Don't Be Holy! - Chapter 33
Her shoulders were pulled back, and both wrists were caught just above her hips. He pulled out the string that fastened the neck of his clothes and tied her wrists. Then he removed the handkerchief around her neck and shoved it in her mouth.
It was a frighteningly precise and clean subdual.
First the hands, then the voice.
The order for subduing witches was so ingrained in his body that it came reflexively without any thought.
He patted the back of Eir, who could barely make muffled sounds.
“We’ll talk when I get back. It would be better not to try to escape.”
His voice felt soft and gentle, almost like advice meant just for her. In reality, considering he was Rubel Shinote, the warning not to run away wasn’t really for his own sake, but for hers.
‘Don’t go running away and digging your own grave. Catching you would be nothing for me.’ Something like that.
Eir swallowed nervously.
Her wrist hurt, but she didn’t say anything. Rubel briefly looked down at the surprisingly quiet Eir before helping her sit up straight.
“Then, first, I’ll go deal with the monsters.”
When looking at his face, speaking to her with direct eye contact, he almost seemed like a dutiful husband telling his wife he would be out hunting.
Despite trembling inside, Eir thought that man was just unlucky.
Should she run now, while she still has the chance?
Even after he left, bowing politely, Eir sat there thinking for a long time. But everything was so uncertain. Why had Rubel only just now regained his memories? Or had he never actually lost them? How much did he know about her?
Maybe he still had some mercy for her, after all?
Eir thought about her bound state as if it weren’t visible, though if she knew what kind of person Rubel Shinote was, she would realize that her assumptions were right.
If she knew how ruthless he was with criminals, she would have noticed by now that if Rubel ever caught a knight breaking the code, he would drag them out and beat them senseless. Eir wouldn’t have recognized his current ‘mercy’ if she hadn’t seen that firsthand.
She would have just been running away in fear.
However, when he had warned her to be careful not to get hurt before taking action, and told her to be honest instead of trying to outsmart him, it was clear that in many ways, he was showing some leniency.
Perhaps it was because she had saved his life?
In that case, maybe it would be better to follow his advice and stay quiet, waiting for him to return and trying to persuade him with a conversation.
If she didn’t have any solid proof, he would eventually give up and leave. He wouldn’t stay here forever, after all.
The important thing was figuring out why he had stayed here after regaining his memory, what his true intentions were.
That was something she could use as leverage in negotiation.
She recalled the rumor about a witch who had developed a spell that threatened the Divine Empire, and had disappeared while looking for it.
Eir furrowed her brow deeply in thought. As she anxiously fidgeted with her bound hands, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the yard.
Eir was startled and immediately stood up.
She knew exactly how she must look. Anyone would misinterpret the situation. She hurriedly tried to escape the room, but since her arms were tied behind her back, it was hard to balance, and even that wasn’t easy.
“Eir, are you okay?”
The voice was familiar, and it seemed certain that whoever it was had heard her movement. Eir quickly got up and crossed the living room. Judging by the voice, it sounded like it was the youngest daughter of Linden’s family. Eir had often run into a young lady named Sarah from Linden’s family when she took lessons there. Sarah was around Eir’s age.
As Eir struggled to stand and move, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her dress and fell forward. Her chin slammed into the floor, and a sharp pain made her groan in agony.
Sarah, who had been waiting outside for the homeowner to open the door, was startled by the loud noise and instinctively opened the door to enter.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Eir collapsed in the hallway and rushed over to check on her condition.
