Chapter 564: Volume 14: Accumulate Thinly, Erupt Mightily, - 8: Spiritual Forbidden Spell
"Mr. Newman, you said your sister was taken away by the Religious Court and might be burned to death, but why? Why would such a cruel thing occur, are you joking?" Shatima could no longer restrain herself. She, who was not very worldly, could not understand the trickery involved. Even Eve and Grace were charmed by Newman’s polished performance, and she was no exception.
"Miss Shatima, do I look like I would joke about such a matter?" With a face wrought with the pain of someone who had gone through much hardship, Newman knew he had no choice but to carry on with the act, even though he did not wish to. The seemingly innocent young woman opposite him was an unmistakable human-shaped dragon, and Newman could not help but curse his slow reaction inwardly. Both Rebry and Mihailovich had been feigning ignorance, so why was he bringing trouble upon himself? If this human-shaped dragon were ever to become enraged, he would truly become a pitiable creature.
"Why? What does the Religious Court do? By what right do they have the power to burn people alive? Why?!" Dragon Lady Shatima felt that these humans were totally unreasonable, resorting to such methods against their own kind. What could possibly drive them to such madness?
"It’s a long story, Miss Shatima. Perhaps you don’t understand the reasons behind it. It’s simply because they believe my sister does not believe in the god they hold dear. They think their god should be worshiped by everyone, and anyone who does not is a heretic. It’s that simple." Newman looked grievously sorrowful, eliciting sympathy from the others around him—the exception being Komer and his group, who were simply in awe of Newman’s theatrical talent.
"Absurd! To think that such preposterous things happen in the world. To say that one must be burned to death for not believing in their god... Such cruel and barbaric acts still occur, and you all just stand by and watch?" The Dragon Lady could no longer contain herself and leaped to her feet, only calming down after catching Komer’s cold gaze. She continued indignantly, "I can’t understand what you’re all thinking. Why don’t you seek revenge and kill all the crazed individuals at the Religious Court!"
"Miss Shatima, are you not aware of the great power the Religious Court has?" Havier, who was rather fond of the Dragon Lady, interjected, "They possess immense power, with countless Mages and many Magic Knights. Ordinary people who confront them will only be branded as heretics and end up as charred corpses on the Burning Stake. No one on the Continent dares to confront them openly, as it would bring life-threatening danger to themselves."
"Miss Shatima, you have long been traveling in the south, and many situations in the north are not very clear to you. Allow me to explain them to you in detail later. These gentlemen are my friends: Mr. Rebry, Mr. Mihailovich, Mr. Newman, Mr. Solonberg, Mr. Vladimir Koff. Eh, and these are my companions: Miss Lome, Miss Eve, Miss Grace, Mr. Havier, Mr. Bayezid, Mr. Burianos. And these two are lifelong good friends, Puber, the Caucasian official, and Ilot, the Instructor of the Caucasian Self-Defense Force," Komer introduced them one by one. "Eh? Where did Finitz go?"
"Finitz went to the training field with Mr. Fran; she can’t stand being idle," Eve explained simply.
"Hmm, Miss Shatima, now that you’ve met my friends and companions, you’ll temporarily stay in Damarlinsk Castle. I’ll arrange for someone to clean a room for you—it’s quite spacious." Komer said casually, "Lome, take Shatima to see the room first. Let her stay next to you."