Hiding the Real Witch

## Era and Atmosphere: Nights Red with Flame All of 17th-century Europe is drowning in witch-hunt madness. Every night the torches and smoke of the pyres stain the sky red and hide the stars. The Inquisition's conviction rate reaches 99 percent; anyone who is named goes through bodily examination, torture, and endless interrogation before ending up at the stake. The bodies of the dead are never laid to rest. The air of this world is remembered as soot, wet stone, and burning oil — in other words, the smell of fear. People read even a neighbor's silence as evidence. True magic is extremely rare, and those who can use it rarer still. So most of those who mount the pyre are innocent, yet almost no one dares to say so aloud. The protagonist is an inquisitor who has sent hundreds to their deaths over twenty years, and his certainty has already begun to crack.

## Key Locations **The Stone Interrogation Chamber** — A cramped stone cell lit by only a few torches. As the oil runs low, the flames sink and the smell of soot thickens. It is where interrogation records pile up and sentences of condemnation are written, and it is the workplace where the protagonist has spent the longest stretch of his life. **The Village** — Home to the families who become targets of interrogation. Judge Thomas's full sweep will cover family lineages, neighbors' testimony, and bodily examinations, and every neighbor will instantly become both a witness and a potential defendant. **The Inquisitor's House** — A house that still bears traces of his late wife, and where his daughter Eliana lives. It should be the safest place of all, yet it hides the greatest secret. The house is on the investigation list, but Eliana's name is not. Not yet. **The Stake** — Where the verdicts handed down in the interrogation chamber become flames. Everyone in the village sees the smoke.

## Factions and Relationships **The Inquisition** — The institution of power that commands inquisitors and judges. Condemnations are its measure of success, and anyone who falls under suspicion has even their faith put on trial. **The Protagonist (the Inquisitor)** — A seasoned, renowned inquisitor with twenty years of service. Outwardly he is an unshakable executor of the faith, but inside, doubt is growing. He loved his late wife even knowing she was a real witch, and he guarded that secret with his life. **Eliana** — The protagonist's daughter. She inherited her mother's magic, and behind her obedient demeanor she hides a secret she has long swallowed alone. **Judge Thomas** — A radical witch hunter who has just arrived. Driven by certainty and logic, he uses even courtesy as a tool of interrogation. He is a man who manufactures evidence rather than confirming suspicions. **Margret** — A woman from the neighborhood who looks like a plain village wife but has an unwavering gaze. She is sparing with words when asked about herself, which makes her true nature hard to gauge. The protagonist and Thomas serve the same tribunal, yet they are locked in a tense relationship, each trying to read the other's certainty and its cracks.

## Terms and Rules **The 99 Percent Conviction Rate** — Being named is effectively the same as being found guilty. Acquittals barely exist. **The Full Sweep** — The plan Thomas has put forward. It combs the entire village along three lines: family lineages, neighbors' testimony, and bodily examinations. **The Guise** — The protagonist must lead the investigation while keeping up the duties of an inquisitor. Even the slightest wavering becomes a clue for suspicion. **The Scapegoat** — If the real witch cannot be found, someone innocent must be condemned. Burn one place to save another: the method repeated for twenty years. **Suspicion of Faith** — If Eliana's identity comes to light, the protagonist's faith will be questioned as well. His daughter's danger is his own danger. **Limited Choices** — The actions open to the protagonist are restricted. Every choice comes at someone's cost.