Chapter 15
Kalos Dun Esper.
The head of the Esper family and the empire’s one and only Grand Duke, holding power second only to the Emperor.
Since he once acted as the Crown Prince’s tutor, it seemed he was on good terms with the imperial family. Unfortunately, however, the temple had long been his bitter enemy.
It was not exactly known when or for what reason the temple and the Esper family had become adversaries.
It was only said that long ago, when the temple was in danger, the Pope had requested cooperation from the Esper family several times, but the head of the Esper family firmly refused. Their relationship soured from that point on, and after several more clashes, they became sworn enemies.
In any case, since they had been enemies for so long and since Kalos was rumored to be cruel and merciless, no priest wanted to deal with him. They were afraid.
Yet they were ordered to go directly to the Esper territory and take custody of the witch whom Kalos had brought with him. At that, every priest recoiled in shock and shook their heads.
But someone had to take responsibility, and because Trope had met Kalos a couple of times in the past, he was chosen.
Having met Kalos before was precisely why he did not want to go even more. However, since the High Priest personally designated him, Trope had no choice but to come.
“A witch must be burned at the stake as soon as she is found. Therefore, we ask that you hand over custody of that witch to us.”
Since it had come to this, he would complete the mission no matter what. Firmly resolving himself, Trope spoke to Kalos.
But Kalos merely looked elsewhere with an indifferent expression, as if a dog were barking somewhere.
“Your Grace.”
“……”
“His Grace Kalos Dun Esper, Grand Duke.”
Only when Trope called his full name did those purple eyes turn toward him. The indifferent expression still made it seem as though he had no intention of listening.
As expected, this won’t be easy.
He had anticipated it, but facing him in person made cold sweat run down his back. Though sighing deeply inside, Trope continued calmly on the outside.
“A witch is an evil being who seduces people, manipulates them like puppets, and in the end devours them.”
Tap, tap. The steady sound of fingers striking the armrest echoed.
“Yet we have heard that Your Grace has taken a witch with you, and many are worried that perhaps you have been bewitched—”
Thud. A dull sound cut off Trope’s words. Kalos tilted his head slightly.
“Who is worried about me?”
“Well, of course, the citizens of the empire—”
“State exactly who.”
At Kalos’s pointed remark, Trope thought of several people.
“Th-that… first of all, His Holiness the Pope is concerned.”
Among them, he named the most powerful authority whom even Kalos would not dare challenge.
At that, Kalos’s eyes narrowed thinly.
It worked. Just as Trope felt relieved, Kalos asked:
“There isn’t a single inch of falsehood in the claim that the Pope is worried about me, is there?”
No matter how great a Grand Duke he was, he could not casually refer to the supreme and sacred Pope.
“H-how dare—”
“How can you refer to His Holiness so carelessly—”
As Kalos called him simply “the Pope,” a small commotion rose among the priests.
Trope was also greatly flustered, but he forced himself to remain calm and answered.
“Of course.”
“Pfft.”
Kalos burst into laughter as if he had heard something extremely amusing. It was a clear mockery.
‘I thought it worked, but instead I fell into a trap.’
Realizing this too late, Trope moved his lips but ultimately lowered his head without saying anything. He did not know what to say, and it seemed no excuse would work.
“Your name was Trope, was it not?”
A cold voice came from above his head. With his head still lowered, Trope replied that it was.
“The woman I brought is a witch?”
“Yes. That woman is a witch.”
“What proof is there that she is a witch?”
“That woman is the culprit behind the arson in the Silas territory—”
“Are all arsonists witches?”
At the question that returned before he could even finish, Trope faltered for a moment before speaking heavily.
“That… is not so.”
“Then why do you think she is a witch? Or first of all, is she truly the one who set fire to the Silas territory? If you are so certain, you must have evidence.”
Under the barrage of reproachful questions, Trope could say nothing.
All he had heard was that a woman named Irene was the culprit behind the fire in the Silas territory and that she was a witch. He had heard nothing of evidence or any other details.
In fact, Kalos was the first person to ever speak of evidence in such matters.
Whether commoner or noble, when the temple came to conduct a witch trial, everyone handed over the suspect without a word.
“With no proper evidence, you slander the woman I brought as a witch and threaten me to hand her over.”
The coldly spreading voice struck Trope’s ears harshly. Trope waved both hands in panic and hurriedly denied it.
“T-that is not true! How could I dare threaten Your Grace? I merely heard that the woman might be a witch—”
“She is not a witch.”
Kalos spoke firmly as he rose to his feet.
“So stop wasting time and return.”
As Kalos turned to leave, Trope shouted urgently.
“I cannot return until it is confirmed that she is not a witch!”
Thud. Kalos stopped and turned only his head to look at Trope. If looks could stab, Trope would have been pierced dozens of times. Unable to withstand the sharp glare, he bowed deeply.
“S-since Baron Silas has reported that woman as a witch, we have the duty to verify whether she is one or not!”
Even then, Trope did not forget his duty and faithfully carried it out.
Kalos’s lips twisted crookedly.
“So you do not trust my words?”
Trembling, Trope bowed again.
“It-it is not that. We are in a position where we must deliver a fair judgment, so without definite proof that she is not—”
“There is no proof that she is a witch either.”
“……”
He was right. Having nothing to say, Trope closed his mouth.
“If you wish to investigate her, bring evidence first. Evidence that I can accept.”
After delivering the one-sided notice, Kalos left the audience chamber.
Dewi, who closely followed behind him, spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“They appeared so boldly that I thought they had some grand plan, but such a shallow trick. Just how lightly does the temple think of us to come at us like that?”
“It’s not that they look down on us. They must have some other scheme.”
Though Kalos answered calmly, his mind was complicated.
The priests’ reaction was far too different from what he had expected.
As always, he thought they would weave a tight web of schemes to entangle him, but this was too sloppy.
“Of course they must, but… it’s still too sloppy.”
Dewi tilted his head, apparently thinking the same.
“It makes all the tension and vigilance feel foolish. I have no idea what they’re thinking.”
“Still, do not lower your guard. We never know what they might attempt.”
“Of course. Until those bastards leave this land, I will never loosen my vigilance.”
Satisfied with Dewi’s reliable answer, Kalos nodded—then suddenly stopped.
Dewi, who stopped as well, noticed Irene walking toward them from the opposite side and let out a small exclamation.
“She looks like a fairy.”
As Dewi said, wearing a pale blue dress, Irene looked mysterious and beautiful, like a water fairy hovering by a lakeside.
However, her face was slightly pale. She even seemed frightened.
The moment Irene spotted Kalos, she hurried toward him. Each time she moved, the blue hem of her dress rippled softly.
Soon she stood before him, catching her breath as she looked up at the man who was more than a head taller than her.
“Haah, am I late?”
Kalos said nothing and looked down at her. Up close, she was even more beautiful. Especially her red lips, more lively than usual, caught his eye.
“Your Grace?”
“……”
What am I doing right now?
Coming to his senses belatedly, Kalos frowned and ran a hand through his hair.
Taking that as anger, Irene fidgeted anxiously. He let out a short sigh and said,
“You’re not late.”
Thanks to the priests behaving more foolishly than expected, there was no need to show Irene to them.
Kalos was about to say she could return now, but he swallowed the words. She had dressed up nicely for once; it felt a pity to simply send her back.
Then what should we do?
After a brief thought, Kalos remembered that Irene liked walking and asked,
“Have you been to the northern greenhouse garden?”
Irene shook her head. While exploring Esper Castle during her walks, she had seen the northern greenhouse garden but had not entered it.
“Then shall we go together?”
As Kalos held out his hand, Irene alternated her gaze between his hand and his face. She did not understand why he was holding out his hand or why he suddenly wanted to go to the greenhouse garden.
“The priests might be watching from somewhere, so it would be better to show them a scene of us dating.”
“Ah.”
So that was it.
Only after the added explanation did Irene understand. Nodding, she gently placed her hand on the one Kalos had extended.
At that moment, Kalos felt as if an itch that had long bothered him had finally been scratched. Smiling in satisfaction, he wrapped his hand around Irene’s.
On the other hand, Irene felt uncomfortable and awkward holding hands with him, but she did not show it and quietly followed where Kalos led.
To an onlooker, they looked like lovers, leaving hand in hand. And there were those who watched them with strange expressions.
“……”
“……”
They were Jesse and Dewi.
Of the two who stared blankly at Kalos and Irene without a word, it was Jesse who spoke first.
“…Is it even possible for those pigeon bastards to spy on our master’s private life?”
Only then did Dewi come to his senses and let out a small laugh.
“As if that’s possible.”
Perhaps in the capital or another territory it might be different, but such a thing could never happen in Esper Castle.
Since Kalos, of all people, would know that, his remark about the priests possibly watching was strange. That he took Irene away saying such a thing left them baffled and bewildered.
Silence fell again, and this time Dewi spoke first.
“Well, if you think about it, the young lady is part of our master anyway. It’s not unreasonable for him to want to be with her.”
Jesse spoke in a small voice.
“But Master has never acted like this before.”
“Just because it’s never happened doesn’t mean it never will.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Think positively, Jesse.”
Dewi patted Jesse on the shoulder.
“Thanks to Master stepping forward more actively than before, things have become easier. At this rate, the flower will bloom smoothly, and everything will return to how it was.”
Unlike Dewi, who smiled brightly, Jesse’s face darkened slightly.
She glanced down the corridor where Kalos and Irene had disappeared, then soon nodded.
“Yes. I hope the flower blooms soon.”
