I Picked Up a Witch With Amnesia

6. Bullshit – 09

“…umm…”

“…well, young people these days…”

At my remarks, the mood at the banquet hall has changed, albeit slightly. It seems that they quite liked the way I declared my love in front of them, rather than trying to get out of my body or get over it. As expected, breaking through the front was the clear answer to the old-timers who gave long speeches about the spirit of challenge and the spirit of young people these days.

“…..”

But at the same time, it was only a step forward. It was only a meager achievement. The banquet hall still occupied the majority of people who did not like me. Apparently, the situation I was in was not so easy that I could have gotten through it with just a few words.

And that was when An old man sitting in the corner of the dinner table, small in stature and wrinkled on his face, but at the same time his eyes shining brightly, quietly opened his mouth. From the outside, it was clear that he was a really insignificant, nothing old man, but strangely, I couldn’t take my eyes off the old man’s every single action. I felt short of breath and choking.

“Gaju, you may think it’s presumptuous, but I’d like to ask a question to my Duke Estelle. Could you please allow this old man to speak here?”

“…you do.”

When the Marquis of Castana nodded slightly in agreement with the old man’s question, the old man looked in my direction. The eyes of the old man and I cross. The old man’s eyes were very sharp. I feel the light in his eyes toward me exploding. As if looking straight into a person’s heart, his eyes pierce through me.

“Nice to meet you. Estelle of Sukhavati. I’ve heard stories about you, but it’s the first time I’ve actually seen you like this. I can only admire the fact that a noble person with a position equivalent to that of a small duke took such a difficult step.”

For reference, ‘Scavati’ was one of the old names for the area itself where the Estel Duchy is located. As far as I know, adding the name of a region in front of a family name was an old-fashioned etiquette of the past, more than a hundred years from now, but I couldn’t even guess how old the old man in front of me was.

However, since the old man greeted me with courtesy, I also had an obligation to show him respect. It was a natural courtesy for a noble to rule over others from birth. I also bowed toward him and bowed in court style bow.

“I just want to thank you for your generosity. Castana of Faobhar. Personally, I will gladly accept the hospitality of the elders.”

“Heh heh, I don’t know what to do with the little duke showing such respect to this insignificant old man.”

And it seems that the search for each other ended here. The old man, who had a benevolent smile on his face, the next moment, stiffened his face and asked me a question.

“Duke Estelle. If it is not rude to you, there is something I would like to ask you. Will you permit me to commit disrespect for the Duke?”

“Tell me. I will listen to the opinions of the elders.”

“Thank you, Little Duke. Then let me ask you a question.”

Saying that, the old man opened his eyes again.

“Little Duke. As you well know, the relationship between the two families, Castana and Estelle, has not been very good since ancient times. It’s a shameful story to tell, but you know very well that such a trend is so old and malignant that it has permeated deep into the minds of the children of the family for a thousand years. I can’t help but wonder about the relationship between the Duke and Bianca and that child.”

The same red-eyed gaze as Bianca’s was glaring at me. Suddenly, I wondered if the old man’s eyes were very similar to Bianca’s.

“Now, can the little duke enlighten this stupid old man? The Duke and Bianca, about the cause and effect of loving each other enough to make you betrothed.”

“…that…”

Certainly, the old man’s question was a valid point. I, too, think that Estelle and Castana’s descendents falling in love with each other is more unrealistic than a dog laying eggs.

However, that much is already a question within the assumption. That said, I wasn’t just sleeping in a daze throughout the journey to the Marquis of Castana. I’d already built up a perfect excuse for how Bianca and I fell in love.

“…Fortunately, that’s a question I can answer. The answer to that question is simple. Me and Bianca…”

But that was the time. A string of voices came crashing into my head. There was no doubt that it was not training, but transmission of thoughts through magic.

[Cain, I’ll tell you briefly. You can’t tell lies. never.]

‘…What?’

I involuntarily rolled my eyes and looked at Bianca. Bianca, who was standing next to me, just blinked her eyes with an innocent face as if nothing had happened. However, the voice from earlier was by no means a mistake. It must have been that just before, Bianca had used her magic to give me advice.

‘You can’t lie?’

…Come to think of it, I remember hearing about it somewhere. It is said that archmages who have reached a certain level can easily determine the authenticity of the words of others, although the principle is unknown. If so, was that chubby old man in front of me actually a great wizard who reached the same level as Bianca 10 years later?

‘…What should I do?’

Goddamn it, I realized that this one was many times more difficult than I had originally anticipated. In other words, I had to deceive everyone present here with only the truth unmixed with any lies. Against wizards who won’t be pushed anywhere if it’s brain rotation!

“…..”

I gently closed my eyes. Upon reflection, the situation was not so hopeless. Because between me and Bianca, there was no point of contact. Whether I wanted to or not, I had a lot of relationships with her. From the chance encounter 10 years ago when I was young, to the time I joined an expedition to defeat witches 10 years later, my life was dotted with bad relations with Bianca.

So what I was going to do was simple, if simple. In the middle of a bad relationship with Bianca that spanned over 20 years, extracting an emotional line that can convince them. I came to a hunch that it was the only way to overcome the difficulties facing me.

“…I. Me and Bianca…”

What I have to say has been decided from the beginning. After tracing the memory of her on the other side of the memory, he creates words at the tip of his tongue.

“As children, we had many encounters with each other. And at the end.”

I turned my head and glanced at Bianca. Since the story I am about to tell is related to our personal memories, I was concerned that I might offend her.

“…Me and her promised a future. Someday, we will definitely be together.”

Certainly, what I just said was not a lie. Because every time I parted with her, I would say hello and ask to meet again next time.

“…ah.”

And the moment I said those words, Bianca’s expression changed strangely. Her expression was inconceivable, partly happy, partly surprised, and partly angry.

‘… Ugh.’

Seeing Bianca’s expression like that, I shrank my body involuntarily. Could it be that I touched memories with the man who promised me a future with Bianca when I was young?

“…umm.”

And the old man, who had been watching the two of us like that, threw a question at me again in a tone that seemed to be incomprehensible.

“…Small Duke. Maybe it’s because my experience is short, but I don’t understand what you’re saying. Even if it is true that you made such a promise face to face when you were young, I guess that your meeting was only a few trivial encounters in a very short period of time. But in that short period of time, what kind of strength did Bianca see in the little duke, so she promised her future?”

The old man’s question contained the rationality of a wizard. However, I laughed bitterly while listening to the old man’s question. The old man’s words were right, but not right. Since ancient times, human emotions cannot be measured like a ruler.

“Old man. I think you asked me the wrong question.”

“…Are you asking the wrong question? What does that mean? Little Duke?”

“Because it seems right to ask, not because of my strengths, but because of my faults. I am not such a great person.”

“…You mean Bianca fell in love with the Duke’s flaws?”

The eyes of the old man who asked me back were full of interest. He seemed to be very interested in the dialogue with me.

“Little Duke, although I have no choice, I would like to ask you for an explanation. What was the meaning of what the Duke said just now?”

The old man’s words remind me of the first time I met Bianca as a child. At that time, she was just a child. After being hurt countless times and driven to the edge of a precipice, a small child who had no hope for his own life.

The first thing I felt when I saw her was that the child was truly in pain.

…And, I didn’t know the reason, and even if I did, I also knew that I shouldn’t be hasty about her pain. There was no way someone like me could understand the pain Bianca had felt until then, and it was even less likely that I could sympathize with her. Because that pain was only Bianca’s own.

“…I…”

However, I didn’t like the way Bianca looked like that. The child’s eyes were dead. I just thought that I couldn’t just watch a girl struggling in pain and suffering.

“…I was, and still are, nothing more than a flawed person. Being immature and immature, all I could do for Bianca was show my flaws.”

Yes. Then and now, Cain von Estel was nothing more than a ubiquitous idiot. But there were things that even such a country could do as easily as the rest of us. that’s right.

– …get out of my way.

– You are really stupid. It seems you haven’t even heard of a monstrous bitch from the Marquis of Castana, right? Don’t get hurt by wandering around beside me for no reason, just get out of here.

Towards a young child who is hurt and, after being hurt, only growls at others.

– By the way? So what?

– …what? you now…

– I’m not afraid of anything like you. Even an insignificant old man in our estate knows how to use magic. From my point of view, you are just an ordinary girl.

Swallowing fear inside, pretending to be strong by bluffing as much as you can. I acted like that because I wanted to be an opportunity for that child to turn his eyes away from the sadness surrounding him, even if it was just for a moment. So I argued with Bianca, quarreled with her, and even promised the next meeting.

…Anyway, that was the only thing I could do for her.

“…At the time, we were just immature, pathetic children. A weak child who didn’t know about love. But rather, I think it was because we were able to share each other’s pain and promise the future.”

I know very well. Bianca was a bad-tempered bitch, always bragging, always having an arrogant attitude towards others, and never knowing what was going on in her head. That’s why I couldn’t like a woman named Bianca that much.

…However, I couldn’t just openly hate her. because I knew At first glance, that woman who seemed perfect, how imperfect a woman she was in reality. It is also true that there is a wounded girl on the other side of the always confident appearance.

In the end, I and Bianca were only flawed human beings. He was just a pathetic person who couldn’t be honest with himself. However, Bianca’s flaws made me reach out to her. After all, it was an old story of that kind that was really insignificant.

“I am very young compared to the people gathered here, and I am well aware that I am not very good at discussing things. However, I think there is one thing I dare to promise in front of you.”

“…what is it?”

“I will never leave a woman named Bianca alone. As long as I am Bianca’s fiancé, I will always be by her side.”

This could hardly be called a lie. Because, while the contract with Bianca lasted, he was going to concentrate on pretending to be her fiancé. Of course, if I took everything I was supposed to from her, I would never see her face again.

I turn my face to the side and look at Bianca’s face. Her face was flushed to the point where it was hard to find the origin. Really, it was an immersion that could only be described as being perfectly immersed in pretending to be a fiancé in love with me.

flinch.

The hand that held Bianca trembled. Bianca, who was usually confident, disappeared everywhere. The only person present here was a woman with her head bowed toward the floor, as if feeling a great sense of shame at my words. I unknowingly put strength into the hand that held Bianca’s.

“That is all I can promise you here.”