City ​​of Witches 726

Chapter 726 – #156_Fugitive

#726

1.
The true duty of a virtuous wife is to follow and assist her husband’s will.
However, if that decision risks endangering her husband, she must do everything in her power to dissuade him.

Therefore, the reason Rinne decided to accompany Siwoo to the Rosie mansion was because she also found his decision reasonable.

Hexen Nacht was no longer a city that guaranteed safety, so they couldn’t just choose the safest options.
Adding even one more person to their fighting force directly increased their chances of escape, so they had to face a situation where they had to take some risks.

And Rinne didn’t think his plan was completely absurd.

After observing their movements while hiding and moving, Lydia wasn’t actively pursuing them right away.

However, as time passed and the grand conference ended, Lydia’s pursuit network would become a much tighter snare.

If they were going to take a risk, there was no better time than now.

At this point, for a fugitive to head near Hyangwol Pavilion, which was far from the ‘Gate,’ was a reverse strategy.
The lack of manpower would probably be focused on the paths leading to the lower town.

Heading to Rosie’s mansion might actually twist their escape route, potentially avoiding an unfortunate confrontation.

“Why did you kill Rosie?”

Since they couldn’t use the elevator, Rinne decided to ask what she had been wondering about while they took a roundabout route.

“That’s…”
“We’re in the same boat. This time, be honest and frank.”

She didn’t know if telling him everything as it was would be the right thing to do.

But Rinne had given up a lot to save Siwoo.
It was uncomfortable for Siwoo to deceive such a person again, so he told her the truth.

“…That’s what happened.”
“……”

Rinne nodded.

At first, Rinne thought Shin Siwoo was completely like her.
A person with a truly combative mindset who pushed himself to the limit for strength.

However, the gap between nature and pretense naturally reveals itself over time.
Rinne had now confirmed the identity of the strange sense of incongruity she had felt when dealing with her husband.

It was a heart that cared for others, just like how Rinne had given up stepping onto a new stage for Siwoo.
It was a realm that Rinne couldn’t easily understand yet.
But for some reason, she liked that side of him.

He was kind.
He was gentle.
He was cool.

Especially since it wasn’t just a mere pretense but a sincerity that disregarded his own danger.
Rinne found herself staring at his profile for no reason.

“I see.”

Siwoo was inwardly surprised by Rinne’s calm reaction.

He hadn’t expected praise, of course, and had even prepared himself for criticism for doing something unnecessary.
If you traced back the cause, wasn’t it because Siwoo had acted recklessly without considering the situation that Rinne had ended up attacking Lydia’s workshop?

“You’ve worked hard. But next time, try to consider the situation a bit more.”

But when he received words of encouragement along with advice, he wondered again, ‘Did I eat something wrong?’
Come to think of it, he had heard from Lydia that Rinne had called Siwoo ‘husband,’ so was it related to that?

“Master. I heard something strange from the Golden Witch.”
“What is it?”
“Please don’t be offended and listen. Lydia said that you called me her husband or something…”

Just as Siwoo was about to speak, Rinne’s arm shot out, blocking his chest.

Her slightly pouted lips made a silent ‘shush’ sound, signaling him to be quiet.
At the same time, she quietly drew her small sword.

Had the pursuit finally caught up?
Siwoo pressed himself against the wall, tense, and scanned his surroundings.

“……”
“……”

But even after a long time, there was no sign of anything.
Unless there was a hidden place, there was no way a witch could hide from Siwoo’s eyes.

“The conversation ends here. We move quietly.”

Despite Rinne’s suspicious behavior, Siwoo didn’t question it much.
They had been too loud so far, so he just assumed she was trying to be more careful from now on.

The two of them carefully entered Rosie’s mansion and secured Manya, Malisha, and Mama.

2.
Siwoo opened the hidden collection room of the workshop.

“I, I’m alive…”
“That crazy bitch…”

Contrary to their worries, Manya and Malisha were relatively unharmed.
No matter how sadistic Rosie was, she couldn’t fully unleash her sadism on the two who were Rinne’s possessions.

“I’ll definitely repay this favor! Thank you for saving us!”
“Is my sister safe?”

Of course, they hugged Siwoo and cried tears of relief.
But the cheerful atmosphere didn’t last long.

Because Mama, the Black Witch, was there.
The unfortunate witch who had lost her apprentice witch without even knowing it.

“Thank you.”

She quietly expressed her gratitude as she put on the cloak Siwoo had given her.
And she gently stroked the cheek of her apprentice witch, who was lying on the sofa, with the back of her hand.

Her eyes, which had turned dark and no longer reflected hope, might have foreseen this ending.

Without shedding tears.
Without showing any emotion.
She just held Pina’s body tightly.

Even if the perpetrator of the evil was punished, the tragedy that had already happened could not be reversed.
Siwoo turned his eyes away from the scene that made him feel suffocated.
He could only futilely hope that Rosie’s death would be some comfort to her.

Rinne already had the codes for Manya and Malisha, so they were officially released, and Mama’s collar was removed with the help of Siwoo’s magic eye, just like his.

“……”
“Master?”

However, the situation changed rapidly without giving them time to wallow in grief.

Rinne’s physical condition was not normal.

Her lips were turning blue.
The cold sweat that had started to form on her forehead was now dripping from her chin.
The tremors that had started at her fingertips wouldn’t stop.

This was a variable that Rinne hadn’t anticipated.
She hadn’t properly recognized what kind of magic the ‘Reaper’ that Lydia had summoned was.

But the impact was clear, and during the four hours of stealth from Almak Town to Rosie’s mansion, Rinne’s condition had been steadily worsening.

It had just become too obvious to hide.

“Are you okay?”

At this point, when the two of them had to move as one to the apothecary, it would be the worst thing to be held back by putting on a brave face.
So Rinne spoke honestly.

“I’m not okay.”
“Was it from what you suffered earlier?”
“……”

Rinne nodded.
And even that small movement made her stagger as if it was too much.

Siwoo knew what kind of person Rinne was.
Even if a bone broke during sparring, she wouldn’t complain about the pain, but rather smile and focus even more on the sparring. In short, she was someone with the tenacity of an armed commando.

Moreover, if Rinne, who hardly ever showed any emotion, was visibly struggling like this, it was no ordinary matter.

“Let me see your wound.”
“It’s okay. Getting back is the priority.”

There wasn’t anything he could do right away, but he wanted to see how severe the injury was.
Siwoo grabbed Rinne’s wrist as she tried to turn away.

“No. Let me see your wound.”

Due to the nature of the training uniform she often wore, which was one piece from top to bottom, he had to inevitably loosen her clothes.
Rinne resisted as if trying to pull away.
When he grabbed her belt to prevent her from turning away, Rinne immediately calmed down and whispered.

“…There are too many eyes. Be a little more restrained.”
“Huh?”
“At least go to another room…”
“…Oh, dear.”

She must be in a lot of pain.

Seeing Rinne talking such nonsense, it seemed so.
Looking closely, her eyes were half-closed, like when she had been drinking before.

“It’s not like that. I’m just going to check the wound.”

Siwoo carefully loosened the belt of her training uniform.

He could feel the burning heat just by bringing his face close to her skin.
The irregular pulse in her wrist was so erratic that he doubted if it was even a human pulse.

Without looking at her chest at all, he lifted the fabric of her clothes around her side.
A long, thin wound was visible above her slender waist.

“……”

It looked more like a scar than a wound.
The blood vessels around the affected area had turned purple and were bulging, and her skin was covered in goosebumps, probably due to the pain.

Neither Rinne nor Siwoo knew, but what Lydia had summoned in exchange for gold was a reaper who declared death.

It was a ‘one-hit kill’ skill, if you were to compare it to a game, that led the opponent to death as soon as the condition was met by paying a certain value.
Even though the spell was incomplete and Rinne had dodged some of it, a slow death was approaching since a huge scythe had torn through her side.

Therefore, even at this moment when Siwoo was checking her condition, the injury Rinne had suffered was slowly spreading.
At this point, the only thing to do was to show the wound to Yebin as soon as possible.

If he had known the situation was this bad, he wouldn’t have been so stubborn…

Judging by the speed at which the wound was spreading, she must have been in pretty bad shape from the midpoint of their journey to the mansion.
What was it about Siwoo’s request that made her come all the way here in this condition?

The growing sense of indebtedness and Rinne’s selfless attitude, which he couldn’t understand at all.
He really didn’t understand it anymore.

“Master, if the situation was this bad, you should have told me.”
“……”

After he had closed her clothes and re-tied her belt, Rinne leaned into Siwoo’s arms as if she was expecting it.
Actually, it was more like she had collapsed.
Her body temperature, like a burning fire, and her panting breath warmed his chest.

“A wise wife… is devoted to her husband.”

One might think that Rinne, who was suffering from fever and pain, was talking nonsense.

But Siwoo felt like he had been hit on the head.
He realized that her words just now were the key to understanding her series of incomprehensible actions.

With a feeling of disbelief, he began the confirmation process.

“Master.”
“……”
“By any chance, am I your husband??”
“……”

The light returned to Rinne’s hazy eyes as she looked at Siwoo.

And then, her cheeks were flushed red, perhaps due to the fever.
Her beautiful hair, which had started to get wet with sweat.
Rinne quietly lowered her gaze and moved her lips.

“That’s right. I will serve you as my husband.”
“……”
“So, please be my partner.”

Siwoo was dumbfounded and opened his mouth at Rinne’s proposal, which had come out at an unexpected time.