Miss Witch, it's time to clean up the entries

Chapter 344 The Empire's Victory

The battle didn't last long; Dorothy's appearance turned the tide.

The puppets gained life and consciousness before they could self-destruct.

The consciousness that Dorothy bestowed did not appear out of thin air. Even though Dorothy was a fairy tale witch skilled at writing fairy tales, she could not create witches out of thin air like a creator god.

Their consciousness came from the guards and knights who died in battle, from the lives that had just passed away.

This is the way Dorothy could think of to bring all the puppets to life in the short term, rather than fabricating false memories and anchors.

The puppets became true witches after gaining individual consciousness, even though the souls inside their bodies were not so compatible with their bodies; many of them were former knights.

Aside from the somewhat tragic aspect of the gender swap, at least they were reborn—reborn within the witch's body—and gained the witch's power.

This is a witch's power that only legendary knights can rival.

This was the only way they could comfort themselves.

Very few lucky individuals are chosen; out of thousands who die in battle, only a hundred can experience this resurrection.

Dorothy will keep the others in her own domain forever, allowing them to exist in another form.

This is the cruel reality of war; inevitably, some will sacrifice their lives.

Seeing all the puppets turn against him, Joel Barbor realized the seriousness of the problem.

Perhaps the puppets are not as invincible as the Empire imagines. The puppets are just shells, but the fairy tale witch can give life to the shells and make them obey her commands.

Dorothy Hall is the Empire’s greatest enemy.

"Uncle Babor, surrender. You are destined to fail. It is fate's choice."

Dorothy tried to persuade Joel Barbor again.

Joel Barbor gripped his knight's sword tightly. "I swear by the honor of a knight, I will never surrender. Warriors of the Empire, are you willing to follow me in this final struggle, to fight to the last moment, and to uphold your honor and beliefs!"

Amidst Joel Barbor's shouts, the scattered imperial elites regrouped and charged forward alongside him.

Joel Barbor defended his beliefs with his life, and in the end, his body was pierced by Enzo's sword, Lien.

To preserve the old general's dignity, Li En did not behead him or display his body publicly, but instead had him wrapped in a horse's hide and sent back to the ancestral home of the Babor family, Gao Junling.

Li En led his troops into Spade Territory without incident. This place, which Mary had tried countless times to conquer but never managed to reach, was now deserted and turned into a ghost town.

But the soldiers' blood and shouts still echo in our ears, proving that they were indeed loyal and fearless. It's just a pity that they stood on the opposite side of themselves and were destined to be enemies, not friends.

"Give all fallen soldiers a proper burial, whether they are from the Imperial Army or the Revolutionary Army."

Li En said to his subordinates.

"Yes, Lord Li En."

The guards began clearing the battlefield, moving the corpses onto flatbed carts.

Li En led his army forward and arrived at the lord's mansion in the Black Spade Territory.

He went inside with Dorothy, obtained the lord's seal of Spade Territory, and declared Spade Territory's independence.

The new witches, transformed from puppets, were placed in the lord's manor, awaiting further arrangements.

The capture of Spade Territory took less than a week; the first six days were spent simply waiting.

News of the fall of Spade Territory quickly reached the Empire, causing an earthquake even more sensational than the independence of the North, leaving the Empire's high command utterly shocked.

"Jol Babor surrendered?"

“Your Majesty, Viscount Joel Barbor swore to never surrender, and he and ten thousand Imperial soldiers died for their country.”

"Then why did they lose? Why did Spade Territory fall?"

Sitting on the emperor's throne, Augulas' eyes were wide open, almost bursting out of their sockets, and veins bulged on his forehead.

The guard responsible for reporting felt the cold and oppressive gaze of his superior. He knew that if he didn't give a reasonable explanation, this might be the last time he would ever enter the main hall.

"Your Majesty, the puppets... have collectively rebelled."

"what?!"

Not only Augulas, but also the important figures of the Creed family and noble ministers present were all dumbfounded.

The puppets have collectively rebelled!

This is practically equivalent to Ophelia leading all the witches in a mass defection.

Oh, no, the witches were defectors. They never attacked any city-states or their people, nor did they incite any rebellion. The puppets, on the other hand, turned against the empire on the battlefield because they truly wanted to fight their way back!

This was an unprecedented disaster: 100 puppets. The Empire believed these would be the 100 depth charges that crushed Lee En and the traitors.

But who could have imagined that these 100 bombs would turn around and blow up the Empire instead?

Augulas looked at the elders of the Academy of Wise Men.

Even this well-informed elder, a wise old man who always maintained a calm and composed demeanor, panicked.

He was not afraid of death, nor of the destruction of the empire; he was afraid of the experiment failing, afraid of all his efforts going to waste.

“How could this be? This shouldn’t be. The puppets have no souls. They don’t understand what rebellion is. They only obey orders and arrangements. If Joel Barbor hadn’t surrendered, they would never have betrayed the enemy.”

The old sage spoke with absolute certainty, and Emperor Augulas looked at the guards kneeling in the hall.

The guard wiped the cold sweat from his brow and continued,
"It was the legendary witch Dorothy Hall who appeared. She gave the puppets life, causing them to turn against her and reversing the entire battle."

"Dorothy Hall!!!"

Augulas clenched his fists so tightly that he didn't even notice his fingernails digging into his palms.

If he was once so infatuated with Dorothy, he now hates her just as much.

She ruined everything she had, destroyed what should have been a carefree youth, and now she's going to destroy her entire life.

Dorothy Hall, who had appeared in his dreams countless times and haunted his soul, had now become a nightmare in reality.

He hated himself for siding with the Hall family. Dorothy Hall should have been sent to the Institute of the Wise to be dissected and studied by the wise men long ago, and things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"Keep the news under wraps. Anyone who knows about this, except for those in the council chamber, must die."

A ruthless glint flashed in Augulas's eyes, and the messenger guard ultimately could not escape death.

It wasn't that he lacked the emperor's trust, but rather that the emperor only trusted himself. The news that the puppets were under complete control must never leak out. The empire's weapons defected in the face of danger, instantly reversing the previously favorable situation. What did it mean that Li En Edwards won every battle?
If this news were to spread, it's estimated that 90 percent of the empire would believe that Lyon Edwards is the Son of God, the chosen one.

This would be even more detrimental to the rule of the Empire, and to the rule of the Frank family and the Creed family.

But if the puppets have already betrayed the empire, what other way is there to save it?
Gifts? Randall took all those gifts, and now we have no idea where to find them.

Seemingly sensing Augulas's unease, Queen Emma gently placed her hand on Augulas's hand.
"Augulas, we will not lose this time."

Emma touched her belly.

Augulas paused, his expression complex, and took his wife's hand. Although there was no romantic relationship between him and Emma, ​​they had long been on the same side.

"Emma, ​​I really hope there's still a chance to salvage this."

"Augulas, we have no way out."

Emma said calmly.

"Everyone, go back now."

Augulas felt tired, so he dismissed the heads of the Creed family and the nobles, wanting to be alone on the throne for a while.

However, the elder of the Wise Ones' Academy did not leave; he quietly watched Augulas.

"Your Majesty, please believe me. I will make amends for my mistakes. I will make the puppets evolve to the third generation as soon as possible to fight against the rebels."

"We cannot allow Gao Junling to fall again."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

The wise elder slowly retreated.

Augulas sat on the cold throne, looking as if he had aged ten years.

Even so, he is still young.

Emma left with her father, Duke Burke, leaving only Augulas in the hall.

Mona Isaacson, Augulas's first mistress, stepped barefoot slowly into the hall.

She noticed her lover's melancholy, knelt down, nestled between Augula's legs, and softly comforted him.
“My king, Augulas, I must tell you some good news, if you are still in the mood to listen.”

"what?"

Augulas lifted Mona Isaacson's delicate chin.

He once regarded Mona Isaacson as a substitute for Dorothy, but Mona Isaacson completely freed Dorothy from her shadow with her own strength, came to his side, and became the only mistress he recognized.

Augulas reserved all his tenderness for Mona Isaacson. Unlike Emma, ​​Mona Isaacson truly loved Augulas and was his woman who belonged to him completely.

Despite the strong opposition from the Isaacson family, she still insisted on becoming Augulas's mistress.

"I'm pregnant, and this will be your real child."

Mona Isaacson looked up and gazed at Augulas with surprise.

Augulas was slightly taken aback. "You mean, you're pregnant?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am pregnant with your child. I have a feeling it will be a son who will become an outstanding knight."

Mona Isaacson said gently, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Augulas, however, did not know whether to be happy or sad.

“Mona, I don’t even know how much longer I can stay in this position. You’ve brought me new troubles.”

“Augulas, you are a member of the Frank family. The Empire was built by the Creed family. How can you say such disheartening things? You and the Empire will live on forever. Our children will see it all.”

Mona Isaacson said with certainty.

Augulas lifted her cheek and kissed her lips.

“My Mona, I hope you can leave here now and come back after the empire is stable. I will send you to the Northern Continent to my sister. She will take care of you and the child.”

"I'm not leaving. I want to stay here and stay with you."

Mona Isaacson's eyes welled up with tears.

"No, if you stay here, you and the child will die. I hope you can live on with my only bloodline. If I win, I will personally bring you back. If I lose, please live on bravely with the child and raise him to be an excellent knight, a brave and fearless person who can slay dragons and enemies in the future. But never let him carry hatred."

Augulas knew how painful it was to hate someone, and he didn't want his children to live in hatred like he had.

He hoped that Mona Isaacson could take the children and fly away to live a new life in the Northland.

He knew that without the Gift, the chances of defeating Li En and Dorothy were too slim, unless he chose to perish together with them.

Letting Mona Isaacson leave now is the best option.

“I will have my personal guards escort you away, Mona. Please don’t cry for me; we haven’t lost yet.”

“Augulas, you can’t lose, you can’t be defeated by that rebel. We absolutely have to win, for you, for the child in my belly, for the Frank family and the empire.”

Mona Isaacson and Augulas embraced tightly.

After a brief moment of tenderness, Augulas released his grip, allowing the Knights to take Mona Isaacson away.

The Empire blocked the news of the fall of Spade Territory and changed the battle report to this.

[Lynn Moria and the witch Dorothy led a rebellious group of witches in an attack on Spade Territory. Viscount Joel Barbor led the Imperial soldiers in a valiant resistance. Although they successfully defended Spade Territory, a terrible curse cast by the witches rendered the entire territory uninhabitable for humans, turning it into a forbidden zone. The original inhabitants of Spade Territory can reside permanently in High Jun Territory or choose to live in the western part of the Empire. The Empire has won the war against Spade Territory. This will not be the first victory, nor will it be the last. The Empire will advance relentlessly and wipe out Lynn and his rebel party.]
The people of the empire, kept in the dark behind high walls, were overjoyed, feeling that the war had finally been won. The nobles, in particular, had no desire to change their current way of life.

The nobles in the capital even held banquets to celebrate the empire's victory.

They didn't care whether they could make a living in Spade Territory. As long as the rebels didn't reach them and steal their wealth, they could continue to live a luxurious aristocratic life.

The ironic banquet lasted for three days and three nights, with the deafening sound of gongs and drums echoing throughout every corner of the empire.

No one realized that within the high walls of Spade Territory, just like in other territories, there was a bustling atmosphere.

The number of revolutionary soldiers has soared to 40. Most of these 40 soldiers are currently stationed in Spade Territory, preparing for a desperate battle against Gao Jun Territory.

With each victory in war, the witches' faith in Li En grew stronger, and they became even more convinced that this path was the right one.

As the revolutionary witch Miriam gained more and more followers, she developed a vague illusion that she could continue to evolve. However, Miriam was unable to find a way to evolve, so she could only ask Li En for help.

(End of this chapter)