Chapter 18 : The Tyrant’s Tranquilizer
Actually, it was okay until he first saw her. Unlike the disrespectful and grim image that a witch conjures up, she was like a simple country girl. He also felt sympathy for her, who looked nice and gentle, as she seed to have been unwillingly entangled with the Emperor.
But as soon as Alie created the fire, he was frightened. The fear from his past has enraptured him.
‘If a witch decides to betray us and attack us— can we stop it?’
He knew how deadly a witch’s magic was in combat.
His fear quickly turned into hostility.
‘You have to scare the witch in advance so that she won’t even think of betraying us. Don’t let the witch be free!’
If he had been there when Alie and the disaster were at odds, he would certainly have thought otherwise. He would have seen her take risks to save the knights and the forest. But Roen wasn’t there then. He was in a different search party.
“Don’t think all the knights are easy just because they and His Majesty favor you. I’d like to take take you out right now, but—”
When Roen put his hand on the hilt of his sword, Alie took a reflexive step back.
Roen’s eyes were shaking unsteadily. Alie noticed that Roen was serious.
“You can’t go against HisMajesty’s orders. You have His Majesty to thank for your life so it would be better not to do anything bad.”
As soon as Roen finished saying what he had to say, he turned away.
Alie gazed at his back.
“What’s wrong with that person?”
Alie was dumbfounded.
*****
The group took a break as soon as they passed the first magic circle. It was so stragglers could catch up while the rest of the procession could take a break. Alie slowly got off the carriage.
It was a completely different world after passing through the first magic circle. If the forr site is lush green plains, then this side is brown fields filled with only dust. At first, she was speechless at the desolate landscape that she wondered how it could be this different.
She realized that she had traveled a really long distance. How far is the Fidelian forest from here? Alie already missed it.
She was looking around, and she could feel a sharp look from sowhere. Looking back in surprise, she saw Sir Roen standing a short distance away. He was staring at Alie like he was monitoring her again. As if he’s not going to let her go if she did any nonsense.
‘What the hell is wrong with him!’
Alie hid behind the carriage. She really didn’t understand what was wrong with him.
‘Even the Emperor doesn’t say anything to — Is it wrong to use magic?’
Serwin let Alie use or not use magic as she pleased. No, to be exact, he didn’t co close to her whatever she did.
‘Should I tell Sir Ethan that Sir Roen is threatening ?’
Alie was troubled, but then soone appeared behind the carriage.
“Witch, what are you doing here?”
“…..!”
As Alie looked back in surprise, she saw a bandage wrapped head. It was the knight who was ready for the day.
“Sir Chad?”
He was no other than Chad, the knight who was hit by Serwin’s vase because he could not find Alie.
“Do you know ? Oh! I’ve seen you in Your Majesty room a few tis. Well, I’ve shown you sothing shaful.”
Chad smiled and said hello. His expression was bright, but his pale complexion wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right away.
“I’m here to bring you your luggage.”
He brought a brown bag and a blue bag. The brown bag belonged to Alie, but this was the first ti she saw the blue bag.
“I don’t think the blue bag is mine.”
“This is from the lady of Delahaim.”
“Ah—”
Alie’s heart felt constricted. She never had anyone who felt like family before, but the Count and Renee were so good to her. She wanted to see them right away. If she was holding a broom she might have left for ho right there.
“I’ll put it in the carriage.”
“No, I’ll do it. You’re hurt.”
“It’s okay. If Alie-nim appeared later, I would have disappeared. Thank you for sticking together with us. Haha.”
Alie froze for a mont. He said it with a smile, should she laugh too? Was dying funny? It’s a bit…?
“Hahaha, I’m just kidding. I’m kidding. But seriously, I like witches.”
“Yes?”
“There was a witch in my childhood village. I was surprised when I first ca up to the capital. I talked to my classmates about magic potions, and they scolded not to say that since I’d get in trouble if I was caught.”
“…Is the capital still hostile to witches?”
“Yes.”
“Then a witch hunt—?”
“Since His Majesty’s ban, witch hunts have never happened. And the fact that you’re a witch doesn’t an you’re persecuted. At best, people are abusive and ostracizing.”
Alie already missed Dellahaim. The people there said ‘thank you’ for giving water when she suddenly showed up there. But she would get cursed at in the capital. At that mont, she rembered the hot-tempered Roen.
“So Sir Roen’s threatening and spying on ?”
“Sir Roen— Ah, I’m sorry. I apologize for that.”
When Chad bowed in apology, Alie was a little embarrassed.
“It’s because Sir Roen is still immature. The Emperor’s knights should not be swayed by personal feelings.”
Chad clicked his tongue.
“That’s okay. I must look suspicious. I’m a witch, and I don’t even know about what’s following .”
“I’m sorry. Even His Majesty’s knights know very little about disaster and Alie.”
“Really?”
Alie widened her eyes in surprise.
“There’s a difference of rank in the knighthood. It hasn’t been long since Sir Roen beca a knight.”
“It ans there are a lot of things he doesn’t know.”
“That’s right.”
Chad smiled awkwardly.
“But there’s nothing to worry about. There are only a few people like Sir Roen. It’s still a bad thing, but everyone who knows the actual situation, like , is grateful for Alie-nim’s coming.”
Chad comforted Alie.
“If Sir Roen continues to bother you, I’ll talk to Sir Ethan about this. And next ti, if he’s being an, you can just blow him up.”
“Can I?”
“Of course, then I’ll leave you alone now. I have a lot of luggage to move.”
“Thank you. Oh, wait a minute!”
Alie hurriedly opened her brown bag. Then she took out two bottles of magic potions and presented them to Chad.
“It’s a small reward. You can apply this one to your head, and you can drink this one.”
“I was still worried about how to follow the party in this state. Thank you!”
Chad smiled broadly and received the magic potions. Then he unfastened the bandage on the spot. Even after a long ti, the wound was still deep. He thought he was properly treated, but the wound seed to have reopened because of all the constant moving and exercising.
“His Majesty is too hard on you.”
“It’s because of the situation.”
Chad drank one of the magic potions and poured the other onto his head.
“Uh—.”
Small bubbles sprang up from his wound, and white smoke rose.
“Don’t be surprised. You’re healing.”
“Yes, I know. But it doesn’t hurt. The magic potions I used as a child were very painful.”
“Your friend is a witch?”
“Yes.”
It was the first ti she heard any stories about other witches so Alie was interested.
“Is that witch still in town? I’d like to et her once. I don’t know any witches.”
“No, that friend hid from people. That was a long ti ago, so that friend is already gone.”
“I see.”
Alie didn’t ask any more questions. If Chad was friends with that witch when he was young, it was about twenty years ago. It’s obvious that it’s not a good story to ask about in more detail.
Shortly after, the bubbling reduced, revealing Chad’s pristine head. There was no red mark left by the wound and the area was smoothed. Chad felt his head with his fingertips.
“Oh, this is great. It’s the best magic dicine I’ve ever used. You must be an outstanding witch.”
“No, it’s good because it’s from soone else. My dicine is terrible.”
There was a simple way to distinguish good magic potions. It was important to see how effective it was and how few side effects, like pain or fever, there were during the treatnt process.
“Anyway, thank you very much.”
Chad bowed politely, bending completely over. Alie shook her hands trying to stop Chad’s profuse praise. She was embarrassed because it seed like she was taking credit for a dicine that her grandmother made. But Chad bowed down and thanked Alie not knowing it was her grandmother that deserved the credit.
Alie was very grateful to Chad. She was depressed because of Roen but she felt better because helping Chad confird that being a witch was not a negative being.
******
Ethan was looking around observing the knights. He noticed Roen being wary of Alie right away.
‘Sir Roen is… A little bit of trouble.’
The Emperor’s knights had to follow whatever the Emperor ordered. There is no need for individual value judgnts here. At first, that part is more difficult than anything else. People are used to thinking and making their own decisions.
Especially for a lone wolf type like Roen, it will be more difficult. Ethan thought it would be a problem that would be solved over ti, so he was silently watching Roen. It was a waste of ti to abandon highly talented swordsn and loyal subjects.
For now, even if he is so wary of Alie, Roen will still risk his life to protect her regardless of his feelings.
‘The problem is Alie’s side. It’s a little difficult if she hates us because of Sir Roen.’
At tis like this, it would be nice if Serwin would ask for Alie to join him. This journey was such good timing to win favor. At the witches forest house he wouldn’t let Alie out of his arms as if he had gone mad, but after leaving for the capital, he just lingers around Alie and doesn’t approach her.
‘I told you to have a casual relationship, all this ti you’ve been avoiding won.’
Ethan clicked his tongue. Chad wandered over and found Ethan observing the knights and approached him.
“Sir, can I help with anything else?”
“No, you get so rest. Don’t keep doing things with that head. I’ll leave a loser like you behind. You know that right?”
“I’m fine now!”
“What?”
Ethan then turned to look at Chad.
“Your head! What happened?”
Ethan was greatly surprised. Ethan took care of Chad, who was bleeding all the ti. He deliberately put him in the back because he thought the wound would make it hard for him to keep up. He ant for Chad to take it slow so he could rest more through the journey. But the wound was fully healed?
“What the hell did you do to heal the wound?”
Ethan’s loud voice drew the attention of the Knights scattered around.
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