Ch. 119 The Witch and the Black Knight (30)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 119 – The Witch and the Black Knight (30)
A boy who looked about ten years old glared at us warily while clutching a girl who appeared around seven.
His small hands tightly gripped a jagged rock, his teeth bared in defiance, while his other hand gently patted the girl’s back to keep her from crying.
Even though he must have known a single stone couldn’t win against us, his fingers—already bleeding from the sharp edges—only tightened further.
It was almost like looking at a mirror image of Edel’s past, just with the genders reversed.
The image of a young Edel, wandering the outskirts of the demon realm with a girl, searching for scraps of food day after day… overlapped perfectly with these children.
“I apologize for leaving you earlier. Next time, I’ll wait.”
“Mm… But what exactly happened here?”
I was curious about the situation. Edel, who normally couldn’t care less about the weak, wouldn’t just resort to violence without reason.
More than anything, the unfamiliar expression on his face as he watched the children was unsettling.
“That one stole my food.”
“Stole? The food you were eating?”
Traces of the sauce from Edel’s meal were smeared around the girl’s puffed-up cheeks, uncannily resembling how Edel himself had looked with Cornelia berry juice around his mouth.
“He didn’t run even when I looked at him. The audacity to steal from the strong while trembling in fear… It was worth watching. I followed because it reminded me of the demon realm.”
Edel glanced down at the thugs sprawled motionless on the ground, his gaze dull and indifferent.
“I see. I get the gist. So you beat up some bullies picking on kids? Good job, but… I thought you believed the weak deserve to be robbed?”
“I still think so. But this was an exception.”
Since when did he make exceptions to his beliefs?
This wasn’t just opportunistic survival of the fittest. Well, it wasn’t a bad exception, so I didn’t press further.
“Hehe. Really? An exception, huh?”
Instead, I just giggled and smiled.
A month ago, both the child who stole and the bullies would’ve been dead by Edel’s hand. But now, not a single life had been taken—that was one big exception.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t wearing his armor, but it felt like he was growing—not as one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, but as Edel, a person. It made me proud.
“So, Edel. How does it feel, protecting someone for the first time?”
“It’s a new sensation. Unfamiliar. Is this also pure love?”
“No. It’s not pure love. It’s compassion. You said it reminded you of the past, right?”
Normally, I would’ve jumped at the chance to label this as “pure love”, but… I didn’t want to cheapen what he was feeling by forcing it into that box.
“Compassion… Compassion, huh.”
For someone like him, who had been so consumed by strength that most emotions were foreign, compassion was just as important as pure love.
If Edel could learn to feel and understand more emotions, it would only help him in pursuing pure love later.
Of course, perverted desires like lust could wait until after he mastered pure love…!
“What will happen to those children now?”
His compassion didn’t end with just saving them once.
“Dunno.”
I, too, fell into thought as I watched them.
They didn’t seem to have any guardians. The tiny, roofless shack looked like their home.
Their frail bones peeked through their tattered clothes, and untreated wounds had festered with infection.
“Tomorrow won’t be any different for them. Today was just… special.”
Edel probably understood better than anyone.
He had lived a childhood just like theirs.
Even if he’d “corrected” the bullies, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t take their anger out on the kids later.
Their future was undoubtedly darker than it was bright.
“With money, at least they wouldn’t starve. Even the weak can fill their stomachs if they have coin.”
Edel pulled a few coins from his pocket. True, money would keep them from going hungry now… but it would also paint a target on their backs. Especially for slum kids.
“Put those away. A small amount might help, but that much would only bring harm. They’d be hurt for it, wouldn’t they?”
So I couldn’t agree with his idea.
“Then killing them would be better.”
“Hey—!”
I yanked his arm back as he reached for his sword.
“Why stop me? If we kill those who’d steal from them, problem solved, no?”
“If killing solved everything, the world would be empty by now! If you really care about those kids… violence isn’t the answer.”
‘Especially not for you…’
I kept that last part to myself.
Edel silently watched the children for a long moment. His usually indifferent eyes seemed to strain, as if trying to memorize something he could never see again.
Finally, he sheathed his sword and met my gaze squarely.
“I don’t want them to feel the sorrow I did. That’s how I can repay the girl who loved me in my childhood. So, Estelle… teach me. I’m a fool—I can’t think of any way besides swinging a sword.”
“Edel…”
He had leaped further than I’d expected, giving an answer I never saw coming. Each time I turned his words over in my heart, small ripples of emotion swelled in my chest.
“Lady Estelle, there you are!”
Before I could respond, Emily’s voice rang out from the alleyway. Click, click. With dignified steps, she and her knight escort approached.
“…I see what happened.”
After hearing the situation, Emily sighed softly, looking at the children.
She seemed both baffled that such things could happen in Venetia—ruled by the Laplace family—and embarrassed, like a noblewoman caught in an indiscretion.
As the future Marchioness, taking in two orphans would be trivial for her. And she had the most ideal means to help them.
“I’m ashamed you had to see this. We regularly patrol the slums to take in orphans… I’ll arrange for these two to live in the nursery I oversee.”
At her signal, the knight approached the children. The boy raised his rock threateningly, but it was useless—soon, they were both carried away in the knight’s arms.
“Is that it?”
Edel couldn’t tear his eyes from where they’d been. His hands trembled faintly with restless energy, so I carefully took one in mine.
“My nursery provides food, shelter, clothing, and even education. We raise them to serve the Laplace family. If needed, we train them to become adventurers too. You can trust me.”
Emily stayed behind to explain further as the knight left with the children.
“Edel, don’t worry. They’ll be better off with Emily than with us.”
Even if a Heavenly King and a witch stepped in, it would only drag them further from normal lives. Emily’s nursery was clearly the better choice.
“I see. I don’t understand, but… thank you.”
“It’s only natural. If anything, I’m relieved I could help. I was worried I interrupted your… date.”
Date?! What is she talking about?
I hadn’t said anything misleading like with Beryl and Nicks…
Ugh. Just like with Nicks, she’s jumping to conclusions!
“It’s not a date!”
“Oh, really? You came to Venetia quietly, glared at me like a territorial cat on that bench… and now you’re holding hands so tenderly? There’s no need to hide it, you know~”
“I said it’s NOT! Edel and I are just— teacher and student, that’s all!”
Her smooth-talking made my face burn. I yanked my hand away from Edel’s.
The shame of what I’d done on that bench came rushing back—she’d seen right through me.
Her narrowed eyes and smug grin made it clear she wasn’t listening. It only pissed me off more.
“Estelle. You never answered yesterday—what’s a ‘date’? Is it food? Or related to pure love?”
Wait, didn’t I explain? Oh, right—I got interrupted when Nicks tried to run off mid-misunderstanding.
“A date is… umm, it’s when—”
“Oh, it’s when a man prepares to cook and eat a woman, of course!”
“Y-YOU’RE INSANE! INSANE!!”
Just as I was trying to think of a simple, wholesome explanation for Edel, Emily swooped in and scrambled my brain with her nonsense.
I frantically covered Edel’s ears—but too late. He was already mulling over her words with a puzzled look, trying to find the connection between dates and cooking.
“Oh my, was I wrong?”
“A date is—! It’s when a man and woman confirm their feelings! Broadly speaking, it’s just spending time together! What do you mean cook and eat?!”
If Edel got the wrong idea now, all my hard work over the past month could crumble. I refused to let him think dates were some perverted prelude.
“Is that so? Then… there’s no problem if I go on a date with him, right? Since it’s just spending time together~ Though if he wants to cook for me, I certainly wouldn’t refuse~”
With a bewitching smile, Emily latched onto Edel’s arm, pressing her modest-but-decent chest against him while shooting me a triumphant smirk.
Th-That little—!
My instincts were right. Emily was a predator.
A dangerous temptress who knew exactly how to weaponize her body.
She even nuzzled her face against Edel’s muscular arm… flirting so brazenly it made my blood boil.
Weak, spoiled, smaller chest than mine, probably less money too—how dare she cling to him when she’s nothing like his ideal?!
If I let her drag me into her pace, it’d be like admitting we were on a date. I could only stand there stiffly, shoulders trembling.
And why is Edel just standing there?!
Shouldn’t you shake her off when a woman who isn’t your type clings to you?!
What, do all chests look good to you now?! I thought your ideal was someone big!
You said you wanted pure love to grow stronger—were you lying?! Just trying to survive by tricking me?!
My anger spilled over from Emily to Edel himself. I didn’t know why, but I glared at him, my emotions a tangled mess.
“Weakling. I appreciate you helping the children, but don’t anger Estelle. And the only one allowed to touch me is someone stronger than me.”
After watching our exchange silently, Edel peeled Emily off and issued a warning.
“I just thought… Lady Estelle wasn’t being honest with herself… My apologies. I overstepped.”
“My fault. Estelle and I are busy. I’ve made our schedule tight. Right?”
Emily’s polite apology barely registered—all I could see was Edel cautiously stepping closer to me.
All my earlier frustration melted away in an instant, rendered meaningless by his actions.
Of course he wouldn’t fall for Emily’s charms. I taught him, after all.
Shaking her off so coldly before coming to me… if he had a tail, it’d be wagging furiously right now.
“We are busy. Yeah… super busy. So much left to teach. Let’s go.”
His words were so sweet I barely resisted the urge to pat his head.
Whether Emily misunderstood us or not… I made sure to flash her a victorious smile as I took Edel’s hand and walked away, leaving her flustered behind us.
There was no one in Venetia who matched Edel’s ideal anyway.
…Yeah. It’s fine if she misunderstands.
Lucent
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