“…That is all. Does the accused admit to the crime?” 

At the judge’s words, Irvelyn, who had only been half listening, slowly raised her head. 

She had spent every moment in her cell torn by indecision, wondering what to do. 

But deep down she knew – since Yoris had chosen her, there was no way out. 

If escape was impossible, then the only option was to endure this ordeal and then summon the Great Witch. 

After all, they were both witches – beings no longer fully human, bound by blood. 

And witches never abandoned their own. 

Besides, no one here knew what she really was – that she was a witch capable of magic. 

Even if they brought witnesses, no one could prove anything. 

All she had to do was cry, deny everything, and claim ignorance. That would be enough – at least for now. 

With that decision, Irvelyn let tears well up in her eyes and trickle down her cheeks as she shook her head, her whole body shaking in denial. 

She offered no facts or explanations – just raw emotion, hoping it would sway the court in her favor.

“Why on earth would I do such a thing? My father took me in, and the young master of the Diharman family, he…” 

Irvelyn’s voice trembled as she spoke, stopping only when her blindfold was soaked with tears. 

“…You accuse me of such terrible things and treat me like a criminal – it truly breaks my heart,” she cried, her voice growing louder and more desperate. “I would rather rip my heart out of my chest and show it to you if it would prove my innocence. I swear I knew nothing!” 

She poured out her words with all the passion and agony she could muster, her body shaking as if overcome with grief. 

But hidden behind her blindfold, she couldn’t see the faces of those watching her – faces that had long since turned from doubt to sheer contempt. 

Even the Judge, who had listened in silence, narrowed his eyes as if he saw something repulsive, not quite human. 

He parted his lips to speak, but the words caught in his throat as a Knight of the Imperial Order leaned forward and whispered softly in his ear.

Nodding slightly, the judge raised his voice and declared,

“With the last witness, we will proceed to the verdict!”

At that moment, the door at the back of the courtroom swung open, and a gust of cold winter wind stirred the heavy, damp air inside.

“Oh, heavens. My God…”

A short gasp escaped from someone in the room as the last witness appeared, eyes as cold and sharp as steel in winter, focused directly on Irvelyn.

“Duke Fraser, you may speak.”

Even those who doubted their own eyes drew in a sharp breath at the Judge’s stern voice.

The Duke of Fraser, reportedly still unconscious after collapsing in a pool of blood, had appeared without warning.

Ignoring the silent cries of shock that rippled through the room, Curtis gave the Judge a brief, formal nod before speaking.

“Yoris Diharman has testified that he was acting under orders from this woman.”

As his eyes met those of Count Diharman, who had just received the news of his son’s awakening, Curtis nodded slowly.

“The House of Fraser will not hold him responsible for his crimes.”

Before he had finished speaking, Count Diharman hurried out of the courtroom.

“Furthermore, the claim that she is an illegitimate child of the Romand family has been proven false. Thus, the House of Romand is also a victim in this matter. We will spare no support for the heir who will succeed the late Count of Romand.”

“My God!”

“She wasn’t even of Romand blood?”

“Heavens, then that means the former count as well…”

Although there was a brief stir in the courtroom, all eyes remained fixed on Curtis, unable to look away.

However, as if to say that his role was now over, Curtis took a step back and the judge began to speak.

“The crimes of the accused are countless and grave, yet there is not a trace of remorse to be found. Even with the passage of time, there is no hope of repentance. Therefore, I will pass sentence.”

At the judge’s words, Irvelyn, who had been trembling with shock since Curtis had spoken, jumped violently, her shoulders shaking.

“Death!”

The moment the sentence was uttered, Irvelyn, with a burst of inhuman strength, shook the knight’s hand from her shoulder and shot to her feet.

“Lies! It’s all lies! This is all a trap! You think I’m going to die in a place like this?”

She screamed at the top of her lungs, shaking her heavy shackles, but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly collapsed backwards with a sharp thud.

Everyone in the courtroom froze, unable to utter a word as the knights guarding her rushed to her side in alarm.

“S-She’s dead! Her heart has stopped!”

“What?! What do you mean?!”

At the Knight’s report, his superior quickly checked Irvelyn’s neck and wrist for a pulse, even pressing his ear to her chest.

Another Knight, double-checking just in case, removed the cloth that had covered her eyes.

“D*mn it…”

Faced with bloodshot eyes, veins bursting and red as fire, the Knight swallowed the curse that had slipped out and searched carefully for any remaining signs of life.

“She’s dead.”

“Shall we close her eyes?”

Her face was so horribly twisted that anyone with a weak heart would have felt their stomach drop just by looking at her.

“Leave her. She’s a criminal.”

When the confirmation of death was complete, one of the knights turned to the judge and reported,

“Irvelyn Lo… no, Irvelyn is dead.”

It is said that when you are overcome with shock or disbelief, sometimes all you can do is laugh.

“Hah… ha-ha. What on earth…”

As the Judge let out a hollow laugh, unable to say anything more, the others who had also witnessed her death stood frozen, eyes wide, unable to utter a single word.

Of course, there were always exceptions – and Curtis Fraser had always been that exception.

Instead of reacting with shock, panic, or denial, insisting that she couldn’t possibly be dead, he simply kept his gaze fixed on Irvelyn’s body, his eyes calm and unwavering.

He had no proof. It was only his uncanny, almost otherworldly intuition that whispered to him.

This woman – she would soon come back to life.

So even as the room gradually filled with murmurs and the people called to handle the body moved hesitantly, weighed down by fear and unease, Curtis remained silent.

The reluctance of those ordered to approach her was written all over their faces, and with eyes narrowed in fear, they finally reached out to Irvelyn’s lifeless body.

The moment their hands brushed over her-

“Hrrrgh!”

With a sharp, ragged gasp, Irvelyn jerked to her feet, flailing her arms as she came back to life.

“Aaaaah!”

“Kyaaah!”

“Ahhh! H-hah!”

It was as sudden and shocking as their deaths – an unexpected resurrection.

And if sudden death was frightening enough, resurrection was even harder to accept.

Even if a person who had done good deeds all his life was declared a saint by the temple and then rose from the dead, people would still recoil in horror and cry out.

“Is this the work of a demon?”

But this was a criminal who had already been sentenced to death for countless proven crimes.

Besides, hadn’t people been whispering just a few moments ago, wondering what kind of monstrous trick she had used to make eye contact with them?

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Countess Lapir’s offhand remark echoed in someone’s mind:

“…If this isn’t magic, then what is…?”

“M-Magic?”

The single word that fell from the lips of one frightened person quickly spread like wildfire, consuming the entire courtroom.

“It’s magic!”

“Magic? Then… a witch? Has a witch returned?!”

Screams like crashing waves swept through the courtroom.

Amid the growing chaos, Curtis began to move.

“Your Honor.”

“W-What? Duke Fraser?”

Leaning forward, Curtis whispered a few words into the judge’s ear and then, without another glance, turned and left the courtroom.

He had already dealt with what threatened Dalia – now it was time to return to her.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

“Order! Order in the court! Knights, secure the room!”

As Curtis left the courtroom, the judge, now forced to call in the Knights, struggled to restore order to a courtroom that was on the verge of erupting into a full-blown riot.

“Magic or witchcraft, the verdict stands! However…”

Glancing down at Irvelyn, who was gasping for breath as she struggled to sit up, the judge quickly looked away and continued,

“As a precaution against any unforeseen danger, the sentence will be carried out by burning at the stake!”

“Wooooaaaah!”

As soon as the sentence was pronounced, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.

In the midst of it all, Irvelyn, who had died and come back to life, couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening – but the word “burn” rang loud and clear in her ears.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was so dry that only a faint metallic rasp escaped.

Just as she was about to lash out again in desperation, she froze.

‘Great Witch!’

The one who had made her realize she was a witch was here now.

‘Save me. Please, save me…’

Irvelyn’s bloodshot eyes darted frantically as her lips moved silently, but the Great Witch did not move.

“Tsk. Foolish and thoughtless thing.”

The Great Witch had never intended to rescue her.

She was merely here to witness Irvelyn’s last moments – nothing more, as was expected of a ‘Grand Witch’.

“Now that you can’t even use magic, you’re no longer a witch. What a wasted journey.”

Even if Irvelyn had still been a witch, the Great Witch would never have saved her.

If a witch’s magic could truly deceive the eyes of all these people and toy with knights who are among the strongest on the continent, why would witches have lived their lives so thoroughly in hiding?

Besides, witches so devoted to their own desires-so much so that their desires take the form of magic-would never have anything like loyalty.

With half-closed eyes, the Great Witch studied Irvelyn carefully, then shook her head.

As expected, no trace of magic remained.

Without another word, she turned her back on Irvelyn, leaving her behind, and walked away.

As she watched the Great Witch walk away, Irvelyn tried to scream.

“Mmm, mmph!”

But before she could utter a sound, a knight roughly covered her eyes again with a cloth and immediately shoved a gag into her mouth.

Unlike the lengthy trial and sentencing, the execution by burning was quick.

The well-dried wood and oil, prepared long in advance, were set in place and Irvelyn was dragged out like a beast, powerless to resist.

Bound tightly and writhing like an insect, she kept shaking her head until she was secured in the center of the stake.

Crackle.

But all her struggles were in vain, fading into nothingness as the flames rose steadily at her feet.

Hungrily feeding on the dry winter air, the fire swelled rapidly, leaping upward until it reached Irvelyn’s feet in an instant.

The moment the flames licked at her toes, thoroughly soaked in wet oil-

“Screee… AAAAAAAAGH!”

She became one with the fire, her body engulfed, burning violently as the flames roared around her.

“Kyaaaah! Aaaagh! Kahaaaaaaaagh!”

Her screams went on and on – even as her flesh melted and her bones burned, she continued to scream.

And yet not a single person took pity on her, not a single shred of compassion spared her.

For Irvelyn’s so-called “love” no longer existed.

“Gaaaah… ugh…”

The screams that seemed to never end finally stopped, and the stench of burning flesh hung in the air for a long time.

“Tch.”

One person, who had watched her die without blinking, remained as the others dispersed, spitting on the ground.

Not long after the last person left, a cold wind stirred the gray ashes and scattered them into the air.

It was a miserable end, leaving no trace of her.