Chapter 144: Discovery – 3

Eight days had passed.

Vivian recalled Baristan’s last words from the previous day.

“We have checked every woman in the castle except for one, but we did not find the witch.”

“…I will return tomorrow, Your Grace.”

That had been the warning yesterday.

Today, she stood by the window, gazing out over the landscape of Loctana.

In the distance, she saw the Las Order approaching the castle, accompanied by the royal knights.

The intimidating aura emanating from their gleaming armor was palpable even from afar.

The fact that the royal knights had appeared precisely on this day meant that Baristan had been preparing for a long time, convinced that she was the culprit.

And he was right.

She was the witch.

Half-blooded, yes.

The daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, one who had forsaken the path to becoming a full-fledged witch.

Vivian’s hands trembled as she looked down.

Though she had no strong attachment to life, the thought of imminent death still filled her with terror.

And the fact that she had to endure this fear alone—without a single person to rely on—was unbearably difficult.

If only you were here…

Vivian thought.

“…Ha.”

But she quickly dismissed the thought as meaningless.

If Kailo was here, he might have been the one to personally behead her.

What does it feel like to be executed?

Until now, she had only ever signed execution papers.

She had never once imagined that she herself would be on the receiving end.

“…Still not showing him to me?”

She muttered to herself.

For the past eight days, she hadn’t seen a trace of Kailo.

Elena had completely refused to let her see him.

It made her feel as though she was truly alone.

The isolation dried her blood to the bone.

“If you don’t act now, even you won’t be able to get me out of this… You’re really not going to try?”

If this was Elena’s intention, then it was working all too well.

Would she really die without seeing him again?

Somehow… that thought felt a little unbearable.

***

Valon led the Las Order and the royal knights into the castle.

The entire 4th Knight Division followed closely behind.

Why had the royal knights appeared?

Why had the Las Order returned after claiming they had found no witch?

Everything was shrouded in questions.

But his duty as a soldier was clear—he guided them forward.

At the very front was the 4th Knight Order’s commander, Vergor.

Even Princess Reyna was with them.

Considering her poor relationship with Vivian due to Kailo, it was surprising that she had come in person.

Valon couldn’t yet understand the full reason, but he could tell that the situation was grave.

One thing was clear: if a formal proposal or demand was to be made between nobles, an appropriate figure had to deliver it.

Vivian, being second only to the king in status, required someone of equal weight—at least a princess.

But what kind of demand could possibly justify this assembly?

Valon still couldn’t predict.

Still, he continued walking, leading the knights.

Sensing Valon’s unease, Princess Reyna softened her cold expression and offered him a faint smile.

It was a small connection formed when he had once shared information about Kailo.

Valon, somewhat foolishly, returned the smile—but it felt awkward, even to himself.

There was an unpleasant feeling gnawing at him.

***

Reyna and Baristan stopped in front of Vivian’s door.

The noblewoman accompanying them, Lady Linne, stepped forward to explain.

“…After the recent events, she has shut herself in. I ask for your understanding if she fails to observe proper etiquette.”

Princess Reyna shook her head.

“No, not at all. The Duchess of Rondor should do as she pleases.”

However, despite her words, Reyna’s expression suggested she was holding back many emotions.

There was a quiet fury beneath her composed tone.

She then turned to Baristan.

“…You’re certain?”

Baristan, clad in his immaculate priestly robes, retrieved something from his robes.

— Ting-ting-ting-ting-ting…

A strange bell rang.

The maids gasped as soon as they saw it, as if they recognized it.

Baristan responded firmly.

“I am certain.”

Princess Reyna nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Baristan stepped forward.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He pounded on the door roughly and shouted.

“A whole month! For an entire month, I have searched this castle for the hidden witch! And now, my investigation is complete!”

There was no trace of courtesy left in his voice.

Valon scowled in shock.

“Has that bastard… lost his mind…?”

He wasn’t the only one who reacted.

Lady Linne was taken aback, and the knights of the 4th Division instinctively placed their hands on their swords.

From the days when they were mere boy soldiers—when they had been dismissed and ignored—Vivian had been the one to take care of them.

She had visited the punishment unit’s barracks to speak with them.

On one campaign, she had cooked for them and treated their wounds.

When they came of age, she had even shared drinks with them.

She was the noble who, in a way different from Kailo, had shown warmth to them as commoners.

And now, some priest dared to address their lord so disrespectfully?

It was impossible not to be enraged.

“…Hold back.”

Yanes grabbed Valon’s arm.

Vergor also reached out to restrain his men.

But even their eyes gleamed with barely suppressed fury.

Yanes’ gaze shifted toward the royal knights.

They couldn’t afford to provoke them without fully grasping the situation.

Understanding this, Valon clenched his teeth and chose to wait.

“I and my Paladins have investigated every woman in this castle! Every last one—except for one! You must know who I am talking about!”

Valon exchanged glances with his three comrades.

They were just as confused as he was.

“Vivian Rondor!”

Baristan shouted loudly.

“Witch, come forth. You can no longer hide.”

The moment Baristan made his claim, a brief shock struck Valon’s mind.

In that fleeting moment, he finally understood why the royal knights had come, why so many paladins of the Las Order were present, and why Baristan was being so rude.

He realized what kind of suspicions they were pressing upon Vivian.

And with that realization came overwhelming rage.

“What… What the hell?!”

Lady Linne tried to raise her voice in protest, but—

—AH!

Valon’s sword was drawn first.

Recklessly, he unsheathed his blade despite standing before countless knights.

“What kind of bullshit is this?!”

—XHIXH!

The other members of the 4th Knight Order followed suit.

Even Vergor unsheathed his weapon, and soon there was not a single soldier left without a drawn blade.

The royal knights, only now grasping the situation, belatedly pulled out their swords, standing off against the soldiers.

Baristan took a startled step back.

Valon took advantage of that moment, pushing his way through the knights as if guarding the door.

The air was thick with tension, ready to erupt into a fight at any second.

At that moment, Valon suddenly felt the absence of Kailo.

If only Kailo was here, he would have felt reassured.

If Kailo was here, there would be no doubt of their victory.

This was his first battle without Kailo.

A sliver of fear rose in his heart, but his anger burned far hotter.

Gritting his teeth, he turned to the princess and shouted:

“Even if you are a princess, you have no right to disrespect our lord in our own castle! A witch, you say?! How could you bring the royal knights here based on the words of that bastard?!”

Valon didn’t wait for a response and instead pointed his sword at Baristan.

It was an act far beyond the limits of an ordinary soldier.

It was an action that could cost him his head.

But in that moment, Valon had no time for rational thought.

He no longer cared about the peaceful life he once wished to protect.

“That fanatic dares to call her a witch? I should have known when you started dragging my other friends off for interrogation, but this—this is crossing the line. I won’t just stand by and watch anymore. Do you really think you can slander the Grand Duchess of Loctana and get away with it?!”

“You’ve been tormenting innocent women in the city for long enough, you bastard!”

The royal knights quickly stepped in front of Princess Reyna.

The gleaming armor radiated an immense pressure.

Meanwhile, Valon stood there without so much as a single piece of armor on his body.

The outcome seemed obvious.

“…Hah.”

Once again, Valon thought of Kailo.

He remembered the sight of Kailo, who had slain the Eight Knights alone.

Had Kailo felt this same kind of pressure?

It made Valon realize just how much of a monster Kailo truly was.

One of the knights pointed his sword at Valon.

“This is no matter for a mere soldier. Step aside.”

“Fuck off. You get out of our land.”

The knight’s eyes glowed dangerously.

“You brat. Do you even know who you’re being so disrespectful to?”

“Don’t care.”

Another knight shouted from the side.

“This man is Sir Fulton, the commander of the royal knights! Stand down at once!”

“And do you know who I am?”

Valon raised his voice in return.

Inside his helmet, Fulton’s face twisted with confusion.

Valon smirked and sneered.

“…I’m Kailo Alan’s childhood friend. If you kill me, he’ll definitely come for revenge. You know what kind of man he is.”

He had only said it to taunt them, but the reaction from the royal knights was immediate.

A faint wave of unrest rippled through their ranks.

Valon realized just how far Kailo’s infamy had spread—his reputation for single-handedly wiping out Eight Knights was widely known.

Baristan interjected.

“If we leave a witch like Vivian Rondor in power, the people of this land will only suffer endlessly in the future.”

Valon had something to say about that.

“The ones who tormented the people were the Las Order! The Duchess was the one who pulled them out of that misery! If you went down to the city right now, you’d see people finally smiling and living in peace! And yet you dare to spout such nonsense?!”

“…There is no reasoning with you.”

Even the paladin Leopold drew his sword.

“Those who protect witches are just as evil. And evil must be purged.”

With those words, the heavy air of the room grew even denser.

The conversation had ended.

Now, all that remained was a clash of strength.

Valon felt sweat dripping down from his grip on the sword.

But with a deep breath, he steadied himself.

Kailo wasn’t here.

So he had to act in Kailo’s place.

And Kailo would have been the first to charge forward.

So Valon braced his foot, preparing to step forward—

“Stop.”

—Creak…

A voice rang out from the door Valon was guarding.

At that single word, silence fell over the room.

The only sound that remained was the faint ringing of the Las Order’s incantations.

Vivian stepped forward from the quiet.

Her red hair was in disarray.

Her lifeless eyes were sunken.

Her cheeks were hollowed.

…And yet, she was still beautiful.

“V-Vivian…”

Wallace stammered in shock, but Vivian walked past him, past them all, and stood before the Las Order.

“…I don’t want meaningless bloodshed.”

She spoke without directing her words at anyone in particular, but the 4th Knight Order understood that she was speaking to them.

“Take me.”

Vivian held out her wrists to Baristan.

Her hands trembled endlessly.

Seeing her surrender was shocking enough, but for Valon, what shook him even more was the sight of her trembling hands.

Had he ever imagined that the great Vivian Rondor would tremble in fear?

Was this, too, because Kailo was not here?

Martin suddenly rushed forward.

“Vivian, no! You mustn’t—”

“This is an order. A-All of you, lower your swords.”

However, Vivian spoke coldly.

“I don’t want anyone to die here.”

The Fourth Order, having lost its justification, couldn’t move.

The holy knights and the royal knights also sheathed their swords one by one.

Baristan slowly stepped forward and spoke to Vivian.

“…So, can I take that as an admission that you’re a witch?”

Vivian scoffed.

“And if I say no, will you believe me? You wanted to kill me from the start…”

Valon felt his head heat up.

Ever since Kailo had left, Vivian had been breaking apart, yet now, she was throwing herself into danger for them.

At the same time, it felt as if she was searching for a place to die.

A pair of iron cuffs were locked around Vivian’s wrists.

And at that moment, Princess Reina approached.

“…I never liked you to begin with, but to think you were a witch.”

“…So that’s how you won over Kailo, huh?”

—Smack!!!

At those words, Vivian, who had remained composed until now, lunged at Reina like a wild beast.

Two holy knights standing beside Vivian immediately grabbed her arms and held her back.

The lifeless eyes now burned with fury.

Her crimson eyes glowed as if they were ablaze.

“I…!!!”

Vivian clenched her teeth.

“…I never placed any curse on Kailo…! I have always…”

She trailed off, as if realizing that saying more was meaningless now.

But the anger that had ignited didn’t subside so easily.

Vivian’s hostility turned toward Reina.

“Oh, I see now. You were jealous of me, weren’t you?”

Princess Reina flinched, her brows furrowing in frustration.

“Kailo liked me, not you. And you just couldn’t accept that. So, you had to call it a curse to make sense of it, huh?
Do you finally feel better now?”

“But you already married Prince Thread, didn’t you? So what does any of this even matter anymore?”

Vivian, with nothing left to lose, didn’t bother hiding her cruelty.

She leaned in close and whispered into Reina’s ear.

“I pity you, Reina. To die without ever tasting Kailo’s lips…”

“Ugh!”

Swish!

It was a precise jab at her most sensitive wound.

Reina’s hand shot up as if to slap Vivian across the face.

But the slap never landed.

Reina, studying Vivian’s expression carefully, let out a breath and lowered her hand.

Then, she spoke quietly.

“…And yet, you were abandoned too.”

Vivian’s cruel expression finally faded.

Her lips, which had been twisted in mockery, and the fire in her gaze all returned to normal.

“…Take her away.”

Understanding that the situation was settled, Baristan gave the order to Leopold.

Valon watched as Vivian’s figure grew smaller in the distance.

Her retreating back looked unbearably lonely.

“…This isn’t right.”

Valon murmured under his breath.

This wasn’t what he had wanted when he chose to help Kailo.

If he had known his actions would lead to this, he never would have done it.

“…This isn’t right.”

And perhaps, Kailo felt the same.

They might not understand the full story, but Valon was certain of one thing.

A witch, huh?

If Kailo heard about this, what would he say?

Valon quickly turned around.

There were things he had to do.