Chapter 414 414 Sophie

Chapter 414 414 Sophie

Wolfe didn't let on that anything was seriously wrong, and many of the Witches in town thought of the sick relatives that they had at home. None of them were in the age range specified, but the Demon might have guessed the age wrong when he detected her.

None of them had a clue, except for one couple, who were becoming increasingly suspicious as they saw the Demon and the Elders walking toward their house.

"It's not her. The room is warded. No sense of mana can get in or out, and there is no way that she sent a signal to the Demon through the wards." The father hissed at his wife, with both of them doing their best to keep placid looks on their faces.

It was already too late for either of them to do anything. The crowd was more interested in what was going on around them, with the rapidly growing plants and the way that everything had suddenly become vibrant, healthy and green.

If they followed now, it would be proof in their neighbours' eyes that they knew where the Demon was headed, and if they went later, it was too late to stop him at all.

So, they had to think of something quickly.

"The Witch with him will heal her as soon as they find her, I'm certain of it. Once she does, the evidence will be gone, and we can tell everyone that she was mentally ill and locked up for her own good." The wife replied quietly.

They would have to go with that. It was all they had, and nobody could know the truth.

Inside the house, Wolfe walked directly to the closet with three padlocks on it and tapped politely.

"Pardon me, I am coming in." He gently informed the girl behind the door.

There was no response, but Wolfe adjusted the fingers of his armour spell to give himself pointed fingertips and rammed his hand through the wooden door, then ripped it from its hinges with a touch of gravity magic.

Inside the room, there was a young girl, barely a teenager, clearly malnourished and covered in bruises and scars. The Elders gasped in horror at the sight, and Wolfe gently picked up the unconscious girl after verifying with [Detect Hidden] that there were no major broken bones. She had either passed out from exhaustion or pain.

"Is that Sophie? That can't be her. Sophie was supposed to have died four years ago." The Elder muttered as she inspected the girl in Wolfe's arms.

"It can't be. How would nobody have noticed that she was in the house all this time? Her parents wouldn't have done that to her." One of the other Elders muttered.

"She's in really bad shape. Can I start healing her now? She's got bruises everywhere, broken fingers, a dislocated shoulder and more scars than I can count." Ella asked.

"Once everyone is certain that they've burned this sight into their memory because I get the feeling that as soon as you heal her, her parents are going to come in and call it a miracle recovery from some fake illness, then demand justice for whatever story they've made up about what had happened to their child," Wolfe replied.

The Elders looked offended at the suggestion since the people in question were well-respected members of their village, but Wolfe had a point. The fact that the child had been abused for years was indisputable, and once the evidence was gone, the perpetrators would definitely try to spin the story in the most positive possible way.

Ella cast a healing spell on the girl, wrapping her in a cocoon, and the room fell silent as everyone waited to see how the healing magic of a Second Rank Witch would affect long-term injuries like that.

"Don't worry, she can cure it all. Even missing limbs can be easily returned with this level of healing spell." Wolfe gently informed the Elders as the wrapping of vines dissipated, and the refreshed body of the girl was exposed.

"Now, should we go looking for the owners of this house, or do you think that they will be coming to us now that everyone knows we found someone hiding in their home?" Ella asked grimly.

She wanted nothing more than to mangle whoever had done this to the girl, but the village was their ally, and going on a murderous rampage wouldn't do them any favours.

A middle-aged couple walked in only a half minute later, doing their best to look contrite and worried, when Wolfe suspected that they were neither.

"Elder, I see that you found Sophie. That dear girl, her mind was broken in the attack that took her sisters. We've had to keep her restrained for her own good ever since." The woman cried.

The tears in her eyes couldn't hide the sly look, though. Fortunately, it was obvious that nobody here believed her.

The oldest of the Elders was the one to address the matter, giving the parents a stern look that froze them in place.

"If she was in such a desperate state, why was she not brought to me? You know I have great skills in the healing of the mind, but for four years, the village has believed that you lost all of your children in the attack." The Elder reminded her.

"You see, we just wanted what is best for our beloved daughter. Making her a public spectacle and subjecting her to ridicule and pity would crush her fragile spirit." The mother pleaded.

"I'm still not buying it. Nothing in that story explains the wounds we all saw. Do you think you can do better?" Ella asked the father.

The man shook his head. "Ever since she got her sisters killed, she hasn't been the same. She brings it on herself. The girl is out of control."

That was the wrong thing to say, and Wolfe noticed that one of the Elders had a truth charm in her hand, glowing bright red as the pair lied to her. Wolfe wouldn't have been that kind. He would have recommended that she use the spell to force the truth out of them, but perhaps that was considered to be too rude for the first stage of an investigation here.