NOVEL NEXT The council of witches
Pov Dia,
Aurora finally brought me to what could be called the Council of Elders, composed of the strongest witches in the world.
They were all looking at me; some with disgust, others gave me the impression that I was being judged and that my sentence was about to be announced.
Elder: "We already thank you for saving young Aurora from the stake. She is so devoted to other witches that she would sacrifice her life at any moment if it meant saving us. Now, she told us about your project, and the one thing we must ask is, why do you want this? You’re not even part of the races concerned."
Dia: "Actually, ten years ago, my wives and I were traveling around, looking for opponents to challenge or places for our dates. My wife, Rimuru, found a demi-human village. They were so welcoming that she decided we would have our date there. They were very kind and so supportive of one another that it felt like they were all part of the same family. We visited a few more times and formed a close bond with them. One day, I went there to plan a date, and when I arrived, the village was destroyed, and the inhabitants were dead. At least, that’s what I thought at first. The people who killed them died in agony, and I managed to find someone who explained to me that it was members of the Church who had slaughtered them."
I tried to calm the anger that was growing inside me.
Dia: "I managed to find the squad that had decimated the village, and when I overheard them, they were laughing about the deaths, calling them animals and worse. I attacked them and inflicted on them the same horrors they had done to those poor villagers. When I asked one of them why they had killed them, do you know what he said? He told me it was because they were half-human."
I could no longer suppress my killing intent, and my aura began to radiate.
Dia: "Why are innocent women and men, who have harmed no one, deprived of their right to live? Because they were born that way? Because of what they are? What right do we have to kill for something so trivial? After that incident, my resolution became simple: to try to prevent another tragedy like that from happening. Since then, I’ve walked this path—to find opponents, to find places for dates, and, most importantly, to find half-humans to prevent their massacre. We've managed to bring about a quarter of all that exists under our banner. Some refused, and others are well hidden."
I then explained how the village’s defensive runes worked. I had begun bringing different tribes together to meet one another, and for now, they were getting along well. There had even been relationships forming between different species of half-humans.
Of course, I made it clear that just because I was protecting them, it didn’t give them the right to commit crimes. Those who attempted terrible acts found themselves dead.
Dia: "I’m sorry if this shocks you, but you are like the half-humans because you’re persecuted by the church and forced to live in hiding. Don’t you want to live openly without worrying that a normal human will find and betray you?"
They looked at each other with a look of pain because what I told her was the reality that they had lived, we had to avoid living as we really wanted.
Ancient: "Your project seems ambitious, but we can feel your determination and efforts. So, we agree to be part of this alliance. But in return, you must also help us find the witches we cannot locate."
Dia: "I thank you for listening and responding to my request. I have another question. Do you know where I could find mermaids and tritons?"
Ancient: "I’ve already been there, and I can take you, but I warn you, it will be harder to convince them."
Dia: "I won’t force them. As long as we can form an alliance, I’ll be happy."
