Chapter 30

Ｒｅａ​ｄ ｏｎ​ Ｋａ​ｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

Lucy looked at Ed and Ron then spoke in a calm tone.

“First, calm down.”

“Y-yeah…”

Ron looked awkward, perhaps feeling sorry for shouting earlier.

“Tell me again, slowly.”

As she said this, Lucy glanced behind Ed and Ron.

Theodore wasn’t there.

It seemed Ed and Ron had come alone on horseback.

“That bishop took Ellie… He seems to suspect Ellie of being a witch…”

Ed explained.

Ron added beside him.

“A bunch of holy knights from the Papal Court swarmed in. So Father had no choice but to let them take Ellie…”

“…”

Lucy made a disbelieving expression.

Was there really any reason to suspect Ellie of being a witch?

She even had blonde hair.

“We tried to stop them until the end… but we couldn’t. That’s why we came to you. For some reason, I thought of you…”

At Ed’s words, Lucy nodded.

“Do you know where Ellie was taken?”

Ron answered.

“Probably to the city. Ellie was put in that bishop’s carriage. That bishop definitely came from the city.”

“Where’s the city?”

“That’s… hard to explain in words. Do you have paper and a pen?”

Lucy went to her room and brought back paper and a pen.

Ron began drawing a rough map.

It looked like he was sketching it quickly, but it seemed fairly accurate.

“This is our current location, and if you go this way, you’ll reach the castle. Then if you follow this road, here.”

Ron circled a spot on the map.

“This is the city. The bishop who took Ellie is named Oswin. Oswin, the bishop of the Diaz Cathedral.”

“…Ron, you’re really smart.”

Ed marveled beside him.

Lucy studied the map closely.

With this map, it seemed she could find her way there.

Lucy folded the map and tucked it into her pocket.

“I’ll bring Ellie back.”

“Thank you, Lucy…”

Ed said that, but Ron looked slightly doubtful.

He had followed Ed here, but he still didn’t understand how Lucy planned to bring Ellie back.

“Ed, what exactly is this kid…”

At that moment, Lucy waved her hand, and a massive horse appeared out of thin air.

“…!”

Ron stared at the horse in shock, his eyes wide.

A horse made entirely of bones, with blue light glowing from its eyes.

Lucy hopped onto the horse and said,

“You two should head back to the castle first.”

◈

Oswin sat comfortably in the carriage, smiling.

His hand gently stroked the silk-covered seat, and his small eyes occasionally fixed on Ellie, who was trembling on the floor.

“Hoho, why are you like this, Ellie? If you’re not a witch, you shouldn’t be afraid of a situation like this, right?”

When Oswin asked mockingly, Ellie answered in a trembling voice.

“I-I’m… not a witch…”

“Hmph.”

Oswin snorted dismissively.

“That kind of talk is useless now. The Papal Court has already confirmed you as a witch. Soon, your crimes will be revealed, and everyone will see how evil you are. Then you’ll face a terrible death. You’ll be burned alive.”

“…!”

Ellie clenched her lips, her face filled with fear.

She tried her best to hold back her tears, but they eventually streamed down her cheeks.

“Hoho…”

Oswin looked at Ellie with great satisfaction.

She was so scared after just a few words.

This was too enjoyable.

“By the way, your father also admitted that you’re a witch.”

“…That’s a lie.”

“A lie? I’m a clergyman. Clergymen don’t lie.”

“Father would never do that…”

“Really? Then why are you in this carriage? If your father hadn’t allowed it, would you really be here? What do you think?”

“Sob, sob…”

Ellie’s face twisted in sorrow.

Oswin hummed a tune and admired the scenery outside the carriage.

A short while later, when the carriage arrived at the city gates, Oswin’s face showed relief.

They had finally left the Leyton territory and arrived in the city.

From here, they were safe, so he no longer needed the Papal Court’s troops.

Oswin sent the holy knights back and entered the city.

Seeing the familiar sights of the city, Oswin felt even more at ease.

They were almost there.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of an elegant mansion.

Oswin said to Ellie,

“Get out.”

“…”

Ellie shook her head, her face tearful.

Her hands were tightly gripping the carriage seat.

As if she would never get out.

“I could grab you by the hair and drag you out. Do you want me to do that?”

At Oswin’s words, Ellie trembled again.

“…”

Eventually, Ellie got out of the carriage. She didn’t want to be dragged out by her hair.

As they entered the mansion together, several girls ran up and greeted Oswin politely.

“Welcome back, Father.”

They were all girls Oswin had adopted.

“Yes.”

Oswin waved his hand to dismiss the girls and said to Ellie,

“Those girls were just like you at first. But after I showered them with affection, they changed. You’ll probably be the same. So from now on, consider them your family.”

“…”

Ellie frowned.

Those girls weren’t her family. Her family was Ed and Ron back at Leyton Castle.

“And from now on, you’ll call me Father.”

“I don’t want to.”

Ellie glared at Oswin. She could never call this man her father.

“Hoho, you don’t want to now. But soon, you’ll want to call me that yourself.”

Oswin took Ellie to a room.

It was a room with walls painted entirely white.

There was no furniture, nothing at all. Not even a window.

“Stay here and think carefully about your situation. I’ll call you when you’re ready. Hehe.”

Oswin pushed Ellie into the room and closed the door.

◈

Lucy rode her Death Mount toward the city.

Strong winds blew, tossing Lucy’s hair in all directions.

A short while later, the city walls came into view.

The city marked on the map Ron had drawn.

Ellie was probably in that city.

As she approached the city entrance, Lucy got off her Death Mount.

It seemed better to walk from here.

If people saw the Death Mount, it could cause trouble.

And Lucy, who wanted to rescue Ellie as quickly as possible, didn’t want that.

At the city gate, guards were conducting inspections.

They seemed to be meticulously checking various documents and entry permits.

Lucy stopped and observed the situation for a moment.

It seemed she needed to find a way to get inside without being inspected.

Then she noticed a gate nearby with relatively lax security.

Only one guard was stationed there, and the gate was wide open.

Merchants carrying goods were entering, and the guard didn’t seem to pay much attention to them.

Lucy quickly approached.

She hid among the merchants’ goods and slipped past the guard.

Once inside the city, she saw cobblestone streets.

The streets were bustling with people, and shops lined both sides.

The bishop who had taken Ellie was named Oswin.

She needed to find him first.

“Excuse me…”

Lucy approached a passing merchant.

But the merchant frowned and snapped rudely.

“Get lost, I’m busy!”

The merchant pushed his cart past her.

“…”

Then someone tugged lightly on Lucy’s skirt.

“Miss.”

Lucy turned her head and saw a little girl standing there.

She looked about five years old, with black hair and round eyes.

“Can I touch your white hair?”

The girl looked up at Lucy with curious eyes.

Lucy was momentarily startled but soon smiled and crouched down.

“Sure, go ahead.”

The girl reached out and touched Lucy’s hair, fascinated.

“Wow, it’s really white! So soft!”

“Do you know this area well?”

“Yeah! I was born here!”

The girl puffed out her chest proudly.

“Then do you know where Bishop Oswin is?”

“I do. He’s over there.”

The girl pointed in a direction.

“See that cathedral over there? Behind it, there’s a big mansion. It has white walls and a blue roof. He lives there.”

“Thank you.”

Lucy lightly tapped the girl’s nose and stood up.

Then she hurried in the direction the girl had pointed.

Finding the mansion the girl mentioned wasn’t difficult.

From a distance, she could see an elegant building with white walls and a blue roof.

The mansion was located behind the cathedral, surrounded by tall walls and lush trees.

Lucy stopped and observed the mansion.

From the outside, it looked like just a luxurious mansion, but upon closer inspection, it felt oddly closed off.

Especially noticeable was the unusually large number of guards patrolling the area.

The security was far stricter than necessary.

It was as if they were trying to completely isolate the mansion from the outside.

“…”

Lucy’s red eyes turned cold.

She had a strong feeling that Ellie was here.

She decided to enter the mansion first.

The guards were patrolling at regular intervals, meticulously guarding every entrance.

It didn’t look easy to get inside without being noticed, but…

“Shadow Step.”

Lucy used a very simple method to climb over the wall and enter.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I’m suppressing the urge to remind you of their age…

Remind—SPANK!!!

Sorry.