Crown of Thorns

After the warrior left the tower, I heard the ringing of countless bells.

The vacancy left behind by the warrior had made me distressed, but I persisted in following him around. I know that it will be even more painful if all of this fails.

The witch’s sense of time was still the same, but it always seemed to went by fast for others.

Evan’s small height had grown to the point where he can now stand up to a world that ignores the truth. His shoulders, which used to be thin enough to be surrounded by the witch’s arms, had become wide enough to give shelter to the suffering people. Much like the young man who remained in my memory, he grew up beautifully, and yet he changed so much that I almost mistook him for someone else.

The pale, pitifully thin face was now moderately tanned. His scars still remain, but it was not from terrible wounds inflicted by others; it was scars of glory, given from hard training. The white hair, which had a transparent glow whenever sunlight touched it, was cut off until it barely came under his ears.

His arms and legs, which had been accurately assimilated to twigs due to malnourishment, were hardened through training. But most of all, Evan’s eyes glistened with sunshine. No longer containing death, they were filled with hope. I couldn’t take my eyes off those jeweled eyes.

As he swung his sword, Evan felt his companions approaching. Gasping for breath, he halted his training. Sweat from his forehead rolled down and stayed at the tip of his chin. Evan hurriedly swept away his bangs, which were clinging to his forehead. His hair, dampened with sweat, obediently stuck to the side, revealing white eyebrows, similar to that of his hair.

One of the men who approached said.

“Don’t push yourself, aren’t you tired?”

“I still have a long way to go.”

“But, Evan, you’ve already improved a lot.”

Evan was no longer called a monster. Surrounded by helpless villagers poking at his wounds to distract themselves from their suffering, he was shining.

Evan’s lips, slightly twisting at the man’s words, soon formed a small smile. As if he were trying to hold back laughter. The way he smiled with his eyebrows slightly furrowed with the corners of his mouth drawn in a graceful line was not much different from the young warrior he had seen before, which sent a strange sense of relief through me.

Evan muttered in a quiet voice.

“Not yet… not enough.”

Yes, unlike before, he has grown a lot, but he was still lacking. Although he now could control more light than before by absorbing knowledge learned from the witch, it was difficult to grow by himself.

However, there was more than one warrior who was bestowed to the world under god’s will.

I looked at the world as the brave boy grew up. The cogwheels of fate that I joined with the warriors were already moving before I prompted them. One of them was Yohan, the Commander of the Knights, who took in Evan and helped him grow up like this.

“Evan is training so hard, but what are the rest of you doing?”

“Eek!”

“Le, Commander!”

When Yohan showed up with his arms folded, the trainees quickly returned to their places and began wielding their swords. Frowning, he mumbled, as if displeased with them.

“How will I even take these people along?”

Evan, who overheard his muttering, asked with glistening eyes.

“Will you be taking us somewhere?”

“Yes. A monster is said to have appeared on the western outskirts. I thought I’d take you guys with me this time, but I’d be lucky if you weren’t a burden.”

“We can do it!”

Even with Evan’s loud answer, Yohan’s face showed no sign of straightening out. Even though Evan had already grown up enough to do his part, Yohan still seemed doubtful. However, Evan’s skills were so outstanding that he thought he could actually be helpful and not be a burden. As soon as he thought so, he muttered in a slightly more relaxed voice.

“…better than nothing.”

Evan’s expression was a little brighter. It wasn’t much different from the smile he flashed in front of the witch. As such, my worries were relieved because it meant that he believed in and followed the Commander wholeheartedly.

Knight Commander Yohan. An unfortunate knight. He was hated by the emperor early on because he was good at what he did. But he was honest, cold, blunt, and above all, he could see through the lies. Instead of living comfortably in the palace, he came out to his private residence and went to and fro on the battlefield with his followers. There was always a shortage of people, and when he told the nobles, they sent only useless young children who could not lift a sword with their skinny arms. And so he took in trainees.

Evan was one of them. After leaving the tower of the witch, he was growing up safely in the fence of Yohan.

And it wasn’t just him.

“Yes, Evan. How’s your training going?”

“Oh, Mr. Neriato.”

Contrasting his tone in the previous conversation, Evan replied in a depressed voice to the elderly man’s question. Even though he was struggling to walk and supported himself with a cane…

“I’m still in the same place as I had been before. I can’t wait to be strong…”

“Don’t be so impatient, Evan. You’re great enough, even now.”

Neriato, the sorcerer. He was the only person who was said to have lived the longest, just after the emperor and the witch. It is said that he started learning magic on his own at a tender age. His experience was going to make for great lessons for Evan. Yohan, who had thought of this idea, went to invite the sorcerer here.

Of course, light attributes can’t be learned anywhere, and Neriato lost his power a long time ago, so he couldn’t be of much help, but it was still possible for him to provide theories and guidance. Still, Evan had no choice but to do it himself to become one with nature.

“By the way, have you heard of the rumors going around? The Archduchess Heleina had been bestowed the title of Princess.”

“The title of Princess, by the emperor who has never even let a possible successor live?”

“Yes, so it seems the nobility, without exception, are seeking after the Archduchess Heleina. Though it won’t be easy since I hear that she is different from the greedy Emperor, but…”

“They already have so much. How much more do they want to have? I think this might lead to the start of a war.”

“It seems fine. They’ve all got the same things. They just have different levels of greed. Aren’t they just cowards who are anxious to lose what they have?”

Time went on, and the world changed accordingly, but there were things that remained the same. They were the emperor and the nobles. They were still anxious to satisfy their greed, so their interests were in sync. So far, no problems had risen, but everyone is worried that they don’t know when or where the war will break out.

Unlike past aristocrats who performed their rights and duties well, these people only abused their power. They did not hesitate to do anything if it meant they could have more, so they were deeply offended by each other.

The cogwheels, which were moving together, began to twist significantly when the emperor knotted the Princess title to Heleina. In a way, it was only natural for them to covet a crown next to riches.

And apart from the warrior, the witch’s cogwheel, which had been stopped before, also began to roll.

I looked for more cogwheels to link with me around the world as the warrior grew up.

The first is Margarita, who is serving as a knight in the Marquisate and hiding the power of darkness. The second is Luella, a woman who narrowly managed to evade death, but was sold as a slave rolling here and there. The third is Kato, who lives in a slum, hiding the power of darkness. The fourth is Trudeau, a daughter of a wealthy family who had been deprived of her riches and is now homeless.

All of them held the power of darkness but were lucky enough to stay alive. Those who barely survived were distressed and suffering in pain and loneliness while hiding.

I searched for them and reached out my hand.

“Be my strength.”

They recognized me at a glance and were willing to follow me when I showed up in the dark.

They all hated. They despised. They hated those who made them this way and despised those who did nothing to prevent it. They turned their backs on the world that killed those who were born in the dark and made the remaining ones hide and grovel in the dirt.

For those who lost everything they had and even lost their parents, the advent of witches was nothing short of a blessing. It’s time to change the world. They held my hand without knowing that the world they wanted was much different from the world the witch wanted. Having lived in blood, they wanted blood in return—they wanted the world to cry.

I was sorry and felt guilty to take advantage of their emotions, but there was no other way. So I called myself a witch. They were either witches to the world or witches to themselves.

If I could make a warrior and change the world, I would be willing to be a witch. This was what I believed.

After that, I embraced three others wielding the power of darkness beside them, and then the eighth and last person, Ruadhan.

“If I could help you with what little strength I have, I’d be happy to use it.”

In the end, nine Shadows* gathered in one place. Following Umbra, the Lord of Darkness and the ruler of Shadows. Around the witch, eight cogwheels joined and began to rotate slowly.

The young warrior had grown up, and all the characters who will lead the fairy tale are ready.

There was only one thing left, waiting for the right time.

When the fairy tale begins, when the warrior shines.

Now, the witch’s story was about to come to an end.

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* T/N : Shadows is how we will refer to those who use the power of Darkness.