The Warden of the Witches Chapter 192

 Chapter 192 - People Cannot Choose Their Parents

    Noon, at the railway entrance of the abandoned village.


    This is the flattest road leading to the abandoned mine. The village, built within the mountain, is surrounded by rocky cliffs, and most of the houses are built on the slopes.


    At the railway checkpoint entering the village, two nuns armed with shotguns stood guard.


    There was nothing unusual until a strange sound came along the track. It sounded like someone was grinding a steel saw on the rail, and the noise was getting closer.


    The nuns on either side of the track exchanged glances, confirming that it wasn't just their imagination.


    They both looked outwards, their eyes following the track to its end.


    Finally, about a hundred meters away, they spotted a mass covering the rail, looking like someone had dug up a box of soil and dumped it on the tracks.


    But eerily, this pile of "soil" was silver, reflecting a dazzling light under the sun.


    The strange sound was coming from there, and no one knew when that pile had appeared.


    The two nuns picked up their shotguns simultaneously and walked towards the mass.


    When they were about twenty meters away, one of the nuns raised her gun and fired at the heap.


    She was using a demon-devouring bullet, which was quite effective against spellcasters, magical beast, and even targets influenced by magic.


    However, the strange mass showed no reaction upon being hit, the demon-devouring bullet having no effect, as if it had vanished into thin air.


    The two nuns grew increasingly puzzled. One remained on guard while the other stepped forward to investigate.


    Just as the nun approached, the silver mass suddenly "came to life." It sprang up like a wild beast and lunged at her.


    The nun had not expected the mass to move after taking a demon-devouring bullet and was slightly slow to react. Nevertheless, she still had enough time to dodge.


    But as she instinctively began to retreat, a thin tendril extended from her shadow, wrapping around her ankle and causing her to lose balance.


    The mercury alloy golem enveloped the nun, quickly sprouting hardened spikes that pierced through her body.


    Aiden watched silently from the shadows. This was his idea—using the mercury ball to approach the railway entrance, drawing the guarding nuns out into their ambush.


   From outside to this railway entrance, there were over a hundred meters with no cover, making a direct charge too reckless.


    The merciless hunting technique of the mercury alloy golem wasn’t something Aiden had taught it; it inherently possessed this ability. This was due to Abigail’s divine words, which endowed it with life instincts. In other words, this behavior pattern, along with its easily domesticated nature, was something Abigail had written into its "program."


    Aiden couldn't fathom the witch's taste. This scene reminded him of a torture device called the "Iron Maiden" from the history of his previous world, a tool recorded as being used to execute heretics and in witch hunts.


    The other nun raised her gun and fired repeatedly at the mercury alloy golem, disregarding the possibility of hitting her companion.


    Her attention was entirely on the golem, so she didn't notice the turmoil in her shadow.


    "【I'm overwhelmed, my shadow, lend me a few hands.】"


    With Dailey's incantation, black tendrils extended from the nun's shadow, wrapping around her like a hunting python and quickly tightening. The power of the shadow demon surpassed that of a real python, and easily capable of breaking bones.


    However, the nun suddenly let out a powerful roar, like that of a lion or tiger, and tensed her entire body, using brute strength to resist the tendrils.


    Aiden noticed faint tiger-like stripes appearing on the nun's face under her veil, and he was surprised.


    Though not very obvious, these were clearly the traits of a tiger person. His prison held a tiger person captive.


    Tiger people, afflicted by the same curse as werewolves, had more stable symptoms than werewolves. They wouldn't lose control under a full moon but didn't reach the same peak strength as a berserk werewolf.


    Aiden recalled that the Bountifull Mother Goddess cult employed a hunter who was a tiger-man.


    He quickly realized what had happened—the cult had used biological material from the tiger-man and fused it with the nuns. By employing the powers of "reproduction" and "evolution," they ensured subsequent generations carried these traits.


    To conquer the Sabbath Forest, they had been tirelessly enhancing the combat capabilities of these "worker bees."


    "【Let your soul immerse in the lake, drifting with the waves.】"


    Priscilla emerged from her hiding spot and, while the nun was struggling, strode closer and cast a hypnotic spell. Offensive mental spells are rarely effective from a distance.


    The nun's eyes went blank, and her consciousness momentarily stripped away. In that instant, her body relaxed, allowing the shadow demon to seize the opportunity to coil around her neck, swiftly snapping it and ending her life.


    Only then did Aiden and Veronica step out from behind the rocky outcrop. Dailey had already laid down the nun's body, and the mercury alloy golem spat out the thoroughly perforated nun—it wasn't interested in anything non-metallic.


    "These homonculus truly lack any consciousness," Veronica remarked, shaking her head. She had witnessed the nun unhesitatingly fire at her companion, acting no differently than the golem Vera created, which simply followed orders.


    "The Bountifull Mother Goddess has already been classified by the Inquisition as a heretical cult that needs to be eradicated. Engaging armed members with lethal force is permissible," Aiden replied, glancing at her. "Trying to get them to surrender is pointless. They are born no different from puppets; there's no need to pity them."


    "I understand," Veronica said, her face expressionless. "It's just a bit sad, knowing they were born without any chance, worse off than the prisoners."


    Aiden paused slightly at these words, recognizing that Veronica was reminded of prisoners like Carmilla and Evangeline, who had turned to crime due to their upbringing. From Aiden's own extensive work experience across two lifetimes, he knew there were many such prisoner.


    "People can't choose their birth or parents, it's an unavoidable reality," Aiden said simply. "Let's go."


    He shifted his focus to the upcoming battle. Compared to when the Inquisition had raided them, the average combat strength of the Bountifull Mother Goddess had significantly increased.


    To join forces with the Witch gathering in besieging Father Bales, they first needed to eliminate these dangerous "worker bees."


    He hoped that Lamia, who had claimed she would personally handle the "fodder," would have success. Of course, even if things didn't go smoothly, as long as she could keep the situation under control, that would be enough.


    As for the rest... he could only hope that the witches wouldn't betray him at a critical moment.