## Side Story 3: The Azure Knight and the Ashen Witch
### Chapter 6
– Act 2 –
That night, I couldn’t sleep a wink.
*‘What was that?’*
That single question kept swirling in my mind all night.
Enzhe Lopetrefer, after taking down the green slime monster, had mumbled, “I’m sleepy. I want to sleep,” and collapsed, falling into a deep slumber.
Aik, unconscious after being captured by the monster, Ariel, paralyzed with fear at the sight of the monster, Enzhe Lopetrefer, asleep after defeating the monster. And me, standing in the middle of the ruins, covered in the monster’s slime.
I had first calmed Ariel down and asked her to heal Aik.
Gushu, who had come to check on the situation, had offered to take care of Aik, so we had left him with Gushu and returned home.
Enzhe Lopetrefer, who had been riding on my back, had slept soundly the entire way, as if she were dead.
She was probably still sleeping peacefully, while I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling.
But what was that?
Why had Enzhe Lopetrefer suddenly used magic?
Why had she used magic to defeat the monster?
What had motivated her?
*‘…Was it just a whim?’*
It was possible, knowing Enzhe Lopetrefer. No, it was even more likely.
I tried to push the incident from my mind and tossed and turned in bed.
***
I realized the next morning that Enzhe Lopetrefer’s sudden change wasn’t just a whim.
“Lopetrefer, wake…”
I yawned, my eyes heavy with sleep, and opened the door to the middle house. And then, I couldn’t help but rub my eyes in disbelief.
I had never knocked on Lopetrefer’s door since the first day. Because whenever I went to her house, she would always be lying on the same bed, in the same position, with the same blank expression.
But not today.
Enzhe Lopetrefer was sitting at the table, her back straight, her appearance much neater than usual, a faint smile on her face, as if she was “welcoming” me.
I froze at the doorway, speechless, staring at her neatly combed hair, which had been a tangled mess the day before.
Enzhe Lopetrefer looked at me silently, her black eyes calm, then slowly stood up and whispered,
“Let’s go.”
***
We went to our usual spot, as Enzhe Lopetrefer had said.
She walked to the ruins on her own, with her usual elegant gait, even though I wasn’t dragging her by the arm. And then, she dusted off the dark green sofa and sat down, her back straight.
“Why don’t you just stay here?”
Enzhe Lopetrefer looked up at us with a smirk as Ariel and I exchanged glances, trying to sneak away.
“Do you really have to watch me from afar like I’m some stray dog?”
Her voice, though slightly hoarse, had a familiar strength to it. Ariel, intimidated, forced a smile.
“H-haha… R-right? I thought it was strange too. We can just… get along here… Haha…”
*She had been whining about how I was doing all the work, and now she was acting like this?*
Whether it was because of Enzhe Lopetrefer’s infamous reputation, or because she had witnessed her crush a monster with one hand the day before, Ariel was clearly terrified of her.
So Ariel and I ended up spending time with Enzhe Lopetrefer in the middle of the ruins, instead of our usual spot.
I also thought it would be better to keep an eye on her up close.
Time seemed to flow even more slowly now that Lopetrefer had changed.
She would look at the sky, then at the ruined buildings, and sometimes she would even make eye contact with me.
The ruins, with no monsters appearing, were as quiet and boring as usual. At least until Enzhe Lopetrefer spoke.
“Ariel, come and brush my hair.”
Lopetrefer, after staring at Ariel, who was sitting on the floor, quietly reading a book, ran her hand through her long hair and said.
“Why should I…?”
Ariel’s eyes were filled with confusion. Lopetrefer replied matter-of-factly,
“Because my hair is tangled.”
I was the one who was angry now.
She had been acting like a lifeless doll since we had boarded the carriage to the trash dump, and now, for some reason, she had suddenly changed her attitude and was asking me to brush her hair?
“Do you even know what situation you’re in?”
“Do you think I don’t?”
Lopetrefer stood up from the sofa and looked down at me with a mocking gaze, as if I were pathetic.
“You’re telling me to kill those monsters.”
“Then do as you’re told. We’re not your servants, we’re your supervisors. You’re a criminal who was sent here for your crimes.”
“…Hehe.”
Lopetrefer, not intimidated in the slightest, mocked me, just like she had done six years ago. She slowly raised her hand towards the sky and mumbled,
“Well, yes, those foolish Imperial fools tried their best to use me. Even though it’s pointless.”
A wicked smile, like a demon’s, appeared on her face as she looked at the sky.
“If they really want to use me… they should at least be prepared to brush my hair.”
At that moment, a strong gust of wind swept over us. Ariel, sensing something was wrong, scrambled to her feet, using her staff to steady herself. But Lopetrefer, her body thin and frail, stood firm.
“The magic power… This is impossible… What are you trying to do?!”
Ariel shouted, her face pale. Before I could even ask her what she meant, I saw the magic control devices on Lopetrefer’s neck and arms glowing brightly.
It meant she was using more magic power than allowed.
“Ariel! Control the device!”
“Do you think I’m not trying?!”
This was bad.
I didn’t know what Lopetrefer was trying to do, but it was definitely something she shouldn’t be doing.
I gritted my teeth and approached her, trying to stop her. But the wind was so strong that I could barely stand.
*‘Is she trying to destroy this entire place…?!’*
She could, Enzhe Lopetrefer was capable of that.
I ignored the fear and shame that were washing over me and tried to plead with her,
“Lopetrefer! Please stop…!”
“Senior! Look! Look at the sky!”
I instinctively looked up at Ariel’s shout.
A giant snake-like creature, its body writhing, emerged from the swirling mass of dirt, dust, and clouds.
*— Screeeech!*
Its earsplitting shriek indicated that it was in great pain.
Lopetrefer clenched her hand, which had been outstretched towards the sky. The giant snake, as if it had been poisoned, writhed even more violently, then exploded, spewing black ink.
“….”
“….”
A long, silent pause followed. A silence born of emptiness and absurdity.
Lopetrefer, spitting out the dust-filled saliva, looked up at the sky and said,
“To think you call yourselves supervisors when you couldn’t even detect those things hiding up there. You’re amazing.”
“….”
“That’s why it’s pointless. Eliminating something that appears by mistake once every few months. It’s pointless. How stupid. Those Imperial fools, and everyone else… No, wait, maybe they didn’t send me here to do good deeds. Maybe they just wanted to make fun of me. That crazy Emperor Lawrence.”
Lopetrefer chuckled.
“Ariel.”
“Y-yes?!”
Ariel, her name called, stiffened, her face filled with tension. Lopetrefer, seeming to enjoy her reaction, slowly licked her lips.
“Come and brush my hair.”
***
I left the ruins, wanting to collect my thoughts while Ariel was willingly brushing Lopetrefer’s hair.
No, it wasn’t that I wanted to collect my thoughts, I just wanted to forget what had just happened. I felt like I would collapse if I dwelled on it any longer.
I quickened my pace, as there was a place I wanted to visit. Gushu’s house.
“Ah, Sir Knight!”
Gushu wasn’t home, but the person I wanted to see was lying in bed, covered with a blanket. It was Aik. He was recuperating at Gushu’s house, not his own.
Ariel had used white magic on him, so it wasn’t anything serious, but I still wanted to check on him.
“Mr. Gushu is out for a bit. A strange vortex suddenly appeared in the sky.”
Luckily, Aik seemed to be fine, just a little weak.
I told him not to worry about the vortex and took out a thick cloth pouch from my inner pocket.
“It’s holy water. Drink this, it’ll make you feel better.”
Aik’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Can I… really have this? I’ve never had it before…”
Holy water was the only potion that could neutralize the toxins in their bodies. The irony was that it was too expensive for the people who actually needed it.
“You shared those delicious cookies with us, even though we’re strangers. Think of it as a thank you.”
I smiled lightly, trying to make him feel less burdened. My face seemed to be my greatest asset, so it wouldn’t hurt to use it sometimes.
“T-then I’ll gratefully accept it. Thank you so much, Sir Knight…!”
Aik, his face flushed, accepted the pouch of holy water.
“Aik, how old are you?”
I asked.
“Sixteen, I just had my birthday a few days ago.”
“Really? I would have wished you a happy birthday if you had told me.”
“Hehe… You didn’t know me back then. Thank you for the thought.”
Aik chuckled, scratching the back of his head. But his laughter faded at my next question.
“Why are you here?”
“What?”
I smiled wryly, seeing his face filled with confusion.
“You weren’t born here, were you?”
I had had a hunch ever since I had heard him say he had settled in the north district. And now, seeing his expression, I was certain. He had been sent here for committing a crime. And a serious one at that.
A short silence fell between us. I waited for him to answer, but I was going to understand and let it go even if he didn’t. It probably wasn’t a pleasant story.
But Aik, as if he had made up his mind, looked at me with a resigned smile.
“I killed someone. The lord’s son.”
“…Really?”
Aik nodded slowly, his hands clenching the blanket, as if trying to suppress his anger.
“He was trying to rape my sister. So I… I had no choice.”
“….”
“My family is poor, so we couldn’t afford to settle it with money… So I was sent here. It’s… kind of messed up, right?”
He tried to smile, then said in a louder voice, as if trying to change the subject,
“Life here isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The people are kind… And there’s you, Sir Knight, and the Mage, and the Princess! Everyone relies on you a lot!”
“On us?”