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TWTBHI 12

TWTBHI

Chapter 12

Cheshion agonized over the beautiful woman before him, who might very well be a witch. The irony wasn’t lost on him—he, who had abolished witch hunts, might now be harboring a witch in his own home.

‘No, it’s just my paranoia for now.’

There was one place where he could get a clear answer about this. Cheshion decided to take Mori there.

“Mori, are you really completely fine now? Your body is so cold.”

“I’m fine. I just need blankets.”

Gremory, who had been about to pull up the blanket, froze in surprise. There wasn’t just one blanket—Cheshion had brought in a whole pile of thick ones.

Gremory was pleased. Her nest had grown even cozier.

“Thank you for worrying about me. And for all the blankets.”

“I can give you as many blankets as you want. But are you really okay?”

“I told you, yes.”

“Then… can you come somewhere with me tomorrow night? I want to show you something beautiful.”

“Sure, why not?”

Gremory loved the pretty sights of the human world. The cityscape Cheshion had shown her the day before had been lovely, so she had no doubt that whatever he wanted to show her next would be just as beautiful.

She burrowed into the colorful, cozy blankets, leaving only her face peeking out as she settled in to sleep. Cheshion’s soft laughter reached her ears.

If that adorable, peculiar woman really were a witch, it would be absurd.

But that couldn’t be the case.

The next morning, something amusing happened.

Isolene appeared, banging loudly on Gremory’s door.

“Mori, come out! There’s something fun to see!”

“What is it?”

“The Crown Prince’s concubine is here! The one who came before to complain about being insulted by His Grace!”

“!”

Snack time!

Spotting her prey, Gremory excitedly rushed to the garden with Isolene.

Diana, the Crown Prince’s concubine, knelt on the bare ground, her long red hair disheveled. Servants crowded around her, murmuring among themselves.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Grace! Please pardon the Crown Prince’s rudeness and foolishness, and plead with His Majesty the Emperor to lift the Crown Prince’s house arrest!”

Even Anna had come out to watch, but Cheshion himself was nowhere to be seen.

Gremory glanced toward the window of Cheshion’s office. The curtains were drawn—he was probably blocking out the noise, focusing on his work.

‘Perfect prey.’

Gremory stared intently at Diana. The darkness in the woman’s heart became vividly clear to her.

Oh?

The shadows in Diana’s heart were swollen to their limit. The slightest touch would make her self-destruct. And she even had a dagger hidden in her chest—as if she planned to stab Cheshion if he appeared.

Gremory gave that darkness a little poke.

At the same time, Diana began screaming like a madwoman.

“AAAH! I was wrong! It’s all my fault!”

The crowd buzzed in shock. Even Isolene took a step back, unnerved.

“It’s—it’s all my fault! I’m good for nothing but selling my body, yet I dared seduce His Highness the Crown Prince and dragged him into ruin! Please punish me, but spare the Crown Prince!”

Gremory peered deeper into Diana’s heart. Oh-ho? So this woman had committed quite a few sins.

“A-and I killed Lady Yurina of Count Yuri’s house! I couldn’t stand her catching the Crown Prince’s eye, so I poisoned her! I also killed Lady Shiona Margarita!”

As if possessed, Diana sobbed and confessed her crimes. Black tears streaked with smeared mascara ran down her face, making her look increasingly grotesque.

“I deserve to die, Your Grace! Please, kill me!”

And then—

“If you won’t kill me, then I’ll do it myself!”

Diana pulled out the hidden dagger and slit her own throat without hesitation.

……Silence engulfed the garden.

Delicious.

Gremory licked her lips—and for a brief moment, locked eyes with Cheshion through his office window. Startled, he quickly closed the curtains again, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.

Unbothered, Gremory left the scene with Isolene.

That night, Cheshion took Mori to the Emerald Forest.

The Emerald Forest.

Unlike the savage beasts of the volcanic lands, this was the domain of noble, highly intelligent magical creatures.

When Cheshion had first been exiled to the duchy, people assumed he’d have his hands full—between the volcanic beasts invading every spring and the Emerald Forest’s inhabitants baring their fangs. The creatures of the Emerald Forest despised humans settling near their lands.

But Cheshion had solved everything. The volcanic beasts were handled with his natural combat prowess, while the intelligent Emerald Forest dwellers were appeased with a mutual non-aggression pact, ensuring peace.

“The Emerald Forest is made only of sacred things. If something evil intrudes, the creatures here drive it out.”

Inside the carriage heading to the forest, Cheshion explained kindly to Gremory. The damp, earthy scent of the forest drifted in through the open window.

“What counts as ‘evil’?”

“Primarily, those with wicked hearts. Or mindless creatures like the volcanic beasts that prey on others, or beings consumed by rage.”

“So they just kick out whoever they don’t like.”

“They never drove me out. I don’t know why, but the creatures here have been kind to me since the day we met. Thanks to that, we’ve maintained peace through our pact. In return, I offer them fresh fruits every year.”

“If it’s mutual, what do they give you?”

“Access to the Lake of Purification in the forest’s heart.”

“What’s that?”

“Entering the lake heals any wound—physical, mental, or even spiritual. It’s practically a panacea.”

Cheshion had a thought. The creatures here would be able to tell if Mori is a witch or not.

Finally, the Emerald Forest came into view. By day, it looked like an ordinary forest, but at night, it glowed faintly with an emerald-white radiance. The leaves, the bark, the trunks, the soil—even the feathers of the spirit birds flying through the sky.

“……Wow. It’s beautiful.”

“Here, take my hand. It’s easy to get lost if you’re too dazzled.”

Gremory held Cheshion’s outstretched hand as they walked through the forest. Squelch, squelch. The damp earth felt pleasant underfoot.

Cheshion smiled faintly at Gremory, whose eyes sparkled with wonder. She had a habit of becoming childishly entranced by beautiful sights—he’d noticed that much when he showed her the city last time.

Could such an innocent woman really be a witch?

Then—

A pack of blue wolves emerged. Cheshion bowed politely to their leader.

“It’s been a while, Shali.”

But—

Grrr—

The wolves bared their fangs, encircling the two.

“Shali? Ah, my apologies for not introducing her sooner. This is ‘Mori,’ a victim of the witch hunts whom I rescued.”

Shali, the alpha of the blue wolves, growled, claws unsheathed. How dare a witch set foot on sacred land? This naive fool Cheshion had clearly already fallen under her spell.

“There’s no need to bare your fangs like that. Mori is a very kind person. Since she arrived, the ducal residence has come alive, and we even rooted out a spy. She’s practically a lucky charm for me.”

The more Cheshion spoke, the more Shali’s head hurt. That woman is a witch! And not just any witch—she was radiating a pitch-black magical energy only high-level creatures could sense!

But how was he supposed to explain this to that clueless duke? Leaving him be might bring disaster. While Shali had no obligation to protect him, he couldn’t just stand by. If that witch entered the Emerald Forest, the entire woods could be in danger.

For the sake of peace between the duchy and the Emerald Forest, Shali decided to reveal the truth to that idiot duke.

He smoothed the ground with his paw, then carefully wrote in human script with a claw:

「That woman」

He managed that much, but it had been so long since he’d written human letters that they came out crooked.

“‘That woman’… You mean Mori?”

Ugh, as long as he gets it. Shali continued writing.

But… how did humans write ‘witch’ again?

「Beautiful woman」

“Haha! So even you think our Mori is beautiful, Shali! Mori, you’re a beauty even recognized by the alpha of magical beasts. Most humans don’t get that kind of praise.”

“……Sure.”

Gremory smirked, having roughly grasped the situation. Furious, Shali scrubbed out the words with his paw and tried again.

「Witch」

“‘Witch’? What’s that?”

「Sorceress」

“‘Sorceress’?”

「Enchantress」

“……That’s not it at all.”

Grrrr!!

Frustrated, Shali clutched his head in his paws, agonized—then gave up.

「Forget it. Just go in」

“Thank you!”

Cheshion beamed. If Shali was allowing them into the forest, that was clear proof Mori wasn’t a witch.

Comment

  1. ...... says:

    the translation is really poor

    1. Noor says:

      Can you tell me what’s wrong with the translation?

      1. ...... says:

        the translation feels a bit rushed, and the pace feels kind of off (not hating, love your works tho)

        1. Noor says:

          Thanks for highlighting, Can you please review this now. As i have updated this chapter.

          1. ..... says:

            its better now Thank you for listening

          2. Noor says:

            Thanks for highlighting, translation is same but there was issue in format. Yet it affects overall.

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