“You’re young, too.”
Oleciren was nineteen this year, making her two years older than Cain.
Cain met her purple eyes.
“You’re not so royal either.”
“Compliment? Insult?”
“Both.”
Their mouths turned up.
For starters, it was enough to make them grin to discover that the other person they had met, one across time and the other across fate, knew them better than they realized.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Well.”
“I don’t think Ethelred’s people are the only ones who can get away with being so forceful.”
“…….”
“When the Witch’s awakening begins, the Witch of the Horizon will appear with Arthuan. And she will take the lives around her as offerings for my awakening.”
“Excuse me?”
Cain was a little surprised.
He knew about the witch’s awakening from his previous life, but it was unexpected for Oleciren to know.
“Airian may be a little island nation, but it has thrived for centuries between the Elven Forest and the continent. Do you believe they would not have such information?
Oleciren had already fought her own battles in the royal capital before coming here.
The Royal Palace Library.
The academy’s restricted library.
The Sealed Room in the Mage’s Tower.
She may have been belittled as the Gypsum Flower, but she was a princess nonetheless.
She had been traveling everywhere to acquire information since she knew she was going to be a witch.
Since the Witch’s Awakening had already occurred ninety-eight times, there was a wealth of information available if one looked for it.
“Then I have a question for you, too.”
Cain straightened his posture.
He posed a question that he had been unable to answer in his former life.
“Why do you need a knight?”
“Because Isoel and I cannot do it alone. We need someone to stop Arthuan’s onslaught when he appears.
“Why not just call in the Knights?”
Oleciren laughed bitterly.
“Calling in other knights is the same as me confessing that I’m a witch, and the Ethelred Knights won’t follow anyone.”
Cain blinked.
‘Isoel is strong.’
She was a knight who had reached the Expert level at a young age, worthy of her reputation in the royal capital.
But was she strong enough to confront Arthuan?
Cain could say no without hesitation.
The ‘Arthuan’ he anticipated would require at least an Edmund-level strong person to even stand a chance.
That’s why Arzweber’s territory was wiped out in his previous life, and only two people survived, Oleciren and Isoel.
‘Did they win because they were half-hearted, or did they end up losing and dying in the end?’
Oleciren must have been well-prepared, as she stated that she had discovered facts.
However, in his prior existence, even that preparation was insufficient, and Vanderbilt returned as a corpse.
“You’ll fail.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Oleciren cocked her head at Cain’s unexpected words.
“Do you think Arthuan is too easy? Is he so simple that all you need is a knight to serve as a shield while Isoel takes care of him?”
“Do you think I came here without knowing that much?”
Oleciren frowned.
Her white fists clenched.
She had obtained power through her struggles, doing everything she could. She thought that would solve everything.
On the other hand, Cain, who understood the future, was clearly expressing the difficulties that were ahead.
“No matter how much you look, you can never know how deep the ocean is or how far away the stars are.”
“…….”
“But I will never fail.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m here.”
Cain turned around and peered out the window again.
Oleciren gazed at his profile in the sunlight for a long time.
“You’re hiding something up your sleeve, too.”
And so on.
The first carriage, carrying the two of them, and the second carriage, containing Abel, Arna, and Isoel, with Vanderbilt as the coachman, arrived in Arzweber.
🔹🔹🔹
Chirp.
A few seagulls sailed lazily, and old wooden houses appeared to have been recently refurbished.
As this was Vanderbilt’s territory, he took the lead in showing the village around.
The land had a strange salty smell coming from the sea.
Gazes could be felt between the cracks in the doors and windows.
Abel flinched when he saw the strange scenario, so Cain took his shoulder.
“Hold your head up. Don’t look at your feet, look a little further away.”
“Yes!”
“Lower your voice. Keep your chest out, but a little bit in like you have a ball, and spread your back that much. Your legs should spring like a horse’s.”
Thud, thud.
Abel’s gait changed instantly.
Now his steps had a knightly air about them.
Cain patted Abel on the head before moving forward again.
Isoel, who had been silently watching this, touched the earrings she had received in the royal capital with her finger.
So, in the center of the village,.
They arrived at the village’s largest house, which acted as the village warehouse.
Creak.
The door opened as if it detected their presence.
An elderly woman with white hair and cataracts emerged, leaning on a cane with shaky hands.
She then tried to bow deeply to the group while shaking.
When he saw her terrible appearance, Abel stepped forward to offer him support.
“Are you the village chief?”
Abel asked warmly.
The old woman’s voice trembled like an aspen tree, as if she were afraid of facing the lords.
“Yes, yes. This elderly woman is the village leader of the Arzweber territory, Arian.”
“We came from Ethelred Castle. We heard something was wrong.”
Suddenly, the elderly woman laughed.
Then she grabbed Abel by the strong shoulder and turned him around, pointing to the sea, where the white foam and bright sunshine gleamed.
“You’ll see it this evening. It’s so ominous, we can’t even fish.”
Thud.
Arna dropped her luggage.
All eyes were on her.
Cain had been subtly obscuring the old woman’s eyes with his body since the outset.
It was purposeful.
Arna recognized this instantly and spoke to Cain using only her lips.
━ Old woman. Fake. Witch.
Cain smiled as Arna automatically picked up her luggage.
━ I know.
That moment.
Caw.
A black crow croaked from the far white cliffs.
It was a scream of longing for the sunset.