Bon Appétit

‘We’re almost there, just a little further. Then I can meet Luana.’

That was the only motivation Legion had to continue moving. For several days he couldn’t sleep or eat properly. Legion was well-trained and wouldn’t collapse easily, but he was still human. He could feel he became exhausted but had no desire to stop.

“I think we will find her soon.”

That’s what the ranger has reported.

“Have you been hiding in this place?”

The place where the kingdom’s death squad hid was at the edge of a particular mountain range. Rangers identified the terrain, and knights took the lead. He couldn’t bring many knights because he was in a hurry, but this level of force was already a threat. Wasn’t there even the best swordsman in the empire?

Legion gripped the handle of his sword. Now, he was going to attack the death squad as soon as the ranger told him about the situation. But before that, there was someone who had come to him.

“The vassal of Marquis Livre greets the Grand Duke.”

The knight bowed his head deeply. Legion pondered for a moment, then remembered who Marquis Livre was. Before the kingdom was destroyed, he betrayed his homeland faster than anyone else. Legion heard he got considerable power from his betrayal.

Legion could assume several situations about what Marquis Livre would say to him, but the contents of the letter the knight handed him were different from what he thought.

[I found a witch.]

When Legion saw that phrase, he looked at the knight who was still bowing. The witch was the name he once hated, but now that name came different. He briefly glanced at the mountains.  Luana was obviously taken away as if kidnapped by the kingdom’s death squad. Naturally, there would have been many places where she was, but the sense he usually felt on the battlefield says otherwise.

The witch that Marquis Livre is talking about is Luana. Legion asked without hesitation.

“Where is she?”

The Marquis’ knight answered,

“She ran away. But it wasn’t that long ago, so she wouldn’t have gone far. Marquis Livre said he would do everything in his power to cooperate to capture the witch.”

‘She ran away.’

As soon as he heard that, his anxiety soared with relief. The marquis didn’t see the witch positively when he listened to the marquis’ knight speak.

‘What the hell happened while we were apart? Is Luana safe?’

He crumpled the letter from the marquis in his hand.

“Lead the way.”

At that words, the knight sprang up and took the lead. And at the same time, the ranger returned and reported.

“I found the trace.”

If he follows the ranger, he can find the death squad according to the emperor’s order, and maybe he could take Ingrid back, but Luana wouldn’t be there. There was no hesitation in Legion’s subsequent actions.

“Let’s split up. Some follow the death squad’s trace, and some will follow me.”

In a way, it may be an absurd command, but no one could stop him. They swore allegiance to the emperor, but Legion was the absolute one on the battlefield. The belief that he couldn’t do anything wrong moved them.

***

Marquis Livre roamed nervously around the room. He had already put someone to search for Luana, but there was no news. The knight he sent to the slayer also hasn’t returned.

Tuk

After putting his hand on the sudden throbbing wound, he clenched his teeth.

“How dare you? How dare you?!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He couldn’t stand it and vented his anger on the items and maids several times, but it was useless. He felt his mood would get better only after he dragged and harassed Luana himself or watched her die in the hands of the slayer.

The knight who guarded the front gate came to him in a hurry.

“The slayer has arrived!”

As soon as he heard that, his darkened expression turned brighter.

‘I knew you would be interested in witches!’

He was delighted to see the cursed family run immediately to him after hearing the witch’s news. With the troops he brought, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to get Luana back. But the only downside is that the marquis couldn’t harass her with his own hands. That regret came belatedly, and he shook his head.

‘No, I should be satisfied with this.’

The Marquis went outside to greet the slayer who found him.

“Are you okay?”

While tidying up his clothes, the knight asked, and he answered,

“Of course, I’m no different than usual.”

There’s no difference, but he had a bandage on his face. But instead of blaming the knight for his question, the marquis only pace up his steps.

“Your Highness The Duke!”

Before the marquis realized, the duke had already passed the main gate while riding his horse and looking down at him. The horse he rode was large and intimidating. Moreover, the person on the horse has no hesitation in killing people. The marquis had been proud of his boldness also realized that his body slightly trembled.

“You found a witch.”

The duke’s voice was chilling and harsh as if a sharp object had been scratched with glass. His voice was like the voice of a demon that had climbed up from hell. The marquis was afraid of the duke again.

“T- that’s right.”

“Can you describe the witch’s appearance?”

“She looks like an ordinary woman from the outer appearance. She has grayish beige hair and hazy sky-blue eyes!”

The Marquis quickly recited Luana’s appearance. The duke’s expression hardened after hearing what he said. Marquis Livre’s body trembled at the cold threat he felt and out of fear of not knowing what little thing he had never encountered in his life.

“Y- Your Highness The Duke?”

“The description matched with what the knight said.”

From behind, a person who looked miserable stumbled forward and kneeled. The marquis soon recognized who it was. It was the knight he sent to the duke. After taking a closer look, his whole body was covered in blood.

“W- what happened?!”

The marquis raised his voice to overcome his fear. No matter how he was the duke of the empire, he could not do this to his knight. Marquis Livre has been cooperative since he came to the empire, but why did the duke do this? He stepped back and shouted,

“I- I’m the Marquis Livre! I’ve been acknowledged by His Majesty The Emperor! Why are you doing this?”

“Acknowledged, you say?”

The duke snorted.

“You wrote me that letter because you thought it’ll be useful for you, but it seems like you have a great misunderstanding. His Majesty may not even remember the marquis’ name.”

“That’s impossible!”

The smirking duke got off his horse.

“Think about it. Who knows better what His Majesty thinks? Is it you or me?”

The moment he heard it, the marquis looked confused. The duke was not wrong. Which of the two knows the emperor’s thoughts better? Isn’t he a duke who moves according to the emperor’s order? He knew that, but there was something he couldn’t understand at all. Why was the duke so hostile to him?

The marquis had his doubt since he was well aware of the situation.

“You must be wondering why I came here.”

The duke opened his mouth as if to answer his doubt.

“I wonder.”

The Imperial Army was surrounding the area. The marquis knew he couldn’t escape easily, so he would rather see the truth about the duke coming here.

“Luana.”

It was the name of the abandoned princess.

“That’s the name of the person I love.”

As soon as the duke’s said that, the marquis fell.

“Do you know she’s a witch?”

He held onto his last hope and tried to squeeze his voice, but the answer he got back was not what he expected.

“I know.”

The duke already knew that Luana was a witch. It was funny how a witch ruined his whole life, but he said he loved her. But whatever the marquis thought, it all had already happened, and his fate had become a lantern against the wind.

‘And that wind doesn’t seem to want to leave me alone.’

The marquis looked hopeless.

“You have a scar on your face.”

Swoosh

He heard the sound of the sword scrapping against the sheath. The sword he held shone in the sunlight. The marquis screamed at the sudden fear and got up and ran like crazy.

“Ahhhhh!”

After running for a while, he realizes all the roads are blocked, and this will be the last of his fate, but he still tries to run until the end.

‘How did I get here?!’

He betrayed many people and climbed up the corpse. He thought there was only one thing left to do now, but he was mistaken. The duke’s voice came from behind.

“Don’t worry; I will not kill you yet.”

He would do everything after he found Luana.

The marquis heard the duke would keep him alive for now, but he wasn’t relieved since he knew he would meet his end.

***

After capturing Marquis Livre and imprisoning him, Legion immediately went out to find Luana’s whereabouts. Legion. He took the lead and mobilized the marquis’ knights to search everywhere. However, it was difficult to search for Luana’s trace because of the rain last night.

“Luana.”

Legion desperately searched for Luana.

‘How hard and scary it must have been for you to run away alone.’

The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached.

‘The person I love.’

That were the words he said to the marquis. It was a sentence that popped out of nowhere, but he realized it the moment he said it.

‘Ah, I’m in love with Luana.’

This is love.

He finally realized the word ‘love’ had just come out of his mouth.

When he realized that, he wanted to see her even more. He wanted to quickly find her, hug her, and gently comfort her. He was going to tell her that she had gone through a hard time and that he would never lose her again.

And that afternoon, Legion finally found Luana’s traces.