novelraw Chapter 25 : The Corpse Was Speaking
Chapter 25 : The Corpse Was Speaking
Chapter 25: The Corpse Was Speaking
Hannah Weisland opened her mouth.
A flicker of hesitation suddenly surfaced, but under Leon’s gaze, it only lasted a brief moment before vanishing.
“Sir, let me tell you. Actually, there is a Witch living in this village!” Hannah spoke with a solemn expression.
“A Witch lives here?” Leon turned his head and sized up Rena’s wooden house from top to bottom.
“Here?”
“Yes! Absolutely true!” Hannah answered with firm conviction.
“So the things you sold before were supplied by this Witch?” Leon began to question her.
“Well…” Hannah hesitated slightly at this point.
“Relax. There’s no evidence for the money you earned in the past, so it’s not easy to pursue responsibility. If your report has merit, we won’t bother going after that either,” Leon said, seeing through Hannah’s concern.
With such a guarantee, Hannah seemed to feel more at ease.
“Yes. They all came from her. She raised Magical Beasts herself and then extracted Mana from them.”
“Describe this Witch to me,” Leon ordered.
“Her name is Rena. She shares her grandmother’s surname, Lothark. She’s sixteen this year. She was abandoned by her parents when she was young and was raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother was a local from this village, Carol Lothark, and she was also a Witch. This house was left behind by her. Three years ago, Carol died of Saltification Disease, and after that, Rena lived here alone.” Hannah confessed the details on the spot.
“How do you know so much? And why would this Witch named Rena feel at ease letting you resell goods for her?” Leon asked.
“That’s a long story. Carol was actually a distant cousin of mine. We knew each other in the village when we were young, and later we kept some contact. When she was dying from illness, I accidentally discovered that both she and her granddaughter were Witches. Carol asked me to keep it a secret. I softened my heart and agreed—after all, her life was miserable, and the child was pitiful too. Carol entrusted me to look after her granddaughter, so I started helping with reselling…” Hannah rambled on with her explanation.
Leon sneered inwardly after hearing this.
Hannah’s situation was something he had already heard from Rena.
The part about being relatives was true, but Hannah had not discovered it by accident.
She had known long ago that Carol was a Witch, which was why she had been entrusted.
The reason she said it that way was probably because she feared being questioned about why she had not reported it to the Church earlier.
Rena’s grandmother had never thought that Rena would continue researching medicine for Saltification Disease.
She had likely worried that Rena might think of using it to make money, so she had never told Rena about the value of Mana.
As a result, Hannah had taken advantage of this point.
There were plenty of cases in this world where relatives took advantage of one another.
“So now, for the sake of protecting yourself, you’re reporting her on the spot?” Leon bluntly exposed Hannah’s motive.
“N-no…” Hannah replied awkwardly.
“It’s just that… after being awakened by you, I finally realized my mistake. I can’t keep making the same mistake over and over again. No matter how pitiful Rena is, she’s still a Witch. Accepting the Church’s punishment to cleanse her sins would be good for her!”
“Oh? Then you don’t care how much the bounty is?” Leon asked deliberately.
“A bounty? There’s even a bounty?” A glimmer of light appeared in Hannah’s eyes.
“Of course. Reporting a Witch comes with a bounty. Depending on the severity of the Witch’s crimes, the size of the bounty, and how much assistance the informant provides, the reward fluctuates. It can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands,” Leon probed casually.
Seeing Hannah’s eyes light up, he suddenly changed his tone.
“But the premise is that you make a sufficient contribution during the process. Capturing a Witch isn’t as simple as you making an accusation. You have to help me provide evidence—that’s what counts as a contribution. So, do you know where the Altar she uses to extract Mana is located?”
“I do! It’s in the Cellar!” Hannah exposed it without hesitation.
Thankfully, that was her reaction… Leon felt relieved inwardly.
After this test, he suddenly felt much lighter psychologically.
“Sir, she changed the lock, but I guarantee the Altar is inside. Actually, I was here precisely to confirm it before reporting to the Church!” Hannah said with a resolute expression.
“This lock looks quite sturdy,” Leon said.
“It’s fine. I brought tools. It can be pried open,” Hannah replied.
“Are you sure there’s something inside? What if there isn’t? Without crucial evidence, after putting on this whole farce with you and inexplicably carrying out a forced entry investigation, what if I get demoted when I go back? Who can guarantee that you’re not just playing me?” Leon suddenly pressed her.
“How would I dare do something like that?” Hannah defended herself in a panic.
“No need to rush. She lives here anyway. After we catch her, we can search her, find the key, open the door, and catch her red-handed—that would be best. Where is she now? Do you know?” Leon asked.
“Well… I’m not sure either. She used to handle those Magical Beasts in the Cellar. But recently, I’ve had the feeling that she often goes out. Sometimes she goes into the city, and sometimes it seems like she goes into the mountains…” Hannah said.
“Have you seen her? Followed her?” Leon asked alertly.
“No. I haven’t seen her much lately. When I do see her, she always looks sneaky, very cautious… How could these old bones of mine keep up with a young person?” Hannah exaggerated as she spoke.
“Does anyone else know about this Witch’s identity?” Leon confirmed in a low voice.
“Other than me, no one else knows. I only told you, sir!” Hannah answered with certainty.
Leon let out a long breath.
“No matter what, she’ll definitely come back at night, right?”
“Yes. You can wait here for a while,” Hannah nodded.
“No need to just wait. Since you mentioned that she might have gone into the mountains, there’s a place I’m somewhat concerned about. We might as well go check it out first. Come with me. If we find her there, we might be able to catch her red-handed directly.”
“What place are you talking about?” Hannah asked in confusion.
“Just come with me and see. You must properly act as the on-site witness. You want the bounty, don’t you? If you do, stop talking nonsense, pack up your things, and hand them to me,” Leon said, pointing at the tools on the ground.
“All right, I’ll do as you say, sir.” Hannah could only obediently pack up the things she had brought into a bundle and hand it to Leon.
Leon took the bundle, inspected the tools inside with his gaze, then put it away and said to Hannah, “Let’s go.”
After some time, the two ventured deep into the mountains.
Hannah was walking so hard that she was panting heavily.
When Leon stopped at a slope, she could not help but ask, “Sir, where exactly are we going to look?”
Leon glanced at Hannah.
Compared to dragging along a heavy dead object, it was naturally less effort to let the other party walk to the destination herself.
“We’re already here. Up there, there’s a hidden heretical ruin. Let’s go up and take a look. You said she recently went into the mountains, so we need to confirm whether she’s had any contact with this place,” Leon said expressionlessly.
“You climb up first.”