Don't Be Holy! - Chapter 54
***
Eir was startled by the sudden voice behind her.
That familiar voice suppressing rough breathing was tinged with undisguised anger.
Oh, when did he get here?
Could he have seen the envelope she threw turn into an owl? If he saw that, wouldn’t his suspicions about her being a witch have turned even more into certainty?
She quickly turned around.
She was terrified because she couldn’t guess how long he had been following her. She hadn’t sensed his presence at all until this moment, had he been creepily following her for much longer, waiting for this critical moment to catch her?
Then did he see all those humiliating scenes, her throwing away Rubel’s hair from the envelope while shouting ‘Damn that red hair!’, or crying and tearing leaves to send messages because she didn’t bring pen or paper?
Even the part where she gathered the failed leaves, and trying to destroy evidence, dug into the dirt with her hands and buried them like a dog?
That threatened not only her life but also violated human dignity.
Not only had he groped her exposed chest, but he had also creepily watched such private moments?
With irritation surging at that thought, Eir forgot her position and burst out angrily.
“What is it? Why are you watching so creepily without making any sound?”
“Do I need to announce my presence to you?”
What could he do about her foolishly not noticing? Rubel responded sarcastically, inwardly deeply regretting coming up here after discarding his cloak for this woman.
Eir must have misunderstood Rubel’s words somehow, as she bit her lower lip and protested with a hurt expression.
“Even criminals have human rights. We have the right to know!”
“So you’re admitting that you’re a witch?”
“I keep telling you, I’m not!”
“Then what were you doing here? An owl was flying quite enthusiastically in the early evening before the sun had fully set.”
At that, Eir’s face immediately went pale again. Rubel marveled anew.
How did she survive as a witch when her thoughts were so transparent?
Well. That’s probably why Hecate never sent her anywhere and kept her close. How could she let someone so foolish live independently?
Unaware of Rubel’s thoughts, Eir hurriedly made excuses.
“T-that’s my pet owl. Since I was going to be taken as a criminal, I wouldn’t be able to feed it, so I came to set it free.”
Let’s make it sound like I’m submitting to fate rather than trying to escape. Though she spoke with that in mind, he just frowned as if it was absurd.
“Have you forgotten that I lived with you?”
“No, I know. But you weren’t physically attached to me. Forest, right. I raised it in the forest.”
“In the forest, you specifically kept it in a cage to raise it?”
“Yes.”
Eir answered with surprising audacity.
Rubel could hardly stand the increasingly low-level conversation continuing, but he forced himself to endure.
He wanted to see her flustered by asking exactly how a woman like her had caught that owl, if she had hunted it, and if so, what hunting method she had used.
Hah, patience.
He tried to swallow those feelings and thoughts. What kind of answer would follow anyway? Something foolish like ‘I just hopped around, reached out my hand, and caught it!’
Instead, he heaved a deep sigh.
“Come here.”
Rubel said, beckoning with his hand.
Eir was indignant at being called like a dog, then suddenly realized her position. The edge of the cliff. Wait, is he worried I might jump? Is that desperation in his eyes fear that someone might die right in front of him?
After rolling her eyes briefly, Eir shouted as if grasping at straws.
“Don’t come any closer! Or I’ll jump!”
Rubel’s expression became strange. If one had to describe it, it was somewhere between ‘Go ahead then.’ and ‘Ah, f**k!’ a subtle mix of irritation and indifference. Since he wasn’t particularly good-looking to begin with, when his face became like that, it naturally scared her, and Eir couldn’t help but cower.
Rubel stuck his sword, still in its scabbard, into the ground and crossed his arms crookedly. Eir recognized it as the very sword she had given him.
All her lies had been exposed.
