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“At last you’ve come! I got tired of waiting.”

Lord Zeeney said excitedly, his spit flying everywhere. Lord Zeeney’s gaze fell on the battering ram, a siege weapon that would blow the barricade alongside the doors behind it, being carried in by several men.

Lord Zeeney was impatient. He didn’t have a moment to lose. The reason was that they were widely proclaiming a duchess from another country to be a witch, and they were trying to lock her up.

There was no end to the number of ways to destroy evidence, create cover-ups, and raise funds to beg for help from influential people around the world. However, the most important thing right now was to capture Seletina.

If they ran away to another place and were baptized by the church, the fact that the accusations were bluff would come to light. Before that could happen, Zeeney had to deal with Seletina at any cost, using only people loyal to him.

Lord Zeeney was in a serious hurry. If there was even the slightest break in his plan, his life aside, the risk of this triggering a war between the nations didn’t seem that far-fetched.

At any rate, it was a matter of immediate self-preservation.

For the distracted Lord Zeeney, the only thing on his mind now was to break through the gate.

“OKAAAAAAAAAAY! Prepare the battering ram! Let’s smash this damn gate and deliver justice to the witch! Do not waste even a moment! The one who captures the witch will be rewarded generously!”

Zeeney’s huge stomach heaved with his own cries. His tightly parted hair was now a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot. At Lord Zeeney’s declaration, the assembled soldiers all cleared their throats in unison.

This time, even those who were off-duty were dispatched to the witch hunt, and the promised rewards were quite juicy. Mercenaries, non-soldiers, and adventurers were gathered, enticed by the extremely high and lucrative rewards.

Lord Zeeney’s loud words had the men almost drooling in anticipation.

“Let’s break this damn door!”

A dozen or so strong men held up the battering ram. The huge, columnar mallet swayed and shimmered as it gained momentum.

“Strike at my command! …3! ….2! ….”

“Wait!” A shout broke through the battering ram’s momentum.

Right in front of the gate, one of the men saved by Seletina stood up and shouted. The ram unexpectedly lost its momentum and only hit the gate with a dull thud.

Lord Zeeney’s eyebrows twitched up in annoyance.

“What on earth do you want?! Has fear finally gotten to you?! If you won’t open the gate, I have no use for you!”
“That’s why I’m here! I ask you to stop this tactless vandalism!”
“W-What?! You’ll open it?”

Lord Zeeney was taken aback by the man’s words. These men, who had not budged until now, suddenly offered to open the gate on their own after all this time.

Did fear really get to them?!

“There are children inside! Let us not be stupid!”
“I don’t care about the kids! It’s the witch! I don’t care what you do as long as you hand her over!”
“She’s not a witch! It is ridiculous to call her a witch without first hearing what the church has to say, Lord Zeeney!”
“What did you say to me?! You all! Have you already forgotten what I’ve done for you?!”
“Like anyone would like to remember that!”
“Hey, leave it at that.”

The man standing in front of the gate, who seemed ready to leap out at Lord Zeeney at any moment, was calmed down by a man with glasses who grabbed his shoulder. The glass wearing man stepped in front, keeping his cool and spoke,

“Lord Zeeney, though this request of mine will probably be ignored, however, could you please let the children walk out? You can capture the angel afterwards.”
“How can I be sure that you’re not planning to have the witch mix in with the children and escape?”
“I’m saying this for both our sakes. We escorted those kids out of Ulbdor. You know for yourself that a lot of the children here are of high status. Think this through, Lord Zeeney. We could’ve taken those children hostage. And if there’s bloodshed the full responsibility will fall on you. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

Lord Zeeney was slightly dismayed when the man repositioned his glasses after saying this. However, Zeeney found himself having to acknowledge that the man was making a valid point. He ended up nodding reluctantly.

“Okay… We’ll let the children go first. But before that I’d like to see how the witch looks like”
“It’s Lady Seletina.”
“What?”
“She’s not a witch. Her name is Lady Seletina. It’d be best you not provoke her too much.”

The bespectacled man said this and looked at the men around him. All the men inside the gate were at their limits because of Lord Zeeney’s ill-mannered behavior.

Even Lord Zeeney flinched at the gazes of the many men who bared their teeth, gripped their spears tightly, and glared at him.

“Ugh… Fine. T-Then let me see this Seletina. I won’t let her get away with her petty tricks.”
“Dear Angel is right over there.”

The bespectacled man then pointed to a balcony on the second floor.

“Where, where?”

Lord Zeeney took out his opera glasses and caught a glimpse of the balcony. There she was, Seletina, the one he had heard so much about.

Her beautiful golden hair, neat face, and stunning dress made in the kingdom, not in the empire, confirmed her identity as she looked down at everything from the balcony with a melancholy expression on her face.

“She’s definitely there… There’s no mistaking that beautiful golden hair.”
“Then I assume you’ll let the kids go, right?”
“Of course. Get on with it.”

Lord Zeeney said, after which the bespectacled man yelled.

“Bring the children!”

When his voice roared out, children came out from the garrison, accompanied by men, in a steady stream.
　
The children, ranging from the smallest to the largest, were all covered in mud. The small children came to the gate without a shred of nervousness, making a lot of noise.

“Hey! Why are they covered in mud?”
“The backyard was a little muddy and they were playing there. Maybe a bit of an eye-sore, but they’re just kids. Just laugh it off and forgive them.”
“Hmph… To play during a time like this…”
“Now that this is taken care of I’ll open the gate and let you in, are you ready?”
“Get on with it. I’m a busy man.”

At the signal of the bespectacled man, the barricade at the gate was removed, and the tightly closed gate was finally opened.

Lord Zeeney patted his chest slightly and stole a second look at Seletina with his opera glasses. He’d be no match for her if she ran away, however, Seletina had yet to move from the balcony.

Lord Zeeney’s lips twisted into a blurry grin

“Excuuuse me! That’s right kids, follow your big bro.”

A cheerful voice rang out.

The children, led by the red-haired man, passed by Lord Zeeney. They ranged from very small children to older boys and girls. One by one, they went through the sides, until only the last boy remained.

“Hey! Stop right there!”

Lord Zeeney shouted at the boy who was trying to slip past him. He grabbed the boy by his slender shoulders and forced him to stay where he was.

The boy wore a ragged casket hat, grassy boots, and a leather jacket. Despite its age, the boy’s cotton shirt looked to be in good condition.

The boy looked like any other, nothing unusual about him. Despite his humble attire, Lord Zeeney found something intriguing about the boy that made him call out.

“What is it, old man?”

The boy stared at Lord Zeeney suspiciously. Lord Zeeney couldn’t help but notice the boy’s beautiful face as he looked up. Deep blue eyes, plump cherry-red lips, and a smooth bridge of the nose.

Even covered in mud, the boy was still quite good-looking. He was so beautiful that the word “angelic” came to mind.

It can’t be.

A touch of uneasiness passed in the corner of Lord Zeeney’s mind.

“Take off your hat.”
“What?”
“I said, take off your hat.”
“……”
“What is it? Can’t you take it off?”
“Damn it.”

The boy clicked his tongue in an understandable manner and took off his casket hat, revealing his mud-covered, smoldering golden hair.

It resembled Seletina’s hair that Lord Zeeney had seen through his opera glasses, but it was noticeably shorter, cut in a boyish style.

“……”

Lord Zeeney stood and looked at the boy.

A daughter of a noble family would never cut off her long hair, even if her life depends on it. For a woman of noble rank, having her hair cut short is considered one of the most humiliating and degrading insults. It’s impossible for a daughter of a duke to cut her hair short in front of a crowd of people. Zeeney thought.

“Hey, old man! Do you enjoy staring at men’s faces?”

The boy retorted, displaying a barbaric attitude without a shred of ladylike decency. Lord Zeeney decided to dismiss the boy as a facetious brat and quickly sent him off.

“Fine, get the hell out of here. The adults have work to do.”
“Then I’ll be going home.”

The boy, or rather Seletina, said and quickly scooted past Lord Zeeney¹.

Despite his inward turmoil, Lord Zeeney was careful not to show any signs of his inner anger.

1. Silva: So that’s how Seletina had her hair cut short in volume 2’s illustration…