How to Live as a Knight After the Ending

Chapter 51: Walpurgis Night (1)

It’s true.

Ronan groaned to himself.

Why did people have to be so wary of him whenever they saw him?

He’d always been so polite, even smiling, to allay their fears.

And so it was again today, a tiny scratch on Ronan’s heart.

A small scar that no one would ever know was his.

“I am Diolan. Are you the witch of rumor?”

Diolan smiled cheerfully, breaking the awkward silence.

Uncharacteristically, he was quite pleased to see her.

Ena stared at him for a while, wondering if he was trying to see something.

She turned to Ossian and asked.

“Are you sure a man like you really belongs in this office?”

“Yes, but why?”

“Just. It just doesn’t seem right.”

“You’re being rude to others.”

Meanwhile, Lorraine Ponk, who had been watching from the second floor, came swooping down.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lorraine Ponk, one of the veteran fixers in this office.

“I’m Ena Grundt…….”

At least this one seems normal.

Ena’s opinion of Violet Fox goes up, if only slightly.

“First of all, I’m grateful that you took me up on my offer and helped me out. I don’t intend to pay it with words. If you need my power, I’m willing to lend it to you in exchange”

“Hmm. I see. Oh, by the way, have you ever thought of coming into our fixer’s office?

“Huh?”

Witches are a rare breed in their own right.

It was obvious that if she would join, Violet Fox’s reputation would be enhanced to a higher level.

“……My abilities are not that suitable for combat.”

Ena’s ability is an illusion with some substance and she can draw fire around her into a match and suppress it.

That alone is quite a feat, but the problem is that it’s not really suited to accomplishing anything

Despite the power’s versatility, Ena had never thought to utilize it in combat.

Even when she was on the run from the Church of Petra, she focused more on deception and escape than fighting.

It was easy to guess the witch’s tendencies from her behavior alone.

“So being a fixer would honestly be hard for me. I’m not cut out for fighting.”

“Hmm, that’s definitely a shame… Oh, don’t worry. I have no intention of forcing you to join.”

Outside, witches are discriminated against and feared, but not in Tirna.

A witch’s power was a blessing in this city.

Her power alone more or less guaranteed her a position in the city.

That assessment had not yet sunk in for Ena, who was accustomed to the watery world.

“I’ve heard the rumors, but Tirna is a strange city.”

A city, or should I say a country, since it’s already the size of a country.

Ena has heard enough rumors about this place.

It’s a place where even criminals can make a living if they have the money and the ability.

That’s why she’d fled here, to survive.

On the other hand, she wasn’t without her worries.

It was certainly possible that she would be treated similarly to how she was treated outside but the attitude of Ronan and the others didn’t seem to indicate that was the case.

Quite a few people had accepted her request.

If it were anyone else, the mere mention of a witch’s request would have been enough to make them throw up their hands.

Ronan smirked.

“That’s the beauty of this city, the possibilities are endless.”

“Even so, I’m still not the solution. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. We’re just trying to get on good terms with Miss Ena Grundt. You’re welcome to come by often. I can treat you to a drink or two.”

Ena looked away and studied Osian, then opened her mouth.

“That much, yes, I can do…….And I’m certainly willing to compensate you for the favor.”

“We’ll talk about the reward later, but for now, what are you going to do?”

Osian asked.

It’s great to be in this city, but she needs to think about what she’s going to do for a living afterwards.

“That’s……”

Ena hadn’t thought about that part.

Her circumstances hadn’t allowed her to think about the aftermath of coming to the city at the time.

But here she was, alive, and now she needed to figure out what to do next.

“I don’t know where to start.”

She wasn’t sure if her abilities could be of any use to anyone in this city.

Lorraine said.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? Being a witch speaks for itself, and I’m sure you’ll be treated well.”

“Yes. There are quite a few witches in this city already. I’m sure there are some who have noticed Miss Ena’s arrival and are already making moves.”

Before he could finish, the bell on the door rang.

All eyes turned to the wide-open entrance.

There, a girl stood tall and proud.

Her silver and purple two-tone hair was parted in two long braids, and she appeared to be in her mid-teens.

She wore a gothic lolita dress with black trim.

Her skin was as white as if it had been painted on, and her eyes were pale blue with very small pupils.

She was doll-like, but her smirk and grin gave her a certain creepiness.

“Hello?”

The girl tilted her head slightly to the side in greeting.

When everyone else was overwhelmed by her presence, Osian was the only one to pay attention to another part of her.

The girl was wearing bright red shoes that looked like they were stained with blood and stepped inside with another shuffling step.

“Oh. We’ve got company.”

Ronan greeted her, still smiling, as if he knew who she was.

“Some of you know me, and some of you don’t, so I’m going to keep it light. My name is Karen, and I’m a witch.”

After introducing herself as a witch, Karen looked at Ena.

“You must be the witch, nice to meet you!”

“……”

Ena ducked behind Osian.

Karen was a girl younger than she was, but there was a madness in her that she couldn’t hide.

“I didn’t expect you to appear directly from ‘Walpurgis Night.’”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Ronan Rolland, owner and broker of this place, the Violet Fox.”

“You, you give me a bad feeling. Would you mind not talking to me? Karen has business with that witch.”

“Uh.”

She had a childish tone but the confidence in her own power it’s what makes it possible.

“Why don’t you come to our coven, it would be so much fun.”

Karen suggested, looking at Ena with a strange glint in her eye.

Ena felt uneasy at the look.

“Uh, well, let me think about it.”

“Huh?”

Karen’s head tilted slightly to the side, as if she was surprised that the answer wasn’t an immediate yes. Then she burst into a giggle.

“Ahaha, I guess I misspoke!”

Karen stopped laughing, her expression sharpened.

“It’s not a suggestion, it’s an order, and you have no veto power.”

“What? What does that mean……?”

“You may be the Witch of the Walpurgis Night, but you’ve crossed the line.”

Ronan, who was used to laughing off any rudeness his opponents might commit, stepped forward for the first time to point out someone’s behavior.

“You’re out of it. This is between Karen and that witch.”

“That can’t be right. Even if it looks like it, Miss Ena Grundt is a client of ours. You expect me to just look the other way when you’re threatening the client?”

Ronan didn’t back down from Karen’s eerie glare.

There was a faint hint of irritation in Karen’s expression.

“That means you’re going to rebel against me now!”

The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.

The piercing aura emanating from Karen’s body made their skin tingle.

Lorraine, who had been smiling mischievously a moment ago, turned grim and reached for the gun at her waist.

Diolan, who was resting his head on the table, also became sharp.

The sight made Karen’s mouth twitch in amusement rather than horror.

“That’s funny. Are you guys going to dance with me?”

-Boom!

Immediately after, something was held in Karen’s hands.

What suddenly appeared was a sharp halberd with a very large blade.

Somehow, with those slender arms, Karen was able to lift a large halberd with such ease.

What’s even more surprising is where she had hidden it, and then suddenly pulled it out of nowhere.

“Uh, what now?

Ena fidgeted at the sight.

She had gotten herself into this fight for nothing.

She wondered if she should follow Karen now, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Ena’s gaze snapped to the side, and there was Osian, a handsome man with dark hair.

He looked at her with a straight face and shook his head.

“……”

At the sight of him, Ena felt her fear wash away and her heart calm.

She didn’t know why, she just felt an unfounded confidence that it would work out.

“Suddenly showing up like this, I’m not sure what kind of rudeness this is, but…”

In a place filled with suffocating tension, Osian’s calm voice pierced the space.

“You’d better back off while we’re being polite.”

Karen’s gaze snapped to Osian.

Her tiny, unreadable pupils pierced gently into Osian’s face.

“Who are you?”

“Does it matter now?”

-Hmph.

Osian drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at an angle toward the floor.

A warning to back off or he would slash.

“Ahaha. You use something similar to mine, huh?”

Karen chuckled as she saw the sword in Osian’s hand.

“Too bad, Karen’s is a much, much better weapon than that old thing.”

-Whirriik.

Karen spun the halberd in each hand like a windmill, using only her fingers.

With each spin, the halberd cut through the air, generating fierce wind pressure.

Osian smirked at Karen.

“I think your weapon is even cheaper.”

“……”

Karen’s smile faded for a moment.

The maniacal grin returned, but her mood seemed much lower than before.

A tremendous energy surged towards Osian.

Even Ena behind him would have paled in color, but Osian remained unaffected.

He opened his mouth nonchalantly.

“If anything, I’m the one who feels bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you said you used something similar.”

Osian tightened his grip on the sword.

-Snap.

The palm and the handle rubbed together, making an eerie sound.

“How dare you compare a weapon forged by sorcery to mine?”

Starlight burst forth from the sword.