Surging Crowds

Elysia was paralyzed, her thighs trembling. Noah, still desiring more, was promptly pushed away by her.

"Next time," she said weakly, "I'm all numb."

"Oh," Noah was not yet fulfilled.

"I was too loud," she gazed at the ceiling.

"It's a sign of life," he assured her.

"We need to figure something out..."

"What's that?"

Without a word, Elysia struggled to close her legs, wrapping her naked body in the blanket before falling asleep. Noah, who never had the habit of napping, decided to take a walk.

He ventured to the fifth floor where the potion workshop was said to be under construction. Delish was there, embracing Sara, whispering words to her. The witches' belongings were piled nearby, not yet fully set up. A steady supply of potions would be a great asset to the sanctuary, not just for replenishing strength and healing wounds but also for curing diseases and warding off calamities.

Hearing footsteps, Sara turned, her face flushed with panic upon seeing Noah. Why was her face so red? Noah wondered.

Sara stood up hastily, uncertain where to go, her head bowed in awkward unease.

"Ladies," Noah greeted them, "the sanctuary may be a bit worn, but it meets expectations, doesn't it?"

"Ah, certainly, certainly," Delish smiled. "Especially with such a strong master."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Noah nodded. "If you need anything, send someone to buy it. Times are tumultuous outside, better to be cautious."

"We have our plans," Delish said with a meaningful look at Noah. Sara scurried to the end of the hall, pushing open a window to gaze outside.

Potent potions, Noah thought, recalling the concoction he drank during his duel with Aeos that had doubled his strength. Even without mastery of martial arts, he had held his own, thanks to the power of the potion.

"I hope once you've settled, we can collaborate long-term," Noah said.

"How about placing Sara's room next to yours?" Delish proposed.

"That's fine," Noah shrugged, but what if Elysia's noise disturbed her?

"Grandmother!" Sara turned back, alarmed.

"It's for the best," Delish explained.

"Grandmother! There are people! A large crowd is heading towards the sanctuary!" Sara said anxiously.

Noah's brow furrowed, and he quickly crossed the hall to Sara's side, peering out the window. The streets were teeming with anger, a diverse mob marching towards the sanctuary—mostly farmers, but also many townspeople, carrying pitchforks, clubs, and any weapon at hand, striding towards the sanctuary.

Is it time? Noah thought of Ines's warning. The sanctuary stood out so blatantly.

Ready or not, here they come.

Noah reached the entrance in time to see Maden with a grave expression, an unusual sight on his face, indicating the dire situation.

"Ah... Lord, why is this happening..." Maden was uneasy.

Noah saw the mob surging from the streets, fierce and harsh, their pent-up anger and immense hatred threatening to bring the sanctuary down in an instant.

At least a hundred or two hundred people, dressed in poor simplicity, some in wool caps, others in cloth hoods or disheveled hair. Some wore hemp shirts, leather coats, or long cloaks. Some were clean-faced, others dirty, some unshaven, some bearded, tall and short, fat and thin. They were a mass of ordinary Lorman folk, commoners who would typically pass by each other on the streets without a second glance, now united in a menacing march in front of the sanctuary. They carried woodcutters' knives, pitchforks, clubs, stones, and flails.

"Close the doors, the side ones."

"Do I need to call for help, sir?" Maden asked, frightened.

"Just be careful not to let anyone slip in, I'll handle the main entrance," Noah instructed softly.

Once upon a time, I was one of them, Noah thought, standing atop the stairs, overlooking the crowd below. He remembered a similar incident in the past—a rumor that a woman in a nearby village had given birth to a deformed child, with a swollen head and tiny eyes, labeled as a demon spawn, a symbol of disaster. The villagers were unsettled and, in their anger, gathered to kill the woman's entire family. The kind husbands, honest farmers, and reliable neighbors became butchers who could spill guts without changing their faces.

"What do you want?" Noah asked coldly.

"You're the ones harboring demons!" someone in the crowd shouted, looking cleaner than the rest.

"You've slain the innocent!"

"You will pay for the calamities of these days!"

"You've defiled the gods! Die!"

Such feeble accusations, Noah thought. But meaningless slogans, repeated a hundred times over, begin to seem rational. They all appeared utterly convinced, taking the hollow shouts as righteous accusations, lies as truth...

At first, only a few people shouted, but as their voices grew louder, hundreds joined in unison, and Noah felt a profound unease. The clamor echoed long on the streets, spittle splashing on the steps, the tumult unsettling.

"Where's the evidence?" Noah bellowed over them.

"Do you dare let us search?" the same ringleader shouted again, "Do you dare let us search inside?" He repeated, this time with more emphasis.

How could he let this mob in? The sanctuary would be desecrated, peace shattered, and if the witches were discovered, all would be lost. They would surely be captured, taken to the temple for questioning, or worse—tortured, humiliated, lips severed, faces smashed with stones until bloody.

"The sanctuary is a haven for demon hunters," Noah declared. "I will not let you trespass."

"He's guilty!"

"There are witches inside!"

"The witches created monsters! Let's kill the witches!"

"We must end this disaster!"

Step by step, they moved forward, eager and ready to storm the steps and break into the sanctuary to search for traces of the witches. They were all eager, prepared to trample over Noah, to hack him to pieces alive. Noah knew they were fully capable of such acts.

"Demon hunters must die!"

"Kill him!"

"Stone him to death!"

Demon hunters had never been portrayed positively in traditional public opinion. For generations, they were viewed unfavorably by the masses due to their ability to use hunter spells to alter reality, often defying laws and public order.

"Just the other day, many like you," Noah said, "gathered in front of the sanctuary—seeking my protection. I sheltered them, kept them safe from the fear that has gripped us since dusk."

"You took money!"

"How dare you charge for such a thing!"

"Why couldn't you let everyone stay for free?"

"Damn money-grubber!" Some faces in the crowd were familiar, seemingly the ones who turned away that day.

They wanted to rush forward, Noah preemptively put his hand on his blade.

"He's going to hack at people! He's going to hack at people!" the crowd screamed.

"Demon hunter is killing!"

"It's terrifying!" The cries merged into a cacophony.

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!" The repeated shouting formed waves. They found everything at hand and hurled it at Noah.

Stones hit Noah's armor without pain, but he still had to protect his head and face. Sharp stones struck his arms and back of his hands with heavy force, breaking his skin, leaving trails of blood, and the pain drilled into his heart, making Noah extremely uncomfortable.

"You scum!"

The stones seemed exhausted. Noah slightly lowered his hands, and someone picked up a stone that had rolled down the stairs and hurled it fiercely at Noah. He dodged quickly, and the stone scraped just below his right cheek, cutting his skin and causing unstoppable bleeding.

"Got him!" the crowd cheered.

"Noah! Retreat back inside!" Ines called from the hall.

He wanted to retreat, but something was still unclear.

Noah looked at the mob.

"Do you hate me that much? Why?" he asked.

"My dad died because of you! You didn't watch that flying demon!" a child screamed.

"You keep demons in the sanctuary! It's evil!"

"It's eaten so many people! All because of you!"

"The pack of dogs must be yours too!"

"The witches are hiding here!"

"Why don't demon hunters go kill demons?"

"Let us in! Let us search for the witches!" the ringleader shouted again.

"Yes, let us in!"

Yes, that was their true intent. Likely orchestrated by the temple clergy, they incited the masses to attack the sanctuary with the goal of finding the two witches. How could he protect the sanctuary from this mob, which had already lost its ability to discern? Would he have to kill them all?

"Charge!"

Someone shouted, and in an instant, Noah felt his blood almost freeze as everyone began to rush up, responding en masse.

They would trample the sanctuary, burn everything, kill people, and trample on lives. The sanctuary that Noah had slowly rebuilt from nothing, was it going to collapse now? He felt tense, pained, and above all, angry.

"Kill them all! You're stronger than them! Crush the commoners!" Gladius screeched.

Noah quickly retreated, rushing back into the sanctuary. Kruis and Ines were there to receive him. Together, they pulled the heavy doors shut, locked them—the silver key was the only way to open them now, impervious to the ordinary mob.

The only way into the sanctuary was through the garden and the side hall. Dylan guarded the path from the hall into the side tower, ensuring no one could slip in amidst the chaos.

"What's happened?" Sara was frantic, the old witch close behind. "I heard shouting outside."

"Nowhere is safe!" Delish exclaimed.

"It's the same everywhere, at least here we have walls," Noah rushed out of the hall to inspect the garden walls. Thankfully, they had been reinforced earlier, topped with anti-climb spikes, otherwise, the mob could have simply climbed over.

They reached the side hall, Maden looking fearfully at the side door as the mob pounded and hammered against it, the door creaking under the strain.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it—" Maden muttered repeatedly. "What do they want?"

"Can you kill?" Noah asked, blade in hand. "We may have reached a point of no return."

"Kill? Them?" Maden was visibly tense. "I thought we only had to kill demons!"

"Sometimes I wish that were the case, but human hearts are deceitful and easily swayed," Noah said, eyes fixed on the side door.

Bang!

A heavy axe carved a huge crack in the door, and through the gap, the outside clamor rushed in, unsettling the heart. It also allowed a view of the vicious crowd outside, ready to surge in and wreak havoc.

"Ha!" Gladius was thrilled. "One demon can scare off hundreds of commoners, a group of hunters can kill one demon, and hundreds of commoners can drown a group of hunters—what a delicate balance of power!"

"You seem to be looking forward to it."

"Of course! Kill more people; I haven't eaten in so long, I'm starving," Gladius urged.

"Noah..." Ines hesitated, "Are we really going to kill ordinary people?"

"At this point, we have no choice," Hugo, who had just arrived, said, holding a new, plain sword without any decoration.

"They're just ordinary people," Kruis said. "If we must kill, then we kill."

"Aren't you afraid of legal punishment?" Maden complained.

"The law doesn't teach us to hand over our heads on a platter!" Kruis laughed heartily.

"With the narrow terrain here, as many as come, that many will die," Delish said, approaching with an angry look.

"Grandmother... oh..." Sara lamented. "Such a battle..."

Bang!

Another axe blow, and the side hall door was finally breached, revealing hundreds of furious faces.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill them all!"

"Charge!"

With the roar, the people were ready to flood in.

Noah gripped his weapon, his feet poised to spring into action.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Gladius prodded, heating Noah's brain.

Suddenly, a burst of dense hoofbeats sounded, and cries of agony from outside caused the mob, who had been ready to charge in, to halt in shock. They turned around to see what was happening behind them, and everyone was stunned.