Crown of Thorns

People’s fears began to shape and wander through the gap.

“The darkness began to move.”

“The witch appeared.”

“I saw a witch at Count Phyletto’s!”

“All this must be the work of the witch!”

The devil’s whispering was turned into the Death God, which was then turned into the witch’s revenge, and so ran the people’s mouths. Otherwise, there was a deep fear in the minds of those who were anxious about these happenings. Those who had already experienced the dark ages died a long time ago, and rumors about witches only came down as fairy tales, but they ricocheted like that of pebbles that had been thrown into a calm lake. Their vague fear had created a witch that was bigger than the story told based on the horrific reality.

Rumors spread from the center, hitting the imperial palace, and eventually reached the Order of the Knights. Working hard to stop the monster’s attacks, the trainees, who had not yet become full members, were busy grumbling over their meals.

“Hey, have you heard the rumors? The witch has appeared.”

“Ay, no way. There can’t be a witch.”

“They say there had been several eyewitnesses, claiming to have seen the witch.”

“Is that true?” So all the weird things that have been happening in the meantime were the witch’s doing?”

“Actually, I was a little suspicious of it too. Honestly, none of it could be done without the witch. Even if it were a monster… With a monster as strong as that, we wouldn’t be fighting like this.”

“They did say that the witch was really strong…”

“I’ve heard a lot about it too. I thought it was just a fairy tale, but perhaps it’s not?”

The murmurs grew louder. Evan was silently eating as it spread. But if one were to look at him closely, one could see that he was looking around with a slightly uneasy glance. Those who were whispering around him didn’t notice Evan’s discomfort.

It was then when a loud voice burst out.

“What are you doing?”

It was Yohan, the Knight Commander. He took a step as powerful as his voice. As if drenched in cold water, the trainees were all frozen in surprise. Then, they dispersed, looking out for a place to hide. Those who returned to their seats were eager to finish their meal quietly. As they were on the move, break time was quite short. There was no time to talk like this. Perhaps they could receive a call for them to move again even though they didn’t even finish eating, so their hands were in a hurry to make round trips with their spoons.

Yohan looked at them with his arms folded. The young trainees did not seem to like it yet. One of the members, who was watching the situation behind him, asked stealthily.

“Commander, sir. What do you think of this?”

“Think of what?”

“No, the witch… I’ve heard rumors that the witch has appeared.”

“It’s the same for me. There’ve been more than one or two people who’ve seen her. When we went to the Witch’s Forest before, we should have visited the tower.”

The trainees looked at the leader, then at the members alternately with curious eyes. At the same time, they kept stuffing food into their faces, not knowing whether the rice grains went into their noses or mouths. Evan stopped eating and was looking motionlessly at Yohan. He seemed to be curious about his thoughts.

Yohan looked at the members. Clicking his tongue, he said.

“I would have told you already. It’s just a rumor. I’ve heard rumors that a witch existed and that she was a great sorcerer. But think about it, do you really think people can live that long? You have a head, right? It is said that even the Son of Heaven, who has lived the longest, does not show signs of strength anymore, and the sorcerer, Neriano, has long since lost his strength. It’s God’s blessing that he’s lived this long. But do you think witches are any different?”

“Of course not, but…”

“If it were a witch, wouldn’t it be possible? But at the same time, this could’ve been done by something other than the witch.”

Yohan was shaking his head and planned on opening his mouth.

“No.”

Everyone’s eyes were on Evan. He went on again.

“Not the witch.”

I felt sorry for Evan, who still believed in the witch. But above all, I felt anxious that others might harbor ill will toward him if he continues to be this clasped over my heart. Yohan also walked up to him and asked, refusing to let it go this time.

“You’ve always been sure that it wasn’t the witch. Is there a reason for that?”

Evan looked up at Yohan with an expressionless face. I couldn’t read his mind at all. I wanted to shut his mouth with a Shadow. I wanted to stop him from saying anything about the witch. She was nothing but poison to him. It was something like that that would end everything that she had planned before it even started.

“I asked if there was a reason.”

Evan’s lips, which had been closed until then, opened gently. He remained still with his mouth slightly open for a little while longer. And then he replied.

“There was nothing.”

“What?”

“There was nothing in the Witch’s Tower. There was no sign of a witch or anything related to witches. From the very beginning, it was blank and cold, as if there was nothing in it.”

Then his surroundings got agitated. Not only the trainees but also the members were surprised. Yohan, who was surprised for a while, opened his eyes wide and asked, frowning.

“How do you know that? Have you ever been to the witch’s tower?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure you said you didn’t see the witch’s tower…”

“No, there was. It was just that there was nothing inside it. I thought it was completely unrelated to the witch’s tower because there was a complete absence of life in it, so I considered it as an ordinary building.”

A scream-like exclamation burst out among the trainees.

“That, that’s ridiculous!”

“I heard that there were monsters in the Witch’s forest, but they’re too big and horrifying compared to the ones we see here.”

“It is said that the Witch’s Tower is hard to even find because of the thorn vines!”

But there was no change in Yohan’s face. It was the same with the members. The place where they first met Evan was in the Witch’s Forest, and because he had good enough senses, he allowed him to eat and sleep with them.

Yohan muttered in a voice that was tainted with a faint sense of disbelief.

“You’ve been to the Witch’s Tower…”

“I went to see her because I heard that if I could kill her, the monsters would disappear. But there was nothing there.”

Evan lied with a stern look. He and I met there, but he spoke as if he genuinely forgot what had happened there.

But I knew. No matter how long ago it was or how much he had grown, he couldn’t make the memories disappear as if they never happened. They might have become clouded, but I knew that they were settled in his memories, similar to a childhood teddy bear or a fairy tale book.

I knew for a fact that Evan was lying just now.

I just didn’t know why he wanted to go as far as to tell them that there was no witch.

The room, which had been quiet for some time, awoke at the voice of Yohan.

“You hear that? There’s no witch. It’s a story made to dazzle people. If you’ve got enough energy left to talk about this, then we can start right away. Get ready to move.”

“Yes?”

“Co-Commander!”

“What are you doing, not getting ready quickly?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Ahhhh!”

The trainees were in tears as they looked down at their lunch boxes, which they had not yet eaten half of. Evan, however, was preparing to move calmly with an expressionless face.

*

It was deep in the night. The sky, which was dyed dark gray, gradually changed to black. The moon, emitting a soft glow, replaced the blazing sun. It was calm and peaceful.

I entered the tent where Evan was sleeping. The Shadow had no sound, smell, appearance, or touch, so I didn’t have to worry about being caught, but he had such sensitive senses that I came in as slowly as possible and stood in front of Evan.

Turning to his side and sleeping half-covered under the blanket, he looked so gentle and innocent that you wouldn’t think he was the young man who had fought with a monster a little while ago. Obviously, he had grown stronger and more masculine than anyone else, but his thick lines, sharp angles, and scarred hard arms, which were exposed above the quilt, were showing his maturity. However, his sleeping face was still fragile—what a contradictory appearance.

He was still mysterious and beautiful, with his bright, slender hair and eyelashes, handsome but beautiful nose, manly and delicate lips. Just a moment ago, he was battling monsters, and now he is sleeping like a boy. The strange and mysterious feelings that I felt when I first saw them had captivated me again. The boy who was not like any man in this world, but like the fantasy I had created, has grown into a young man who is no different.

I glanced at the wound that lay across such a delicate cheek. It was a wound that happened a while ago. But it wasn’t the only one. He had been injured on the side of his eyebrow. He had a big scar on the arm that he fell on today, and there was a small bruise next to it. Even if Evan’s light is not strong enough to completely heal himself, the wounds do not last long. But they still hurt my heart.

I’m sorry.

The shadow stretched out and carefully swept down the wounds. Just in case he opened his eyes like that day a long time ago, I took care of it as gently as I could. He must have been exhausted, so he slept soundly. Without my sense of touch, it was a bit of a pity that I could not feel the softness of his cheeks and the warmth of his body temperature. He has been by my side before, though. He has been there to share that warmth with me.

While Evan was not getting reminded of the witch, those times were not lost to me. They were not forgotten because the blessing of oblivion was denied to me. It might be a blessing. I’ve always thought of it as a curse, but not in this situation.

Still, how fortunate it is to be able to see him like this. Evan may not know, but ever since I let him go, there had been no day that I spent without him. We were always together. I always watched and stayed with him. I had a duty to protect the young warrior. My role was to help the young warrior until he grew up safely and drove out the Darkness. To be his Shadow, to bring out a brighter light, to lead the sun on, and eventually drive out the darkness.

Yes. The time for me to brace myself against weakness was nearing.

I raised myself while sweeping down Evan’s cheek. It was not the time to feel sorry for this small wound. I will hurt him even more in the future. I just hope Evan will bear with it well. May he not get hurt too much.

For a long time, I looked at his fast asleep self and eventually returned to the witch’s tower after making an earnest wish. The characters, who had been ready for a long time, were now moving on and setting the stage for completing the story.

The puppets would move along the witch’s fingertips to complete a fairy tale—a fairy tale for the warrior hero.

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