The reasons for the Holy Sorcerer’s emergence were manifold. It was partly due to the damages caused by an incident instigated by a witch, partly due to public perception, and perhaps also due to a grudge held against those who hoarded wealth amidst everyone’s hardships.
According to some scholars, in a society struggling to survive, the witch served as the perfect outlet for discontent. At that time, witches frequently caused serious accidents and, lacking ‘blue blood’ like the nobility, lived luxuriously, hoarding money and commanding others, while engaging in acts that would surely appear suspicious to the common people in their quest for youth—behaviors that were absolutely unacceptable in the society of the day.
They enjoyed the hallucinations given by the psilocybin, indulging in promiscuity to fully relish their youth. They engaged in homosexual acts with other witches or pretty women. They consumed luxurious foods that a Roman noble would have eaten, while serfs would crush ingredients barely enough for a single bite into a paste to apply on their skin and repeat the process of discarding it.
At this point, it wouldn’t be strange for people to froth at the mouth or for the churchgoers to roll their eyes in outrage; some powerful witches openly disregarded the nobility and the church.
In a sense, witch hunts were bound to happen.
All the pent-up resentment and the deviations of a few witches.
All of it became gunpowder, and the wick was lit.
And the Holy Sorcerer became the flame.
“We have repeatedly studied the first issue of why witches, who are bodies blessed by the grace of God, commit vile sins.”
“The recent atrocities of witches have exceeded all bounds. We can say that ‘witches are beings likely to inadvertently commit evil, and depending on the circumstances, they can become either sinful or mediators’ through a precise diagnosis of their causes. However, the wicked temptations oh-so-sweetly enter the ears and settle in the heart. Thus, a witch transforming into evil can be seen as an inevitable occurrence.”
“A witch twisted by evil has no choice but to resort to evil means. This indicates that their spirituality has been tainted by sin and has fallen infinitely, leading them to become beings who will suffer until the last judgment, until they can no longer return. We define witches who have fallen this far as ‘Evil Witches,’ and these Evil Witches, whose soul, body, and spirit are remarkably inferior to all humans, can only be dealt with through death, the only means to prevent the innocent from becoming tainted by evil.”
The Holy Sorcerers began to write books.
Books meant to suppress and kill witches.
They classified witches as beings likely to be drawn towards sin.
“Evil Witches do not hesitate to spread evil at their own free will, ultimately corrupting those around them just by breathing. Therefore, we summarize here the methods by which Evil Witches commit their wrongdoings.”
“Ways to blaspheme the divine.
Methods to incite lust.
Ways to unleash evil spirits and ghosts.
Methods to fall into illusions.
Ways to induce disease.
Methods to turn humans into animals.
Ways to ruin harvests.
Ways to harm animals.
Methods to sever human offspring.
Ways to abduct children and drain their life force.
…
…
…”
They wrote about how the Evil Witches harmed people, making them the source of all evil.
“Anyone suspected of being an Evil Witch must face trial.”
“To prosecute an Evil Witch, clear evidence, witnesses, or testimonies aren’t necessary. The wicked deeds of a witch are secretive and stealthy, and thus the evidence will not easily surface; only those who witness it by circumstance and divine grace can affirm the witch’s wickedness.”
“The trial is sacred and must proceed through proper procedures. An accused witch must receive guidance through the lawful process and be transferred to prison, and the trial must occur while the witch is detained. The witch has the right to appeal and can hire an attorney.”
“The lawyer must be someone who volunteers to defend the witch but must not themselves harbor flaws. They must carefully examine beforehand whether they have connections to the Evil Witch and ensure they haven’t fallen victim to any wicked schemes.”
“An Evil Witch will surely submit appeals once the trial begins. Furthermore, certain judges may reveal their weaknesses while carrying out this sacred task, which would undermine faith and harm the church. Thus, judges should take pride in performing this sacred duty and must wisely deal with any disturbances caused by the witch’s appeals.”
“During the interrogation of witches, a member of the clergy or an inquisitor must be present. If the witch is innocent, there should be no issue, but an Evil Witch will use every trick to deceive them. Only those armed with deep faith can avoid falling for the wicked means and observe the true nature of the Evil Witch.”
“There are no restrictions on the methods used to extract a confession from the Evil Witch. Additionally, it is acceptable to lie by promising that if one confesses, their life will be spared. This is because the very existence of an Evil Witch is built on deception and lies, and if one attempts to remove their mask solely with truth, they will absolutely not prevail.”
They wrote about the process to ‘legally’ kill an Evil Witch.
And they named this dreadful book inspired by the idea of shaping iron with a hammer for the benefit of all.
It implied that one should stab with a spear and raise it as an example.
“The Hammer of Judgment that Spearheads All Witches and Heretics.”
And the Holy Sorcerers infused spells into each of these dreadful books, turning them into divine objects.
Their intent was to prevent Evil Witches from escaping, to ensure that no companions of Evil Witches could assist them, creating a powerful barrier that restricted the manifestation of their powers by corrupting the will required to activate witchcraft within them.
“Why… is witchcraft…”
Odilia repeatedly tried to exert her powers in disbelief.
But none of the abilities she attempted to use activated correctly.
The table where she should have sunk her sharp teeth into the man lay still, and the chair, which should have swung like a spear to pierce the man’s neck, remained unscathed. The insects that filled the ceiling sat quietly, as if nothing had happened, and there was not even the slightest movement from the protective seeds she carried.
“Why! Why is my witchcraft blocked by such outdated spells—!!”
Odilia could not contain her rage and began to tear at her hair.
Her once neat and beautiful hair transformed into a disheveled mess, resembling that of a beggar, and blood streamed from her bitten lips, staining her chin and neck red.
“Alright. You blocked my witchcraft, did you? Then it’s simple—just lift the spell!”
But soon, seeming to calm down, she took out a small gun from her handbag.
A minuscule gun that could fit in the palm of her hand.
At most, it had room for two or three bullets.
Odilia pressed it against her neck and said to the man,
“I’ll give you a chance. Lift the spell now.”
“Hmm.”
“This ancient spell, it consumes life force, but it can be lifted right now. Lift it immediately and bow your head and beg.”
Odilia spoke, suppressing the rage bubbling forth.
The man looked at her with curiosity at her demeanor.
“How strange. That temperament resembles a honey badger charging at a beast or a bird that impales itself into a tree. How is it that you endure that rage so many times?”
“What?”
“In that case, there may yet be hope. So sit down.”
The Great Witch could not hide her anger at the young man speaking to her with a servant’s tone.
“Who do you think you are to say there’s hope?”
“A witch, addressed with the excessive title of Great Witch. I know what’s in your hands. The ‘Trial by Poison’ states that if one emerges unscathed after undergoing a trial of poison, one is innocent. The bullet in that gun is certainly made of poison. Unless you deplete your life force a lot, it’s a poison that cannot be detoxified.”
The man calmly spoke to the witch.
“However, no matter how much life force you expend, you cannot escape from me.”
He pointed to the nitrogen coffee with his finger.
“That contains the medicine I personally compounded. Even if you lift the spell, the medicine will hinder your will from gathering enough power to use witchcraft, rendering it meaningless. If it’s useless anyway, it would be better for us to have a proper conversation, so lower that gun.”
“Medicine? What kind of medicine can block witchcraft…?”
The Great Witch stared at the man with a look of disbelief.
Her expression suggested that, despite living for ages, she’d never heard of a medicine that stops witchcraft until now.
But this was a perfectly normal reaction.
After all, until this very moment, no such medicine had existed.
So it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t know that by mixing placenta extracts, Chlordiazepoxide, Barbiturates, Lorazepam, psilocybin in minuscule amounts, and beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, they could create a substance that hinders the combination of life force and will.
It was entirely expected that she wouldn’t know that a mad wizard would stumble upon this combination while using a captured witch for live experimentation a decade later, only to see the witches actively plunge into World War III out of fear of the substances created to subdue them.
“So sit down. Didn’t you just say you aren’t planning to harm me?”
Jinseong smiled.
In Odilia’s gaze towards Jinseong, there was a palpable fear of the unknown.
The smile felt like a bizarre being tempting her.
