Chapter 18 : The Tyrant's Tranquilizer 

Actually, it was okay until he first saw her. Unlike the disrespectful and grim image that a witch conjures up, she was like a simple country girl. He also felt sympathy for her, who looked nice and gentle, as she seemed to have been unwillingly entangled with the Emperor.

But as soon as Amelie created the fire, he was frightened. The fear from his past has enraptured him.

'If a witch decides to betray us and attack us— can we stop it?'

He knew how deadly a witch's magic was in combat.

His fear quickly turned into hostility.

'You have to scare the witch in advance so that she won't even think of betraying us. Don't let the witch be free!'

If he had been there when Amelie and the disaster were at odds, he would certainly have thought otherwise. He would have seen her take risks to save the knights and the forest. But Roen wasn't there then. He was in a different search party.

“Don't think all the knights are easy just because they and His Majesty favor you. I'd like to take take you out right now, but—”

When Roen put his hand on the hilt of his sword, Amelie took a reflexive step back.

Roen's eyes were shaking unsteadily. Amelie noticed that Roen was serious.

“You can't go against HisMajesty's orders. You have His Majesty to thank for your life so it would be better not to do anything bad.”

As soon as Roen finished saying what he had to say, he turned away.

Amelie gazed at his back.

“What's wrong with that person?”

Amelie was dumbfounded.

The group took a break as soon as they pa.s.sed the first magic circle. It was so stragglers could catch up while the rest of the procession could take a break. Amelie slowly got off the carriage.

It was a completely different world after pa.s.sing through the first magic circle. If the former site is lush green plains, then this side is brown fields filled with only dust. At first, she was speechless at the desolate landscape that she wondered how it could be this different.

She realized that she had traveled a really long distance. How far is the Fidelian forest from here? Amelie already missed it.

She was looking around, and she could feel a sharp look from somewhere. Looking back in surprise, she saw Sir Roen standing a short distance away. He was staring at Amelie like he was monitoring her again. As if he's not going to let her go if she did any nonsense.

'What the h.e.l.l is wrong with him!'

Amelie hid behind the carriage. She really didn't understand what was wrong with him.

'Even the Emperor doesn't say anything to me— Is it wrong to use magic?'

Serwin let Amelie use or not use magic as she pleased. No, to be exact, he didn't come close to her whatever she did.

'Should I tell Sir Ethan that Sir Roen is threatening me?'

Amelie was troubled, but then someone appeared behind the carriage.

“Witch, what are you doing here?”

As Amelie looked back in surprise, she saw a bandage wrapped head. It was the knight who was ready for the day.

“Sir Chad?”

He was no other than Chad, the knight who was. .h.i.t by Serwin's vase because he could not find Amelie.

“Do you know me? Oh! I've seen you in Your Majesty room a few times. Well, I've shown you something shameful.”

Chad smiled and said h.e.l.lo. His expression was bright, but his pale complexion wouldn't be strange if he collapsed right away.

“I'm here to bring you your luggage.”

He brought a brown bag and a blue bag. The brown bag belonged to Amelie, but this was the first time she saw the blue bag.

“I don't think the blue bag is mine.”

“This is from the lady of Delahaim.”

“Ah—”

Amelie's heart felt constricted. She never had anyone who felt like family before, but the Count and Renee were so good to her. She wanted to see them right away. If she was holding a broom she might have left for home right there.

“I'll put it in the carriage.”

“No, I'll do it. You're hurt.”

“It's okay. If Amelie-nim appeared later, I would have disappeared. Thank you for sticking together with us. Haha.”

Amelie froze for a moment. He said it with a smile, should she laugh too? Was dying funny? It's a bit…?

“Hahaha, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. But seriously, I like witches.”

“Yes?”

“There was a witch in my childhood village. I was surprised when I first came up to the capital. I talked to my cla.s.smates about magic potions, and they scolded me not to say that since I'd get in trouble if I was caught.”

“…Is the capital still hostile to witches?”

“Yes.”

“Then a witch hunt—?”

“Since His Majesty's ban, witch hunts have never happened. And the fact that you're a witch doesn't mean you're persecuted. At best, people are abusive and ostracizing.”

Amelie already missed Dellahaim. The people there said 'thank you' for giving water when she suddenly showed up there. But she would get cursed at in the capital. At that moment, she remembered the hot-tempered Roen.

“So Sir Roen's threatening and spying on me?”

“Sir Roen— Ah, I'm sorry. I apologize for that.”

When Chad bowed in apology, Amelie was a little embarra.s.sed.

“It's because Sir Roen is still immature. The Emperor's knights should not be swayed by personal feelings.”

Chad clicked his tongue.

“That's okay. I must look suspicious. I'm a witch, and I don't even know about what's following me.”

“I'm sorry. Even His Majesty's knights know very little about disaster and Amelie.”

“Really?”

Amelie widened her eyes in surprise.

“There's a difference of rank in the knighthood. It hasn't been long since Sir Roen became a knight.”

“It means there are a lot of things he doesn't know.”

“That's right.”

Chad smiled awkwardly.

“But there's nothing to worry about. There are only a few people like Sir Roen. It's still a bad thing, but everyone who knows the actual situation, like me, is grateful for Amelie-nim's coming.”

Chad comforted Amelie.

“If Sir Roen continues to bother you, I'll talk to Sir Ethan about this. And next time, if he's being mean, you can just blow him up.”

“Can I?”

“Of course, then I'll leave you alone now. I have a lot of luggage to move.”

“Thank you. Oh, wait a minute!”

Amelie hurriedly opened her brown bag. Then she took out two bottles of magic potions and presented them to Chad.

“It's a small reward. You can apply this one to your head, and you can drink this one.”

“I was still worried about how to follow the party in this state. Thank you!”

Chad smiled broadly and received the magic potions. Then he unfastened the bandage on the spot. Even after a long time, the wound was still deep. He thought he was properly treated, but the wound seemed to have reopened because of all the constant moving and exercising.

“His Majesty is too hard on you.”

“It's because of the situation.”

Chad drank one of the magic potions and poured the other onto his head.

“Uh—.”

Small bubbles sprang up from his wound, and white smoke rose.

“Don't be surprised. You're healing.”

“Yes, I know. But it doesn't hurt. The magic potions I used as a child were very painful.”

“Your friend is a witch?”

“Yes.”

It was the first time she heard any stories about other witches so Amelie was interested.

“Is that witch still in town? I'd like to meet her once. I don't know any witches.”

“No, that friend hid from people. That was a long time ago, so that friend is already gone.”

“I see.”

Amelie didn't ask any more questions. If Chad was friends with that witch when he was young, it was about twenty years ago. It's obvious that it's not a good story to ask about in more detail.

Shortly after, the bubbling reduced, revealing Chad's pristine head. There was no red mark left by the wound and the area was smoothed. Chad felt his head with his fingertips.

“Oh, this is great. It's the best magic medicine I've ever used. You must be an outstanding witch.”

“No, it's good because it's from someone else. My medicine is terrible.”

There was a simple way to distinguish good magic potions. It was important to see how effective it was and how few side effects, like pain or fever, there were during the treatment process.

“Anyway, thank you very much.”

Chad bowed politely, bending completely over. Amelie shook her hands trying to stop Chad's profuse praise. She was embarra.s.sed because it seemed like she was taking credit for a medicine that her grandmother made. But Chad bowed down and thanked Amelie not knowing it was her grandmother that deserved the credit.

Amelie was very grateful to Chad. She was depressed because of Roen but she felt better because helping Chad confirmed that being a witch was not a negative being.

Ethan was looking around observing the knights. He noticed Roen being wary of Amelie right away.

'Sir Roen is… A little bit of trouble.'

The Emperor's knights had to follow whatever the Emperor ordered. There is no need for individual value judgments here. At first, that part is more difficult than anything else. People are used to thinking and making their own decisions.

Especially for a lone wolf type like Roen, it will be more difficult. Ethan thought it would be a problem that would be solved over time, so he was silently watching Roen. It was a waste of time to abandon highly talented swordsmen and loyal subjects.

For now, even if he is so wary of Amelie, Roen will still risk his life to protect her regardless of his feelings.

'The problem is Amelie's side. It's a little difficult if she hates us because of Sir Roen.'

At times like this, it would be nice if Serwin would ask for Amelie to join him. This journey was such good timing to win favor. At the witches forest house he wouldn't let Amelie out of his arms as if he had gone mad, but after leaving for the capital, he just lingers around Amelie and doesn't approach her.

'I told you to have a casual relations.h.i.+p, all this time you've been avoiding women.'

Ethan clicked his tongue. Chad wandered over and found Ethan observing the knights and approached him.

“Sir, can I help with anything else?”

“No, you get some rest. Don't keep doing things with that head. I'll leave a loser like you behind. You know that right?”

“I'm fine now!”

“What?”

Ethan then turned to look at Chad.

“Your head! What happened?”

Ethan was greatly surprised. Ethan took care of Chad, who was bleeding all the time. He deliberately put him in the back because he thought the wound would make it hard for him to keep up. He meant for Chad to take it slow so he could rest more through the journey. But the wound was fully healed?

“What the h.e.l.l did you do to heal the wound?”

Ethan's loud voice drew the attention of the Knights scattered around.