his leg, the cattle going mad in the barn. You could also sense a strange, mysterious force surrounding you, influencing everything. You were terrified, so you cried to your mother, and your family found out everything. You were seen as the source of all the misfortune. Your father cursed you as a cursed child and cruelly drove you out of the house. You felt hopeless, but you had no choice but to turn away because you had caused your family suffering. So you hid in the mountains and lived alone here for almost two years. It must have been very difficult.”

“Givell, you are an unfortunate child. I know that your unlucky constitution may be true. You cannot reject it because of this. It has brought you a lot of misfortune, but it is also your strength. Do not be afraid, do not be afraid. I will tell you how to master this secret power and control it in the future. You will definitely become an excellent witch.”

Gweil felt it was unreal.

She couldn't understand what Shasta was saying in her ear, nor could she comprehend the current situation. But she had an instinctive fear of the outside world.

"Should I go outside with you?"

Shasta was absolutely certain of this, and she said, "Givell, you must understand that you are only a normal person when all your companions are witches."

"I just want to stay here," Gweil pleaded. "Can I not go?"

She was truly vulnerable, like a frightened little rabbit; she could feel the kindness and warmth emanating from Shasta.

Even so, Gweil was still terrified of the woman in front of her and of everything she said.

Shasta whispered, "The witch won't harm her companions."

“But the church will burn me, burn my family, I can’t let the church lord catch me.” Gweil’s voice trembled with tears again. She knelt before Shasta as if begging for mercy from a superior. “I’ve never been outside, Ms. Shasta, please let me go.”

Shasta felt a surge of inexplicable anger. She was always decisive in her actions, but today, despite her best efforts, she still couldn't persuade Gweil.

She did not vent her anger on Gweil.

She knew about the latter's past experiences and current situation.

She was angry at the church, angry at Gweil's parents, and even more angry at the witches' fate. This anger burned through Shasta's nerves, making her tremble and causing black smoke to rise from her body.

The logic doesn't hold up.

This girl perfectly exemplifies what it means to be ignorant and naive.

Shasta planned to forcibly take Gweil away—not by force, as that would only stimulate Gweil's power, and once her power went out of control, it was hard to say what would happen.

So Shasta said in a gentle yet firm tone, "Alright, child, I'm pressed for time. Leave everything to me. You'll know later how right it was for you to leave here."

Gweil was very perceptive and realized what Shasta was doing, but she dared not defy this strange witch.

She was a little uneasy and said weakly, "I can't just leave like this. I need to tell Uncle Dick, and also Uncle Jet, and Grandpa Garin and Uncle Borg..."

Just then, a deep, rumbling sound suddenly came from the mountains and forests.

At first it wasn't obvious, but the sound rapidly approached, accompanied by rustling of bushes and grass, and the trees were shaking as if a dangerous creature was rushing towards them.

The mountain wind howled, and Shasta's expression suddenly changed!
……

Led by the hunter, Roman arrived at the Dirty Doctor's residence.

He saw a dirty man with a black beard—or perhaps a white beard that had been unkempt for a long time and had turned black, making him filthy.

It can only be said that the title of "Dirty Doctor Garin" is well-deserved.

The mountain area is relatively open with little vegetation. A wooden hut stands there, filled with bottles and jars containing crushed medicinal powder, herbal roots, insects soaked in wine, and crucibles.

This dirty doctor held a very high position.

In Sige Town, if a child contracts a strange disease, the parents will go to great lengths to carry the child up the mountain to seek Garin's help.

They only need to contribute a small amount of food.

For hunters, Karin's existence is even more special; basically, every hunter has received treatment from Karin.

In the wooden hut, Roman found the emblem of the faith, a beautifully intricate design of the 'Thirty-Three Thrones'—a pattern composed of lines and thirty-three dots forming a single throne. He said, "You're from the church, aren't you?"

Garin was very old, with a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes were very bright.

He was neither surprised nor taken aback by Roman's arrival. He simply let Roman search and observe his room calmly until Roman found the badge of faith, and he remained unmoved.

The hunter Dota was horrified. He hadn't known Garin's identity before, but he knew that Garin took good care of the witch Gwyneth.

Gods, how could the church take care of a witch? It's like angels blessing demons from hell.

Meanwhile, Moore was sweating profusely again. He had always thought Garin was just a skilled quack doctor.

He was already surprised by the witch, but it turned out that there was a church hiding in the town of Sig?
Damn it! How come I know nothing about this? Is there anything impossible in Sig Town? How can such a small place hide so many talented people!

There were no missionaries, priests, or churches in Sigge Town. The only information about the church came from snippets of conversation among the merchants, so naturally, there was no way to find out anything about Garin's background.

Roman noticed this as soon as he arrived.

The way the items are arranged is very similar to that of a church.

Moreover, only the Church possesses systematic medical knowledge; they are superior to court physicians and possess extraordinary healing abilities.

In Roman's view, without divine magic, the church's healing system was quite backward and dark, and the brutal methods of healing made his eyes twitch.

But that doesn't stop Garin from being a talented person.

These days, a good doctor is one who can cure illnesses without killing them.

Roman said to Garin, "You left the church? Do you want to do something for me?"

“The church stipulates that servants of the gods can only believe in the gods for their entire lives,” Garin replied in an aged voice.

"Oh? You can't submit your resignation letter, right?"

Garin didn't know what a resignation letter was, but he understood its meaning, so he didn't reply.

Roman then asked, "So, does this count as dereliction of duty?"

After a moment of silence, Garin could only say, "I have not abandoned my post, and I have not lost my faith in the gods."

The church symbolizes the physical manifestation of the gods on earth, and is equivalent to the sole authorized and directly subordinate unit.

This means that believers who turn their backs on the church are turning their backs on their faith in the gods. If they do not join the church and believe in the gods, it is not true faith.

Garin's continued faith after leaving the church is quite unusual.

In this fantastical world, gods may very well exist, but large-scale miracles have not occurred for a long time.

Roman had no reverence for the church or the gods.

You have healing magic, but I have my warrior knights.

Everyone has extraordinary abilities, who are you trying to scare?
If you're so capable, why don't you summon your god and have a go at me?

……

If the gods have the power to change the world and value their believers, why don't they send down their divine power to help the sheep who believe in them? Instead, they allow this era to develop wildly.

If the gods do not have the power to change the world, then they have no need to have too much awe for those who call themselves gods.

If the gods don't value their believers, then it wouldn't matter if they killed everyone in the church.

Moreover, the church has not changed this era over a long period of time.

I gave you a chance, but you didn't do it. So you better not stop me when I'm chopping people up, or I'll chop you up too.

……

Just as Roman was about to say something, he heard a faint scream of a pig being slaughtered coming from the distant mountains and forests, echoing throughout the wilderness!

(End of this chapter)