Lilith. Laila silently repeated her name.

Lilith Kristrad.

It was the first time she had heard that name. But it didn’t feel unfamiliar at all.

As if she had known her for a long time, Laila knew she felt an unconditional attraction to Lilith. Just like when she first saw Eustar.

That strange sensation of not wanting to disobey even a single simple word of his came back vividly, as if it were just yesterday. Her legs went numb.

Lilith said,

“Come inside.”

After hesitating for a moment, Laila could no longer refuse and stepped into her house, a place that was once Laila’s own home.

The structure inside the house had something familiar about it. For instance, the shape of the rafters crossing the ceiling in a lattice, or the way the wall with the fireplace protruded slightly outward.

It was exactly the same as when Laila was born in that house, and when she last saw it.

The sight of dried herbs or flowers hanging on the walls and ceiling was also similar.

There was less furniture and household items than when Laila lived there, but they didn’t look too old and were well-organized. The bed with its sheets removed was clean, and sunlight slanted across it, following the shape of the window.

There was no trace of such an atmosphere in Lilith’s house – the first witch, the woman who voluntarily summoned and mated with a demon.

“Sit down.”

Laila’s eyes widened as she saw the chair Lilith was pointing to.

It was a rocking chair. Clean as if newly made, with the armrests still gleaming, but Laila could recognize that chair at a glance.

The lily engraved on the outside of the armrest was very clear, unworn by the passage of time.

“What’s wrong?”

When Lilith asked, Laila, who had been moving her lips, shook her head.

“No, nothing…”

She thought the chair suddenly seemed to rock back and forth.

As if someone was sitting in it, though no one had touched it and there was no wind. But when she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the chair stood still, not moving an inch.

Laila recalled the image of her mother sobbing in that chair. Her mother crying in a low voice with her face covered. A person who had pride as a witch.

“This chair…”

“Oh, that? I received it as a gift. It’s clean and pretty, isn’t it?”

“You received it… as a gift? From whom?”

Lilith smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know well.”

“You don’t know who gave you something like this?”

“I know who, but I don’t know what kind of person they are. I don’t even know their name well. That man… he just comes occasionally to help me and leaves. He does things like chopping firewood, stuff like that. He seems to live in the village, but he doesn’t say anything when he comes. Even if I talk to him, he hardly answers.”

Lilith put a bundle of dried herbs into a pot, then ground some berries that help with wound healing using a mortar. There was no crystal, nor any spell. Laila was enveloped in an increasingly strange feeling.

“That man… is he human?”

Lilith, who had been moving the mortar, laughed with her eyes wide open as if to say, what kind of question is that?

“What are you saying? What else would he be?”

Her expression, shaking her shoulders as if amused, looked utterly pure. No, perhaps ‘clear’ would be a better word? She was an innocent woman.

Although there was occasional worry visible in her downcast gaze, even that couldn’t completely hide her beauty.

“Now, I’ll apply this first and then put some linen on it. And when the herbs are done boiling, you should drink a little. It will help ease the pain. Oh my, you’re wearing such unique clothes. What kind of clothes are these? They look just like men’s clothes.”

“They are men’s clothes.”

“Shall we roll them up?”

It wasn’t easy, but Laila slowly rolled up her trouser leg to reveal the wound.

She thought it wasn’t a big wound, but although the area wasn’t large, it was deeper than she expected. As if she had hit a sharp part of a rock, blood had flowed and congealed from the ugly gash.

“It will sting. But bear with it a little. It will subside.”

Lilith carefully spread what was in the bowl around the wound, scooping it up little by little with a small wooden spoon.

There was a sensation of needles pricking into the skin, but after waiting a bit, the throbbing subsided along with a cool feeling. After scraping the contents of the bowl to thoroughly cover the wound, Lilith sang a song while cutting clean linen.

His face is like the morning star of a spring dawn,

His voice is like the cry in a winter cave.

He is excited by the flames of love

Kissing and whispering to the red-haired maiden.

If I leave, I won’t be able to return

You won’t wait for me.

Laila, who had been blinking her eyes like a dazed person, suddenly raised her head. Even as she did so, Lilith continued to sing softly. The rustling sound of scissors cut through between the lines of the song.

His eyes are like the shadows of summer foliage,

His touch is like the autumn leaves turning color.

He has no interest in gold, throne, or the wine of gods.

Only waiting for the red-haired maiden he loves…

“What song is that?” Lilith’s singing stopped abruptly at Laila’s words. “Who taught it to you?”

Lilith stopped cutting the linen and looked at Laila as if to say ‘why do you ask?’, then suddenly blushed. A shy flush appeared on her round cheeks.

“No one taught it to me. It’s a song I made.”

That can’t be. Laila thought. She knew that song. But even she couldn’t remember where she had heard it. It wasn’t as clear as if she had heard it in a dream.

“It’s not like a lullaby, right?”

Lilith laughed and shook her head at Laila’s words.

“I’ve never fallen asleep listening to a lullaby. My parents died as soon as I was born, so I survived in the forest drinking wolf’s milk and eating fruit.”

Lilith glanced at Laila’s expression and laughed out loud again.

“I’m joking. But it’s true that I have no parents. I grew up in the hands of relatives, and I nearly died from being beaten several times.”

Lilith, who had been moving her lips for a moment, brought the cleanly cut linen and sat down at Laila’s feet, raising her gaze.

“Were you alright?”

Laila looked down at Lilith with a confused expression, not knowing what to say for a moment.

What does she mean by ‘alright’? Perhaps Lilith thought that Laila, like herself, had run away from somewhere after being abused.

“I… was alright.”

“That’s good. There are so many bad people in the world. Just escaping from such people is a success in my life.”

Lilith, who had responded casually, hummed that song again while applying the linen to Laila’s knee.

Even as she carefully covered the wound, Laila couldn’t concentrate at all. Badin’s voice kept coming up in her head.

— The first witch, her hair was originally the color of the evening star rising in the late evening. It rippled like a river of honey when she stood under the sunlight, shining brightly golden.

— But the moment she surrendered her body and soul to me, her soul burned due to great pain and even stronger pleasure. Thus, her hair turned black, and her eyes, containing flames, turned red.

— That is the mark of a witch.

This woman is not yet a witch. Laila thought. Look at this luscious blonde hair and beautiful light brown eyes. She hasn’t met Badin yet…

“There, it’s done.”

Laila, who flinched, lowered her gaze to her knee. The wound was covered with linen and medicine and couldn’t be seen. The skill with which she had carefully wrapped her leg was very proficient.

“Will you sit and wait for a while? I’ll go pick some mushrooms and herbs. It will be delicious if we make soup with them for dinner. The sun sets quickly here, so you should stay at my house tonight.”

“No, I can’t do that. I…”

“It’s okay. You won’t be able to walk for long with that leg anyway. If you keep moving, the wound will open and bleed again. It’s better to rest well tonight and leave tomorrow when the wound has healed.”

“Then I’ll go with you. To pick mushrooms, I mean.”

Lilith laughed and shook her head.

“I told you, didn’t I? If you keep moving, the wound will open. It’s fine. I know the nearby mountains well. There are no dangerous beasts around here.”

I know. Laila, who almost answered like that, closed her mouth, and in the meantime, Lilith went out of the house carrying an empty basket. Tap, tap, the sound of light footsteps slowly faded away towards the mountain, turning around the side of the house.

What on earth is going on here?

Left alone, Laila looked around the house once more with fresh eyes and finally stood up. The rocking chair rocked back and forth, but it didn’t make the creaking noise she remembered.

Laila, dragging her one knee that wouldn’t bend well, came out and gazed blankly at the distant Rijkus.

It seemed like there were more houses than she remembered. No, are there fewer? Standing here and looking down at the village itself was too long ago.

‘I wonder what happened to Eustar.’

As she thought of him, her head and chest ached as if stabbed by a knife at the same time. What happened to her body left there? Would her body still be there? If she had disappeared into the book, Eustar…

“Worry about yourself.”

Laila turned around, unable to breathe, at the sudden sound of a man’s voice behind her.

Badin was standing behind her.

“You…”

Laila, who had been muttering with her eyes wide open, frowned with all her might.

“You, how are you… What’s going on? Why are you here!”

“That’s what I want to ask.”

Badin, who sighed again, took a step towards Laila. His gaze moved towards Laila’s knee, which was covered with linen.

“Why are you here? How did you come here?”

“Come? I didn’t come here because I wanted to! What… what is this place? Is it a real place? No, it can’t be. This is…”

Laila, who had been shaking her head and unable to continue speaking, let out a trembling sigh as if she was about to burst into tears.

“I went to the city of magicians. I found the witch’s book in their ‘library’. The demons… A book that can interpret the writing you use.”

Badin’s smooth eyebrows roughly contracted towards his brow.