Chapter 9

This is from Vil's perspective.

When I was a child, a stranger told me, "You sure can smile."

Despite being born in such a way, being the son of a witch hunter, and causing trouble for the aunt and her family who took me in, you can still smile so innocently... That was the meaning behind it.

I wasn't smiling because I was happy.

I was just tickled by the neighborhood cat rubbing against me.

I was fully aware of my situation.

The capital of Mistria was once attacked by a witch. It was retribution for the intense witch hunts, and the then King of Mistria, who led the hunts, was beheaded by a witch.

My father was a knight who had absolute loyalty to that king and was actually the leader of the knightly order that conducted the witch hunts.

The witch's anger was directed at my father as well. The strongest knight, who lived with pride, met a miserable end when his pregnant wife was taken hostage.

However, my father wasn't the only one who died in the witch's attack. Many innocent civilians were also victims. To the bereaved families, I was a very detestable presence.

If your father hadn't continued to kill witches, this wouldn't have happened.

Your father should have protected the people by resolutely fighting the witches, even if it meant sacrificing his family.

Everyone was right.

As a child, I had no words to refute them and could only live by suppressing my emotions.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I had a core, so my aunt took me in instead of sending me to an orphanage. Probably because I could contribute to the household expenses.

Selling my magic power was like selling my body, and I was always tormented by hunger.

I had never experienced the feeling of being full. While my cousins were eating large hamburgers, I gnawed on vegetable scraps.

My aunt was perfect on the outside, but at home, she openly discriminated between her sons and me. She constantly reminded me not to forget the favor of taking me in.

Even when I began to question my situation as I grew older, I could only resign myself to it. The days of endurance continued.

Gradually, I began to resent my parents.

Why should I alone suffer? If I'm not even allowed to smile, what's the point of living? The future held nothing but despair.

"Your father was not a bad person. I think he was a noble knight."

The one who saved me from this was a beautiful boy with blue eyes.

In the winter of my tenth year, I met him at the library where I had gone to escape the cold. When he learned my name, he took me to the book repository, which required special qualifications to enter.

"Since the founding of Mistria, only four people, including your father, have won the Larimade martial arts tournament three times in a row. He received many special commendations after joining the knightly order. He was an excellent knight, being appointed as the youngest leader in history."

No one had ever told me such things. Touching my father's name in the records, I felt a sense of pride for the first time in my life.

On the other hand, I also encountered terrifying records.

Old books that were not placed on the public shelves, detailing the true nature of witches.

They drained children and used them as experimental subjects for magic.

They bathed in the blood of young girls for beauty.

They massacred a noble family because they were not invited to a banquet.

Such records exist in all the countries on the continent.

"Your father only conducted the witch hunts under the orders of my grandfather. My grandfather seemed to view witches as very dangerous. The records here are over a hundred years old, but there were many recent documents about witches in the castle's library. I think my grandfather learned something decisive that led to the suppression of witches. Unfortunately, some of the documents were lost."

"... What? Grandfather? Castle?"

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot to mention it. Actually, I'm the prince of this country."

Prince Rain has been a bad person since childhood.

He said this after we became friends. No, I was also foolish for not realizing he was a noble from his appearance and behavior, but I never thought a prince would wander the capital without a guard.

After a while, the prince, who learned about my living conditions, brought a recommendation letter for the knight training school.

"Vil, would you like to become a knight? Your father was the best sword for my grandfather. I want him too. A knight I can trust absolutely. Also, I want to talk to my best friend freely in the castle."

It seemed like a thorny path.

Becoming a knight for the next king, Prince Rain, who would eventually marry a witch. The effort required would be immense, and it was clear that my birth would cause friction with those around me.

But I wanted to be of help to the prince. I wanted to protect him.

I wanted to repay the favor of giving me the strength to live.

More than anything, I wanted to know.

The secrets hidden by witches.

The evidence that witches are evil.

Thus, I aspired to become a knight, trained for six years with blood and sweat, and became the prince's personal guard at sixteen.

Thanks to the prince's recommendation, I worked even harder to avoid being underestimated.

Time passed quickly, and just as I became the head of the guard, rumors of strange incidents involving magic reached the castle.

It was the work of a witch.

Prince Rain and I, who had the same intuition, left the castle to pursue the culprit.

"Vil, take this. I think you can handle it now."

On the day of our departure, the prince handed me a sword.

It was the witch hunter, a memento from my father, Cross Obsidian, which had been kept by the Mistria royal family all this time.

"Is it okay? Do you have the king's permission...?"

"I didn't get direct permission, but it's tacitly allowed. The one who gave it to me was Sednir."

Sednir, who has served as the king's close aide for many years, is a kind man who always genuinely worries about the prince, despite being troubled by his tendency to run away. He allowed me to carry the witch hunter, saying, "If you're chasing the evil witch who is causing trouble in the country, you'll need it."

"However, he said, 'Be careful not to make a big fuss.' If my fiancée finds out that my best knight is carrying a witch hunter, she won't be pleased. This sword is to limit my actions and ensure my safety."

The prince said this with a self-deprecating smile.

He doesn't seem to have good feelings towards his fiancée, who was decided before he was born. She sends flawless, tasteless, and emotionless letters, never expressing a desire to meet sooner. He is clearly tired of this completely passionless correspondence.

The daughter of the savior witch, Aronia...

If I serve Prince Rain, I will eventually meet her. If she performs public duties as the queen, I will have to guard and assist her.

The thought of bowing to a witch one day made me as gloomy as the prince.

As we pursued the strange incidents, I became acutely aware of the ugliness of witches.

Slashing the faces of beautiful women, gouging out the eyes of children, and turning magical beasts into biological weapons by implanting explosives...

A series of incidents that seemed beyond human behavior.

Witches are indeed evil.

Most of the witches we captured either rambled incoherently and committed suicide or were killed when the guards were distracted. They were probably silenced by other witches.

When the witches became uncontrollable, I was the one who killed them. The witch hunter drained my magic power, and the intense hunger reminded me of the suffering I endured as a child.

Day by day, my heart became more and more jagged.

"I want you to smile, Vil! Smiling will make you happy!"

On the journey, I met a girl.

She had soft, pale green hair and sparkling canary yellow eyes. Her face was still youthful, but she occasionally showed a surprisingly mature expression.

This girl, Emerda, was a witch's abomination.

An abomination is a failed witch. Moreover, she claimed to have the ability to predict the future. It sounded unbelievable.

For a while, I treated her coldly. But she never gave up, ignored the atmosphere, and tried her best to make me laugh.

I was the first to give in. Before I knew it, I had opened my heart to Emerda and found myself smiling unconsciously.

She had a mysterious power beyond her precognition. Her smile made people feel warm and content. It filled my heart.

Before I knew it, I was following Emerda with my eyes.

She became more and more beautiful and dazzling every day.

I wondered why and suddenly realized.

She was beautiful because she was in love. Her eyes, which gazed at Prince Rain, grew more passionate every day.

And the reason I found her so dazzling was that I had fallen in love with her.

I wish I hadn't realized it.

I decided to seal my feelings early.

I couldn't compete with the prince. Besides, I couldn't make Emerda happy as a boring man like me.

I hesitated to touch her with hands stained by the blood of witches.

The intelligent and beautiful prince and the emotional and delicate girl.

I think they suit each other. They will be happy.

... I am also happy. As long as the two important people are smiling, that's enough for me.

The more I got to know Emerda, the more her revelations seemed to come true.

【The daughter of the red witch will bring ruin to Mistria】

Prince Rain, who believed the incidents were connected, made full use of Emerda's precognition and finally made multiple witches reveal the name of the mastermind.

Sonia Carnelian.

The witch who was the prince's fiancée.

The daughter who would bring ruin was this woman, no doubt.

The truth of the attack twenty years ago was also revealed. Aronia was not a savior. She was a wicked woman who drowned in greed, killed her teacher, and stole her position and honor. In the process, my parents and innocent civilians were sacrificed.

If this continued, the wicked woman's daughter would commit more evil deeds and become the prince's wife with a straight face.

... Ah, I hate witches. There isn't a single good witch.

They always take away the things I cherish.

Looking back, it was short-sighted, but I was convinced that if I defeated Sonia Carnelian, everything would be over. The situation was so neatly set up.

We approached the wedding ceremony to change the fate of Mistria, and then, unexpectedly, the ceremony ended.

Sonia easily broke off her engagement to the prince and instead requested me as her attendant.

She was a woman who made my spine freeze.

Her long, lustrous red hair, her sharp, intelligent copper-colored eyes, and her seductive, decadent aura that instilled fear in those who saw her. I felt the same way when I first drew the witch hunter.

She was the complete opposite of Emerda in every way.

Sonia's expression was always mocking, and I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Even when she was publicly condemned, she showed no anger or sadness, which was unsettling.

Her personality was even worse than I expected.

She didn't pretend to be nice in front of me. I told her I hated witches and threatened to kill her if she made any false moves, but she took it in stride. It was infuriating.

... But, if she keeps me and the witch hunter close to use us for some scheme, it's convenient. I won't do as she plans. I will thwart her goals, prove she is an evil witch, and save the prince and Emerda, who are in trouble.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Sonia is not someone you can handle, Vil. It's better to follow her obediently for a while."

After the engagement-breaking ceremony ended, Prince Rain, looking fatigued, said this. I had never seen him look so weak.

"Indeed, as she said, the alliance will not be fulfilled. Mistria may not fall. But she is definitely hiding something. ... It's just a hunch, but she has the air of someone who kills people."

I can tell, having killed witches myself.

"I believe in your intuition. But there's no evidence."

"I will find it. If she intends to use me, there will be an opportunity. Trust me. I will definitely help the prince and Emerda."

The prince smiled weakly.

"I'm glad you're worried about us, but you should worry about yourself, Vil. She might just like you and want you by her side."

"... What?"

According to Prince Rain, when he talked about me in the small room of the temple earlier, Sonia's eyes briefly turned cold.

"I think she is fixated on you, for some reason. ... Are you okay? In the worst case, she might want a physical relationship with you."

"Stop making such tasteless jokes," I said, but the prince's eyes were serious.

"It's not possible... It can't be."

"Why do you have such low self-esteem, Vil?"

Sighing, the prince said,

"Vil... Don't push yourself. You don't have to try to help us. Just make sure you don't fall under her influence."

I didn't want to make Emerda sad.

I couldn't respond to the prince's words.

It's okay, Vil.

The prince is just tired from the verbal battle with the witch.

On the journey, I was pushed against the chest on horseback, fed with meat, and forced to share a room under the pretense of taking care of a sick child, but it was all in my head.

Sonia wouldn't want me. Nothing strange will happen.

So it's okay... it's okay...

"I'm sorry, it took so long."

While I was holding my head in the corner of the room, a wet red hair swayed at the edge of my vision.

Sonia, in a black negligee, appeared, and my stomach tightened.

When she wore black, her flawless white skin stood out, and her good figure was more pronounced. Despite the lack of excessive exposure, the allure was overwhelming. The sweet scent of fruit, as if from a bruised nose, made my throat rumble.

Is she really the same age as Emerda?

How much care must she have received to embody such overwhelming beauty?

I fled to the bathroom. I doused my head with cold water and clenched my teeth.

It's okay. I won't do anything to shame my parents, the prince, and Emerda.

Witches are beings to be hated.

I must not be swayed by their appearance, no matter how they look.

After mentally preparing myself, I returned to the room.

Sonia was already curled up in the futon. The lights were off, and the scent of flowers filled the room. It seemed she had burned incense.

"Good night, Vil."

She closed her eyes, muttering, "Lack of sleep is the enemy of beauty."

I felt a deep sense of relief, despite feeling let down. It seemed she had no intentions towards me.

I sat in the corner of the room, wrapped in a blanket.

Thinking about it, I couldn't sleep with a witch in the same room. I should have gone to the tavern. It would just wear me down.

A wicked thought crossed my mind.

I could easily take Sonia's life now. We would have to spend time together for a while. Just thinking about it made me feel depressed. I could search for evidence of her evil later. Why not just do it now...

Unconsciously, my hand reached for the witch hunter.

"Vil, you should wait until we return to Cucuruj. There's a sick child in this inn right now."

The sleepy voice sent cold sweat down my back.

Everything is seen through.

What a terrifying woman. I can't let my guard down for a moment.

The journey to Cucuruj will be a long, gloomy one.