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Vivian was steadily working to get closer to the boy soldiers of the Punishment Unit, just as she had said.

She frequently made appearances, sometimes gracing them with food like it was a banquet, and chatting with them while wearing a kind smile. The boy soldiers, one by one, now felt their hearts soften even more.

“Is that so? Next time, you can do better. When that happens, please beat Kyle up really hard!”

“Yes…! Yes…! I will definitely beat that nasty jerk to a pulp…!”

Today, Vivian was again at the dining hall, warmly conversing with the boy soldiers.

The boy soldiers were so focused on waiting for Vivian to come closer that they forgot to eat their food.

Behind Vivian, several maids trailed after her.

It had become common knowledge at the castle that Vivian was getting friendly with the boy soldiers of the Punishment Unit.

There might have been whispers about it, but Vivian didn’t show any concern for that.

I watched her.

It felt so out of place seeing Vivian surrounded by such dirty and ugly men.

Her natural smile, her gentle tone, and her soft presence were so different from the Vivian I knew.

I was well aware that all of this was part of her effort, her façade, yet I was still amazed at how perfectly she could act.

Seeing the smiles and demeanor she had easily shown them made me feel a strangely uncomfortable sensation.

But on the other hand, I could sense that she was truly working hard.

“Yanes.”

As Vivian moved around the dining hall, chatting with others, she stopped in front of Yanes.

“…Yes?”

Even he, who always acted tough among his comrades, was visibly nervous in front of Vivian.

He quickly wiped his mouth and tried to compose himself.

Vivian signaled towards a maid who had been standing behind her.

Then, the somewhat nervous Serena brought out a wooden cup and a bottle of wine.

Vivian spoke.

“I heard you’ve become an adult now. Since you’re serving here, I suppose you haven’t had a chance to drink?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

“My father always said that a man should know how to drink when he becomes an adult. So, please have a glass.”

Gasps of envy and admiration erupted around Yanes.

Everyone burst into laughter at Yanes’ bewildered expression.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his silly face as well.

For some reason, I didn’t mind that Vivian was getting close to them.

Serena handed the cup to Yanes, pouring a purplish wine into it.

Men flocked around to catch a whiff of it, eager to smell.

Yanes, overwhelmed, pushed them all away, annoyed by the greasy noses crowding around him.

Then he looked at Vivian and said,

“…Vivian, I… I won’t forget this. Th-thank you.”

His expression genuinely conveyed his gratitude.

He then gulped down the wine in one go.

At the same moment, he let out an embarrassed breath, glancing around nervously.

It was clear that it didn’t suit his taste.

Yet, he handed the cup back to Serena and bowed deeply to Vivian.

Vivian smiled back, and as if she had finished all the conversations she wanted, she turned to face me.

Indeed, as she decided to draw closer to us and actually began to have the boy soldiers as her backing, the aura around her felt notably different.

It was as if I could finally sense the power of a leader.

Though weak, it was definitely better than nothing.

She gave me a brief smile. I pretended not to see it and continued with my meal.

****

Vivian looked down at the training grounds of the Castle of Rondore.

There, the boy soldiers of the Punishment Unit were continuing their training.

Following Kyle’s suggestion, Burgor had delegated training authority to him, and Kyle swung a wooden sword around while instructing the boy soldiers as Vivian had asked.

Just watching was enough to leave you breathless as the training continued endlessly.

Vivian couldn’t take her eyes off Kyle, who was shouting and striving in the midst of it all.

For some reason, she thought she could watch him all day long.

Despite his rough words, it was pleasing to see him working so hard for her.

That weirdly intense feeling in her chest.

She didn’t particularly hate it; in fact, it was almost comforting.

Since it felt so foreign, Vivian didn’t know how to describe it.

It just felt like she was up to some sneaky mischief, like when she used to play with fire as a child.

Also, it gave Vivian a sense of reassurance to see all the boy soldiers training together.

None of them had explicitly pledged loyalty yet, but she felt her plans were going well.

Lady Linne once said,

“A woman’s weapon is her beauty.”

Vivian wasn’t deaf, so she could hear the boy soldiers whispering about her beauty until their mouths dried out.

She was starting to realize that she was somewhat pretty.

Hence, getting close to the boy soldiers didn’t feel that hard.

Recently, Vivian had also been maturing little by little.

There was an uncomfortable chest binding, and she suffered monthly pain that bloomed into beauty.

Maybe it was because of Lady Linne’s teachings, but sometimes Vivian wielded that beauty without even realizing it.

With just a shallow smile, most people began to regard her positively.

Not just the boy soldiers but also the soldiers, knights, and even the maids… sometimes they would gaze at her blankly.

If there was anyone who remained unaffected by that smile, it would be Kyle Allen.

He was always the same, just observing silently or turning away without a reaction.

Of course, Vivian had never shown him that masked smile.

There was no reason to, and given their long history, it was just embarrassing.

-Swoosh.

Vivian turned to leave the windowsill and began heading back to her room.

She wanted to keep watching the training from the same spot, but she was also focused on building her strength, as she had declared to Kyle.

She still couldn’t shake off the memories of that night.

Not Kyle’s harassment, but rather the events preceding it.

She recalled Lani, laughing and circling around Kyle like a bird.

And whenever she thought about that, a fresh rage ignited within her heart.

In fact, it felt like the anger she felt was burning stronger than the day before, which had been stronger than the day before that.

The more she watched Kyle, the deeper her anger grew.

What was Kyle doing when he thought no one could see him?

Had he ever embraced others as he had done to her that day?

If possible, she wished she could monitor him every moment.

She didn’t know why these thoughts invaded her mind, but… whatever it was, that incident had become a turning point.

Having nearly lost Kyle, whom she exchanged for her family’s lives, she could make a promise.

Vivian never wanted to have such an experience again.

Before she knew it, Vivian was entertaining a particular fantasy.

Though it seemed impossible, she imagined what could have happened if that day had gone wrong and Lani had taken Kyle away from her instead.

If Kyle had sacrificed his life to protect Lani instead of her.

If all his actions had been directed towards Lani and not her.

“…Ugh.”

Vivian let out a groan from the dull pain in her chest.

Even just imagining it made her feel uncomfortable, and she quickly shook her head to dismiss it.

Regardless, if she held power, such a future wouldn’t come.

…

Vivian was sorting through various documents late at night.

These documents contained information about people she suspected might be her enemies.

All of them were gathered by the spy Nesto.

It wasn’t because Nesto was skilled that she received these documents.

Vivian had to threaten Nesto to obtain them.

By dragging that skinny thirty-year-old man in, insulting his incompetence, claiming he had done nothing to contribute to her safety, and subtly suggesting he might meet the Executioner Kyle, he quickly brought back these documents.

Vivian reviewed the documents.

They were all people who wouldn’t find it strange if someone aimed for their lives.

Robert Rondore. He had expressed intentions of being a regent and was deeply ambitious. Having participated in the war alongside the knights, he had a strong support base. Recently, he had been frequently traveling between Castel Rondore and his territory, Nerumport, looking to meet with his retainers.

Count Korod. A character from Rondore’s past debts. Although Kyle had paid it off based on a dragon he had slain, he still had to pay ridiculous interest. In truth, Korod had never been on good terms with Rondore. Perhaps it was only natural, given the relationship between a count and a duke. Long ago, the Delum Royal Family had regarded the rising power of the Rondore family as a threat and had given land to the former Count Korod to keep them at odds.

And many more, including heads of families loyal to Rondore, merchants trying to get a piece of the economic pie in Rondore, and so on… there were far too many to assess.

“Deep in thought, are we, Vivian?”

The witch, Elena, who was keeping her company, asked Vivian.

Vivian nodded and let out a long sigh.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“Still, you’ve decided to form a troop, haven’t you? That in itself is a significant step.”

“…”

Vivian nodded slightly, feeling a bit comforted.

Elena, puffing out cigarette smoke, approached Vivian with a notably different atmosphere.

Her steps looked a bit uneasy, not leisurely.

Vivian quietly looked up at Elena, puzzled by the strange behavior.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Vivian, I’m going to say something a bit difficult… I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“Well, I mentioned that the persecution against witches by the Las Church has been intensifying.”

“…Ah.”

“It’s spreading even into Roktana. Perhaps your executioner Kyle Allen might have to chop off a few more heads?”

“…So?”

“Please, could you just help a little by suggesting that they don’t create such an oppressive atmosphere in your territory?”

“…”

Vivian mulled over her words.

To request this of the church in such a politically shaky position was no simple matter.

After all, asking them to reduce their essential task of hunting witches… it seemed a lot.

Though it was the original agreement, Vivian selfishly began to weigh the benefits.

It was understandable since that was how their relationship had initially formed.

“…Master, I’ll be honest.”

“Speak.”

“To be frank, I don’t believe you’ve done enough for me to warrant that kind of request.”

“…What?”

“You haven’t taught me any real spells yet, nor have I received any substantial help, right?”

“…I know, but could you try to hold on a bit longer?”

“…I don’t know. Recently, I’ve started to wonder if you’re deceiving me.”

“Deceiving you? Vivian, how could you say such hurtful things… I taught you the spell to determine the presence of poison. And the one to stabilize your heart’s palpitations…”

“But with just that, it’s tough to build strength. Honestly, they haven’t been of great help.”

“That’s only because strong power is gained only when you become an adult and offer sacrifices, you know that.”

“…You also promised to teach me useful spells I could wield as a novice witch.”

“But to use such spells, you need to have a vessel at the very least… hmm?”

Elena briefly expressed confusion.

She, with the cigarette firmly in her mouth, quickly approached Vivian.

Then she squatted beside Vivian, placing her hand on Vivian’s lower abdomen.

“W-what are you doing?!”

Vivian flinched, startled by that cold touch.

But Elena made claims as if she had forgotten their prior conversation.

“Vivian, you’ve developed a vessel.”

Elena stated.

Vivian was overwhelmed and questioned her.

“A vessel? What kind of vessel?”

“As I just mentioned, a vessel for using useful spells.”

“…”

“It means you’re becoming an adult. Now it suits you more to be treated like an adult rather than a child.”

Vivian felt a strange discomfort.

“…This feels weird, Master. It’s sudden, isn’t it? Just when I was starting to suspect you?”

“…I understand. But to be precise, it seems the vessel has been there for some time. I just didn’t notice because I hadn’t been paying attention.”

Even despite receiving her suspicious gaze, Elena firmly asserted.

“When it appeared isn’t what matters. What’s important is that you test your magic and judge whether the witch’s power is useful or not. If you can still trust me moving forward.”

“…”

That was true.

Ultimately, no matter how much she suspected Elena, she would need to use her own powers and determine for herself whether the witch’s abilities were genuine.

“What spell will you teach me?”

“Hmm…”

Elena surveyed the papers sprawled across Vivian’s desk, then smiled beautifully.

“Vivian, if I teach you useful magic… will you help me a bit against the Las Church?”

Vivian contemplated before replying.

“If it seems like a spell worth having.”

Elena nodded with conviction.

“Ah, don’t worry about that. It’s genuinely useful.”

“…What is it?”

Elena answered.

“A spell to detect lies. It seems like it’ll be needed now more than ever.”

“…”

That practical power certainly piqued her interest.

Surprised, she looked up at Elena. Who knew something like that was possible?

With such a power, she might be able to identify her enemies one by one.

She might figure out who was a friend and who was foe.

…But why was it?

When she heard that she could detect lies, her thoughts drifted immediately to Kyle.

She began to wonder if he had ever lied to her…

 

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