Chapter 2784 Huyang Village Witchcraft Case (Ⅲ)

"Did these little girls go to the wooden house of witch doctor Granny Tituba before they got sick?" Joan couldn't help interjecting.

Conti nodded slightly, with a dignified expression.

"That's right, Saguna has inquired one by one. These sick girls often go to the dwarf witch Tituba's house to play."

"Tituba, a little old woman, likes this group of girls very much. She often bakes small biscuits for them to eat and tells them stories about fairies."

"Now, Saguna believes that he has sufficient evidence, and he has reason to suspect that the dwarf Tituba used witchcraft to curse the girls, perhaps in order to steal the girls' vitality and delay his own aging, so he told the sheriff about his speculation Mr Watson."

"The magistrate was taken aback by Mr. Pastor's words. He felt that the situation was serious and could not be delayed. He quickly summoned the militiamen in the village. Under the leadership of Saguna, the witch Tituba was arrested. A dwarf woman was also accused by Saguna of being involved in witchcraft and was also arrested."

"The news of the arrest of Tituba and others quickly spread throughout Huyang Village. When it was learned that they were suspected of gathering a crowd to engage in cult sacrifices and cast spells on the murder of girls, the whole village was aroused, and people were panicked for a while."

"Saguna and Watson interrogated Tituba and his henchmen overnight, asking them to explain the motives and implementation details of the crime. However, the witches and dwarf women denied the accusation, crying and claiming that they were wronged."

"Just as the interrogation was deadlocked, Sonia, the village druid, received the news and hurried back from the farm to the village before dawn to find the pastor and the sheriff to find out what happened."

"This Sister Sonia is a meticulous person. Hearing the ins and outs of the witchcraft case from two colleagues, he immediately found a suspicious point."

"Sonia pointed out that the people in Populus Huyang Village who have suffered from holy fire disease recently are far more than those few girls. Most of the adult patients have never had contact with the witch Tituba, especially the agricultural workers who work in collective farms outside the village. It is impossible to contact Tituba, but some people still get the holy fire syndrome, so it can't be blamed on Tituba, right?"

"Since there is no necessary connection between Holy Fire Disease and Tituba, we cannot insist that Mary and others' illnesses are caused by Tituba. At least there is no conclusive evidence to support her accusation. As for those involved in Tituba's The dwarf women in the sacrificial ceremony presided over by Ba, the accusations against them are even more unreasonable!"

"Under Sonia's insistence, Magistrate Watson also changed his position, thinking that there is indeed no solid evidence in this case, and there should be no rush to convict Tituba."

"Pastor Saguna still insists on his point of view, demanding that Tituba should at least be kept in custody, report the case to his superiors, and apply for sending special personnel to investigate."

"In this way, Saguna and Watson reported the witchcraft case in Huyang Village layer by layer, and it soon spread to the Cabinet Office and the Central Holy See in Fort Kolas."

"Patriarch Boris received Saguna's letter, preconceivedly believed the judgment of the young pastor, and angrily declared at the imperial meeting, 'The torture of fire is indeed inhumane, but some crazy cultists are not worthy of being human at all' !"

"According to His Excellency the Patriarch, the Holy See should take over the case and interrogate the witch Tituba's party strictly. Once their crimes are proven, they will be executed publicly and executed as an example to others."

"My mentor, Lord Tonya, also received a report from Sister Sonia. He has a different view on this case. He thinks that this incident should not be classified as a cult crime, and it should be treated as an ordinary criminal case and handed over to the police. , the Holy See should not interfere... Just as the two were arguing fiercely, His Majesty suddenly burst out laughing."

"What's so funny?" Joan asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty finds it funny. It seems that His Majesty Boris and Lord Tonya made a big fuss and complicated a very simple matter."

Conti stroked her long braid, trying to recall the few words she had heard from her mentor.

"After laughing, His Majesty said to the ministers attending the imperial meeting that the worship ceremony in Huyang Village is just a traditional custom of the local dwarves, not a cult activity, and the chief priest Tituba is not a sinister witch, at least Subjectively, there is no intention to murder the girls in the village."

"Your Majesty also said that the so-called 'Huyang Village witchcraft case' was a misunderstanding based on prejudice and suspicion from beginning to end. , immediately release Tituba and others, publicly apologize to them, and restore their reputation, young people should pay attention to the methods and methods of working in the countryside, overcome prejudice, and stop making such self-righteous mistakes again."

"Your Excellency the Great Patriarch cannot agree with His Majesty's ruling, but he will never go against His Majesty, and stop insisting on his own opinion after complaining a few words."

"Lord Tonya agrees with His Majesty's tolerant attitude towards the customs and traditions of the dwarves, but when the next topic started to discuss the root cause of the Holy Fire Disease, she couldn't help but have a dispute with His Majesty."

"What does Lord Tonya think of Holy Fire?" Joan asked Conti.

"She thinks that the holy fire disease is a supernatural infectious disease, which is probably caused by a virus infection, but His Majesty insists that... the holy fire disease is actually food poisoning."

"Lord Tonya's view is consistent with the mainstream view of the academic world. As for His Majesty's view..." Joan scratched his head. "Holy fire disease is food poisoning? This statement...is quite new."

"God knows why His Majesty has such a weird idea!" Conti shrugged and spread his hands, "Common food poisoning cases are nothing more than accidental ingestion of spoiled food or wild mushrooms, and it is unlikely that thousands of people living in different regions will be infected. People were poisoned at the same time."

"Indeed, taking this year's outbreak of St. Fire's disease as an example, there are cases from south to north, from east to west, all over the Far East. Patients from all over the place will never make an appointment to take the poison together. It doesn't look like food poisoning. "

Joan held the coffee and thought to himself.

"But having said that, His Majesty is not the kind of person who speaks rashly. Since he concluded that the essence of the Holy Fire Syndrome is food poisoning, he must have a good reason."

"The problem is that His Majesty can't give any convincing reasons... Maybe this is the revelation from the goddess of fate?"

Conti shook her head and smiled wryly.

"Even if it's divine revelation, since His Majesty insists that the root of the holy fire disease is poisoning, what is the source of the toxin?" Qiao An asked.

"During the imperial meeting, Lord Tonya also raised this question to His Majesty, and His Majesty said that the toxin probably came from... ergot." Conti replied softly.

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