Chapter 71
The conflict was shorter than expected, and Eir thought she had misheard.
But with a hearty attitude, he immediately grabbed Eir and explained how to save them. Eir listened in a daze at first, but as the steps grew more complex, she focused and asked clarifying questions.
After a long explanation, Chrome grabbed Eir’s face and asked.
“Got it?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
His attitude had changed so dramatically. It seemed he didn’t care what happened to Eir and was just doing as she asked.
When Eir answered with a pout, he laughed.
“You look like you expected me to give a long lecture.”
“Well…… You stopped so suddenly……”
“I’m actually glad you said that. I came to save you because of Grandma, but I don’t like seeing people die either. That’s why I became a traitor.”
At that, Eir’s eyes widened. Surprised by her reaction, Chrome smiled faintly and asked.
“Why?”
“Well, you look terrifying, but you’re surprisingly kind.”
Chrome smirked and leaned closer, striking a playful pose.
“Really? Isn’t it just a normal, handsome face?”
His shoulder-length black hair, smoother than most women’s, and his striking red eyes—there wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t look mischievous. But he was undeniably handsome, so Eir nodded obediently.
“I guess.”
He gave her an enigmatic look, then turned away without a word. The faint, awkward smile on his lips proved he wasn’t too upset.
A while later, after stopping the carriage somewhere, Chrome turned to Eir and said.
“Remember? First, hide. Second, throw. Third, embrace. Fourth, move.”
“Can I really do it?”
Eir couldn’t help but show her anxiety. Everything Chrome had told her was unfamiliar. Moreover, while the steps sounded simple, actually executing them was so complicated that she doubted she could remember them all.
But Chrome just placed his hands on her shoulders and said confidently.
“Yeah, you can.”
It sounded somewhat irresponsible, but Eir wasn’t in a position to rely on him, and that didn’t matter.
Eir repeated the steps he had told her, not looking at him. Chrome’s gaze lingered on the bracelet Rubel had given her, but Eir didn’t notice.
Only when she realized his gaze had stayed too long did she look up at him questioningly. Chrome just smiled and didn’t explain.
As Eir tried to memorize what he had told her, she suddenly grew worried and asked.
“But after I leave, can you really handle it?”
In fact, Chrome had more to do than Eir. After she left, he had to escape with the witches while minimizing casualties.
If Eir had been given such a task, she would have been too tense to breathe, but Chrome just smiled.
“Of course! Like I said, their goal is to kill Rubel. Once they realize he’s gone, they’ll scatter on their own. It’s not that hard. Don’t worry too much.”
He even lightened her burden.
Eir thought she had gained a scary but decent friend and began organizing what she needed to do.
***
Meanwhile, Rubel was too overwhelmed to even think about Eir.
Hecate’s body had disappeared, and while chasing the witches who might have done it, they entered the Ezel Bazet mountain range. Suddenly, a barrier spell activated, and dark shadows began attacking them.
Given how difficult it was for witches to infiltrate this area, and the sheer number of witches here, Rubel immediately suspected an inside collaborator—likely the lord of this territory.
During their stay, the lord had made excuses to keep Rubel’s group from leaving and constantly found fault with them, trying to control them.
Normally, given Rubel’s background, such blatant disrespect was rare, but this lord seemed to have some powerful backing.
Petro, standing beside Rubel, also thought there must be an inside collaborator but reached a completely different conclusion.
“Was that girl really a witch?”
He was referring to Eir.
Rubel was too stunned to speak and simply drew his sword.
Eir was still under his surveillance, and while she had sent suspiciously many letters, she wasn’t completely beyond suspicion.
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