Chapter 84

Chapter 84

If we stayed near a village, people would look at us with fear and offer unwanted sacrifices.

If we settled in the mountains, rumors would spread about it being a cursed place or the site of ghost stories. Inevitably, local fools and children would come for “courage tests.”

So, rather than settling anywhere, we’d leave when it became too much and wander again.

Still, having Evan by my side was a small comfort.

“Evan, should I get a new leg?”

“Why a leg all of a sudden?”

“I feel bad riding Ivan all the time, and for the… environment I’m imagining…”

I trailed off, feeling embarrassed to say it aloud. But leaving it unsaid felt worse, so I pressed on with a bold face.

“I mean, I think it’d be better to have a decent environment if I’m planning for a child. I can’t have people calling me the limping witch.”

“If anyone says that, just keep them somewhere else for a while.”

Evan spoke as if it were the most obvious solution.

Maybe if it were just the two of us, that would work. But I couldn’t agree with him.

“See, that’s exactly what’s wrong.”

At my words, Evan raised an eyebrow.

I sighed lightly and voiced my thoughts.

“Who would ever love a witch’s child?

Children need love to grow.

And forcing love—whether out of social pressure or pretense—isn’t real love either.”

Hearing this, Evan leaned in and kissed me.

It was a simple kiss, lips meeting briefly, sharing warmth. Then, he pulled away and started walking again.

“If that’s how it is… But still, won’t a child be affected by someone like me?”

“Pretending to be normal and composed is the most basic skill of a noble.

No one’s more corrupt or greedy, but they live hiding it, don’t they?

You and I—we’re better at that than anyone else. It’s in our blood.”

At his words, we both fell silent.

I thought of the ruins that had already disappeared entirely, while Evan seemed to reflect on his family—pushed aside by his own hand, though not utterly destroyed this time.

Before long, snow began to fall, blanketing the ground.

It was as if I could feel the cold in my nonexistent foot.

Snowflakes melted as they touched the bridge of my nose. Wanting to lighten the mood, I moved closer to Evan and spoke softly.

“If we’re going to settle somewhere, you’ll need to take off those rags and dress properly.

As for me, I’ll have to attach some kind of wooden prosthetic or sculpted flesh to make a proper leg.”

If I forced myself to make a leg, it would move, but it’d look terrifying.

But with socks and shoes to cover it, no one would notice.

Not that I wanted to do it right now. Maybe just a little later… when the time came to have a child.

By then, it’d be better to make one and never take the sock off.

“Rags? I’ll have you know this robe used to belong to the Imperial Palace.”

“It’s so worn out from wearing it constantly, though.”

Evan shrugged and casually burned the robe in midair before pulling out a new one and putting it on.

“Better, isn’t it? This one’s from the palace too.”

“…”

His smug expression made me want to smack his forehead, but at least he looked much better now.

The smell of blood was less overwhelming, too.

“Settling down, huh?

A place where children can laugh and play happily, where people live peacefully without conflicts—honestly, I don’t think such a place exists.”

Evan mumbled under his breath, “If it did, you or I would’ve burned it down.”

I wanted to argue, but then I realized he wasn’t wrong.

“I guess we should only think about kids after we’ve settled somewhere stable…”

I teased Evan with a mocking laugh.

Hearing logical advice is always irritating somehow.

“What, is someone offering to marry you?”

“I haven’t found any records of dark sorcerers getting married.”

“Probably because they all ran away.

People who want families tend to hate danger, evil, and instability.

You and I could kill a random passerby and no one would bat an eye, but we’ve only killed three people recently—hardly any.”

True, we hadn’t killed anyone except for a few bandits who kidnapped and murdered travelers.

Not that I was sure those bandits even counted as human.

“I’d rather not provoke Vivian unnecessarily.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

So, for a while, instead of settling, we kept wandering.

The seasons changed, bringing slight novelty, but we stuck to familiar forests and wooded areas—places far from human habitation.

Ivan, perhaps feeling the aftereffects of his old age and abuse from children, started limping badly. His health worsened.

To ease his suffering, I quickly compressed his brainstem. Then, as his soul lingered faintly, I asked him.

Do you want to keep living? Do you want to stay?

Ivan shook his head, barked once, licked my face, and faded away.

So, I went from being the limping witch riding a dog to just the limping witch.

I carved a suitable branch into a walking stick and hobbled along.

I had nothing but time, after all.

It felt a bit empty, though.

After wandering for a long while, one day Evan handed me something wrapped in cloth.

“Here, wear this.”

Inside was a meticulously carved wooden foot.

“What’s this? So this is what you’ve been working on all this time?”

“You even cast a spell to keep it hidden. I was wondering what you were up to.”

“I figured if I made the leg myself and it ended up absorbing magic and gaining a will of its own… well, I’d rather avoid that.”

A left leg that didn’t obey me.

The thought was both ridiculous and incredibly annoying.

Imagine it staging a strike, constantly tripping me up while protesting underfoot—it would be a headache.

“…Anyway, hurry up and put it on.”

The carved wooden prosthetic couldn’t even properly be called an artificial limb, but as I attached the blunt end to my ankle, I felt a sudden sense of comfort and support.

Evan must have used some kind of spell, but I didn’t bother to ask. It wasn’t worth the trouble.

“It’s nice. Comfortable.”

At my casual remark, Evan frowned and grumbled.

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

In response, I stepped closer, kissed his cheek, and then paused to look at his face.

His skin had regained its fair complexion, and his once-lifeless eyes now sparkled with vitality—perhaps because he hadn’t been dealing with anything gruesome lately.

Then I leaned in and lightly kissed his lips.

What started as a simple kiss quickly escalated into something more, as kisses often do.

Occasionally, we’d accidentally bump teeth or brush against the inside of a cheek or the roof of a mouth, but neither of us seemed to mind.

The air between us was thick with the scent of the crude cigarettes we had just shared.

“Does that suffice as an expression of gratitude?”

“It’s a bit lacking.

We need to hurry up and find somewhere to stay.”

“True, especially now that I have a leg.”

Though the prosthetic felt odd where it touched my skin, and there was a slight unpleasantness, it was still nice to feel like I had a leg again.

“What do we tell the child?

What kind of people should we say we are?”

“You’re already worrying about that?”

“Well, even if we only tried during the right timing, there’s always a ‘what if,’ you know.”

“…”

As we walked, a small village nestled deep in the mountains finally came into view.

Getting closer, we noticed it had a fence, but it was so low that even a slight jump could clear it. There were no guards posted.

Inside, children were playing, men dragged animals they’d hunted or skinned hides, and women busied themselves with various tasks.

They seemed to be farming, but it looked like they were barely managing potatoes or, with some luck, turnips.

Well, if we stayed here, at least the child wouldn’t get picky about their meals.

“How about this place?”

“You said a good learning environment was important.”

“I’ll handle the education myself.”

“Well, in that case, it’s not bad.

But do you even speak the language here?”

“Probably.”

There were only four countries neighboring the Empire, and I’d learned their languages as a child.

Unlike my brother, who sailed off on ships, I’d always preferred staying on land where people lived.

Even though I knew capturing slaves was profitable, I found it too disgusting to get involved.

“Staying inside the village might be too much for now. Let’s build a house near the mountains and visit occasionally.

If people come asking, we can say we’re nobles fleeing from threats of assassination. They’ll believe it.”

We found an empty spot near the village, away from prying eyes, and quickly built a house by mixing earth, snow, and rocks.

I crafted the elegant roof, while Evan handled the rest of the construction.

The house ended up being about three times the size of the dorm room I’d once stayed in at the academy.

“What about furniture?”

“I brought plenty from the Imperial Palace.”

Hearing that, I stared at Evan for a long moment.

At this rate, he might as well have uprooted the palace pillars too.

“Something about this doesn’t sit right with me.”

Feeling a sudden surge of irritation for no clear reason, I stomped into the newly built house, threw open the door, and went inside.

I guess I was just in a bad mood for no reason.