Eternal Undying Chronicles

The young witch led them to a small cabin nestled in a corner of the village. It was moderately large—far bigger than Alicarde had anticipated. Cassandra had mentioned they only had a single room, so he was expecting something much smaller.

'Witches must be quite generous with space in their architectural designs,' he mused, his curiosity piqued.

Though the interior was yet to be seen, he also had to consider the possibility of traps. But that was a concern for future Alicarde.

The young witch guiding them had been noticeably uneasy, occasionally glancing back at them. Now that they stood before the cabin, she seemed eager to part ways.

"Th-this is the cabin," she stammered.

"There's a bath and kitchen inside, so you should be able to manage…"

Malefica nodded, and the young witch quickly turned to leave. However, in her haste, she tripped and fell face-first into the dirt.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She scrambled to her feet, her face flushed bright red, before giving them one last glance and running off without another word.

Alicarde smirked and glanced at Malefica.

"Guess witches come in all shapes and sizes."

Malefica sighed, pushing the door open and walking inside without a second thought, leaving him standing there.

"Shouldn't you be cautious of traps?" Alicarde called after her. "You can't just waltz in like that."

She turned her head slightly and offered him a tired smile.

"If I thought there was any danger, I would've asked you to go first."

"Good to know you care so much about me," he replied with mock sarcasm.

"I do care, but you're immortal, aren't you? Isn't that what you pride yourself on?"

Alicarde chuckled as he stepped into the cabin.

"I also pride myself on my sense of humor and my dashing good looks."

"Yes, I'm sure you do," she said dryly.

Alicarde squinted at her.

"Did you just call me not dashing?"

Malefica rolled her eyes.

"Enough of your nonsense. Just come inside and close the door."

He clasped his hands together, mimicking a shy maiden, and shook his head.

"I'm shy. My mom always told me not to go into strange houses in the forest with suspiciously beautiful women."

Malefica's patience was wearing thin, her glare sharp enough to freeze the room. She had already endured a trying day, especially with confronting her old coven. She wasn't in the mood for his antics.

"You really want to burn a second time?"

Alicarde quickly dropped the act and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

The cabin's interior was much larger than expected. It resembled a modern hotel room, albeit without any contemporary appliances. The light came from magical stones embedded in the walls, casting a soft glow. A large fireplace crackled with enchanted flames, warding off the winter chill.

'No wonder Malefica was eager to come inside,' he thought. 'She must've been cold.'

The room had only one bed, along with three other doors leading to the kitchen, bath, and lavatory. The air was thick with magic, the ambient mana permeating every object. It was almost as if they had stepped into a magical sanctuary.

Malefica sat down in one of the soft chairs by the fire, her expression tinged with suppressed sorrow. Being back in the village seemed to have stirred up old wounds. Alicarde could relate—there were things in his past he preferred to leave buried.

He pulled down his hood and removed his mask, walking over to her side. With a shimmer of sparks, he dismissed the gauntlets from his hands and crouched beside her, placing his hand on hers.

Her warmth felt comforting against his skin, no longer separated by cold metal. For some reason, the contact felt... right.

She turned her gaze from the fire to him, her eyes piercing into his. He half-expected her to pull her hand away, but instead, she gripped it tighter.

For a long moment, she was silent. When she finally spoke, her voice was so soft he barely heard her.

"What did she mean when she asked if you were part of the order? And why did you, being a man, have to be so important?"

Her words were heavy, revealing a vulnerability she seldom showed.

"I don't know... maybe it has something to do with your curse."

Malefica's eyes narrowed; it seemed she had already made that connection herself.

"I thought so too, but there's so much I don't know. Cassandra inherited that knowledge from her predecessors. My grandmother kept it from me until the very end. Whatever it is, it's not common knowledge in the coven."

Alicarde gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Malefica didn't react, letting him touch her without protest.

"Do you want me to get the truth out of her?" he offered.

She shook her head slightly.

"That won't work. Cassandra is far more powerful than you at the moment. And besides, I'm not able to fight or even cast proper spells right now. If we were in Evergreen City, I could end it all with one attack…"

Alicarde grimaced at the reminder that he was weaker than Cassandra, though he felt confident he could outlast her with his immense mana reserves and regenerative abilities.

"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this—and find out more about the Demon of Noon too."

Malefica's tired eyes drifted back to the fire.

"But will she give us that information so easily? If there really is a demon rampaging through Evergreen, she'd likely applaud it. She'd see it as karmic retribution for those who defiled sacred land."

Alicarde squeezed her hand gently.

"Don't worry. Come what may, I'll protect you. That's our agreement, after all. And I'll get the info from that Cassandra chick."

Malefica shot him a sharp look, her tone matter-of-fact.

"You're not allowed to kill any of the witches. I forbid it."

Alicarde blinked in surprise.

"What? Why? Hey, I have principles, you know. What kind of reaper doesn't kill people?" Discover hidden stories at empire

Her cold glare didn't waver.

"No killing. Do you understand?"

Feeling aggrieved but knowing better than to argue, Alicarde sighed.

"Yes, ma'am."

He raised a hand, as if to ask a question, but Malefica shook her head.

"No means no."

"Erm… that's not what I was going to ask." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I was just wondering... who's taking the bath first, and what are we doing about sleeping arrangements?"

He grinned, feigning a wince as he stretched.

"My back's been acting up lately. I really shouldn't sleep on the floor."

Malefica clenched her fists, visibly restraining the urge to set him on fire.