Chapter 107
Rubel moved slowly. In the distance, he caught a glimpse of light reflecting off a ship that had docked.
The sound of hooves pounding the ground and the sight of the ship made him think that perhaps, as Eir had said, these weren’t witches but people coming to rescue him.
‘I’ve never heard of witches riding horses.’
But then again, they might have gone so far as to use animals to ensure his death. From the witches’ perspective, he was undoubtedly a thorn in their side, so it made sense that they’d be desperate to kill him.
‘There are at least forty of them.’
He clicked his tongue and scanned the area carefully. In the dark mountains, the fires lit by the enemy flickered and danced as they moved around. Rubel drew his sword and prepared to ambush the group of knights approaching him.
There were three knights, their armor clanking noisily with every step. Rubel waited on the hillside for them to pass directly below him. When they did, he leaped down, landing on one knight’s shoulders and pointing his sword at him.
“Commander! It’s us!”
The knights, who had fallen to the ground, shouted as if they had been expecting such an ambush. Rubel’s sword, aimed at the knight, was enveloped in divine energy, and he checked to see if the tip wavered.
He was making sure this wasn’t a witch’s illusion.
Fortunately, the sword remained steady, glowing with a pure white light. Only after confirming this did Rubel lower his weapon.
“Did my father send you?”
“Yes. We’re relieved to see you’re safe.”
The knights answered with trembling voices, as if moved by the sight of Rubel. The knight who had fallen to the ground quickly got up, knelt before Rubel, and crossed one hand over his shoulder in a formal salute.
Rubel clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Enough. Who’s in charge here?”
“Lord Magnus…… is leading us.”
They spoke hesitantly, as if they themselves found it strange.
“Duke Andreas ordered him to find you personally.”
“By the way, there’s something we need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Lord Magnus…… brought a dog that can smell magic. It seems… well…….”
The knight trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
Rubel sighed, sheathing his sword as a headache began to form.
“Does it seem like the dog is detecting witch magic?”
“What does a dog even eat to do that?”
“We threw it meat, but it just stared at it.”
“It drools black saliva.”
They exchanged suspicious glances among themselves.
Rubel could tell that Magnus had completely lost the trust of his men.
If it weren’t for the fact that they were knights of the Shinote family, they might have rebelled by now.
‘What an idiot. Does he really want to make it that obvious?’
As soon as Rubel thought that Petro’s letter might have leaked their location, he immediately suspected Magnus.
How had Magnus managed to breach the Shinote family’s defenses and ally with witches? It was hard to believe, but if a cunning witch had persistently approached and manipulated him, it was possible.
Once that happened, it would have been easy to control him.
Rubel stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
The knights soon began explaining what had happened while he was gone. They told him about the fate of the support team that had been attacked with him, how Petro and the other priests and knights were safe, and how they had been searching for Rubel.
They also mentioned that they had found Rubel first but were still in communication with the others and would soon regroup.
Rubel felt the weight of his neglected duties rushing back to him.
The time he had spent playing the role of a husband on this island, happily passing the days with Eir, the witch, now felt like a fleeting dream.
Reality had returned, and with it, his obligations.
But then Eir’s words suddenly came to mind.
‘So you’re saying my life is tied to yours, and without me, your life becomes boring and meaningless?’
Her bold statement about the meaning of duty in his life, her pouting lips, and her dissatisfied expression.
And finally, the anxious look on her face when they had parted.
The face that believed he would return, more concerned for his safety than her own.
The knights exchanged glances as Rubel remained silent even after their report.
Was he so angry at Magnus that he couldn’t speak? Or had they done something wrong?
They thought he might be upset at how poorly they had defended against his ambush. They hurried to explain.
“W-we were told to only attack witches, since you could appear at any moment…….”
“Only attack witches?”
“Yes? Y-yes…….”
“The witch who came with me?”
“Came with you?”
That phrasing was a bit odd, wasn’t it?
Weren’t you kidnapped? Seeing the question in their eyes, Rubel found himself saying,
“Tell them not to attack her. She’s a foolish witch. We’ve made a prior agreement to cooperate, so killing her would be very problematic.”
“Understood. We’ll relay the message immediately.”
“Not immediately—right now. I said killing her would be problematic.”
“Yes, sir.”
The irritation in Rubel’s voice was something they hadn’t heard in a long time, and they all froze for a moment. Soon, one of them quickly pulled out a horn and blew the signal to cease all attacks. Only then did Rubel stop pressuring them.
But even after that, Rubel’s unease didn’t subside.
There was a high chance Magnus wouldn’t obey the order. And from what he had heard, Magnus had brought a dog that could smell magic.
It was clear who the dog would target.
Rubel quickly turned to head back to the shed where he had left Eir. The knights naturally followed, but Rubel bit back the urge to tell them not to.
Eir was in danger.
That much was clear as soon as he confirmed that the people chasing him were on his side.
Yet, for a moment, he thought he should prioritize his duty. That’s what he had been trained to do, what he had been taught was right.
Wasn’t it time to stop playing games and treat the criminal as a criminal?
But the moment he heard they might attack Eir, his rationality wavered, and he couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t privately possess a criminal? As one of the Twelve Lions of the Divine Empire, he was supposed to be more upright and faithful than anyone.
The thought now seemed laughable to him.
It might be right to do so when possible, but he couldn’t do it now. He just couldn’t.
Rubel realized he had already lost his rationality, using the last shred of it to thinly veil his actions and pretend everything was fine while leaving Eir behind.
But that thin veil had shattered, and now he knew he had to keep Eir by his side, no matter what.
Rubel hurried to the shed with the knights, but it was already empty. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but mutter a curse.
There were countless footprints. It seemed Eir had been discovered by Magnus’s dog and taken away.
“Is there any blood?”
Rubel shouted desperately. The knights quickly scanned the area, checking for blood as he had asked.
“No, sir.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
He genuinely seemed relieved.
His disheveled appearance when they first met him, combined with this reaction, made the knights feel a strange suspicion.
Was this really the tone of someone confirming the safety of a criminal they had captured?
Wasn’t he being too emotional?
Just then, another knight shouted from a distance.
“There’s blood over here!”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.