It’s hot... and not to mention, bright...

Such piercing brightness shouldn’t be possible, considering that her bed had a canopy. However, upon glancing towards the source of light, the awakened witch had to shield her view using her hand—

—right, it’s the room with the annoying skylight...

Considering how the sun was right above the skylight, it was quite possible that it was already the afternoon.

...I slept that long, huh?

After all, she had just depleted her magic last night. In fact, it could actually be considered early. Usually, she’d be awake after at least sleeping an entire day.

...Well, it doesn’t matter.

Still feeling quite drowsy, the witch decided to resume her sleep—

—besides, she no longer had any reason to wake up early.

The moment she turned around, her blurry vision caught a figure of something amidst the dizzying light.

While it certainly felt odd, the witch was at a state where sleep took precedence over anything else. Thus, she decided to think nothing of it.

“You’re finally awake? What a relief...”

At least, until she heard a voice.

Her eyes went wide in an instant as any hint of sleepiness was jolted out of her. In the next moment, the witch already sat up on the bed, and before her was...

“Is it alright for you to be up? Not to mention, so suddenly... In concern of your health, I’d like to kindly request you to lie back down.”

...None other than the same blond-haired, grey-eyed, knight that should have long been gone!

[]

In utter shock and confusion, Ame spouted whatever that was going on in her mind!

“—For how long?! What about your commissions?! Also, breakfast?! Most importantly, why are you still here?!”

In response, Julius tacitly answered every single one of her questions!

“I’m fully aware of how disturbing this sounds, but I haven’t moved an inch from this place since morning due to the fact that you showed no sign of waking up. I took a day off. In regard of my breakfast, you don’t need to concern yourself for I’ve long been accustomed with taking the bare minimum amount of sustenance due to ongoing mission. ...As for the last question—”

The knight templar paused, as if to mull the question. As he did so, remorse overshadowed his gaze.

“...I can fully understand why you’d ask that.”

“—That’s right!! I mean—”

—I gave you the chance to run!? Even though I didn’t actually feign it, but it still counts as a chance to escape!? Or even to finish me off in my sleep!?

“...Especially considering everything that I’ve done.”

Ame was at a loss.

It was at that moment when she realized that the knight templar wasn’t the only oddity within that room. As gentle breeze traveled across the room, something went adrift at the corner of her eyes.

Upon closer inspection, the same thing was all over the room, littering the floor.

They were thin, weightless, and as white as snow.

“What are these things...? Paper...? But why are there so many—”

“Ms. Witch, I have something to confess to you—"

The absolute seriousness in Julius’ tone brought back her entire focus to him.

The knight templar knelt with both of his palms clenched on top of his knees.

“—I’ve once, in all seriousness, attempted to kill you.”

[]

...Apparently, the ever-meticulous knight templar had devised another strategy to defeat the undying witch, and that was to conceal parasitic amulets all over her households. It seemed that every single area beside his own room was filled with them.

On the floor, stood the remnants of said strategy.

There’s about 464 of them—or so he said.

As the witch tried to process what she had just been informed of, range of emotions swirled within her, accompanied by various thoughts.

In a quiet voice, she asked.

“...Is that all of them?”

“—Yes. Worry not, for I’ve clarified the amount thrice. I can also present the invoice to you, to prove that the number matches the initial number of amulets I’ve purchased.”

“...Invoice?”

“I especially ordered the amulets from a renowned store in the capital, which is closely-affiliated with Fenrir. In fact, the invoice bore its stamp.”

“I see. Well, if you want to achieve a sure-kill, you have to prioritize quality over quantity, right?”

So, again, he’s the type of guy who’d go above and beyond to ensure the success of a mission...

Weird. For a half-second, Ame was sure she had seen Julius’ shoulders bounce.

“There’s nothing like that...!”

Oh?

The moment she came face-to-face with the desperation on his face, Ame was dumfounded.

Then, Julius explained in a low voice.

“The store is amongst one of the only few I know. ...Also, there’s a price deduction exclusive for the church’s members...”

“Ah, a discount. Well, quality over quantity, but also economic, right? You still bought tons, though.”

“...There’s a significant increase in the price cut if I were to buy them in bulks.”

She mentioned about experiencing varieties of emotions and thoughts. The most prominent one was admiration—over how fastidious he was; both in concealing and dismantling all 464 amulets, and also how he’d make a great housewife due to how thrifty he was.

“Smart move. But surely, this kind of amulet doesn’t come cheap. Out of curiosity, are you doing alright financially?”

“Other than the maintenance cost of my gears, along with other necessities, I don’t really use my salary.”

“...I see, any thoughts on settling down?”

“No, none—” Julius paused for a moment, his expression was as if he had snapped out of something. Then, with wrinkles forming between his eyebrows, “—We’re swiftly derailing from the main subject.”

“...Eh? But, having such a basic and ordinary conversation is somewhat refreshing too, no?”

“Do you get what I’m saying? I’m trying to kill you—!”

“Yeah? In the end, nothing came out of it, so...”

“You didn’t understand—! You should at least be angry—!”

—Then why are you the one who’s angry?

“Who said I’m not?” Ame asked in a flat tone while staring straight him. That shut him up. Then, while crossing her legs, “However, more than anything, I’m curious.”

Her eyes darted towards his hands, which rested atop of his knees, then on the countless slips of paper lying on the floor.

They were white, and not written with a spell of any kind. Presently, they seemed like common, blank, papers one could find anywhere—

—and they were.

“After a few days, you must’ve been aware that your amulets didn’t yield the desired effect. That despite them being fully functioning, they were barely making a dent. I was recovering my magic as fast as you were depleting them. As it was, it’s like digging a hole before covering it back in—or at least, under a normal circumstance.”

The entire time, Julius dared not met her eyes.

“However, something out of the ordinary happened. An irregularity—a gap. An instance where, if I were to remain within the house, my magic recovery rate wouldn’t be able to keep up, and I’d inadvertently perish. Unknowing as I was, that was—and should be—last night’s outcome.”

Yet, that didn’t happen.

Because a certain someone insisted for her to remain in his room, and to not step outside no matter what.

Not feeling the need to spell it out, Ame asked him but a simple question—

“—Why the change of heart?”

After a brief pause, the knight templar hesitantly answered.

“...Do you, honestly not know?”

“Pardon?”

“...Regarding those amulets, are you truly unaware of them?”

Where is he going with this?

The apparent look of remorse on his face only confused her even more.

“Well, yes and no.”

“...?”

“Since you aren’t the type to take things lying down, I know that you’re up to something. I didn’t know the specific, though. Now that I know, I’m giving you A+ for the scrupulousness! ...Aah, no wonder my shoulders and back felt stiff lately...”

...Although, to be honest, I’m expecting a raid.

Well, it’s the same man who has put countless seals all over the forest...

Unlike the witch, the knight templar couldn’t just shrug it off.

As if a weight was attached to his neck, Julius’ gaze remained towards the floor.

“Then, the entire time I’ve been staying here, were you expecting the worst...?”

With each word, his expression grew even somber, and his tone heavier.

The witch casually replied while waving her hand.

“Well, yeah! But don’t sweat it! You aren’t the first one to ever attempt that sort of thing! You’re a knight templar, after all, while I’m a witch!”

I mean, a witch? Expecting a church’s hand to treat her in a civil manner? I’d soon just learn the secret to world domination!

She laughed, but Julius didn’t laugh along with her.

At that point, she had to wonder if some kind of treasure would spawn if he were to stare at the floor hard enough.

Finally, the witch could withstand the tense atmosphere no longer—

“—A, anyway! Back to my original question! ...What was it, again? That’s right! Why would you even bother to remove all of them? Not to mention, they are all blank! Which means, you’ve restored my magic! That’s a lot of work! I mean, the length of chant needed just to release this type of amulet... that’s just—”

—that’s right, why? Why would he?

The more she put it into words, the more the absurdity of the situation dawned upon her.

Since there was 464 of them, did he sit beside her and went through them one by one?

The scene that came into her mind was that of the knight templar chanting beside her sleeping figure, as if praying for her recovery.

...Although he did grant her that in the end.

That... that’d be quite a warm sight.

Warmness seeped through her chest. Soon, the bubbliness of joy began to spread within.

It didn’t even occur to her to be mad at him.

Then, while she was immersed in happiness—

“—...I beg of you, please terminate the contract.”

The bubble burst, and she began to have a clarity of some kind.

...I see, this is...

His silver eyes bore into her with such an intensity, she felt pierced through the heart. She had various scenarios in mind about where things would unfold, but never of the knight templar actually begging for his life to her.

...a truce.

Or more like, a peace offering.

Why was he so quiet? Why did he look so desperate? Instead of running away, why would he remain beside an unconscious witch and did all of those things?

The answer was because he was at his wit’s end.

Julius didn’t escape because he was aware that even on her deathbed, the witch was still not his match.

Thus, he tried to appeal to the witch’s good side.

After all, he indeed had saved her. He had even ensured that she wouldn’t be gone the next day, by undoing all the amulets.

—A life for a life.

Last night, she had cried. She had cried until he reassured that everything was fine. For a brief period of time, it did appear like that.

But that would be too good to be true, especially considering that the damage had been done.

...So, he was faking it, after all.

Before she knew it, Julius went back to taking a hard look at the ground.

...’Terminating the contract’—

—that’d mean dissolving every, if not the only, tie they had.

Had the circumstances been different, she wouldn’t have to bound him with a contract.

During their first meeting, he made it apparent that he wouldn’t give a witch the time of day—or even let her see another day. It was also obvious that things wouldn’t change anytime soon.

Judging from their standpoints, she concluded that it was the only thing she could do.

She only wanted to keep him safe. That was the only reason behind it—and at the same time, the only reason she needed.

Despite so, she knew that the end didn’t justify the mean. That to achieve her purpose, she did many despicable things towards him, including—and not limited to—imprisoning him. In the end, it only felt right due to her own sense of righteousness.

Of course, she did plan to annul the contract afterwards.

In fact, up until a while ago, things had settled down, and it seemed like there wouldn’t be any need for the contract to continue existing.

But that morning, the situation had changed.

His ‘trust’ for her turned out to be a mere façade.

...Why, why now?!

“...I can’t do that—”

“—Why?! Why can’t you?!”

Towards her reply, Julius lunged towards her. At that moment, his furious expression filled the entirety of her vision.

—Bang!

The moment she thought she was about to get hit, a loud crash ensued. The man had slammed his hands on the edge of the bed, and was now holding onto it with dear life.

It didn’t at all seemed like his previous self, which seemed as if he was about to receive a death penalty.

But it was common for a cornered person to do the unthinkable.

“—Do you understand how it feels?!”

Julius roared. He seemed livid. At the same time, looking at his red eyes... rather than angry, it looked as if he had been crying.

...T, that’s right.

What have I been thinking?

She was preoccupied with her own thoughts, she didn’t consider the feelings of the man whose life had been turned upside down ever since a certain witch enslaved him against his will.

While his safety was all she ever wanted, her wish didn’t include tormenting the man’s soul. As it was, it seemed as if the man’s soul would be broken beyond repair.

...There are many other ways to monitor his curse other than keeping him by my side.

When the witch was about to relent—

“—Do you understand what I’ve been through as I sat here, fearing that every pervasive doubt and concern I have about you may result in triggering the contract, and ultimately, your death?!”

...Huh?

Julius was still enraged, but none of what he said made sense to her.

“As I spent hours waiting for you to wake up, I was afraid that I had somehow activated it, and murdered you in your sleep! I was truly afraid... despite me having called you countless time, you didn’t open your eyes...”

By the end, his voice faltered, and it sounded like he was about to break down.

The man was at his wit’s end, but for an entirely different reason.

Before she could let it seep in, his voice rose again—

“—But you’re telling me, you want me to spend our time together afterwards with me potentially being the death of you!? After having saved my life, do you want to turn me into your murderer?! I’d sooner die than endure such a hellish torment!!”

B-but didn’t you come to kill me?!

That’s the original plan, wasn’t it?!

Nevertheless, it was obvious that there was no reasoning with him as of the present.

“—How could you?! Abolish that damn contract, now!!”

Eek—! Scary—!

“O, okay!! I will abolish the contract!! For now, please calm down!!”

[]

When the witch established the contract, she truly did it with the purpose of keeping him safe.

To be honest, rather than anything else, it was for her own peace of mind. Hence, she didn’t outright explain it to him.

‘The contract will be activated if you think I’m going to harm you.’

—She’d be lying if she said she didn’t expect him to be at ease upon hearing such a condition.

But, in all actuality, to the upright knight templar, who loved anything ‘fair and square’, that condition was a special kind of torture.

...Had he decided to just accepts it and move on, a lot of things would be easier.

Then again, that was how Julius was with everything else.

Thus, after everything was said and done—

“—Tis’ done! I’ve abolished the contract! Kuku, to think that I, a witch, is driven to such an extent by a mere human—”

“—Before anything else, I’d like to apologize for my previous outburst. It must’ve been the lack of sleep.”

The witch, who was trying to salvage whatever was left of her pride, was ignored by Julius.

 “W-what is it, now? Is there anything else you need?”

The witch didn’t know how to carry on post-being bullied into ending a contract.

On the other hand, Julius went on as if nothing.

“...I’d like to swear my fealty to you.”

For a split second, the witch’s entire mind was a blank, white, sheet.

“You... what?” A moment later, the witch felt convinced that she just misheard it.

“You’d like to swear to me? As in, cuss? Sure, go on, don’t let me stop you—”

“—I’m pledging myself to you.”

Apparently, she didn’t.

“What. Why.”

The confounded witch could only utter that in monotone.

Judging from how serious he looked, he didn’t seem to be joking.

Then, a hint of nervousness tinged his expression—which didn’t appear to be fake, either.

“...I’ve been mistaken about you.”

“I’ve misunderstood your intentions, Ms. Witch.”

Immediately, the witch recalled the first time he had ever apologized to her. It was during the banquet of the first night they started living together.

Julius of that night recited his apology just like how a leading man of a successful play would his dialogue. Without missing a single beat, he pronounced every single line in a way that would elucidate both his sorrow and remorse—regardless of whether or not said feelings were there in the first place.

To top it off, there wasn’t a second where his gaze strayed from her.

“...You only intended to save my life—and that you did. However, not only did I fail to perceive that, I’ve also behaved anything but grateful towards you, my benefactor!”

...In the present time, although their gazes met several times, he’d soon avert his eyes away. Ame, who kept staring at the man throughout the entire thing, experienced an indescribable feeling of being held at gunpoint. Instead of sitting there any longer, she just wanted to scram.

“Due to what has occurred in my past, I’ve been harboring grudges towards your kin. Because of that, I... I was blinded by hate, I lost sight of what was truly important.”

She was gradually becoming aware that his current apology was unlike anything else in the past—despite the fact that it had similar development;

“...No words could express how grateful I am. I wish that I could repay you at this very second. However, at the risk of sounding like the most selfish man on earth, I’m asking you to not ask me to leave—”

“—Why wouldn’t you leave?!”

After Ame asked incredulously, Julius’ expression immediately sank.

“...Do you want me to leave so badly?”

Ah—!

Ame realized the various ways her question could be taken.

“N-no! It isn’t like that! I’m just surprised that you don’t want to leave!”

Julius lifted his face slightly and stared hesitantly towards her.

“Then, does that mean I don’t have to leave?”

 “N-no, of course not!”

“I see...” As he said so, the corners of his lips rose. With a full smile, Julius proceeded to ask her. “Do you want me to stay?”

Is he always this expressive?

Regardless, when he did wear his emotions on his face, it did wonders to the witch.

“Yeah, sure, why not!?”

Let’s just humor him for now...

Besides, there’s no way he’s serious about it.

While the witch was convinced that Julius was up to something again, Julius extended his hand towards her.

“Then, I thereby ask you to accept this seal. It’ll bore witness to our new concordance.”

As he said so, there was a glimmer on the back of his hand.

“—Hold on, what’s that?”

“This?” Julius removed his glove, and showed an intricate, golden, seal at the back of his hand. The seal looked truly familiar. She was sure she had seen it recently—or in fact, about a week ago.

“It’s merely a contract seal.”

“I know! I’m asking why is it on your hand!?”

—Also, why is he so casual about it?!

The knight templar explained without missing a beat.

“After everything I did, I figured that this is the only way to regain your trust. Rest assured, I’m the only one affected by its drawback, for the contract is one-way in nature.”

Of course she was aware of at least that much.

A balanced contract would require the contributions of both parties. As far as she knew, no blood was drawn. The ‘contract’ the knight templar spoke of was one-sided in nature. Not only would he be the only one fulfilling its conditions, he’d also be the only one who’d suffer through the consequences if he were to go against it. Meanwhile, she’d just be reaping the benefits.

Julius was pledging himself to her in the realest of sense.

“That’s, that’s just...”

A contract of such nature wasn’t unheard of, especially amongst the knights. A knight who intended to serve as his master’s lifelong sword and shield would usually swear upon that seal. However, that kind of occurrence would only happen after the two had gone through endless trials and tribulations together.

—and here he is, squandering that seal away. Not to mention, to a witch.

Something weird is going on—!!!

“I can’t accept that kind of thing—...”

“Why?”

“...Uh.”

Shouldn’t it be obvious?

Like, after successfully terminating your contract with a witch, are you seriously planning to get into another one!?

“...Is starting an alliance with me that loathsome of a notion to you?”

“Rather than an alliance, isn’t this something else entirely?! Stop, stop it!! Don’t approach me with that seal!! Just be honest now, what are you plotting!?”

Towards her accusation, Julius’ eyebrows were furrowed deeply, as his expression appeared to be grieving.

“...For me to renege on my vow the moment after I’ve made it—to you, am I that lowly of a man?”

A tremendous amount of guilt assaulted her once again.

“—Of course not! Because I panicked, I blabbered on! To me, you’re a wonderful human being!”

“...Really?”

“Yeah! Absolutely!”

“You don’t hate me, then?”

“No—wait, why’s your hand approaching!?”

The witch scampered away from the knight templar’s approaching, glimmering, hand.

Why is he so eager to seal his fate?!

“...Or so you were saying.”

“I, it isn’t like that—!!”

To prevent him from dooming himself any further, the witch caught his face between her hands. Immediately, his eyes widened as she stared straight into them.

It was said that was how to prove one’s sincerity.

“What I’m saying is—!! I like you so much to the point that no words are needed for me to trust you—!! ...Or a contract seal, for that matter.”

Julius was stunned into silence.

Well, of course.

Even if she only partially meant what she said, would the words ‘I like you’ from a witch even meant anything to him?

She could feel some movement underneath her hands—

—and the reason was because he had smiled.

“...’Like.’ So, you like me...”

A smile so bright, words weren’t even needed for her to gauge his sincerity.

I feel like I’m going blind—!!

Ame felt like she was staring directly at the sun.

Not to mention, it felt as hot, too...

...No, wait.

Why is it burning—!?

Before Ame could raise a question, the weight on her hands grew as the knight templar’s head—no, entire body—toppled over.

Soon, she got her answer;

“Julius—!? You’re running a high fever—!!”