Chapter 2
Karlos introducing himself to the witch was already shocking enough, but what he declared next was even more surprising.
“I’ll take her with me.”
Baron Silas looked troubled.
“I understand that you may wish to keep a witch for your own amusement, Your Grace. However, this witch has already been reported to the temple. If you take her away now… it will put me in a rather difficult position.”
Without saying a word, Karlos held out a check.
The large seal of the Grand Duchy of Esper was impressive, but what truly captured the baron’s attention was the amount written on it.
Thirty thousand gold.
The temple did give rewards for capturing witches, but it was only three hundred gold at most.
Seeing a sum one hundred times larger made Baron Silas’s eyes widen in disbelief.
As he stared at the check, unable to look away, a cold voice fell over his head.
“So, what will it be?”
It was a ridiculous question—there was no need to think.
“I’ll prepare everything immediately.”
He could simply tell the temple that the villagers had made a false report.
The temple would probably scold him for not confirming it properly, but he didn’t care.
Thirty thousand gold was far more valuable than the temple’s complaints.
Grinning inwardly, Baron Silas tucked the check safely into the inner pocket of his coat.
*
What on earth just happened?
Unable to adapt to the sudden turn of events, Irene blinked slowly as she crouched in the corner of the carriage.
It was the first carriage she had ever ridden in, and normally she would have found it fascinating. But she had no time to admire it.
Being put into a carriage meant she was being taken somewhere.
And hadn’t that man said he would take her with him?
She had no idea where he intended to bring her, but she was certain it wouldn’t be a good place for her.
…Maybe he plans to enjoy himself with me first and then kill me.
The heart that had briefly calmed at the thought of surviving a little longer began pounding again.
Should I run away now?
Irene’s gaze drifted to the door.
If she opened that door, could she escape?
But what if she failed?
If that happened, she would be severely beaten…
She had experienced it once already, so she knew exactly how painful it was.
Unable to decide, she hesitated.
At that moment, the carriage door opened and Karlos climbed inside.
Her chance to escape vanished instantly, and Irene quietly abandoned the thought.
Another man she had never seen before followed him into the carriage.
The man wore dark navy clothes matching his hair and a monocle attached to a long silver chain. Placing a hand over his chest, he bowed politely toward Irene.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.”
The polite attitude and unfamiliar title—something she had never heard in her life—made Irene’s cheeks flush slightly.
“I am Dewey Limmon, a humble servant of His Grace. You may simply call me Dewey.”
“My name… is Irene.”
Her voice was still small, but it trembled far less than when she had spoken to Karlos.
Dewey simply wasn’t as frightening as Karlos.
Karlos sat across from Irene, while Dewey tried to sit beside her.
“Here.”
Just as he was about to sit, Karlos stopped him.
“No. Your seat is here.”
Dewey had never once sat beside Karlos before. Being told to sit next to him startled him, but at the same time he understood the reason and smiled faintly.
“Very well.”
After taking his seat, Dewey pulled out a pen and a notebook from his pocket.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions about yourself. If anything makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”
Irene nodded.
“First, how old are you this year?”
“I’m twenty.”
“…What?”
Dewey, who had been writing in his notebook, suddenly turned to her in shock.
Even Karlos opened his previously closed eyes and looked at her.
“You’re really twenty?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an adult?”
When Irene nodded again, Dewey let out a hollow laugh.
He had thought she was at most fifteen or sixteen.
“I’ve always found it difficult to judge human ages, but this is a bit extreme…”
“Pardon?”
Realizing she didn’t understand what he meant, Dewey waved it off and continued asking questions.
Her family relationships, things she liked, hobbies—an entire personal interview followed.
Irene found it strange that someone would ask such things to a toy they intended to play with before killing, but she answered faithfully without questioning the reason.
“Have you ever experienced anything strange in your life?”
This time she couldn’t answer immediately.
Not because it made her uncomfortable—but because the question was too vague.
“What kind of strange things?”
“Hmm… well…”
As Dewey scratched his head, unsure how to explain, Karlos—who had been silently listening—suddenly spoke.
“Have you ever used magic?”
Magic.
The word sounded like something from a fantasy story—something Irene had never experienced.
She shook her head.
“Have you ever seen spirits?”
“No.”
“Prophetic dreams? Or perhaps strange markings or tattoos on your body?”
Irene answered no to every question.
Dewey’s expression turned serious.
“My lord… this…”
“It’s definitely her.”
Karlos replied firmly.
What does he mean, ‘definitely’?
Irene couldn’t understand his words, but Dewey seemed to. Relief spread across his face.
“In that case, we’ll end the preliminary investigation here. I’ll move to the driver’s seat.”
If Dewey went to the driver’s seat, that meant only she and Karlos would remain inside the carriage.
I don’t want that…
Irene silently hoped Dewey wouldn’t leave, but he had no way of knowing her thoughts.
He stepped out without hesitation.
*
Not long after Karlos departed with Irene, a priest sent by the temple arrived at Baron Silas’s territory.
Baron Silas welcomed him awkwardly.
“I apologize for calling you all this way, but it turns out that woman wasn’t a witch after all. The villagers were mistaken.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m terribly sorry you had to travel so far for nothing. About this matter—”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sword pierced through his chest.
The blade went straight through his heart.
The baron collapsed without even managing to scream.
The priest dropped the blood-soaked sword onto the floor and began searching the baron’s clothes.
Soon he found the check for thirty thousand gold.
The priest’s eyes narrowed.
“So… someone already got here first.”
Slow as always, yet surprisingly quick when it matters.
Well, when your life is on the line, you have no choice but to be fast.
With a faint smile, the priest snapped his fingers.
Purple flames ignited on the check.
“You lied. So you must be punished.”
He gently placed the burning check on the cold corpse and walked out of the reception room.
Moments later—
“Fire!”
“The lord’s mansion is on fire!”
A blaze far more powerful than the one that had appeared when the witch was discovered quickly devoured Baron Silas’s estate.
*
The carriage that had been racing through the green forest eventually entered Montro.
It was the nearest city to Irene’s territory—and also the gateway into the northern lands.
When they arrived in front of a luxurious inn that had been reserved in advance, Dewey stepped down from the driver’s seat and knocked on the carriage door.
“Excuse me, my lord.”
When he opened the door, he saw Irene asleep against the carriage wall in an uncomfortable position, while Karlos quietly stared at her.
Inside his purple eyes—focused entirely on her—countless emotions were tangled together: longing, urgency, anxiety.
“My lord.”
When Dewey called again, Karlos finally turned to him.
By then, his eyes had become completely dry and emotionless.
“We’ve arrived at the inn.”
“I see.”
“Should I wake the young lady?”
Karlos thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“No. I’ll do it.”
Dewey expected him to simply shake her awake.
But he was wrong.
Karlos wrapped an arm around her shoulders and slid his other hand beneath her knees.
Then he lifted her into his arms.
A princess carry.
Holding her as carefully as if she were fragile glass, Karlos stepped down from the carriage.
Dewey’s eyes widened in surprise at his master’s unexpected action. Then he understood—and gave a bitter smile.
“Please protect her this time.”
At that sincere advice, Karlos suddenly stopped.
His gaze fell onto Irene’s sleeping face.
“…I will.”
His arms tightened around her.
“I will protect her. No matter what.”
As if he would never let her go.
*
Irene slept so deeply that she didn’t even notice being carried inside.
She woke late in the evening, when the moon had already begun to tilt across the sky.
Groggily opening her eyes, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Where am I?
And why am I here?
As the last traces of sleep faded, the memories she had temporarily forgotten returned.
From meeting Karlos at Baron Silas’s estate… to leaving the territory with him.
The last thing she remembered was Dewey stepping out of the carriage while she awkwardly watched Karlos, unsure what to do.
I must have fallen asleep.
She hadn’t slept properly since being accused of witchcraft and thrown into prison.
Still, falling asleep in front of a terrifying predator…
“Ha.”
Letting out a small, incredulous laugh, Irene climbed out of bed.
She lit the candle on the bedside table and looked around the room.
A bed, a soft-looking armchair and table, a luxurious carpet that felt pleasant underfoot.
Everything in the room was far too nice for ordinary commoners.
The room itself was even larger than Baron Silas’s reception hall.
Being left alone in such a luxurious place made Irene uneasy.
That man wouldn’t do something like this without a reason…
She quietly opened the door and peeked outside.
The hallway was dark and completely empty.
She checked several times, but no one appeared.
Realizing she was truly alone, Irene licked her dry lips.
If I leave now, I might escape without being noticed.
“But… where would I go?”
She had lost her family.
She had lost her home.
She couldn’t even return to the territory where she had lived her whole life.
She didn’t know the way back—and even if she did, she would only be accused of being a witch again and burned at the stake.
So where could she go?
After thinking for a moment, Irene clenched her jaw and stepped out of the room.
Anywhere is better than staying in that man’s hands.
She removed her shoes to avoid making noise and walked on tiptoe.
Not bringing the candle had been a mistake.
Facing a staircase that seemed endless in the darkness, Irene sank down in despair.
“How am I supposed to go down?”
If she tried blindly, she might fall and seriously injure herself.
Just as she was wondering whether she should go back and get the candle—
“Want to borrow one?”
A low, rough voice that suited the darkness spoke from behind her.
At the same time, warm light spilled out over her back.
