Chapter 35
Iris quickly stopped Gremory, who was itching to act. Gremory shrugged her off with an annoyed flick of her shoulder.
“Why? Isn’t that what he wished for?”
— Instead of that, try tasting a bit of that man’s darkness. After all, you’re a witch who enjoys feeding off others’ pain.
“…I don’t know. That darkness doesn’t look appetizing at all.”
Gremory sampled the thick black aura that had billowed outside the house. Her chest clenched, and she felt as if she could burst into tears at any moment.
“What is this? It’s not pain. It’s… bitter. I don’t want to eat it.”
— It’s probably sorrow.
“Sorrow?”
— You know, the kind you feel when someone you truly treasure dies… Hmm, for example, if someone from the ducal house passed away, how do you think you’d feel?
“…I think I’ve felt something like that before.”
The overwhelming ache she felt when looking at the lifeless Lenia, the desperate clinging to any hope of bringing her back—was that sorrow?
‘Is Ian feeling the same emotions I did back then?’
If so, he must be boiling with rage toward the quack doctor who ruined his life. Just like she had been consumed with fury toward the witch who killed Lenia.
Gremory gathered a dark crimson energy at her fingertips.
— What are you doing?
“I’m going to give Ian some courage.”
Courage to hunt down that quack and tear him apart.
— Well… I suppose that’s fine.
Iris responded surprisingly positively.
Gremory cast a spell on Ian, infusing him with a surge of courage and madness strong enough to seek out and destroy the quack doctor.
It didn’t take long for Ian to burst out of the house, his expression filled with determination as he headed straight for the village hall.
Every Saturday, a town meeting was held there. Realizing it was Saturday, Ian rushed to the hall as if possessed.
Gremory discreetly followed behind, wondering if the quack might be lurking among the villagers—but the result was unexpected.
Upon entering the hall, Ian fell to his knees and bowed deeply in front of everyone.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused! Please, forgive me!”
The villagers murmured in confusion. Even Gremory, watching from the shadows, was surprised by this turn of events.
“Please, help me! My daughter is gravely ill! I was scammed because of my own stupidity, and now I can’t afford the medicine she needs…!”
“That’s enough. Say no more. We’ll gather money from the village fund to cover the medicine costs.”
The village chief comforted the sobbing Ian. Finally able to breathe, Ian bowed deeply to everyone, his eyes brimming with tears.
“Thank you… Thank you so much.”
With enough money in hand, Ian immediately carried his daughter to the convent.
Watching it all unfold, Gremory pouted her lower lip.
“What the heck? That’s not what I wanted. I gave him courage so he could hunt down the quack and make him pay!”
— Oh dear, was that the kind of courage you meant? I thought you were showing mercy—to give Ian the courage to seek help from others. If I’d known your true intent, I would’ve stopped you right away.
“Why did he choose that, anyway? If it were me, I’d have gone after the bastard who wrecked my family first.”
— Ian has someone he needs to protect. That’s what love does. When you have someone precious to you, you naturally make the right choices. Killing someone… that’s rarely the right path.
“…Is that so?”
Gremory tilted her head in confusion. Well, in the human world, murdering someone—even for revenge—wouldn’t exactly earn you any praise.
— Love makes people do strange, courageous things. Like Kenneth Ortega, who mustered up all his courage to send you that letter.
“You’re talking like you’ve experienced love yourself.”
— I have. Even if it was unrequited.
“Unrequited love? What’s that?”
— Well, you see…!
Chesion was losing his mind over Gremory’s prolonged absence.
“What the heck? Why isn’t she back yet? It’s almost dinner time!”
He hadn’t been too worried around lunchtime. After all, Kenneth Ortega? He wasn’t going to win over Gremory with just one lunch date. His Mori was pretty picky.
But as the hours dragged on, his thoughts spiraled. He couldn’t concentrate on anything. His legs shook uncontrollably, and he kept biting his lips.
‘No way… Did she really like that guy enough to stay out this late?’
By the time dinner had long passed, Chesion was fuming. What on earth were those two doing that kept her out so late?
When Gremory finally returned around 8 PM—technically not too late—Chesion still lashed out.
“Mori, you can’t stay out this late! It’s dangerous!”
“I doubt there are many out there strong enough to kill me. What’s the worry?”
“I’m not worried about assassins or anything like that…!”
He couldn’t bring himself to say it—that he was afraid she’d fall for someone with a shady heart.
“I heard there’s a flu going around…”
“I don’t catch colds.”
“Right, right. You’re from the snowy north after all. You’ve lived through harsher cold… Mori!”
Gremory tried to walk past Chesion’s silly rambling, but he quickly blocked her way.
“What now?”
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“Nope. I’m busy.”
She had plans with Iris—to go on a love exploration trip and finally learn what unrequited love really was…
— Sigh, brother…
Iris sighed and facepalmed as she shook her head.
Chesion kept a straight face.
“Ahem. Well, if possible, I’d like you to make time. I want you to help me inspect the estate.”
“Estate inspection?”
“Like I said, there’s a flu spreading. I need to check firsthand how bad it is. Since you’re immune to colds, you’re the perfect partner for this.”
Proud of his quick thinking, Chesion inwardly praised himself for being a genius. Gremory accepted easily. Her plans already involved wandering around the estate, observing humans in their clumsy loves anyway. Same difference.
Besides, she had a lot to ask Chesion about today’s events. They could chat while they inspected the estate. Tomorrow.
Right now, she was too lazy.
But Chesion still wouldn’t step aside.
“What now? Move. I need to lie down and be lazy.”
“Oh, wait, just one more thing. I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Today… did you have fun?”
Gremory tilted her head. What a random question. How would he even know what she’d been up to?
Had word already spread that she was wandering the estate? Possible, considering how much she roamed.
“I guess… It was fun in its own way.”
“!”
“Why do you look like that?”
“N-No reason. As long as you had fun, that’s all that matters.”
Chesion finally stepped aside, dragging his feet.
“What’s with him?”
Gremory didn’t give it much thought. She flopped onto her bed and quickly drifted off to sleep, basking in laziness.
The next morning, Gremory mentally organized all the things she observed during her wandering:
The daughter of a family who obediently entered into an arranged marriage… only to find true happiness by committing adultery. A woman who collapsed onto the ground in tears…
The memories from yesterday, as Gremory wandered around the territory, slowly pieced themselves together in her mind.
The daughter of a noble house, who had obediently entered into a political marriage, only managed to find her happiness after committing adultery. Sitting on the bare ground, she cried tears of joy at the thought of her newfound freedom.
A man, who had slaved away for his family his whole life without receiving any gratitude, finally packed his bags and set off on a journey, leaving everything behind for the first time.
A boy, once full of rage and resentment over his poverty, now spent his days smiling while weaving simple baskets for his ailing mother.
Gremory had witnessed it all. Countless little tragedies and miracles.
“Everyone,” Gremory mumbled to herself, stretching lazily, “is living more passionately than I thought.”
There was sadness, anger, joy, and love — all tangled together, like a colorful yarn ball. And yet, the people didn’t fall apart. They clung desperately to the tangle, moving forward.
Was that why Iris wanted her to taste a little bit of their ‘darkness’?
Maybe it wasn’t meant to hurt, but to show her something essential.
As she pondered that thought, she heard a knock at her door.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Cheshion.”
“Again?”
She reluctantly got up and opened the door. Cheshion stood there, looking more serious than usual.
“Get ready. We need to go soon.”
“Already? It’s barely morning.”
“I heard some villagers have fallen sick overnight. We should check on them quickly.”
Gremory yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “Fine, fine. Let’s go, Sir Knight.”
She grabbed her cloak and followed Cheshion outside.
The early morning air was sharp and cold, but the village was already bustling with people moving about, their breath visible in the chill.
Gremory’s sharp eyes caught glimpses of worry and fatigue on the villagers’ faces.
As they walked, Cheshion leaned in slightly and whispered, “By the way… I was wondering…”
“Hmm?”
“After the inspection… do you want to grab lunch together?”
Gremory blinked.
“Just… the two of us?”
“Well, yes. I thought it would be nice.”
He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
Gremory stared at him for a moment, then grinned mischievously.
“Are you asking me out on a date, Cheshion?”
Cheshion’s ears turned red in an instant.
“N-No! I mean, it’s just… lunch! Casual! For work!”
“Right, right. For work,” Gremory teased, clearly enjoying his flustered reaction.
Still smiling, she turned her gaze back to the road ahead.
For some reason, the morning chill didn’t seem quite as biting anymore.
