Ch.284Chapter 284 – The Price Offered by the Witch

“Please entrust the deal to me.”

After saying that, Beatrice didn’t say anything more.

Afterward, I returned to the lodging with Eve and Sera to discuss future plans, and some time passed since then.

“Can I trust her?”

That’s what I muttered while lying in my room at the lodging after Beatrice asked me to entrust the deal to her.

The night sky had quietly emerged outside the window.

Looking at that sky, I murmured to myself.

“I feel like I’m worrying unnecessarily…”

Given what I’d seen of her usual performance, despite some unreliable aspects, Beatrice was actually more capable than expected, so perhaps I didn’t need to worry much.

However, there was another reason for my concern.

‘She didn’t seem to like Beatrice very much.’

I carefully recalled Gabriella’s behavior.

More precisely, before revealing her identity.

I remembered that when Beatrice spoke to her, Gabriella’s voice wasn’t particularly friendly.

I could only speculate about the exact reason, but if Gabriella truly disliked Beatrice, there was a possibility the deal could fall through.

So I racked my brain to prepare for contingencies, but…

‘It’s a difficult problem.’

If I carelessly accepted the other party’s deal, there was a high chance of being saddled with dangerous tasks or battlefields.

‘I must avoid that.’

I didn’t care about myself.

But I didn’t want the others to be in danger.

Considering the time I had left, I couldn’t afford to spend too much time, so I wanted to decline getting involved in the war between the resistance, the royal army, and the Emiris Order.

I was just thinking that I should prepare for the worst-case scenario of getting involved when—

—Knock knock

A small but clear knocking sound echoed.

I quickly got up and opened the door to find a nun in white clothes standing before me.

“Sir Kay, do you have a moment?”

“Chris?”

I thought it might be Eve or Sera trying to enter the room, but it was an unexpected visitor.

As I quickly stepped back, Chris briefly surveyed the room, then carefully entered and locked the door.

Then she looked at me again and spoke as if making an excuse.

“Sir Kay, well…”

“What’s wrong?”

I smiled to reassure Chris, and she stared at me for a moment.

Then, after a light cough, she spoke again.

“No, it’s just that I was briefly reminded of what happened with Lady Beatrice in Alfheim.”

“Alfheim?”

After searching my memory for a moment, I immediately realized what she was referring to.

It was definitely when we went to release the seal.

“You mean when Beatrice attacked you.”

“Yes.”

I remembered Beatrice screaming and attacking Chris as if possessed, as if denying something.

In the end, we subdued her, and then…

“That incident has been on my mind. I feel like I need to keep watching Lady Beatrice.”

I nodded at Chris’s careful words.

Beatrice was clearly not herself at that time.

The memory was deeply etched in my mind because of it.

However, since we had agreed to keep that incident a secret between Chris and me, I couldn’t bring it up until now.

Still, I’m sure Beatrice herself wouldn’t want it to be revealed.

‘…That’s why we couldn’t properly discuss it.’

It wasn’t something to be discussed carelessly, and neither Chris nor I wanted to unnecessarily probe someone else’s wounds.

It was also awkward to speak about it in front of Beatrice, especially since she didn’t know that part of her secret had been exposed to Chris and me.

Until now, I had refrained from mentioning it out of consideration, but there was definitely a need to keep a close eye on Beatrice.

‘…Wait.’

Beatrice had definitely shouted something at that time.

What she said then was…

“We really need to watch her carefully.”

Chris said quietly.

“Lady Beatrice may seem fine on the surface, but she has some unstable aspects.”

“I know.”

Although she had shown fewer signs of instability recently, Beatrice used to display a certain nervousness.

Especially when it came to revenge, she would stop at nothing, making her someone to be particularly cautious of when emotionally unstable.

“At least since coming here, I’ve felt like the goal she had temporarily set aside while with us has been revived.”

“A goal.”

Beatrice’s temporarily set-aside goal.

The answer was obvious.

‘…Is it revenge for the dead princesses?’

According to what Domestica had told us, that would be the likely reason for Beatrice.

“I hope she doesn’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

I quietly grumbled about Beatrice.

After thinking for a moment, I spoke to Chris.

“For now, let’s keep an eye on her.”

“Will that be enough?”

“I think it will be.”

I quietly answered as I looked at Chris’s questioning face.

“She might do something impulsive if she gets anxious… but so far, Beatrice hasn’t acted impulsively when she’s been with us.”

At least during the period when we were traveling to release Evgenia’s seal, Beatrice didn’t cause any sudden incidents.

“So I think it’ll be the same this time. She won’t cause any trouble.”

“Is that so?”

“Still, we should be careful.”

Because the person in question could suddenly change her mind.

Chris nodded at my words.

Then she spoke with a serious face.

“I think we should keep our eyes on Lady Beatrice until we leave this country.”

“You’re being extremely cautious. Do you have any evidence?”

“No. It’s just a feeling.”

After saying that, Chris gave me a light wink.

“But it never hurts to be careful, right?”

“That’s true.”

If we’re going to pay attention to Beatrice anyway, we might as well watch her more closely.

After that conversation, Chris quietly began to rise, seemingly having nothing more to say.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes. The night is deep.”

Chris said that and then looked at me.

“Rest now, and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

“Let’s do that.”

Chris’s brief warning had ended.

Soon, Chris stood up and bowed her head to us, saying:

“Then, good night.”

With those final words, the white nun’s habit began to disappear beyond the door.

After watching the white garment slowly vanish into another room, I closed the door and lay down on the bed.

‘…I should ask Beatrice about her thoughts tomorrow morning.’

I felt I needed to hear what kind of deal she was planning to propose.

Just as I was organizing my thoughts, I heard a knocking sound at the window.

“…What were you doing out there?”

That’s what I said as I saw Beatrice hanging outside the window.

And Beatrice replied with a confident face:

“Can you open it for me first?”

Since I couldn’t leave her hanging at the window forever, I quickly opened it, and Beatrice smoothly moved her body inside.

Then, dusting herself off, she said:

“Sorry. I was smoking on the roof to avoid being caught by the little nun.”

“…But why did you come to my window?”

“Thought I’d see the helmet face for a bit.”

Beatrice said that and then snapped her fingers.

The open window closed again, and I quietly asked as I watched:

“So what’s up?”

It seemed good to talk since we happened to meet again.

However, Beatrice remained silent for a while before finally speaking quietly:

“…Can I have a smoke?”

“Didn’t you finish smoking before coming in?”

“No, just… seeing your helmet makes me want another one.”

I sighed lightly at Beatrice’s words.

Then, pointing to the window she had closed, I said:

“Open the window and smoke by the windowsill.”

She would smoke as she pleased anyway, even if I tried to stop her.

Soon, Beatrice rose from her seat with a smile, opened the window, and began smoking beside it.

Then she made some kind of hand sign, and I saw the smoke gathering and flowing outside.

“You don’t seem to like the smell of cigarettes that much, right, helmet?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, sometimes I think I shouldn’t have started in the first place.”

“Then quit smoking.”

When I replied curtly, Beatrice chuckled and said:

“I would if I could.”

After saying that, Beatrice lit another cigarette.

Despite saying she would smoke just one, she was nonchalantly lighting another, but I didn’t stop her.

Feeling my mind forcibly calming down due to the smoke from the herbs supposedly used in her cigarettes, I gently asked her:

“So what are you thinking?”

“About what?”

“The deal with the princess.”

Looking at Beatrice, I quietly said:

“What do you have in mind?”

“…I do have something.”

Beatrice quietly replied.

“Princess Gabriella wants military power. We want a ship. So I realized there’s a compromise.”

“What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you now.”

Beatrice said that as she gently put down her cigarette.

She looked somewhat melancholic.

Feeling slightly anxious, I quietly said:

“Don’t think of anything strange.”

“Strange? What?”

“You’re more extreme than you think. When you get impatient, your vision and heart narrow, and you tend to go on rampages you shouldn’t.”

At my words, Beatrice averted her gaze and lit another cigarette, seemingly feeling guilty.

With a slightly reddened face, she quietly said:

“Well, I’ve created a label that will follow me for life.”

“It’s not like it’s fabricated.”

“…Are you still resentful?”

“Now I’m worried.”

At my words, Beatrice’s eyes widened slightly.

Then, with a slight smile, she said:

“You could just hate me. You’re such an idiot.”

Her tone seemed slightly joyful.

Then Beatrice silently looked at me.

I began to look back at her as she stared at me for a long time, and silence fell between us.

Beatrice was the first to speak.

“Helmet.”

“Yes?”

Beatrice finished smoking her cigarette.

It felt like she was organizing her final thoughts before saying her final words.

Then, moving away from the window toward the door, she said:

“You… live a long, happy life with the people you care about.”

“Bea…”

“Sleep well, helmet.”

Just as I was about to call Beatrice again.

The black-haired woman had already gone out the door without looking back.

+

Around the time Kay and Beatrice were having that conversation.

Sera was examining a book in her room.

‘…Something useful for the deal.’

After meeting Princess Gabriella, Eve and Sera had nodded to each other and immediately started looking for suitable items or things they could make.

Eve, who wasn’t here, was probably also checking ledgers to see if there was anything worth trading for a ship.

“…Indeed, such things don’t just fall from the sky.”

If it had to be something valuable enough to trade for a ship, there were a few items like the wooden giant and the seeds of Yggdrasil.

But the other party’s goal was our military power.

They wouldn’t easily agree to a simple exchange of goods.

‘We have to do something.’

Considering Kay’s physical condition, they needed to avoid fighting and couldn’t afford to waste time.

So Sera began diligently examining the books containing her recipes.

Then she suddenly remembered something.

“Grandmother’s journal was there.”

Sera quietly turned the pages of the book she hadn’t had time to take out in Ferrarius due to being busy.

The paper was blank.

But Sera remembered how to use it.

‘If I place an appropriate object against it…’

Soon, information about that object and its uses would temporarily appear on the page.

‘That’s how I discovered the identity of Yggdrasil’s seed.’

So Sera tried to find suitable items by bringing various objects into contact with the book.

And only then could she notice the change in the book.

“…This is.”

Continuing to turn pages, she came across the Symbol of Purity and the Symbol of Charity.

And then a new page appeared after them.

“…When did this appear?”

Looking at the page labeled Symbol of Diligence and Symbol of Temperance, Sera quietly fell into thought.

‘What exactly is this book for?’

This book must have some significance, given that her grandmother had secretly hidden it in her hometown.

There must be some meaning to it.

‘What could it be?’

Sera’s thoughts, which had been focused on finding items, began to flow toward the book in front of her.

+

The next morning.

As soon as I woke up, I was concerned about Beatrice and headed toward her room, where I saw Chris already up.

She approached me with a smile and asked:

“What’s the matter?”

“I wanted to check on Beatrice’s condition.”

“I see.”

The conversation flowed smoothly, perhaps because of the discussion Chris and I had yesterday.

Chris said she was also heading in that direction and moved closer to me.

When we reached the room where Beatrice should be sleeping, Chris slightly opened the door and looked inside.

The reason was that she would check first since it was a woman’s room.

After examining Beatrice’s room, Chris closed the door and quietly said:

“She seems to be sleeping. I can hear her breathing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The blanket was moving slightly, so she must be under it.”

Chris smiled and said she must have gone to bed late last night.

But I felt uneasy at Chris’s words.

“If we wake her up forcibly, she might not like it, so let’s let her sleep a little longer…”

“Go in right now and pull back the blanket.”

Chris looked somewhat startled at my tone.

Soon, I heard her enter and pull back Beatrice’s blanket.

Then I heard her voice.

“What… a fake?!”

I quickly pushed open the door and went inside.

She wasn’t there.

The black-haired witch who should have been on the bed was nowhere to be found.

And then.

—Pop!

“Huh? A letter?”

As if the unfolding of the blanket was a signal, a letter was slowly falling from the ceiling of the room.

I snatched the falling letter and quickly examined its contents.

Words of apology for disappearing without notice.

Words of apology to me.

And.

“…Who told her to do such a thing?”

Written in Beatrice’s handwriting was a message saying she would exchange herself for the ship.