Akin to the brief flickering of the candle inside the confession room, the eyes of the woman called Rachel narrowed.

Surely, if Julius were to state that to someone else, he'd be incarcerated on spot.

"Oh?"

Was the only thing the woman said next.

"Indeed. Regarding the bewitchment case, I believe the witch I encountered in the Forest of Helleborus had no part in it."

Ever since a month ago, the townspeople of Freyja had fallen victim to bewitchment. What started off as a person showing odd behavior ended up with an entire ward of crazed men who wouldn't stop beckoning for the witch.

"I see, and the reason you are so sure of that is?"

"There was an attempt of concealment."

That was right.

Those crazed men didn't just appear on the church's doorstep by chance. They were systematically put inside the slum area to create an impression that they were but some addicts. Regardless, the essence of magic was so strong, it couldn't be erased.

The church detected the trace of magic, pinpointed the victims, and rescued them from the slum.

Regrettably, such wasn't the case.

The first victim was only found after an aristocrat reported that her servant went missing. It was common for an aristocrat's servant to also be a noble, but of a lower stature.

“Meanwhile, the witch I encountered in the forest knows how to hide her magic, to the point she can pass off as one of the townspeople.”

Not only that, she could also alter the flow of magic at whim, shifting its shape into anything she desired.

A perfect crime would befit someone like her.

Which wasn’t what was happening, as of the present.

“In the crime scenes, evidence is strewn all around. The heavy scent of magical essence. The endless worshipping of the witch, done by the victims... They all point to the witch, rather straightforwardly so.”

They were basically some flashing signs, announcing that ‘THE WITCH IS HERE.’

“Which is why—the more I think about it, the surer I’ve become... someone is trying to get us off-track.”

“This ‘someone’ being the true culprit behind all this?”

“Indeed.’’

“Meaning, there are two witches, and one is trying to frame the other?”

“...Basically, yes.”

“I get the impression that isn’t the end of your report.”

Silence briefly enshrouded the room, foretelling the weight his next words carried.

“...Yes. In fact, we’re only getting into it. You see, although the witch I encountered—the Witch of Helleborus—had no involvement in the recent case, I’m not saying that she’s innocent, either. In fact, she’s much more of a threat than the other one.”

‘Meaning, there are two witches, and one is trying to frame the other?’

It never occurred to him to phrase the situation that way. Because anyone bearing the title of the witch was guilty as sin.

Julius’ face, which was reflected in Rachel’s sapphire eyes, was distorted by hate.

“To put it simply, she... is an abomination.”

***

“When Julius Visconti was a child, his residence got attacked by demons, and as a result everyone but him got murdered, leaving him as the sole survivor. The demons’ attack reportedly ceased after he was the only one left.”

After being casually told of such a grim fact, Ame was at loss for words.

“Huh...? But, how...?”

“‘How’, indeed, when those demons don’t even have the capacity to not attack everything on sight. As such, only a single possibility remains—”

—She could see where he was going.

“—A witch is controlling them to commit a massacre?”

“Bingo.”

“W, who!? How’s that witch, now?! Has she been caught?!”

“Nope, to which young Julius joined the church to eradicate the witches—and the rest, is history.”

At the same time, she knew what he was implying.

Before, Ame had firmly stated she wanted to befriend Julius.

As of the present, Klavier was stating the reason why it was impossible.

To Julius, the existence of the witch—in and of itself—was an agonizing pain.

It was to the point that he considered all the witches one and the same, and despised them with equal fervor.

It was already the norm for people to despise the witches. Even more so for someone like Julius, whom was directly indoctrinated by the church. As such, Ame thought nothing about the attitude he had shown to her so far.

People’s misgivings about the witches wouldn’t change anytime soon.

Regardless, even if she was aware of that...

...She was hoping that the blond knight, who curbed his suspicion and offered her his protection inside the forest, would be different.

‘If it’s this person, then... even if a little, he might listen to my story.’ Was her thought back then.

Thinking back, it was naïve of her. There might be a mixture of desperation, as well.

"Yes, and I despise the likes of you to death."

“With his entire being, he hates me...”

Before the quiet, unreadable, Klavier, the witch muttered.

Her tone was as if there was a script prepared before her. At the same time, it also sounded a little forlorn.

“...And he will continue to do so, because seeing me, a witch, will only bring him pain.”

If she was forced to live under the same roof, and basically see the murderer of her family every day, she’d be like that, too.

A brief silence fell inside the room.

After hesitating for a moment, Klavier ran his fingers through his crimson hair and spoke.

“...The sudden change at the end isn’t your fault. Although, I’ll have to say, you’d probably fare better with the other one.”

What the man intended to be an attempt at cheering her up only raised more questions.

“What ‘sudden change’? What ‘other one’?”

***

Julius then told Rachel everything.

As Julius’ explanation went on, her face grew darker.

Finally, after Julius was finished.

“...Indeed, it is as you said.” With a contemplating expression, Rachel affirmed. “Not only was that witch capable of distorting space and reality, she’s also aware of the locations of Reina’s barriers. Moreover, it seems that she’s also in the process of integrating herself with the townspeople of Freyja, only God knows what she is up to.”

“I will keep an eye on her. When push comes to shove, I’ll do what I have to.”

Unwavering resolve shone in Julius’ eyes. Unlike the flickering, unobtrusive, candlelight, his gaze seemed ready to penetrate the darkness. His right palm rested firmly atop his sword.

“...Pfft!”

In response, the blonde nun before him only laughed.

“...? What’s so funny?”

Giggling, Rachel remarked. “At first, I was concerned that you might fall for the witch’s charm, or something like that. It seems that my worries are unfounded.”

It was the first time since his arrival that the woman named Rachel showed an expression. Her cheerful laughter hadn’t only made her appear younger, but also considerably lifted the heavy atmosphere.

Nevertheless, Julius remained vehement. He spoke in a resolute tone, as if making a declaration.

“I will never fall for such an abhorrent menace.”

Rachel’s smile grew wider as she proceeded to tell a joke. “Oh my! Such strong words... just what exactly did the witch do to incite so much of your ire?”

The reason Julius was aware the woman was joking was simple.

Rachel knew of his past.

Therefore, her question was redundant.

Regardless, out of formality, Julius answered. “My previous report should shed enough light to that.”

Amidst the confessional room, was a slab of stone. It wasn’t only painted white, but also engraved. The surface was flat, and could contain a single adult. The purpose of it was a makeshift bed.

Julius proceeded to remove the outer layer of his attire and sat on top of said stone. Rachel followed behind him.

“That’s right, you requested for your seals to be reworked.”

The confessional room was in name only. Many activities pertaining to the Oracle Seal was usually done there, under the supervision of some clerics and most importantly, an alchemist.

The fact that Julius needed only Rachel to get his seals reworked told that the woman was more than her outfit suggested.

As Rachel began preparing for the procedure, Julius recalled how he had lashed out to the witch that evening.

He could no longer deny the fact that his mind was transfixed to it.

Anger of such a degree was rare for him. The fact that he could carry so much hate was also beyond him.

When his entire family was massacred, albeit there was loathing, it wasn’t enough to make him want to tear apart the person in front of him, and at the same time, himself.

When his superiors discarded him, albeit there was anger, it wasn’t enough to make him see red.

Thinking back, it was probably because his resentment and fury had finally found their target.

If not for the witch, none of this would have happened.

Deep down, he had probably been nursing such thought.

Such thought, which then gave birth to loathing.

If asked directly, he’d probably come up with such reasons—

—because not only had the Witch of Helleborus took advantages of the gullible townspeople of Freyja, she was also aware of the many barriers placed by the saint.

—because she also seemed to know something about the bewitchment cases, but acted oblivious about it, which led him to believe that she was planning something.

—because the witch was a demon wearing human skin.

They were all valid concerns and could be considered as crime.

...But, in all honesty, the reason he hated her so much—

“—Julius, it will be fine! Nothing is over, yet!”

—was because she was right.

“—That way, it’ll just be like when you did it with your party!”

She had pinpointed his exact concern.

His enemy had seen through him.

There was nothing he couldn’t stand more than that.

The moment his nemesis found his weakness, his initial response was to defend himself—in any way, any form—and that was exactly what he did.

Suddenly, something coiled around his neck. At the same time, there was an extra weight on his back.

At that, he recoiled.

“I missed you dearly, my son.” Rachel whispered, while burying her face on his shoulder.

Upon realizing that it was none other than his own stepmother, Julius relaxed a little.

They had grown out of such parental gestures since long ago, and most of the interactions they had these days was work-related.

Regardless, beneath the veil of her calm, Rachel must had been worried about her stepson. As such, Julius let her express her concern. He also decided to not say anything.

Then, as time began to still, Rachel uttered in gloom.

“...None of this should’ve happened.”

***

“The knight templar that is to be sent to my abode... isn’t supposed to be Julius?”

Towards the new revelation, brought about by Klavier, the witch was stunned into silence.

“That’s right. The one who’s supposed to come is his party member, instead—a guy named Romeo Leoni. The only reason Julius Visconti is here is because he intervened at the end.”

“Romeo, Leoni...” She mumbled the name, but couldn’t picture anybody. “...Who is he?”

The reason for that was probably...

“From everything I’ve gathered, he seems to be a nice guy. Nice enough for that ice block of a captain to sacrifice himself—and probably someone you’d have gotten along very well with. Other than that, a nobody.” Klavier ended his explanation with a simple, but harsh, conclusion.

That was right. A nobody—

—hence, disposable.

In the back of her mind, there was a click.

“I see. I’ve always thought that it’s strange for Julius to be the one who got sent away, instead.”

The saint with broken ability aside—Julius was gifted, in and of his own. The likes of the church would think more than twice about parting with such a fellow.

...Well, considering Julius’ personality, I can roughly guess what happened at the end.

In short, Julius was never meant to be there.

At the very least, Julius’ ‘sacrifice’ had ensured that person’s—Romeo’s safety. In regard of Julius, the church was most likely having a second thought.

As in, Julius still had a place to return, instead of the opposite.

As in, she could no longer use the opposite to make him stay.

Klavier interrupted the flow of her thought.

“If you truly want to do him good, you’d let him go.”

The crimson haired man often said that she was an ‘open book.’

“...I came across a similar line in one of the books inside the library.”

“Ahaha! Are you saying that I’m being corny? Well, certainly, ‘If you love him, let him go.’—that line is often found in romance books. Although your circumstance is a bit different, in the end, don’t you basically want to be in his good books?” Klavier asked while showing a sheepish grin.

The witch nodded, faintly sensing that the man was planning something.

“There is a lot of loose ends, alright. But staying with him is certainly not an option. Didn’t you say it yourself? That he hates your entire being, and the mere sight of you will only bring him pain? Then, you already know what to do!”

The witch pondered in silent.

With his return to the church being a possibility, she could no longer justify her action as sheltering the homeless.

As it was, she was keeping him against his will—imprisoning him, she dared to say.

As a food for the thought, Klavier offered. “You needn’t worry your pretty little head, I’m here for you! How about this? I can arrange so that the church will take him back—and, even better, made sure that Romeo guy got sent here, instead! Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it?” A pristine smile accompanied his offer.

Then, after a while...

“...I’ve decided.” The witch’s voice rang crisply inside the room.