Chapter 70 70: in the witch hunter's eye

------------------------------ If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. ------------------------------- Nachexen-,7th,2489 IC "So what will happen to my men?" I asked the group of witch hunters watching me closely. "According to the lector of your city, baron, they are under constant observation to determine whether they've been tainted by corruption. If that's the case, they will be executed," replied one of the hunters, staring at me. "May I inquire about them? If they are indeed corrupted, I request that it be swift—that their throats be cut and then their bodies burned," I said, returning the stare to all present. "You have my word, baron... A servant of Sigmar as respected as you wouldn't endanger himself by placing weak-willed men in his guard. Therefore, they must have been in the presence of a great amount of corruption to fall under the illusion of those demons," commented the hunter who seemed the most amicable of the group. "But we need to know exactly what happened," intervened the one furthest away. "What happened is that I had one of my visions from Sigmar... As always, a twin-tailed comet pointed to a place within my lands. I saw purple flames spreading toward Reinsfeld, burning everything in their path. Faced with that horrid vision, I armed a group of available men, though they were terrified by the night in which it occurred. We rode out and encountered those... grotesque things attempting to seduce my soldiers. According to them, they saw them as the most beautiful women in the world. I only saw horrors—beasts attempting to imitate the greatness of humanity in a corrupted form. I did what any good Sigmarite in my position would do: I cut off one of their heads and fought the other until it died. Then I killed every one of those mutants disguised as humans," I recounted, showing zeal before the group who, while interrogating me, had not yet treated me as a suspect. "Did you see anything strange in your men, as if they were participating willingly?" asked the first hunter. "No... none. They were all under the strong spell of the demons, but never participated of their own free will. They came with the intent to kill anything they encountered," I responded firmly. "That matches with a few of the testimonies from those we've interrogated," murmured the more cordial hunter. "Well then... we've been here quite a while. Am I under investigation or may I take my leave?" I asked, already annoyed after several hours of questioning, having endured every cheap trick witch hunters usually resort to. They are not creative, and after my past encounters with them, I already knew most of their traps. "You are not under investigation, baron..." said the leader of the group. I stood up immediately, but he raised his voice: "But—" "But?" I asked, turning to stare at him directly. "It is vital that a witch hunter barracks be established in Reinsfeld. It is possible that more heretical agents are in the area, waiting for the right moment to strike. Given the strategic importance of this city, so close to a rebellious province, it is necessary for faithful servants of Sigmar to safeguard its borders," declared the leader. "I'll take note. Goodbye," I said as I adjusted my garments and began walking toward the exit of the temple under construction. "Baron... that was an order," the witch hunter said without turning around. "An order?... An order from a witch hunter to a noble? A noble who shows no signs of corruption, without the authorization of the Grand Theogonist, and in violation of all laws enacted by Emperor Magnus the Pious to limit your order's power..." I said without turning back, continuing toward the exit. At the threshold, I encountered Reinsfeld's lector. "All well, young baron?" he asked with clear interest. "Bah... these novice witch hunters. They think they have the power to make and unmake at will," I replied. "What did they do?" asked the lector, now visibly tired. "They wanted me to fund the opening of a witch hunter barracks... and presented it as an order," I said, irritated. The lector shook his head, disappointed. "Many forget, in their zeal, that although they answer to the Cult of Sigmar, they cannot coerce nobles into obeying their will. That would go against the feudal contract established by our Holy Emperor Magnus," he replied. "That's exactly what I said... I'm surprised that someone serving the Cult could forget something so basic. I still remember that it was one of the first things I read when I learned to read," I said, placing my hands on my hips. "Yes, something basic... but I suppose they wanted to negotiate on their own," the lector said in a low voice. "Negotiate what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's obvious. Reinsfeld is no longer a small village. It's a full-fledged city. And though the presence of the clergy of Sigmar is strong thanks to the construction of their school, my position, and the arrival of more priests... the Cult wants to formally establish a witch hunter barracks to ensure safety. A frontier city must have their presence. Heretics never stop trying to use the routes from the rebellious province to smuggle cursed objects. What happened here is proof of that," explained the lector. "Ah, I see... so the hunters wanted to be the ones to take credit for convincing me," I muttered. "Clearly. It was an order from the Arch Lector of Reikland. Before, it was just a recommendation, but given what has occurred, it became a necessity. And those hunters wanted to be the ones chosen as leaders of the new branch of the cult here. Being named Witch Hunter Captain of Reinsfeld would be a huge step forward in their careers. That's why they acted alone... even when I told them I would speak with you," the lector concluded, visibly irritated. "Clearly, if it's a request from the Arch Lector of Reikland, it would be unwise to reject his kind consideration... especially given all the help the Cult has provided in the construction of my school. But I would like to place limits on the witch hunters. I don't want butchers," I said, folding my arms. The lector frowned. "Witch hunters are not butchers, young baron. They are servants of Sigmar, just as I am," he replied firmly. "Lector... I remember perfectly what happened that day. A man accused a woman of seducing him with witchcraft. You knew it, my father knew it, we all knew the woman was innocent. The guilty one was him, and he used Sigmar's name in vain. Still, he walked free. And the butcher who came to our village burned an innocent woman because he tortured her until she confessed... then he went to one of our towns and burned a hundred people because he deemed them guilty. Judge, jury, and executioner. We never knew why. We never received any report about what happened," I said, staring him down. "I had to watch someone innocent die because a witch hunter was too zealous for Sigmar, and ignored all the established protocols," I added. "That was a great mistake... and that witch hunter was punished in his time," the lector said gravely. "Yes, of course... too late. But as you well know, I am a faithful servant of the Cult. I will have no problems with witch hunters entering my lands, as long as they behave. But I will not leave it to chance that a witch hunter, like the useless one you have interrogating me, decides to act on his own. So I accept to fund that witch hunter's barracks, but with conditions," I said firmly, not breaking eye contact with the lector. "What would those conditions be?" the lector asked, regaining his understanding expression. "I want regular reports of every investigation they carry out. They are prohibited from making public executions without trial. They must always act alongside the urban guard, no going solo. No home searches without evidence. And, of course, they are forbidden from interrogating members of legal cults without evidence," I listed clearly. "That limits the actions of the witch hunters greatly, baron... what if there's mass heresy?" the lector asked, with some concern. "Obviously, in that hypothetical case, the witch hunters can act with all the powers of their authority. I won't oppose if they act with justice. But it's necessary that, in times of peace, when harsh measures aren't needed, the hunters behave and do not scare the people," I clarified. "In that case, I see that an agreement is possible. When could the construction of the witch hunter barracks in Reinsfeld begin?" the lector asked. "As soon as possible. As I said, if they accept my conditions, the witch hunters are more than welcome to work on my lands. I don't want a repeat of what happened, where innocent people were burned just because a witch hunter thought it was right," I replied. "So it shall be done, young baron. I will make sure the agreement is respected. I will recommend to the theogonist who should be elected as the captain witch hunter of Reinsfeld, to avoid conflicts between both sides," said the lector, nodding. "I'm glad we've reached an agreement. And I apologize, honorable servant of Sigmar, if I've offended you. But the safety of the people the Emperor has entrusted me to protect is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I can't leave it in the hands of someone who, for personal gain, breaks the chain of command as just happened," I said, extending my hand. "I completely understand. I know you are not the type to get upset over nothing. There's always a good reason behind your actions. I'll inform the archlector of this deal, and we will begin building the barracks in an available area of the city," the lector replied, shaking my hand. I withdrew and immediately headed for the castle. I needed to speak with Hieronymus. "Old man, are you here?" I yelled as I climbed the tower stairs. "Yes? What's going on?" I heard Hieronymus's voice from the top of the tower. "Bad news. A large group of witch hunters is in the city, so don't use Chamon," I warned while quickly climbing. "Don't worry, I was testing one of those recipes you left me to practice," the old man replied. I quickly climbed, entering the laboratory, and found Hieronymus working carefully. He was making a mirror following the basic sketches I had left him. It was a process he hadn't fully mastered yet. "You did well, considering you're working with this outdated equipment," I said, observing my reflection in the mirror. "Bah, I made a lot of mistakes in the process. It could have been better... but that'll be for later. I can still improve much more. This was just practice," the mage replied, looking away from the glass. "We could make good money with this... most mirrors are enchanted pieces or polished silver. We could make a good amount of crowns if we mass produce them," I said, surprised by the clarity of the image. "Yes, but the problem now is the witch hunters... and their damn amulets that vibrate with magic. If your laboratory were hidden in the forges, the winds of Chamon could be strong enough to hide us from those fanatics' gaze. If we start working here while they're in town, we'll stick out like a purple thumb among the fingers, even if you can suppress your magic," Hieronymus said seriously. "How about working in the mountains? The dwarves have made considerable progress with the underground part of the new laboratory. Maybe we could go check how it's going and move all the equipment there. That way we could work without worrying about witch hunters. We could use all the magic we want without fear. There are no Sigmar priests or witch hunters in those mines... and the winds drawn by the minerals and dwarven metal would give us the perfect conditions to study," I proposed, approaching the work table. "Yeah... not a bad idea. And that way, I stop climbing these damn stairs. Do you realize it takes me longer to climb them than to perform the experiment?" the old man grumbled. "Then it's settled. Let's pack up. We're leaving. This laboratory has already become too small for what we can achieve in the future," I said, smiling as we began packing the equipment. ------------------------------ If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. -------------------------------