<strong><b>Chapter 37</b></strong><strong><b></b></strong><strong><b>A Witch? No, She’s a Goddess!</b></strong>


    Richard watched the scene unfolding before him, his anger mounting. He drew the whip from his waist andshed out at the crowd repeatedly. He paid special attention to those who had been shouting to burn the witch.


    “You useless swine, trash, scum!”


    “You eat my food, use my resources, and now you dare to challenge me? Are you rebelling against the heavens?”


    The crowd, beaten and scrambling to avoid his blows, was terrified into silence. Those who hadn’t been struck with the whip stood still, too frightened to move. Once they quieted down, Richard stood on the stone-paved road and addressed the group now kneeling before him.


    “Let me warn you again! Everything within this territory belongs to me! Only I have the authority to decide its fate!”


    “Without my permission, you have no right to touch even a de of grass here! If anyone dares to defy me and speak of burning the witch again, I will burn that person first!”


    Terrified, the people prostrated themselves, begging for mercy. “Lord, have mercy! We won’t do it again!”


    “Master, we were wrong!”


    Richard red at them, tired of their stupidity. This was precisely why he detested dealing with these people. He’d seen this kind of ignorance before, even in the Duke’s territory, and it was always worse in more remote areas.


    “You fools never fail to disappoint me with your stupidity,” Richard muttered.


    “Now get back to work!”


    He yelled, and the people hurried back to their tasks, still too scared to nce in the witch’s direction.


    Despite Richard’s harsh words, their fear of the witch didn’t dissipate; they only held back their hostility out of fear of Richard’s authority, not because they epted her.


    Seeing this, Richard pulled Cindere into his arms tofort her. “Don’t pay any attention to them. They’re nothing but ignorant fools. You only need to care about what I think, not what they think. Understand?”


    Cindere, moved by his words, clung to Richard and timidly asked, “Then, what do you think, Master?”


    Richard smiled, “Didn’t I say before? You’re my treasure.”


    Cindere blushed and buried her face in his chest.


    A whileter, Richard summoned the foreman, Ali. “Ali, speed up the road work. Just pack the road surface lightly; no need to hammer it down as much as before,” Richard instructed.


    Ali nced at Cindere and nodded. “Yes, my Lord! I’ll give the order immediately.”


    As Ali walked away, Richard turned to Cindere and said, “Stay with the road crew. Once they’veid the road surface, just transform it into stone.”


    Cindere hesitated, worried. “What if they… after you leave?”


    “Don’t worry, I’ll be watching from nearby.”


    Cindere was relieved and asked.


    “Master, which direction are we building this road towards? Are we going all the way? Wouldn’t it be better if I transformed it all at once into a single stone path instead of doing it piece by piece?”


    Richard shook his head. “No, I want it done in sections. Even if the road stretches far, make sure you break it into smaller parts. We need gaps between the stones—these are called breathing seams.”


    “Breathing seams? Roads need to breathe?” Cindere asked in surprise.


    “Yes.” Richard replied, chuckling. “Breathing seams help reduce the impact of the road settling. They also prevent damage if a giant beast walks on it.”


    In Richard’s past life, breathing seams were used to prevent concrete roads from cracking due to expansion and contraction from temperature changes. Though rock didn’t have this problem, dealing with settlement issues scientifically was still necessary.


    Seeing Cindere standing on the road, looking unsure, Richard sighed and said, “Don’t worry. They’ll get used to you over time.”


    “Master, are witches really evil?” Cindere asked hesitantly.


    “A sword cannot decide if its wielder is good or evil, but the one who holds it can choose to be a hero or a viin,” Richard answered.


    “Then I want to be a good person.”


    “Once they understand your kindness, they’ll slowlye to ept you.” Richard assured her, even though he didn’t care about the peasants’ opinions.


    Time passed, and Cindere transformed several more sections of the road. Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind them. It was the schoolchildren, led by their teacher, Mr. Hinton,ing to help clear the stones.


    Unlike the adults, the children were fascinated by Cindere’s powers. They marveled at her abilities, eximing, “Wow! That sister is amazing!”


    “Is she a messenger from the gods?”


    “A goddess! A goddess! She’s a goddess!”


    The children were in awe, seeing Cindere not as a threat but as a miraculous figure.


    “Sister, how did you turn the earth into stone? Can you teach us?”


    “Yes! It must be tiring to do it alone. Teach us so we can help you!”


    Cindere nced at Richard in the distance and then smiled at the children. “You’re still young. Maybe one day, when you grow up, you’ll be able to do it,” she said kindly.


    “We’ll grow up as fast as we can!”


    “Growing up isn’t enough,” Cindere said, smiling warmly. “You also need to serve the Lord diligently and be loyal to him. My abilities are a blessing from the Lord.”


    She genuinely believed that meeting Richard had transformed her life for the better.


    Inspired by her words, the children pledged their loyalty to Richard on the spot, dering that they would always serve him faithfully.


    Seeing the kids’ innocence and joy, Cindere felt a deep sense of happiness. For the first time, people weren’t afraid of her powers—they even weed her with open hearts. This simple eptance filled her with pure joy.