~Chapter 5~
A few days ago.
A rare cold wind blew through the temporary camp of the Luche Holy Knights.
A knight, just back from patrol, noticed the strange mood and quietly asked Winter, who stood guard outside Yushen’s tent,
“Vice-captain, did something happen?”
“He missed her.”
“Huh? Missed what? A deer? A boar? Are we not having meat for dinner?”
Like captain, like knight.
Winter looked at the clueless knight, who only cared about dinner, with disappointment.
He sighed and explained,
“Not that. We caught all our targets for this expedition, but at the last moment, we lost one right in front of us.”
“What? Our amazing captain lost the target?!”
Winter let out a hollow laugh at how loudly the knight repeated his words.
‘Is this guy teasing the captain right now?’
Winter quickly smacked the knight’s head and scolded him.
“Ugh, you idiot! Go help out somewhere else!”
He chased the useless knight away, then folded his arms and looked at Yushen’s tent.
He didn’t have to look inside to know—his captain was blaming himself.
Still, there was nothing Winter could do. From experience, he knew Yushen was best left alone at times like this.
‘He’ll get over it soon.’
Winter didn’t worry too much and walked away.
But inside the tent, Yushen was not getting over it at all.
Instead, the clueless knight’s words only made him dwell even more on his mistake.
‘How… how could I just lose her right in front of me?’
He’d never made a mistake like this before, so it was a big shock.
It almost felt like the three years he’d spent chasing the witch Leana had just turned to dust.
Even days later, Yushen still hadn’t recovered. Finally, Winter decided to get help from the Central Temple and moved the knights to a nearby temple.
‘If we’re going to chase the target again, we need to rest up first.’
Winter thought of this as a break before the next chase. Most of the other knights thought the same, except one.
The captain of the Luche Knights—Yushen Willen.
He felt uneasy. How could he rest when he hadn’t finished his job?
He tried to relax, just as Winter intended, but from the first day at the temple, he felt strange eyes watching him, as if someone was spying on him.
“It only happens when you’re around, Captain,”
Winter said, noticing Yushen looking around nervously. He’d been feeling the same gaze for days.
If even Winter couldn’t figure out who it was, that meant the person was really skilled.
“I don’t like this.”
“Even in this small temple, your popularity never dies down, Captain.”
“It doesn’t feel like that…”
“No, really! I’ve seen at least five women checking you out.”
Yushen frowned. This felt nothing like the usual stares he got.
But Winter just assumed it was women falling for Yushen’s looks.
Normally, Yushen would’ve brushed it off, but this time it made him uneasy.
Just then, he spotted someone.
A novice priest carrying a huge pile of laundry hurried past him. For just a moment, Yushen’s eyes went wide.
“…The witch?”
He blurted it out without thinking.
The novice priest looked just like the witch Leana he’d been chasing—especially with her pink hair tied up high and silver eyes.
He tried to look again, but the woman was already gone—as if she’d disappeared into thin air.
“Is this really a coincidence?”
“What?”
“Coincidence… is very rare.”
“A coincidence?”
Ignoring Winter, Yushen smirked.
He was sure. Even though he hadn’t seen her face clearly, the woman who just passed him was definitely the escaped witch.
With a sharp look, he promised himself he wouldn’t lose her again.
Yushen’s threat to me wasn’t just words. So I quietly followed where he led.
He didn’t go out the front entrance, but took me out a small back door behind the chapel.
‘How did he even know about this little door? I didn’t even know it existed!’
When I thought we were far enough from the building, I stopped. Yushen stopped right away and looked down at me.
All his gentle looks were gone—he stared at me coldly.
Yeah, this was the real Yushen.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
From the moment he found out who I was, I decided I’d be shameless.
As long as I stayed inside the temple, he couldn’t do anything to me, even if he didn’t believe me.
He seemed to know that, too, and let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Do you know how much I suffered after losing you that day?”
Oh wow, what kind of misleading thing is he saying now? He really talks in such a confusing way.
“If someone heard us, they’d think I’m your ex-girlfriend.”
“I think we’re even more tightly tangled than ex-lovers.”
Oh? He knows how to talk back?
He was always so soft, I thought he’d just let it go, not answer me back.
But the longer we talked, the more dangerous it was for me.
I had to end this conversation quickly and escape.
“Just say what you want. I’m busy.”
He tilted his head, clearly annoyed.
I was a little scared by that look, but I lifted my chin even higher.
“I didn’t expect you to hide so close by, witch Leana.”
“Witch? I just came to this temple. I don’t even know who that is. Maybe ask someone else.”
I spoke fast, then casually turned to go back the way I came.
But Yushen easily blocked my path.
“I’m not done talking.”
“Well, I am.”
“Let’s leave this temple together.”
“Why should I quit a perfectly good job?”
I could almost see the anger mark popping up on his forehead.
What! Why! I’m not even a witch, so why should I listen to you?
Besides, I’m not dumb enough to step outside the temple, where you can attack me!
I stared right back at Yushen, full of frustration.
He seemed even angrier and clenched his teeth.
“How dare a witch like you think you can stay in a holy place?”
“I’m not the witch you’re looking for, so I can stay.”
“Leave while I’m being nice.”
“Is this your idea of being nice? Because it doesn’t sound nice to me.”
I purposely pushed his buttons, trying to get him to blow up.
But honestly, I wasn’t sure he’d fall for it.
Surprisingly, Yushen’s face turned red and blue. My petty trick worked!
I felt a little better, like a weight was lifted.
But soon, Yushen’s face went back to normal.
Of course, you don’t become captain for nothing.
“I have proof you’re the witch.”
“Really? Let’s see how good it is.”
He didn’t care about my sarcasm and took out a neatly folded paper from his jacket.
He opened it right in front of me.
On the slightly worn paper… was a face just like mine, except for the hair and eye color.
“…What’s this?”
“A composite sketch. Your wanted poster.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
I snatched the paper and looked closely.
The picture was definitely Leana’s face—the same face I’d seen up close. Her name and a huge reward were printed below.
But just from that, it’d be hard to say I looked like Leana.
We were twins, but our faces were actually pretty different—unless someone had really sharp eyes, they wouldn’t notice the similarity.
‘But Yushen noticed…?’
Is that just what makes a male lead different?
“Are you still going to deny it?”
“…We look a bit alike.”
Honestly, we were almost identical, but I couldn’t admit that.
If I did, he’d definitely decide I was Leana.
“And that day, you suddenly vanished. No trace. Only black magic could do that.”
Ugh, that did look bad for me.
But I wasn’t the one who used black magic—Leana saved me!
This is so unfair. The male lead is as stubborn as ever, and now the situation even makes sense.
So all our talk just kept going in circles.
We just repeated ourselves over and over. I felt like I was going crazy.
“Aaaagh!”
In the end, I punched the column next to me and screamed.
