Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Musician Hamel (4) - Coincidence, or Inevitability
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Leaning against the window, the woman quietly attuned her ears to the flute's melody.
The man's flute performance was beautiful. His music was always flawless.
But why was this?
The woman could no longer enjoy the flute's sound with the pure delight she once had.
"……."
If the first rejection had stirred curiosity and anticipation toward something unfamiliar, the second had ignited fear and bewilderment.
"Why?"
The question slipped unwittingly from her lips, filling her mind once more through her ears.
Truly, the woman couldn't understand the young man's heart.
She hadn't asked for much.
It wasn't a demand for him to become hers.
She had simply wanted to talk.
Yet he had coldly rejected even that modest wish.
She felt her boiling emotions from the unexpected situation slowly converging on a single point.
Recognizing its nature was easy. It was a feeling all too familiar and intimate to her.
And that familiar emotion whispered to her.
[Don't do things that don't suit you. You know the surest way to get what you want, don't you?]
[There are three elements needed to dominate humans. Alluring charm. Vast wealth. And overwhelming violence.]
[The first two have been rejected. That leaves only the last. Even if that bard knew your true identity, the power of the 'Witch Hecate' you possess, do you think he'd still hold his head so stiffly?]
[You like his flute music. You want him. Then take him. Put him in a cage and make him sing only for you.]
It was an incredibly sweet whisper.
And an exceedingly simple method.
No need to struggle or exert effort.
Just summon a subordinate and issue a single command.
She knew it. She knew it all too well.
"...No."
The woman didn't want to choose that path.
It wasn't rational calculation but something closer to instinctive revulsion and fear.
Childhood memories flashed through her mind.
A bear doll she found right after finishing one 'job' one day.
The moment she absentmindedly picked up the adorable, pretty thing, it was stained with the blood on her hands.
She tried desperately to wash off the blood with water, but the more she struggled, the more pitiful and wretched the doll became.
The woman feared the same would happen again.
She dreaded that her greed, her desire to possess him, would ruin the young man and prevent him from ever playing like before.
"Haa."
With a deep sigh, the woman locked away her heart.
Forcing down the overflowing obsession and desire, she persuaded herself.
Be content with this street for now.
She couldn't get close to him or learn his secrets, but at least she could hear his performances.
Once she made her decision, the woman strictly kept her promise to herself.
At the fountain and in the bar, she didn't force her way to the bard or speak to him.
She simply watched from afar in silence and listened to his music.
It wasn't enough to wash away the filth in her heart all at once, but it wasn't meaningless either.
Just listening made her feel something warm and clear.
However, it wasn't without annoyances.
As she sat alone at the bar listening to the bard, men kept approaching, drawn by her appearance.
Most backed off before her cold demeanor, and those who couldn't read the room and tried rough tactics were forced to regain their senses under the restraint of Lighten, the bartender and owner.
"Customer, a meeting is beautiful only with mutual consent. If you can't abide by that principle, please leave my establishment."
Anyone halfway informed knew that the 'Foggy Glass,' while appearing as a simple tavern, was connected to an organization behind the scenes.
Under Lighten's pressure, which maintained neutrality while subtly taking her side, the men showed regret but didn't push further, allowing the woman to enjoy her quiet concert.
But the world always has those oblivious to hints.
"Haha! We meet again today. It seems the goddess of love and passion acknowledges my earnest heart."
Linster Montagu, the man who approached her immersed in the afterglow once the bard's music ended, was the epitome of such annoyances.
He persisted despite her rejections and ignored Lighten's pressure.
The Montagu family's backing bolstered Linster's confidence.
"……."
The woman genuinely found Linster tiresome.
At first, she'd politely refuse, but now she ignored him even when he spoke.
He seemed to think a tree that wouldn't fall with one chop would yield to hundreds or thousands, but for the target, nothing could be more bothersome.
'Should I just get rid of him.'
The Montagu family's power and influence were decent, but hardly beyond what her organization could handle.
If she weren't trying to separate her usual self from her 'Witch Hecate' persona, one of the young man's limbs would already be fish food.
"How about this cocktail? It's made with a new recipe from the Empire, and its flavor is truly-"
"Sorry, but I'm not really curious. And continuing to approach me like this is burdensome."
"Uh..."
"I hope we don't have to face each other like this again."
After her one-sided declaration, the woman rose from her seat.
She'd issued her final warning; if he ignored it and clung on, he'd pay the appropriate price.
Leaving the stunned rich heir behind, she exited the shop.
"Haa."
A sigh close to a lament.
Not fatigue from dealing with Linster, but revulsion and a sense of kinship from his forcing his will on an unwilling target.
If she had ignored the bard's will and tried to force closeness, he'd have felt something similar toward her.
"...Yeah, you're doing well."
Muttering like a self-affirmation, she started walking again.
She had 'boss' duties today, so she planned to head home, prepare, and meet her organization members.
But the moment she stepped away from the shop door, her sharp senses caught an odd noise.
[This ... bitch dares...!]
[Oh ho, ... those eyes looking down?]
[Bard wannabe...!]
Violence and profanity.
Sounds all too familiar to her.
But hearing 'bard' mixed in made her act without hesitation.
She stepped into the alley opposite the Foggy Glass, the source of the noise, and the scene unfolded before her one good eye.
The bard gripped by the collar. Thugs and their gang holding him. A money pouch in the thug's hand. Traces of violence on the bard's face.
"Huh? And who's this bi-"
Her actions were immediate.
She snapped the arm of the nearest thug by the main street, slammed his face into the wall, and wrenched his elbow backward.
She kicked the calf of the second thug holding the bard's collar, making him reflexively bend at the waist, then gouged his eyes.
She struck the jaw of the last thug stumbling back in shock, then booted the center of his face as he collapsed limply.
It was a fluid chain of movements, overwhelming violence.
Without giving the three able-bodied men a chance to resist, she crushed them and urgently checked the bard's condition.
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?"
"...Hm, doesn't feel okay at all."
At the bard's words, her face paled instantly.
If the precious bard who cleansed her heart was broken, she doubted she could bear it.
"Where? What's wrong? Don't give up. I know a skilled doctor. So-"
"No, even if that doctor is skilled, treating my current pain would be impossible. The name of this ailment is embarrassment."
"Pardon?"
As she blinked in confusion, the bard clutched his chest with an exaggerated groan.
"I mean, last time I boasted, 'My performances aren't that cheap,' and this is what follows? Isn't this a scene that'd make anyone feel human shame? Oh, great father, why did you give my siblings so many talents but me only music?"
Watching the young man act like a tragic stage hero, she finally grasped the situation.
"So, you're not seriously hurt?"
"Reducing my social dignity and financial loss to one phrase—quite merciless, lady."
"The woman rejected mercilessly by a stubborn musician can't afford to carry such things."
"Oh dear, must've been quite the scoundrel. But honestly, that was your mistake, lady. Booking a reserved performance with money is one thing, but halting a live show for a few coins? That's trampling a bard's pride, isn't it?"
The woman fell silent.
Only now did she understand exactly what she'd done wrong.
Tak, tak.
Dusting off the grime with exaggerated motions, the bard stood and extended his hand to her.
"But well, everyone makes mistakes. We've both seen each other's ugly sides, so let's gloss over that and seek a new relationship. Do you agree, lady?"
Glancing around hesitantly, she cautiously took his hand.
"...Yes, if you're okay with it."
"Good. Then, introductions first. I'm Hamel, a cheerful yet frail bard spreading music across the world. And you?"
The woman hesitated briefly.
She usually had a fixed name she used, but for this moment, she chose to utter a different one carefully.
The name she'd held before calling herself Hecate.
"Call me Hystia."