His Kindness Is A Lie - Chapter 1

“Did you hear? The Duke of Beliar is passing through Heverton today.”

Ian’s words from earlier in the day echoed in her mind.

Heverton was a quiet city, slightly removed from the capital. The outskirts of the city, however, were bustling with people who had come out to catch a glimpse.

“Is it true? Is the Duke really coming through here?”

“He should be passing by any moment now…”

“Oh, look! There he is!”

Amid the excited chatter and commotion, Bella, her hood pulled deep over her face, paused in her tracks.

She knew all too well that she needed to avoid drawing attention to herself, but like anyone else, her natural curiosity got the better of her.

“Wow, look at how many knights there are. This looks bigger than the Emperor’s procession.”

“…Well, isn’t the Duke of Beliar basically the real ruler of this country?”

“Hey! Watch your mouth! You could get in serious trouble for saying that.”

“Am I wrong, though? Everyone knows the Emperor is just a puppet for the Duke. Even a stray dog on the street could tell you that.”

“…Well, you’re not wrong. I’ve heard that when the two meet in private, the Emperor practically grovels at the Duke’s feet.”

Wherever people gathered, rumors inevitably followed. Bella, herself the subject of countless rumors in the Empire, couldn’t really blame others for indulging in gossip when she did the same.

A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips. Just as she was about to walk away toward a quieter area, another voice stopped her in her tracks.

“They say it’s true. It’s been two hundred years, and he still looks so young… He’s definitely not normal. He must be… a witch, or something…”

The words caught her attention, and she focused on the conversation. Before she could make sense of it, someone lightly tapped her shoulder. Startled, she spun around, only to see Ian smiling softly at her.

“Bella.”

“…Ian.”

“I told you to stay out of sight, didn’t I?”

Bella’s gaze wandered toward the Duke’s procession in the distance. The Duke’s emblem flapped boldly in the wind, the lavish carriages followed by a massive entourage. And inside that grand black carriage was a single, noble figure. Bella couldn’t take her eyes off it, as though she were staring at a star in the night sky.

“It’s just… I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Want to watch a little longer?”

“…No. Let’s head back to the forest.”

Without hesitation, Bella turned her steps toward the woods. Watching any longer only stirred unnecessary desires within her.

As they entered the still, secluded depths of the forest, a sense of calm washed over her. It was easier on her mind to stay in places where no one could see her. She perched on a tree stump and spoke to Ian in a low voice.

“Hey, Ian. Have you ever been to Bern?”

“Bern? That’s the northernmost city in the Empire, right? No, I’ve never gone that far. Why do you ask?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

After a brief hesitation, Bella finally spoke up.

“I overheard people talking earlier. They said there’s a witch hiding in Bern… and that she uses magic.”

Magic?

Ian, who had been stacking firewood, chuckled as if the idea was absurd.

“Where did you even hear something like that?”

“Right? It’s such a ridiculous rumor,” Bella replied with a faint smile.

She’d be even prettier if she smiled more fully.

Ian couldn’t tear his gaze away from Bella’s violet eyes, which sparkled with a mix of loneliness and sorrow. To him, those eyes were like magic—mystical and entrancing.

But those same eyes were the reason she was shunned by others. A small rumor, born from someone’s lips, had twisted into a prophecy-like belief that spread throughout the Empire.

They said that a witch with violet eyes had once built the Empire with her overwhelming power, only to eventually destroy it with that same power.

In the hearts of people who only heard what they wanted to hear, reverence for the witch was overshadowed by fear and unease. That was why Bella lived alone, hidden deep within the forest, far from prying eyes.

“Bella.”

“Yeah?”

“One day, would you like to go to Bern with me?”

“All the way to Bern?”

“Yeah, I’ll take you there myself.”

Bella imagined herself walking among people alongside Ian. But no matter how hard she tried, it felt like an unreachable dream, impossibly far away.

She nodded slightly.

“…Sure.”

“Bella, uh…”

Watching Ian hesitate, fumbling for words, Bella smiled faintly.

“What’s with the suspense? Just say it.”

“…Would you meet me tomorrow night?”

“We’re meeting tonight already, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but tomorrow night is special. You have to meet me. There’s something I want to show you, something I want to give you, and… well, a lot I want to say.”

“Alright, let’s meet.”

At her agreement, Ian tightly gripped the pendant hidden in his pocket. He had been putting off confessing out of embarrassment, but tomorrow, he was determined to finally tell her how he felt.

The next day, as soon as the sun set, Ian was about to leave the house when he bumped into his mother coming in.

“Ian, are you heading out?”

“I made plans to meet a friend for a little while.”

Usually, Lisa would have happily told him to go, but tonight, her expression was uneasy.

“You’re an adult, so I don’t worry much about you, but… just for tonight, can’t you stay home? You can meet your friend tomorrow instead.”

“I really need to give them something tonight.”

“The mood in the village isn’t good right now. Earlier, a whole group of armed knights came through.”

Ian’s face hardened at her words.

“…Knights?”

“Yes. Thankfully, they seemed to be heading toward the forest, but still… tonight isn’t the best time to be out—”

Before Lisa could finish, Ian opened the door and dashed out.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry!”

“Ian! Hey!”

He sprinted toward the forest, his heart pounding with an ominous feeling he couldn’t shake. The signs of several people having already passed through the forest were impossible to ignore, but he forced himself to look away, focusing only on running faster.

When he finally reached the spot, all that remained were traces of a desperate struggle. Bella was gone.

“…Bella.”

Ian stood there, unable to move for a long time. He later heard that the knights had failed to capture the witch, and orders for her capture had been sent to neighboring towns.

The bustling chatter about witches eventually died down, and Heverton soon returned to its usual quiet.

The fairy-like girl who had lived in the forest, hidden away from the world, was no longer there.

Ian, holding Bella’s memory close to his heart, began visiting the chapel every day, praying to the goddess for her safety. At the same time, he cursed the goddess in his heart.

It wasn’t even a grand confession he had planned. Just a simple gesture: handing her a pretty pendant and telling her he liked her.

That was all. Just a modest happiness he wanted to share with her. But even that small joy had been denied to Bella.

How could he not resent the gods?

* * *

About ten days had passed since she fled Heverton.

In the chaos of her escape, Bella’s memories of Heverton had grown distant, yet certain moments still lingered vividly in her mind.

The shimmering lake under the moonlight, the glow of fireflies flickering above its surface, and… the heavy footsteps of knights. It was the night she had to leave Heverton without even properly saying goodbye to Ian.

Knights trailed her no matter where she went. As she fled further north, her steps eventually brought her to Bern. If she had to flee from here as well, crossing the border would be her only option.

She’d heard Bern was the only city without a temple, and it seemed the rumors were true. As soon as she entered Bern, all traces of the temple knights vanished.

Though it was only late autumn, the harsh winter air enveloped the land, and the biting cold made her skin tremble. The frigid winds made her acutely aware that she’d reached Bern—a place she’d never imagined coming to like this.

“Ian…”

She thought of him, the one who had once said they should visit Bern together someday. But even this longing felt like a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Just surviving each day was becoming more burdensome, leaving no room for sentiment. In a way, perhaps it was better that things had ended the way they did with Ian.

Bella pulled her loosely hanging hood down tightly over her face. Even in this deserted forest, she instinctively lowered her gaze as she walked, a habit ingrained in her.

The relentless wind slowed her steps, and with the sun sinking lower in the sky, she knew it was getting late. But what she desperately sought showed no signs of appearing.

“Usually, there’d be at least one in a forest like this…”

Looking around, Bella finally spotted something in the distance and let out a sigh of relief—a weathered old cabin, abandoned deep in the forest.

All she had been searching for was a place to rest. A cave would’ve sufficed, and a decrepit cabin was even better.

It was fortunate she’d found shelter before nightfall. If she hadn’t, her only option would’ve been to head into the village, blindfold herself with a tattered piece of cloth like she’d done before, and pretend to be blind to avoid suspicion while staying at an inn.

Even then, she’d be consumed with anxiety, fearing someone might recognize her. Whether or not her eyes were visible, the cold, judgmental stares of others were something she couldn’t escape.

Dragging her exhausted body into the cabin, Bella sat down. Her feet were in terrible shape from all the walking. She carefully examined her surroundings but found no signs of anyone having stayed here recently.

“It’s cleaner than I expected.”

Sunlight must’ve reached the cabin during the day, as the interior wasn’t damp or moldy. But what Bella liked most about the place was…

“Come here.”

A small, fluffy creature peeked out from behind a tree, glancing at her curiously.

When she gently called and gestured toward it, a pure white rabbit cautiously hopped closer. Despite its wariness, it eventually came close enough to rub against her hand.

The warmth from the small animal spread to her frozen hands, and a faint smile blossomed on her face. The little creature was like a ray of sunlight in the cold.

“Have you eaten anything? If I’d known, I would’ve brought something for you…”

She hadn’t had the time to prepare any food before rushing into the forest. The rabbit’s precious warmth had been a gift to her, and now she wanted to give something in return.

As she racked her brain for what she could offer, a rustling sound came from somewhere nearby. It could have been another animal, but in the forest, such noises were rarely a good omen.

A chilling unease crawled down her spine as she turned to look. Sure enough, someone was standing in the distance.

It was a man. As her gaze focused, she noticed he was holding a weapon. A hunter, perhaps? But the ominous feeling only grew stronger.

“Um, I… I’m just…”

She tried to say something, but her voice faltered, her tongue frozen with fear.

As the man moved, something gleamed under the sunlight. Though she wasn’t intimately familiar with the object in his hands, there was one thing she was absolutely certain of in that moment.

The same fear she had felt once before, when she was being chased by the temple knights. The glint of metal, the small opening of a muzzle aimed directly at her.

“A-ah…!”

The cruel memory of the gun pointed at her surged back to life. And now, it was happening again. Bella instinctively shut her eyes tight and curled in on herself, bracing for the inevitable.

Bang—!

A single, deafening gunshot shattered the air.

But no pain came.

Cautiously, Bella opened her eyes, her frightened gaze falling downward.

The rabbit, the source of the comforting warmth she had just cherished, was now soaked in blood, lying lifeless on the ground.

It hadn’t even closed its eyes before it collapsed. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Was it rage? Or fear?

Her breathing quickened, and white puffs of her breath clouded the icy air.

By then, the man had taken a few steps closer. His movements had unfolded in the span of seconds, but to her, time had slowed to a crawl.

The man had jet-black hair and a cold, unfeeling expression as he looked straight at her.

“You…!”

She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat as their eyes met.

Was this how others had felt when they looked at her?

The moment she locked eyes with his deep, blood-red irises, an indescribable fear gripped her entire body.

This wasn’t a man.

He wasn’t human.

As soon as his crimson eyes, burning with an unsettling intensity, met hers—eyes filled with fear and anxiety—they seemed to dull and grow heavy, as if something within him had shifted.

But the man did not hesitate.

He raised his gun again.

This time, it wasn’t aimed at the rabbit.

It was pointed directly at her.