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Chapter 39.6: Leonhart (Part II)

The veil of the Flower Witch, from a distance, dulled transparency and made her expression difficult to read. But when one drew close enough, her beautiful face could be seen through it. Now, as she looked up at Leonhart with worry in her eyes while holding his hand, he felt his composure slip.

「W–Witch-dono…!? What are you doing, this is dangerous…!」

There was no way he could shake off such a frail woman, and Leonhart found himself unable to move. He had told her plainly that he was being consumed by poison, and yet she touched him of her own will. He had never imagined such a person existed.

Then, as though to reassure him, the Witch smiled, and a flower bloomed upon his gauntlet, one he had lately grown familiar with. The white flower of purification, which absorbed poison. From where her hand clasped his gauntlet, more of them sprouted, blooming gradually upward along his arm.

(Could it be… she’s trying to purify me?)

Purification flowers were not plants that easily grew or multiplied. In fact, Leonhart knew of no one but this Witch who could control them at will. Yet he had never seen them used this way, grown upon a person.

Still, since it was an act of this gentle Witch, there could be no doubt it was for his sake.

Rather than sprouting directly from his body, the flowers seemed to root themselves in the armor he wore. Soon after, they withered and scattered. A faint, gentle fragrance drifted in the air, and with it Leonhart realized the source of the foul odor, the poison, was gone.

(The purification should be complete already… so why won’t Witch-dono release my hand…?)

Now that the poison was gone, surely she could let go. And yet she clutched his hand tightly still. She must be very concerned for him, but Leonhart was certain that the real reason his heartbeat had gone haywire since earlier… was this.

「Witch-dono… thank you. Thanks to you, I feel no trace of discomfort anymore, so truly, there’s no need to worry so much…」

As though reassured by his words, she finally let go, smiling as she stepped back. Relief flooded him, but for some reason there was also an ache of loneliness he couldn’t explain.

Though Leonhart’s poison was gone, the stench remained on the clothes of his subordinates, clinging alongside dust and grime. After thanking the Witch, he quickly took his leave and set off for the inn.

Perhaps his flustered demeanor had been obvious, or perhaps because they saw Ritter running toward them with a purple Mandragora sprout perched on his shoulder, one of his men muttered along the way:

「I’ll never understand Captain Ritter, but I get how you feel, Captain Leonhart. Witch-dono really does feel like… a witch.」

「…You needn’t say unnecessary things. Let’s change and all take a proper rest.」

Hearing that his feelings were 「understood」 made Leonhart’s heart jolt. The emotions he felt toward the Witch should have been nothing more than camaraderie born of shared cursed fates, or perhaps admiration for her kind and good-hearted nature. Nothing more… certainly nothing so easily guessed at.

「Normally, people flock to us, but after a harsh mission, when we’re filthy and reeking, nobody ever comes near.」

「Exactly. Which is fine, since we really are filthy. But when she ran to us, looking so worried… I felt it right here, even though it wasn’t for me.」

Even as knights admired by the people, they could not always appear clean and composed. Sometimes they were drenched in blood, or like today, drenched in poison and stench. At such times, even if people offered words of thanks, they never drew near.

Knights thought that natural. It had been so natural that the Witch’s entirely different behavior had shocked them.

「Right? Honestly, I thought she’d come to us too, so I refused. …Captain Leonhart, you endured well. If it had been Captain Ritter, he’d already be proposing marriage.」

「No, Ritter right now is… well, you know. He’s… devoted.」

「Ahh… that’s true. Ritter does keep saying he’s devoted…」

Their chatter made Leonhart recall Ritter’s usual declarations: he did not fool around with women, avoided all dealings with prostitutes, and devoted everything to the one he had chosen. That his chosen partner resembled a woman but was in fact a Mandragora was beyond comprehension, but still, Ritter seemed utterly determined to be faithful to the purple sprout.

「Come to think of it, I’ve never heard any gossip about you either, Captain Leonhart. You’re surrounded by women the most, though…」

Several gazes turned toward Leonhart. Love and romance, he thought, were for people who could bare their true selves to each other. Leonhart bore the cursed eyes that incited murderous intent, and lived by constantly pretending to be something pure and untainted. How could someone like him ever truly be close to another, who knew nothing of his real nature?

「I’m simply not inclined to make lifelong promises when I could die at any time. Life… time itself is limited.」

「Wow… that’s chivalry itself, Captain Leonhart. Me, I just wished someone would wait for me. …And then I got dumped before coming here…」

「…Want a handkerchief?」

「No thanks. That’s the one you just used to wipe grime off, isn’t it…」

Knights were admired, and received much attention from the opposite sex, but their lives were long campaigns and perilous duties. Few could wait endlessly for them. Many encounters, but also many farewells. Most married before retirement, but Leonhart had always thought himself apart from that. There was no one to whom he could show his true self.

「I think I’ll head to the market after I change… maybe I’ll find something cute.」

「…Come to think of it, you’ve been close with someone lately, haven’t you? Don’t tell me, you’re about to get a lover while I’m still reeling from rejection?」

「…Ah, hey, Captain Leonhart, how about you too? Witch-dono was wearing a veil today, she seems to like fashion. Maybe you could buy her something as thanks?」

「Hey, don’t change the subject.」

But hearing the suggestion, Leonhart realized he had no other way to thank her. After five hundred years in the mountains, she surely had few recent possessions. Looking through the market and giving her a gift might indeed be a good idea. …Though he was hopeless when it came to gifts for women, having no experience whatsoever.

「…If you would help me choose something to thank Witch-dono with, I’d appreciate it. I’m… not used to this.」

「Of course, Captain!」

「Me too. …We’re all rooting for you.」

For some reason, his men were grinning at him as though watching something heartwarming. That was not his intention at all, and not knowing how else to respond, Leonhart gave only a faint, awkward smile.