Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etude

Liszt was cautiously peering out of the window, observing the people outside speaking in Horn Bay language, their torches flickering in the dark.

He had crammed Horn Bay language for over a month before boarding the ship and could vaguely understand some of what was being said.

It was mostly orders like “Guard the door well” and “Don’t let anyone out.”

How could anyone sleep in such a situation?

He wanted to discuss the current state of affairs with his companion, who was staying in another room. Hurriedly, he dashed out of his door.

Upon exiting, he found several people in the corridor, including the companion he was looking for.

“What’s going on?”

“I have no idea either!” his companion replied, equally clueless.

A person dressed as a waiter ran up the stairs, shouting, “Dear guests! Dear guests! Please, do not wander around!”

“It’s the Church’s Purification Squad that has sent people! Everyone, stay put.”

Purification Squad? What was that?

Liszt, new to the area, was clueless, but the people around him reacted with changed expressions.

“A wizard? Is there a wizard hiding in this inn?”

Someone screamed in terror, causing chaos in the corridor!

The waiter, with a somber face, said, “Dear guests, it’s best you return to your rooms and stay there. The Church’s people will leave once they find who they are looking for.”

His casual words were betrayed by the expression on his face, indicating that the situation was anything but simple.

The mention of a wizard and the waiter’s reference to the Church made Liszt realize what was happening. The so-called Purification Squad was an entity he had just become aware of.

Before coming here, he had done his homework and knew about the rising “Witch Hunt Movement” in the Horn Bay region, growing more intense by the day.

For Liszt and his generation from the Northwest, the “Witch Hunt Movement” was a term from ancient tales, never expected to be experienced firsthand so far from home. ℝ

“I really want to see a real witch from the legends, huh?”

He said this out of curiosity.

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Immediately, a person nearby turned pale.

“Hey! From your words, did you come from the North, from the Kingdom of Ordo?”

He had understood Liszt’s words.

“You ignorant fellow, witch hunting is no laughing matter!”

As they were standing in a corner, the man looked around to ensure no one was paying attention, then whispered with his hand covering his mouth, “Whether witches or the Purification Squad, they are terrifying for us ordinary folk.”

“Oh? How so? Shouldn’t the Church’s people protect us from the harm of witches and wizards?”

“Ah… it’s a long story,” the other sighed with a sense of helplessness. “At the beginning, it was indeed so, but then it gradually changed.”

“This…” Liszt wanted to inquire further.

“Enough talk, speaking more will only bring trouble. Just go back to your room and stay put. When the Purification Squad comes, do as they say without resistance,” the man said hastily before leaving.

Liszt looked around the empty corridor, then exchanged a look with his companion. With a troubled heart, they headed to their room, no longer curious to catch a glimpse of a real witch.

“Is this bad luck or a stroke of fortune?” he mumbled to himself, closing the door.

As a foreigner, he should be safe, right?

He clung to this thought until he felt a cold sensation on his neck.

“Stay still and don’t move, or my knife won’t recognize you!” A cold female voice came from behind Liszt.

“You… you… who are you?” Liszt’s heart raced with fear, realizing that this woman must have sneaked into his room amidst the chaos.

“Speak softly. Just cooperate and don’t ask unnecessary questions!”

Her voice was filled with a chilling sternness, the dagger pressed against his neck tightening slightly.

“Alright, alright! Ma’am, I’ll cooperate with you.”

With his life in someone else’s hands, Liszt hastily agreed.

They stood near the door, and soon, they could hear disordered footsteps outside.

There was a loud bang – the sound of the door being kicked open.

“Where are they?” someone outside shouted in frustration.

Then came the sound of things being thrown around; it seemed the room was being turned upside down.

“The hell! Where are the people from this room?” A rough, gruff voice demanded.

“Sir, I… I really don’t know!” It was the voice of the waiter from before.

“Dare to deceive our Purification Squad, and you’ll not have a good end. You and your boss will end up on the pyre!”

The rough voice threatened.

“Sir, we truly don’t know, he did stay in this room!”

The waiter’s voice was now filled with a cry, and it seemed like he knelt down.

“I’ll describe our target again: male, around 1.6 meters tall, with black long hair. Think carefully, did he indeed stay here?”

“Yes, sir, I’m sure he stayed in this room. And I haven’t seen him come down since he went upstairs.”

“Sir, what should we do?” The rough voice lowered a bit, seemingly consulting someone of higher authority.

“Hmph!” A snide voice responded. “With all the commotion you brutes have caused, that guy must have noticed by now. Search every room!”

“But sirs, that’s not right!” the waiter pleaded. “If we disturb the other guests, our business will…”

A loud slap followed. “Shut up! Keep talking, and we’ll take you away too.”

Then the waiter’s voice was no longer heard.

Another loud bang as another door was kicked open, followed by the terrified voice of a guest.

“Ordo man!” The dagger at Liszt’s neck shifted, and he, focused intently on the noises outside, quickly regained his composure.

“Ma’am… what should I do?”

“When someone comes in, you say… say…” The woman behind him seemed to be hesitating.

Finally, as if making a significant decision, she said, “Say I’m your companion you brought back from Flower Street.”

“Huh?”

Liszt felt overwhelmed. He had heard about the so-called “Flower Street” in Fort Ness from his companions on the ship.

It was a place many men longed to visit.

“This… Ma’am, why go through all this? They aren’t looking for you, are they?”

As the Purification Squad described their search for a man, Liszt thought to himself.

“Shut up, you know nothing! Just do as I say!”

The knife at his neck pressed tighter, frightening Liszt into agreeing immediately.

With another loud bang, the next door was forced open.

“Suspicious person, take him away!”

“Why are you arresting me? I’m not a witch! I’m not a witch!”

“In the middle of the night, why are you fully dressed, and also with black hair? If you’re not suspicious, who is? Take him away!”

“I’m innocent, I’m innocent, the waiter can vouch for me.”

The guest’s cries of injustice seemed futile, and from the sound of it, he was dragged away.

“Hehehe! These ‘loot’ will be confiscated too, pack everything and take it away.”

“Ha, didn’t expect such a small inn to house such a wealthy person.”

“Next one, next one, every suspicious person must be thoroughly checked.”

As they approached his room, Liszt thought this might be an opportunity, a chance to get rid of the menacing woman behind him.

It was outrageous to use his life as a threat, he planned to seek help from the Church’s people.

“Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking,” the woman behind him suddenly spoke.

“Ah? I’m not thinking anything!” Liszt felt guilty, realizing she might have sensed his thoughts.

Suddenly, a small hand pressed against his mouth, inserting something round.

“Swallow it!” the woman commanded.

How cruel! Liszt cursed in his mind, forced to ingest poison, then to be blackmailed with an antidote.

“Swallow it now!”

“I’m swallowing, isn’t that enough?” he said, tears in his eyes, and gulped down the pill.

It tasted sweet – the poison was disguised as candy. Witches truly are evil, just as the old folks said.

Now he was certain, the woman behind him was the witch the Purification Squad was searching for, likely disguised as a man to sneak into the inn. Why else would she be so alarmed by the search?

After swallowing the pill, the dagger at his neck was withdrawn. Now, she could manipulate him at will.

Liszt turned to see the witch who had humiliated him.

By the moonlight, he saw her face clearly – about in her early twenties, with chestnut-colored ear-length hair. Hmm… although her eyes were filled with fierceness, she was quite beautiful.

Dismissing the possibility of her being a disguised female companion, her height matched, but the hair color and style…

Right, she must have some secretive means, being a witch.