Chapter 562: The Witnesses
“Was it successful?” Anna’s voice was barely above a murmur.
“Yes.” Agatha nodded. “Next comes cutting and sealing in silver foil. The final step varies by Sigil type — the Screaming cannot be cut; it functions as a whole.”
“What happens if we fail?”
“The bloodlines don’t collect magic power — the cause is still unknown, even with perfect materials. The remedy is simple: pry off the Magic Stone and begin again.”
“But that consumes the blood—”
“That is why demon’s blood was considered more valuable than a witch’s in Taquila.” A small, self-deprecating smile crossed Agatha’s face. “A wasted experiment on witch’s blood earned no consequence. Wasted demon’s blood earned punishment.”
Two of the six failed.
The steps had been identical — she had checked twice — but two of the bloodlines refused the magic power she offered them. Refused to wake. She pried the Magic Stones free without comment and retrieved the spare wooden box, knowing the clock was running. The demon on the iron table had begun to spasm irregularly, its black-blue skin bleaching toward gray in patches. The Red Mist beneath its helmet had visibly thinned; once it was gone, the blood would be usable for perhaps fifteen minutes more, no longer.
She reached for the knife.
“Wait.” Anna was already cutting her own wrist with Blackfire — a precise, shallow line, swift as a thought. “Use my blood.”
Agatha opened her mouth.
“Nana can heal wounds, but she cannot replenish blood.” Anna pressed the glass to her wrist with the patient efficiency of someone consulting a known fact. “His Majesty has noted that significant blood loss brings dizziness, sometimes unconsciousness. Neither outcome is useful to you or to the experiment. You should rest for a few days before continuing — more meat porridge, more liver during recovery, he said. You’ll recover faster.”
”…Is that what His Majesty told you?”
“Every witch attended the injury self-help classes.” Anna smiled, already filling the glass. “And — you chose me as your assistant primarily to teach me the method of Sigil-making, did you not? Then it is better that I conduct these two myself.”
Agatha was quiet for a moment. “In that case. Thank you.”
“I’m very interested in it as well,” Anna said simply.
”…The witch empire was shattered after the demons’ assault. The survivors crossed the mountains and the rivers, traveled to the Wild Places, and began again. That was the third attempt — and the last — to prepare for the Battle of Divine Will. It has since become the truth of history.”
Roland finished speaking and watched Edith’s face in the afternoon light.
The sun lay across the desk in a long pale bar. The woman in the chair looked as though she had been carved from something denser than bone — motionless, expression unreadable, her green hair bleached almost white where the light struck it. She should have been frightened. Most people, receiving this information, showed fear before anything else. What Edith’s eyes showed was something Roland had not quite anticipated: curiosity. A brightening, as if the news had opened a door she had spent years looking for.
She was silent for a long moment.
“You would not fabricate something this elaborate merely to impress me.” She spoke slowly, turning each word over. “Are the demons truly that powerful?”
“Beyond doubt. Each one is a formidable individual fighter, and their numbers are staggering. My army could defeat Timothy’s knights — but the demons have spent centuries entrenched in the northwest of the Land of Dawn, preparing for exactly this. The witches, by contrast, must rebuild from nothing.” He met her gaze. “What makes this different from every other war is that there is no negotiating. No treaty, no surrender. It ends only when one side ceases to exist.”
“Do you intend to tell everyone?”
“Eventually.” He exhaled. “Not now. I do not yet know how people will respond to a threat so vast and so absolute. Building that kind of confidence — the kind that can hold against a Bloody Moon — takes years.”
“I agree.” Edith nodded once. “Panic is a more immediate enemy than any demon.” A pause, then: “One last question. How close are we to the Battle of Divine Will?”
“Five years. Perhaps less. The Bloody Moon’s arrival cannot be predicted exactly. The war could break out at any moment — which is why I cannot afford to unify Graycastle slowly.”
She did not answer immediately. Then she stood, smoothed her coat, and dropped to one knee with the deliberate precision of someone who has decided something well in advance of the moment.
“Then the Kant Family pledges its service. Your laws will not be impeded in the North. Your orders will be the only voice there.” A beat. “I also expect your promises to be honored.”
“You mean the steam engine plant.” Roland shook his head, smiling despite himself. “Your father may refuse. And what exactly can the Kant Family offer as guarantee?”
“Me,” she said without hesitation.
“Pardon?”
“I am the guarantee. If you require additional security, Cole may remain here as well.” She did not look away. “My father will agree, whether or not he wishes to.”
“You’re proposing to remain in Neverwinter as a hostage.” Roland said it plainly; the slight awkwardness of saying it aloud was his problem to manage. “Won’t your father see it as coercion?”
“Not a hostage.” She placed a hand over her chest in the knight’s salute. “Allow me to join your City Hall. I would like to witness the new world you are building.”
Six newly made Sigils arrived at Roland’s study that evening, delivered by Agatha with the faint air of someone who has performed a great labor and expects no particular ceremony about it.
“Thank you for the hard work.” He looked them over. “Did it go smoothly?”
“Two failures in the first batch. Anna assisted with part of the production.” Agatha covered a yawn. “If you require more Sigils, I will need a proper independent laboratory. Not a stable with planks.”
“You have my word on a Spellcaster’s Tower,” Roland said.
Nightingale materialized from the air at his shoulder once Agatha’s footsteps had faded down the hall. “What do those things do?”
“Roughly? A telephone, a smoke alarm, and a camera.”
”…What are those?”
“Try one and you’ll understand,” he said, smiling.
It had been a productive day, genuinely so. The Sigils of Listening would do for long-distance communication what carrier pigeons could not — they were few and witch-dependent, but they were reliable. The Sigil of Screaming would sound at demon presence and provide meaningful coverage over the size of the Border Area. The Sigil of Observing would travel with Thunder’s fleet — Roland would not see the Sealine himself, but he would see it.
But none of it quite matched the particular satisfaction of Edith Kant’s pledge.
Territory and resources: the two things every campaign ran on, and she had offered both. If the North delivered comprehensively, Roland’s actual reach would double overnight. The Eastern nobles would feel the pressure. And if the momentum held, Graycastle might be unified before the Months of Demons arrived.
He turned the Sigil of Observing in his hand, feeling its faint warmth.
Not bad for a day’s work.
Chapter 562: The Witnesses
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“So… was it successful?” Anna softly asked.
“Yes. Then, it should be cut and sealed within the silver foil.” Agatha nodded and said, “The final step is different depending on the type of Sigil. For example, the Sigil of Screaming should not be cut as it would be used a whole.”
“What will happen if we fail?”
“The bloodlines won’t be able to collect the magic power for some unknown reason. There’s always a chance of this happening no matter how good the materials are. The solution is pretty simple as well, we just need to pry the magic stone off and redo it.”
“But, it’d consume the blood…” Anna frowned.
“That’s why the demon’s blood was considered more precious than the witch’s blood in Taquila.” Agatha self-deprecatingly smiled. “No one cared if the witch’s blood was wasted during an experiment. But we would be scolded and punished if we wasted demons’ blood.”
…
There were two sigils that failed out of the six in the end. Although the steps were completely the same as before, two of the bloodlines did not respond to the magic power injection. In other words, they did not come alive.
Agatha pried off the Magic Stones and took the reserved wooden box out to continue the second production.
She had to hurry up since the demon was almost dead.
The alien that was fixed to the wooden table started having irregular spasms and the black-blue colored skin started to gradually turn gray. The excessive blood loss had caused its breathing to become intensively and the Red Mist below its helmet had obviously faded. Once the Mist had been exhausted, the demon would die shortly after and the blood would only last for about 15 minutes past death.
“Wait a minute.” Anna stopped her when Agatha raised the knife. “Use my blood.”
Anna had already cut the skin on her wrist open with her Blackfire when Agatha was about to object. “Nana can heal the wound but she cannot replenish the blood. His Majesty has mentioned that losing too much blood could cause dizziness and you may even pass out. It’d not be beneficial to you or your experiment. Of course, it’d be best for you to rest for a few days before resuming your practices and productions. You’ll recover faster if you eat more meat porridge and liver during your recuperation.”
“… Is that what His Majesty said?”
“Yes, every witch had to attend the injury self-help class,” Anna said with a smile, “and, the main reason you selected me as your assistant was for me to learn the method of Sigil making, wasn’t it? It’s better for me to operate these two.”
Agatha kept quiet for a moment and said, “In that case, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she gently said, “I’m very interested in it as well.”
“… The witch empire was split apart and completely disintegrated after the demon’s attack. The people who survived traveled across the mountains and crossed the river to the Wild Places to rebuild the city. This is the third time —as well as the very last approach for us to prepare for the Battle of the Divine Will. It has become the truth of history.”
With these words, Roland quietly observed Edith’s expression with his chin propped on his hand.
The afternoon sun streamed into the room, shedding a touch of glory in front of the desk. The lady in deep contemplation looked just like a statue, and her green-colored hair reflected a pale-white color in the sunlight. Her beautiful face did not even show the slightest change at hearing the frightening news, but instead, Edith’s eyes showed more of an excitement and curiosity as Roland had expected.
She kept quiet for a while and slowly said, “You wouldn’t try to fool me by fabricating such an… incredible story. Are the demons really that powerful?”
“There’s no doubt. Each of them is an aggressive individual and there’re an astonishing number of them. My army could easily defeat Timothy’s knightage but they cannot necessarily defeat the demons. After all, they’ve been lurking around the north-west region of the Land of Dawn, unlike the witches who will need to start from scratch. The most important danger is that there’ll be no negotiating for this battle, and it won’t end until one of the two parties is destroyed.”
“In that case… are you planning to break the news to everyone?”
“Sooner or later.” Roland sighed. “But not now, I’m not sure how the people will respond regarding the horrible and ruthless alien enemy and building confidence is a slow process.”
“I agree with you. Panic is indeed scarier than any enemy,” Edith nodded and said, “I’ve one last question. How far away from us is the Battle of Divine Will?”
“Five years or sooner… Nobody knows the exact time the Bloody Moon will arrive. I can only say that the war may break out at any time, and thus, I’m not able to slowly unify the Kingdom of Graycastle little by little.”
She did not answer but stood up from her seat and kneeled down onto one knee and said,” In this case, the Kant Family is willing to be at your service. Your law will not be unimpeded in the North and your order will be the only
voice there.” She stopped for a moment and then said, “I also hope that all of your promises are honored.”
“Are you still thinking about the steam engine plant?” Roland shook his head and smiled. “Your father may not necessarily agree with that and what can the Kant Family guarantee with…”
“Me,” she said without hesitation.
“What?”
“Your Majesty, I’m the guarantee. If you’re still worried about it, Cole can stay here as well.” Edith spoke with confidence, “In this case, my father would have to agree even if he is unwilling to.”
“You’re saying you’ll stay in the City of Neverwinter as a hostage?” Although Roland meant to do just that, speaking it out loud still made him feel slightly embarrassed. “Isn’t that a threat in disguise in the eyes of the Duke?”
“Not as a hostage.” she saluted in a knight’s manner with a hand covering her chest. “Please allow me to join your City Hall; I’d like to witness the new world you have planned.”
…
Roland received six of the newly-made Sigils that night.
“Thank you for all of your hard work.” He looked at Agatha and nodded. “Did the process go well?”
“We failed twice with the first batch and Anna also participated with part of the making process,” Agatha yawned and said, “Anyway, if you want me to make more Sigils, please give me a spacious independent laboratory instead of a simple shabby stable-like shed.”
“I owe you a Spellcaster’s Tower,” Roland happily responded.
Nightingale stuck her head out from behind Roland’s back after the ice witch left the office and said, “What’s the use of these Sigils?”
“They’re probably the equivalent of a phone, alarm, and camera?”
“What’re they for?”
“You’ll know after you try it,” Roland said with a smile.
It was a pretty productive day today. The Sigils of Listening would temporarily solve the challenges of transmitting long-distance messages. Although they were scarce and could only be used by witches, they were still better than entirely depending on a carrier pigeon. The Sigil of Screaming tweeted at a high pitch when it sensed demon power and it also effectively suppressed any of the enemies’ sneak attacks and the area of coverage was about the size of the Border Area. The Sigil of Observing could assist with Thunder’s adventure plan. It would be a pity for Roland to miss the spectacular and strange sealine since he was unable to follow the fleet out to sea.
Of course, what pleased Roland the most was Edith Kant’s pledge of allegiance.
Nothing was sweeter than the extra population and the added resources. If the North was really offering their comprehensive service to him, Roland’s actual control of the territory would be doubled and the excessive power of the nobles at the Eastern Region would feel the pressure.
If everything went well, he might be able to accomplish the great reunification before the arrival of the Months of Demons this year.