Chapter 156: The Wicked Witch – 5

A sense of déjà vu washed over me.

“I hated Kailo Alan.”

Vivian shouted out her thorny words in the wide plaza, tears streaming down her face, and somehow, the scene stirred up memories.

That must have been how she looked when I first met her.

“From the very beginning, I hated him so much that I thought death would be a luxury for him.”

As her words fell, our past resurfaced in my mind.

She was not telling a complete lie.

Our beginning had indeed been just as she said.

Yet even in the fury she had hurled at me from our first encounter, I had unmistakably seen the sorrow beneath it.

And now, it was as if Vivian had traveled back to that day, her words flowing like a tide.

“I wanted to drive him mad.”

She smiled, a grin laced with insanity.

“I wanted to make sure he never understood his own heart, yet still couldn’t escape me. I wanted him to keep suffering by my side.”

That feeling—I had known it too.

That’s why it hurt.

“In a way, I succeeded. Because he loved me.”

As I watched Vivian recall even the subtlest emotions that had existed between us, I clenched my teeth.

…Her words should have made me furious.

But why?

Just like that day, I felt the piercing sorrow hidden within her rage.

And now, seeing her from a step away, it was clearer than ever.

It was suffocating.

“…Why.”

I knew what that sorrow was.

It was the same pain as losing my mother…

It was the pain of losing me.

She had not forgotten me.

That much was clear.

I couldn’t bring myself to look up at her.

Slowly, I lowered my head and stared at the ground.

It was said that Scholar Lyle’s mother had sacrificed her memories of him as an offering to become a witch.

The stories of such sacrifices were not lies.

For a parent to forget their own child—such was the cost of becoming a witch.

And yet, Vivian had not forgotten a single piece of our past.

There were more painful memories than joyful ones, so why had she not let them go?

What had I meant to her for her to make such a choice?

How could she hold on to those agonizing memories instead of casting them away?

She, whom I had thought would do anything to survive… had held onto our past, cherishing it like a final ember of warmth.

And it unsettled me.

“How ridiculous it all was…!”

‘How ridiculous must I have looked to her?’

As if responding to my unspoken thought, she screamed at me.

“Seeing you flounder to the very end, thinking it was love…! How utterly foolish you were…!”

Her words were meant to mock me, but I was not blind.

That was a scream of anguish.

She was cursing me, spitting on me—yet she was desperately clinging to me, unwilling to let go.

Before I realized it, my fists were trembling.

“The whole world despised me! Even you commoners never trusted me, and everyone longed for another ruler! Count Corrode, my uncle, even my own retainers—they all schemed to betray me! And yet… he, my greatest enemy, the one who should have hated me most… he cherished me… How…”

She bit her lip before continuing, her voice resigned.

“…How utterly disgusting and absurd it was…”

The world might not have understood.

But I did.

And now, I had to acknowledge it.

That her love for me had been real.

And now, I finally knew who had been the coward.

It had been me.

I had feared a curse that did not even exist…

“…Ha.”

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips.

I had to set things right.

I lifted my gaze forward.

Before I knew it, I was pushing past the crowd, moving.

“Huh?!” “Wh-Who is that?!”

Vivian kept speaking, but her words no longer reached my ears.

I cast aside the cumbersome robe I had worn to conceal my identity.

I didn’t need it anymore.

And one by one, the people began to recognize me.

“K-Kailo Alan?!”

“What—?! Why is he here?!”

I strode straight toward the platform where Vivian stood.

Beneath the towering stage, the Paladins stood guard.

Those watching Vivian’s desperate cries finally took notice of my presence.

“Huh?! K-Kailo—”

Before they could react, I had already drawn my twin swords.

The blades moved as if they had a will of their own.

“Aaargh!”

“K-Kailo Alan!”

The obstacles in my path were a nuisance.

I cut, kicked, and pushed aside the knights who stood in my way.

I just needed to reach her.

I forced open gaps, carving a path to her.

The archbishop had already retreated at the sight of me.

At first, the gathered citizens had murmured in confusion, but as soon as they saw my hair, they fell silent.

“Haa… Haa…”

And then, I saw her.

Crimson hair, tattered clothes.

Slumped shoulders.

A small figure that looked as though it needed protecting.

Tears streaming down her face, just like back then.

Once again, standing at the brink of death, utterly alone, with no one to save her.

…Why are you always alone?

I asked her silently, full of resentment.

I had seen this scene countless times before.

And every time, I felt the same thing.

“…It seems that I…”

I muttered as I finally stood before her.

Vivian’s head snapped toward my voice, stiff with disbelief.

Her lifeless red eyes widened as they landed on me.

“…Ah… Ah…”

Her gaze trembled violently, and all she could do was let out a feeble breath.

She didn’t need to say anything.

I could feel it.

She waited for me, but I realized—far too late—that she never truly wanted me to appear.

The ruthless witch, who would do anything for her own survival, was once again just an illusion of my own making.

The only one standing before me was Vivian, the woman I had spent years with.

It was almost pathetic how long it took me to realize the truth.

My father and Valon were right.

If I hadn’t come here, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.

From the moment I saw her face, I knew.

“…It seems I can’t leave you after all.”

—Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

There was no time to stand and stare at Vivian.

The momentary gap I had created was already closing, with countless Paladins swarming around the platform.

Perhaps because of the grand nature of the event, their numbers were far from insignificant.

And by the looks of them, they were all formidable warriors.

“You wretch!!”

One of the knights shouted, but I had no time to spare for their words.

With my sword raised against them, protecting Vivian behind me, they hesitated to attack.

Yet, I could see the encroaching net tightening around us.

“So, you must be Kailo Alan.”

The archbishop, who had momentarily retreated at my sudden appearance, spoke from behind the knights guarding him.

I did not answer, only scanning the surroundings.

There was no illusion of escape.

I had told my father the truth.

‘…If I go, I might die.’

Perhaps, I had known from the very beginning that it would come to this.

And yet, I had no regrets.

Call it hindsight if you will.

But standing here now, I could feel it.

That this choice was the right one.

Even if I died, I would not regret it.

The only thing that unsettled me—just slightly—was that Vivian had been standing here alone, until now.

The archbishop watched me closely, then scoffed.

“…To think you would walk into this trap of your own accord.”

At that moment, Vivian, who had done nothing but cry behind me, raised her voice in desperation.

“He’s only doing this because he’s cursed!! Ka-Kailo was just my tool…! So…!”

The more she struggled to save me, the more certain my choice became.

I turned to her.

“…Vivian.”

I called her name, unconsciously laced with affection.

She froze, as if her breath had been stolen.

There was no need for further words.

The archbishop, observing us closely, turned his gaze to the crowd and bellowed.

“Look! This is the fate of a man bewitched by a witch’s curse! He is nothing more than a blind moth drawn to the flames, throwing away his life for a lost cause!”

“This is why our Las Order has hunted witches and purged them from existence!

Behold! The eldest son of a great northern house, ensnared by a curse and driven to ruin!”

One moment, I was a witch’s follower.

Now, I was her victim.

Behind the facade of religious zealotry, I saw the careful maneuvering of a political schemer.

No matter how much he disguised it with conviction, his greed was plain to see.

That made things easier for me.

If he was going to manipulate the masses, I could do the same.

This battle was no longer just about swords.

It was about who could sway the people’s hearts.

I raised my voice, drowning out the archbishop’s words.

“How many more innocent lives must be sacrificed before you are satisfied?!”

My booming cry silenced him, capturing the attention of all.

And then—

I raised my sword high, a symbol of defiance against the Las Order.

“As a Northener who has never placed faith in your Order, I have long witnessed your atrocities.”

“Under the guise of witch hunts, you have trampled on the innocent and crushed the powerless.”

“Until now, I have remained silent because the church never stood in my way.

But now, I see how wrong I was.

I should have eradicated you from the very beginning.”

The archbishop, realizing the danger, quickly shouted to the crowd.

“Do not listen!! He is under the influence of a curse! He will say anything to survive!”

I pressed on, refusing to yield.

“There are those among you who have lost family to the tyranny of the Las Order!

“Who have swallowed their tears and bit their tongues, knowing that even speaking out would lead to execution!”

“The choice is yours.

Will you continue to cower before them, or will you finally see the truth?

Tell me, you frightened insects—do you still have mercy left for the Las Order?!”

The crowd stirred, their whispers growing louder.

No longer was there a unanimous call for Vivian’s execution.

That was enough.

I had never believed words alone would be enough to escape this situation.

“Silence!!”

The archbishop raised his hand, and the crowd fell into hushed tension.

In that heavy silence, I heard Vivian’s voice, trembling with sorrow behind me.

“Kailo… Please… Please… Don’t…”

I had told her to stay still.

Yet, the more I resisted, the more she seemed to suffer.

I could no longer bear to face her.

For now, I focused solely on the Las Order.

“…Hah.”

The archbishop let out a long breath, and for the first time, his expression cracked.

Beyond his anger, I could see it—disgust.

He spoke.

“…Blasphemy.”

“…It’s not my god.”

He exhaled again, then declared,

“No matter what nonsense you spew, the witch herself has confessed!

She admitted that she is a witch!

By the holy decree of Las, she must die!

How dare a mere mortal defy divine will!”

I met his gaze directly and spoke,

“That confession… was forced from her by your threats.”

“…What?”

“If you were given a choice between burning at the stake or a swift beheading… wouldn’t you lie to save yourself? Only a fool wouldn’t.”

“…This is going nowhere. Knights! Kill him!”

The archbishop raised his hand, signaling the Paladins to attack.

But before they could move, I roared.

“If you trust in Las so much—then ask your god for the answer!!”

—Boom!

I drove my greatsword into the platform.

“I invoke trial by combat!”

The people’s voices grew louder, and the archbishop’s face turned red and pale in turn.

He gritted his teeth and whispered.

It was a voice I could hear.

“…The trial is already over.”

“Was that trial the will of the god? Or was it your own?”

“I speak as the voice of Las!”

I shook my head.

“I wish to ask the god directly.”

I looked down at the people once more.

“I do not believe in Las, but! Your god does not allow the existence of witches. Am I wrong?”

The murmuring crowd affirmed my words.

I shouted once again.

“I will stand by Vivian’s side! If she truly is a witch, Las will not stand idly by. Surely, we will be judged by the result of the trial. But if your archbishop has been persecuting innocent people… then Las will side with us. Am I wrong?”

-That’s right!

Someone in the crowd shouted.

I couldn’t be sure who it was, but I suspected it was one of those who had suffered under the Las Order.

The first to muster courage always has the hardest time—there must have been something unjust in their past.

-Yes!

-He’s right!

Then, as if in response, others hidden in the crowd began to raise their voices one by one.

The thing the archbishop feared the most was unfolding before his eyes.

-I still can’t believe Lady Vivian is a witch!

-She is a great person who saved our lives!!

-Settle it with a duel!!

-Ask the god for a sign!!

The small voices spread like embers, quietly but surely.

And yet, even those small embers seemed terrifying—the archbishop’s face darkened further.

“Silence!!”

He raised his hand once more, trying to calm the people.

Then he pointed a trembling finger at me.

“There is no one in this continent who does not know of your skill with the sword!! How despicable, choosing to settle this in your own battlefield!!”

“And yet, if I am defeated, wouldn’t everyone accept it as the will of the god?”

“Las is not so idle! He cannot capture every witch himself, so he sent us as apostles to carry out his will!”

“But wasn’t she supposed to be a dangerous, wicked, and power-hungry witch? How lazy must Las be to turn his eyes away even in this situation?”

“You insolent—! Enough! I will hear no more!! Paladins!!”

“Then!”

I had to stop the archbishop’s words again.

If the Paladins attacked all at once, even I would stand no chance.

I had to find a way to force a negotiation, to carve open a path through this perilous road…

…Even if it meant I would have to walk a thornier path myself.

“…Then the trial by combat shall continue for as many times as you need until you are convinced.”

“…What?”

“If you are not satisfied with the result, I will fight again as many times as necessary. If the god is just, then I will continue to win, won’t I?”

I pushed him toward a disadvantage.

At the same time, the more I conceded to him, the more he would have no choice but to accept this fight.

Especially with so many eyes watching.

“Please stop… Please… Please stop, Kailo…”

Behind me, Vivian whispered in desperation, struggling against her chains.

But once again, I ignored her.

So did the archbishop.

“…Are you saying you will keep dueling until you fall?”

That was what he said, but in my interpretation…

I was telling him I would fight until he gave up.

If I cut down enough of his Paladins, even the archbishop might be forced to step back.

“…Yes.”

He furrowed his brow as if he still couldn’t understand.

The number of Paladins gathered in the city for this grand event easily numbered in the hundreds.

I knew it.

I couldn’t kill them all.

No matter how many people I had slain before, I could not cut down hundreds in succession.

But this was my best option.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?! I told you to stop!! I told you to get lost, Kailo!!”

Suddenly, as if she had reached her breaking point, she screamed from behind me.

“When did I ever ask for your help?! I was using you all along, you fool! Don’t you get it yet?!”

She was right.

I was a fool.

At first, I simply pitied her.

Then, as we grew up together, I gradually fell in love.

I simply fell in love.

And unable to admit it, I made endless excuses—calling it a curse, calling it something else.

And because of that, she ended up like this.

I wanted to make it right, even if it was too late.

This might truly be the end for me.

The archbishop might never back down, and my long life might finally come to an end here.

But my father’s words echoed in my mind.

That the pain of not achieving what you stake your life on is just as unbearable as death itself.

If I turned away from Vivian out of fear, this day would become an unshakable curse upon me.

If I failed to set things right, this memory would haunt me forever.

I had never turned my back on her before.

And I never would.

It wasn’t a matter of will—my body simply moved on its own.

So I turned to look at Vivian.

“…I know now.”

I would never mistake my own feelings again.

“…I finally know, Vivian.”