Chapter 107:
Gift
"It's because there are too many people like you in the Witch Gathering that we have become divided and fallen to the point of being hunted by various countries," Vera argued against Hasbinis' mockery. "If we could gather the full strength of the Witch Gathering, they wouldn't be so arrogant."
Aiden vaguely understood it. According to what Dailey had said before, Priscilla advocated for gathering the power of the Witch Gathering, uniting the witches to actively assassinate capable inquisitor and bounty hunters from organizations that hunt witches.
From Vera's statement, it was clear that she supported this viewpoint.
Based on the Black Magic Management Convention signed by nearly three-quarters of the countries in the southern continent, Inquisition organizations from participating countries had the authority to issue warrants and capture black magic witches and sorcerers conducting unauthorized research within their borders, as well as cooperate and extradite criminals.
The Inquisition organizations of the convention member countries were undoubtedly the greatest enemies of the witches. Many witches had no choice but to operate outside the countries of the convention or even seclude themselves from society altogether.
In the Witch Gathering, there were actually quite a few powerful individuals. Delving into black magic was already illegal, and the illegal nature of witches meant they had fewer taboos and restrictions when it came to using black magic and related techniques.
Among the witches present, Aiden had heard of some of their names, while others were unfamiliar. The ones he had heard of were all S-rank wanted criminals, and it was likely that the others were similar.
Take Dailey as an example, as an S-rank wanted criminal, her combat capability, when converted to well-trained fully armed soldiers, should be equivalent to one or two hundred people. With the enemy having limited knowledge of her spells, this upper limit could be even higher. It would be no problem for her to wipe out a small town's mounted police and militia, or a medium-sized band of thieves, pirates, or a gang.
"Whether it's the specialized Inquisition bureau for witches or bounty hunters, facing this kind of boss requires forming a team to fight. Individuals like the former Aiden, who had the ability to single-handedly take on S-rank criminals, are not common everywhere.
If all these witches were to unite, along with the several hundred other witches leading the witch gathering, they would form an armed organization with the combat power equivalent to a small kingdom, posing a headache for any country.
However, the self-centered and freedom-loving nature of witches makes it difficult for them to accept strict management systems. At best, they can only form small groups of a few individuals and cannot create large-scale organizations with strict discipline and significant influence.
Hasbinis is clearly a typical example.
"Isn't it inevitable for useless waste to be eliminated? If you don't want to be caught, then don't become a witch! It's enough to have the ability to protect yourself. What's the use of flocking together like a bunch of small fry? Are you waiting to be betrayed by them?" Hasbinis said disdainfully. "Someone like Dailey, being caught and thrown into prison only shows that she doesn't have the strength to sit here. It's better to expel such useless individuals."
"Narrow-minded! I definitely disagree!" Vera said, then turned to Aiden. "Priscilla!"
Seeing Vera turning to her for support again, Aiden had no choice but to speak up again. "I also disagree. Does expelling Dailey bring you any benefits? Why are you so eager?"
Normally, Priscilla should have the same stance as Vera, and according to what Dailey said, she and Priscilla even had some connection.
"Alright, enough of your arguments. It's not up to you to decide," Lamia suddenly interrupted and threw the topic to the person sitting at the head of the long table. "Abigail, you decide."
"For now, let's put it aside," Abigail replied casually. "Dailey is a good girl, and there aren't many people left who are willing to pursue the origins. It's been many years since I've encountered a decent witch..." She paused for a moment. "No, perhaps I shouldn't say it that way."
"What do you mean? Have you seen any interesting newcomers?" Lamia asked.
Abigail didn't answer her question but slowly turned her face towards Aiden, who was sitting in his place. "A fascinating little mouse has arrived. Who exactly are you?"
Aiden froze on the spot.
Abigail had already seen through his disguise From the beginning!?"
Abigail is the owner here, so it's possible she has privileges that Aiden couldn't see through. What surprises Aiden is that even after Abigail discovered he had infiltrated from the beginning, she still let him play along for so long... What exactly does this woman want? Does she really not care about internal information leaks?
Abigail's words caused the temperature in the room to drop suddenly, and several pairs of eyes focused on Aiden as if a pack of wolves were sizing up a husky that had infiltrated their midst.
"You're not Priscilla!?" Vera sitting on the right exclaimed, "Bastard, how dare you deceive me?"
You should blame your own imagination, Aiden thought to himself.
"Heh, can the token be lent to outsiders? Priscilla has already been captured!" Hasbinis sitting opposite shouted mockingly.
Aiden didn't respond because there was no need to. Speaking more would only expose his information, and lying would be meaningless because no one would believe him.
Based on his understanding of black magic, he shouldn't have been truly summoned to this space. It completely exceeded the scope of personal black magic and entered the realm of gods.
This space in front of him was probably just a projection created by the pendant he held. The witches present couldn't directly attack him unless Abigail did something through controlling the pendant in his hand, but that was most likely impossible.
If the pendant could cause harm to the wearer, it was hard to imagine that these witches chosen by Abigail would willingly carry it with them.
Unlike the other witches, Abigail didn't show any signs of hostility. She just calmly observed him.
After a moment, Abigail spoke, "It can be considered a kind of fate for you to come here. Let me give you a gift as a memento."
A gift? Aiden couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Abigail paused for a moment and spoke again, uttering a series of eerie noises that ordinary humans could never produce, making people feel uncomfortable: ""
In an instant, Aiden felt as if these voices were like a bell ringing loudly in his mind, causing a sharp pain in his head.
An unprecedented mental impact penetrated his consciousness, leaving his brain blank. He instinctively screamed, forcefully throwing the pendant out of his hand.
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