The Witch and the Doll Swear

When the girl was still studying at Yansha City College, there was a period of time when businessmen from the Eastern Kingdom were particularly fond of this small coastal town.

They came from the other side of the sea, a land with three rivers and seven mountains. They continuously sent over the spices, silks, ceramics and fine wines that were abundant there, and sold them at high prices to the nobles who never hesitated to spend on luxury goods. I bought tons and tons of refined salt and returned.

That was the most prosperous season in Yansha City in the past twenty years.

But the merchants brought not only luxury goods, but also relatively cheap goods, which also set off a wave of Eastern fever in Yansha City, and even girls with little social contact were not immune to it.

At that time, she learned some Eastern proverbs from those businessmen.

Like – better than nothing.

The girl always thought that this sentence meant "no matter how boring it is, it is better than doing nothing" - after saying this to her former classmate, she laughed and told the girl that she had made a mistake that meant nothing. The sentence should be a metaphor "something is better than nothing".

But now, maybe, the meaning that the girl always thought could best describe her mood at the moment.

Standing in the crowd who were applauding and shouting "do it again" again and again because of the monster's dexterous performance, Tina was deeply aware of this.

In the aristocratic district of Maixing City, about an hour after lunch, the fountain garden.

Because the goblin showed little interest in circus performances, even Dan didn't try to skip the afternoon trumpet lesson on the pretext of the girl leading the way - well, actually there was still one.

Maybe the little elf was really still at a playful age. When she heard that Tina wanted to go see a circus performance, she righteously expressed to her mother that she had no interest in the performances of beasts trained by humans with whips and sugar. But in order to provide the guests with meticulous service, she hopes to suspend today's class and let her lead the way for Tina.

After hearing her impeccable words, the goblin's mother smiled and stuffed a piece of maple sugar into Dan's mouth, and then pointed to a long wooden box placed on the cupboard wall.

Tina doesn’t know what it is, but it’s probably something similar to a [whip], right? Anyway, after seeing her kind and gentle smile and that thing, Dan shrank his neck like a cat being picked up by the neck and started practicing obediently.

Then, Filoya told Tina that there is a lack of entertainment activities in this city, such as circus performances, minstrel singing... Anyone who is free or can squeeze out free time will definitely not miss it. , so just follow the crowd.

So, after passing through the city wall that separated the aristocratic area and the urban area, Tina came here.

The famous circus was said to have set up many tents in the garden, which was as large as Maixing City Square. There were different animals performing in each tent. Tina looked over one by one and discovered that the circus There are really many monsters, brown bears, lions, wolves, sheep, squirrels, cows...

However, she has long passed the age of being excited by circus performances.

No matter how wonderful their performances are, they are just trained beasts performing according to human wishes. For the girl, especially Tina, who has witnessed such a mythical scene, it is a bit boring.

But for the citizens, this made them extremely excited.

"Okay! One more! Let that big guy jump over, oh my God, can it jump so far? Old Hoover, I'm sure it can bite your neck off in one jump!"

"I can bite yours off too! Look, that cow is so powerful and strong. I bet it can plow forty acres of land in a day."

"I bet it can cultivate fifty acres! Come on, knock that young man waving the red cloth away!"

In addition to the bullfighting that men like, there are also performances for women and children in the Lion's Dancing Circus.

In a tent, a dozen bleating sheep were being docilely sheared by a group of women and children. It is said that this is a reserved activity of the circus and is particularly popular.

"Mom, mom, these sheep are so well-behaved, so fluffy, so cute!"

"Come on, Teni, the circus people said that if we help shear the wool, the wool can be sold to us for one or two copper coins. Although it's not much, we can also make you a pair of wool socks. Be careful. Come on, don’t hurt these little darlings.”

"Thank you to the kind nobles for always being so kind to us. Look, the children are having so much fun."

There are also other tents where smaller children play with squirrels, rabbits and cats.

However, the most exciting thing is the stage in the center.

It was the only place not covered by a tent. A pyramid-like stage was set up with stone slabs. At the top, a stone bowl filled with some honey was fixed on top. Five heads had their teeth pulled out and their claws were thickly covered. The bear wrapped in a cloth glove is shaking its big butt and climbing up in order to lick the sweet honey.

Since the area becomes smaller as they go up, they have to compete and fight with other similar species on the way up, and engage in bloodless fights.

"It's the seventh opening. It's the opening. The black and white earth bear odds are 1 to 3, the brown bear odds are 1 to 5, the black blind man is 1 to 1.5, the red maple bear odds are 1 to 2, and the long mane bear is odds The rate is also 1 to 2. After ten minutes of rest and treatment, which bear will be able to enjoy that little bit of delicious honey this time? The market is open—only bets of up to 10 copper coins are accepted!"

Gambling, or betting on bears?

In short, because the amount of money is not large, there is no need to worry about losing your fortune. There are a lot of participants here. Even Ting Na spent ten copper coins betting on the famous black and white earth bear king after watching for a while. result……

"The name is so powerful, but he is actually a slow guy..."

That bear is very powerful, yes, one punch can knock all the other bears down for a while before recovering, but it walked too slowly, so it was attacked by a crowd, grunting from Only one step away from the stone bowl, it rolled down.

Then in the next game, it knocked down all the opponents in a leisurely manner, and slowly climbed to the top to lick honey—but this time Ting Na didn't place any more bets.

"Indeed, it's a very good circus..."

Shaking her head, amidst the din of cheers and cursing, Tina shook her head, turned and walked out of the garden.

As she knew herself, she was no longer excited and novel by such activities. No matter how creative, a circus is still a circus, and when the initial novelty wears off, she quickly becomes dull.

In contrast, it was this aristocratic area that Dan said was usually difficult to enter, which attracted the girl even more.

Not so long ago, the girl thought so——

And now.

Focused by everyone's horrified eyes, the rancid smell of the sewer, and most importantly, the sharp knife against her neck, made her almost want to go back to an hour ago in tears, dragging the pair of circus For a girl who is bored, tell her that no matter how boring you are, it's fine if you don't get excited.

——At least, it won't endanger your own life!

………………………………………………………………………………

Go back in time to an hour ago.

After leaving the fountain garden, we didn't go far, and the hustle and bustle gradually disappeared.

Maybe it's the magic of sound insulation on the street?

No matter where they are, nobles always live decently and richly, as if only this theorem is applicable to all continents.

Even though most of the flowers have withered due to the autumn wind, there are still evergreen grass leaves swaying in the wind in the flowerbeds that can be seen everywhere.

The tall and straight pines and cypresses stand on both sides of the road like loyal guards. They are not high, but they complement the houses on both sides.

The clear spring water flowing in the shallow canal of Baishi has no trace of filth, and even the middle of the road and the manhole cover of the sewer have delicate reliefs.

It is completely different from those in Yansha City, where many nobles built mansions to live in, and the public construction is no different from other urban areas. These are obviously carefully designed and spent a lot of money and time to build and maintain.

Not to mention those mansions that are obviously expensive at first glance.

Although Tingna couldn't tell the architectural style of these mansions, nor could she recognize what kind of art genre the reliefs on the manhole covers belonged to, but everything she saw revealed a certain sense of luxury.

"Miss Liliana and Alice, are they under one of the buildings..."

It is simply another city within a city—no, compared to this, Maixing City outside can only be said to be a large countryside at best.

At the end of the street surrounded by fresh and tender tall grass, looking around, Tingna felt overwhelmed by the difference between here and Yansha City.

"Oh? Excuse me, who is the guest?"

She was drawn to the flower garden in the middle of the street by a slightly surprised voice.

It's a bit too small to call it a garden, but even so it's big enough to fit a round table and four benches inside. It's made of stone bricks in different shades of red and sits where the road meets the road.

Among the flowers that shouldn't be in full bloom in autumn, several girls are looking at her with curious eyes.

"Eh? Ah, um, um, good afternoon, beautiful ladies, are you enjoying afternoon tea?" They were not very old, about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing slightly waisted western clothes, with Big sun hats, each with a maid behind them, all with long golden hair and emerald-colored pupils.

That is the most prominent symbol of the [Collen Diller] race.

Stared at by four pairs of emerald-like eyes, Tina was a little embarrassed, but when she was in Salt Sand City, she was thoroughly trained by Elif who often took her to meet various nobles. .

Therefore, even though something happened suddenly, Tingna still reacted in time, took a wrong step with her left foot, touched her chest with her right hand, and bowed slightly to these noble girls.

"Ah, you really aren't an aristocrat in this city. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed [Romans] are rare in Maixing City. With this way of greeting and that suit, farmers in the city don't know these things."

The girl who greeted her at the beginning turned her head and smiled as if showing off to her companions, not caring about her friends complaining "isn't this a matter of course", and continued.

"This noble lady who doesn't know where I come from, I am Maria from the Megasa family, they are my friends, Feng Li from the Krulu family, Ye Xi from the Ente family, and Endoron Akane from home, I wonder if we have the honor to invite you to have afternoon tea together?"

After introducing her friends one by one, the girl in a pale pink dress and a sun hat with a big silk flower extended an invitation to Tina.

"That... Ladies and gentlemen, you have misunderstood."

Seeing their high spirits, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"I'm Tina von Sia, I'm from Salt Sand City, I'm just a commoner, not a nobleman, and I'm just traveling in Maixing City..."

She quickly reported her name and identity, but before she could finish speaking, the girls exploded.

"'Feng'? In Miss Tingna's name, there is the honorific title of 'Feng'! Isn't that a glorious surname that can only be bestowed on those who have made great contributions?"

"And Miss Tina said that she is not a knight, that is to say, she didn't get this surname through military exploits, and she doesn't look like a knight, and 'Sia'? Where is this honorable surname?"

"It's a glorious surname in the southern coastal areas. Not only nobles, but also civilians. But as we all know, it's not something ordinary people can get, no matter how much money they have."

Except for a girl with black gloves whose eyes turned cold when she heard Tingna say that she was a commoner, the other three girls muttered a lot, and their eyes showed more expectation.

"Miss Von Sia."

Even the way they are called has changed.

The girl from an aristocratic family that Tina had never heard of stood up from the marble bench, slightly raised the hem of her skirt with one hand, stretched out the other hand to Tina, and once again solemnly extended the invitation.

"We hereby solemnly invite you to participate in our tea party. We have never left this city, so we are very curious about your story, and want to know your hometown and your journey, if you read correctly , you should come from the direction of the fountain garden, you are tired of juggling in the circus and want to relax, then the black tea from Indiana may satisfy you."

Tina has never seen such etiquette in Yansha City. Ai Lifu told her that the etiquette of nobles is very troublesome. When it comes to an invitation that you don't know how to deal with, the best choice is to say something without losing face——

"Thank you for your invitation, then I will be rude."

Sighing secretly from the bottom of her heart, Ting Na walked towards the bench.

Except for the girl who lacked interest but did not object, the eyes of the other three lit up.

Although he said he would leave the city tomorrow, it would be too bad if he accidentally offended the nobles on his first trip.

More importantly, this might cause trouble for Miss Liliana...

I hope my story can attract these noble ladies...

However, after a few minutes, Tina realized that her worries were unnecessary.

The girls, whose names she hadn't had time to get all of them down, took great interest in everything she had to say.

The city named Salt Sands, the silver-like sandy beaches, including towering volcanoes, the blue sky and the crimson woods.

The festival of seagulls, the passing merchant ships, the grand salt market, and of course the majestic castle of Miss Witch.

They are like chicks in a cage, full of curiosity about the blue sky outside the window. Everything in Tingna’s mouth seems to have a fascinating magic power. Those expressions that are sometimes surprised, sometimes curious, and sometimes excited make Tingna, the narrator Feeling extraordinarily satisfied.

Even the girl who drank black tea by herself and didn't feel too cold to Tina put down her teacup and listened attentively.

"I want to apologize to you, Miss Tina, you are completely different from those idiots in Meixing City."

It wasn't until Tina's narration came to an end that she suddenly said the words of apology.

"Eh?"

This apology caught Tina unexpectedly. She looked at the girl with some doubts, not knowing why she said that suddenly.

"Since she was injured by a group of peasants when she was younger, she felt a little disgusted with the common people. When she heard Miss Tingna say that she was a commoner, she immediately calmed down."

Maria helps her partner explain to Tina.

"But Miss Tingna, you are completely different from them. Whether it is etiquette or conversation, I don't know how it is based on the benchmark of your hometown, but in this city, you are completely worthy of your glorious surname."

"No, I'm not that good either..."

Being praised endlessly by them, Ting Na lowered her head a little embarrassed, and expressed deep gratitude to the former noble lady who was far away on the seashore from the bottom of her heart.

"I really hope that one day I can travel around like Miss Tina... However, this is probably impossible. It's better to hope that those idiots living in the city can be smarter."

"No, that's impossible. Even if one day the chickens they raise can lay golden eggs, they will still be what they are. However, even if they can't travel, reading books seems to be very good. Maybe I want Take the time to look at the books in the library at home..."

The girls' conversation was still going on, and Tingna, who was drinking tea, blinked and heard a topic of concern.

"Speaking of which, the citizens of Maixing City all seem to be muddling along."

"Ah, did Miss Tingna notice it? I'm really ashamed."

Maria also put down the teacup, looked in the direction of the fountain garden, and sighed long.

"Well, I felt a little bit when I didn't come to the noble district before. It's completely different from my hometown...that, although food and clothing seem to be no problem..."

"But all they want is food and clothing without problems."

When it comes to those citizens, Qian is not stingy with ridicule and contempt.

"A young scholar named Wellis once passed by this city. I was also present at the banquet hosted by the Association of Magicians. Although I was not yet ten years old at the time, I remember clearly what he said."

The girl crossed her hands, and looked in the direction of the fountain garden like Maria,

When the young and learned scholar was resting outside the city, he met a shepherd boy. He thought it was strange, because in other cities he had been to, such a young child should be studying in a college, so he asked the shepherd boy Shepherd boy, why should you herd sheep instead of reading.

The shepherd boy replied that his parents asked him to herd sheep to make money.

Make money, then what?

——You can eat enough, wear warm clothes, grow taller, and have women who are willing to marry him as a wife in the future.

What about after marrying a wife?

- Can have many children.

What do you want them to do after they have children?

—— Herding sheep to make money.

"This is really..."

Tina frowned.

This kind of logic sounds absolutely absurd, but apart from the fact that the highest goal in life is to have enough food, clothing, a wife and children, it is subtly self-consistent.

"It's ridiculous, but according to him, he surveyed some other people later and got the same answer."

Maria shook her head lightly.

"He feels that the city will not progress and develop if it continues like this. He hopes to open a compulsory academy, starting from literacy, and change them. Of course, the Magician Association supports it. The higher the average level of knowledge, the easier it is for magicians to be born. We nobles also support it, because compared with farmers, herdsmen, and small merchants, it is obvious that more smart people can make the city more prosperous."

Then, the young and talented scholar got money, a venue, and even several magicians who were willing to serve as teachers of different subjects, and the compulsory academy was established in the city.

The initial time really paid off, and some young people and children who came here just out of curiosity were not satisfied with staying in such a city after learning.

Due to the lack of teachers, the compulsory college can only teach the second year of regular colleges, so after discussing with them, Willis sent them to formal colleges in other cities at his own expense.

However, what is unexpected is that such behavior has caused resistance among the citizens.

— you'll never understand what's going on in these guys' heads.

Maria spread her hands. At this time, the other two girls also interrupted.

"My brother is the person in charge of some farms and ranches, and he told me the same. Basically, in Maixing City, whether it is a farm or a ranch, it is more pay for more work, and over the years, the area of ​​farms and ranches has been increasing. If they grow bigger, they almost don’t have to worry about no one wanting them, and one less person in the family means less income, even if the less income may not be much, they are not willing to let go.”

"Also, Dad said, those short-sighted guys think it's a fool's thing to go to college and pay tuition fees. Especially when those few Mr. Willis paid some of the smarter students at their own expense. After being sent to other cities, they almost rioted."

People here admire labor and are used to not leaving the city from birth to death and regard it as an ancient tradition.

Originally, they called those guys who didn't work and listened to these scholars' spiritual realm, aesthetics, literature, and functions all day long as idle lazy people, and looked down on these people who didn't work and had to work with their families to support them.

As several people left Maixing City, these hardworking workers exploded.

They went to the academy to beg for their children, husbands, and mothers, declaring that they thought these scholars would "smuggle" their husbands and children. No matter how the scholar clarified it, it was useless. In the end, the nobles and the Association of Magicians intervened This matter, and the result.

The citizens yelled at their families one after another, strictly forbidding them to take a step closer there.

Gradually, no one went to the compulsory college, and gradually it became impossible to continue.

What a ridiculous and ridiculous story.

But Tina couldn't laugh.

A maid next to her refilled a cup of steaming black tea for her. Holding the teacup, she felt like she wanted to say a lot, but she couldn't.

The girl just felt from the bottom of her heart that the scholar named Willis might be very pitiful, and it might be very appropriate to describe it as being betrayed by the person she wanted to help.

"Okay, okay, don't let Miss Tingna listen to boring things, and no matter how stupid these guys are, they are still our citizens, and we have the responsibility to let them live well. As for whether they have dreams, That's not something we can control. Miss Tina, would you like to share with us the story of that witch lady?"

Finally, after clapping their hands, Maria interrupted her partner and changed the topic to another direction.

With the passage of time, Saigon's sun has also begun to gradually set to the west, and the bright sun is still shining on the city through the clouds, and even the girl's impression of this place has also become brighter.

Although the tea in the teapot has been changed for the third time, the girls still didn’t want to stop. They sat on the bench and listened intently to Tina’s story about things they had never seen before, and Tina gradually let go of her restraint. , narrating with devotion.

so.

No one noticed that not far from this small flowerbed, the sewer manhole cover with delicate reliefs was pushed away.

No, thinking about it now, it's not that no one has discovered it.

Tingna remembered that she had a very happy chat with the girls, but the maids of these noble ladies did not participate in it. They stood quietly behind their masters, waiting for orders.

It was one of the maids who first noticed a "person" appearing on the road.

Maybe she didn't realize what it was at first, maybe she just screamed subconsciously, but in any case, her scream caught the attention of the girls, and then, the first one who followed her line of sight to look behind Tina found out.

Under the light of the Saigon sun, staggering on the stone pavement.

— undead.

The clearest memory ends here.

After that, what happened?

There was still a dull pain in her lower abdomen, as if someone had grabbed her waist and neck, and Ting Na couldn't move at all. This was the first thing she felt after waking up.

"It's useless, you have nowhere to escape. The hostage can indeed restrain us, but the comatose hostage is just a burden."

She didn't know when she returned to Fountain Garden, on the high platform where several bears were fighting for honey.

A lot of people surrounded here, as if they were citizens who came to see the circus. Although they were surrounded, they didn't get close. They were in a field with a diameter of nearly ten meters, centered on themselves and the masked man.

There were only five people wearing suits or magic robes, or holding staffs or swords.

Apparently, they were nobles and magicians.

The girl confirmed this from her narrowed vision.

She didn't know what was going on, but it seemed bad.

And since I woke up, this situation has been stalemate.

"Of course, if you kill her, our magic will also descend on you. Even if a nobleman is buried with you, your fate will not change. Maybe it will only make you experience more pain before you die. "Shut up, all of you! I really killed her!"

This dialogue has been deadlocked.

Thanks to these conversations, Tina already knew that she was a hostage.

But why? The words of these magicians did not seem to be saving themselves at all.

Even if the man with the knife on his neck, who could cut his throat at any time, roared like a raging beast to kill him, the young man standing in front of all the magicians remained calm.

On the contrary, the man who was holding him hostage was enraged by their mockery, and he didn't seem to realize that the girl had actually woken up, so he just squinted his eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

"As I said, even if you kill this lady, your ending will not change in any way. From the moment you become a cultist and your body is covered with the stench of sewers, the difference is only the moment you kill her. You will die too."

"I said shut up! You damn nobles, I'm not a cultist!"

He even sneered a few times, mocking the man, making his anger even more intense.

However, every word he said hinted at the importance of this man himself as a hostage. Let's just think... this is protecting himself, right?

Because after repeating these words several times, Ting Na felt the cold sharp knife on her neck gradually move away.

The girl wasn't sure if there was any point in pretending to be dead now, and likewise, she couldn't expect the situation to improve when she opened her eyes, so she could only continue to recall what happened after she saw the undead she didn't want to see at all.

——It’s a zombie! run away!

It seems that after I saw the undead who was not as disgusting as I imagined, I immediately stood up and took out the only weapon I was good at from the space storage ring - a dagger.

And after hearing my yelling, and seeing the monster who was staggering towards him, his whole body was black, his muscles and skin were shrunk into a ball, and his eyes were shining with ice blue light, those who were pale with fright The noble lady just screamed as if she didn't hear it, and Maria even rolled her eyes and passed out.

Fortunately, the adult maids came to their senses. They supported or directly hugged their eldest lady, and ran away without looking back.

Of course, before fleeing in a hurry, they did not forget the etiquette of being noble maids, and thanked me one after another...

However, she didn't hear it very clearly. Now Tingna is still wondering why she didn't follow and stayed to fight, but as the intermittent fragments gradually connected into a complete memory, she recalled what the teacher said in the martial arts class The main points of the low-level undead are fast and powerful, but their movements are slow, and their bodies, especially their joints, are very fragile. If they cannot be completely wiped out without magic, they should find opportunities to cut off their limbs——

Ahh, if no one stopped them, they might all have been killed before they separated and escaped.

Because she already knew from the conversation that neither Maria nor Akane, the other two girls and the maids had any fighting power at all.

Moreover, what I learned in school is that low-level, unintelligent zombies are monsters that even ordinary peasants can destroy as long as they have the courage. I have passed the martial arts class in the academy, so I am better than peasants, right? , defeating it shouldn't be a problem——

Because I thought of these two points, I stayed here.

And the result...

"..."

At the end of the vague memory, he rushed towards the undead.

However, since now I am not trembling on the side of the road feeling emotional because I killed an undead, but I do not know why I have become a hostage in the hands of the manipulators of those undead, it shows that knowing and doing are really different. of.

Memories come to an end.

"Okay ok Mr. Int, let's try to hear what this poor cultist wants, it doesn't look like he's really crazy, just a little too stupid to realize It's just your situation."

And the contempt and ridicule from the magicians continued. This time it was a girl in a mage's robe, who pulled her long golden hair and said so.

"That's right, Mr. Inte, although I don't know why this idiot uses such a meaningless method, but since he doesn't kill people at sight, it means that he still has a slightly higher IQ than the Pigbeast."

"Just listen to the speech of this cultist."

The other nobles also responded.

These unabashed expressions of treating this man as an idiot made him tremble with anger, but.

"I ask you nobles to build a library, and then force everyone to study!"

He still shouted in a trembling voice, standing at the highest point of the fountain garden, loudly, towards everyone here.

"You must free everyone from ignorance! Otherwise, this city will have no future!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

...Ah, speaking of which, where is Liliana?

On a warm autumn day, for some reason, Ting Na felt a bit of speechless coolness.

Probably it was true that no matter what, the cultist had never thought of making such a request, and the nobles were stunned.

Even the crowd watching the excitement around them was speechless.

It's like Miss Witch pressed the pocket watch of dead time until.

The young man called Mr. Inte, who sounded familiar, covered his mouth with one hand and suppressed a smile.

"……puff."

However, he couldn't hold back in the end.

"Puff haha, what, what kind of request is this?"

"Haha, my ancestors, this is really, really funny—"

When the uncontrollable sneer sounded in the silent air, the other nobles around him couldn't help laughing too.

When Tingna felt that the man was breathing faster and faster, and the arm that was strangling her was getting stronger and stronger, like a volcano that was about to erupt and reached a critical point.

"Oh my god, I never thought that there would be cultists who care so much about the city and its citizens."

The young man named Ying just pressed his palms just right, and stopped his unscrupulous smile.

But... I don't know if it's an illusion.

It seemed to Tina that his tone had changed from talking to a human to talking to a piggy.

"I'm not a cultist!!"

With such a dark and contemptuous attitude, Ting Na didn't know if the man could hear it, but he was indeed furious. He shouted and pointed the knife in his hand at the chuckling nobles in disdain.

"I'm Fraser! A student of Mr. Willis! Because you are a victim of nobles occupying books and knowledge!"

"Establishing a library, compulsory education, what an idea, if you change the channel, maybe... eh? Are you... Fraser?"

The townspeople rioted.

Apparently they knew the name.

Inte's expression turned serious.

Then, it turned into a playful smile.

"Are you a student of Mr. Willis, who was sent to the college in the neighboring city, and was driven back in despair after failing several courses?"

"..."

A guttural voice sounded from under the mask.

"Then, from what you said, it seems that you think it's the fault of us nobles?"

"Difficult, isn't it?! After I went to the college to take classes, I discovered that the knowledge taught by Mr. Willis is not enough at all! More knowledge needs self-study, otherwise I can't catch up with the college courses! But those knowledge Isn't this place completely monopolized by your nobles?!"

Facing the nobleman's questioning, the man roared angrily.

"There is no library, no books, those precious knowledge are hidden by your nobles, right?! If you are willing to make those books public and open to everyone—"

"Open to everyone, then what?"

Inte looked at him calmly.

The weight of his words is completely incomparable. Just such a concise sentence from him blocked all the words of the man.

"Let's not say that it is the private property that our nobles spent money and time to collect. Furthermore, the nobles have the responsibility to protect the citizens, to let you have enough food and clothing, and live a peaceful and stable life."

He turned around and spoke to everyone.

"But it is your own freedom to choose stupidity or wisdom."

The uproar of the crowd died down.

You say compulsory education, so who will support them?

Who will plow?

Who will breed it?

Everyone knows that you can make a lot of money when you come out of the academy, and you can go anywhere-but why are you and a few people going to the academy in the end, so that Mr. Willis's academy can't even survive?

And none of you graduated, and you were driven back in despair?

Isn't there a library in the college? Could it be that the teachers in the college are not as good as Mr. Willis? "

One question after another, not loud, but aggressive, not so much questioning the man named Fraser, it's better to say...

It is also questioning the city.

And none of the men answered.

No.

Tina felt the trembling of the arms that strangled her body, and thought so.

—He couldn’t answer it.

In such silence,

"You think that we nobles monopolize the books, so that people in this city cannot receive new knowledge and ideas, and you think that we let people be satisfied with the present and do not think about making progress... I see, that's why I want to build a large-scale undead army , Unite the citizens to challenge us, even if there is no circus performance today, you will jump out sooner or later."

The girl nodded thoughtfully.

"Speaking of which, you probably don't know that no matter who pays five copper coins a day, they can go in and read the library of the Wizards Association for a whole day. Don’t you have any gold coins? How did the bookstore jointly opened by our Menlett family and other chambers of commerce close down? Don’t tell me you don’t know. When my father told Mr. Willis about this, all his students were there. of."

Another nobleman took a step forward.

"the most important is."

Intel took out a water cup from the space storage ring somewhere, he moistened his throat, and then took a step forward with his companions.

"When did you have the illusion that if you make such a gesture, we will back down and the citizens will understand and respect you?"

He shook his head slightly.

"do not come!"

"I don't know how you learned undead magic."

"Shut up!!"

"But have you forgotten? You created those undead in an attempt to negotiate with us as a trump card, but you failed. Your undead ran into the streets and killed the person you wanted to help."

"You damn nobles, don't slander me, shut up!!!"

No longer questioning, the noble youth's shouts were sharp and hasty, like sharp arrows one after another.

But at this time, because the man's excited movement made her body shake violently, Ting Na saw it.

Just behind this man, stood an undead.

His whole body was black, his muscles and skin were shriveled into balls, and his eyes were shining with an ice blue light.

There was also a shriveled scar on the knee through which pale bones could be seen.

It was not as disgusting as Tingna imagined, but the rotten smell still attracted flies that had not been completely swept away by the autumn wind.

"..."

The undead was standing there, holding a rusty sword in his hand, standing where everyone could see.

And Yingte, and other nobles, stopped on the stone steps, their eyes were full of contempt and pity.

"Do you think anyone will support you now? Look around you, look in their eyes!"

And disdain.

"Shut up!!!"

Fraser growled.

Tina felt like an unloved rag doll being thrown around. She desperately kept the slits of the eyes at a narrow width, which was enough, completely enough.

Enough for her to see around, the eyes of the townspeople.

The people in this fountain garden should not have nobles, but it has nothing to do with whether they are nobles or not. Who would like undead?

The men looked at it with eyes mixed with hatred and fear, and the women held the children in their arms and covered their eyes, for fear that their children would be taken away when they saw this terrifying thing.

Tina remembered the news in the newspaper.

The undead crawled out of the sewers and caused the deaths of more than a dozen people.

Including several children who couldn't run fast because they were young.

——Ah, that's why their eyes are like this.

Such anger, such fear, such... hatred.

The girl could see it, and she believed that the man had also seen it from under the mask. She didn't know what kind of plan this man had, but what she could know from these conversations was that.

"It was just an accident! If it wasn't for the damned old Jero who alarmed them, they should only be used to kill you damned nobles!"——he had already failed.

The man pressed the dagger to Tina's neck again, and he kept shouting, explaining to the people around him.

But no one responded.

Although people are not silent.

She heard the surrounding citizens talking one after another, they did not dare to cover the voices of the nobles, but even so Tina could hear some vulgar curses.

She can hear it.

Fraser could hear it too.

"Have you finally revealed your real purpose? Accident, um, probably, but your crime of killing them will not be eliminated. After reading your diary, I can even guess your purpose. You want to eliminate What you think, the nobles who hinder the progress of the city, let everyone get knowledge and precious wisdom, so that the citizens will understand that such a muddle-headed life has no future."

The magicians stood there.

No, they are magicians, but now they are approaching step by step as nobles.

Following the young man, the girl who was holding the staff from the beginning to the end spoke calmly.

"You even wrote in your diary, 'I'll be a hero, I'll do anything for a great cause, for Mrs Willis' wish.' Too bad there's even two spellings in that sentence Wrong. Now there is only the last one of your undead left? We are only apprentices of the magician, but Miss Einstein is a powerful official magician, and there is no one left of your undead hidden in the ground. Annihilated."

--Eh?

Ting Na didn't care about pretending to be asleep, because of the name that the noble girl said, she opened her eyes

The girl didn't know if this man really had such a purpose as they said.

I don't even know what happened between them and him.

——Is Miss Liliana here?

However, she heard Miss Witch's name.

The girl didn't even care about getting the man's attention, and turned her head to look for it.

"Damn it, be quiet!"

And the man just increased the strength on his arm and brought the blade closer.

His attention had long been on Tina.

at this time.

—she felt her hand being held.

"You just smeared that noble scholar's face, that's all, you think you are people's savior?"

The scolding from the nobles continued to fall.

Of course, the expression under the mask cannot be seen, but it probably won't look good.

"Shut up..."

No.

"From the moment you showed up and held a little civilian girl hostage for time, and grabbed this lady from a ghost, you were just a criminal who should be hanged, oh, what a pity, if Mr. Willis If it is still there, maybe it will sigh with regret."

Not even probably, there is absolutely no doubt about it.

"You're just a murderer."

The youth of the nobility fell to his final sentence.

"You bloody bastard! Give my son back!!!"

Who shouted it out in the crowd?

"Murderer, you damn necromancer!"

And who lit the fire of righteous indignation?

"Go to hell! Be crucified and be burned alive!"

"Even God won't forgive you!!"

this moment.

The enemies that this undead man will face.

became everyone they are now.

their roar.

their hatred.

All, pouring down like raging waves. Humans are easily instigated creatures. Sometimes, all it takes is a light snowflake to bring about a collapse that destroys everything.

What about a cluster of fires that ignite hatred?

"Shut up all you idiots——!!!!!!!!!"

Fraser's body glowed with magical light, and the gloomy dark green color waved forward along the dagger in his hand, towards the nobles who were walking towards him.

This was the biggest movement he had ever made. At this moment, Tina opened her eyes and saw it.

Those nobles had playful smiles on their faces.

The dark green arrow hit the suddenly erected light wall and disappeared, while the man maintained his movement of swinging the dagger without moving.

"Huh, it seems to be a success."

At the same time, another young man in a suit suddenly came out from behind him.

"Hey, hey, even though he is an idiot and a third-rate necromancer, his vigilance is pretty good. He didn't completely lose his vigilance until just now."

"No, it's already done well. We only used this method to ensure the safety of this lady. Mr. Tite, you did a great job. How long will the effect of [Paralyzing Touch] last? "

"Five or six minutes, this was originally a prank magic, time is running out, we'd better get him under control as soon as possible... Tsk, it stinks, what is going on with this guy..."

The nobles surrounded the immobile man, chattering and using one spell after another on him.

Ting Na, who was rescued from the man's arm by them, looked at them blankly, and then looked at the empty hand.

"...That is to say...you keep provoking him and making this man angry because of..."

The girl was dumbfounded.

"help me?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry to scare you."

The busy nobles heard the girl's question and answered in unison.

As if it was a matter of course.

"...Wait a minute! Haven't you thought about what he would do if he became angry and wiped my neck with a knife?!"

"We found his residence in the sewer and saw his diary, this idiot, but he considers himself a hero of justice, and he has studied with that scholar for a period of time, and has a certain degree of communication literacy, since he If you have a request, you need to make yourself a hero on the side of the citizens, then you must not kill people in front of so many people, it was like this when you held that little girl hostage, and then from that undead—”

Inte—the young man who had Tinna finally remembered where he had heard the name pointed to the undead who had fallen directly, and explained to Tinna.

"——It was the same when I captured you from the hands of the undead. You are not a nobleman from Maixing City, I guess he wanted to capture a local nobleman as a hostage instead of the commoner girl he captured at the beginning. Standing position, but, that mindless undead captured you, miss... what a disaster."

"That's right, it's a disaster...but...you, on this basis..."

Tina's voice gradually became colder.

The highest criterion of a girl's life is safety first, and the most important thing is life.

For those who put her life in danger, even if they saved her in the end, Tina was somewhat angry.

"It is impossible for us to compromise with a dangerous criminal anyway, please understand."

——Thinking the safety of your own life on the dreams and hopes of a man who brought out the undead?

And in the end it was just not salty, please forgive me?

"Of course we also have protective measures. Our companions have been maintaining a magic shield on you that will not be discovered. You can see that neither of them spoke, that's why."

Seeing that the girl was about to get angry, the noble girl holding the staff hurriedly explained to her. The two young men who had not spoken also nodded and raised their staffs, but they did not hear their chanting. The magic shield shrouded Tina's body.

"And, besides us, there is also a genuine Ms. Magician who is always protecting your safety... Speaking of which, Ms. Einsteins, how is it? Our performance."

The expressions of the magicians suddenly became tense.

——Sure enough, they are the mages who went to carry out the commission with Liliana and Alice...

Tingna looked at her side with a complicated expression, from there.

"...Using the least magic to achieve the best results, your performance is quite excellent."

"In other words, you are qualified."

The evaluation of the Witch and the Doll came out.

Hearing this voice, the expressions of the nobles all relaxed. They sighed a long time and bowed slightly towards the girl.

"Then, we will escort this man back to the association. Whether he is a cult member or not, and where he learned the undead magic, all of this needs to be verified by us. The next step is the work of the Maixing City Magicians Association, Ein Miss Steins, thank you for your teaching, and thank you again for your assistance to this city."

"Thank you for your teaching!"

Just like the elegance of the nobles, and like the indifference of the magicians to etiquette, no more greetings, five—no, a total of six magicians, they used magic to levitate a man who was bound by a lot of magic Get up and lead him out of the garden.

Ting Na looked at them from a distance, and when she saw that the nobles used their bodies to protect the man surrounded by them, who was walking in a daze, from being torn apart by the angry people, she actually felt a little funny.

Soon, the city guards came to evacuate the angry people, and after a while, the fountain garden became empty again.

Except for the people from the circus who seemed to be making a lot of money from today's performance, who were cleaning up the venue, in this garden, there was only Tingna left, sitting alone on the bench.

At least in the eyes of the people in the circus, the girl who was taken as a hostage hadn't calmed down from the situation just now, and she was sitting on a bench by the garden talking to herself in shock.

——What a poor girl, take a closer look, the criminal has been brought to justice by the nobles, and everything is over.

After the fifth kind-hearted staff repeated the words of relief to the girl with gentle and encouraging eyes.

"...Miss Liliana."

Tina finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Everyone is almost gone, so you don't need to continue to hide?"

"...Everyone's nerves are tense. Now, it's better not to scare them by appearing suddenly."

"If there is another riot, it will be very troublesome."

Beside Tina who was empty, the voices of Liliana and Alice sounded briskly.

"But, I feel like I'm being taken for a fool..."

"...Still, can't you go?"

"Ah? Ahhh... yes, my feet are still soft now, although I don't seem to have suffered any injuries..."

Tina let out a long sigh.

why.

Feeling drained.

Even the warm autumn sun couldn't cheer up the girl.

"Would it be better for me to go with Miss Liliana and Alice from the beginning?"

"...Yes, maybe Miss Tina is the safest by Alice and I's side."

"After all, Ms. Tingna seems to have a constitution that can easily get involved in various situations."

"yes……"

Somewhat dejected, Tina sighed again.

"...Tomorrow, I will leave this city, Miss Tingna, do you need to rest for a while?"

"No, no need, I'm more curious now than this."

The girl shook her head, and stood up a little reluctantly.

Even the people in the circus can no longer be seen, but the roar of the people tens of minutes ago is still in my ears.

"Hey, Miss Liliana, Alice, are there no undead in this city?"

"...If you don't have a good rest, tomorrow may be a little hard."

Beside the girl, the witch who finally lifted the invisibility magic didn't answer, and the little doll wearing a nun's costume didn't answer or comment, just calmly talking about tomorrow's events.

They are travelers.

That's all.

And now, I will also be——

Looking at their indifferent smiling faces, Tingna suddenly felt that nothing mattered.

Yeah, anyway, they're leaving tomorrow.

"But I still want to know what happened."

The witch raised her head and blinked her dark eyes.

"...That will be a, a bit long story."

"Ah, it's the same on my side, anyway..."

I was healed by that cuteness, but the physical fatigue didn't disappear.

"Let's go back to the hotel first, Alice has to change into clothes suitable for traveling."

All in all——after the girl said so, the puppet holding a large cross floated onto her shoulders, stroking the girl's red neck.

Nod, nod.

Then, the witch and the doll and the ordinary girl caught up in an extraordinary situation set off on their way home.

Regardless of whether the journey so far is worth remembering and talking about.

No matter what happened today.

tomorrow.

There is still a new journey.

………………………………………………………………………………

Postscript of a certain day:

"..."

"..."

"...That, Miss Liliana? Alice, you told me that it was a long story, right?"

Nod, nod.

"Then why is it summed up in one sentence [The persecuted delusional man who was expelled from the academy adopted the wrong method to change society]!"

"...Because that's what it is?"

"Because that's what it is?"

"..."

"Then, how did Miss Tingna get caught?"

"...drinking afternoon tea with noble ladies while wandering around, but was caught by the undead crawling out of the sewer."

"..."

"..."