Reasons to Protect the Witch's Son

Lowell smiled kindly and quickly climbed the stairs to the front gate. The servant who saw Lowell approaching, let them into the mansion. The clean interior, without any fancy decorations, seemed to reflect the personality of the owner. Nevertheless, the buildings old fashioned feel made it seem more elegant.

‘This is where Ash lives.’

Elaine followed Lowell up the stairs leading to the next floor. Soon, they stopped in front of a door, and Lowell knocked.

“Sir, I brought Elaine here with me.”

“…”

There was no answer from inside. He knocked again, but it was the same. After thinking for a moment, Lowell carefully grabbed the doorknob.

“Excuse me.”

Lowell opened the door and entered the room, looking around inside.

“Oh, he’s not here?”

When Lowell stepped to the side, the interior of the office could be seen. It was empty. Elaine was curious.

“Where has the Duke gone?”

Lowell approached the desk, checked his watch and clicked his tongue.

“It looks like we are a bit early. He often trains in the training center in the mornings, then afterword goes to wash up. I will go and get him. Please wait here for a moment.”

Lowell then left the room. Elaine, now left alone, slowly looked around at the office.

The bookshelves, lined up on either side of the long table and sofa, were filled with thick leather bound books along with various documents. In the corner of the office, where the faint smell of ink lingered in the air, was a luxurious desk, made of ebony.

On the desk, a somewhat familiar object caught her eye.

It was a sword. A sophisticatedly designed sword with a delicate gold pattern engraved on the surface of the dark red scabbard. It was something Ash had left behind as he went to wash up.

‘Why does this sword feel so familiar?’

A skilled blacksmiths sword reveals the personality and attitude of its maker. This included the shape of the handle, the outline of the blade and the method of engraving a pattern. Strangely enough, Elaine felt ‘familiar’ with the sword. She picked it up absentmindedly. It felt extremely luxurious in her hands.

It was both sturdy and beautiful at the same time. Her hands moved as if possessed. With a sharp noise, half of the bade was pulled from the sheath.

“…!”

She took deep breath. Her eyes shaking as if she had seen something incredible.

“This… How is this possible?”

Ten days before the Seveka incident, Elaine left the capital to prepare a gift for Ash for his third birthday.

Soliv, the divine beast of gold. An extremely rare beast in the shape of a horse, with dark red fur covering its entire body, a body that was hard as iron and fast as the wind.

She perused Soliv for ten days and nights, then finally succeeded in catching him. She had planned on gifting a sword made from it to Ash. It was a bit to early for his small figure to be able to carry a sword like this, but whatever. In any case, Soliv’s bones and skin would not fade over time.

With that in mind, Elaine had entrusted the making of the sword to a blacksmith, the best craftsman at the time, and a close acquaintance.

“When will it be done?”

“I think I should be finished in about a month.”

“Hmm, that’s cutting it a bit close, but okay. I’ll come back then to pick it up.”

“Are you going back to the capital?”

“Yeah, please have it ready upon my return.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Elaine who had then returned to the capital had been unable to retrieve the sword in the end.

She turned it over with trembling hands.

[AP]

She gently closed her eyes when she saw the engraving on the back of the blade. It was Ash’s initials. It wasn’t an illusion. This was the sword shed had custom made for him.

There’s no way she wouldn’t be able to recognize it. This was the reason she’d left Seveka and was unable to prevent Bella from being cursed.

If she hadn’t left the capital and been there to stop Bella sooner, would the outcome have been any different?

There was no way to know. Still the regrets remain. She questioned her decisions constantly. Dozens or even hundreds of times. If, what if? Her thoughts always ending in bitter regret. She couldn’t protect Bella because she was looking for a gift she wasn’t even able to deliver in the end. She had thought her time was wasted due to her foolish choices.

But seeing the sword in Ash’s hands now, she thought, just a little, that not everything was done in vain. Regardless of how it was delivered to Ash, it had returned to its rightful owner in perfect condition.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

As if pouring cold water on her thoughts, she heard a cold voice behind her.