Chapter 2: External Things
Two hours later, the public square was bustling even more than before. The crowd earlier was seriously happy from getting the compensation from the prince. A half of a bread might be not even counted as a meal, but it was free. Being fulfilling was not as important as it being free. For the majority of town people that lived around the line between poverty and barely acceptable, a food they didn't have to pay was always something precious.
Though it was explicitly said that only those around when it was announced that would get the bread, people that had nothing to do couldn't help to come along after hearing the extraordinary story from others. The prince was known for his strange antics, why couldn't he possibly err once again?
The town folks weren't the only one increasing in number. On the gallow, there were now three hooded felons. The additional two reportedly were not witches, but similarly those originally waiting to be hanged at later date. For some reason, they were added. The crowds might question it in their hearts, but the nobles smirked at the sight.
The nobles looked at each other and took a glance at the prince who had a boastful look of 'how clever I am' and laughed. Some even wished they could dive and rolling around on the ground instead of enduring their hurting sides, but unfortunately, there were lots of people nearby.
They might be small time nobles from a countryside, but they still had images to keep.
The young women who attended the prince and nobles from the side were also busy snickering and giggling among themselves. They were more unbridled in showing their emotion, but they knew not to push things far as they almost made no noise.
In the nobles and attendants mind, how could they not laugh? What kind of result from interrogation the silly prince conducted could achieve in the end? Perhaps to hide his shame, he made the party more exciting with more people to showcase.
Only Barov and Carter had solemn looks, but because of the atmosphere, not a lot of people actually noticed.
As for 'Roland' himself, he indeed had a satisfying look, only for different reason. After the noisiness slowed down, he stood up and clapped his hands rather loudly to get people attention.
It took some time. While some people already looking at him from the start, a lot of people preferred to look at the stage waiting for the show to start. Not until his palms tingled with pain that the majority of the crowd finally gave the attention he needed.
Now, he was indeed the center of attention. This fact made 'Roland' quite stiff, but he still managed to squeeze out his smile and command after a while.
Barov looked at the hanged felons, and then to the group of knights who were lead by Carter himself to handle the corpses. The corpse of the 'witch' was personally being carried by the leader of the knight, while other criminals were carried by the people under his command.
They were to be burned, and the ashes would be scattered to the river.
As the parade was over, he looked at the prince who showed a strange expression while looking at the sky. Barov didn't know what the prince was thinking nor if there was something wrong with the clear blue sky, but the person he had to babysit certainly took a series of strange decisions.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the nobles were giving fake polite farewell to the prince one after another. After waiting for a while, Barov finally got the moment when the people around him completely left before opening his trembling lips.
"Why did you spare the witch?"
The prince looked at him and smiled. The simple gesture sent shivers to Barov, so much he instinctively clenched his fists. Inside one of his hands, there was a small god's stone of retaliation.
"Sure, but I thought I already told you." The prince said, still with a smile.
The smile, unlike before, was not a cheerful one. Barov didn't understand why did he show such despite had successfully created such a mess as per his heart's desire? Could it be there were some circumstances he didn't aware?
After a moment, Barov froze. A sudden thought that appeared scared him but he couldn't help but swallowed the idea.
Did witches from the witch association already came and stretched their claws towards the prince? If so, it would totally explain why he did what he had done.
"No need to overthink it Barov." The prince interrupted him. "I don't know what you think to make your face changed so colorful and expressive, but I doubt it would be the truth."
"That's..." An awkward noise escaped Barov mouth.
"You were there when I asked her to tell about the situation regarding her capture." The prince stood up as he spoke. "While we can't claim it was the absolute truth, we can infer from the fact that the mine indeed collapsed and her father just got crippled."
"And also the one that sold her for money." The prince murmured the last sentence. Barov could feel despite the use of soft-spoken words, there was some uncharacteristic anger in there.
He, the prince, and Carter was there when the three of them heard the testimony of the witch. But unlike the prince, he and Carter totally didn't believe her. But when he heard the prince reasoning, indeed apparently the case wasn't as simple as he thought. Considering some facts aligned, even the corpse of somebody who died with melted two parts.
She was just there to help her father, but a looter appeared and tried to cause harm. It would be strange if she didn't try to resist when the life of death of oneself and their family member was at the stake. And despite that, in the end, she was betrayed by her father. Though many already witnessed her ability as the witch, who was the first to report it to the authority? Her father.
Barov felt his temper was quite good, but if he went through what Anna got, he undoubtedly would use the witch ability to cause destruction to at least his father. But what Anna, in response to the betrayal did?
Nothing.
She did nothing.
And she neither tried to escape nor hiding.
For people in Border Town, those who possessed god's stone of retaliation were not many since even a small pebble size stone was expensive, and the majority of them were held by nonfighters such as him. If she tried to run out of the town, what can mere backwater guards do?
It was said her power was commanding flame. If she decided to run amok before the group formed to subjugate her came she probably already had the time to burn down a district or two.
Using that information as the assumption, the logical reasoning was that she already gave up. Whether she was shocked thoroughly by her father action or her character was like that in the first place, indeed she didn't seem like one who was dangerous.
Of course, there was also the small off chance that she was just faking it, and waiting for her chances.
"What chances." The prince laughed as he shook his head in a helpless manner, "Her chances are gone for good when she didn't escape the first time."
With god's stone of retaliation on her body, she was not that different from any other frail looking girl.
Even so, Barov was not quite convinced. In the first place, he was already growing doubtful about the identity of the prince in front of him. The sudden change made him think that perhaps he was possessed, tricked, or even swapped by the witches. Only after seeing the prince could casually hold the god's stone of retaliation Barov tried his best to casually lend that he began to think the words of the prince might hold true.
It was so sudden he couldn't calm down and got the good grasp of the situation.
Looking at the Barov's back who had decided to think for himself, 'Roland' heaved a sigh of relief.
It didn't occur to Barov that he and Carter weren't alone in the train of those who couldn't calm down and got the good grasp of the situation. In 'Roland' opinion, his situation was far worse.
It just he simply had come to a decision during that five, long deep breaths he had before, and put anything confusing aside. But now it was settled, his heart once again beat so fast that he nearly suffocated.
Roland had died, and in his place, someone came and played the role of 'Roland'.
This was something absurd, and it was done in the middle of action too.
Looking at the sky once more, he wanted to cry but had no tears.
How did he even ended up here -- was his earnest question.
He was not supposed to be Roland.
He had a name he was more familiar with.
Chen Yan.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone