Chapter 53
*Don’t Get Up Before Reaching Your Stop*
His voice was soft, but his words were commanding. He had buried his face in my shoulder, so I couldn’t see his expression.
“So I can follow you. If you stray too far from me, your movements will become sluggish, and I’ll have to catch up.”
That made sense. As my master, he had to know whether or not his maid was slacking off.
It meant that my heart currently contained only his magic. He had initially intended to let me move freely with the raven’s magic. How easily he changed his mind.
Of course, I didn’t mind. Although I felt a bit disgruntled.
“So only you’ll know my location? How will I know where you are?”
I wanted to know his location too. So I could stalk—I mean, assist him. As I sulked, he gently pressed his finger against my chest, where my heart was.
“You’ll know through this.”
“That’s not helpful. Just tell me where you’re going. It’s not fair that only you know my location!”
“I’m serious. I’ve added a new function. You’ll now be able to sense my location. Your magic will flow from your heart to the back of your hand and point in my direction.”
I immediately checked the back of my hand. There was nothing.
“Liar?”
“It’ll only appear when we’re a certain distance apart. Until then, don’t leave my side…”
He blushed slightly and turned his head away.
“I’ll be careful not to let you leave my side. Anyway, there’s something important I need to tell you.”
“Yes!”
“I have something I need to investigate personally. I can’t tell you yet. But I’ll have to make use of my position as zombie investigator for a while. That’s all.”
“Oh! That’s good news. I like my job.”
As I said that, the image of the lady giggling and eating zombies flashed through my mind. Ugh. I pushed the memory away and nodded.
“I’m happy with any choice you make, Young Master. I’ll follow you! I’ll stick so close that a compass won’t appear on my hand.”
He closed his eyes, took my hand, and leaned against me again, whispering softly,
“Thank you. For staying by my side. And…”
“…”
“For waking up.”
While Estella was preparing a special dinner for Lupin, Baba was leading Castor down a secluded mountain path. She hadn’t explained anything, but Castor didn’t complain. He enjoyed the illusion of spending quality time with her.
After walking for a while, Baba stopped in front of a large tree. A man was tied to the tree, gagged. Castor flinched and took a step back, then realized the man was wearing a familiar uniform.
He was an Imperial Knight.
“Master, what’s going on?”
“Castor. This is sudden, but it’s time for you to make a decision.”
“A decision…?”
“The Count has a tail. It was annoying, so I removed it.”
Mmm! The bound man glared at Baba furiously. The Crown Prince’s warning had been correct. He had suspected Count Zepetto of colluding with the treacherous witch.
Witches were wicked and cunning creatures. A race that lived for their own amusement and interests. As expected, she had sided with the Count.
Baba approached the man and removed the gag. He spat at her, but the saliva hit the magical barrier she had erected and splattered back on him.
However, even powerful magic couldn’t block insults.
“You filthy witch! I know how dirty the Count hiding behind you is! His Highness told me everything. He neglects his duties, gallivanting around with a naive woman! He harbors treacherous intentions!”
The knight shouted, driven by his sense of justice. But Baba had no sense of justice, nor did she feel the need for it. Instead of being offended by his words, she asked a baffling question that only fueled his anger.
“Lupin Zepetto isn’t dirty. I saw him after his bath. Humans are clean after washing with water. I know that much.”
“That’s not the kind of dirty I’m talking about!”
“I don’t know about other kinds of dirty. All humans are the same.”
Baba turned to Castor and asked,
“Have you ever eaten a human?”
The knight’s face turned pale. Was this witch planning to eat him?! He had heard that she was a friend of Paladin Commander Edna, a member of the royal family. Edna must have been involved in the treason as well. Otherwise, how could she be friends with such a vile creature?
In reality, Edna and Baba had become friends after meeting in town. They recognized each other as eccentric but brilliant scholars. Both being self-centered, they weren’t interested in anything else. The knight had misunderstood their detached yet amicable relationship.
To him, Castor was a pitiful victim, bewitched by the beautiful witch and unaware of his actions. He shouted, giving Castor one last chance,
“You’re being deceived! That woman is a witch! A demon who will betray and devour you at any moment!”
The insults continued, but Castor remained unmoved. He calmly approached the knight and asked Baba, his tone slightly puzzled,
“Master, are you planning to eat him? You said humans are poisonous and inedible. I’ll stop you if you’re planning a new culinary adventure. This human doesn’t look tasty at all. Or clean.”
The knight was dumbfounded. He was completely under the witch’s spell. The Crown Prince had told him that this boy was the last surviving heir of the Dragonuska family. The witch had corrupted such a valuable individual.
Burning with righteous indignation, he trembled with fear. He couldn’t trust the witch, who was casually playing with a dagger, nor the dragon boy who was encouraging her.
He knew he had to die honorably as an Imperial Knight. But the imminent danger and their nonchalant attitude were driving him mad.
“Just kill me already!”
The knight shouted. Baba finally looked at Castor, as if realizing something.
“Castor. What do you want to do? Do you like the Count?”
“What? Like him…?”
“You opened the door to his workshop. If we release this man, the Count will be in trouble. He’ll report your actions to his master.”
Castor was understandably bewildered. He had thought he was on a date, and now he was being asked to decide whether to kill someone.
He had never killed anyone, nor did he want to. He didn’t feel any affection for Lupin Zepetto either. He was a prickly man, despite his size, and seemed incapable of making friends.
But Estella? Estella was different.
Her cheerful personality was the complete opposite of her master’s. She was more human than a human, despite being a doll. Wouldn’t the Count’s personality soften if he was with Estella?
He was willing to take the risk for Estella’s sake.
Well, it wasn’t like he liked her. He definitely didn’t like her.
“What will happen if I kill him?”
Castor asked, ready to kill the knight. If killing him was the only way to help the Count, if it was necessary…
“You, me, and the Count will all be in trouble.”
“…What?”
“I told you. I just captured him because he was annoying. Now I don’t know what to do with him. You’re smart. Decide.”
“Then we have no choice but to let him live!”
“He heard everything we said. Letting him live might be even more troublesome.”
“Th-then what should we do?”
Castor was flustered, but Baba remained indifferent. She tilted her head, pretending to think. But Castor knew. She wasn’t thinking about anything. She was probably just thinking, ‘Let’s get this over with and go back to reading.’
“Master! How can you ask me to decide something like this?!”
“But you’re the only one who can help me.”
Her words made his heart flutter for a moment before he returned to reality.
“Kill him or let him live? Why did you even capture him in the first place! This is driving me crazy.”
“Oh, and dragons aren’t bound by Imperial law.”
Baba took a step closer to Castor. He had grown taller, almost as tall as her. He would surpass her in a few years. She felt a sense of pride in his growth, although his occasional serious gaze was unsettling.
That’s why she was pushing him like this.
She was curious about his serious gaze, she felt like she needed to understand him better. He might have been staying at the magic library out of obligation, but she hoped that wouldn’t be the case in the future.
She wanted him to choose to stay.
“I received a letter from Dragon’s Waist, looking for you. Kill him, and you and the Count can go to Dragon’s Waist. You’ll be safe there. Even if they find out who killed the knight, no one can punish you. You’re a Dragonuska.”
“No! I…”
Baba pressed him further.
“No? Why not? You can be free. Once you leave the magic library.”
“I said no!”
“Why?”
“Then why are you trying to send me away?!”
Castor shouted, feeling wronged. The knight just wanted this to be over.
“Say it. What do you want.”
“I want to stay by your side, Master Baba! Always!”
“Didn’t the raven tell you? You have to go to Dragon’s Waist.”
“I don’t care what he says! You’re the only one who matters to me!”
Pleased with his answer, Baba leaned against him. He was flustered but didn’t push her away. She was smaller than he expected, now that she was in his arms.
“I like your answer. Keep thinking that way.”
“I always have, always.”
Satisfied, she handed him the dagger. Castor, who had instinctively taken the dagger, looked at her, puzzled.
“Now, act. It’s time to make a decision if you don’t want to go to Dragon’s Waist.”
Baba’s cold gaze shifted to the knight. It was just a look, but it was enough to make the knight tremble with fear.
“As a representative of the dragons, choose your side. The Crown Prince, or Count Lupin Zepetto.”
Castor, holding Baba, looked back and forth between the dagger and the knight.
His romance is so stressful. I guess murder is the right choice?