Chapter 29: Questions from the Witch (Patreon)

The sky had only just begun to lighten.

"Hmm... it's this way..."

In a small, faintly dim stretch of forest, Pandora walked on, one hand pointing the way ahead.

"Why doesn't this world have something like a compass..."

It left her juggling everything one-handed — a map, a letter, a bag.

The manor had tried to talk her into staying the night, but she'd turned them down.

It was only a night walk, after all — she took one every single evening.

As for the lantern, she'd already left it under a tree just before daybreak (definitely not littering — just leaving it for whoever might need it. Yes... that was all it was).

By her reckoning, she had to be close now (assuming she hadn't gotten turned around).

But she kept catching it — bursts of what sounded like... howling wind?

That was a little strange.

To take her mind off it, she kept walking while sorting through her thoughts.

"At this point in time, she..."

Capella? She recalled that was the name of a princess of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

And at this point in time, that princess was still alive, so...

"So who exactly was she..."

Not only had she taken someone else's face — had she taken someone else's name too?!

Then again, it might just be a coincidence of names...

No way! In any case, that Capella person was just plain strange.

With that, Pandora shook her head.

If she couldn't work it out, there was no point dwelling on it — whether or not she ever saw Capella's true face made no difference to her anyway.

"Anyway, this whole way it's been nothing but trees..."

It really was desolate out here...

Just as she said this—

"My apologies, miss," a somewhat stiff male voice called out from not far away. "I didn't realize I was disturbing you. I'm terribly sorry..."

"Hm?"

Pandora arched an eyebrow at the figure in black stepping out from behind a tree nearby.

Red hair, blue eyes, a sword at his hip, a young man...

None of those details meant much on their own. But put together—

"Sir, are you... the Sword Saint?"

The answer all but announced itself.

"My apologies — that title belongs to my younger brother..." The young man, sixteen or seventeen by the look of him, shook his head gravely. "My name is Veltol Astreal."

Pandora blinked, caught off guard.

Veltol... paired with that expression — Reinhard's grandfather...

"I've disturbed you, miss. I'll be on my way." Seeing her stand there in silence for so long, Veltol gave a small bow and turned to leave.

"Sir Veltol... you haven't disturbed me at all," Pandora said, shaking her head in response. "I'm a traveler from elsewhere myself."

At that, Veltol stopped where he stood.

"Since you said you were disturbing me, might I ask what you were doing just now?"

She was genuinely curious — it wasn't every day someone from the Sword Saint's bloodline turned up in a forest outside the royal capital.

This place wasn't terribly far from the capital, but it wasn't exactly close either.

"Sword practice."

The reply came in the same calm tone, spoken from a face utterly without expression.

[So that was what had been causing those bursts of howling wind...]

With that, he walked off into a nearby thicket.

Before Pandora could say anything else—

"Though I'm about done for today," he said, walking back.

By then, a longsword gleaming with a metallic sheen had appeared in his hand.

"Is that so?" Pandora smiled at the sight. "Then might I ask Sir Veltol to guide me on my way?"

Veltol, sheathing his sword, paused for a moment and shot her a solemn look.

"Of course." He nodded, then walked back into the thicket.

When he returned, a white coat had appeared in his hand.

"..."

He unfolded the coat, held it up against Pandora for a moment, then shook his head.

"Please wait a moment."

As he spoke, under Pandora's puzzled gaze, he drew the longsword he'd only just sheathed.

"Sir Veltol—" By now she'd figured out exactly what he meant to do. "Please, stop."

Veltol blinked, looking at her in confusion.

"I don't need it, but thank you for the thought."

Honestly, she rather liked how this "white cloth" of hers looked on her.

"...All right." After a moment's silence, Veltol sheathed the sword once more.

*

"My name is Pandora..." Walking along, paying no mind to Veltol's stone-still expression beside her, Pandora said with a smile, "I'm a witch, you know."

Veltol, who hadn't reacted to anything so far, visibly stiffened at the second half of that sentence.

"Lady Pandora, that's a rather funny joke, but I'd ask that you not repeat it within the royal capital."

"Is that so..." Pandora sighed. "Maybe it is a joke. Who knows."

She was clearly telling the truth... Was it really the case that nobody believed the truth these days?

Then, before he could say anything else—

"Judging by that white coat, sir, you must be with the Knights."

The insignia on it was hard to miss.

"That's right." Veltol, unbothered, simply nodded.

"And you only came here today to practice, sir."

"That's right."

"No wonder. Your swordsmanship must be quite good, then."

"No, just average, really..."

"You train hard every single day, don't you, sir."

"Mm."

"Then you shouldn't be merely average — you ought to have mastered it by now, at the very least."

"..."

"Have you ever tried to find out why, sir?"

"I have. But I never found an answer."

The conversation went on like this, with Veltol answering every question Pandora asked — though always in as few words as possible.

Until—

"Is there someone you need to protect, sir?"

At that, Veltol's calm expression finally broke. "Why do you ask?"

"Why, hm?" Pandora put on a thoughtful expression.

Veltol didn't press her for an answer.

"Doesn't look like there is anyone, then. So... that's probably why your swordsmanship's only average, sir."

"..."

His furrowed brow made one thing plain: he hadn't understood a word of it.

"Well, never mind. Would you tell me a bit about the sights of the royal capital, sir?" Pandora, apparently done with the topic, changed the subject instead.

Puzzled as he was, Veltol nodded all the same.

"Of course."