Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 15: You Jump, I Jump

The stranger before her looked to be about the same age as herself, dressed in a dark trench coat.

In the golden hues of the setting sun, that silhouette overlapped—little by little—with the figure Sylvia had once imagined in the depths of night.

But in the next instant—

Sylvia shoved down that fleeting moment of emotion.

She turned her head slightly, replacing her expression with the usual cold indifference she used to protect and disguise herself.

"Don't come any closer."

She was well aware of her own appearance and its effect on men.

And with the noble elegance of her attire as the Grand Duke’s daughter, it was no surprise that a stranger might be inclined to show goodwill toward her.

Who could resist helping a fragile-looking, runaway noble girl?

It was practically the textbook beginning of every heroic tale spun by wandering bards.

The ideal encounter that every fresh adventurer dreamed of when they first stepped out of their beginner village.

But—

The moment her true identity was revealed—

Those once gentle intentions would instantly twist into hatred and hostility.

She had already experienced this too many times in her sixteen years of life.

The pattern had repeated itself so many times that she had become numb to it.

She no longer harbored any naïve hopes.

"I know you’re in a hurry, but hold on a second."

"I’m not here to do anything weird, I just wanted to ask—wanna team up?"

"…Team up?"

Sylvia repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Temporary partners. Allies. Get it?"

"You’re here to jump into the sea, right?"

"Well, what a coincidence—I’m here to jump too."

"Timing is everything, right? Why not do it together?"

The unexpected words caught Sylvia off guard.

And in that brief moment of hesitation—

The boy casually stepped closer, placing himself beside her.

Sylvia thought he might take the chance to pull her away from the cliff’s edge.

But—

He did no such thing.

Instead, he simply sat down beside her, his posture relaxed, as if he had just come for a casual chat.

"Why do you want to jump?"

"…"

Seeing Sylvia’s silence, the boy lazily swung his legs over the cliff’s edge.

"You know, even death row prisoners get a last meal."

"If we’re gonna die, we might as well chat a bit first."

Strangely enough, ever since this boy appeared—

The constant tension in Sylvia’s heart had slightly eased.

She spoke, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"Because of… certain reasons, I have killed many people."

"Most of them were innocent."

"That’s why nearly everyone despises me."

Her words carried a touch of loneliness and sorrow.

To Sylvia, this was a disaster she had never chosen.

Since the day she was born, that massive bronze cross had existed within her soul.

She had no choice in the matter.

"Oh, I see."

The boy didn’t react with pity or comfort like she had expected.

He merely nodded indifferently and turned his gaze back to the raging sea below.

His dismissal stirred something in Sylvia’s heart.

For the first time, she felt the urge to explain herself.

She pressed her dry lips together, then murmured:

"Maybe… they’re right."

"Maybe someone like me—a cursed daughter of disaster—should just die quietly."

"It would be better for both the Principality and myself."

"Oh? Is that so?"

A voice filled with subtle meaning whispered beside her ear.

His words were too direct—

And for some reason, they made the bitterness and sorrow in Sylvia’s heart grow even stronger.

"Yes. I am a butcher."

"I killed so many people with my own hands. I should have been hanged—"

"No, you misunderstood me."

The boy suddenly stood up, stretching his arms.

He turned slightly, his dark eyes reflecting the blood-red hues of the sunset.

"If so many people wanted you dead, then in an era where laws are weak and human rights are a joke—"

"You should have been executed the very first time you lost control."

"Yet, here you are. Alive."

"That means killing you may be what many want—

"But it’s not what everyone wants."

"And the reason I called you a 'pathetic butcher'—"

"Is because the moment you choose to take your own life—"

"You aren’t just burying yourself."

"You’re also burying everyone else’s sacrifices for you, including your dead mother."

"Maybe you think suicide is redemption."

"But in reality—death is just the easy way out."

"Carrying the weight of those lives forward is far more difficult than dying."

Saying this, the boy shrugged and turned his gaze back toward the Grandet Sea.

"Of course, none of this has anything to do with me."

"After all, I came here to jump too."

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As he spoke, he spread his arms wide—

Tilting his feet off the edge, as if about to embrace the raging sea wind.

"To be honest, when I was young, I watched a movie—"

"Oh, a 'movie' is a type of entertainment, kinda like a magical projection of a recorded play."

"Anyway, there was this really famous scene."

"I’ve always wanted to try it for real, but I never got the chance."

"And now, before I die, I finally do."

He suddenly paused.

Then, glancing over Sylvia, he nodded in satisfaction.

"And to top it off—"

"The girl sharing this moment with me is even more beautiful than the heroine in that film."

A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes.

"So it’s a deal."

"Once I jump, you have to follow."

"No backing out."

"I get lonely really easily, and if you go back on your word—"

"Even as a ghost, I won’t let you off."

"Wait, I—"

Sylvia’s lips parted slightly, about to speak.

But before she could finish—

She saw the boy's slender figure tilt backward—

And disappear over the cliff's edge.

In the next moment, gravity took hold, and he tilted backward, falling off the cliff.

A few seconds later—

A faint splash echoed through the air, accompanied by a small ripple on the surface of the sea.

By the time Sylvia snapped back to her senses and looked down over the edge—

All that greeted her was the roaring, thundering waves of the Grandet Sea.

The boy from moments ago—

Had completely vanished.