Chapter 69
“Forget it. I’ll go on my own.”
Sensing her distrust, the man laughed hollowly. His thin clothes fluttered in the wind, revealing the tattoos covering his body.
He tilted his neck and suddenly pulled down the collar of his shirt, exposing his collarbone. Eir frowned, uncomfortable with the unwanted display, and leaned back. He pointed to a spot below his collarbone.
“See? The root mark.”
“Huh?”
It was true. The mark that only witches were said to have was on him too. He explained matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I’m a witch too.”
“Huh?”
“What, is that strange?”
He turned his head, steering the carriage smoothly. Eir, without thinking, answered honestly.
“Of course it’s strange. Since when are there male witches?”
Only after speaking did she realize how rude she had been and flinched slightly, but the man didn’t seem to mind. He shrugged and answered lightly.
“Really? Well, women are better at it. They’re more in tune with shadows. But I’m not bad either.”
Just then, the carriage narrowly missed a pedestrian. Eir’s heart skipped a beat, but the person didn’t even glance their way or curse. It was then that Eir realized the carriage was invisible to others.
So he really is a witch.
Her wariness surged again.
“Are you really here to help me?”
The man answered casually, his voice tinged with mischief. It seemed distrust came naturally to him.
“That’s what I said. Have you only been deceived in life?”
“Then…… Did you kill that knight and steal Grandma’s body? To help me?”
Eir’s voice, on the other hand, was transparent, her emotions laid bare.
Though she tried to hide it, her disdain and fear were palpable, almost amusing. The man stifled a laugh and glanced at Eir as he drove.
Meeting his crimson eyes made her breath catch, but he spoke in a casual tone, changing the subject.
“By the way, I’m Chrome. You’ve been speaking casually, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself.”
“Okay, Chrome. Answer me honestly.”
“Hmm…….”
Chrome made a thoughtful sound, as if debating whether to answer or just trying to calm his own irritation.
Eir, still tense, kept glancing at the ground, wondering if she could survive jumping off the carriage. The man’s attitude was playful and friendly, but it felt far from genuine, as if he were hiding something. It gave the impression that he could turn on her at any moment.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed her, claiming she annoyed him.
But after a brief silence, his answer was…….
“No. I wouldn’t do something so terrifying.”
A clean denial.
Suspiciously clean.
“Are you sure?”
Chrome pouted, pretending to be hurt.
“I may look scary, but I don’t do scary things. It’s frustrating how prejudiced you are.”
“Then who did it?”
Without hesitation, Chrome answered.
“Rubel Shinote’s brother.”
“What?”
Eir gasped in surprise. Chrome explained nonchalantly.
“He’s incredibly jealous of his brother. When he heard Rubel was still alive, he was devastated. He missed his chance. So this time, he’s determined to kill him, even if it means going too far. He even teamed up with witches.”
Eir had heard about Rubel Shinote’s brother, Magnus Shinote. The inferior older brother. But there were also rumors that it was easier to stand out as a knight than in politics, which was why Rubel had the upper hand.
Having never met anyone from the Shinote family, who were central to the Divine Empire, Eir only knew Magnus by reputation. But according to rumors, their relationship was just that of ordinary brothers.
“Magnus Shinote is the one who’ll inherit the family anyway. Why would he go that far? Teaming up with witches is a death sentence if he’s caught.”
When Eir asked skeptically, Chrome calmly explained.
“Magnus found out the Emperor wants Rubel to inherit the dukedom.”
“Why would the Emperor do that?”
“Who knows? I’m not sure either, but the Emperor probably wants to get through this turbulent period smoothly, and there’s nothing better for that than a heroic narrative.”
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