Ch. 19
Chapter 19: The Evil Within Human Nature
Back in the town, Branny—who had been patiently waiting at Belle's home for Li Kainan to return—finally could sit still no longer on the 3rd day!
The cursed castle wasn't far away. Even Maurice, when he had escaped from it, had only taken half a day.
By rights, Li Kainan should have been back by now.
But he wasn't—perhaps he had run into some difficulty?
The young girl's mind went blank with panic, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.
After forcing herself to calm down, Branny immediately wrote a letter and had Belle's father Maurice find someone to deliver it to Reyp Forest, calling on her grandmother and the old hunter for help.
By rights, having already sought help from her family, the wisest course of action would have been to wait for her grandmother and the old hunter to arrive.
But expecting a girl her age to remain calm while the person she cared for was in danger was asking a great deal!
Branny wiped away her tears and made up her mind—she would set out for the castle right now to mount a rescue.
She didn't know what had happened to Li Kainan, but perhaps as long as she arrived in time, she could help him out of danger……
Maurice, for his part, was not only worried about his daughter's safety—he also felt guilty that Li Kainan had in all likelihood met with disaster.
Unwilling to let Branny go and risk herself, he hurried along behind her, trying his best to talk her out of it.
But Branny was completely stubborn—nothing would persuade her to keep waiting.
And just as Branny and Maurice were arguing while walking past the tavern at the front of the town's main street, Gaston—the one who boasted of being the "most valiant man in town"—spotted Branny's figure and came striding straight out of the tavern, blocking her path with a rehearsed show of gentlemanly manners:
"My beautiful young miss—I apologize, I truly didn't mean to overhear your conversation. But I think old Maurice is right—you shouldn't venture alone into that dangerous forest!"
"In your current situation, I think you'd do well to give your own future a little more thought……"
As he spoke, Gaston's gaze kept sweeping over Branny, while he flashed what he believed to be his most perfect and handsome smile.
She really is beautiful!
The slightly youthful prettiness of her face, paired with those striking curves at her chest—a striking contrast.
And that pure, innocent quality added to the appeal.
Different from Belle's beauty, but each had their own appeal!
Oh—these damned nobles, they certainly had good taste.
She must have already slept with the noble by now. What a pity.
She's no longer fit to be my wife—but she could be my mistress……
These were the thoughts running through Gaston's mind as his covetous gaze kept sliding over Branny.
Before leaving her family, Branny's grandmother and mother had taught her a few things about the world.
The girl was no longer as naive and unworldly as she had once been—and since officially setting foot on the path of a witch, her perception had grown increasingly sharp.
She found Gaston's gaze deeply repulsive, and her fair, baby-faced cheeks turned cold in an instant.
It was just a pity it carried no real intimidating force—and instead only drew Gaston's entourage into chiming in:
"Gaston is the most valiant young man in our town!"
"He's a fine catch—might even be braver than your lord……heh heh heh!"
"Your lord is surely dead by now, miss. You'd do better to follow Gaston from here on!"
"……"
The crude vulgarity of their words was shocking—some even reached out trying to grab the expensive silk cape off Branny's back.
When Li Kainan was present—clad in his magnificent armor, the very image of valor and nobility—they had been deferential and dared not show even a flicker of disrespect.
But now they were all convinced Li Kainan wasn't coming back!
Branny—petite in build, youthful and delicate in features, with an aura of pure innocence—looked like someone who could be easily taken advantage of.
And she had been left alone in the town, with no family here to rely on. Her vulnerability drew out the very worst of human nature!
Her beauty and the valuables she carried stirred greed in their hearts……
……
Hearing these obscene words—and even having curses thrown directly at her Lord Kainan, declaring him dead—Branny was genuinely furious!
And just as Branny was preparing to cast a spell and punish these people properly, Belle's father Maurice suddenly stepped forward and rebuked them sharply:
"You think Miss Branny is someone you can just insult as you please? If you dare act on these thoughts—are you truly prepared to face the consequences?"
The rebuke made the crowd's laughter die down and stall.
They didn't believe Li Kainan was coming back—but behind Li Kainan there was surely a noble family.
If they forcibly seized the people and valuables Li Kainan had left behind, and his family came looking for him, they would face a devastating reckoning!
The thought sent a chill through the crowd.
But Gaston, at the head of them all, let his eyes shift—and a vicious expression crept across his face.
"Old Maurice, you've actually given us an idea……"
"That noble is dead here. If his family comes looking, we'll definitely face their wrath."
"We can't let this woman get word out—if we do, the whole town is done for!"
Gaston's line of reasoning only steeled the resolve of those who had already harbored greedy intentions.
As they looked at Maurice standing in front of Branny, their eyes grew even colder!
Faced with these people and their undisguised malice, Branny could hold back no longer.
The magical power inside her began to surge, and the red silk cape on her shoulders stirred without any wind.
Even if Branny's magical power was not yet strong, even if she knew too few incantations to be anything more than a witch-in-training—
For a group of ordinary people to try and harm a transcendent individual who possessed magical power, they would have to face consequences beyond imagination!
Branny drew out her magic wand and began chanting an incantation.
Then a series of rumbling, thunderous booms rang out—loud enough to make the loose stones on the ground tremble!
Gaston and his crowd froze rigid, staring at Branny—magic wand raised, magic actively cast—with faces full of shock and fear.
She is a witch?
And a witch powerful enough to make the very earth tremble just by reciting an incantation?
But the shock wasn't Gaston's alone—Branny herself was taken slightly aback.
The spell grandmother taught her was supposed to turn people into frogs.
Had she said it wrong—and accidentally invented some powerful magic by mistake?
That was obviously impossible.
The first to discover the truth was Maurice.
He followed the thunderous sound and looked up—and saw, at the far end of the road ahead, a fully armed cavalry unit had suddenly appeared!
The cavalry were all clad in exquisite, magnificently gilded armor that looked extraordinarily noble.
A forest of banners unfurled in the wind, and as the unit advanced in perfect unison, the collective thunder of hoofbeats merged into a single roar—shaking the very ground, exuding an aura of solemn, overwhelming might……
……