Witch Troupe and the Undead

"that is not……"

"What do you think is the most greedy creature in the world? What is the most insatiable creature? What is it that always has endless desires and is willing to pay the price?" All three questions point to the same answer: nobles and wealthy merchants.

"Money, power, authority, women, even life—it's all these things."

“But don’t they already have all of these?” “It’s precisely because they already have them that they want more.” Lilith smoothed her short, flaxen hair, a hint of reminiscence in her heterochromatic eyes.

"No matter what price that evil god pays, these nobles always have more means and resources to achieve all of this."

"What about the sanctuary over there..."

"They all have their own problems to solve now, big problems at that." (Imperial Capital Holy Light Church)

The archbishop, wearing a seven-tiered crown, a platinum robe, and two gold ribbons hanging from his neck, gripped his scepter tightly, the veins on his hands bulging, as if he were about to smash someone's head in front of him at any moment.

"Lord, have mercy! Don't let me hear this blasphemous word again!" The bishop raised his head slightly and looked up at the mural on the ceiling of the church chapel. The Lord, bathed in light, seemed to cast a gentle and merciful gaze upon him. Then, he lowered his head, and a huge horse's head brutally pierced his eyes.

"...According to the oldest and most original records of the Church, the Lord has countless faces, and the seven aspects that we commonly see are merely illusions chosen by the Lord to educate mankind, which can be understood by humble human minds..." A barefoot girl with disheveled hair stood in the center of the cathedral, leaning on a common ascetic's wooden staff, and spoke eloquently.

The ascetics looked on with approval, and even the lower-ranking priests of the church were speechless, because what the other party said was the core of their scriptures, which was indeed difficult to refute.

"Since the Holy Lord can be an old man, a child, a wild beast, or a wise ancient tree, why can't he be a horse?"

“This is not a horse, it’s a monster with a horse’s head…” a priest retorted loudly, but he was met with disdainful looks from the people behind him.

“Ah, my ignorant brother, what do you think of the image of the hundred-eyed angel symbolizing the all-seeing gaze of the Holy Lord?” Then everyone fell silent as they looked at the mural image with dozens of wings spread out behind it, each wing bearing a pattern symbolizing an eye, and eyes also growing on its hands and body.

Compared to this well-known form of the Holy Lord, the giant image with a horse's head and wings can be described as very approachable and anthropomorphic.

"Then what do you think of the mastiff-headed messenger, as a symbol of the Holy Lord's pursuit of evil, leaving no darkness or wickedness unpunished?"

"..." Many high-ranking priests covered their faces. Horse-headed angels and dog-headed angels, to be honest, there was no difference. And that wasn't the core of their argument. It was just that the lower-ranking priests couldn't see that the core of the argument wasn't whether the Holy Lord could have a horse's head.

To be honest, according to the scriptures, even if you dressed him up with an octopus head or an onion head, you couldn't say that God couldn't appear in that form. After all, in the secret documents in the church's vault, there really were tribes that worshipped the onion-headed God near the southern bay more than 150 years ago.

Compared to other factions, this group was so unorthodox that they were labeled as engaging in heresy and cults, and were subsequently purged from within their own ranks. However, this also shows that such a strange form is not entirely impossible.

“While what you say is all correct, your understanding of the Holy Scriptures even surpasses that of ordinary priests…” The archbishop looked down at the men in golden robes below, a hint of displeasure in his expression.

If these bastards had spent less time attending aristocratic banquets and hanging out in clubs with pretty young boys, and instead devoted some of their time to studying the classics and learning, they wouldn't have been attacked by this group of people who are clearly heretics or even demon worshippers.

"If only the Guardians of the Church were still here..." But in the Empire or the entire Southern Continent, royal power supersedes divine power. In the Holy City and some border areas with weak rule, the Church can still maintain its own army, or even the Holy Knights, in the city. But in the capital, the Emperor would not tolerate the Church stationing troops.

The cathedral's guards consisted only of imperial constables, a small number of patrolling cavalry, and a limited number of church warrior monks. Most of these monks were not very strong and could not see through the illusion shrouded in demonic fire.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Empire is delighted to have the Church invited to debate scriptures. Didn't you see Princess Freya was there too? The princess, draped in a thick fur scarf, sat upright in a private room on the side of the Church, her expression beneath the veil one of numbness and boredom.

"Lord Clay, when are they going to start fighting?" She had come over early in the morning and heard that a pilgrimage group from out of town had returned to the Imperial Cathedral and were spreading their faith and doctrines, believing that the church had now strayed from its faith and fallen into the abyss of desire.

Only the Horse-Headed Lord could save the world. The new doctrine forbade priests from indulging in luxury and focused more on the lower classes. As a result, it quickly spread throughout the northern district. Needless to say, the church tried various means but failed to eliminate this branch of the church.

On the one hand, they are indeed highly respected by the lower classes, after all, they are indeed spreading the glory of the Lord to the lower classes, which makes some of the conscientious faction within the church who have not yet been corrupted believe that the other party's behavior is very devout.

On the one hand, the other side's combat power is indeed strong. Without using their open armed forces, most of their underhanded tricks are useless. Instead, the other side has found a handle against them, which further shakes the faith of the parish.

So, under these circumstances, the other side took the initiative to propose a debate on doctrine and scriptures in the cathedral, which was a perfect match. The bishop felt that his people would definitely not lose, until they saw the other side bring in a horse head statue, and the woman at the head of the group was so reeking of demonic fire that she was practically being pickled.

Of course, after Princess Freya heard this news, her advisors said that it could lead to a large-scale bloodshed, so she went to check on it. However, the two sides have been exchanging words for a long time, but there is no indication that they intend to fight.

"When will they start fighting?!" This was the third time the princess had asked this question.

"This... I think it should be soon. What should we do? Call in patrolling guards to separate the two sides, or have the knights drive these blasphemers away?"

"Doing nothing~ By the way, are those newcomers really believers in demons?"

For other professionals, "not knowing" means that even if they can see through illusions, they cannot understand demonic power, just as a person without a nose cannot smell stench. This also applies to those low-level priests and clergy who have not received the "gift".

"Anyway, there's at least one demon in this cathedral." The princess leaned back in her chair. Although she wasn't very bright, she knew perfectly well that the conflict between the two sides was secondary; the core issue was the struggle for interests. Therefore, regardless of whether there was demonic power involved, the final outcome for both sides would be that one side would be labeled as a demon worshipper or a heretic.

"Personally, I don't really care, but what if the demon really wins?"

"That's a big problem. Wait, why do you think it doesn't matter if it's a demon?"

"Can I defeat a demon?" Princess Freya asked, pointing to herself.

"Well, while you have indeed learned swift swordsmanship and basic magic, which is the basic royal education, I think you should be able to defeat a small-scale demon when you are fully armed and have a knight to assist you." This refers to the most superficial level of Hell, the kind of demon that humans are most familiar with, and the kind that Hell Warlocks most often contract with—a demon with horns on its head, bat wings, and a black, bony tail.

Most of the major demons and deep demons are not actually deformed, nor do they resemble the images depicted in religious murals or in people's perceptions. This is quite normal, as deep demons rarely leave Hell, and the most memorable images they leave behind are naturally those shallow demons that are easily bound and controlled.

"So what do you think of my military command abilities?"

"Excuse my bluntness, even if you're angry, but I still have to say that you'd better not have any ideas about military command." After all, the things the princess does in politics and economics might not explode while she's alive, but if she does something military, it could very well cost the empire its fortune in an afternoon.

"Do you think I am a person of strong will? And do I understand the doctrines and know the 108 ways to distinguish the devil?"

"I think you must have a strong will to some extent." After all, a normal person wouldn't carry out the octagon system and derive euphoria from the splattering flesh and entrails.

"Oh, alright then. So, if a great demon infiltrates the capital and successfully defeats the archbishop, even the apostles sent by the western holy city can't handle it, what does that have to do with me?"

"..." The two looked at each other in bewilderment. The advisor had to admit one thing: the princess was right. If the girl was backed by a demon, then even the Holy Light Church couldn't deal with the demon, so she couldn't do anything about it either.

If that girl wasn't a demon, then it means that a large group of demons have been hiding in the Holy Light Church for decades in the capital. Since they've been there for decades without incident, the probability of something happening in the future isn't too high.

"Look, I really don't care about this, so when are they going to start fighting?"

"They're about to fight." As the two were discussing who the devil was, their debate escalated from simple doctrinal arguments to accusing each other of heresy and siding with the devil.

Furthermore, the Horse-Headed Faction actually had evidence: the priests burned by the silver-gray "holy fire" confessed to what they had done, while the church vehemently accused the other side of using demonic power to blaspheme and corrupt the clergy, calling it a temptation from hell.

"So, Lord Clay, is what she said true?"

"Based on the limited information we have, at least a few people are telling the truth."

“Hmm…” Princess Freya had a new idea, so she stood up. “Everyone, stop arguing. I have a better solution to resolve your differences.”

"Oh? What brilliant idea does Princess Freya have?" The archbishop was already stretching his arms and removing the scripture cloth from his scepter, replacing it with some kind of holy oil.

"The power of the Holy Lord should be completely overwhelming, right? To the demons."

"Of course."

"How about this, I happen to run an arena, you know..." Instantly, everyone in the church widened their eyes. What blasphemous and arrogant words! This was a sacred doctrinal dispute, and you were actually going to put this matter in the public eye.

“I think ordinary believers should also see the results, instead of a group of people saying they have won behind closed doors. What if they go out and deny it? It’s better to let everyone see in public who the heretics really are.”

"Good!" The Horse Head Faction cheered loudly when they heard that the people should judge who was truly holy and adhered to the doctrine. In this situation, it would be difficult to force the church to back down, since many people present could not be silenced. These people would then claim that the church dared not fight back and instead resorted to despicable tricks to undermine the doctrinal debate.

Then the entire church's voice will be greatly diminished. After all, you can no longer tell other tribes thousands of miles away, clergy in churches around the world, or those schisms that are not satisfied with their mainstream sect's right to interpret the scriptures that the other party is a group of devil believers, since they haven't seen it anyway.

You can't exactly dismember a corpse and parade it through the streets, can you? That act itself is hard to say whether it's more blasphemous or evil than that of these demon worshippers, since in addition to the support of those tribal churches, the support of ordinary believers is also indispensable.

It's fine if one or two believers waver, but if a large group of people see you parading a bloody corpse through the streets and say it's evidence of the devil... frankly, apart from fanatics, everyone else will start to question it.

“I remember there was a saying in the ancient laws that there was a divine judgment. So under the watchful eye of the Holy Lord, false faith will surely be exposed.” The advisor, seeing the situation deadlocked, quickly came out to help. To be honest, he really didn’t expect Freya to come up with such an idea. From the perspective of royal power, it was indeed a good idea, because no matter who won, the sacredness would be partially diminished.

From the perspective of the Empire's national stability... Your Highness, are you really not afraid of fighting an Imperial religious civil war before Grand Duke Freuso's rebellion ends?

Wait a minute, it seems the largest shareholder of the Empire's largest military factory, Burke, is the princess herself? Suddenly, the advisor felt as if he were seeing a real great demon watching the humans below fight to the death from the stands.

“Very well, since that’s the case, let us let the Lord decide under His watchful eye. Your end is near, heretics!” the girl said righteously.

The archbishop's lips twitched a few times, and he almost grabbed his steel scepter and charged forward. How dare you say such a thing?! Heretic? A guy whose body was engulfed in demonic flames stood inside the sacred cathedral and called the bishop sent by the Holy City a heretic?! If this were the Dark Ages, this guy would have been burned at the stake before he even entered the city!

"Lord Clay, increase the arena ticket prices by 50% for the next few days. Then contact the painting studio we've been working with. I need to see the seal's draft by tonight. Those believers won't mind paying a few more silver coins to see heretics get beaten up and burned at the stake!"

“I need to remind you, Mr. Burke, that the Empire abolished religious burning at the stake a long time ago!”

"However, burning at the stake in the arena is not a religious form of burning at the stake; it is a royal judgment. Although they are not gladiators, they are not nobles either, are they? Moreover, even if they are nobles, if they lose in the arena, they must pay half of their property to redeem themselves according to traditional and ancient rules."

“Besides, if we can’t publicly burn someone at the stake afterward, we can just set them on fire right there in the arena. That’s a kind of public burning too!” The bishop in the distance twitched his ears and raised his eyebrows slightly, as if this was indeed a good idea.

Religious burning at the stake was an important means of maintaining the authority of the church. If these heretics were burned one by one in the arena, it would not provoke the agreement signed between the empire and the papacy, but would also allow believers in the capital to see the heretics burning in the fire, and would also promote the orthodoxy and authority of the church.

"Alright, then let the Lord judge everything!"

"Look, Lord Clay, this matter is perfectly resolved," Freya said smugly. However, her advisors covered their faces. If the Church won, it would be fine; it would just be a small heretical sect being burned at the stake in a fair divine judgment. But what if the Church lost...

They won't give up so easily. You can't really put a horse head statue in the cathedral, can you? That would definitely trigger a religious war in the empire!

Chapter 229 Memorable Scenes

The clear sky was a clear blue, and the slightly dazzling sunlight shone on the slender, pointed buildings piled with snow. Melted snow flowed into the sewer grates along the street through the grooves of the brick streets, and wisps of steam rose from the valves of the street-side steam pipes, causing passersby to pull their clothes and hats tighter and hurry across the street.

The air was filled with the aroma of fresh bread and desserts. The corner cafes pushed tables onto the sidewalk and set up parasols, ready to begin their day's business.

As the most bustling commercial street in the empire, Roach and his companions did not see any obvious garbage or mud on the road. The shops on both sides were decorated with carved wooden-framed windows. Almost anything could be bought on this street, including weapon shops and armor shops. In addition to selling extraordinary equipment, they also sold decorative handicrafts, armor, and weapons.

In the heart of the street, a jewelry store specializing in magical materials and magical jewels occupied the best spot. Its gilded signboard and the dazzling magical gems in its display cases seemed to be turning away customers who weren't wealthy enough.

The emerald-eyed witch stared at the gems for a while before looking away. She and her apprentice hadn't come out to buy these gems and materials, but rather to buy clothes.

Livia didn't have many clothes, just three white dresses. The most gorgeous one was simply a dress with mysterious runes embroidered in gold thread on the hem, and it was indeed a magical piece of equipment. Then there were two sets of ordinary pajamas and underwear. Of course, for a little witch's figure, the underwear was more like a child's size.

Then there's the thick black cloak she's wearing on the outside and the archmage's cloak she acquired earlier. In other words, she severely lacks casual clothes and ordinary attire that reflects her status. However, this wasn't a problem for Roach and Livia from before.

Most of her clothes were enchanted with a "self-cleaning" effect, so having a spare set was usually enough. However, an accident during Potions class destroyed one of her outfits, so she now had to buy new clothes.

Not only did she need clothes, but Roach and the others also needed to buy clothes. They didn't realize it while in the living forest and the cabin, but once they went outside, they felt that clothes and shoes were almost like purely consumable items.

"Clang~" The wind chimes on the wooden door made the shop assistant standing by the counter instinctively look towards the door. A small, fair hand gripped the door and carefully but forcefully pushed it open. Then, a small blonde head peeked in, its emerald eyes scanning the various ready-made clothes and fabrics in the store, revealing a puzzled expression.

In Livia's perception, all these fabrics were ordinary goods, but why were they so expensive? After the little witch, a tall man walked in, wearing a rough gray linen robe. The robe had many burn marks and chemical corrosion marks, and even a tear.

"Buy clothes in a store like this? The prices are outrageous!" Leslie exclaimed dramatically. The prices on those signs made her wonder if she had some kind of misunderstanding about prices.

"Where else can we buy it? In the lower city? Or in the shopping street near the South Gate?" Alessina countered. There were clothing stores in those two places, but they only sold ordinary fabrics and everyday clothes. For Roach and Livia's needs, they could only buy them there.

“You…” The shop assistant looked at the muddy footprints left by Roach’s shoes on the ground. It was obvious that the other party had come on foot, without even a carriage or renting a public carriage. This seemed to indicate that the other party’s financial resources were completely insufficient to spend money here.

"Two alchemical work robes, preferably finished ones." Roach acted like a man buying something, stating his requirements directly without any interest in making unnecessary attempts among these colorful fabrics.

"Ah, yes, we have that. What kind of style do you prefer? We even have enchanters working here..."

"No need for enchanting, but we need fabric suitable for the enchanting substrate." Roach waved his hand, saying that enchanting in this kind of place was not only expensive, but it was also more reliable to have the little witch do it.

“Well…” The shop assistant quickly took out several fabrics and placed them in front of Roach. “These are mageweave cloth, spider silk cloth, and silk. All three are suitable for enchanting. Mageweave cloth is suitable for environments with high magic resistance requirements, spider silk cloth is suitable for enchanting comfort effects, and silk is suitable for all of them, but the effect is not as good as the first two.”

He had received alchemists before; after all, the academy was not far away. These eccentric fellows usually disliked the mannerisms of the nobility and preferred straightforward and simple language and a direct approach to their introductions. If you were to use arias to explain the history of craftsmanship, fabrics, and those metaphorical terms, you would only irritate them.

After all, for most alchemists, going out to buy such things means that something has probably just happened in their laboratory, otherwise their work robes wouldn't be damaged. At such times, they usually don't want to waste time and aren't in a leisurely mood.

"In terms of styles, we have styles commonly used by the academy, as well as official styles of the Alchemy Alliance. If you have personal needs, you can have them custom-made, and we will send someone to deliver them to your door. We will not waste a single moment of your time."

"Let's go with the academy style." Roach really couldn't tell the difference between these styles; they all seemed pretty much the same: thick fabric and soft lining, hooded, with large and small storage pockets on both the outer robe and the inner robe for storing alchemical materials and tools.

Mageweave is a thick fabric similar in texture to canvas, but much softer. It is not only suitable for enchanting and magic resistance, but also has considerable physical defense. Both alchemists and mages like to use this fabric.

The other two types are spider silk cloth and spider silk cloth. Spider silk cloth is made from the silk of a giant snow spider. It is very comfortable and would be preferred by professions that require skill and dexterity, but alchemists are not very enthusiastic about it because it is easily corroded by potions.

As for silk, it's acceptable as a lining or dress material for any profession, especially favored by spellcasters of noble birth. Roach's shopping ended quickly, but Livia was still browsing. The little witch was completely overwhelmed by the variety of beautiful clothes, looking utterly bewildered.

"Um, is this young lady preparing to..."

“Just browsing, but she’s very picky.” Livia reached out and touched the pretty dresses, her little face scrunched up, as if she was troubled about whether these things were wearable or comfortable.

Her clothes were all left behind by her previous teacher, which she then altered herself. Yes, she knows tailoring, using magic to manipulate things. She was responsible for mending Roach's alchemical work robe before; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to piece Roach back together and sew it back together so easily.

"Hmm, this..." In the end, the witch chose a rather simple and thick dress. Apart from the simple decorative patterns on the hem and belt, there were almost no other decorations. This gave her enough room to enchant it.

“But this is too big for you…” The shop assistant glanced at the little witch, then at the dress. The size difference between them was too great; the dress was too big for her.

"If you like this style, we can provide customization services."

"Hmm~" The little witch agreed, she also felt that she needed a durable and dirt-resistant outfit for class. Next came the normal measurements of height, bust, waist, hips, arm length, etc., and Roach and the others learned for the first time that the little witch's figure was actually slightly better than it appeared, well, only slightly better.

"She's only 1.4 or 1.5 meters tall... That's really too short for her age." Alessina drew an unhappy glance from the witch. She was somewhat concerned about her height, for example, not being able to reach the top books on the bookshelves, not being able to reach the top half of the blackboard, and needing to put a wooden box behind the podium, etc.

“Malnutrition, I guess,” Roach shrugged. “After all, it’s no wonder he’s grown tall and strong at this age, eating that kind of soft cake.”

Those magical potions that supposedly fill you up are only good for filling your stomach; their weight-loss effects are astonishing. It's a miracle that Livia didn't die from eating them for so long.

“However, barring a miracle or an accident, she has already passed puberty, so she probably won’t grow much more in the future.” Alessina agreed with Roach’s opinion.

"Smack!" The staff struck the fox girl's head hard, making her chubby little face puff up, seemingly a little angry that these two were discussing her height.

"Imperial Arena—no, the Imperial Council is about to convene a doctrinal arbitration regarding the Church of Radiant Light! An unidentified pilgrimage group from the countryside has challenged the Holy Cathedral of Light, and the two sides will engage in a fierce debate in the Imperial Council's hall!" The newsboy outside the shop window excitedly ran across the street, shouting loudly.

"..." Roach looked at Leslie, the well-informed bard, with a puzzled expression. The latter looked like an old man on the subway with a cell phone. What did he mean by the Imperial Council holding a doctrinal arbitration on the church? Had the Empire completely tamed those unruly religious figures?

Roach also found this hard to understand. On Earth, religious charlatans without any supernatural power wouldn't easily succumb to secularism, but the church in this world could actually summon a tabletop-sized holy light hammer to give you a very effective planarization process.

"Why is the debate being held in the Imperial Council? Doesn't the Church have its own venue?"

“Sir, you are unaware of this.” As a native of the capital, the shop assistant also came to his senses. “The Imperial Parliament does not actually refer to the Senate of Nobles, but rather the parliament established by Princess Freya, which includes the Imperial United Chamber of Commerce and various other institutions. Although its official name is ‘Imperial United Parliament,’ we actually call it the Imperial Arena. The most common meeting held there is to watch one or a few lords face off against one or a large group of indignant workers.”

"In other words, this so-called doctrinal arbitration and so-called debate..." Roach felt that it would be hard to find such a wonderful idea even among the humanoid planets on Earth.