Chapter 17 – The Targeted Witch
The next day, I was alone in the gazebo in the palace garden, drinking tea. And I was fretting over something that couldn’t be helped.
“Haa, why is Emperor Eckardt so handsome?”
It’s a problem that even I, who thought I was done with romance after my long engagement with Hubert fell apart, find myself drawn to his charm. Is there nothing to be done about it?
If it were just his unparalleled beauty, that would be one thing, but his inner character is handsome too, so I can’t find a way to resist.
He has a good face. A good voice. He’s capable, a splendid leader, manly, and compassionate.
“Ahhh, where on earth is his flaw!?”
I slumped onto the table and groaned.
I’m not made of stone or wood, so when I see a handsome man, I think he’s cool, and when he acts gallantly, I think it’s wonderful.
The only saving grace is that he dislikes me, but lately, I feel like the intensity of that dislike has weakened. And, true to his handsome nature, he shows me behavior that seems almost seductive, even though he finds me undesirable.
Emperor Eckardt was particularly terrible last night. He might be acting without deep meaning, but partly because I’m not used to it, I get tossed about by his every move.
If he does things like that, it wouldn’t be strange if I misunderstood and started to have feelings for him, would it?
Or is that little bit of action like a greeting for beastmen, and I’m just overreacting?
“I’ve prepared myself for various things since I’m marrying as compensation for my brother’s blunder, but being stared at with seductive eyes by a supreme handsome man and told tempting things was unexpected. Even I’m starting to sway…”
Haa, maybe I’m easy when it comes to romance?
Realizing my unfortunate trait, I let out a big sigh, when suddenly, a chilling sensation ran down my back.
“Eh?”
My spine shivered when Emperor Eckardt stared at me from close range too, but this is a fear of a different nature.
Or rather, just as I thought this is a sensation I was familiar with back home, a grotesque creature peeked out from between the trees.
I gasped.
It’s a monster.
Seeing a figure I had seen countless times in my homeland reminded me of Sigmund saying the ancient ruins beneath the palace were connected to a labyrinth. And that monsters live in labyrinths.
Although there were no ancient ruins in my homeland, there were multiple labyrinths. And since monsters always existed in labyrinths, dealing with them was entrusted to me, who oversaw the Knight Order.
Since I have defeated hundreds, thousands of monsters, I instantly understand that the monster appearing before me is a strong type that usually stays deep in the abyss.
“My word. Not only did it come out of the abyss, but to come all the way outside the labyrinth…”
Complaints about the monster spilled from my lips.
Sigmund explained, ‘Since the ancient ruins and the labyrinth are connected, monsters living in the labyrinth flow into the ruins,’ but he also said, ‘It’s rare for monsters to appear outside the ruins.’
Yet, a monster living in the abyss of the labyrinth came all the way outside the ruins… probably because of me.
I recall the words Sigmund spoke the other day.
‘High-rank monsters also invade the ancient ruins. One corner of the ancient ruins connects to a labyrinth where monsters spawn, and from there, lured by the delicious bait of Witch’s servants, monsters enter.’
Whether I am a real Witch or not is unclear, but it is a fact that I temporarily transformed into a Witch.
Although I returned to normal, didn’t my body become closer to a Witch at that time? And didn’t the monster sense that and chase after me, the Witch?
If Witch’s servants are delicious bait for monsters, the Witch herself should be even more delicious bait. And since some types of monsters have a sense of smell hundreds of times stronger than humans or superior perception, didn’t they use those characteristics to notice my presence and come out of the labyrinth to find me?
“Ahhh, why couldn’t you appear a month later!”
I am currently treating one arm, and I’ve been told it will take a month to heal completely.
When activating magic, magic power always passes through the arms, so using it while injured is a serious matter.
Worst case, I might never be able to use magic again.
“Ugh, but I have no choice. It’s sad to lose the magic I worked so hard to master, but it’s better than dying.”
If I run away poorly, it will only chase me, and the damage will likely spread. So, finishing it here is best.
I stood up and stared at the monster. I measure the distance to the monster by eye. Before me is a giant spider wearing bright blue armor. Since it wears blue armor, there is no doubt it is a high-ranking monster.
Even among spider-type monsters, the one wearing blue armor has high attack power, and its characteristic special thread is long and tough.
“Haa, normally a knight and a mage fight together against a monster of this level, but unfortunately, I’m alone today.”
Since mages inevitably have an opening when chanting, fighting with a knight is the basic rule.
The monster before me is a high-ranking species, so it will be cunning and fast. Normally, it’s not an opponent for a lone mage to handle, but today it can’t be helped.
Prepared for my arm to become useless, I readied both hands.
If I chant a long spell, I’ll surely be attacked in the meantime. So, I should omit the chant. However, in that case, the power is inferior to normal, so I must draw the opponent in until the last moment.
Calculating the time needed to activate magic, I watch the Blue Spider approach.
Distance is fifteen meters.
Since I have completely confined my magic within my body, the Blue Spider shouldn’t recognize me as a mage. So, although I pose no threat, it approaches slowly, perhaps wary.
Ten meters left… seven meters… five meters.
Now, I thought, but perhaps the Blue Spider thought the same, as it jumped up and spat thread at me.
Thinking that even if the thread wraps around my body, it won’t affect magic activation, I didn’t dodge and was about to speak the spell when…
“‘Flame…'”
Someone jumped in front of me and slashed the spider thread that was about to wrap around me with a sword.
“Eh?”
Seeing the large back that suddenly appeared to shield me from the monster, my eyes widened.
In my vision, I saw Emperor Eckardt swing his sword wide… and with just that one flash, the Blue Spider’s entire body froze, and it crashed to the ground with a loud noise.
Ice dwelt in Emperor Eckardt’s sword. It was completely different from the feeble ice magic I showed the other day.
The blade was made of ice, an item that froze the opponent just by cutting, freezing even their life; a special sword that ordinary people couldn’t even touch.
“H-How can a person, even an Emperor, be this strong!?”
I shouted in astonishment.
My brother was the Crown Prince, destined to become king eventually, so he only acquired sword skills to the level of an accomplishment.
Since a future king wouldn’t fight himself, it was something he learned as a means of self-defense just in case.
Since I thought that was normal, I was astonished that the Emperor possessed sword skills for fighting.
Moreover, to be strong enough to slaughter a Blue Spider with a single swing, he is undoubtedly an exceptional swordsman.
Seeing Emperor Eckardt’s trained physique, I expected him to be strong, but I didn’t think he was this strong, so I looked up in surprise, and he was staring at me with a serious expression.
“Katia, are you hurt?”
Surprised to be worried about first, I returned a short reply.
“Y-Yes, I’m fine.”
The Emperor ran his gaze over my whole body as if to confirm my words, then nodded in relief. Then, he shifted his gaze to the Blue Spider.
“Why did a monster come out of the labyrinth? Two hundred years ago, when the Witch lived in this palace, it’s said monsters wandered out seeking the Witch… but it should be rare enough to have to go back that far.”
“……”
Emperor Eckardt’s words hit the nail on the head too perfectly, so I fell silent, unable to reply.
The Emperor continued speaking as if organizing his thoughts.
“Lately, only strange things happen in the palace. The Dream Peach Blossom said to be planted by the Witch bloomed, and the Sacred Bird, the Witch’s familiar, chirped. Not only that, but now a high-ranking monster that should be shut in the labyrinth has crawled up to the surface. …No, it’s not just the palace where unusual things are happening. The country’s third ancient ruin was discovered in the Wolf territory.”
“……”
Hearing Emperor Eckardt list matters related to the Witch one by one, my heart beats stronger and faster.
The Emperor’s deductive power is terrifyingly high. He is connecting the dots and trying to uncover the truth.
If he finds out I might be a Witch, how will the Emperor treat me? I don’t know, but I feel like it will bring about a bad result for me.
As I waited for Emperor Eckardt’s next words with a pounding heart, the Emperor lifted his face and stared at me.
Perhaps it’s a habit when looking at me, but his gaze involuntarily shifted to my hair. Then, the Emperor closed his eyes as if giving up.
“Just because you have pink hair, everything is being dramatized. Even though I know you’re a fake, I believe that pink hair is real… and you start to seem like the Witch’s kin.”
Actually, maybe I am a real Witch.
Looking up at the Emperor without being able to say anything, I noticed his complexion was unusually bad.
Right, the Emperor slaughtered a high-ranking monster easily, but to cut such a monster in two with a single stroke, the sword must have sucked a terrifying amount of magic power.
Sigmund said before that Emperor Eckardt was unwell, so the battle just now must have been a heavy burden on him.
Yet, why did he save me? He probably just happened to pass by, but he had no obligation to save me, so no one would blame him if he just pretended not to see and walked away.
I couldn’t understand his actions, so I asked the Emperor without thinking.
“Why did Your Majesty Eckardt save me? You dislike me.”
“…Have I ever said such a thing to you?”
I know that without being told, I returned a very natural retort.
“Even I realize that much.”
The Emperor looked at me sideways and continued in a voice devoid of emotion.
“In that case, your observational skills are lacking. I do not dislike you.”
That can’t be, I thought, so I raised my voice.
“But I heard that beastmen perceive things as a clan, not as individuals! Since that is a way of thinking as a species, I respect that thought. Therefore, I think it can’t be helped that the Emperor dislikes me as ‘the sister of the Crown Prince who caused a scandal’.”
Then, Emperor Eckardt said something unexpected.
“I know that you are a different person from the Crown Prince of the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom. You are not implicated in his sins. Therefore, I have absolutely no intention of condemning you for that.”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“Eh, is that so? But the members of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’…”
The dukes of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’ all disliked me from our first meeting. Therefore, I understood that, ah, naturally they hated me as the sister of the Crown Prince who caused a scandal.
Since they are beastmen, I thought it couldn’t be helped that they thought so, and I thought Emperor Eckardt was the same.
Yet, is he saying he didn’t naturally dislike me ‘because I am the sister of the Crown Prince who caused a scandal’?
“The guys in the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’ inherited that characteristic particularly strongly, even among beastmen.”
Since the Emperor implicitly admitted that the dukes dislike me, I understand he has no intention of lying about this matter. That means his statement that he doesn’t dislike me is also a fact.
“I am very sorry. It seems I misunderstood Your Majesty Eckardt.”
I was the one with prejudice, arbitrarily deciding Emperor Eckardt’s feelings, I thought, feeling dejected.
Then, Emperor Eckardt shrugged as if he didn’t care.
“It’s reasonable for you to assume so. In fact, the dukes also think I dislike you for the same reason you misunderstood. On my part, I took actions and spoke words in front of them to make them think so.”
“Eh, is that so?”
I asked back, wondering why he did such a thing.
Then, Emperor Eckardt twisted his lips cynically.
“As you said earlier, it is difficult to suppress the nature one naturally possesses as a species. And since beastmen think in clan units, the dukes thought you, his blood relative, should take on the Crown Prince’s sin. Since it was difficult to suppress their feelings, I pretended to agree with them. Then, by showing that I would judge you in their place, I tried to restrain them.”
“That is a clever method.”
Since beastmen are a hot-blooded species, even if he preached “The Crown Prince and the Princess are different, so don’t implicate her in his sins,” not a single one would listen.
Because the Emperor aligned with the dukes’ feelings and showed he would judge me instead, the dukes finally felt like leaving the retaliation to him.
Without my knowing, the Emperor was helping me.
“The Sapphraine Holy Kingdom and my country are far apart. Therefore, it was difficult to obtain correct information about you. So, I decided to verify with my own eyes, but… I found out that you are smart, compassionate, and capable of acting for others. You are also a hard worker who learned our country’s language and culture beforehand. You are a magnificent person.”
Praised to my face, I blushed, but then Emperor Eckardt suddenly turned a severe gaze on me.
“However, there is one thing I absolutely cannot forgive. That is your hair color. You came alone to an unknown country. I can understand your loneliness, and I understand your feeling of trying to imitate the Witch to share in her authority and be recognized by the people. Intellectually.”
Emperor Eckardt bit his lip and lowered his gaze.
“But emotionally, I absolutely cannot tolerate that hair color. No one must ever treat the Witch like that.”
Emperor Eckardt truly respects and worships the Witch.
“I understand Your Majesty’s feelings. But… I have had pink hair since long before my marriage to Your Majesty was decided.”
Since the Emperor raised his face and stared at me, I stared back with a serious expression, wanting him to understand.
“As Your Majesty said before, when I was born, I had golden hair. But at six years old, it changed to pink. My hair has been pink ever since. If you think it’s a lie, please investigate.”
The Zaldein Empire and the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom are separated by a sea.
Since there were no formal diplomatic relations until now, the information obtained must be fragmented and full of errors.
Of course, Emperor Eckardt must understand that, and he fell silent, thinking.
Facing such an Emperor, I suddenly remembered the scene where I had my last conversation with my ex-fiancé Hubert in my homeland.
‘I will do everything in my power to be accepted in the empire. From the day I marry, the Empire will be my country. I will face it with sincerity and love its people.’
I said that to Hubert.
Then, I told myself in my heart.
(I would go to the Empire with nothing. That would be my final scrap of pride.)
But, —I was wrong. Because I didn’t come to the Empire with nothing. I came to the Empire with myself. Everything about me was cultivated in the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom. And this pink hair was not something I possessed at birth, but something I acquired later in my homeland.
I opened my mouth while fondly remembering my last moments in my homeland.
“From the day I marry Your Majesty, I decided to consider this country my own. Since I decided to face this country sincerely, I will not lie about my hair color.”
I looked straight at Emperor Eckardt.
“I came to this country with myself, which I acquired over sixteen years. There is not a single lie in the me you see.”
I am probably the Witch Emperor Eckardt is searching for and yearning for. But instead of that, I will stand before him as Katia Sapphraine, raised by the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom.
My last words to Hubert float into my mind.
‘Duke Neuendorff, thank you for everything. —Goodbye.’
Hubert, I learned many things with you and grew together. I will take all of that and marry Emperor Eckardt. So, you might have forgotten about me long ago, but… let me thank you one last time.
Thank you, and goodbye.
Perhaps because I bid farewell to my last memories in my homeland, my body swayed.
Emperor Eckardt caught me in a panic. Seeing the Emperor furrow his brows worriedly, I somehow feel that it will be okay. Surely, it will be okay. I can become happy in this country.
I put on a mischievous expression and promised the Emperor jokingly.
“Your Majesty Eckardt, you desired me as compensation for my brother’s blunder. I will prove to you from now on that it was the correct choice.”
Hearing my words, the Emperor looked taken aback, but soon smiled amusedly.
“…Is that so. I look forward to it.”
—The wedding was approaching in two weeks.
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