Chapter 74

Chapter 74

#74. The Plague of the North (3)

Summer arrived last in Arcadia’s Northern Region.

As the weather fully thawed, people began moving around more actively than ever.

And something else appeared and wandered around the North alongside them.

“…”

A witch wandered here and there throughout the North.

Her ashen skin evoked the depths of the Magic Realm.

Her body was so emaciated it was hard to tell if she was human or a mummy.

Anyone who saw her wouldn’t want to get close.

This unsettling witch wandered all over the North.

Ding dong ding

As soon as it was heard, an eerie bell sound accompanied her.

“Doesn’t that witch look ominous?”

The northerners frowned when they saw the witch.

No one welcomed this mysterious witch.

The witch just traveled from this village to that city without causing much trouble.

“Witches are up to their strange tricks again?”

“Just leave her be. Witches have been doing this for ages.”

The North was the only land where witches could operate openly.

Thus, the northern residents ignored the witch ringing bells as they would cattle or chickens.

That’s how ten days passed.

Cough, cough…

“I caught a cold? Me, a native of the North, catching a cold!? In summer!? Ugh…”

Starting from the remote village where the witch first appeared, people began collapsing one by one.

It quickly spread to neighboring villages and towns.

The plague had begun spreading through the North.

* * *

At Lenslet Castle of the Northern Duchy.

In the Grand Hall of Glory.

“Is it true that a plague is spreading?!”

Upon receiving urgent news, Ariana hastily dismissed Mary’s disguise and attended the royal conference.

Rumors of a plague spreading through the North had started four days ago, or even earlier.

But in this world where transportation and communication hadn’t developed, it took some time to confirm its reality.

“That’s right. Frosthaven just confirmed via Winter Hawk messenger. Moreover…the speed at which the plague is spreading is eerily fast.”

“How far has it spread?”

“It’s already passed Haven and there are reports of people collapsing in Shuen and Remme!”

Haitai, the chief administrator of the Northern Duchy, said with a pale face.

“!!”

Ariana and the other ministers automatically thought of “The Empire”.

“That’s why they’ve been suspiciously quiet.”

“They must have been preparing this.”

The hall buzzed with conversation.

Some reacted calmly, thinking “Here it comes”.

“Have we identified the nature of the plague?”

“It’s a black magic-infused flu epidemic.”

“What about that mysterious bell-ringing witch?”

“We’re currently searching for her.”

Haitai answered Ariana’s questions.

“…”

The witch expert Isabel had been unusually silent since the meeting began.

“Black magic? That’s fortunate in misfortune. If it’s a black magic plague, our witches should be able to… Grandma?”

Ariana turned her gaze toward Isabel and paused momentarily.

“Grandma… What’s wrong?”

Since the start of the meeting, Isabel had been uncharacteristically silent with an unusually tense expression. She looked downright terrified.

Murmur murmur murmur

The senior knights and high-ranking ministers in the hall were greatly disturbed by Isabel’s appearance.

Of all people, Spring Grand Witch Isabel.

Her unusual reaction spread unease like an infection through the meeting hall.

“I’ll conclude this meeting here. Knights, focus all efforts on finding the bell-ringing witch the commoners have reported seeing. Bureaucrats, do your utmost to contain the epidemic!”

Ariana quickly adjourned the royal conference.

shortly after.

Everyone left, leaving only two in the throne room.

“Grandma, what’s going on?”

Ariana asked seriously.

“…”

Isabel remained silent.

“Your Majesty!”

Step Valkyrie hurried into the throne room.

“Your Majesty… Other witches too…”

Valkyrie whispered into Ariana’s ear while glancing at Isabel.

Other witches were panicking like Isabel.

‘They planned this!?’

If we can’t rely on the witches’ power, the North won’t be able to stop this plague now.

Especially since it’s a black magic plague.

‘If only the Lenslet Order had grown stronger…’

The Northern Duchy had no magical forces besides witches. There were no clerics capable of divine power.

The Lenslet Order was still in its infancy, with no priests able to properly wield divine power yet.

‘Arad!’

Ultimately, only one man came to Ariana’s mind.

The man who claimed to be busy preparing for some pandemic at the factory and didn’t even attend the royal conference.

The tyrannical boss who sent Mary as his substitute for the meeting.

“Grandpa!”

Ariana called out to Valkyrie.

“I’ll bring him immediately. Even if I have to kidnap him.”

Understanding Ariana’s intentions, Valkyrie quickly left the throne room.

“Grandma…”

Once Valkyrie left and they were alone again in the throne room, Ariana called out to Isabel once more.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Miss Ariana…”

Finally, Isabel spoke.

Not with her usual carefree tone, but with a hoarse, trembling, weak voice.

“Can you explain what’s going on?”

“That curse…”

“The prohibition against teaching or learning magic freely, is that what you mean?”

“Yes… The source of the curse hanging over us witches has appeared.”

“Explain further. We need to respond.”

“T-that… Huh-ugh…!”

She barely managed to say what she just said.

Isabel gasped for breath and swayed.

“…”

Seeing this, Ariana couldn’t bring herself to ask any more questions.

She could only sit blankly on the ivory throne, waiting for Arad to arrive.

‘Reflecting on it, we don’t really know much about Isabel and the witches.’

While waiting for Arad, Ariana thought about Isabel and the witches.

‘Isabel and the witches have always been with us since the beginning.’

Witches had been with the Northern Duchy since it was founded 213 years ago.

Isabel had been in High City before Ariana was even born and always looked like an old woman.

Her late father said Isabel was extremely old.

Even when he was young, Isabel was in High City managing the witches.

His grandfather and great-grandfather said the same – she had always been there.

“Our family didn’t know much about the witches’ prohibition either. Even when we asked Isabel and the witches, they wouldn’t explain in detail. They said various restrictions prevented them from speaking.”

Until now, she hadn’t found it strange.

People in the Northern Duchy naturally accepted it like the rising sun and moon.

Though it seemed impossible for someone to live so long, Isabel was the Grand Witch. Not just any witch, but the Grand Witch.

Someone who transcended human limits could live long, so it wasn’t surprising.

Swordmaster Valkyrie was already over 100 years old too.

“Even Grandpa Valkyrie didn’t know much about Isabel and the witches’ circumstances. He said even when he was young, Isabel always looked the same in High City.”

However, no matter how grand a witch she was, living an abnormally long life couldn’t be denied.

Isabel had been in High City since the founding of the Northern Duchy, meaning she was definitely over 200 years old.

Even for someone superhuman, this lifespan defied logic for a human.

“Grandma said Elven blood flows faintly within witches, who disappeared from Arcadia.”

Ariana understood why witches lived so long.

“Grandma said the reason she lives longer than other witches is because of her rank as Grand Witch. The higher the rank, the purer the Elven blood, affecting lifespan.”

Especially Isabel was notably older among witches.

She was the only witch who had survived since the founding of the Northern Duchy.

“There’s much we don’t know about Grandma and the witches.”

Even Ariana, ruler of the North, knew little about the unique restrictions witches carried.

Just that they had prohibitions preventing free teaching and learning of magic.

“I was curious, but I never forced the issue using my authority.”

“If I’d pressed too insistently, the witches might have left High City, which would have hurt the North. They were our only lifeline since the North lacks both magic and divine power.”

Though the North was the only place in the continent that sheltered witches, Ariana thought they weren’t completely without options.

In worst case scenarios, they could go to the Eastern Continent or even the Southern Continent where Elves, Dwarves, and Hybrid Beastfolk had migrated.

“They really are a closed-off and difficult group.”

She somewhat understood why outsiders viewed witches as equivalent to dark wizards.

They used curses, rituals, and spirit arts, forming a very closed community.

Sometimes they even used black magic without hesitation.

Especially considering they carried Elven blood that fiercely opposed humans during the Barbaric Age.

“Humans rarely accept those different from themselves. And they harbor fear and suspicion toward the unknown.”

Even Northerners didn’t view witches particularly fondly.

But kicking them out was impossible given the deep history and bond between the Northern Duchy and the witches.

“Anyway, there’s definitely some connection between that mysterious bell-ringing witch and our witches.”

Suppressing her anxious feelings, Ariana stood up from the white throne.

“Grandma, it’s okay.”

“!”

Approaching Isabel who was gasping for breath and trembling violently, Ariana said

“It’s okay.”

Then she massaged the elderly witch’s shoulders.

“It’s okay. This time, trust me, Arad, and the North.”

Repeating that it would be okay…

* * *

After the Golden Age fell, the Fanatical Holy Age and the Dark Age followed.

During this process, wizards and witches were severely persecuted.

While wizards eventually escaped persecution after the Barbaric Age, witches did not.

Their exclusive female apprenticeship and insistence on single传承 transmission led to political isolation.

The Elven blood flowing through them, which fiercely opposed humans during the Barbaric Age, became an unforgivable original sin.

Being the only group practicing the now-forgotten elemental magic invited jealousy from mage tower wizards.

Their advanced rituals, surpassing even the dark wizards of Demon Den, provided justification for witch hunts by the church.

Despite the small difference between female wizards and witches, witches were always persecuted.

Only in Lenslet of the Empire’s North could witches find safety and support on the entire continent.

‘That’s why the witches resisted until the end for the North’s independence.’

In Silver Age 1, witches were the core of the Northern Resistance Army.

Especially ‘Snowfield Grand Witch’ Mary, strongly suspected to be future Mary, was a nightmare for the Northern Governor’s Office alongside Sun.

“I wonder if Mary is alright?”

Suddenly, the witches became powerless overnight.

‘Something that never happened in the original timeline. It didn’t happen even when the Empire faced the Northern Resistance Army.’

The Empire must have had other tricks up its sleeve besides the Great Famine.

‘In the original timeline, the Northern Resistance Army also dealt with the Empire Army, Demon Den, Northern Orcs, and Barbarian Tribe.’

The original Empire wouldn’t have needed to disable the witches when facing the Northern Resistance Army.

Or perhaps the Snowfield Grand Witch broke the shackles the witches carried too late.

“Is Clay Witch Lulu alright?”

“Uuuuuuugh….

While checking on fallen witches and recalling the original work,

“Boss! We’ve gathered all the collapsed witches in one place! All the witches from both the Workshop and High City!”

Manager Te’s report came from the side.

‘The Spring Grand Witch is at the royal palace.’

Hearing Teo’s report, I looked around.

All available witches had been brought here by the soldiers and knights of High City.

Only one person was missing – Spring Grand Witch Isabel.

“Good job! From now on, halt all production work and focus entirely on epidemic prevention!”

“What will you do, Boss?!”

“I’ll check on the witches! Believe it or not, I’m confident in healing techniques.”

“Understood!”

Of course, witches always resided at Arad Workshop.

Witches were always deployed in the high-level processes of the factory, and their spirit arts were used like heavy equipment in the ever-rising factory buildings.

Therefore, when the witches collectively went down, I was able to quickly assess the situation and respond.

“Uuuuuugh… Boss Jin…”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

Examining the young witch lying right in front of me.

My max-level magitech engineering and healing skills were put to full use.

‘Exhaustion. Mana exhaustion!’

I quickly identified the cause.

The witches’ condition was simple – their mana reserves were completely depleted.

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