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chapter 16
Maybe that’s why my fever was raging so high that even breathing felt difficult. On top of that, my legs were numb.
‘How did Lewis endure this?’
It was astonishing that such a small creature could bear this kind of pain silently. Anyone else would have been wailing in agony and running to the doctor by now.
Was this, too, something driven by the disdain for weakness, like the witch’s tendency to reject the weak? Among beastkin, it’s common to hide injuries and suffer silently, not wanting others to know they’re hurt.
But if that were the case, it was cruel.
What kind of life is it where a child cannot even say they’re in pain and must just endure it…
‘Aigoo, aigoo.’
Such thoughts were cut short by pain so intense it made me groan. I curled further into the blankets. Even with a raging fever, the cold made me want to burrow in, just like when one has the flu.
Three, no, three beastkin were looking at me worriedly.
“Whine, whine, whine.”
Lewis kept whining and nuzzling my cheek. I suppose there was no way that little one could have known that the witch, who had been perfectly fine and smiling just a moment ago, would suddenly collapse into bed.
The other two were also watching me with concerned eyes. After collapsing right after the treatment, it was natural for them to be surprised.
Rudels, in particular, looked at me with a serious expression that even my fever-blurred eyes could perceive. Though his face bore no expression, the sorrow in his eyes had a way of melting a person’s heart.
He held my hand firmly and spoke.
“Are you alright?”
Just alright? I expected him, as my employer, to ask why I was in pain. I forced a smile at the corner of my lips.
“F-fine—”
“What do you mean ‘fine’? Look at her face, brother. It’s obvious she’s in extreme pain. How can you ask if she’s alright? Who are you kidding?”
Merina interrupted me, scolding her brother. Her tone, sharp and incredulous, reflected her utter exasperation. She then turned to me, her face pouting.
“I’m sorry, sister. My brother is so clueless when it comes to dealing with people that he’s utterly insensitive. I’ll apologize for him instead.”
No, there’s no need for you to apologize. I was just a fool. I wanted to say this, but my words were trapped by the fever, leaving me only able to make wheezing sounds.
Their expressions twisted even more strangely at this.
“Sigh… Iriel…”
“Gghh… gghh, gghh.”
Rudels sighed, covering his face with one hand, while Lewis whined and paced anxiously in circles. Rudels observed me for a moment, then stood and quietly said.
“Let’s give Iriel the space to rest.”
At the eldest’s words, everyone got up and left the room. After Merina and Lewis left, Rudels placed a hand on my forehead and whispered into my ear.
“Rest well. And… thank you.”
He moved his lips, but said no more, pulling the blanket slightly over me before leaving the room.
‘How strange…’
No one had ever worried about me like this when I was young. In the Witch Kingdom, the culture of despising weakness meant I couldn’t even say I was sick. If anyone found out, my peers would mock me, adults would pity me, and my parents would disdain me.
Back then, being sick and having no one worry about me made me cry a lot. I’d lock myself in my room, hide under the blankets, and silently perform healing magic—it felt like just yesterday.
Now, I relaxed my tense body and closed my eyes. Then, instead of tears and pain, a smile arose from the warmth of genuine comfort. I had a feeling I would dream good dreams tonight, and I helplessly sank into deep darkness.
Rudels quietly closed the door, careful not to make a sound, and looked at his two mischievous siblings. His youngest, in particular, was rolling her eyes cautiously, checking his expression.
Rudels scratched the back of her head.
“You don’t have to be so careful, Lewis.”
“Whine, whine, whine.”
Hearing his sibling’s whimpers saying, ‘I wasn’t trying to lie,’ he gave a wry smile.
“I know, kid.”
“Whine, whine. Grrr…”
Rudels handed Lewis to the capybara servant waiting by the door and briefly instructed that she be taken to their mother. Once Lewis and the servant had disappeared from sight, he turned to Merina, his voice heavy.
“Merina. Since when has Lewis been walking without using his leg?”
“Since two weeks ago.”
She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and answered. Rudels’ piercing gaze shot toward her.
“Merina, you know, don’t you?”
He stared at his sister with an expressionless face. The pressure from the eldest of the Ifin family, heir to their house, instilled both fear and awe, even in Merina, a sword master.
Merina could barely lift her head under the oppressive gaze and lowered it further. Her mouth dried, her stomach churned. He looked down at her and said,
“There are no poisonous plants at all inside or outside our house.”
His grim smile made Merina realize:
‘Ah… he’s completely lost it.’
She quietly listened to her brother’s anger.
“Some insolent fool dares to touch the direct line of the Ifin family… interesting. Very interesting.”
He ground his teeth, narrowing his pupils like a predator, a feral smile curling his lips. Behind him, Lucel felt the killing intent and swallowed.
His habit, when angry, wasn’t to furrow his brows but to twist his smile with pure malice.
Rudels crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and tapped his forefinger, seemingly lost in thought. Then, lazily, he curled the corners of his lips and smiled softly with his eyes closed.
To anyone else, he might have looked like a magazine model, but for the two present, it was a tense, nerve-wracking moment.
He stopped tapping, grinning widely enough to show his canines.
“Must be those little bastards.”
Black magic radiated from him. Merina and Lucel could barely breathe in its oppressive aura.
“Cough! Ugh!”
Unlike Merina, who was accustomed to magic from battles, Lucel, experiencing the dense magic for the first time, clutched his throat and fell to his knees. Recognizing the danger, Merina shouted.
“Brother!”
At the call, Rudels noticed Lucel had collapsed and withdrew his magic. Lucel gasped, struggling to breathe as Rudels lifted him.
“Sorry, Lucel. You alive?”
“Huff… If I died from this, Father would punish me severely for disgracing the Black Panther.”
He replied with a pout.
“Of course. You’re the only one bold enough to act recklessly even in my presence, Lucel.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Lucel straightened himself and bowed. Rudels chuckled at this and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Finally, I can shed the stigma of being a paycheck thief, Lucel.”
“Ha… I know, master.”
“Investigate every route Lewis has taken in the past two weeks.”
“Yes, master. Should I report immediately if we find anything suspicious?”
“Do that. And bring the culprits back alive, even if you have to tear off their limbs.”
“As commanded.”
With that, Lucel vanished without a trace, moving with the stealth of a Black Panther heir.
Watching him disappear, Merina spoke.
“Brother.”
“Merina. You take care of Lewis and Mother at home.”
“Brother!”
“Merina.”
Rudels grabbed his protesting sister by the shoulder.
“Why are you at home right now?”
“…To catch the rat hiding in the Ifin household.”
She gritted her teeth. She knew why she suddenly returned from the border region where she hunted monsters: to find the spy who had infiltrated the house—her brother had been searching with bloodshot eyes.
“…But I didn’t even know Lewis endured this for two weeks.”
Her voice quivered as she pressed her hands tightly against her eyes.
Though a sword master, she felt useless for failing to protect her family.
She wanted to tear apart the limbs of the one who poisoned Lewis, scream for them to be killed, make them suffer. Rudels whispered to his furious sister.
“Don’t worry. If we find them, they won’t be sent off gently.”
“My share too, right?”
“Of course. Even if we all take turns torturing them, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Amid the grim discussion, the siblings shared mischievous smiles.
“Besides, our ‘healer’ suffered a lot because of the youngest… we can’t just let it slide, can we?”
Emphasizing ‘healer,’ Rudels’ words made her stare at her brother with an exasperated expression.
