Witch – Chapter 118 – The Witch and the Black Knight (29)

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The adventurers eyeing Edel were just the beginning.

A noblewoman with an engagement ring on her left hand.

A married woman hesitating while holding her child’s hand.

Even a group dressed in revealing clothes, boldly flaunting their bodies.

By the time the number surpassed ten, I gave up counting altogether.

These weren’t women worthy of pure love—they were vultures circling Edel. After a month of painstakingly teaching him, I couldn’t let them ruin it all.

Did Edel even realize he’d been in over ten near-breaches of chastity? Of course not. The fool was too busy stuffing his face with meat.

Click, click.

While I was busy fending off these vultures, the crisp sound of heels echoed sharply in my ears.

The refined rhythm alone told me this woman was in a league above the ones I’d just chased off.

Accompanied by a knightly escort, she had crimson hair cascading down to her waist and eyes burning with ambition. Her lavish scarlet dress, fit for nobility, couldn’t hide her ample chest—just barely meeting Edel’s absurd standards thanks to her petite face.

No baby would starve, but compared to mine, it’s nothing special…

Tch. Trying to cheat with a small face?

You think that’ll work on me?

I flashed her a warning smile, but she only mirrored it back and kept advancing.

…She’s not backing down?

Normally, one smile was enough to make them scatter.

A formidable opponent.

From her looks to her aura, she was unmistakably high-class.

“Estelle, I need to go somewhere for a moment—”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

“…Understood.”

Whatever Edel said next went in one ear and out the other.

My mind was wholly occupied with protecting him from this red-haired predator.

…Fine. If that’s how it is.

I didn’t want to resort to this, but—

Linking arms would mean pressing my chest against his, so I wanted to save that as a last resort. That left only one option: leaning my head on his shoulder.

For me, even something as simple as linking arms or resting my head on a man’s shoulder required immense resolve. I took a deep breath, hyping myself up.

This is all for Edel’s pure love.

If he fell for some scheming woman and lost his chastity, my month of effort would go down the drain.

Right. This is a necessary sacrifice.

Gradually, my embarrassment faded, replaced by calm determination.

“Edel, I suddenly feel dizzy…”

I closed my eyes slightly, placing a hand on my forehead as I swayed unsteadily.

It was a simple maneuver—just lean naturally until my head rested on Edel’s shoulder—but I poured method acting into every movement and word.

If I messed this up, I might provoke her further. I had to make this count.

Relaxing my body, I let myself tilt forward slowly, face-first.

If I lean on his shoulder now…

Will it be stiff from all that muscle?

Or surprisingly soft?

“Huh…?”

My bold plan to rest against Edel’s broad shoulders was abruptly thwarted by gravity, sending me plummeting endlessly—until my face met not his warmth, but the cold, unfeeling bench.

“Oof! Edel, why’d you— Edel?!”

Had he dodged me?!

My eyes flew open as I scanned the area, but Edel was nowhere in sight.

He disappeared again?!

Why does he keep vanishing without a word?!

What about my effort?! My resolve?!

Humiliation crashed over me. And worse—how ridiculous must I look to her?

With Edel gone, I hoped she’d leave, but the clicking of her heels only drew closer.

As if I had been her target all along.

Stopping before me, the red-haired woman smiled sweetly at my sprawled form.

“Lady Estelle, it’s been a while. Emily de Laplace at your service. I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly—I only just heard of your visit. But I’m so glad I could finally meet you. Thank you for coming to Venetia.”

“Emily…?”

I couldn’t believe the girl I’d met four years ago had grown into this.

Then again, Josie had changed beyond recognition in the same span. Nicks, too. It was only natural Emily had matured as well.

“Oh? Did you not recognize me? You smiled at me from afar, so I assumed you knew.”

I did smile at her… but not for the reason she thinks.

I couldn’t possibly explain that to her.

Of course—red hair in Venetia could only mean the Laplace family. How did I not realize sooner?

Something must’ve clouded my judgment. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have mistaken Emily for a predator.

Regardless, the shame of my actions burned. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

This is all Edel’s fault.

If he weren’t so damn handsome, women wouldn’t be swarming him, and I wouldn’t have mistaken Emily for a vulture.

…Should I make him wear a helmet?

No, that’d look weird.

Maybe a hood like Beryl’s, enchanted with perception-blocking magic?

“O-Of course I recognized you! Absolutely! You’ve grown so beautifully! B-But how did you know I was here? I came quietly, without notifying the Laplace family.”

My original purpose in Venetia was fieldwork, and if Derrick found out I was here, he’d get the wrong idea like Beryl did. I’d deliberately kept my visit secret.

Brushing myself off as if nothing happened, I tried to play it cool.

“The Adventurer’s Guild trades in information too. Rumors spread among the male adventurers about a stunning woman with pink hair. I knew it had to be you, so I came in a hurry with just one escort.”

“Male adventurers? But there were only women around…”

“They said a man at your side glared so fiercely they could only watch from a distance… so it’s no wonder you didn’t notice.”

Edel did that? Why?

I turned to ask him—only to find the seat beside me empty.

Right. Edel’s gone again.

If he’s off causing trouble somewhere…

Please tell me some woman isn’t luring him with promises of touching her chest… Given that half his harassment toward me involved my chest, I couldn’t help but worry.

“Emily, did you see where Edel went?”

He’d definitely been here when I locked eyes with her. She must’ve seen him leave.

“If you mean your dashing companion… he went that way. Toward the slums, I believe.”

She pointed to a narrow alley at the market’s edge.

The thought of Edel heading into such a bleak place twisted my stomach.

“Thanks. Edel’s… a bit of a handful. I need to keep an eye on him.”

“Oh? Is that so? From what I saw—”

“What did you see?”

“Oh, nothing. He seemed like the ideal man every woman would admire… I didn’t notice any problems.”

That’s because they don’t know who he really is.

Sure, I’d beaten him soundly, but Edel was still the Black Knight—the strongest of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, who’d nearly brought humanity to ruin.

If not for me, Venetia wouldn’t be this peaceful. It’d be a battlefield.

And let’s not forget the casual sexual harassment, the way he touches me without thinking, the things he says that others would absolutely misunderstand, how he keeps vanishing without a word—!

The ideal man every woman admires?

He’s as much—no, even more trouble than Leo! Falling for his looks… Emily still has a long way to go in pure love.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. This is a secret from Derrick and Eric, okay? I want to leave quietly.”

“W-Wait…!”

Emily tried to stop me, but I couldn’t waste time. Who knew what trouble Edel was stirring up?

I headed straight for the gloomy alley.

I didn’t even need magic to track him—his scent lingered unmistakably in the air.

“Edel?”

“Estelle.”

I found him easily, standing like a sentry before a ramshackle hut in the slums.

I wanted to scold him for disappearing again, but the scene before me stopped me cold.

“Did you do this?”

Men lay strewn about like corpses. No doubt Edel’s handiwork.

“They played at being strong. I merely corrected them. Don’t worry—they’ll live.”

Relief washed over me—this was far from the worst-case scenario I’d imagined.

But something didn’t add up.

The guy who said fighting weaklings was pointless just went and beat people up?

“You vanished without a word just to pick a fight? Do you know how embarrassed I was without you?!”

If it hadn’t been Emily—if it had been a real predator—the humiliation would’ve been unbearable.

“Calm yourself. I did tell you… You said not to interrupt you, so I left.”

Like hell you did—

Wait.

‘Estelle, I need to go somewhere for a moment—’

‘Don’t interrupt me.’

‘…Understood.’

…Oh.

He really did say that.

Why did I forget?!

This is all Edel’s fault!

“…So why did you come here?”

“I was reminded of the past. The human world isn’t so different from the demon realm.”

Edel pushed open the hut’s door. Inside, two children in tattered clothes trembled, clinging to each other.