How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 323



Only Krnovel

Episode 323

Everyone’s eyes were on me, but I had no strength to run away. Not only had I already lost too much blood, but the flames that burned my memories were also eating away at my skin.

At that moment, someone’s trembling voice was heard.

‘That young man… was close to them.’

‘Is it true?’

‘… … .’

‘How surprising. The one who tells the story of the witch in such detail is none other than the author.’

The inquisitor said this and wrinkled his lips. The young man looked at the inquisitor and wrinkled his lips in the same way.

‘Why did you give me the wrong location for the cabin?’

‘What are you talking about, Your Majesty? I have explained it properly. Well, what did I say? East?’

‘This is the west.’

‘Oh, that’s surprising. Actually, the witch’s hut moves around a lot. Even I, who visit it often, sometimes get confused.’

The young man said that and chuckled. The villagers’ faces hardened with tension as they saw the young man who seemed half-mad, but the priests who realized that they had been fooled had expressions as if they had bitten a bug.

Perhaps it was because their backs were turned to the fire of the cabin, but the young man thought their faces looked strangely distorted.

Yeah, like a devil finally revealing his true nature.

The young man spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth and asked, “Since he was going to die soon anyway, he wanted to say everything he wanted to say before he died.”

‘By the way, I’m curious. How can you be so sure that the runaway is a witch? My testimony was all false. And on top of that, you set fire to him without even a trial.’

‘I’ve been keeping an eye on this village for a while now. When the plague broke out, it was the only place in the area where no one died.’

‘Oh, that’s really good news. No, is it sad news because there have been deaths elsewhere?’

‘After investigating, it turned out that the witch had sprayed the poison.’

‘If that’s true, isn’t she a truly good and great witch? She even does all the work in the temple by herself!’

The young man said this and clapped his hands as if he was truly amazed.

‘One diligent witch is better than ten lazy priests!’

puck-!

Immediately afterwards, a kick came. The young man fell to the side, clutching his abdomen. As he hit the cold dirt floor, the shallow burns he had received from destroying the burning hut seemed to sting a little less.

The young man lay on the floor with his head slightly turned to look up at them. He didn’t have the strength to get up, and since he had to look up at them anyway, he wanted to make them feel more comfortable.

‘How arrogant.’

‘Haha, but sirs, have you heard how the witch distributed the potion?’

‘… … ?’

‘The witch simply left the medicine in front of the village chief’s house. Without any explanation. She didn’t tell them whether it was medicine to eat or apply, and she didn’t even say it was medicine. Those children ate it of their own free will.’

Kurung, as if by design, the burning cabin collapsed once.

The young man tried to raise the corners of his mouth as he watched his memories scattering like sparks into the sky.

‘Honestly, isn’t it wrong to pick up and eat something thrown away in front of the house?’

‘Skillfully taking advantage of people’s earnest hearts… … .’

‘Yes, that earnestness!’

The young man clapped his hands again.

‘What were you doing while people here were desperate enough to pick up anything and eat it?’

‘… What is that… … .’

‘I’m sure only rich nobles would be treating them. They ignore rural areas like this. Why? Because there’s no money to pay for treatment here!’

Ahahahaha, the young man laughed out loud. He couldn’t help but laugh as he thought of his mother.

The young man’s mother was a pharmacist. She devoted her life to serving those who were so low that they were not even allowed to look up at the temple, and those who were dying while still alive because they could not afford to pay for treatment.

But what came back was the ignominious stigma of being a witch.

They claimed that his mother had been practicing witchcraft, but the young man knew that in reality, they simply did not like the loss of income because of his mother.

It was the ugliest good. The young man despised the ugliness of trampling on everything else in order to become the most noble.

‘You damn bastards who don’t even build temples where there’s no money. The gods you worship must be shivering at the sight of you. Or they’re just as dirty as you.’

‘You’re crazy. Don’t you know that’s blasphemy?’

‘Why? Did I say something wrong? If there had been just one temple nearby, or even just one priest, then no one would have died from the plague.’

‘… … .’

‘Oh, I guess you couldn’t get treatment because you didn’t have money anyway? Hey, your highness. How much money did you charge for treating a minor infectious disease? Oh, the witch gave out the medicine for free.’

‘That’s the problem with the medicine. Everyone who takes it is unable to escape the witch’s influence.’

‘So you wanted to get rid of that witch first without asking or investigating?’

‘… … .’

‘Oh, but the witch ran away? What should I do? Then everyone here has to die, right? Oh, I won’t be lonely on the way.’

The young man laughed out loud, mockingly. Of course, until then, the villagers had not expected that they would die… … .

‘yes.’

‘…yes?’

At the soft affirmation, the villagers looked at the inquisitor in a daze.

The village chief stepped forward, his hands shaking.

‘What, what are you talking about, Priestess Nari?’

‘This place has been touched by the witch, so it is closed.’

‘What did we do wrong?’

At the village chief’s appeal, the heretic inquisitor opened his mouth with a grimace.

‘Your first sin is not reporting the witch quickly.’

‘We didn’t think she was a witch at first either.’

‘The second sin is to associate with witches,’

‘… Ah, the only one I hung out with was that young man… … .’

The village chief glanced at me as I lay there as he spoke. He seemed to feel a hint of guilt, but he seemed to be trying to shake it off, perhaps because he thought he would die soon anyway.

‘But I helped the witch escape.’

‘Oh no. We have never helped witches. We were too stupid to know for sure that they were witches. Father, please have mercy!’

‘Chief, your son is a spy?’

‘… … !’

When he heard that his son was going to be a pusher, the village chief looked back at his son in surprise.

‘It makes no sense that you, the village chief, didn’t know what your son knew.’

‘That, that’s… … .’

The village chief’s son was startled by the sudden gaze and screamed.

‘They were suspicious, right? Hey, you were, too! That’s weird! You were, and you even went a step further and said to report them!’

‘When, when did I… … .’

‘Am I wrong? I told you to split the prize money! And you, the lady and the man!’

‘… … !’

‘Your son is possessed by a witch and talking nonsense, so you’re going to make it look like a suicide, kill him, and then keep your mouth shut?!’

The village chief’s son, who had been shouting and grumbling, finally said something to the heresy inquisitor.

‘And if you’re a priest, shouldn’t you save the people who took the medicine from the witch?! Why do we have to die!’

‘Salvation… … .’

At the word salvation, the heretic inquisitor tilted his head as if he was pondering, then straightened his posture and smiled compassionately.

‘You had the courage to report the witch, so I will give you special protection.’

‘…! Really?’

‘Yes. Come forward. And kneel reverently before God.’

‘Yes, yes… …!’

The village chief’s son crawled to the inquisitor’s office and knelt down, leaving the astonished villagers behind.

The young man lying on the ground nearby laughed in vain at the sight of the village chief’s son and turned his head away, because he did not want to see that ridiculous sight any longer.

Chook-!

But immediately after, something lukewarm hit my face and I had to turn my head away again.

Boom, roll…, thud.

There was a sound of something rolling, and then something heavy fell down next to him. It was so close that the young man couldn’t make out what it was at first.

But the warm liquid that soaked the dirt floor and my cheeks, and the stench of iron that stung my nose, gave me an idea of ​​what it was.

‘… … !’

The young man instinctively got up and left the place. What he saw was none other than a cross-section of a severed neck.

‘Please free yourself from the bonds of the evil witch and return to the embrace of God.’

A brief silence followed the softly resounding prayer. But the silence was fleeting.

‘Gyaaaah!’

Beginning with someone’s scream, a literal chaos unfolded.

‘Cut down all those who try to escape.’

But people could not escape that hell. No, they could only escape that hell through death.

‘It seems like the witch has completely taken over this town. Take care of them all, without leaving a trace.’

‘Stop it, stop it!’

The young man could no longer bear the tragedy unfolding before his eyes and screamed.

‘I know! I know where the witch is! Please stop! Just catch the witch!’

Was it because my screams were so desperate, or was it because the heads of those who ran away were cut off?

It was unclear whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, but the young man was able to capture everyone’s attention once again.

The young man glanced at the miserable scene that smelled of both blood and the stench of coal, then opened his mouth softly.

‘… The medicine… , all that needs to happen is for the witch who made it to die, right? The people in this town are under the witch’s spell because of the medicine… … .’

‘And now you say you know where the witch is?’

The young man screamed at the question asked in a twisted tone.

‘Answer me! Is it okay if only the witch who made the potion dies?’

‘Yes. If we can catch the witch, then such sacrifices won’t be necessary.’

Sacrifice. The young man felt sick at the sight of the servants of God rationalizing their actions with such a name.

‘Can you swear to the god you serve?’

‘Yes, I swear to my Lord.’

‘… … .’

‘But wouldn’t saving your life be a different matter?’

The inquisitor continued to sneer, but the young man felt a sense of relief inside. The oaths those men swore to God were by no means light.

The young man who received their oath smiled at the inquisitor, enduring the pain that felt like his skin was being torn.

‘Don’t expect that. I’m the witch you were looking for.’

‘……what?’

The townspeople all looked dumbfounded at my bombshell remark. The young man continued talking as if he was satisfied with the sight.

‘Oh, you fools. Actually, I made that medicine. That kid who lived here just brought the medicine I made to the village chief’s house.’

‘… … .’

‘Ahahahaha. Actually, my mother was a witch too. The child of the witch they were looking for in the next town is me.’

The young man pointed at himself with exaggerated gestures and laughed like a madman.

Because at this moment, she had to look like a real witch.

‘I don’t know that child. That’s not my child.’

Suddenly, his mother’s voice rose above the water. What did he say in response to those words?

‘Oh, that’s right. I don’t know him. I, I’m not a witch’s child.’

…Mother, only now can I fully accept you.

The young man closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. The fire demon, who eats everything without discrimination, was still flicking his tongue.

‘I swore to God, so keep your promise.’

The young man muttered and flew towards the now unrecognizable cabin.

…Dia, I hope you can protect your family.