Chapter 6: The Crimson Queen’s Parade

Levi hurried through the streets.

He intended to head straight for the post station, eager to leave the city as quickly as possible and put as much distance between himself and it as he could.

There was no time to gather his belongings now. Having brutally beaten a noble as a commoner, it wouldn’t be long before he was declared a fugitive.

Yet, as he struck Camilla, a sense of liberation had washed over him. In the end, he had managed to reclaim a debt from her. Even if given the chance to choose again, he would likely do the same.

The streets were more crowded than usual. He saw pedestrians surging towards the next intersection, which led to the grand city avenue that traversed the entirety of Maplewood City. Already, curious onlookers were gathering on both sides of the thoroughfare.

A procession, bearing the church’s banners, was making its way down the main thoroughfare. Levi spotted cavalry riders, their figures towering above the crowds.

Usually, such a display was reserved for festive celebrations or parades winding through the streets. But today was not a holiday.

Levi had no desire to join the throng. However, the post station lay on the opposite side of the city avenue, making this route unavoidable.

As he neared the intersection, he saw a bishop within the procession. Standing on an improvised podium fashioned from a war chariot, the bishop was raising his arms and shouting fervently:

“By the glory of the Sun, may our army return victorious! The great Holy Church Knights are invincible! We have not only defeated the heretics who worship witches, but we have also captured the Queen of Witches! All of this is the will of God!”

Levi immediately understood. This was the Imperial Army, returning from campaign, passing through the city on their way back to the capital.

He recalled hearing news of an Imperial Army expedition last year. Their target had been the Starry Night Kingdom in the southern part of the continent, a nation that had, since ancient times, worshipped the Witch Cult—a faith deemed heretical by the Benevolent Holy Church.

Seductive witches, werewolves who murdered under the full moon, blood-drinking vampires, necromancers and undead who desecrated the dead, and heretics who worshipped demons with living sacrifices—all of these were considered abominations by the Benevolent Holy Church, requiring absolute eradication.

If it were merely isolated heretics appearing within the Empire and its allied nations, the Inquisition would have been sufficient.

This time, however, the heresy was an entire nation unwilling to submit to the glory of the True God. Hence, the Empire had deployed its army.

No wonder he hadn’t seen Jeanne at the academy today. Jeanne was an Imperial Knight, affiliated with the military. With the Imperial Army passing through, she would undoubtedly need to report in and assist with their arrival.

‘The glory of God? Merely an excuse for outward expansion,’ Levi thought.

The more he delved into theological texts and the history of the Holy Church, the more he perceived the stark deviation between its high-sounding doctrines and the harsh realities.

He had no interest in watching, but the sheer number of onlookers was absurd. The outer edges of the crowd and the entrances to the street-side shops offered barely three paces of width. Even the shopkeepers and their assistants had abandoned their posts to join the spectacle.

When the Knights had marched through this city last year on their expedition, the local residents hadn’t been nearly so enthusiastic.

“They’re here! The Crimson Queen!”

Levi suddenly heard someone shout excitedly from the crowd.

‘The Crimson Queen?’ He instinctively turned his head to look.

He had heard of the “Crimson Queen,” a derogatory title bestowed by the Church upon the current queen of the Starry Night Kingdom.

Church propaganda painted the Queen of the Starry Night Kingdom as an extraordinarily powerful and utterly brutal witch. She was said to frequently condemn innocent subjects to death based on personal whims, beheading them on the palace guillotines. The Crimson Queen reportedly possessed an irresistible beauty that no man could refuse, and she would bathe in the blood of young corpses to preserve her appearance. An artificial river, used for water, flowed beside the Starry Night Kingdom’s palace; while its upper reaches were clear, it would turn a murky crimson after passing the palace, sometimes carrying the severed heads of the dead…

Rumors of this nature were countless.

It seemed the Imperial Army had not only conquered the Starry Night Kingdom but had also captured the Queen who commanded its witches.

No wonder so many people had gathered. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the legendary Crimson Queen.

A heavy iron cage, transported by a war chariot, slowly moved through the crowd. Outside the cage, at each of its four corners, stood an officer wearing an iron mask. Levi recognized their attire as that of Inquisitors, affiliated with the Church.

Each of these four Inquisitors held a long spear, pointed directly at the center of the cage. This was to ensure they could instantly impale the prisoner within if necessary.

In the center of the cage, the legendary Witch Queen was bound to an execution rack. Not with ropes, but with sturdy chains, as if a wild beast were being restrained.

Levi, filled with curiosity, cast his gaze towards the figure in the cage. He wondered what kind of witch could warrant such extreme caution from the Church.

The Queen’s dark red hair cascaded loosely, yet it was surprisingly not disheveled. She did not hang her head like an ordinary paraded prisoner. Instead, she held it high, gazing straight ahead with an unwavering stare, as if inspecting her own kingdom, surrounded by attendants.

This allowed onlookers a clear and unobstructed view of her face. In that instant, Levi suddenly felt his heart clench. This same sensation simultaneously gripped every spectator present who laid eyes upon the Queen.

It was a face of such flawless perfection that, beyond its perfectly proportioned features, it possessed an intangible, soul-captivating allure. It was utterly impossible to tear one’s gaze away.

Levi couldn’t quite discern the source of this charm. Was it her temperament? Her aura? Or perhaps, more accurately… magic?

Legends claimed that powerful witches could bewitch mortals with a mere glance. They could command someone to die, and that person would willingly tear out their own heart.

Now, he suddenly felt that these rumors might not be mere fabrications concocted by the Church to frighten people.

“She looks so young. How old could she possibly be?”

“I heard she bathes in blood…”

“If I could just have one night with her, I’d die a happy man!”

“Don’t be foolish. A witch’s curse, even a mere touch, could make you beg for death and not find it!”

“But those are just rumors, aren’t they?”

“No, look closely at her now. She hasn’t even been changed into prison clothes. That tells you even the Inquisitors don’t dare touch her directly!”

The clamor of voices filled Levi’s ears. It wasn’t until the prisoner’s carriage vanished from sight that he finally snapped back to reality.

The entire main thoroughfare remained sealed until the troops had passed. This forced Levi to wait an additional two quarters of an hour before he could cross the avenue and locate the post station that would take him out of the city.

The loose change in his pocket would likely cover the fare. However, his meals for the foreseeable future would be left entirely to chance.

Not that he particularly cared. He was no stranger to such hardships.

As he prepared to enter the post station, a tall man suddenly stepped forward, extending an arm to block his path. “Stop!”

Levi looked up, startled.

The man’s eyes, like sharp blades, seemed to dissect him. After several seconds of scrutiny, he frowned suspiciously and declared, “Police investigation. Come with me!”

Security guards from the constabulary! Plainclothes guards were actually conducting checks inside the post station!

Levi instinctively sensed danger and immediately turned to flee.

But in that very turn, he collided squarely with another guard who had silently approached from behind. The guards had already laid a trap here; his mere proximity to the post station had drawn their attention.

The hilt of a sword struck the back of his head with a sharp thud. He collapsed to the ground in a daze as two guards swarmed him, pinning him down firmly.