For the first time since the beginning of winter, a wooden stage was set up in the center of the square of Border Town. But this time, it was not for a theatrical performance, but for the first public trial of the town.
The announcement had been sent out two days ago. On the day of the trial, the wooden stage was already crowded with people. The expanded square was much larger, but it still could not accommodate so many people. Sporadic snowflakes were falling from the sky, but everyone was in high spirits and completely ignored the wind and snow.
When Roland stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere suddenly reached its peak.
Looking at the people waving their arms at him, he could not help but sigh. Compared to a year ago, when he participated in Anna's trial here, he was almost a laughing stock in the eyes of the nobles, and his influence on the people was even closer to zero. In just a year, the situation had become completely different.
With a burst of cheers, Priest Campas was also pressed onto the stage. Facing the dense crowd, his expression changed a little. Probably this kind of situation was not uncommon in the eyes of the church's higher-ups. They had long been accustomed to the worship of believers, and their words and actions could influence the lives of the people. Roland thought, but this time, he was afraid that he would not be able to experience the glory of the past.
Next to the wooden stage were the witches of the Union. Their eyes were filled with irrepressible excitement. For them, who were often slandered, hunted, and unfairly judged, this time, their roles were completely reversed. The witches were the victims, the accusers, and the perpetrators, while the target of the trial was changed to the church. It was not that they had not imagined such a scene, but they did not expect that this day would come so soon.
Roland pressed his hand down, and the people suddenly quieted down.
"Greetings, my subjects."
"Today, I have gathered everyone here to announce a shameless crime to you. The church has concealed the truth from the beginning. If it were not for the fact that the priest from the Holy City had been arrested in a case of rebellion, I would not have been able to know such shocking news. "
Two days ago, Roland repeatedly thought about how to publicize the crimes of the church more effectively. Obviously, the rebellion in Fallen Dragon Ridge could not be the focus, because the people would not care about what happened in a distant small city. The Battle of Divine Will and the Witch Kingdom could not be mentioned either, because the things that happened hundreds of years ago were too vague, and exposing the existence of the demons could easily cause panic. If he wanted to arouse the anger of the people, he had to start with the things that they cared about.
In other words, he had to be grounded.
There was no doubt that the witches who lived here were the closest to their daily lives.
"The Church claims that witches are the devil's minions, unclean and ominous, but in fact, whether it is the Pope or the Archbishop, they are raising witches, and the scale is astonishing! This is what the priest himself said. "Roland turned to look at him." Am I right? "
"..." After a long silence, Campas replied, "Yes."
A commotion broke out among the crowd.
"Your Highness, is he really a priest from the Holy City?" Someone asked.
"Of course." Roland cast a praising look at Echo. "Moreover, he was sent to Graycastle in the name of the church's Saint. The documents he carried proved his identity!"
Instead of letting them think about it later, it was better to let Echo raise the question first, and then he would answer it himself. Moreover, these things were genuine, and there was no need for him to forge them.
"Back to what I said before, my people," the prince continued. "Pay attention to the word I used — raise! Yes, they collect the baby girls and female orphans from all over the kingdom and send them to the monastery in the Holy City, where they are raised like animals. Due to the low rate of witches, only a small number of people can become witches, and then they are further trained. Those who can't become witches become the playthings of the believers of the church! "
"No, these..." Campas raised his head and opened his mouth, but found that he could not make any sound.
"In order to get more witches, in addition to taking in female wanderers in the name of relief, they even collude with the Black Street Rats to steal babies! Think about it, my people. If there is a church in this town, not only will you lose Miss Nana, but your own children and children may also disappear for no reason. But they claim that witches are evil people who have been tempted by the devil, and they also drive the believers to persecute these innocent women. Can you tolerate Miss Nana being framed by them? "
"No, Your Highness, never!"
The square instantly boiled up. The crowd clenched their fists and expressed their indignation to the priest.
"Miss Nana can't be evil. She cured my burns with her own hands!"
"I watched her grow up, and my daughter went to Teacher Carr's academy with her."
"If not for her, I would have died under the claws of demonic beasts. She is the angel of the First Army!"
Roland paused for a moment, waiting for the crowd to vent their anger, and then suppressed their discussion. "So, why do they do this?"
This question caused a stir among the people.
"Because the church needs witches to maintain their rule!" Not waiting for them to speculate too much, the Prince directly said, "Everyone has seen the witches' ability. It can be said that they are diverse and incredible! In addition to Miss Nana's ability to heal wounds and Miss Lily's ability to kill the demonic plague, there are many other abilities that can change our lives – for example, the water supply equipment in the community, which was personally made by Miss Anna and Miss Soraya. The guns used by the First Army, the steam engine used to pull the mine carts, these are all gifts brought by the witches. It can be said that without them, this town would not be able to have its current appearance! "
"But everything has two sides. Just like a sword, it can be used to fight against demonic beasts, but it can also be used to kill innocent people. The church wants to use the witches' ability to harm good people. Those who do not listen to their teachings are regarded as the abandoned children of God. But in fact, the high level of the church is doing heinous deeds, completely regardless of whether their God is watching them or not! "
"My people, if your children were taken away by the church and trained to be the whips and blades in their hands, then turned against you, how sad it would be!"
Roland turned around, walked in front of Cainphas, unrolled a long scroll, and asked loudly, "Regarding the accusations recorded on this scroll, do you have anything else to say?"
"These... are all true." The priest's eyes widened, as if he could not believe that this answer actually came from his own mouth. "I... plead guilty."
After hearing the confession, the crowd suddenly burst into an uproar.
"I give the power of judgment to you!" Roland took advantage of the crowd's excitement and said loudly, "In the face of such evil acts, your choice is -"
"Execute him!"
"Execute him!"
"Execute him!"
Everyone's voice became uniform, and soon there was only one voice left in the square.
In the winter snow fluttering over Border Town, the people made their choice.
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