The New Rabbit
p>It sounded ridiculous. “Help?” “Help?” Vivian Bright herself?
p>“What nonsense!”
p>“Stay right there quietly. The priests will ease your pain in no time.”
p>“Do you really think I’ll believe that?”
p>Farel shrank back, body shifting away as the priests drew nearer.
p>If they caught him now, everything would be over.
p>He had no idea how his frantic movements would be perceived by the others.
p>“Don’t come any closer! How dare you doubt my word right now? Vivian, what kind of—!”
p>“……”
p>“It’s all lies! Every last bit is a complete fabrication! That warlock told me he could give me a child!”
p>“Brother, calm down. Just wait a moment—”
p>“Get out! Touch even one finger to my body and I’ll kill you! If I’m not pregnant, how can my belly be this swollen?”
p>Farel thrashed wildly, but it was useless.
p>The priests, working together, finally pinned him down.
p>They cast holy magic over his body to examine him.
p>“Ugh, w-what?!”
p>“Found it! It’s forbidden magic. A Simic!”
p>“Fortunately, it hasn’t hatched yet.”
p>Simic? Hatch?
p>He might not understand exactly what was happening, but everyone there knew one thing.
p>Farel Underwood had become so obsessed with the count that he’d fallen for a warlock’s trick.
p>And the Bright count and his wife had tried to help him.
p>“No wonder they rushed the wedding so quickly. This must be the reason.”
p>“Exactly. I was shocked too when I heard they were planning a ceremony without even filing for divorce.
p>Even if the times have changed, this breaks every rule.”
p>In the sudden shift of mood, Farel stared at the priests in disbelief.
p>“Not pregnant? You’re saying I was toyed with by that warlock?”
p>“Prince, there’s no immediate danger, so for now—”
p>“Hah! Hah hah! You’re trying to deceive someone from the ancient Underwood family?
p>You lowly warlock—!”
p>“Prince! Stay calm!”
p>“Move aside! I need to make him pay! Get out! Everyone, get out!”
p>The priests’ expressions grew serious at Farel’s desperate words.
p>“You mean… the warlock is here?”
p>“It takes time to kill a person, so they use distractions… but that was a lie too?
p>Ha! No wonder Ivan Earnest seemed fine!”
p>“Oh dear, Goddess! Go get the knights.
p>I’ll use tracking magic here.”
p>“Yes!”
p>Hearing that forbidden magic was being used in a place with so many people was dangerous.
p>The priests wouldn’t hesitate to take lives if needed.
p>While the priest cast tracking magic in a calm tone to keep the crowd from panicking.
p>“Tch.”
p>Idel heard a low click of the tongue near her ear.
p>Reflexively turning, Sigmund grabbed her head.
p>“Hey, don’t show it and look ahead.”
p>“Are we on the right track?”
p>“Yeah, looks like it.
p>Why? Because that guy just used magic.”
p>“Magic?”
p>Before Sigmund could answer, Idel knew what he meant.
p>“Waaah! Aah!”
p>Farel, who had been cursing the priest behind him, suddenly doubled over, clutching his belly and bending forward.
p>“Prince? Prince! Are you all right?”
p>“Hic!”
p>“This is bad.
p>The magic mixed with the Simic is the clue.”
p>Idel realized then that if things went wrong, he would abandon the person and prepare to hide.
p>“Sigmund, detecting magic means you can track the traces, right?
p>Then right now—”
p>“No.
p>We can’t let both of you chase him.”
p>“What?”
p>Viled’s unexpected reply made Idel’s face turn pale.
p>“The magic Sigmund sensed earlier wasn’t to kill the Simic.
p>It was to switch the magic target from Ivan to Farel Underwood.”
p>Viled glanced at Jayana but stayed silent.
p>Idel understood what he had swallowed.
p>In other words, he was redirecting the magic prepared to kill Ivan toward Farel.
p>To eliminate the ‘witness’ named Farel.
p>“Even if Farel is stubborn, he was thorough on their side.
p>Using magic strong enough to resist holy magic shows they meant business.”
p>“B-but then what do we do with Farel-ssi?”
p>“It’s fine, Jayana.
p>This old man will save him.”
p>Viled patted Jayana soothingly, then lowered his voice to the two.
p>“Warlocks rarely do something so obvious.
p>I agree the clue might be important, but acting hastily only brings danger.
p>You both understand, right?”
p>“……Yes.”
p>“I do, Master.”
p>“Good.
p>Jayana, wait here with me.
p>Diane, can you watch the children for a moment?”
p>“A-ah! Yes, yes!”
p>With that, Viled turned toward Farel.
p>Among the mages, many were off the books.
p>The priests accepted his help without question.
p>Watching Viled examine Farel seriously, Sigmund frowned slightly.
p>“…Huh.
p>That’s strange.”
p>“What?”
p>“Master’s words.
p>Even if Master isn’t a bad person, he’s not the type who helps someone just because it’s morally right.”
p>“Helping Farel is strange?”
p>“Yeah.
p>Is he really crazy?
p>He should have noticed from the moment he offered to help Ivan.”
p>Idel’s head spun rapidly at Sigmund’s words.
p>She was used to it and kept forgetting, but Sigmund was the villain and crown prince from the original story.
p>Viled was his ‘warlock master’.
p>‘But that Viled is acting weird?
p>In this makjang world?’
p>Then there must be something between the warlock who ran away and him.
p>Lost family? Close friend?
p>‘That’s how it works in makjang rules.’
p>And the connection between such bad people always leads to a clue about the main villain.
p>‘Like Melissa, for example.’
p>He had to chase that warlock.
p>Idel made her decision and grabbed Sigmund’s arm, whispering.
p>“Hey, let’s chase.”
p>“What? Ah, no.”
p>“You’re also worried about Viled acting weird.
p>There must be something, right?”
p>Sigmund’s eyes flickered at Idel’s whisper.
p>To be honest, he was more of a rebel who did what he wanted than a good kid who followed adults.
p>Idel snatched Sigmund’s interested reaction and pulled his sleeve halfway, half-turned body straining.
p>“This is our only chance.
p>Come on, quick!”
p>“Damn it, fine.”
p>The deal was sealed.
p>The two who saw their chance to slip away ran toward the direction the warlock had gone while Viled was distracted.
p>“Eh? Idel! Where are you going! Idel!”
p>“Miss!”
p>“I’ll be back soon!
p>Don’t follow!”
p>Sigmund laughed at Idel’s shameless attitude.
p>“Who are you to talk?”
p>“Me and her are different.”
p>“Shut up.”
p>“Direction?
p>This way?”
p>“Yeah, that’s right…”
p>He answered automatically but trailed off.
p>Despite his master’s suspicious actions, he had agreed to Idel’s suggestion.
p>But rationally, catching the warlock was almost impossible.
p>‘Even if we catch him, figuring out the route would be hard.’
p>So he thought running now would yield no results.
p>“Hey, you know we won’t catch the guy, right?”
p>“Who do you take me for?
p>Of course I know.
p>How would we catch someone Viled warned us about?”
p>Sigmund’s face darkened at Idel’s look like she was questioning him.
p>“So what?
p>Not even a dog?
p>We’re supposed to chase after his mana?”
p>“We can’t chase like that, but we can find the traces.”
p>“Not even an idiot.
p>The guy who killed the witness and ran away would drop something like that?”
p>At the end of the alley where the magic trail had vanished.
p>He turned his head with a snort, raising an eyebrow.
p>On the floor lay a small cufflink engraved with a suspicious pattern.
p>Idel squatted in front of it, picked up the cufflink, and glanced at him with a sly smile.
p>“So what?
p>Looks like he’s an idiot.”