Don’t Be Holy! - Chapter 172

“What? Why are you here?”

It was a irritable and surprised voice. Eir immediately recognized the witch’s eyes, which seemed to slant sharply upward, and quickly surrounded herself with divine power to attack.

But just before her hand could reach the woman, the witch’s cry made her stop.

“It’s me, Chrome!”

She raised both hands as if surrendering. Even though Eir was no knight, and the witch could have easily countered her dull attack, she raised both hands as if giving up everything. Seeing this, Eir also slowly lowered her hand enveloped in divine power.

“Chrome, you say?”

“Yes.”

“But……”

This is clearly a woman’s appearance?

At that moment, the woman’s face contorted, and half of it revealed itself as if a veil had been lifted. On that half was the appearance of Chrome that Eir had always known. Black hair, red eyes.

In that instant, Eir recalled Freidis’s image and unconsciously stepped back from Chrome.

‘At this rate, I won’t be able to learn the magic circle even if I kill you. Who taught you how to break the spell?’

‘Right. Why am I asking? It must have been my stupid son Chrome.’

The conversation with Freidis that she had dismissed at the time suddenly came back to her.

“You can transform not only into animals but also into other people.”

Even after confirming his identity, Eir still showed signs of wariness, making Chrome frown slightly. But he didn’t seem to think much of it and took another step toward her.

“Why are you here? Were you captured? I told you not to leave the Shinote Duke’s mansion.”

“I was about to get help from the temple and go safely. If it weren’t for Magnus.”

“Damn it, what do you mean ‘if it weren’t for’? It’s obvious that the witches would bring you here through Magnus! That stupid guy has no other use.”

“You know Magnus?”

“Of course. I was his……”

Chrome’s excited words suddenly cut off. Eir could see complex emotions flashing across his face. Chrome soon chose not to speak, as if turning his head away.

“Were you Isabella?”

It was Eir who spoke the unfinished words. Chrome stiffened his expression as if a weak point had been hit and looked at Eir. But Eir didn’t stop there.

All the things that had suddenly started to make sense were falling into place like puzzle pieces inside her.

“That old woman at Grandma’s funeral was actually you too, wasn’t it?”

“Eir.”

Chrome called her name with a calm face. Perhaps feeling it inappropriate to have such a conversation while wearing someone else’s skin, he withdrew the darkness and returned to his original face.

Eir recognized the vivid wounds on Chrome’s face and body. Only the half that Chrome had first revealed was unharmed; the rest was covered in wounds.

“I can explain.”

But Eir hadn’t softened enough to be concerned about his wounds at this point. Nor did she have enough patience to be swayed by his claim that he could explain.

“So from the beginning, you came to me because you needed Grandma’s spell too? To use me.”

“At first, yes, but not anymore.”

“Did you know Granny?”

“I……”

“Your mother referred to Granny as her aunt. So weren’t you acquainted with Granny too? Don’t tell me you were the grandson she mentioned whenever she talked about going to the capital?”

“……”

Chrome fell silent briefly. The colorless emotion on his face seemed to answer her question. Eir bit her trembling lips, feeling betrayed.

Chrome stared at her intently, as if not wanting to miss even the smallest fragments of emotion appearing on her face, and then spoke.

“I know anything I say will sound like an excuse. If you’re curious about the relationship between Grandma and me, I’ll explain that first.”

“Explain.”

In her mind, she thought that she shouldn’t treat Chrome like this in this situation, where she had been captured in the witches’ den and Chrome might become an important ally, but her heart was boiling over with emotion and she couldn’t bear it.

From the beginning, while the life of a priestess itself had many aspects that could cause resentment, there were no instances where someone else betrayed her. Among priestesses who became physically ill just from telling lies, such things couldn’t happen.

That’s why Chrome’s betrayal, someone she had considered a friend, was particularly painful.