Chapter 111
They quickly shook their heads.
If they had to choose who to believe between the two, it was undoubtedly Rubel over Magnus. Besides, they already knew Magnus was suspicious.
They straightened their expressions and stood firm.
Rubel didn’t respond to Magnus’s accusation and simply sighed.
“Why don’t you just pass out too?”
“You’re changing your expression because I hit a nerve.”
To anyone watching, Rubel’s expression hadn’t changed at all, but Magnus insisted on his narrative. He was the type to say whatever fit the flow rather than stick to the truth.
“Then how do you explain this?”
“Explain what? You disobeyed, and I punished you as the commander.”
“You pointed a sword at your own brother!”
“I said I went easy on you because you’re family.”
“Is that woman really that important to you?”
“Yes, she is.”
Rubel answered without hesitation, and the knights’ expressions wavered again.
They were confused whether to take this as a man’s declaration to a woman or simply as a statement about an important criminal.
“She’s my duty.”
Duty.
The word swept through the room, and they drew their own conclusions.
He must be talking about his duty to the Divine Empire. Yes, a woman couldn’t be a duty.
With that conclusion, their faces brightened as if a decade-old burden had been lifted.
Regardless of how the others took it, Rubel knelt down, grabbed Magnus’s short hair, and said quietly,
“You’re nothing to me. So stop calling me family. It’s embarrassing.”
With that, he knocked Magnus out. Rubel ordered the knights to put him back on the ship, adding that he didn’t even want to see his face.
“What about this woman……?”
“I’ll take her.”
The knights quickly retreated without further questions. As they left one by one, only Rubel and Eir remained at the edge of the cliff. Rubel finally felt a sense of relief and approached Eir.
Her face looked battered from the ordeal.
I wasn’t going to leave you behind in the first place.
He chewed the inside of his cheek, unsure what to do, and cautiously sat beside her, reaching out to touch her face.
Her closed eyes slowly opened at his touch. Rubel asked in a pitiful voice.
“Are you okay?”
Though her wounds had been healed by the priest, the tear stains and cold sweat remained. Rubel wiped them away, clicking his tongue in regret.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you behind.”
“It’s okay.”
She weakly spoke and tried to sit up. Rubel told her not to force herself and supported her back.
“I’ll carry you.”
“People will misunderstand.”
“It’s fine. They’re family.”
“Then where am I going now?”
“Well, you’ll come with me.”
It wasn’t an answer to the “where” part of her question.
Rubel knew that, but he thought the latter was more important, so he said it without trying to avoid the issue.
Eir pushed against his chest as if trying to escape his embrace.
“Why?”
“Do you still really think of me as a criminal?”
Rubel fell silent. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and finally answered,
“I know you haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, you’ve been brave enough to run away from your crimes, even though it made you an enemy everywhere. I think that’s admirable.”
Eir muttered to herself, “That’s not me.”
His words didn’t fully resonate with her, leaving a deep, unsettling feeling.
Rubel, unaware of her thoughts, continued.
“But witches are born criminals, and that applies to you too. It doesn’t matter what I think. As I said, the standards of this era don’t change.”
“And you’ll punish me according to those standards.”
At that moment, as if signaling an opportunity, a black rabbit appeared behind Rubel and hopped off the cliff. It seemed Chrome’s preparations were complete.
If she jumped off the cliff now, at least she wouldn’t die.
Eir glanced at the cliff, thinking this.
Meanwhile, Rubel frowned, unable to understand her words.
“Why do you think I’ll punish you?”
“If not, why call me your duty and take me as a criminal? Can’t you just let me go here?”
“Let you go?”
Rubel’s mouth fell open.
Was she seriously considering that possibility?
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