Chapter 55: Witch Hunter – 3

“No.”

Vivian replied calmly.

But within her heart, there were countless urgent cries.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

Anyone but Kailo.

She couldn’t even imagine him becoming a witch hunter.

Perhaps for others, but not him.

It wasn’t simply because he was the person she had spent the most time with recently.

It wasn’t just because he would likely remain by her side for the longest in the future.

There was a deeper resistance, burning from the depths of her heart.

A primal rejection that transcended reason and logic.

The idea that she was a witch while he was a witch hunter—it was as incompatible as oil and water.

It was already a strained relationship, and this would drive them further apart.

The bishop seemed surprised by Vivian’s response.

“Why not? I don’t believe there’s a flaw in my reasoning.”

Vivian had no retort.

Still, she forced herself to maintain a composed expression to buy time.

Somehow, she needed to come up with an excuse.

“…Kailo is a guest of Rondor. It’s not right to force such a role on him.”

“But hasn’t Rondor already imposed various roles on him? Verifying whether food is poisoned, for instance, and acting as an executioner…”

“Executioner, fine. But how do you know about him tasting food for poison?”

“Word travels. Everyone knows about it.”

It wasn’t exactly a secret, so she didn’t bother questioning the bishop about it.

Still, the fact that they gathered so much information left an unsettling impression.

It felt as though their blade was inching closer to her neck, closer than she had anticipated.

She began to understand why Elena had been so uneasy.

“Lady Vivian, if you continue like this… I might have to question your intentions.”

The bishop’s tone turned cold, and Vivian hid her agitation as she responded.

“What intentions are you referring to?”

“…Could it be that you’re already harboring a witch?”

• Bang!

Vivian slammed the desk, her eyes locking onto the bishop as she bore down on him.

“How dare you say such a thing!”

Her anger made the bishop step back slightly, offering an apology.

“My apologies. It’s just hard to understand why there’s so much resistance to designating someone to root out witches within Rondor Castle…”

“Regardless, forcing this role onto Kailo Alan is impossible.”

Vivian nodded faintly, and the bishop continued.

“Then why don’t we ask him directly?”

“…What?”

“If he’s willing, it wouldn’t be forced, would it?”

The bishop’s suggestion felt like a spider’s web, leaving no room for escape.

Vivian realized that struggling further would only deepen their suspicions and entangle her more.

“…Alright.”

In the end, she had no choice but to nod.

Hoping that Kailo would reject the offer, she called him into the room.

***

“…A witch hunter?”

I looked at the bishop after hearing his proposal, then turned to Vivian.

Her expression showed discomfort—subtle but noticeable only to the two of us.

She was trying her best not to let it show.

“Suddenly?”

I turned back to the bishop, urging him to explain.

The bald-headed bishop spoke in a leisurely tone.

“No one in Rondor Castle trusts our Las Order. There’s little awareness of the dangers of witches. I’m proposing this out of fear that a major incident might occur.”

“So, what, you want me to find witches and kill them?”

“Not kill them—just identify those who act like witches.”

The bishop’s tone was polite, but there was an undertone of coercion for the sake of his goals.

It was the same vibe I had felt earlier when speaking to the knights outside.

Their hatred for witches ran deep.

However, Vivian’s unease had rubbed off on me.

Given my impression of this bishop and the knights outside, I didn’t see a reason to oblige.

“Sounds like a hassle. I’m not interested.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Vivian chimed in.

“You heard him. Kailo said no. We’ll be leaving now.”

“…Hmm.”

The bishop scratched his head awkwardly.

I didn’t fully grasp what was happening, but it was clear that Vivian wanted to get out of there.

Her expression and gestures screamed her desire to leave.

The bishop spoke again.

“Well, if that’s your decision… But Lady Vivian, if you refuse, we won’t be able to scale back our witch-hunting operations.”

“What? You just said—”

“That was on the premise that a supervisor would be allowed into Rondor Castle. If you’re not willing to concede anything, why should we?”

“Reducing witch-hunting operations, refusing castle oversight… With such laxity, witches will never be caught.”

His voice grew firmer, and Vivian’s expression hardened.

I glanced at Vivian, then asked her quietly.

“If I take on this role, are they saying they’ll scale back their activities in the city?”

The bishop interjected before Vivian could respond.

“Exactly.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

I shot back, silencing the bishop.

Vivian glanced at me and nodded slightly.

Her eyes reflected a mix of emotions.

I was a little confused.

…If that’s the case, isn’t it simpler to just accept?

What was Vivian so hesitant about?

I took a step closer to her, intending to quietly ask what she was thinking.

“What do you think about witches, Kailo?”

The bishop’s question interrupted my train of thought.

His intense gaze made it impossible to ignore him.

I stopped in my tracks and straightened up to reply.

“…Why are you asking me that?”

“I’m simply curious.”

“…The people of the North don’t believe in witches or curses.”

“Hmm. So, you have no thoughts on the matter?”

I thought of the old woman.

And then I looked at Vivian.

‘You will fall in love with someone you should not love.’

She was someone I could never bring myself to hate, no matter what.

“…It’s unsettling, I suppose.”

I spoke as if talking to myself while looking at Vivian.

The bishop, slightly chubby, smiled faintly.

“Isn’t that reason enough to take on the role? It’s not about conflict—it’s about creating a better world.

I’m not asking you to take on extensive duties.

All I’m asking is for you to keep a closer eye on those around you.”

“…Did you ask people to look into it?”

“Well, people mentioned strange occurrences at the castle… Things they can’t explain with words keep happening… People suddenly falling ill and dying in large numbers…”

I glanced at Vivian again.

She remained silent as ever.

I didn’t respond to the bishop’s words, instead focusing my attention on Vivian.

Only then did the bishop stop speaking as well.

In the brief silence, I stepped closer to Vivian and whispered in her ear.

“What’s wrong?”

She glanced up at me slightly and asked back.

“What?”

Without averting my gaze, I repeated my question.

“…What’s wrong? Just do it.”

“…Kailo.”

“Can’t you just agree to it and pretend to go along?”

“…Is that what you’re planning?”

After a moment of thought, I answered honestly.

“…No, not really. If I take it on, I might as well pay more attention.”

To be honest, I had started this conversation because Vivian seemed to be struggling with something… but the bishop’s proposal didn’t feel all that unreasonable.

What with curses, witches, and other nonsense—things had been feeling rather suffocating anyway.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I really might have been cursed.

If I became a witch hunter, wouldn’t it make finding answers to these questions much easier?

“Do you really want to take on something this troublesome?”

Vivian asked after a long silence.

Was she trying to refuse the bishop’s proposal because it might be too much for me?

It wasn’t like her, but if that was her reason, I found it a little touching.

I smiled lightly and told her.

“Didn’t he say it himself? If I do this, he’ll leave the people of Loctana alone. It seems like a good step toward gaining their trust.”

Vivian gave a faint smile.

But that smile was a mixture of worry and resignation.

Then her expression hardened, and she turned to face the bishop.

The bishop pressed her again.

“…My lord.”

At his insistence, she let out a short sigh.

When she remained silent, I called out to her again.

“Vivian.”

After a long moment of deliberation, she looked up at me briefly… then slowly nodded.

“All right, then.”

***

Vivian seemed to be burning up inside.

An inexplicable gloom weighed down on her, and the more she tried to escape the whirlpool of emotions, the deeper she sank.

Had she been leaning on Kailo too much?

She had pretended otherwise, hiding her true feelings all this time… but could he really mean so much to her?

The moment he decided to become a witch hunter—or perhaps, the moment she felt she could no longer stop him—her heart was thrown into turmoil.

Kailo had been an enemy to begin with.

And yet, here they were, destined to stand on opposing sides once again.

What would happen now?

Kailo, who was always by her side…

Should she distance herself to avoid exposing the fact that she was a witch?

Or should she act even more cautiously, determined not to let him find out?

If he ever discovered her secret…

…She couldn’t even begin to imagine how he’d react.

Judging by what he’d said earlier, it seemed like he harbored unease toward witches as well.

‘…Would he?’

If he found out she was a witch, would he brush it off lightly as he always did with her mistakes?

Or would he recoil in disgust, deeming witches too filthy to tolerate?

“Vivian!”

“…Huh?”

She came back to her senses and realized they’d already arrived at Rondor Castle.

How deeply lost in thought had she been to not even notice the journey here?

-Swish.

Kailo took off his crimson bear helm and spoke.

“What have you been thinking about so intently since earlier?”

There was an unmistakable note of concern in his voice.

“You’ve been acting strange today.”

The moment she saw Kailo’s face without the helmet, her heart began to pound again.

Vivian studied his face carefully.

The thought of him turning against her…

…She still couldn’t imagine it.

Even as a witch hunter, it seemed unlikely.

But the mere possibility terrified her to the core.

The man who had always protected her could very well be the one to take her life—that thought alone made her blood run cold.

“…Kailo.”

Without realizing it, Vivian reached out to him.

Without a word, Kailo took her hand and helped her down from the horse.

-Grab.

“…Vivian?”

Even after dismounting, Vivian didn’t let go of his hand.

Her heart trembled with unease, making it hard to release her grip.

It felt as though she was reliving the moment he left for the expedition.

The emptiness, the fear… that sense of vulnerability.

She thought she had grown stronger, but it turned out to be an illusion built on his presence.

Vivian let out a bitter laugh at her own weakness.

To think she had found stability by leaning on her enemy.

It was a shameful and humiliating truth that Kailo must never find out.

And yet, that vulnerability was undeniably there.

Vivian wanted to know what Kailo was thinking.

She wanted confirmation that he was on her side, now and always.

She had used her spell once today.

To verify the lie of the Paladin—just once.

She could use it two more times.

“…Kailo.”

“Why do you keep calling me?”

Until now, she had never used her spell on Kailo.

She had been too afraid to see his true feelings.

But her current unease was too overwhelming.

She felt she had to know what he thought of her.

She wanted the reassurance that he cared for her, so she could finally be at peace.

“Kailo, do you… hate me?”

Kailo looked visibly dumbfounded.

“What nonsense is this all of a sudden? Did you overheat or something?”

“Just answer me.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

Kailo placed his hand on her forehead, as if to check for a fever.

Even in those small gestures of his, Vivian could feel warmth.

In that warmth, she gradually found the courage to speak.

“Just answer me as if I am crazy. I’ll only ask this once.”

Kailo’s expression slowly hardened at her words.

He hesitated for a long time, as if he couldn’t follow her emotions.

“…Is this part of that ‘detecting lies’ thing you were talking about before?”

Vivian didn’t answer.

Kailo, perhaps embarrassed by her silence, sighed deeply and ruffled his hair roughly.

He spoke.

“…Are you kidding me? Of course, I hate you. You threw me into the punishment unit, and now you won’t even let me go home. How could I not hate you?”

“…But you’ve protected me all this time.”

“…I told you already—it was out of guilt, a sense of debt.”

A faint, almost imperceptible blue light.

Eyes that told the truth.

His emotions were conveyed through his gaze.

But, contrary to her expectation of being shaken… Vivian felt unexpectedly calm.

No, that can’t be true.

She thought to herself.

More than the power of the spell, Vivian trusted her instincts.

Her memories with Kailo were too long, her time with him too profound… which gave her the courage to squeeze out one more question.

“…Then, Kailo, do you like me?”

Kailo froze in place.

His eyes trembled ever so slightly.

He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

Finally, frowning deeply, he replied.

“…Didn’t you hear me? I just said I hate you.”

Kailo’s eyes glowed with a vivid red.

A color as fiery as Vivian’s hair.

It was the most unmistakable lie.

He hated her, but he also liked her.

That was his truth.

Vivian had to suppress a laugh.

“…Ha.”

…How could they feel so similarly?

As expected, she and Kailo had so much in common.

Vivian nodded.

“…Alright.”

And with her heart feeling a little lighter, she released his hand and turned away.