Chapter 15

An object had ruthlessly thrown her against the wall.

Wivior's eyes were on Elvira. Who knows what he was thinking? She was too drained to care much about that. The witch killer was powerful and an ass!

Although the wizard assisted her in getting up and sitting on the bed, he refrained from speaking. Was Elvira's cover blown?

"Uh, the staff jumped out of the cupboard out of nowhere and attacked me," Elvira explained. "It has been screaming one word incessantly." She glared at the object that was still doing it.

"Attacked you?" Worry dawned on Wivior's face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am only a little tired," Elvira answered, forcing a faint smile.

Wivior approached the staff. The moment he picked it up, its annoying sound silenced, and Elvira felt a rush of energy. 

"It was making you weak. You're lucky that I made it here on time," said Wivior, looking dead serious. 

"This staff is a witch killer. It knows nothing other than to attack a witch and a warlock when it sees one," he added.

Elvira gulped in fear. Those facts coming from a wizard made them seem more real. She shouldn't have hurled insults at it.

"Can it kill on its own, or does it need a master to follow?" she asked.

"It's only an object," said Wivior while tossing the staff around like a powerless toy. "Most of the time, it requires a master. It doesn't have eyes and can only sense energies."

The question that was stuck like a lump in her throat was whether it could sense Elvira's true energy or not. 

"It hasn't been used for quite a while now. Probably why it's dying to kill a witch!" he laughed, and she forced a chuckle to mask her fear." What I find strange is why it attacked you, a human. Maybe you held it wrong or said something insulting to it. This staff can hear you and is sensitive to certain words and doesn't want to be held by just anyone."

"I did hold it and may have said something while trying to put it back into the cupboard. I hope it doesn't keep a grudge, does it?" said Elvira, praying for a gentle answer.

Wivior pointed the staff towards her, and it started glowing with the same fire-like red energy. It seemed like he was about to attack her. Instinctively, she moved back and almost fell off the bed.

Wivior giggled and put the staff down. "Be careful. You don't need to be afraid of it. It only harms dreadful creatures like witches and warlocks."

"Let me show you." He pointed the staff at her again, which made her freeze in fear. "See, nothing is happening, but it would have resulted in death if you were a witch. The power of this staff can obliterate a witch's body into a million pieces."

Elvira moved away from his target. His words gave her goosebumps. The good news was that the staff didn't know squat as Elvira was still alive in its presence.

"That's gruesome to kill anyone like that," Elvira commented.

It seemed like Wivior strongly disagreed with her. "Well, what do you know about witches except that a few are on your tail? Has anyone told you much about witches and warlocks?"

"Yes, my parents have told me a little about them," she answered.

"Well, I hope they never tried to benefit from witchcraft services that these creatures provide to humans," he said. 

"You mean magic they do for humans for payment?" Elvira asked.

"Yes. You're pretty smart for a princess who probably never left the castle." Wivior applauded for her.

"I may not have permission to leave the kingdom, but I have attended many events held on our lands," said Elvira.

"It is sad how noblemen treat their daughters like caged birds," he began again. "Women among our species are free to go wherever they want. Royals need to be more careful than commoners."

Elvira raised her eyebrows. "I see no women around here."

"Out here, men and women are never put into the same area to avoid relationships. They send wizards out here to train and work. However, some of us, like in my case, are brats, kicked out of their homes to learn a rough and valuable lesson. So the last thing they want is the recruits and the punished ones to get busy with lovemaking and romance," he said.

Hearing that he was not allowed to pursue romance brought Elvira joy. 

What kind of work was he talking about? And why was he sent out there to learn a lesson?

Wivior put the staff back inside the cupboard and returned to Elvira. "I need to wake up early tomorrow. You can sleep on the bed, and I'll take the fainting couch."

"Can I ask where you need to be tomorrow?" she asked. Her mission was to discover more about their world and secrets. Luckily, the man in front of her was a chatterbox, even though he hadn't told her anything of use yet.

"For that, I would have to tell you about my purpose of living in this castle," he said.

"So, can you?" She was already expecting something sinister planned against witches and spirits.

Wivior took a deep breath before beginning. "Around a hundred years ago, I was tasked with capturing monsters, although I don't recall the exact year. Monsters like those spirits that were bothering humans of Berkton and other nearby towns."

"I am not the only one here. We aren't allowed in wars yet. So, you can say that we do monster hunting on a small scale," he added.

"Pardon me for intruding in your life, but who put you into service? And why?" Elvira asked.

His expression changed like Elvira had touched a nerve. "Because I was not always the man I am today. I used to live my life in vain, not caring much about what was happening around me. My family's riches and status had spoiled me. Yes, I come from a noble family. I have also made some terrible, irreversible mistakes in my past."

"Those mistakes and one horrifying incident woke my sleeping conscience one day. A life of comfort and more power than I knew what to do with had turned me into a selfish monster."

Discussing his past caused his eyes to well with tears, and he struggled to hold them in. It was apparent that his past had traumatized him to a great extent. However, what noble family did he belong to? Was he related to any four of the names Agror took that day?

She couldn't ask him directly because humans had brief contact with magical beings and were known as morally grey creatures. So, most species were reluctant to share their secrets with them to avoid the possibility of being sold out to the enemy. 

Wivior soaked the tears in his eyes into a handkerchief without letting them fall on his face. "Although it was not my decision to come here. I was so ashamed that I ran from home to hide in the wilderness. My family soon found me and made this decision for me. I started small because I had limited knowledge of how to wield my magical powers for attacking and defending others."

"I am sorry for what happened to you." Elvira tried hard to fight her instinct to comfort him.

"It's okay. I would rather not talk about it more," said Wivior, averting her gaze.

Elvira couldn't ask any more questions about his personal life. Her curiosity was piqued about what caused the drastic change in his personality.

Of course, he was sent there against his will! Who would ever be stupid enough to dedicate their life to strangers for nothing in return? Aren't you only supposed to protect your kin? They are the only ones who would never betray you.

"Elvira, there is one more thing," began Wivior. "Stay inside this room at all times while I am away. I'll be back to give you some food to eat. It's uncertain when I will be free. So, I hope you can entertain yourself tomorrow on your own."

At least it allowed Elvira to investigate his room, except for one off-limits cupboard.

Elvira went to bed, unsure of what the day ahead had in store for her. She kept her uncle's diamond close to her heart and wished to be with her family soon.

The next day, Elvira woke up to the sweet smell of breakfast left there by Wivior, who wasn't anywhere around. She ate her fill before initiating her mission of the day.

Everywhere she looked, she found either empty items or personal and useless belongings of that wizard, such as clothes, shoes, and perfumes.

Could the witch killer's cupboard hold all the good stuff? Whatever was in that cupboard was valuable!

She spent the rest of the day reading through the small collection of books in his room and the one that her uncle had given her. 

It was a rare opportunity for her to let her uncle know she was okay, so she charged the diamond three times.

Wivior only returned to give her some food before leaving again.

That day was probably the longest day of her life due to lack of activity. Who knew that spying on someone could be so tedious? Instead of being stuck in a room, Elvira had expected to face danger after danger.

Around nightfall, Elvira was lying on a sofa, staring dead at the ceiling.

"In one day, you look like a prisoner who has been in solitary confinement for years." Wivior's voice entered her ears. "At least you had a pleasant view."

Elvira didn't hear him teleport to the room, but she was glad to have some company. "I tried my best not to go insane, but I guess I have failed," she said with a smile.

"I won't allow that to happen. Come with me." Wivior offered her his hand.

"Where?" she asked.

"Let's go outside for a while. Those men you needed to hide from have already left, so let's go outside and have a ball," Wivior answered.

Elvira immediately gave him her hand, and they teleported from the castle to a forest. They hadn't let go of each other's hands when they heard a spine-chilling voice from behind. "Wivior!"