His Kindness Is A Lie

Bern was quite a peculiar city. Despite the strong sense of isolation, it was a village near the border, so there were many people coming and going.

Although she kept her head down the entire way to the inn, preventing her from thoroughly observing the village scenery, the chilly weather seemed to accentuate that feeling.

Nevertheless, the inn in the unfamiliar village was rather cozy. Bella sat on the bed, hugging her knees, with a blanket draped over her shoulders. She exhaled warm breaths and buried her head, feeling drowsy as sleep began to take over.

It felt as if she was finally waking up from a dream. The long journey to this place seemed like a hazy fog, almost surreal.

A witch living in the northern lands, casting spells?

“A witch, huh… What nonsense.”

From the start, she herself must have looked like nothing more than a witch in the eyes of others. A bitter laugh escaped her.

Perhaps the witch from the rumors had also come to Bern while being pursued by knights, just like herself.

A moment of leisure brought about unnecessary thoughts. Soon after, the quiet sounds from outside began to seep into the still room. The voices of merchants passing through the hallway, the everyday chatter of village residents drifting in from the streets.

When she lived in the forest, it was always just the sounds of nature. That is, the only things around her were those naturally existing in nature.

The unfamiliar sounds of people gently settled into her heart. It was a strange feeling—partly pleasant, yet also somewhat envious of the warmth that she could never hope to possess.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the complex emotions she disliked. However, being someone who naturally had many thoughts, her mind soon filled with other reflections. The events of the day slipped through the cracks of her consciousness like a ghost.

That man she encountered in the forest. Just recalling his fiery red eyes made the hairs on her body stand on end. She quickly pulled the blanket back over herself and held it tightly.

She didn’t want to think about it, but the memories of desperately running through the forest to escape that man were too vivid. Her heart pounded wildly, and the unshakable fear tightened around her throat.

Knock Knock

Startled by the sudden knock, she raised her head. As she hesitated to respond, the door opened.

As Bella tried to look at the person who entered, she hastily lowered her head again.

“Are you feeling better? I noticed you didn’t have dinner, so I brought some bread.”

“…Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

It was awkward. Had she been too relaxed, thinking she was alone in the room?

Should she cover her eyes with a cloth now…?

She feared such behaviour might raise suspicion, so she could only chew on her lips, not knowing what to do. It was already driving her crazy that her silver hair was fully exposed, especially without her hood.

The innkeeper cautiously approached and sat beside Bella.

“Your hair colour is unusual. Did you come from far away?”

As expected, it was the question she anticipated. The people of Bluebell didn’t have much variety in hair and eye colours.

Hair was usually some shade of brown, and eyes were either brown or black, with green or blue being very rare.

The innkeeper seemed fascinated by the light purple tint of her silver hair, examining it closely. Uncomfortable with the gaze, Bella just closed her eyes tightly.

“Yes, from… another country.”

Saying she was a foreigner would make it easier to believe. She deliberately let her accent and pronunciation slip a little.

The innkeeper, seemingly unsatisfied with her answer while keeping her head down, sighed deeply in frustration and placed the plate with the bread on the table as an excuse. Then, naturally, she scooted closer to Bella.

“What did you do wrong? Come on, lift your face, hmm?”

As the innkeeper tried to see her face again, Bella quickly turned her head the other way. Initially, she was just timid, but the closer the innkeeper got, the more uncomfortable she became.

“I hurt my eyes. I can barely see anyway… It’s more comfortable like this. Please understand.”

Even without seeing the innkeeper’s face, she could vividly imagine the expression of pity and disdain in her darkened vision.

“Oh my, poor thing. A young girl like you… That must be why you ended up lost and in such trouble.”

The faint sigh that reached her ears carried a mix of sympathy and scorn, and the gaze that accompanied it was quite sharp. Still, the overwhelming attention seemed to have subsided a bit, which was a relief.

“I think I need to rest now.”

It was an unexpected request for the innkeeper to leave, and she seemed flustered as she quickly got up from the bed. In a way, she was a transparent person.

“Yes, yes, of course. I’m sorry I kept you. I was just happy to see a young woman like you after so long. Rest well, then.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The innkeeper left the room as quickly as she had come. The sudden quiet felt strangely unfamiliar.

Staring at the now fully closed door, Bella sighed in relief. It felt as though a storm had passed.

Since she had entered the village’s central area, where the risk of encountering people was high, she decided it would be best to keep her eyes covered. If she faced a similar situation again, it could be even more troublesome.

Bella rummaged through her clothes, neatly folded in the corner of the room. She easily found the cloth she always used to cover her eyes, but something she hadn’t expected was missing.

The handkerchief she carried like a talisman.

It was the only precious item containing memories of her mother. Steadying her anxious heart, she searched again, but it was nowhere to be found. Where could she have lost it?

As she retraced her steps, she suddenly stopped at one point. A troubled sigh escaped her red lips.

“Oh…”

The forest where she had encountered that cruel man. As if by chance, she had dropped the most precious thing in the demon’s territory. Bella buried her face in her hands.

She would have to go back there to look for the handkerchief. Just the thought made her want to cry.

Last night, she couldn’t fall asleep easily. When she lay down with her eyes closed, the worry of how to find the handkerchief made her chest feel heavy.

However, it had been quite a tiring day, so she must have fallen asleep at some point. She could see the bluish dawn light seeping through the window.

Opening her sleepy eyes, she looked toward the window and saw that dawn was breaking. The chilly morning air felt moist against her skin.

Exhaustion that couldn’t be shaken off with just one night pressed down on her entire body, but she forced herself to get up. There was no time to laze around until the sun was high in the sky. She stretched her limbs, loosening her groggy body.

The worry she hadn’t concluded the night before was the first thing that came to mind. Originally, she had planned to pack her things as soon as the sun rose and head to the border, but the lost handkerchief prevented her from making a swift decision.

She couldn’t just give up and turn back for such a small piece of cloth. It was too precious to her, a small fabric that held the warm memories of her only family member, her mother.

…First, let’s just go as far as the entrance to the forest.

I can think about the rest when I get there.

With that half-hearted decision, she grabbed the cloth she had left on the table and covered her eyes.

Every time she covered her eyes, she had such thoughts. What if she just dyed her hair black and pretended not to see, blending into the crowd?

But was that really necessary? She could simply cross the border and start anew in a new land.

All she wanted was an ordinary life. To achieve that, leaving this land was the only answer.

After making simple preparations, she reached for the doorknob to open the door when she sensed a strange atmosphere outside.

The murmuring voices and various footsteps blended together chaotically. It was louder, heavier, and more unpleasant than usual… Moreover, they were getting closer.

“Is it here?”

Hearing the sounds coming from right outside the wooden door, Bella hurriedly locked the door first.

As the hand tried to open the door without hesitation, the old door rattled several times. At the same time, her heartbeat sped up drastically.

“Break the door!”

Soon after, strong impacts began pounding the door. The door, trembling as if it would break at any moment, made her pupils flicker widely.

Bella panted heavily and ran to the window. Lowering the cloth, she looked outside and saw several knights standing there. Throwing herself out was akin to committing suicide.

She might as well have encountered them in the forest, hiding and running in different directions. This was like being a trapped mouse with no way out. Even if she stayed here, it was only a matter of time before she was caught. The growing anxiety made her bite her lips nervously.

Meanwhile, the door broke down with a loud crash. Hoping they weren’t knights, but those with a fierce demeanor were undoubtedly knights pushing in.

The goddess’s crest engraved on their armor. Suddenly, she really hated that goddess.

Bella pressed her back tightly against the window, intending to jump out if necessary. A knight standing in front of her took a step closer.

Seeing that they had barged in so brutally, the reason was obvious, so she didn’t try to hide her eyes.

The knight grabbed her chin, holding her jaw up as if to confirm by making eye contact. Contempt filled the man’s eyes.

“Undoubtedly, a witch.”

With his single statement, the surroundings fell into a quiet stillness. She barely held back a laugh from escaping.

Isn’t it funny? Being merely an ordinary person, yet looking so tense as if she might cast a spell or something.

Soon after, a desperate voice broke the silence.

“I-I didn’t know! If I had been hiding that witch, I wouldn’t have guided her here! Please, believe me!”

It was the innkeeper who had extended a hand of kindness to her last night.

No matter what, she never expected them to report her immediately. Only then did she understand how the knights had found her location so quickly and accurately.

As the innkeeper made eye contact with her, she hurriedly averted her gaze and hid behind the knights.

Seeing that reaction made her feel truly like the root of all evil, which was bitter. She had just been living her life as she was born.

A sudden sense of injustice surged, igniting her anger. Bella bit the knight’s hand holding her chin with all her might.

“Ugh!”

The knight, startled by the sudden pain, raised his hand and slapped her cheek.

“Ahhh――!”

He ruthlessly kicked her as she collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

“How dare you, you bitch!”

While the knight continued to assault her for a long time, no one tried to stop him. Only when someone appeared among the knights did the man finally stop kicking and straighten his posture.

“Have you arrived, Captain!”

It seemed the head of the knights had been dispatched to capture just one witch. She ended up laughing hopelessly through her cracked lips.

“What are you doing? Just tie her up quickly. If you stay so complacent, what if that witch pulls some trick on you!”

A man claiming to be the captain of the knights approached and examined her. His gaze was like that of someone inspecting a hunted beast, making Bella clench her teeth tightly.

At times like this, she wished she could cast a spell. If only she had the power, she wouldn’t be so helplessly enduring this.

The man stood up, smirking at her lying on the ground.

“So, the rumor about a witch hiding in Bern is true.”

Did she ever imagine when she came here…

That the northern witch from the rumors would be her.