Reasons to Protect the Witch's Son

That evening, a grand dinner was held at the mansion. It was the Count’s intention to congratulate Ash on his recovery and also to show his gratitude to the knights for restoring peace to the territory.

“Isn’t he just celebrating the return of Beatrice, his cat that was found?”

Cezanne whispered to Elaine while pointing at the Count who was smiling widely while holding the cat on the other side of the dining table. When Elaine saw this, she thought it was a reasonable assumption. She then nodded and asked.

“By the way, are you feeling okay now Cezanne?”

He had suffered a serious head injury during the battle with Laikios. Speaking slyly with one hand covering his forehead, Cezanne answered.

“Ah, I almost broke my skull clean open. Though there will be some scarring, it is almost healed now. It’s nice to have expensive medicine.”

Not only Cezanne but all of the other knights were almost completely recovered at this time. It was all thanks to the resources that were available to those who joined the Knights of Philres.

Soon, the long table was filled with food. There was a large variety of dishes that were being served including roasted turkey, roasted pigeon and calf thigh with sauce on it.

“Wow, it’s a truly magnificent feast.”

“At times like this, we should be able to have a drink. It’s such a shame.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’ll still be a bit before your injuries are fully healed so the doctor advised you to refrain from drinking until then.”

“Its still disappointing… You didn’t secretly bring a bottle by any chance, did you?”

“Hush, if someone hears us, we might be kicked out without even being able to have a single bite of meat.”

As soon as the food was served, the hall was immediately filled with a lively atmosphere.

There was not a single death among the group, even though they had battled against the highest ranked monster and everyone was also looking forward to being able to return to Killiard tomorrow. When the atmosphere was at its peak, Ash suddenly stood up. Elaine saw him trying to head outside alone so she followed closely behind.

“There is no need to follow, I only need some fresh air.”

“I also need air.”

It was a shameless response, but there was no use in trying to argue. Ash continued walking.

As they exited the mansion, the chilly night air touched their cheeks. Before they knew it, the two were walking side by side. Suddenly Elaine spoke.

“When we get back, the festival will be right around the corner.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s already March.”

It was February when they had come to Valendor but now it was already March. A lot had happened in the meantime. Ash once again felt that time was passing quickly.

Starting the second week of March, the Butterfly Flower Festival would be held in Killiard. When he pictured his desk back at the office, piled high with festival-related document, he couldn’t help but frown.

“When we all get back it’s going to be so busy there will be no time for a break.”

“Actually, about that…”

Ash looked over, curious.

“I would like to take some time off before the festival.”

“Time off? How much?”

“About a week. Could I get your approval?”

“What’s there to approve? You can take time off whenever you want now that you have settled in.”

“I apologize for not being able to be there for you when you will be so busy.”

She didn’t want to leave him alone so soon after he had recovered but, she also couldn’t neglect her deal with the wizard. Especially because it would benefit Ash as well.

“There is nothing to worry about. I’ll probably just be stuck in the office because of work anyways.”

“Still… Please don’t overdo it! I’ll be back as soon as possible…”

She spoke as if making a plea but soon trailed off. In the distance, the temples clock tower came into view. When Elaine saw this, she suddenly halted her footsteps and quickly looked back at Ash.

“Your Grace! I have something to show you.”

Then, quickening their pace, she led him to a bench in front of them. Ash followed behind and sat down on the bench, unsure of what was going on. Suddenly Elaine looked over at him and asked a question.

“Do you like fireworks?”

“Fireworks?”

Ash was caught off guard at the unexpected question.

He neither liked or disliked fireworks themselves. However, the memories that came to mind at the thought of them were not very pleasant. He pursed his lips for a moment. Then he slowly opened his mouth to give a response.

Before he was able to speak, in the distance, the clock tower bell began to ring, signaling midnight. At the same time, a light sparked in Elaine’s hand. Colorful streaks of light shot from her fingertips and began to explode in the night sky, like fireworks.

Ash’s eyes widened slightly.

“Magic… You know how to use magic?”

“I can only do a few simple things.”

She had never studied magic professionally because she had always preferred to be outside swinging her sword rather than sitting in front of a desk. She had learned magic only when she had thought she needed it.

Fireworks signaled the start of a festival. She had asked Bella to teach her this spell after seeing it one day. It may not be as good as what was cast by the palace wizards but, even so, she still wanted to show him. Right at this moment, slightly past midnight, it was Ash’s birthday.

She then said in a whisper

“Happy birthday.”

His eyes widened again slightly.

“…Was today my birthday already?”

He hadn’t even thought about it. There had been so many things going on recently and he also wasn’t the type of person to pay attention to things like birthdays so he had forgotten all about it.

“How did you…”

“Lowell had mentioned it one time in passing, I happened to remember it from then.”

The birthday of Ash, a royal, was not difficult information to obtain. He probably wouldn’t be that surprised that she knew, but she still gave this excuse, just in case.

Elaine then took out a small box with a ribbon from her pocket and held it out to him.

“This…”

“Its nothing special, just a small gift.”

He took the box from her and slowly opened the lid. It was a brooch made of silver with a purple amethyst embedded in it. The sparkling amethyst resembled the color of his eyes. He froze, unable to take his eyes from the box.

Elaine watched his reaction, slightly nervous.

‘What if he doesn’t like it…’

She had originally wanted to give him something nicer but, they had ended up staying in Valendor longer than expected, so she didn’t have enough time to prepare a better gift. The brooch was also obtained in a hurry at a store here. She hadn’t brought a lot of money with her so, she was unable to buy anything expensive.

A brooch to fasten and decorate a cloak. She had decided to choose something that was as appealing and practical as possible, but she still wasn’t very confident in her choice. Ash must have many accessories that were much more valuable than this. This brooch couldn’t compare to those high-class items.

When she thought about it that way, her gift felt even more shabby. She started to feel awkward and embarrassed, stumbling over her next words.

“Well, its pretty shabby after all, right? Next time I will definitely give you something much better…”

“I never thought of it in that way. This is more than enough for me…”

Ash, who was frowning now, trailed off.

It was a gift from someone who had remembered his birthday. A day that even he had forgotten about. She had carefully chosen this gift to give specifically to him. There was no way it could be called shabby. It’s just that he wasn’t used to this situation. There was a tickling feeling in his chest and he was unsure of how to react in this instance.

He muttered softly as he carefully placed the box in his pocket.

“…Thanks. I’ll use it well.”

At that, Elaine’s expression brightened. She smiled happily, relieved that Ash liked her gift.

As Ash stared at her smiling face, thoughts were drifting through his mind.

At first, he thought she had approached him deliberately. After spending more time with her he had questioned what her motive could really be. But now, as ridiculous as it seemed, he thought all her actions may have really been sincere. Well concealed murderous intent, laughter disguised as lies. He had encountered it all. There was no way Ash, who had identified countless assassins so far, would be unable to recognize the true meaning behind the gazes directed at him.

Could her smiles really be fake? He denied the possibility. There was no way. It was nearly impossible to fake such a dazzling smile. So, what then is the reason she displays such an affectionate expression whenever she is with him?

Ash asked while looking at her smiling face.

“Why… Are you this kind to me?”

Elaine’s expression darkened for a moment as their eyes met. She licked her lips several times, then bit down hard as if trying to suppress something, and slowly, as if hesitating, she opened her mouth to respond.

”I just…”

Unless she told him the truth, no matter what she said at this moment, he would not understand. She didn’t want to lie while looking into his eyes, so she gave the most honest answer that she could.

“I hope that you are happy.”

At that moment, a large firework exploded in the dark sky. The sound rang definingly in his ears, but her voice still reached him louder and clearer than anything else.

‘It’s the witch’s child!’

‘It’s the devil over there!’

People wanted him to be unhappy. They had wanted him to suffer because of the blood the witch had spilled.

Happiness…

In some ways, what she had said was really nothing special. The question wasn’t really answered. Then it occurred to him that the reason didn’t really matter anymore. He just wanted to look at her face a bit more…

Brilliant rays of light were scattered like paint being sprayed across the pitch-black night sky. Fragments of light, scattered like stars, shone down on her. For a moment, her figure appeared more dazzling than the swiftly dissipating streaks of light.

“Your Grace?”

Elaine called out to Ash who was frozen in a daze. He suddenly blinked and wiped a hand down his face.

“Ah, its nothing.”

When he looked at her again, blinding fireworks were exploding behind her one after the other.

‘… Is it because of the fireworks?’

He blinked slowly and moved his gaze above her head.

“You asked me earlier if I liked fireworks.”

There had been a time when he was completely entranced by their beauty.

The festival he had been to as a child, the dazzling lights he had seen for the first time, his heart beating fast and then the burning pain that had spread across his forehead. The screaming and the moment his heart had plummeted coldly. Although such memories had stopped evoking any emotions… Strangely, at this moment…

Is it because the sight right now is more vivid than the old memories that have become dull? A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he whispered softly.

“Maybe… They aren’t so bad.”

***

On March 5^th, 532, the Knights of Philres finally returned to Killiard.

The rumor that Laikios had appeared in Valendor quickly spread to the surrounding territories. The success of the Knights of Philres was also passed through the mouths of the survivors, reaffirming their reputation as the best knights in the kingdom.

Due to this incident, Count Valendor paid a huge amount of money to the Knights of Philres. As a result, it became a joke to say that the counts back was bent. Within the Order, rewards were given to Elaine and Sophia. In particular, Elaine was highly recognized for her contribution and received a larger official reward.

On the very next day, Elaine submitted her request for leave and departed from Killiard. Her destination was the fairy lake located at the southern end of Altrang, the natural habitat of the Saturans.