The Witch Hunter
The Witch Hunter (3)
“No.”
Vivian answered calmly.
But inside her heart, hundreds of desperate cries were screaming the opposite.
“No?”
“...”
Anyone but Kylo.
She could not bear the thought of him becoming a witch hunter.
She might have accepted it if it were someone else, but not him.
It wasn't simply because she had spent more time with him recently than with anyone else.
Nor was it merely because he was the person who would likely remain by her side the longest from now on.
There was something else entirely—a deep, burning resistance that came from the very bottom of her heart.
An instinctive rejection that transcended reason and logic.
She was a witch, and he was supposed to become a witch hunter?
They would be like water and oil.
They were already enemies. This would only drive them another step farther apart.
The bishop reacted as though Vivian's answer had surprised him.
“Why? There shouldn't be any flaw in my reasoning.”
“...”
Vivian had no answer.
Even so, she forced herself to maintain a composed expression and buy some time.
She had to somehow squeeze out an excuse.
“...Kylo is a guest of Londor. We can't force such a role upon him.”
“But Londor has already assigned him various responsibilities, hasn't it? He checks whether the food has been poisoned, and he's even serving as an executioner...”
“...I can understand the executioner part, but how did you know that he tastes the food?”
“Word gets around. It seems there isn't anyone who doesn't know.”
“...”
It wasn't exactly a secret, so Vivian had no reason to question the bishop about it.
Still, the fact that they had been gathering information to this extent left her uneasy.
It felt as though their blade had crept much closer to her throat than she had expected.
Close enough to understand why Elena had been so anxious.
“Lady Vivian, if you keep acting like this... we'll have no choice but to question your intentions.”
The bishop's voice suddenly turned cold.
Vivian concealed her agitation and asked in return.
“What intentions are you talking about?”
“...Perhaps you're already hiding a witch.”
—Thud!
Vivian slammed her hand against the desk, pressuring the bishop.
“How can you say something like that?”
The bishop took a step back at her anger and apologized.
“I'm sorry. But I couldn't help wondering why designating someone to root out witches in Londor Castle would provoke this much resistance...”
“...”
“In any case, am I correct in saying that you find it difficult to force Kylo Allen into the role?”
Vivian gave a slight nod.
The bishop continued.
“Then why not ask him himself?”
“...What?”
“If he wants to do it himself, then it wouldn't be forced upon him.”
“...”
The bishop's proposal was like a spider's web.
There was no obvious way out.
Vivian knew that struggling any further would only make them more suspicious and cause her to become even more deeply entangled.
“...All right.”
In the end, she had no choice but to nod.
Hoping that Kylo would reject the offer, she summoned him to the room.
“...A witch hunter?”
After hearing the bishop's proposal, I looked at Vivian.
There was an unmistakable hint of discomfort on her face.
It was a subtle change that only she and I would have noticed.
She was desperately trying not to let it show.
“Why all of a sudden?”
I turned my gaze toward the bishop and urged him to explain.
The completely bald bishop continued in a leisurely tone.
“There are no believers of our Las Church in Londor Castle, you see. As a result, people have become rather careless about witches. We're worried that something serious might happen, which is why we're making this proposal.”
“So what? You want me to find witches and kill them?”
“We're asking you to identify people who behave in ways a witch might.”
The bishop's tone was polite, but there was coercion hidden beneath his words.
It was similar to the feeling I'd gotten during my conversation with the Holy Knight earlier.
I could sense just how intense everyone's hatred toward witches was.
However, Vivian's feelings had rubbed off on me.
And since I hadn't exactly formed a favorable impression of either this bishop or the Holy Knights outside, I decided to let my reluctance take precedence for now.
“I don't want to bother with something that troublesome.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Vivian immediately responded.
“There. Kylo doesn't want to do it either, so we'll be leaving now.”
“...Hmm.”
The bishop scratched his head as though troubled.
I didn't fully understand how the situation was unfolding, but it was obvious that Vivian didn't want to be here.
Her expression and body language were filled with discomfort, as though she wanted to get away from this place as quickly as possible.
The bishop spoke.
“Well, if you don't want to do it, I suppose it can't be helped... But Lady Vivian, in that case, I'm afraid we won't be able to cooperate with you in reducing our witch-hunting activities.”
“What? But you clearly said earlier—”
“That was because I believed you would allow us to station an observer in the castle. If you're unwilling to make any concessions, how can we make concessions of our own?”
“...”
“You want us to reduce our witch hunts, and you won't allow us to station an observer in the castle... With such a complacent attitude, we'll never be able to catch a witch.”
His voice grew increasingly firm, while Vivian's expression gradually hardened.
I listened quietly for a moment before glancing at Vivian and asking,
“...Did they at least say they'd reduce their activities in the city if I took on the role?”
The bishop cut in before Vivian could answer.
“Exactly.”
“I wasn't asking you.”
When I snapped at him, the bishop fell silent.
Vivian glanced at me before nodding.
A complicated mixture of emotions flashed through her eyes.
I was slightly confused.
...Then can't I just do it?
What on earth was Vivian thinking that made her hesitate this much?
I took a step closer to Vivian, intending to quietly ask her what was bothering her.
But then the bishop spoke.
“What do you think about witches, Sir Kylo?”
The enthusiasm in the bishop's eyes as he looked at me was too strong to simply ignore.
I stopped approaching Vivian, straightened my back, and answered him.
“...Why are you asking?”
“Because I'm curious.”
“...People from the North don't believe in witches or curses.”
“Hmm. So you have no opinion on them?”
I thought of the old woman.
Then I looked at Vivian.
You will come to love someone you should never love.
She was a woman I could never bring myself to hate, no matter how many times I saw her.
“...I suppose they do make me uneasy.”
Looking at Vivian, I answered as though speaking to myself.
The slightly plump bishop smiled warmly.
“Isn't that reason enough for you to take on the role? It's not as though we're asking you to fight anyone. We're talking about making the world a better place. We have no intention of burdening you with actual duties. All we're asking is that you keep a closer eye on the people around you.”
“...Keep an eye on them?”
“Well, if strange things happen in the castle... If inexplicable incidents keep occurring... If large numbers of people suddenly fall ill and die...”
“...”
I looked at Vivian once again.
She remained silent.
I wanted to speak with Vivian, so I didn't respond to the bishop's words.
Only then did the bishop stop talking as well.
In the brief silence that followed, I moved closer to Vivian.
Then I whispered into her ear.
“What’s the problem?”
She looked up at me slightly and asked in return.
“What?”
Without looking away from her eyes, I asked again.
“...What’s the problem? You can just do it.”
“...Kylo.”
“Besides, I can just say I’ll do it and then do the bare minimum, can’t I?”
“...Is that what you’re planning to do?”
I thought about it for a moment before answering honestly.
“...No, I suppose I’ll pay a little more attention since I’m taking on the role anyway.”
“...”
From the beginning, I had been saying this because it seemed like Vivian had something troubling her...
But the bishop’s proposal itself wasn’t really something I found particularly objectionable.
I had already been somewhat frustrated by all this talk about curses and witches.
I had even begun wondering whether I really was cursed.
If becoming a witch hunter could help me find answers related to that, perhaps it would be a convenient opportunity.
“...Do you really want to take on something this troublesome?”
Vivian asked after a long silence.
Had she been trying to reject the bishop’s proposal because she was worried it would become a burden for me?
It was unlike Vivian, but if that was the reason, I was actually a little grateful.
I smiled lightly and said,
“He said it himself. If I take on this role, they’ll leave the citizens of Rokta alone. Doesn’t that sound like a decent foundation for earning the people’s love?”
“...”
Vivian smiled weakly.
There was a mixture of worry and resignation in that smile.
Then her expression hardened as she looked toward the bishop.
The bishop urged her once more.
“...My Lady.”
At his urging, she let out a quiet sigh.
When she remained silent, I called her name again.
“Vivian.”
Vivian pondered for a long time.
Then she looked up at me once before slowly nodding.
“All right, then.”
Vivian felt as though her insides were burning black.
An inexplicable depression weighed heavily upon her, and the harder she tried to escape the whirlpool of her emotions, the deeper she sank into it.
Had she come to rely on Kylo too much?
She had pretended otherwise and hidden her true feelings...
But had he really come to mean this much to her?
The moment Kylo decided to become a witch hunter—or an observer.
No.
The moment she realized she could no longer stop him from making that choice.
A tremendous ripple spread through her heart.
Kylo had been her enemy from the very beginning.
And now, she had been placed in a position where she would once again be destined to stand against him.
What would happen now?
Kylo was always by her side.
Should she distance herself from him so he wouldn't discover that she was a witch?
Or should she simply be more careful in everything she did, determined above all else not to let him find out?
If he ever discovered that she was a witch...
“...”
...She couldn't even begin to imagine how he would react.
From what he had said earlier, even he seemed uneasy about witches.
“...No.”
If he discovered that she was a witch, would he simply overlook her transgressions as he always had?
Or would he push her away, saying that witches were too impure to be accepted?
“Vivian!”
“...Huh?”
When she came to her senses, she realized that she had already arrived at Londor Castle.
She hadn't even noticed how deeply she had been lost in thought all this time.
—Swoosh.
Kylo removed his Red Bear helmet and tossed it aside.
“What have you been thinking about so hard this whole time?”
There was unmistakable concern in his voice.
“You're acting strange today. Are you all right?”
The moment Vivian saw Kylo's face after he removed his helmet, her heart began pounding violently again.
She stared intently at his face.
He was going to become her enemy?
...She simply couldn't imagine it.
Even if he became a witch hunter.
But the fear of that possibility was very real.
The thought that the man who had always protected her might one day take her life made her blood run cold.
“...Kylo.”
Without realizing it, Vivian reached out toward him.
Kylo said nothing and simply took her hand, helping her down from the horse.
—Squeeze.
“...Vivian?”
But even after dismounting, Vivian didn't let go of his hand.
Her heart kept trembling with anxiety, making it difficult for her to release him.
It felt as though the sensation she had experienced when he had left on his expedition and disappeared had returned.
That emptiness.
That fear.
That sense of weakness.
She had thought she had grown stronger during that time.
In the end, however, that strength had merely been an illusion created by leaning on his existence.
Vivian let out a bitter laugh at her own weakness.
To find stability by relying on her enemy.
It was an embarrassing and shameful feeling that Kylo could never be allowed to discover.
And yet that weakness was there.
Vivian wanted to know what Kylo was thinking because she was afraid.
She wanted confirmation that he was on her side.
That he would continue to be on her side.
She had only used her spell once today.
Once, when she checked whether the Holy Knight was lying.
That meant she could still use it twice more.
“...Kylo.”
“I've been asking what the hell is wrong with you.”
It was a spell she had never once used on Kylo.
She had put it off because she was afraid of seeing his true feelings.
But her anxiety was simply too overwhelming now.
She felt that she needed to know what he really thought of her.
She wanted to confirm the truth that he cared about her and finally feel at ease.
“Kylo, do you... hate me?”
Kylo looked genuinely dumbfounded.
“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden? Did the heat get to you?”
“Just answer me.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Kylo placed a hand against Vivian's forehead, as though checking whether she had a fever.
Even in that small gesture, Vivian could feel his warmth.
And within that warmth, she slowly gathered her courage.
“Just pretend I'm crazy and answer me. I'm only going to ask you this once.”
“...”
Only then did Kylo's expression gradually harden.
Perhaps because he couldn't understand her emotions, he hesitated for a long while.
“...Is this part of that thing you mentioned before? The one about figuring out whether someone is lying?”
“...”
Vivian didn't answer.
Perhaps her silence made Kylo uncomfortable.
He sighed and roughly scratched his head.
Then he said,
“...Are you seriously asking me that? Of course I hate you. You threw me into a penal unit and said you wouldn't even let me go home. How could I not hate you?”
“...But you've protected me all this time.”
“...I already told you. It was a sense of indebtedness. Guilt.”
...A faint blue glow.
The look in his eyes was that of someone telling the truth.
His feelings were being conveyed through his eyes.
“...”
But contrary to what she had expected, Vivian's heart remained surprisingly calm.
No. That can't be.
She thought.
More than the power of her spell, Vivian trusted her own instincts.
Her memories with Kylo were too long, and the time they had spent together was too deeply etched into her heart.
Because of that, she managed to squeeze out one more question.
“...Then, Kylo, do you like me?”
Kylo's body froze completely.
Even the corners of his eyes trembled faintly.
“...”
He opened and closed his mouth several times.
Finally, with a frown, he said,
“...Didn't you hear me? I just told you I hate you.”
Kylo's eyes shone with an intense crimson light.
It was the same red that burned as fiercely as Vivian's hair.
It was an utterly convincing lie.
He hated her, but he loved her too.
That was what he truly felt.
Vivian had to suppress the urge to let out a small laugh.
“...Ha.”
...How could their feelings be so alike?
As expected, there were many ways in which the two of them resembled each other.
Vivian nodded.
“...I understand.”
Then, feeling somewhat relieved, she released his hand and turned away.