"There’s no way she can catch up to me that quickly, right?!"
Evan sprinted through the dense forest, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder as he gasped for breath.
"Even if she’s a witch, I’m a thief! I’m much faster than—"
"Darling~! Why did you suddenly run away?"
The sweet, echoing voice sounded so close that the hairs on the back of Evan’s neck stood on end.
Through a gap in the foliage, Evan saw a terrifying sight: Anna was floating several inches above the ground, gliding rapidly toward him with her dress fluttering in the air. In her right hand, she gripped a sharp kitchen knife.
Her sweet smile was stretched incredibly wide, accompanied by a gleam in her red eyes that radiated insane obsession.
"Dear Evan... Where are you~? Your wife is coming~!" she called softly, yet intimidatingly.
"???????? ????! ?? ???????????????????????????? ???????? ??????????????!" Evan cursed inwardly. "If ?? ???????? ??????????????, ??????’???? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ????????????. ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????????!"
With a swift and agile movement, Evan abruptly veered to the side, slipping into a dense bush and hiding himself.
Anna’s floating movement slowed as her eyes scanned the surroundings.
Seeing the woman confused, Evan tried to formulate a strategy. This time, he deliberately used the language from his original world in his thoughts. If Anna was using mind-reading magic, she wouldn’t understand the structure of this foreign language.
"????????, ??????????. ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ????’???? ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??’?? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????????? ???? ???????? ??????????," Evan quickly analyzed.
Evan reached into his robe and pulled out his beloved large wooden slingshot along with a sharp stone. From behind the bush, he carefully aimed directly at Anna’s temple.
"?????????? ???? ??????... ?????? ?? ??????????’?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????????????? ??????????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ??????!"
TWANG!
The slingshot string was released. The stone shot forward at incredible speed and PLEK! struck Anna squarely in the head, causing her to stagger to the side. A thin stream of fresh blood trickled from her forehead.
A smug smile spread across Evan’s face.
"???? ????????????! ??????’?? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????! ?????? ?????? ???? ??????????????!"
Without wasting the opportunity, Evan leaped out of the bushes and drew his hunting knife. With all his speed, he lunged forward and drove the blade straight into Anna’s chest from the front!
But... Whoosh!
The tip of his knife only pierced empty air. Anna’s figure faded like smoke.
"What?! An illusion?!" Evan shouted in shock.
"An illusion?"
Anna’s cold voice suddenly sounded right beside Evan’s right ear.
Evan jolted violently and leaped backward several steps. In front of him, Anna stood without a single wound on her forehead.
"I was indeed hit by your slingshot stone earlier, Husband," Anna said in a calm yet piercing voice. "Then I used short-range teleportation magic and healed my wound in an instant. Do you really think the ability to heal and teleport is merely an illusion?"
Anna’s red eyes glowed brightly. A dense, dark killing aura poured from her body, causing the grass around her feet to wither instantly.
Evan gripped his knife with trembling hands, letting out a bitter laugh at his miserable fate.
"Haha... What a miserable life I have. So this is how terrifying a real witch is... No wonder people choose to burn you alive."
Without saying a word, Anna waved her left hand.
FWOOSH!
A blazing fireball shot toward the spot where Evan stood!
Evan swiftly rolled across the ground, dodging just before the fireball struck the tree behind him, exploding and engulfing it in flames. The heat of the explosion stung the skin of Evan’s face.
Knowing that fighting from a distance would get him killed, Evan took advantage of the smoke from the explosion. He reached into his pocket and threw an emergency pouch of smoke powder onto the ground.
KABOOM!
Thick gray smoke instantly billowed out, obscuring Anna’s vision.
With an agile maneuver, Evan circled behind Anna. He leaped high into the air, putting his entire body weight behind the attack as he aimed to drive his knife straight into her neck!
"Die!" Evan screamed.
However, the reflexes of an expert witch were far beyond Evan’s understanding.
Without even turning around, Anna swung her arm backward.
BRAGHH!
A transparent magical barrier erupted violently, creating a devastating shockwave that struck Evan head-on. His body was sent flying more than a dozen meters before crashing hard into a large tree and tumbling helplessly across the ground.
"Cough...!"
Fresh blood sprayed from Evan’s mouth. Several of his ribs felt broken. His knife had been knocked from his hand and sent flying far away.
Evan lay flat on his back, staring at the dim forest canopy above him. He let out a weak chuckle, lamenting the pitiful end of a criminal like himself.
"Who would have thought... a cunning criminal like me would end up dying so pathetically at the hands of a woman..."
The slow sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
Anna stood directly over Evan’s helpless body. The kitchen knife in her hand glimmered beneath the moonlight.
Anna’s red eyes gazed down at Evan, filled with a mixture of pain, disappointment, and twisted love.
"Why did you run away, Evan? After you gave me a name... freed me from that cage... and married me... why did you try to leave me? Is it simply because I’m a witch?"
Evan wearily closed his eyes. He no longer had the strength to lie or fight.
"I don’t know... I just feel... that being with you is very dangerous."
STAB!
A cold, sharp sensation pierced straight through the center of his chest.
The sharp metal penetrated his skin and flesh before sinking into his heart.
Excruciating pain burned through Evan’s entire consciousness. He hated this pain.
His vision slowly faded into complete darkness, and his breathing stopped.
"????... ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????????? ????????..."
GASP!
Evan suddenly jolted upright!
He gasped heavily for breath as though he had just surfaced from underwater.
When his eyes opened wide... he wasn’t looking at the dark forest or blazing flames.
Instead, he was staring at the familiar wooden bedroom ceiling and the soft bed where he had awakened yesterday.
Beside the bed, Anna sat on a chair. Her eyes were gently closed, while both of her hands tightly clasped Evan’s right hand.
Evan looked down in panic, clutching his chest.
His clothes had been changed into clean linen, and his chest was tightly wrapped in bandages. There was still some pain lingering there, but his heart...
It was still beating!
"A-Am I still alive...?" Evan whispered in disbelief.
The pain of the knife stabbing him had felt so real! He had truly felt the sensation of blood and the coldness of death only moments ago!
An overwhelming sense of relief mixed with intense confusion flooded his mind.
Why had this woman healed him after stabbing him in the chest?
Evan let out a long sigh. He knew the woman beside him definitely wasn’t truly asleep.
"Why didn’t you just let me die? Why did you go through the trouble of healing and taking care of me?"
Slowly, Anna’s eyelids opened.
Her pair of crimson irises gazed at Evan with deep sorrow.
"Because you’re my husband, Evan," Anna replied softly, yet with emphasis. "Even though I was extremely angry and hated you when you tried to escape from me a month ago... I still love you very much."
Evan’s eyes widened completely.
"W-Wait... A MONTH AGO?!"
So he had been unconscious and in a coma for an entire month?!
Evan let out a bitter laugh and turned his face away.
"Love? Do you even know what love is? You don’t even truly understand what marriage means! That marriage yesterday was nothing but a trick by that old village chief to extort money from me!"
"That’s why I killed him."
The words came so casually from Anna’s mouth, as though she were talking about the weather.
Evan froze instantly.
His neck felt stiff as he turned to look at Anna again.
"W-What...? You... you killed the Village Chief?"
Anna nodded seriously with an innocent expression.
"Yes, I killed him. That old man dared to deceive you and extort money from you. Someone who tried to take advantage of my husband doesn’t deserve to live, right?"
Evan fell completely silent. His tongue suddenly refused to move.
"???????? ???? ????????????... ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????????!"
Seeing Evan frozen in silence, Anna rose from her chair. She climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around Evan’s neck, pressing her cheek against his chest.
With a sweet smile on her lips, Anna whispered softly right beside Evan’s ear,
"No matter how many times you try to run away from me... no matter how much you hate me... I will always remain by your side. We will live together forever, Evan."
Intense frustration filled Evan’s mind.
However, as a cunning criminal who prioritized his own safety, his survival instinct told him to give in. Fighting a crazy witch head-on would only lead to even greater suffering.
Evan sighed in resignation and slowly loosened Anna’s embrace.
"Fine, Anna... I admit defeat. I’ll accept this bond and consider you my wife. But... you also have to promise to obey my orders from now on."
Anna tilted her head, then slowly shook it.
"Isn’t a master-and-servant relationship the only kind where one gives orders? I’m your wife, Evan, not your slave anymore. I refuse. Besides, you’re the one who freed me from that curse. Look..."
Anna showed him her left wrist.
The sinister black mark that had once been there had now vanished without a trace, leaving behind smooth, clean skin.
Seeing the confusion on Evan’s face, Anna explained softly,
"I have lived for more than 200 years in this world. Long ago, a Grand Knight of the Empire sealed my power and memories with that black curse. However... when you gave me the name ’Anna’ and performed that marriage ritual with me, the curse was broken. My magical power has completely returned."
Evan swallowed bitterly.
"??????????... ???? ??????’?? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ??????????, ?????? ?? ?????????????????? 200-????????-?????? ??????????????. ???? ???????? ???????????? ???? ????????????????!"
Anna gently took both of Evan’s hands.
"I promise I won’t kill anyone without a clear reason... But please, never think about running away from me again. I just want to live a normal, happy life with you. Will you start everything over with me, Evan?"
Her offer sounded like a sweet plea, but Evan knew there was a hidden threat of death behind those red eyes.
If he refused, Anna might cripple him forever so that he could never go anywhere.
"Whatever you say..." Evan replied resignedly. "Besides, it seems like you won’t let me die peacefully anyway."
Hearing his resigned answer, Anna’s eyes immediately lit up with joy.
A wide smile spread across her beautiful face. Without realizing it, she leaped forward and hugged Evan incredibly tightly!
"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, EVAN! WE’LL LIVE TOGETHER FOREVER AS HUSBAND AND WIFE!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"A-AARRGH! ANNA! MY RIBS ARE STILL BROKEN!" Evan screamed in pain as the wounds in his chest were crushed by the woman’s embrace.
Evan’s face paled as he endured the pain.
"??????????????, ?????? ?????????! ???????????? ?? ?????? ???????? ??????????????, ?? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ??????????????’?? ??????!" Evan lamented his miserable fate inwardly.