Thud-
Her head rolled on the floor, and her lifeless body fell to the ground.
“The performance is impressive.”
As expected, the holy sword easily sliced the witch’s neck. The sharp aura, which seemed to cut through stone like tofu, did not disappoint Shiron.
However,
When dealing with entities wielding unknown powers like magic or spells, one needs to be extra cautious.
“Where…”
Shiron kept his gaze fixed on the fallen witch.
Triggers activated upon death or some other pattern. He observed the cooling corpse, aware of such possibilities.
If the witch he just beheaded was a powerful entity, a spell or ritual would activate upon her death.Even now, blood was gushing from where the holy sword had passed. Her heart hasn’t stopped beating.
And then…
“…She was weak.”
Only after the body had completely cooled did Shiron finally relax.
The battle ended rather anticlimactically. The witch’s heart stopped, and no spells or rituals were activated. Shiron, holding the holy sword in his palm, surveyed the surroundings.
‘At least it wasn’t just an illusion.’
The scenery seemed to melt away. Shiron guessed this was due to the witch’s death, the dispelling of her magic.
“Shiron? Is that you, Shiron?”
Lucia entered Shiron’s vision. Her breathing was slightly labored, and her eyes appeared bloodshot, making her seem out of it.
‘What’s with her?’
Shiron took a step back, narrowing his eyes at Lucia.
Lucia, in this state, was dangerous. Even if he had wielded the holy sword, comparing her to the witch he killed in one blow would be an insult. Shiron recalled an image of an out-of-control Lucia piercing his vital point.
“Why aren’t you responding?”
Lucia glared at Shiron, her eyes wide.
Shiron felt an intimidating aura. One wrong answer, and he felt a fist, radiating cold energy, would be thrust into his face.
“Uh… I’m the real Shiron so… Hey, calm down. Ease up on the punch.”
Shiron quickly cut off Lucia’s words, extending his palm toward her with a reassuring smile.
“…Really?”
Lucia, arms crossed, stood a bit askew. Shiron sighed as if exhausted.
“How can I prove it to you?”
“Just answer a few questions.”
“Go ahead.”
Lucia licked her lips and clenched her fist, seemingly making up her mind.
“My, when’s my birthday?”
“I don’t know. You never told me.”
“…It is Shiron. Hehe.”
Lucia wiped her eyes with her sleeve. The slightly annoyed expression made it clear it was Shiron. The tension eased with the confirmation that he was alive and well.
As she felt relief,
Thump-
Shiron grabbed Lucia’s shoulder, making her flinch.
“What, what is it?”
“What do you mean what?”
Shiron gripped Lucia’s shoulder and drew close.
“I’m checking if you’re hurt anywhere.”
With a seemingly worried face, Shiron looked Lucia over. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lucia stiffened.
“I’m fine… Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
Shiron retorted, pressing her.
“I’m your brother. I have a responsibility to check if you’re hurt.”
“…”
Lucia’s face turned red. The intense gaze from the boy in front of her felt overwhelming as if it would pierce through her. Yet, Shiron pretended not to notice.
From an angle Lucia couldn’t see, the corner of Shiron’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
‘I need to break her spirit this time. So she won’t ever bare her fangs again.’
Even if the witch had played tricks, Shiron felt deeply disturbed by Lucia’s behavior towards him.
Their relationship had improved over the past year, and he had felt at ease. But feeling Lucia’s deadly intent firsthand reminded him of the possibility that she could kill him at any moment.
Shiron pressed down on Lucia’s crown, and she didn’t resist. Contrary to his usual teasing, Shiron was genuinely concerned about Lucia now, or at least that’s how Lucia felt.
Satisfied with her reaction, Shiron chuckled.
“You should act more like the younger sibling sometimes.”
“…Sorry.”
“That’s better.”
-Sir! Lady!
Then, a booming voice was heard outside the tent.
“Are you alright?”
Shortly after, armored figures stormed into the tent. The knights looked at the source of the scent of blood in the tent.
There lay a woman’s body, her neck slashed.
The knights were horrified by the gruesome sight. It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen bodies before, but seeing such a scene in front of those they were guarding was particularly shocking.
“Ahem. Good timing.”
Shiron cleared his throat to draw their attention.
“I thought of heading somewhere. Let’s go together.”
Camp of the 2nd Division of the Steel Knights.
“Sir Johan, what brings you here? And with knights, too?”
Captain of the 2nd Division, Malleus Garibaldi, personally served tea to the long-unseen distinguished guest.
Johan Urheim. Deputy of the Sky Knights. The right-hand man of Hugo Prient. Having shown his face annually at the subjugation festival, he was a figure worthy enough for Malleus to serve tea personally.
“Just passing through and heard you were here. Just dropped by to see how you’ve been.”
Johan greeted the old acquaintance with casual ease. Malleus just nodded to the teasing knight. Johan’s unexpected lightheartedness seemed odd.
“There’s a witch here.”
Suddenly, Johan spoke.
“That peculiar one, wearing armor, leading henchmen, and acting as a mercenary. Did you know?”
“Just confirmed it.”
Malleus closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.
“I’ve been investigating her for quite a while. But I only had suspicions.”
“Did you need evidence?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t quite understand. Why not just catch her and make her spill the truth?”
At Johan’s words, Malleus looked a bit puzzled.
“Are you talking about old times?”
“Hm? Interrogation, including torture, was a method you people used, no?”
“Ah…”
Malleus held his forehead, seemingly exasperated.
“That’s really an old story. In today’s world, taking someone and torturing them openly invites criticism. Do it wrong, and you can even get dismissed.”
“Huh. Is that so?”
“Back to the topic… In every city where she stays, the number of disappearances, especially of boys who haven’t even reached puberty, has surged.”
“Yet you only had suspicions?”
“Yes, given that she didn’t leave any trace of mana. It seems she used some kind of magic, but she smoothly left the city without leaving any evidence, which is why we had to keep her under surveillance.”
According to the reports from his subordinates, the suspect approached children from the observatory of the station today as well.
However, it seemed as if she was acting more to protect the children from their side. Her cunning ways managed to neutralize the situation, leaving his subordinates helpless.
“In any case, now that you, Sir Johan, have identified her as a witch, she must have left some traces. So, what proof do you have that she’s a witch?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have proof that she’s a witch. I only have suspicions.”
Just then,
A commotion arose at the entrance of the tent.
“What’s all this noise about?”
Malleus barked at the guard at the entrance.
“Captain, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
Both Malleus and Johan concentrated on the increasingly loud sounds approaching.
“Sir Shiron?”
Seeing Shiron leading the knights, Johan hastily stood up. Shiron greeted the flustered Johan with a smile.
“Have you had your meal?”
“Sir, what brings you here? And Lady is with you too…”
“Answer first. Have you dined yet?”
“…Not yet.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Shiron gestured to the knights behind him. One of them, holding a wooden box, stepped forward.
“I’ve brought a gift.”
As he finished speaking, the knight opened the box. Inside was the head of the suspected witch.
“…What the…”
“It’s the witch’s head.”
Malleus was having a hard time grasping the situation. Seeing Johan address the boy as ‘sir’, he had some idea about the boy’s identity. However, the head that the boy presented was enough to dumbfound him.
As he tried to process it all, Malleus began to sweat. The situation could easily make it seem like he had commissioned the boy to hunt the witch. If he was wrongfully executed for being a witch, it meant dismissal. He fervently prayed,
‘I hope this boy has brought some valid evidence.’
“By the way, isn’t there a reward? I heard that if you bring down those special ones and notify the Knights of the Holy, you receive precious elixirs.”
“Boy, do you have any evidence that she’s a witch?”
Malleus slowly inquired, his throat dry.
“Signs of curse energy like crystal orbs…or distorted fingers or eyeballs, perhaps?”
“Nope. None of those.”
Malleus sank into his seat. Shiron tilted his head at the unexpected reaction.
‘Is it because it’s real life? Strange procedures.’
In the game, whether it was demons, practitioners, or even the Holy Knights, if you presented evidence of defeating a witch, you’d get a reward.
“Doesn’t this head serve as evidence? She looks like a witch.”
He meant she was beautiful.
“A witch? Wasn’t she just an ordinary woman?”
Malleus was flabbergasted by the boy’s audacity. The word ‘dismissal’ flooded his mind. However, the boy’s audacity wasn’t of any importance to Shiron.
“Let’s do it this way.”
Thud- Shiron placed the witch’s head on the table and dusted off his hands.
“Today, nothing happened between you and me. Okay?”
“…?”
“Why are you looking puzzled? It’s creepy.”
Malleus couldn’t understand the boy’s words or his nonchalant demeanor. He had met many practitioners and criminals but none as audacious as the boy before him.
‘Could this child psychopath have killed an innocent civilian? And he wants to cover it up?’
Bringing a severed head casually, suggesting they pretend nothing happened. Among the street kids he had met, Shiron was the most psychotic.
It seemed a bit exaggerated, but the boy’s next words were the nail in the coffin.
“Doesn’t the Holy Empire have provisions like juvenile law or self-defense?”
The boy made a face as if it was a bit troublesome.
“I almost died.”
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