Surviving as a Witch in a World that Hunts Heretics-Chapter 2 : Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Fire Execution
The crowd suddenly fell silent.
So silent, so uniform, like well-trained soldiers, that for a moment Leticia couldn’t react at all, unable to guess what had happened.
Struggling to peer through the gaps in the crowd, Leticia vaguely saw that someone seemed to be standing inside.
Mm, it looked like a man, and an old man at that, so it shouldn’t be the witch.
But it couldn’t be ruled out that “witch” was just a title, and maybe even a man could be one......
Just as these strange thoughts surfaced in Leticia’s mind, that old man inside spoke:
“Fellow people of Innsmouth, I am glad to see all of you here today......”
The old man’s opening words were simple, without fancy rhetoric, without any statement that stirred the blood, but his voice seemed to carry a certain power that calmed people’s hearts without them realizing it.
He was the priest of this insignificant little village, his name was Jemray Marshall. Thirty years ago, Priest Marshall had come to this dilapidated place, and since then, he had never left.
He had taken root here, preached here, and offered the villagers faith and spiritual comfort. With patience and kindness, he had broken through the villagers’ defenses and become one of them.
In Leticia’s limited understanding, Priest Marshall was a good man of the village. He always spoke gently with children, and sometimes shared food specially reserved for the chapel, such as fresh apples or a small slice of pure wheat bread.
When Uncle John fell ill, Priest Marshall had also shown concern and even given Leticia some medicine.
That medicine, in this barren village, was extremely precious.
But today, Leticia realized that it seemed she had never truly known Jemray Marshall at all.
“I won’t say much unnecessary. Surely, all of you present have heard of witches, yes?”
Unable to see Priest Marshall’s face, she could only hear his resounding voice. “They are the ravens of the apocalypse, they are the filth of hell, they are corrupt and fallen. They willingly sell everything of themselves to the devil, abandoning the happiness of ascending into the Lord’s divine kingdom after death!”
“They are shameless and commit endless evil. They are vile and without shame. They are the dregs and pollution lurking in this world, the tumors that drag the Lord’s believers into the abyss!”
As his words went on, Priest Marshall’s expression grew fanatical, his voice rising, rasping like a cracked drum mixed with sand. “They are servants of evil, they are slaves of the devil. They have no soul, and the only thing they can hear is the devil’s temptation!”
“They are already walking corpses. A moment’s carelessness, and they will drag you into the abyss of hell. They are the very root of this world’s pain and calamity!”
Leticia felt her head spin. She really wanted to ridicule these words that were riddled with loopholes, but......
On second thought, in a place where witches even existed, what here could still be called scientific?
Besides, her own problems weren’t solved yet.
So, ridicule was best left only in her mind.
Perhaps thinking the atmosphere had been stirred enough, Priest Marshall suddenly shook his robe, raised his hands, and assumed a posture of prayer.
“But our great Lord, He shows mercy on us suffering in sin, and grants us blessings, grants us salvation. He has sent down believers and attendants, granting us power and wisdom, allowing us to cross this sea of tribulation.”
“The Lord granted us the spear’s edge, so we could pierce the devil’s body; the Lord granted us the incantations, so we could remain calm and pure in temptation; the Lord granted us church law, so we could uphold faith in life, step by step returning to His embrace!”
Priest Marshall paused, then from a pocket in his robe, drew out a small silver cross.
“Fellow people of Innsmouth, I believe you know why we have gathered today!”
“Witch!”
“Witch!”
“Witch!”
Like perfect actors, the villagers of Innsmouth, upon hearing his words, immediately shouted, their voices surging like waves, one louder than the last, rushing straight into the sky.
“Yes, witch!”
Nodding heavily, Priest Marshall shouted, “Not long ago, knights of our church captured a slave of the devil. By decision, she will be executed by fire here in Innsmouth, this terrifying aberration!”
Boom!
His words exploded in the crowd like a bomb.
Leticia looked around at the villagers. The expressions on their faces were twisted, frightening. Even Uncle John seemed unfamiliar.
“Leticia!”
“U-uncle?”
Leticia’s little hand was suddenly grasped. Looking up, she saw John’s excited face. “Did you hear? The witch will be burned at the stake!”
But so what?
“Uh, I heard......”
“This truly is an unprecedented event......”
Uncle John said with satisfaction, “I never thought in my lifetime I would witness a devil being executed with my own eyes. This must be God’s favor!”
I really don’t understand what kind of favor this is......
Leticia thought to herself. From her knowledge, public executions were things only done in ancient times, nothing more than acts by rulers or religious authorities to maintain rule, to ensure obedience and faith, essentially no different from intimidation.
But here, why did it feel like these villagers were happily treating it like a festival?
When clearly, it was such a cruel thing......
So Leticia thought. And she never would have imagined that one day far in the future, she herself would walk up to the pyre in chains and stocks, becoming the star performer of the villagers’ festival.
“Leticia, you may not see, but later you must listen carefully!”
Uncle John said, “The more painful and louder the witch’s screams, the more forgiveness and blessings the Lord will grant. Our days ahead will be smoother!”
Heh...... hehehe......
For the first time, Leticia felt she truly understood this world. What kind of logic was this? Was everyone a sadist?!
“Silence.”
As though the time had come, Priest Marshall raised his hand to quiet the villagers, and solemnly said, “Everyone, without further delay, bring out the witch!”
The sudden silence made Leticia uneasy.
And in that silence, the sounds that came out were especially clear and piercing.
Three voices—two men, likely villagers too. From the sound of something dragging against the ground, it could be guessed that the two men had weapons, and they were pushing someone forward.
That “someone” was the witch.
“So that’s what a witch looks like......”
A villager in front of Leticia muttered.
“Yeah, I thought witches would have sharp teeth and black horns, but she looks no different from us!”
“Yeah, yeah......”
The third nodded repeatedly. “I heard witches like the essence of adult men the most. Once she bewitches you, even your soul will be devoured!”
Their discussion was lively, for none of them had ever seen such a scene before, nor the true form of the demon described in scripture.
“Hey, don’t speak so loudly!”
Another joined in, lowering his voice. “Careful that hag hears you. I heard if she looks at you once, she can steal your soul!”
“Too scary......”
“Shit, scared me to death!”
“Let’s stay quiet too......”
The more she listened, the more absurd it became......
Leticia pursed her lips wordlessly. Looking up, she saw her uncle craning his neck like the others, straining to look.
She lowered her head, kicking at a lump of dirt at her feet. Absentmindedly licking her lips, she frowned.
She missed home......
“Witch!”
As though the witch had already been brought to the pyre, Priest Marshall shouted, “You soulless slave, putrid filth! From so far away I can already smell the stench of hell on you!”
“Heh.”
What answered his scolding was only a light, cold laugh—indifferent, scornful, carrying deep exhaustion and pain, as though already tortured and broken.
“Witch! Repent! Even if your soul is sold, as long as you still hold faith in the Lord in your heart, you can be reborn in these flames!”
This made no sense at all......
That was Leticia’s complaint. First they said she had sold herself to the devil, and now they said she could be saved? Just how mighty was this God, to ignore the devil entirely......
“Repent? You actually tell me to repent? Heh, hehehe, hahahahaha!”
The witch’s voice sounded young, soft, but at this moment, it carried a madness. “You stupid things, how would you know what your god really is? Heh, hahahaha......”
“Silence!”
Priest Marshall roared. A sharp sound rang out, cutting the witch’s laughter short.
No need to see—surely it was a physical silencing.
“Facing death and still unrepentant, you even dare to defile the Lord’s believers!”
Priest Marshall proclaimed loudly, “Then let me personally cleanse this sin!”