Chapter 386 386 Unhappy Rebels



The quiet night had given Wolfe the time to refine the inscription on his blade to the point where it was giving off a palpable aura of threat within half a metre of him but not flooding the area with a sense of power.

He had found a portion of the Inheritance in the second-year group of spells to mask the emanations to some degree, but he didn't have the time to work on layering it with the attack inscription, and it wouldn't hide the sense of power, only of danger.

The spell was intended to mask the power of utility objects so that they didn't disturb the peace, which seemed like a noble goal, but Wolfe was far enough from everyone in the sleeping camp that he had been able to avoid that while he worked.

That pleasant silence was broken just after noon by the sound of approaching armoured vehicles.

It wasn't tracked vehicles, so not tanks, thankfully, but the sound was too distinctive to be anything but an armoured vehicle of some sort.

"Did you have an armoured bus out for patrol?" Wolfe asked, knowing his ears were sharper than the witches around him.

"Nothing. We're the first patrol. There shouldn't be anything of ours on that side. Do you think that the Grand Dutchies chased after you so quickly?" The guard asked.

"I mean, it's possible. But in all honesty, I didn't expect them to even start out until today. I broke all the anti-magic straps and prisoner collars on their captive Witches at once before I left. Even if they were tortured and dejected, that should have been enough to cause some trouble for the city full of soldiers."

A convoy of armoured buses like the ones that Wolfe had stolen slowly rolled into view, and a large group of Witches stepped out of the lead vehicle. They were all in black robes with Morgana Coven markings on them, but the old pattern, not the one that had been updated for the change in leadership when Reiko took over.

"Hand over the Demon Lord, and you don't need to get hurt, half breed." The witch at the front of the group demanded of the guard at the gate.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. However, I heard some really interesting things about how your lot has been treating Witches in the cities you are sharing with the Grand Dutchies soldiers. Who would have thought that after all that proud talk, you were just planning to spread your legs for a bunch of starving humans?" The witch retorted.

Those were definitely fighting words, and Wolfe saw both groups draw their blades, so he stepped out to join the conversation.

"Don't worry, ladies, I'm capable of dealing with any problems that come looking for me. Now, what can I do for you wonderful witches? If you're here for the prisoners, I paid for them at auction like anyone else. I'm not giving them back, so that's off the table."

That seemed to confirm to them that they had the right man, but it took a few seconds before any of them inspected him closely enough to realize how powerful Wolfe was and that his clothing was an armour spell.

They were still too far from him to sense that his sword had been upgraded, which was reassuring. He had intended that by the time they realized the blade was a threat, the fight would already have started. Keeping it in the sheath seemed to help dampen the effect as well, and it didn't seem to bother the Witches as Wolfe passed by them to reach the confrontation.

He stopped beside the gate guard to give the newly arrived Witches a questioning glance and waited for their leader to speak.

"The Demon stole a large group of traitors from the city. They are dangerous and unfit to live without restraints. Return them to us, and we don't need to have an issue today." The older witch continued after a short pause.

The Guard chuckled. "If they're so dangerous, then it's better to leave them here with us, isn't it? After all, you're Coven Bureaucrats, and we're the trained soldiers. Surely, we're the better option to deal with dangerous traitors."

"Don't say we didn't warn you." The witch declared and began to cast a spell.

The magic in the area flared, then her eyes went wide, and the magic died in an instant as Ella walked into the clearing at the road.

"Oh, don't stop on my account. But if you attack my Familiar, you attack me." She called out to the Rebel Witches standing by Wolfe.

She had used her own power to stop the Witch Magic of the combined group, and the ease with which she did it shocked Ella to the core. She knew that the Coven had been struggling for a generation, but these former bureaucrats to the Coven Council were members of Council families.

They were so weak that even working together, they couldn't overcome Ella's control of nature, and she could snuff out their Witch magic with a thought.

"So, it's true. The Snow Demon really was in the city, and he's got a Rank Two Witch with him." The leader of the Rebel group mused.

"I'm not sure why anyone doubted it. It's been verified by dozens and dozens of radio reports, battle reports and even the personal attestation of military officers." Wolfe informed her with a smile.

The Rebels seemed to be at a loss now. They couldn't win the battle. They had already lost when Ella suppressed their magic. They couldn't fight their way through to stop the Witches that Wolfe had taken from reporting the happenings in the city to the Coven either. Getting through a Rank Four Demon without being able to use Witch Magic was a pipe dream.

But they also couldn't go back empty-handed and tell the remaining soldiers that they just let them leave after the chaos that Wolfe caused in the city.

Thousands of people died after the imprisoned Witches went on a rampage, and it had taken all of the might of the Witches in the keep to bring things back under control.

Only, it really wasn't. There were witches hiding all through the city, plus many had escaped into the wilderness after burning a large part of the residential area down. The military leaders wouldn't accept excuses at this point, and the Rebels worried that they would be next across the Auction block if the army made a move.