I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 45 Rejection
"So you are Miss Linda."

Avril smiled and shook her head in refusal. "It's a pleasure to meet you, witch, but I cannot go with you."

"why?"

Linda looked at Avril in surprise, her face full of confusion.

Avril was equally puzzled and asked in return, "Why should I go with you?"

"Because we are all witches, only by coming together can we stop others from persecuting us!" Linda said emotionally.

Avril calmly retorted, "But I wasn't persecuted because I was a witch..."

"That's because they don't know you're a witch yet!"

Without thinking, Linda blurted out, "Once they find out, they'll treat you like an outcast, bully you, and might even capture and torture you!"

Avril was puzzled. She turned to look at Alea and asked, "Can you do it?"

Aleya stared warily at Linda and casually asked, "I don't care about witches, we're friends."

"Hmm~"

Avril shrugged, indicating that she didn't care at all.

"Just because she thinks that way doesn't mean that the noble baron thinks that way too!"

Linda frowned and earnestly advised, "If he knew you were a witch, he would be terrified of your power, afraid that you would threaten his rule, and then he would capture you, torture you, or even kill you!"

Avril sighed softly, suddenly feeling a bit disgusted with Linda in front of her.

She herself was an aristocrat, so she disliked Linda's assessment of aristocrats.

More importantly, she knew that Rod wasn't that kind of person, and Linda's inexplicable assessment was very impolite.

Are all you witches this stupid?

Just as Avril was about to retort, a sharp, questioning voice rang out.

The two looked up and went into the cabin.

He was followed by Durant, Ryan, and two bodyguards.

As for Linda's companion, Lusen, he was already tightly bound and escorted by guards, a sword held to his neck.
Durant pulled out a chair, and Rod slowly sat down, staring at Linda and asking with a smile, "Is your head filled with candles?"

"If I didn't know Avril was a witch, would I have left my huntress waiting for you here?"

When the guards monitoring Linda reported that she and Luxen were wandering around the town and eventually stopped at the foot of the hill in front of the manor, Rhodes already had a premonition.

If Linda is indeed a spellcaster, she is likely looking for something.

What in the manor is worth the spellcaster's attention?
A wyvern egg, an extraordinary gem, and the witch Avril.

Having determined these things, Rhodes ordered the guards to protect the dragon egg and had Aleya, a girl, to guard Avril closely.

Rod had already spotted them when the two appeared in front of Avril's cabin.

"You already knew?"

Linda was shocked and momentarily incoherent. "You don't hate witches? You're not afraid of them? You don't think witches are devils?"

"If witches are devils, then Frostleaf Town has already become hell."

Rod couldn't help but laugh as he recalled Avril's ordeal.

The infamous "Devil Witch" was driven out of her territory by a group of people and almost lost her life as a result.

Rod's words made Linda clench her fists so tightly that her fingers even turned white from the force.

"You...you really think so?"

Don't you think so?

Rhodes chuckled and said, "A witch's ability is just a talent. If you consider someone a devil just because they are more talented, then I think that narrow-minded person is the devil."

"But the church considers witches to be devils and calamities!"

Linda's voice trembled, and she began to get agitated again, "What if the church finds out about her and tries to arrest her?"

"Ha, I'm in charge of my own territory, what about the church?"

Rhodes' smile gradually turned cold, and he spoke slowly with a serious expression.
"If the Church dares to extend its reach into my territory, I will chop off their hands." Even the supreme ruler of the Shattered Rock Empire doesn't care about such things; what is the Church anyway?
Rhodes will not provoke or loudly proclaim "I have witches here, wizards here" to provoke the church.

But if the church dares to come to our territory and arrest people, then we must do it!
"That, that, that, wow!"

Linda suddenly collapsed onto the bed and burst into loud sobs!

Everyone stood there, stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Linda seemed to have suffered a great injustice, and her cries shook the heavens!

Rod looked bewildered and somewhat at a loss.

I haven't done anything yet, why is she crying?
I was even planning to negotiate!
Rod turned to look at Lucien, "What's going on?"

"Woo!"

Luxen let out a sobbing sound, indicating that he had something to say.

Rhodes waved his hand, signaling the guards to remove the burlap from Lucien's mouth.

Lu Sen spat out the crumbs in his mouth and sighed softly, "When she awakened at the age of ten, she burned down her house and her younger brother, and then she was given the name of the Daughter of Calamity."

“Linda’s parents resented her and handed her over to the lord for disposal. The lord then sold her to the church and tried to humiliate her before the church arrived.”

"In her excitement, Linda set the manor on fire and used the opportunity to escape."

"To vent his anger, the lord whipped Linda's parents to death, and from then on, Linda became a scourge in everyone's eyes, a homeless wanderer, until the witches of the Dawn Society found her."

It turns out to be a childhood trauma, a psychological injury.

Rod felt somewhat helpless, and the others in the room couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Avril sat on the bed, gently stroking Linda's back as she sobbed, and whispered words of comfort.

After a moment of silence, Rod sighed, "When a sharp weapon falls into the hands of a child, especially when the child is unable to control it, it is indeed a disaster."

"But I believe that was not her intention, and we cannot conclude that all witches are calamities because of this."

“You are wise, Your Excellency.”

Upon hearing Rod's words, Luxen was slightly surprised and bowed respectfully.

Luxem didn't flatter him; he genuinely hadn't expected it.

At a time when the empire ignored spellcasters, the nobles despised spellcasters, and the church allowed witches to be arrested at will, a baron from the northern wastelands would utter such wise words.

"What the Dawn Society needs to do now is to do what was done in ancient times: discover witches early, protect them, and guide them correctly to prevent them from causing unnecessary disasters."

Luxem explained solemnly:
“Your Excellency, we mean no harm and have no intention of being your enemy. We beg you to let us leave.”

"No matter your purpose, it is not a reason for you to illegally enter Winterfell Manor."

Rod sympathized with Linda's plight and offered no comment on what Lusen said about the Dawn Society.

But whatever their purpose may be, Winterfell Manor cannot be visited and left at will.

That was trampling on Rhodes's dignity as a lord.

Lucien's face stiffened, and he said with a wry smile, "Baron, if you don't hate witches, there's no need to be enemies with the Dawn Society."

"You two probably don't represent the Dawn Society."

Rhodes stared at Lusen with smug confidence, "You've come to my territory to cause trouble. Even if I hang you, it won't violate the laws of the Empire."

If Dawn were to personally deal with the Imperial nobles, it would be trampling on and shattering the dignity of the Empire. I believe your leader is not that foolish.

Luxem fell silent.

He knew in his heart that at least half of what Rod said was true.

The Dawn Society needs the support of the Shattered Rock Empire and cannot afford to antagonize the nobles.

More importantly, the North was not originally on their itinerary, and Dawn was unaware that he and Linda were here.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Sen finally spoke up: "If you let us go, we will convey your goodwill to the Dawn Society and give you sufficient compensation."

(End of this chapter)