Doing his best to keep his emotions of apprehension from appearing on his face, Adam spoke calmly in a calm and leveled tone.
"I now remember where I heard your name. Bridget Bishop. That name appeared in the list of executions in the Witch hunt of Salem."
Bridget chuckled after hearing Adam's words, "It's pretty rare for anyone to know about that name."
"Indeed. Well, my mother has always been a fantasy nerd and she shared her passion with me."
"She seems like a delightful woman."
"That she is."
Adam showed a soft smile at the mention of Cecilia. She had done so much for him. Talking about her always made him happy.
He wouldn't mind if people called him a mama-boy now unlike when he was still in highschool.
"By the way, since today is Halloween, this conversation might be fitting. What do you think of the trials of Salem? Do you think witches are real? Were those people deserving of what happened to them?"
Adam could feel a certain edge in her voice that wasn't present till now as she talked about the Salem trials.
However, that wasn't enough for him to change his opinion on the matter. He refreshed his memory about the trials. A horrific event that showed the depths of human darkness, ignorance, and fear.
It was a horrible event where two hundred people were accused of witchcraft, and thirty were found guilty.
Among the thirty guilty individuals, nineteen were promptly executed. Out of those nineteen, fourteen were women and the rest men.
"I am studying to become a lawyer, you see, and I believe this is one of the examples of justice being ironically delivered in the most unjust way possible. Showing just how much justice can become twisted and corrupted by mass hysteria and isolation."
"Heh…"
Adam could see that his answer did not really satisfy her so he simply threw caution to the wind and spoke out his true thoughts about the matter without beating around the bush…
"I don't really know whether witches exist or not and whether they are really evil as depicted by history. But I believe all those accused and captured during the witch trial were innocent."
"Oh? What makes you think that?"
She suddenly seemed much more interested.
He shrugged, "Witches are supposed to be people who seemingly made a pact with the devil and obtained power beyond what mortals could understand, right?"
"Indeed."
"But logically speaking. If they really had the power to curse others or any power in general, how could a simple group of farmers manage to capture and kill them like that?"
A brilliant smile formed on her face at Adam's last remarks, "You are right. People can really be sometimes blind to the simplest truth. Did you know that Sarah Good, Sarah Osborn, and Bridget were nothing but kids when trials were conducted?"
"Three hundred years. Three hundred fucking years that it took for people to recognize and accept that the Salem Witch trial was a bunch of horse shit… Oh… My…
"*Ahem* Sorry for the foul language. I sometimes get too heated when it comes to this particular topic."
The last trial was held in 1693 but it was only in November of the year 2001, 308 years later after that horrific incident, that the Massachusetts legislature passed an act exonerating all who had been convicted.
"Still don't you find it funny? By eating the apple of Knowledge, humans lost their divinity and immortality but were bestowed a chance at infinite wisdom in exchange. Though I wonder where that wisdom has gone nowadays."
It was hard to see humans as wise when it came to such matters. They were nothing more than wild animals.
This was one of the reasons Adam never really believed in religion. At least that was until what happened yesterday. Now he didn't really know what to believe.
"You seem to take this very personally. Excuse me, but are you perhaps a descendant of the true Bridget Bishop?"
One of the reasons the poor people who were falsely accused were later exonerated was the constant pleas from the descendants of those people.
Adam thought… No, he hoped, that he was right about that or that her name was just a coincidence and she slowly became interested in that history.
After all, America had a population of nearly 400 million as of 2030. Surely there were many people with the same names. Even if it was quite rare, right?
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ Bridget's lips tugged to form a mysterious smile before she stood up from her seat,
"Keep this. Truly, it was a delightful conversation."
She gifted him a card, with a name and address on it, and after bending down and kissing him on the cheek, she walked away with a bright smile on her immaculate face.
Leaving a still-confused Adam looking at her fading back.
———
Walking out of the private area, Bridget calmly advanced towards the center of the bar where Yui was discussing with the other important members of this party.
The moment she appeared, all of them quieted down. This was how influential she was.
"Little girl, I must say, you are quite lucky to have him."
Yui was startled by her words, "I hope Adam was not rude. If so I must apologize on his behalf."
"Quite the contrary. I cannot stay longer for I have other obligations but my time spent with him, albeit short, invigorated these old bones of mine."
She approached Yui before giving her a card. One different than the one she gifted Adam. It was a more formal one.
"The academy is willing to help you out a few times and I will personally visit this place regularly as long as that boy is here."
Yui hesitated slightly as she watched that card being offered to her. Having the backing of the Academy would be a dream come true for her. That connection alone would be enough to fulfill more than 60% of the goals she had for the next six months.
But… She was worried about what this entailed for her and Adam…
"Do not worry. I have no ill intentions towards you and the boy. You should know how much I despise lying. I am simply very interested in him, that's all."
As she said those words, she couldn't help but lick her lips. It was an unconscious gesture, one she did when she was keenly interested in something or someone.
A distant look floated in her otherworldly eyes as her mind thought back about the boy and the conversation she had with him.
"Now I must leave. But I will be back as soon as I am able to free myself up. Ashley dear, it's time for us to leave."
Ashley promptly stood up after hearing Bridget's commands. She gave a cursory nod to everyone before following her out.
———
Once in the car, Ashley was looking furtively at her aunt, whose face showed no trace of being affected by the long years she roamed the earth.
"You are curious."
"Indeed. I observed him, but I saw nothing special in him."
"Heh. You stopped your training too soon and now you need to face those consequences it seems. Otherwise, you wouldn't be saying those words after seeing 'him'."
Ashley could only look away in shame.
Bridget ruffled up her hair as she chuckled with mirth, "I understand why you stayed in the mundane world and I respect your choices."
Then she mused, "How old is Luvia again?"
"My daughter just turned 19."
"I see… Does she have anyone she likes in particular? Or a fiancee?"
Ashley was not stupid, she immediately understood the intention behind those words.
"You don't mean…"
"I have no intention to force her or make her do anything against her will. Just know that this is a once-in-a-century or even once-in-a millennia opportunity that should not be missed."
"But …"
"Luvia is a talented girl. I will oversee her training for a certain period then the decision will be hers."
"Very well."
Bridget closed her eyes but a smile was ever present on her face.
She had wondered what her mistress wanted by asking her to take a look at that boy but now that she did, she was happy for the chance she received.
If she played her cards right, then she would walk out of this as one of the greatest beneficiaries.
'Truly, this world is full of wonders.'
After all, who would have thought that a new King would appear in this era?
(AN: Keeping the mystery ain't easy. I am showing some omniscient 3rd pov but I want you guys to slowly discover the world with Adam, which is why I am very careful about revealing certain things. What do you think of Bridget?)
Trivia: I want to clear up some facts. The 200 or so people, innocent people, convicted and the 19 executed were just for the event known as the Salem Trial which happened in the Village of Salem. That period in general was full of Witch hunts, throughout all of Europe and America.
In total between the years 1450 to 1750, there is an estimate of around 50k to 80k people who were executed on the charge of being sorcerers or selling their souls to the devil.
The sad thing is, those who were accused of such were generally widows or old women who lived alone or people in general who simply showed antisocial behavior. I guess they were the easiest targets. Outcasts and introverts always get bullied one way or the other, after all.
(EN: Am glad me and you weren't born on that period Red. Or it would've been game over for us.)
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