{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0001.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 1. The Call of the Soul\nFive witches lived in these lands.\nThe immense power these abnormal beings possessed granted them endless life spans.\nPushing beyond the limits of any known mage, this quintet of women came with unthinkable might.\nFor all those who lived in this world, the witches lurking in the shadows of history came to symbolize fear and calamity.\nYou should never meet a witch.\nYou should never listen to a witch.\nYou should never try to understand a witch.\nThe old fairy tales were true.\nWitches disturbed the flow of fate. They were even said to have destroyed entire countries overnight.\nIt is for that reason that people dubbed the era that followed the Dark Age…the Age of Witches.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“The Age of Witches, huh? People throw that phrase around a lot, but I’m not so sure about it. It’s scarier than it needs to be.”\nFarsas was a kingdom situated at the center of the continent.\nIn its castle, a young man took a moment to look up from the work that had been laid out on his desk.\nHe had brown hair, nearly black, and eyes the color of a lightening night sky. His fine features exuded the nobility of his bloodline, though they were tinged with childishness at times. The crown prince, twenty years of age that year, received an appalled look in response.\n“Oscar… You should be a little more wary. What do you think witches even are?” a woman with a breathtakingly beautiful face retorted coolly. She had long, inky-black hair and eyes of the same color. Her snow-white skin set off her striking features and gave her the appearance of a painted doll. She appeared to be younger than the man, but there was a certain sense of eternity in her gaze.\nShe was a witch, one of only five in all the land.\nThe Witch of the Azure Moon, Tinasha, was said to be the strongest of the five. She presented Oscar—the man who’d formed a contract with her—a cup of tea she’d brewed herself. He thanked her as he took it.\n“Why is the current era known as the Age of Witches in the first place? Did you do something?” he asked.\n“There are five witches. Why are you pinning all the blame on me? You’re wrong, regardless. Although I suppose I can’t say I had nothing to do with it in the beginning,” Tinasha said, waving her hand dismissively. “About three hundred years ago, a country to the northwest called Helginis locked up the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned. Helginis mages tried to weave a huge destruction spell using her as the catalyst.”\n“What? I’ve never heard of that,” Oscar said. As part of his statesman’s education, he had learned the basics of regional history, but this was his first time hearing of destruction magic using a witch as a catalyst.\nTinasha made a face, still holding the tea things. “That’s because everyone involved at the time died, except the witches of course. It’s not something that was spoken of openly. And any sort of large-scale destruction magic, whether it uses humans as catalysts or not, is classified as a forbidden curse. However, the one they attempted back then was on a whole different scale. If they’d managed to pull off the spell, it would’ve no doubt irreparably altered the entire continent. Naturally, with something so dire at stake, the other four witches—myself included—refused to stand by and let the Helginis mages do as they pleased.\n“So what happened?”\n“We had no choice but to intervene in the situation in Helginis and release the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned. Once we did, she destroyed the entire country in a single night.”\n“………”\n“From then on, the term Age of Witches started cropping up…,” Tinasha concluded.\n“What a mess…,” Oscar remarked. Just listening to it was enough to give him a headache. He rubbed his temples.\nCompared with the gruesome era colored by war and betrayal that was the Dark Age, the Age of Witches was largely peaceful, with only a few currents of discord. Perhaps that was the natural result of people cowering in fear of the supremely powerful witches.\nOscar eyed Tinasha, a witch capable of taking on an entire army alone. “Destroyed a country in one night, huh? That’s more than just an old story?”\n“The Dark Age was rife with tales like that,” Tinasha said with a smile, but her dark eyes revealed none of what she was thinking. She realized Oscar was staring at her and arched one shapely brow. “If you’ve learned your history, then you should behave more responsibly. Keep acting recklessly, and you’ll end up dead someday without understanding why.”\n“You can talk about my death all you want, but I have your protective barrier on me as long as you’re alive, don’t I? Doesn’t that mean we’ll die at the same time? Shouldn’t we just get married?” Oscar grinned.\n“Don’t lump us together! I’m not marrying you!” Tinasha spat.\nThe barrier she had cast on Oscar was an extraordinary one that could protect him from all magical and physical attacks. While it had a few limitations and blind spots, it afforded every defense that magic could provide. So long as Tinasha was alive, the barrier on Oscar would remain intact, making it practically a cheat.\nThe witch rolled her eyes at the prince. “You need to learn your place. Here I am trying to break your curse, but it’ll all be pointless if you get yourself killed doing something else.”\nAs heir to his country, Oscar had a heavy burden on his shoulders. When he was but a child, he’d been cursed to be the end of his line by the Witch of Silence. The wicked spell cloaked any unborn child of his blood in such a powerful protective charm that no mother’s body could bear it. Overcoming such a mighty enchantment was quite the high hurdle, but Oscar had to if his lineage was to survive.\nIn pursuit of a way to do so, Oscar had completed the trials set by another witch so that she would break the curse for him. He’d braved the tower where it was said a witch granted a wish to all who climbed to the top, and he’d come back with Tinasha as his protector.\nOscar looked up at said mouthy protector. “Even if you don’t break the curse, you’re not affected by the Witch of Silence’s power, right? Just marry me and that’ll solve everything. When should we hold the wedding?”\n“We have a contract for one year! You don’t have the right to extend it! And I’m almost done analyzing the curse!” Tinasha retorted.\n“Weren’t you the one who went on and on about how difficult it’ll be to undo the spell? You’re so studious…,” Oscar commented.\n“Of course I am. There’s no one else around who can do it. If you understood that, you’d know not to act so rashly. Now behave or I’ll curse you to never leave your desk.”\n“It’d be too funny if I was cursed by two separate witches,” Oscar remarked before giving up and returning his attention to the stack of documents before him. Talking to Tinasha was entertaining, but he’d incur her resentment if he took it too far.\nContrary to the typical idea of what a witch was, Tinasha was so overly serious that it was adorable. It was no doubt due to that demeanor of hers that she was helping to break his curse, even though that wasn’t specified in their contract.\nTinasha had lived for so many years that she viewed solitude as natural, however, and didn’t form attachments to people. She was both incredibly kind and incredibly heartless.\nAt times, a terrible loneliness filled her eyes…and it made Oscar wish that she’d just stay with him forever. He wanted no more shadows to cast a pall over her smiles. Over the past half a year, he had completely fallen for her.\n“There’s no need to push yourself to finish the analysis so fast. After coming down from your tower for the first time in so long, you should enjoy things for a time,” Oscar urged. He wanted Tinasha to think of living peacefully with humans as something normal for her, and he wished she’d just while her days away like ordinary people did.\nAfter tidying up the tea things, Tinasha turned back to him. “I want to do what I can while I can,” she stated, as if anticipating the end of the contract. She smiled, a faraway look in her eyes.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFarsas Castle employed close to fifty court mages. They spent their days researching and attending to magic-related task requests that came from all over the castle.\nThey were all generally excellent mages, even in comparison to mages from other countries, and reliably took care of most issues even if it required some time. There were the occasional requests that were beyond their capabilities, however. Ever since Tinasha had arrived at the castle, she’d been the one who handled such cases.\n“So we’ve been asked to give our expert opinion on this magic implement but can’t identify exactly what it is…,” explained Kav the mage as he handed a dagger to Tinasha.\nAt present, there was no one else in the castle’s laboratory. A great number of reagents Kav was using for his own research had been left out on the lab table. Looking stumped, he awaited the witch’s assessment.\nThe old-looking dagger was encased in a copper sheath. Tinasha pulled it out and frowned. “You were told this is a magic implement?”\n“Yes. Apparently, it was purchased as an antique at a secondhand shop in town, but it moves on its own and gets hot. That’s why we were asked to look into whether it’s ensorcelled… But while I do sense some sort of power from it, there’s no spell laid into the thing and it bears no carved sigils, either. I’m not sure what to make of it,” Kav said.\nTinasha turned the blade over, and sure enough, the dagger’s surface was bereft of etchings.\nIn order for a mage to imbue an object with a specific magical effect, the item in question must be given a carved sigil denoting a spell. Looking at that mark was the usual way of discerning what sort of power the enchanted object possessed.\nThis dagger had no such engraving, however, which was why Kav needed help.\nTinasha’s face was pinched as she said, “This isn’t a magic implement. It’s the result of a forbidden curse.”\n“What? A forbidden curse? Wh-what part of it is?” Kav asked nervously.\n“The effect itself isn’t particularly potent, but its origin is problematic. A human soul is sealed inside.”\n“What?!”\nForbidden curses included things with problematic effects and tricky spell-casting processes. Anything involving a human sacrifice typically fell into the latter type.\nTinasha’s beautiful features twisted in disgust. “Souls are masses of power that naturally dissolve if they lose their frames—the body. This soul has been affixed to the dagger to prevent it from dispersing. But it wasn’t done by a very good mage. And just because a soul is sealed inside doesn’t mean the weapon is imbued with some sort of power. Most likely the soul will escape in time.”\n“If that’s true, then that means this is…” Kav trailed off as he accepted the dagger back from the witch. Its time of creation was now clear.\nTinasha picked up on what Kav had left unspoken. “Not much time has passed since this object was made. We should find and catch whoever did this. Where is that secondhand shop?” she asked, her dark eyes flashing.\nHer gaze was sharp and shone with a cold fury. Kav gulped.\nImmediately, Tinasha frowned as she suddenly addressed someone standing behind Kav in the laboratory doorway. “Absolutely not. I’m not taking you.”\n“No, I’m definitely going. I can’t just leave this alone after hearing all that,” came a deep, most definitely not childish voice. Kav whirled around and bowed to the man, who was standing in the doorway with an irritated look on his face.\nWhen Tinasha caught sight of that expression, she merely threw her hands up in exasperation.\nKav led Tinasha and Oscar to a secondhand shop situated in a back alley of the town that encircled the castle.\nLight entered through a small window and shone on various curiosities set out within the dim store. A motley assortment of goods including rusty bells, ancient horseshoes, keys and locks, kitchen utensils, and decorations were crammed onto shelves and stuffed into wooden boxes for display.\nOscar gawked with great interest at nearly everything around him, but Tinasha leaned against the wall with her arms crossed soon after entering. Seeing that the other two were loath to take the initiative, Kav had no choice but to address the shop owner. “Excuse me. We’ve come from the castle. We’re looking for the person who sold this.”\nThe owner was a man in the prime of life. He took one look at the questionable dagger’s scabbard and answered right away. “Oh, that? Someone traded that to pay off their loans. I’ve known the guy for about a decade, but it sounds like he’s gotten himself deep in debt this year. He borrowed money from a bunch of places and brought me this dagger to get the funds to pay it off. This isn’t anything special, but I did him a favor since I’ve known him so long.”\n“What kind of man was this?” Oscar asked, a bronze key in hand. His voice carried well, and the shop owner glanced over at him but thankfully didn’t seem to suspect he was truly the crown prince.\n“Just a regular guy. He’s got a wife and two little girls. Several times a year, he goes around the city selling wares. Oh, I recently found out he had a younger brother, though.”\n“A brother?” Oscar inquired.\n“Indeed. His brother was the one who came in to sell the daggers. Said he was holding on to the little things and an IOU.”\nTinasha, leaning against the wall, suddenly straightened up. She walked over to a box of items and pulled out two other daggers from it.\nThe owner’s eyes widened. “You’ve got a good eye, ma’am. He brought in those two along with a third—the one you’ve got. Apparently, it should’ve been a set of four, but…”\n“…A twenty-five-year-old woman.”\n“What?”\nAfter unsheathing one of the short blades, Tinasha said something as though observing what others could not. The owner and Kav gaped at her. Pulling the other dagger from its sleeve, she said, “A thirty-one-year-old man.”\n“Miss Tinasha, what are you…?”\nKav didn’t understand, but the shop owner seemed to have realized something. Stunned, he asked, “How do you know the ages of my friend and his wife? Can you tell the daggers’ former owners just from looking at them?”\n“What? Former owner…?” Kav muttered as he quickly went pale.\nWhat did her words indicate? The first of the three daggers had been discovered to house a human soul. It was easy to deduce why Tinasha looked at the daggers sold with it and stated the ages of a couple she shouldn’t have known.\nInside the first dagger was…\nKav stared at the blade in his hand.\nTinasha pointed to it with one pale finger. “A seven-year-old girl.”\nRealizing that had to be one of the couple’s daughters, Kav fought down a scream with everything he had.\n“Our suspect has to be the brother who sold the daggers. When he came here with the three blades, he must have already killed the mother, father, and daughter,” Oscar reasoned.\nHe and Tinasha were walking along an alley clustered with small houses on the outskirts of the Farsas castle city. They’d departed from the castle rather early in the day, so the sun was still high in the sky.\nOscar and Tinasha had sent Kav—still shell-shocked—back to the castle and headed to the house of the man who owed money. Consulting the map the shop owner drew for them, Oscar turned a corner.\n“A set of four, huh? Which means the youngest daughter probably got involved, too,” he remarked.\nBoth of them were enraged at the idea of a three-year-old girl being made a sacrifice for a forbidden curse.\nTinasha tucked her long black hair behind one ear. “Experiments with forbidden curses like this one were quite common during the Dark Age. During that time, lives were treated with even less care than they are now. Unlike magical ability, which is determined at birth, all souls have a kind of power to them. It’s entirely natural that some stupid people started to think it could be harnessed and utilized.”\n“Madness…,” Oscar said.\n“This sort of thing happened a lot back then. The only thing that came from those horrible experiments was the conclusion that souls couldn’t really be used for anything. History has proven time and again that those who use forbidden curses will eventually fall prey to one themselves. There was nothing to gain by forcing souls into the daggers. Any amount of research would’ve made that apparent… That this man would still do something so depraved suggests he is not of sound mind.”\n“Someone sane wouldn’t have sacrificed people to begin with,” said Oscar, patting Tinasha on the head.\nMages utterly despised forbidden curses, and it seemed this witch was no exception. In fact, perhaps because Tinasha was such a preeminent mage, she was even more upset than Kav about this situation.\nAs Oscar attempted to soothe the displeased witch at his side, he turned another corner. No sooner had he done so than he came upon the man’s home. It was a rather washed-out little place crammed tightly between its neighbors.\nOscar stared at the structure. “Those daggers were brought to the antique shop three days ago, right? Won’t that mean there’s no one here?”\n“Even if their souls were sealed away, their bodies should’ve remained,” Tinasha explained.\n“I was trying not to put it so bluntly…,” Oscar muttered.\n“There’s no need for you to worry about upsetting me. I lived through the Dark Age, after all,” Tinasha insisted.\nJudging from the exterior, the man’s house didn’t look lived in at all. They could see a simple kitchen through the glassless windows. Empty dishes sat atop a wooden table.\n“Let’s start by taking a look around inside,” Oscar decided.\nJust as he was about to go in, a man carrying a child popped out from the yard of a house two doors down. He must have been watching.\n“Hey, the people in that house moved out three days ago,” he said.\n“Oh yeah? Did you see if they had any kids with them?” Oscar asked. He didn’t bother speaking formally to a stranger, which did nothing to hide his high social status. Tinasha frowned slightly.\nThe man nodded, rocking the sleeping child against his shoulder. “They did. Two of them, in fact. The younger one’s close with my son, so he wanted to know where they were going so early in the morning.” The young man patted his child’s back.\nOscar and Tinasha exchanged glances. “That must mean something happened after they left the house,” deduced the former.\n“In that case, we need to gather more eyewitness reports…,” Tinasha answered, snapping her fingers and pointing inside the house. “Oscar, have a look around inside the place.”\n“What about you?”\n“I’ll wait out here. When we get yelled at for this later, someone will have to provide an excuse for your recklessness.”\n“That’s true. Lazar’s probably dying of a stomachache right about now,” Oscar remarked.\n“And yet you snuck out anyway. Have you no compassion?” chided Tinasha. She frequently scolded Oscar herself and thus sympathized deeply with Lazar, Oscar’s childhood friend. Before she’d met Oscar, Lazar was the one who’d had to chase after him whenever he snuck from the safety of the castle. These days, that job fell to Tinasha. Lazar probably still got just as many stomachaches, but at least he enjoyed some reduction in hardship. If Oscar dared to point out such a thing, however, both Tinasha and Lazar would undoubtedly scold him.\n“Well, I’m off, then. Don’t follow any strangers,” Oscar warned his beautiful protector.\n“If you really think I’d do that, then finish up your tasks quickly…,” Tinasha replied, waving him off tiredly.\nThe prince turned toward the seemingly abandoned house. The man with the child appeared shocked to know that Oscar was about to intrude on someone else’s home. He beat a hasty withdrawal indoors, clearly thinking this wasn’t something he ought to get involved in.\nBefore the man with the child could retreat out of sight, however, a little girl poked her face out from the house across the way. She looked at the child in the man’s arms and called in an innocent voice…\n“Ayla? Did you cut your hair? Who’s that?”\nThere was a moment of silence.\nIt was Oscar who responded the swiftest. He rolled to the side and grabbed the child before the man could escape. A fraction of a moment later, Tinasha seized the man by his neck with her ivory fingers.\nHer nails very nearly cut into the man’s flesh. She looked up at him with dull, coal-black eyes. “It was you.”\n“Don’t kill him, Tinasha,” Oscar demanded, the child in his arms limiting his movements. He’d have to put the child down to stop her, but the little girl was fast asleep. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious the child’s hair had been crudely cut to make her appear to be a boy.\nThe man struggled against Tinasha’s hold on his throat. With a voice like the chill hand of death, the witch asked, “What were you doing with those daggers? Were you experimenting with different spells depending on the soul?”\n“N-no…”\n“Then were you practicing? The daughter’s soul stuck to the weapon better than the mother’s and the mother’s more than the father’s. Did you think the next one would go even better?”\n“…Ngh, ah…”\nThe man’s breathing grew faint, and he began thrashing around like a drowning man. The witch had silently lifted him off the ground, her jet-black hair swaying all around her.\nThe primal urge to kill was pouring off her in waves, dominating the surrounding atmosphere. Its ominous presence left not only the man but the girl who’d exposed him frozen in fear. The only one unaffected was Oscar, who said, “Are you listening, Tinasha? Don’t kill him yet. I want to hear what he has to say.”\n“There’s no point in letting him live. This man has magic.”\n“Did you decide to remain outside when you realized that?” Oscar posed. It’d struck him as strange that Tinasha had been so willing to let him out of her sight. It was hard to think she’d do that under normal circumstances. Evidently, she’d suspected the man of being the culprit from the very beginning.\nTinasha saw that the man was about to pass out and released her grip. He fell to the ground, coughing violently as he gasped for air. In a hoarse voice, he admitted, “I—I was trying to make a magic sword…for the future…”\n“Save the cryptic remarks. What do you think you are, some lunatic from the Dark Age?” Tinasha’s mocking retort seemed casual enough, but her eyes betrayed something darker than the desire to kill. Peering into them was to stare into an abyss that ran deeper than Tinasha herself.\nSensing a moment of opportunity, Oscar said, “Tinasha, trade places with me. I don’t know how to hold a kid.”\n“You seem to be managing. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”\n“Trade with me. I’ll take over for you,” insisted the prince, patting the witch’s head with his free hand.\nThe warmth from his hand slowly spread through Tinasha, and she reluctantly received the young girl from him. She cradled the child against her shoulder.\nAs she held the sleeping kid, the witch suddenly appeared very kind, not unlike a regular person.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nResolving the case turned out to be an exercise in frustration.\nOscar frowned as he listened to a report of the culprit’s testimony.\n“A call for mages? Cuscull… Isn’t that the same new country that sent an envoy to invite Tinasha?”\n“It is. It doesn’t look like they’re doing it openly, but they’ve proclaimed themselves open to all capable mages. This man resorted to murder trying to heed that call,” Kav explained, reading out the report and glancing to one side. His gaze fell to the crown prince’s protector. She was sitting on a couch with her legs crossed.\nDespite having been furious and nearly killing the man, Tinasha now seemed a portrait of placid calm—on the surface anyway. Crossing her arms, she took over the report. “Though the invitation is for ‘capable mages,’ that can mean a great many things. It looks like Cuscull is trying to collect those who excel at warfare. I don’t know what they’re planning, but it doesn’t bode well that they’re inciting people to commit terrible acts.”\n“A magic sword, huh? Mass production of such a weapon would not be good for us,” Oscar commented.\n“Normal mages cannot produce magic swords. Almost all of them are fakes, with the exception of Akashia. A considerable amount of magic and a very complicated spell are both needed to fix a soul to an object. That’s why most cases have historically come about by accident,” Tinasha detailed.\n“You’re saying it’s difficult to intentionally re-create such a process. Now that the challenge is out there, though, it’s likely to cause further trouble.”\nWhile Oscar and Tinasha happened to uncover this one case, that didn’t mean they’d be able to bring in everyone who’d taken up the same offer.\n“Idiots are out there doing things like this because they don’t know any better. Not knowing what they’re getting themselves into convinces them it’s worth pursuing… This is why, with time, people will repeat the same cycle of despair,” Tinasha snapped back coldly.\nA sorrowful shadow fell over her dark eyes. Her words spoke to countless instances of lost hope witnessed over the many years of her life. Her gaze grew distant, as if she were reliving far-off memories. When she noticed Oscar and Kav’s eyes on her, she rose to her feet.\nClapping her hands to change the conversation, Tinasha said, “In any case, keep an eye out for any strange magical incidents and be sure to tell me about them. I’ll deal with any and all occurrences as best I can.”\n“Yep. Kav, don’t go to her directly. Report to me first,” Oscar ordered.\n“Why do you treat me like some bomb that could go off at any minute?!” Tinasha cried.\n“Well, at least you’re aware of how dangerous you are,” Oscar quipped.\n“You’re one to talk!” the witch protested, floating along the ceiling.\nKav was relieved to see her acting like her old self again.\nHe had to wonder how things would play out, however. What changes were lurking just beyond the veil of darkness?\nCome what may, Kav had a feeling that true despair would be averted, so long as Oscar had Tinasha by his side."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0002.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 2. Thinking of You\n“Mages are dangerous, so don’t get close to them.”\nThis was a phrase mothers often said to their children. It was something kids heard from most adults.\nLuly asked, “Aren’t they human, too?” only to get told, “They look human, but they’re filthy creatures who defy the gods.”\nShe was left to wonder what “filthy” meant… The young girl always had trouble with tough words. She knew enough to grasp that people would be angry if they found out her secret, so she visited the cabin discreetly.\nDeep in the mountain was a small cottage where a wonderful magician lived. He could make flowers appear, and he healed Luly’s scrapes… When Luly first met him after getting lost one day, he gave her candy and led her back to the village where she lived.\nLuly wanted to tell everyone about how nice the magician was, but she kept her mouth shut. This was her secret.\nHer hands full of gathered berries, she was running off to the mountain cabin yet again.\nJust before the little building came into view, Luly saw the magician himself barreling toward her on the path. As soon as he caught sight of her, he ran over and scooped the young girl up in his arms. “Thank goodness. I was so worried. I didn’t think I’d make it!”\n“What’s wrong? Make what?” Luly asked, thinking that her friend was acting strange. He was very pale and completely flustered. She didn’t understand why. The magician merely offered the girl a weak smile.\n“It’s nothing. Come, let’s get you inside.”\n“But I have to go right back today. It’s my mom’s birthday,” Luly said.\n“No! You can’t go back to the village!” he cried.\n“…Why?”\nThe magician didn’t answer. Normally, he was always smiling. This was the first time Luly had ever seen the man so close to tears. “Hide out here for a while, then flee to another country. Run as far away as you can… All the way to Farsas if need be.”\n“What…? I can’t do that. I have my mom and my dad.”\nWhy was he saying this to her?\nSuddenly, Luly felt very worried. Shaking off the magician’s grip on her, she ran back the way she had come.\n“No, Luly! You can’t go back there!” he shouted, scrambling after her. However, she kept running.\nLuly ran and ran, until she arrived at a spot that overlooked the village below…\n…and saw her hometown engulfed in flames.\n“That really takes me back,” said a young man watching the white smoke rise from verdant hills and drift beyond the distant forest.\nHis snow-white hair was tied up in a long queue. The young man’s delicate, doll-like features gave him an odd countenance—as though something was missing.\nHe watched the smoke dissolve into the sky.\n“I was born in the Dark Age, you see. Only once did my father ever take me outside the country. That’s where I saw people and towns on fire, just like this. It really was a terrible era.” Despite describing great tragedy, the man’s voice was indifferent and bereft of emotion. Even the words a terrible era were as plain and ordinary as if he’d been describing what he had for dinner last night. The mages accompanying him, however, all looked upon their lord with eyes full of admiration.\n“Lord Lanak, you should return to the castle.”\n“Ah, I suppose it’s about that time. Yes, I still have many things to do,” replied the white-haired man apparently named Lanak. He tore his eyes from the billowing smoke and turned his gaze to the contingent of mages before him. As calm as one could ever be, he continued, “Since we’ve gone through the trouble of setting fire to the village, we’ll need to send a proper declaration of war. Not doing so would be an insult to those who lost their lives today.”\nThere was no sarcasm in his words acknowledging the people he’d killed himself. He appeared to feel true pity for the dead but quickly broke into a bright smile. “This is the dawn of a new era for this land. To that end, we’ve got to reset everything for a fresh start. First up is the Four Great Nations, I believe? If they’re destroyed, all the others will fall obediently into line from there.”\nLanak held out his abnormally pale hands. A transportation array appeared, though he had said no incantation. With a final smile, he vanished. The burning village was left behind, unaware of the one responsible for its fate.\nAll that remained was ash and a lingering smell of burnt human flesh that drifted on the lukewarm breeze.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe sky above the castle was clear and sunny. However, thick ash-gray clouds hung low in the distance to the north.\nStanding atop the castle walls, Tinasha held out a hand to her familiar who’d come from the direction of the approaching gloom. The gray, cat-shaped familiar leaped onto her shoulder and rubbed its head against her cheek.\nThis familiar had been making the rounds all across the continent for hundreds of years. Recently, its excursions had been limited to the newly minted nation of Cuscull.\n“I see. So it’s true… Why now, after four hundred years…?” Tinasha murmured, distress crossing her lovely face as she received her familiar’s report.\nTruthfully, she wanted to leave and make for Cuscull immediately.\nThe very thing that had driven her to become a witch had at last come to pass. It was nearly within Tinasha’s grasp, and she wanted to reach out and put an end to everything as soon as possible. It clawed at her so ceaselessly that Tinasha felt liable to go mad.\nBased on what she’d learned, however, things were still too complicated and dangerous for her to act on emotion now. If she made a wrong move, countless other countries would get involved and the death toll would be astronomical. Even if one quick move could bring an end to the troubles she had endured for so long, Tinasha couldn’t ignore the potential mass loss of life.\n“What should I do…?” she wondered aloud, putting a hand to her chin and falling into thought. The cat on her shoulder perked its ears up.\n“…What is that? Your pet?” came a voice.\n“Oscar…”\nThe prince was approaching along a castle rampart walkway. He gingerly picked up the cat. Its black eyes went round and wide at the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar man.\nPaying no mind to the animal’s reaction, Oscar scratched under its chin as he looked at Tinasha.\nIf it were him in my position, what choice would he make given the situation?\nAfter half a year of observing Oscar at work, Tinasha knew he was an exceptionally clever statesman. She knew that he cared for the safety of others and that he’d undoubtedly answer the call if asked to help.\nMore than anything, Tinasha knew he was fond of her.\nHe’d once told her that as everything around her changed, he alone would not.\nIf she was allowed to take his hand and make a request…\n“Tinasha? What is it?” Oscar frowned, the cat now resting on top of his head. Concerned, the prince’s blue eyes were trained on the witch. Tinasha held her breath for a moment as an impulse to tell him everything swept over her…\nShe knew she could never tell anyone about her past transgressions, however.\nTinasha stuffed down the emotions churning inside her like warm mud and smiled at the young man.\n“…It’s nothing. And that isn’t a real cat; it’s my familiar.”\n“It is? Wow, it feels exactly like a real one,” Oscar remarked.\n“It’s made with magic, just like Litola. And don’t put the cat on your head; you might startle someone. You’re supposed to be a prince,” Tinasha scolded, snapping her fingers lightly. In response, the cat jumped over to her shoulders, and she whispered in its ear.\n“You go rest now. Thanks for all your hard work.”\nThose words released the familiar from hundreds of years of service. The gray cat stared at her, then its head slowly lolled.\nAbruptly, it dissolved into gray powder and blew away.\nOscar boggled at the sudden turn of events. “Was that really okay? Did it just cease to exist?”\n“Yes, it did, but it’s all right. It’s done its duty for me many times over by now,” Tinasha replied. In many ways, the cat was a representation of Tinasha’s own illusions, but she didn’t need it anymore. Tinasha didn’t need to involve anyone besides herself. That’s why she chose not to draw Oscar into any of this, either.\nHer relationship with him was nothing more than what the contract dictated. She was his protector and would keep him safe. The agreement said nothing of the reverse.\nTinasha closed her eyes to conceal the shadowy look in them. She took a few seconds to get her emotions in order. Once the worst of her tumultuous feelings had passed, she put a pretty smile back on her face. “Besides, I’m busy right now cracking your curse,” she said.\nHer analysis of the curse was nearing a conclusion.\nAfter that, all she had to do was compose a spell to break the curse. It was likely to be extremely complex, so she’d sent away for crystals to make magic implements infused with spells ahead of time. Upon reflection, Tinasha realized she’d kept Oscar waiting quite a while, but at last the goal was in sight. She was certain she’d end his curse and positive he’d be pleased.\nTinasha grinned up at Oscar, and he smiled back. “About that, don’t forget you also have the option of marrying me. That’s what I’d personally recommend.”\n“You’re about the only one who would.” Tinasha snorted.\n“Isn’t my recommendation all that matters? What other opinion do you need?”\n“Mine for one! Listen to what I want here!” Tinasha cried.\nThe two had a way of getting off track and going on and on like this forever.\nTinasha started to leave him behind, but he grabbed her hand and turned her back around. She could feel in his grip his strong desire not to let her get away, and she looked back at him.\n“…What is it? Don’t even think about sneaking out like you did before. You’ve got too much to do.”\n“No, not that. The dress I ordered for you is ready for a first fitting, so I came to find you.”\n“What…?”\nThe dress Oscar was referring to was one he’d ordered on his own when a cloth merchant had visited the castle three months ago.\nThe ones Tinasha ordered herself had been of a simple design, so they’d been completed much earlier. The fact that Oscar’s had taken so long gave Tinasha an uneasy sense of foreboding.\n“I—I suppose refusing won’t do me any good.”\n“You’ve got that right. Would you rather walk there on your own or be dragged? Up to you,” Oscar offered.\n“I’ll go…”\nThe longer Tinasha lived in the castle, the more things she had to do seemed to naturally accumulate.\nHanging her head in resignation, Tinasha let Oscar lead her along by the hand.\n“It’s sooooo gorgeous, Miss Tinasha!” Sylvia cried out, though it sounded more like a shriek of glee. She was the first person to see Tinasha come out wearing the dress.\nOscar looked Tinasha over from head to toe. Rather candidly, he complimented her. “Looks pretty damn good.”\n“Thank you…,” Tinasha said.\nThe dress was finely crafted of smooth black silk woven with abundant silver threads. It was open at her arms and back, hugging her curves close from the high collar to down below her waist. From the knee, the hem flared out in a beautiful arc. Flowers embroidered in silver thread bloomed all over the fabric. Against the witch’s porcelain skin and jet-black hair, it looked perfect. All who beheld Tinasha were utterly entranced, unconsciously sighing in admiration.\nSylvia gazed at the witch, spellbound. “Miss Tinasha, let me do your hair and makeup on the big day.”\n“The big day? What big day?”\n“It’s almost His Majesty the King’s birthday celebration, of course,” Sylvia reminded her.\n“I know that’s coming up, but why should I go? Isn’t it just a ball being held for diplomatic purposes?” asked Tinasha.\nAs the two women discussed this, Oscar circled Tinasha to inspect the dress’s craftsmanship. Once talk turned to the ball, an evil smile spread over his face. “You’re the one who’s gotta go. Jump right into the lion’s den and get some experience socializing with humans.”\n“Why?!” Tinasha asked, indignant.\nRather timidly, the dressmaker spoke up for the first time, asking, “Um…how is the fit?”\nInstead of Tinasha answering, Oscar piped up happily from behind her. “It’s a little loose in the waist. Did you lose weight? You should make sure you get proper sleep.”\n“I am. When I feel like it,” Tinasha informed him.\n“And could you make a hair ornament in the same shape as the flowers on the dress but a little bigger?”\n“Yes, Your Highness,” answered the dressmaker, quickly marking the waist measurements on the fabric and retiring from the room. Oscar dropped a fond kiss on Tinasha’s shoulder. Sylvia blushed as she observed it, but Tinasha bore it calmly, a look of clear mental exhaustion on her face.\nOscar noticed her expression and lifted his head with a look of displeasure. “You’re really not affected the littlest bit.”\n“I can’t react when you touch me so brazenly.”\n“Is that the problem?” Oscar asked.\n“Is that not what it is?” Tinasha shot back, failing to understand and staring at him with some confusion.\nThe prince rolled his eyes. “You don’t see me as a man at all, do you?”\n“Of course I don’t. Though it’s more like I don’t see anyone in such a way,” Tinasha clarified.\nSilently, Oscar balled his hands into fists and ground them against the sides of the witch’s head.\n“Ow, ow, ow! What do you think you’re doing? Honestly now!” Tinasha cried.\n“Sorry, I just got annoyed,” Oscar explained.\nTinasha glared at the man while rubbing her temples. He seemed entirely unaffected, however, even grinning. Once more, he inquired of his romantically apathetic protector, “Why are you like this? Is it because purity is so important to spirit sorcerers?”\n“I think that’s part of it, but I also don’t want to get too close to humans. Lucrezia is much calmer nowadays, but in the past, she used to take revenge for getting dumped by magically moving all the water in a village’s lake to a different location. Observing things like that always made me feel reluctant to get involved with anyone… Oh, and I put the water back, of course.”\nSylvia was frozen stiff, and Oscar had fallen silent, too.\nGetting involved with a witch certainly did risk angry outbursts on an entirely different scale. Suddenly, the most powerful witch’s aversion to love affairs seemed a very wise decision indeed.\nEven then, one couldn’t deny that Tinasha was exceedingly awkward with humans. She appeared aloof as long as she kept people at a certain distance, but once anyone got to know her, they quickly realized how unaccustomed she was with socializing.\nThat was likely why Tinasha was so apathetic, even to herself. Shaking his head, Oscar patted Tinasha’s hair. She looked up at him, perplexed.\n“Well, let’s put a pin in that. I’m an exception, so think of me as something different.”\n“Really?” Tinasha asked.\n“Really. We’ve got half a year left, so I’ll wait until then.”\n“Hold on. I don’t think this is something that just needs a little more time…,” Tinasha protested frankly, but Oscar paid the remark no mind and merely grinned. The hand on her head slid down to caress her cheek.\n“I’m pretty confident that you’ll change your mind. I suit you.”\n“…I really don’t understand,” Tinasha said, shaking her head. Her dark eyes seemed to search the air for something invisible.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“So shall it be defined by me.”\nAt those words, crystal balls no larger than one’s fingernail began to float in the air. A dozen spheres glided slowly as if guided on wires. Each lazily came to rest in place on the red lines that delineated the spell.\nTinasha made sure they were all in their proper spots before beginning her incantation.\n“I pray that these words will turn to poison. Let them sow seeds of thorns.”\nHer voice sang out the words. As the infinitely complex spell took shape, her mind wandered.\nIf love could kill someone, then was that feeling in and of itself a contradiction?\nWhether a person killed out of love or out of hate, it brought on death all the same.\nWhy then did humans treat them as totally different things?\nOnly the one who killed could know the truth of their motive, and even they couldn’t be absolutely sure.\nSweat beaded on her ivory forehead.\nCautious and precise, Tinasha wove together her power and her intention.\n“Fate goes round in a loop, impossible to escape.”\nEach line made the air vibrate, and the crystal balls rotated accordingly.\n“No one shall touch it nor change it. Let my words turn to poison.”\nPeople kill people.\nThat’s what emotions do.\nThat’s what power does.\nIf strong feelings could push Tinasha toward such vile actions, then she would avoid love and hate. She didn’t want to ever remember.\nAt the same time, Tinasha didn’t want to push herself to insanity. From the very start, she was already caught in the midst of an inescapable madness, after all.\n“Blessings born of hatred, love born of a curse…”\nPartway through a lengthy incantation, Tinasha let out a little sigh.\nShe tipped her head up to stare at the dark ceiling…then closed her eyes.\nFailure wasn’t an option. The witch was already running low on time.\nShe was sure there was nothing else someone who dwelled in the past—someone like her—could leave behind.\nThat was why she was so determined to at least accomplish this one task.\nHoning her thoughts down to a single thread, Tinasha launched back into chanting the spell.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOscar felt like he’d been dreaming.\nIt was a very fuzzy sort of vision. He didn’t know whether he felt happy or sad, but he awoke with the distinct feeling that his dream had been very emotional. The room was still dark, and only the earliest hints of morning were visible through the window.\nRubbing his forehead, he moved to sit up in bed and noticed something strange. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.\n“Did I not wear one to bed…?” Oscar murmured, scrolling through his memories even though his thoughts were still muddled… Then he noticed someone next to him.\nHis witch was asleep, seated on the floor, with her torso slumped over his bed. Several crystal balls were scattered all around her.\nSomething had clearly happened, but Oscar didn’t have the foggiest idea what it was.\nSitting up, he reached out and tugged gently on the witch’s hair. “Tinasha,” he called.\nNo reaction. He tugged again, and she finally stirred. She gazed at him with bleary eyes. “I’m sleepy…”\n“You can sleep after you’ve explained what happened,” Oscar insisted. Tinasha shook her head like a petulant child. As she gradually came back to her senses, however, the light came back to her eyes. She let out a little yawn and sat on the bed.\nLooking up at Oscar with her dark eyes, Tinasha declared, “I broke your curse.”\n“…What?”\nOscar stared at his protector. Dumbfounded, he found himself questioning his own ears.\nTinasha rubbed at her watery eyes. “Technically speaking, I didn’t break it so much as I set up another curse in the same location to offset it. There’s a part of the spell with a name attached to it… It’s like a password. Only the spell caster designated by that name can do anything about it, so I left it in there. But if that’s all it is, then it’s just part of the blessing and protection charm, so there shouldn’t be any ill effects.”\n“…You broke the curse already?” Oscar was stunned by the sudden turn of events.\nHe knew that Tinasha had been nearly done with analyzing the curse, but now it was seemingly gone altogether. Oscar had borne the burden for fifteen years. That it was neutralized with so little fanfare left him at a loss for words.\nBlinking her sleep-heavy eyelids, Tinasha pointed at Oscar’s chest. “You can wash that off now. Go take a bath or something.”\nNow that she mentioned it, Oscar realized there were intricate sigils drawn in blood on his body. They looked magical and were still a vibrant red.\n“Is that your blood?” Oscar asked.\n“It is. I used it as a catalyst,” answered Tinasha.\n“Why did you do it while I was asleep?”\n“Because it was easier with you unconscious. You kicked up a fuss when I waited for you to fall asleep the last time,” Tinasha reminded him, floating up into the air. “Okay, I’m going to head back to my room for some sleep…”\nShe was about to teleport away when Oscar suddenly grabbed her hand. Frowning a little, she looked down at him. “What?”\n“Ah, just… Thank you.”\nAt that, a bewitching smile reached Tinasha’s sleepy eyes. She squeezed his hand in return, placing a kiss on the back of it. Then she faded away like a ghost, leaving only the crystal balls scattered about the floor.\nOscar gazed down for a better look at the blood sigils painted on his body.\nHe was certain that for the rest of his days he’d never forget this morning.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe entire castle was abuzz with excitement.\nToday was the king’s birthday, though the festivities were more of an opportunity for state diplomacy than anything else. People from neighboring countries gathered to sound out one another’s intentions. As the celebration was about to begin in earnest, a group of court ladies were getting ready in a room of the castle.\n“How’s everything look?” Oscar, dressed in full court regalia himself, knocked on the open door before entering.\nThe witch looked up at the sound of his voice. “Oscar… I’m exhausted…”\nShe’d been held fast for two hours while her hair and makeup were done. She longed to get free, but Sylvia and the other court ladies were having too much fun and wouldn’t let her go. Whether Oscar actually heard the witch’s plea for help was unknown, as he was staring at her in awe.\n“You look…stunning.”\n“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Tinasha grumbled.\n“I put my whole heart and soul into it! She was already beautiful, so it made the perfect base for makeup,” Sylvia piped up. Upon hearing that, Tinasha judged the makeup session to be over and stood at last.\nHer long hair was bound up, though a few wispy locks trailed down in front. The floral hair ornament that matched the embroidery on the dress sat perched above her ear. Silk gauze around the flower trailed down over her alabaster shoulders.\nMakeup in hues of blue had been applied to accentuate her already prominent nose bridge and big dark eyes. As a result, her normally cool and clear features took on the proud, intimidating air of a queen. Coupled with her youthful face, this rendered her entirely unapproachable.\n“You did a great job. Completely exceeded my expectations,” Oscar said, very pleased. He reached out to brush Tinasha’s cheek.\nSuddenly, Lazar’s voice came echoing down the hall. “Your Highness! Where are you?”\n“What is it? What’s wrong?” Oscar asked. Lazar heard him and rushed into the room. He looked appropriately gobsmacked when he caught sight of Tinasha. Oscar didn’t turn to look at his old friend, as he was entirely preoccupied with the witch. Instead, the prince merely asked again, “What’s wrong?”\n“Ah yes. Well, the prince from Tayiri won’t be able to attend, it seems. There was an attack on a town close to the border with Cuscull about a week ago. In his place, he’s sent his royal younger sister.”\n“Cuscull?”\n“Attack…?”\nOscar and Tinasha’s faces hardened at Lazar’s words.\nWith a grave tone, the man continued his explanation. “Without warning, Cuscull mages burned a village to the ground. By the time help had arrived, no survivors could be found.”\n“No survivors… They killed everyone?” Oscar inquired.\nNot in the past one hundred years had there been something so vile. Mass killings of innocent citizens had been commonplace during the Dark Age, but it was the Age of Witches now. Most thought such a tragedy impossible unless one of the witches was involved.\nBile rose in Oscar’s throat. “I have no idea what Cuscull is thinking. I’ve also got to wonder if Tayiri plans to publicize the attack and ask other countries for assistance.”\n“They might. If Tayiri could handle this on its own, a nation of mages who oppose Tayiri’s state religion would never have declared independence in the first place. I’m sure those in charge want to do something about Cuscull, whether that means incurring debts to other nations or not,” Tinasha replied.\n“True. Fighting mages when your nation shuns the practice of magic sounds difficult,” Oscar observed.\nMages have great power in war but are actually quite difficult to utilize efficiently.\nThe stronger the spell, the more likely it is to affect soldiers on the mage’s side, too, and the longer the incantation as well.\nIt was hard to control large-scale magic at all, and few mages mastered the delicate practice. What’s more, the farther away a spell was loosed, the more time an enemy mage had to counter it. Mages needed to be able to get fairly close to their opponents if they wanted to have any hope of outsmarting them by being the first to cast a spell. As a result, spell casters were placed in the rear guard behind soldiers and typically lobbed small- to midrange magic attacks. Opposing magic users would attempt to guard while hurling back spells of their own. Such a task was exceedingly difficult and was the exact reason so many mages devoted themselves entirely to defense and support magic.\nTayiri was an exception, as they had no mages and therefore no way of defending themselves against a volley of spells.\nOne had to wonder what Cuscull’s aim was in all this. Whether it was revenge against Tayiri for so many years of oppression or something else entirely, none could say for sure.\nOscar frowned, then noticed that something seemed off about the witch. The blood had drained from her face. Her eyes were glinting with a mixture of grief and rage.\n“Tinasha? What is it?” Oscar asked, and she snapped back to herself.\nHer eyes wavered as she looked up at him. “…Oh, no… It’s nothing,” she said, smiling. Then, after some hesitation, she tugged on his sleeve. “Um, do you have some time? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about…”\n“Oh? This is unusual. Sure, I don’t mind,” Oscar agreed.\nKnowing her, this wasn’t going to be anything romantic. Instead of making everyone clear the room, Oscar led Tinasha out onto the balcony. Beyond the railing sprawled the castle courtyard. Oscar glanced idly at the plants and flowers shadowed in the dusk. Tinasha followed him out, shutting the door behind her.\n“Oscar, do you like Nark?” she asked.\n“Huh? Nark… You mean that dragon of yours? I mean, I guess I don’t hate it. Why?”\n“Then could I ask you to look after it? I’m its current owner, but I’d like to transfer that over to you. It’s fond of you, too…”\n“Why?” Oscar pressed.\nTinasha didn’t answer. She just looked up at him with a pained expression. The dissonance between the look and Tinasha’s fanciful hair and makeup lent her an air of instability. It was unusual for the witch to appear so helpless, and Oscar scratched his head. “All right. I don’t mind.”\n“Really?! I’ll transfer it over now, then,” Tinasha decided, breaking into a broad smile. Without a sound, she floated into the air and placed her palm to Oscar’s forehead and hummed an incantation. He caught her in his arms, and she settled into them.\n“Now, you’re its owner. It’ll come when you call its name. You don’t have to worry about food; it’ll find some on its own.”\n“Got it.” Oscar nodded.\nShe was radiant when she smiled. The moonlight tinted her ivory skin a pale-blue shade. Her gaze appeared to be on him, but her attention was far away—perhaps linked with the night itself. With the distinct feeling that he’d get utterly swept away if he looked at her for too long, Oscar bit back a sigh.\nHe stroked Tinasha’s cheek with his other hand, and her eyes narrowed. He slid his hand over to the back of her head, drawing her close.\nShe didn’t resist. She placed her hands on his shoulders and then kissed him quite naturally.\nWhen her soft lips drew back, Oscar huffed out a laugh. “That was not what I was expecting.”\n“You have to change things up every so often,” Tinasha replied with a smile, reaching out a finger to wipe off the lipstick that had stuck to Oscar’s lips.\nWhen Oscar entered the ballroom accompanied by the witch, the pair looking as beautiful as a painting; all eyes turned to stare at them. Aware of the wave of murmurs sweeping across the room, Tinasha sighed to herself. Her arm looped through Oscar’s, and she whispered to him, “It’s unheard of for me to make an appearance in a place like this…”\n“No one knows who you are,” Oscar assured her.\n“If you refer to me as your fiancée, I will send you flying.”\n“I’ll remember that,” he acknowledged dryly.\nThey made their way to the king and bowed. Tinasha took a step back, and Oscar offered his official well wishes. The king eyed the two of them with some amusement, and when Oscar finished his address, the king beckoned Tinasha closer. She came to the king’s side, and he lowered his voice so that only she could hear him.\n“You’re going along with this well,” he said.\n“It’s only because I signed a contract with someone very pushy… Is your family known for such things?”\n“Since you’ve graced us with your presence, shall I introduce you to the guests?”\n“Please, no. I believe the noble young ladies of the neighboring countries have been awaiting a meeting with the crown prince.”\nUpon hearing that, the king swept his gaze over the ballroom and picked out the ladies in gorgeous gowns who studded the hall. Each was staring at Oscar with anticipation and at the witch with hostility.\nThe king chuckled. “That does look tricky. My sympathies.”\n“I see writing things off as someone else’s problem runs in the family… I wish you’d do something about him.”\n“At his age, he isn’t going to listen to his father. You should just go ahead and get together with him.”\n“You’re really going to say that, too?” Tinasha cried out without thinking; then her hand flew to cover her mouth. She hurriedly curtsied and returned to Oscar’s side.\n“What were you talking about?” he asked her, suspicious.\n“The troubles of life…”\nOscar looked like he wanted to hear more, but Tinasha refused to speak further. She spent an hour with Oscar at the ball; then when the timing was right, she escaped out into the gardens.\n“I’m so tired…and so glad this dress isn’t for dancing…” Tinasha sighed, savoring her freedom as she glanced back at the ball with everyone in their finery. The witch could dance, of course, but she had a feeling that doing so would invite unwanted trouble. She was about to slip away when someone called out to her from behind.\n“Are you all alone, beautiful?”\n“Gah…”\nThe disgusting catcall made Tinasha screw her face up, but she schooled her features into a smile before turning around. Standing before her was a well-groomed young man. He must have been a guest at the ball.\nShe replied blandly, “Just out for some night air…”\n“That’s perfect. I just came out to do the same myself,” he said, striding up to her and taking her hand rather naturally. “If it’s all the same, I’d like to accompany you.”\n“Mmm…” Tinasha sighed. She’d missed her chance to escape. Now she had to render this person unconscious without leaving any proof behind.\nAs he caressed her hand and Tinasha began to wonder if she could just bury him in the gardens, someone appeared from one of the side paths. This man noticed the two of them and gave a little snort. He said to her, “Miss Tinasha, are you about ready?”\n“Ah yes. I’m coming,” she said, shaking off the man’s hand as fast as she could and scurrying away after excusing herself. The man looked reluctant to let her go, but she didn’t spare one glance back at him as she hurried to Als.\n“Thanks. I was about to knock him into next week.”\n“I have to admit, that was funny to see. But, well, I suppose it’s part of my guard duties to protect you from unsavory men like that,” young General Als declared, laughing loud and long.\nAnnoyed, Tinasha wiped off her poor abused hand. “It was really awful. I don’t want people groping at me like they have permission to do so. He was much too familiar.”\n“True, although you don’t seem to mind when it’s the prince.”\n“…Huh?” Tinasha paused in confusion when Als pointed that out; she’d never noticed it herself.\nWhen Oscar touched her like it was the most natural thing in the world, she’d often thought his hands felt warm or comfortable—but never unpleasant. At most, she’d found Oscar’s caress distracting.\nShe wondered what the difference meant but gave up on it halfway through her thoughts. Even if she got an answer, it didn’t matter anymore.\nShe shook it off only to suddenly feel uneasy all over. Her skin prickled.\n“Someone’s watching.”\n“Huh? Miss Tinasha, did you say something?”\n“…No.”\nThe disquieting sensation disappeared in an instant. There was no one else around but Als and Tinasha.\nThe witch tipped her head up. She gazed at the moon, as if searching for something she’d been longing for.\nBack in his chambers, Oscar was lounging in a chair, feeling entirely fed up. What in the world do I do now? he thought.\nSitting in front of him was one very prideful princess in a brilliant gown.\n“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” inquired Princess Cecelia of Tayiri, who was attending in place of her elder brother. She looked at Oscar with eyes plainly filled with hope.\nOscar had struck up a conversation with her in order to ask about the Cuscull situation, but Cecelia had said, “It’s very complicated, so I can’t discuss it here” and invited herself to his private chambers.\nNow that she had gotten Oscar alone, however, Cecelia refused to discuss any matters related to Cuscull. From the look of things, she knew nothing of politics, though perhaps she was tasked with making an ally of the power behind the throne of an influential country—or just seducing Oscar.\n“…Time to kick her out,” Oscar muttered under his breath and got to his feet. Just then, there was a light rap at the window. On reflex, Oscar called, “What is it, Tinasha?”\nThe witch opened the window and entered, then looked shocked to see Cecelia there. Oscar was prepared for Tinasha to react in a dramatic fashion, but instead she turned calmly to face the princess.\n“I am so very sorry, but I need to borrow him for some important business. I hope that’s all right with you,” Tinasha said very politely but in a manner that brooked no objections.\nCecelia did not take the imposition well. “I never… How very rude to come in from a place like that! Your Highness, just who is this woman?”\n“My wi—mage,” Oscar replied, correcting himself just before the word witch could escape from his mouth. When Cecelia, the princess of a country that hated magic, heard that, her eyebrows flew up. She leaped to her feet and brazenly stepped right in front of Tinasha, glaring into her deep, dark eyes.\n“A mage, was it? A mere mage who doesn’t know her place… How filthy. Begone!” she haughtily decreed.\nBefore Oscar could reply, Tinasha coolly spat, “A mere mage? You should watch your mouth, you imbecile.”\n“What did you call me?!”\n“Leave. Do I have to repeat myself before you understand?”\nThe witch’s eyes were like two pools of bottomless black—a silent gravity that dominated the entire room.\nCecelia shrank back, cowed by the intensity of her gaze. Oscar gaped at the witch in numb shock.\nHe had seen Tinasha look fearsome and intimidating before, but never had he seen her with eyes that could force others to submit so completely.\nOscar himself possessed that same ability. His eyes were that of someone who stood above the rest—a ruler.\nCecelia looked at Oscar imploringly, but once she realized no help would be coming from him, she all but fled the room. Only the witch and Oscar were left.\nIt seemed to Oscar that Tinasha in formal wear was an entirely different person—someone he didn’t know.\nTinasha slowly turned around and approached Oscar. There was an irrepressible self-deprecating look in her eyes.\n“Tinasha?”\nWith a smile, she placed a finger to his lips, indicating that he shouldn’t speak. She lifted off into the air and gave a light wave of her right hand. Blood started to ooze from her pointer finger.\nThen she wrapped both arms around Oscar’s neck and began to write something in blood behind his left ear. As she concentrated on her work, she whispered something in the prince’s ear.\n“Oscar… I am someone who should have died four hundred years ago… At present, I am only a witch. I am nothing more than the remains of a child who should be dead. You should not fall for a dead woman.”\nShe finished writing and cradled Oscar’s face in her hands. From very close, she gazed into his eyes the color of a clear twilight sky.\n“You should do what you need to do. The future of this country is riding on your shoulders. Don’t forget that.”\nThe darkness within Tinasha’s gaze was akin to stepping into the abyss.\nA baseless anxiety seized Oscar.\n“Tinasha? What’s going on?” he pressed.\nShe closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she looked at him again and parted her red lips. “Do you remember what I said…when I undid Lucrezia’s spell?”\nOscar’s eyes widened.\nShe didn’t wait for his reply. Her face came closer, pale and twisted in sorrow. She kissed him softly on the lips.\nThen she landed soundlessly on the ground and turned her back to him. The air in front of her—where her dark gaze now focused—warped.\nIn the next moment, an unfamiliar man materialized from the twisted space.\nThe man’s long white hair was the shade of melting snow, and his skin was similarly pale.\nThe light blue mage’s costume that clung to his lithe body looked remarkably similar to the one Tinasha often wore. This man with an air of androgyny to him gazed at Tinasha and smiled. “Aeti, I’ve come for you. You’ve grown so much bigger…ah, lovelier.”"}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0003.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAt that, Oscar wanted to shout out. But when he tried, he found that his voice had been silenced. No matter how he tried, his body refused to move, too. That kiss just now had bound him with magic.\nTinasha suddenly leaped off the floor and launched herself at the man. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Lanak! You really are alive!”\nOscar had never heard Tinasha’s voice sound so full of pure joy.\nThe man she’d called Lanak stroked her hair fondly. “I knew you were looking for me. But I couldn’t do anything for so long…”\n“It’s all right. It’s enough just to know you’re okay.”\nTinasha took the man’s hand and cradled it against her face. Seeing the witch act so unusually shook Oscar to the core. Tears were glistening in her eyes, and her happiness was palpable. He was well aware that this wasn’t the smile she used as a mask. Who was this man who inspired such feelings in her?\nLanak smiled at Tinasha, apparently taking no notice at all of Oscar. “You won’t have to feel lonely anymore. I’ve built you a country, too. It’s called Cuscull. It’s small, but it’s going to grow quickly. I’m certain you’ll like it. You’re going to be its queen.”\nThat left Oscar reeling.\nCuscull, the newly formed country of mages.\nThis dangerous-looking man before him was the king of that country?\nTinasha answered him with a tone of rapture, not sounding the littlest bit perturbed. “If it’s my country, I’m going to make lots of requests.”\n“Request away. It’s your right,” Lanak replied, wrapping his left arm around her. Noticing Oscar for what seemed to be the first time, he asked, “Who’s he?”\n“The man I signed a contract with,” Tinasha explained.\n“The bearer of Akashia, hmm? Sounds dangerous,” Lanak said, facing Oscar and making a motion with his right hand.\nTinasha saw it, and for a second, her expression twisted. The spell binding Oscar broke.\nWasting no time, Oscar tried to unsheathe Akashia, but Tinasha leaped in front of Lanak and gave the man a smile. “Let him go. Even if the sword has power, it’s just a sword in the end. It means nothing if the bearer has no strength of their own.”\n“Tinasha!”\nOscar felt like he was trapped in some awful dream.\nHis witch, the person he should’ve known better than anyone, now felt terribly far away from him.\nWhere had her heart gone?\nSlowly, Tinasha turned around. An unmistakable belligerence blazed in her dark eyes.\n“My contract with you ends tonight. The curse is broken. You don’t need anything more from me, I believe.”\n“There’s still time left on it,” he said.\n“Not anymore,” she said, a cruel smile flickering across her face.\nOscar finally drew Akashia. He pointed the tip of it just past Tinasha. “I’m not letting you leave with him.”\n“If you intend to hurt Lanak, you’ll have to go through me.”\nTinasha spread her arms wide, and a longsword materialized between them. She grabbed hold of it.\nIn an instant, there was a terrible pressure about the room.\nOscar did his best to stay calm. His mind was reeling from a chaotic mess of questions.\nAt this distance, he was confident he could kill Tinasha.\nWhile she was touted as the most powerful witch, that met its match against Akashia.\nTinasha was the one who’d trained Oscar so that he could kill her, after all. However, even knowing that, the prince found it difficult to take a single step forward.\nHe was of two minds—the desire to focus on battle and the desire to reject it.\nTime froze where it was, and there was a horrible silence that seemed to go on forever. Then Lanak embraced Tinasha from behind. “It’s all right. Let’s go.”\nShe gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded. Magic enveloped the two of them.\n“Tinasha!” Oscar shouted, but she had already winked out of sight."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0004.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 3. When the Abyss Formed\n“Aeti, you’re going to be my queen. Do you know that?”\n“Yeah… I know,” the little girl said, nodding hesitantly. The boy’s face changed from stern to smiling in an instant. That sweet smile reassured Tinasha somewhat.\nShe hadn’t intended to do anything bad. She’d just had a fit of anger, and her magic had leaked out and shattered a flower vase in the room. Startled, the court ladies called over the boy, who had stopped by rather coincidentally.\nTinasha felt devastated that the one person she didn’t want to learn of her failure had discovered it.\nHe was the only one she didn’t want to hate her. She’d been alone here for as long as she could remember. In a sense, the boy was the only family she had who thought of her and helped her.\nTinasha clenched her fingers in the hem of her dress. The boy seemed to sense her grief. With a half smile on his face, he opened his arms to her.\n“Come to me.”\n“Lanak!” Tinasha cried, leaping into his arms, and he stroked her hair gently.\nTinasha closed her eyes, wanting to cry at how warm his hand felt.\nNow was the one time she could forget all her worries and her loneliness. Once she became his queen, she was sure she’d never suffer such thoughts again.\n“Lanak, I’m sorry.”\n“It’s all right. Just promise me you won’t do it again.”\n“Yeah. I’ll try hard… So please don’t hate me.”\n“You needn’t worry,” Lanak assured her. The voice floated out over her head, and she hugged the boy all the tighter, wishing desperately that he’d never abandon her.\nShe had loved him.\nShe had trusted him with her heart and soul.\nBut why?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTinasha’s quarters in the castle had been completely emptied. The transportation array linked to her tower was gone, too.\nRumors traveled through every corridor on hushed whispers as everyone wondered why the witch had so suddenly disappeared without notice.\nWhile some guesses held kernels of truth, not one of them struck upon the whole story.\nIt had now been a day since Tinasha’s disappearance. Lazar left the study and let out a long sigh. The man waiting for him out in the hall waved to him. Lazar looked up and murmured the man’s name. “General Als… Everyone.”\nStanding before him were Als, his officer Meredina, as well as the court mages Sylvia, Kav, and Doan. The entire group took a few paces down the corridor before Als dared to ask, “How’s His Highness doing?”\n“Not good. At first glance, he looks the same as he ever does, but…,” Lazar answered.\n“And yet he’s still able to do his job. That’s just like him,” remarked Als.\n“He won’t tell me what happened,” Lazar admitted.\n“I want to know, but I’m afraid I won’t like what I hear…,” confided Als.\nSylvia joined the conversation, her eyes full of tears. “Where did Miss Tinasha go? …It was right after the ball, wasn’t it? Did I do something she didn’t like?”\n“I don’t think that’s it. She wasn’t that sort.”\nTheir discussion was getting nowhere, and everyone lapsed into silence.\nJust then, Oscar emerged from the room. He surveyed the entourage with a frown, but he walked right up to Lazar and handed him some documents.\n“I’m done. You handle the rest.”\n“Th-that was fast…,” Lazar said, accepting the stack.\nNext to him, Als inquired suspiciously, “Your Highness, where are you going with your sword on?”\n“Lucrezia’s forest.”\n“What?!” exclaimed the entire group in chorus.\nRecalling what happened before, Lazar rushed to stop him. “Please wait. What if something dangerous happens?”\n“It won’t, so I’m fine. Let me go.”\n“Your Highness, I’m going with you. Please wait,” Lazar insisted\n“I—I am, too,” Sylvia added.\nAs the scene devolved into chaos and everyone spoke over one another, there came a peal of laughter from above their heads. Oscar looked up to see a woman with chestnut-brown hair floating in midair.\n“You don’t have to go anywhere. I’m right here,” the Witch of the Forbidden Forest said with a wink.\n“So she really did leave after all.” Lucrezia sighed as she looked out at the group now seated by the windows inside the study. She looked unusually low-spirited.\n“What do you mean ‘after all’?” Oscar asked, sitting behind his desk again. He picked up on something unsavory in what she revealed.\n“I mean, I was invited to Cuscull, too,” Lucrezia said.\nKav had just taken a sip of tea, and he broke into a coughing fit when he heard that.\n“What did you decide?” Doan inquired timidly.\n“I said no, of course. I’m sure the other witches did, too. Witches have no interest in countries and politics. Oh, well, one of us does but rejected the offer, too. The fact that our little Tinasha has gone means there’ll be troubles among the other countries.”\nEveryone except Oscar gulped, their expressions heavy.\nIt was true that until now, a witch had never backed a country and assisted its invasions into other nations. When Tinasha had fought on the front lines seventy years ago, that had been in opposition to an invasion, and the use of her force had been limited to fighting the demonic beast.\nEvery nation maintained that the witches were beings who were not to be trifled with largely because of how powerful they were. It was also due to the fact that witches didn’t intervene in international skirmishes among mortals.\nThat the most powerful witch had seemingly allied herself with a nation set on invading other countries was concerning to say the least. The panic this development would cause would no doubt result in serious trouble.\nA dark expression on his face, Oscar swung his legs up on top of his desk and crossed them. He looked up to the witch sitting behind him. “Do you know what kind of a relationship Tinasha and that Lanak guy have?”\nAll the courtiers tensed upon hearing the name Lanak for the first time. They realized he must have something to do with Tinasha’s disappearance but judged it wise to say nothing, considering Oscar’s mood.\nLucrezia, on the other hand, broke into a grin. “I do. She’s been looking for him ever since she became a witch. Now that they’ve finally been reunited, isn’t that a good thing?”\n“Something’s off about that guy.”\n“Are you jealous?” teased Lucrezia.\n“I am, but there’s still something off there, though I can’t rightly tell what.”\nThe man who’d taken Tinasha away appeared to have one foot in a dream. It was obvious he was a powerful mage based on how he’d transported himself and Tinasha away with no incantation, but he left a general impression of being dangerous and not entirely sane.\nLucrezia floated into the air, then flipped upside down and got a closer look at Oscar’s expression. “Does it really matter? Tinasha was okay with it, after all. How about you just let her go? No one likes a persistent man.”\n“I can’t,” Oscar stated bluntly.\n“Oh, how stubborn. She made her choice all on her own. Who are you to go sticking your nose in? Shouldn’t you worry about yourself more?” Lucrezia inquired, gazing at Oscar with a bit of a mocking smile.\nIt was the gaze of a witch who ensnared, compelled, and controlled people’s hearts. Oscar looked back into those eyes without faltering—and made a decision. “I will not give up on her no matter what anyone says. In my eyes, she’s my one and only. If I kill that man and bring her back and she still says she’d rather have someone else, then I’ll let her go.”\nOscar was positive that he knew Tinasha better than she thought he did.\nWhat she liked, what she hated. What she loved, what made her upset. He knew her loneliness, as well as her stubborn refusal to rely on others.\nIt was that understanding that drove Oscar to reach out after Tinasha. There was already a boundless distance between the two of them. If he stopped here, he’d never reach her.\nOscar’s fierce determination burned in his eyes, and Lucrezia met his gaze evenly. Time stretched out between them, feeling both endless and momentary.\nSomeone sighed. Lucrezia wiped the scorn off her face and sat down on the study’s desk. “First, I want you all to promise me that you won’t tell her you heard anything from me. I don’t want her to kill me. I will reveal everything I know about Tinasha to you. She only ever recounted indifferent recollections of her past to me, so think for yourselves about how she may have felt back then.” Breaking off there, the witch gazed out at the entire group. “And finally…I will only tell these things to those who are prepared to fight to the death with Tinasha. If you aren’t ready, then you shouldn’t hear this.”\nOscar closed his eyes and didn’t move.\nAls looked at his friend Meredina. After some hesitation, she stood up. Lazar and Kav stood up, too. They had gone back and forth in their minds, but in the end, they bowed to those who remained and left the room.\nDoan and Sylvia stayed. Doan met Lucrezia’s gaze with conviction, while Sylvia clenched her hands into tight fists. Als smiled wryly at that.\nHis eyes still closed, Oscar spoke. “Good. Go ahead and begin.”\nWith a sweet smile, Lucrezia launched into a long tale that took place many years ago.\n“Before I begin my story, let me tell you her true name.”\n“True name? It’s more than just Tinasha?” Oscar asked.\n“Yes. Her full name is Tinasha As Meyer Ur Aeterna Tuldarr. Aeti is a nickname for Aeterna.”\n“Tuldarr?!” exclaimed Doan and Sylvia, thoroughly startled.\nTimidly, Sylvia asked for clarification. “Tuldarr as in the Magic Empire that vanished overnight four hundred years ago, correct? I never expected her to carry the name of that ancient place…”\n“So she’s royalty,” Oscar concluded. He was a little surprised, but it made sense. Tinasha had occasionally shown signs of such a heritage. This explained where it all stemmed from.\nLucrezia listened to everyone’s surprised remarks and laughed. “She is royalty, indeed, but perhaps not in the way you’re imagining. Strictly speaking, she was a potential queen. Tuldarr was a monarchy, but the throne wasn’t inherited based on lineage. Instead, rulers were decided purely by power.”\n“If it was decided by power, then what happened if someone dangerous was also incredibly strong?”\n“That was why candidates were educated in the castle from a young age. Soon after Tinasha was born, she was taken from her parents and raised in the castle. That was how preeminent her power was.”\nAls let out a deep sigh. Lucrezia smiled in a motherly way. “So both a boy and girl would be chosen as potential regents, and they would become engaged. In Tinasha’s case, the boy was the king’s only son—Lanak. In terms of status, he was about equal to her, but in terms of power, he was no match for her. Everyone thought she would be queen and he would be her consort.”\n“What a world,” Oscar commented.\n“That’s what royal families are like. You have Akashia, don’t you?” Lucrezia said, looking at Oscar. The prince shrugged. It was true that without the royal sword, Oscar might not have been able to brave all the dangers that led him to Tinasha in the first place.\n“Even so, Lanak apparently doted on this girl five years younger than him. They’d been together ever since Tinasha was a baby and as close as a real brother and sister. But all around them, unrest was brewing.”\nLucrezia narrowed her eyes and pointed to Oscar. “At the time, Farsas and many other countries were growing stronger. Tuldarr had broken off diplomatic relations with all other nations, and internal debate raged over whether that should continue. The Reformists urged Tuldarr to engage with foreigners and exchange technology with them. The Traditionalists insisted that Tuldarr was a special country that was better not intermingling. Neither side would yield. Eventually the king fell ill, and the Reformists championed Tinasha while the Traditionalists sided with Lanak. They argued over which would be heir.”\n“You say they argued, but wasn’t it basically already decided that Miss Tinasha would take the throne?” inquired Als.\n“Yes, it was. Which is why the Traditionalists hatched a plan. They plotted to kill two birds with one stone by preventing Tinasha’s coronation while also fortifying Lanak’s power.”\nLucrezia took a breath, licked her red lips, and continued.\n“At the time, Tinasha was thirteen. One night, she woke up and found herself being spirited away in Lanak’s arms. She wondered why, but Lanak told her, ‘Something good’s about to happen,’ and she trusted him. For someone like Tinasha, who was separated from her parents and brought up in the castle, Lanak was the one person who understood her circumstances. He carried her into the cathedral and laid her down on the altar…\n“And then…very slowly, he cut open Tinasha’s belly with a dagger.\n“I remember Tinasha told me that it was ‘the kind of thing that happens all the time.’ She’d been smiling, her dark eyes closed, as if she hadn’t even been the one it’d happened to.”\n“…What did you just say?” Oscar asked, swinging his legs back onto the floor and sitting up.\nThe others were staring at the Lucrezia, varying degrees of terror on their faces.\nThe witch giggled, although her eyes were filled with anger. “Oh, did you not catch that? Lanak and the Traditionalist mages used the blood and guts of Tinasha—a powerful mage—to summon magic. They didn’t want her to die partway through, so they used a life-prolonging spell but did nothing for the pain. When the magical power appeared, Lanak absorbed it.”\n“Didn’t he think of her as his sister?!” Als shouted, half rising out of his seat.\nLucrezia curled her lip scornfully. “He did. But he had his wounded pride to think about, too. A young girl who relied only on herself had a power that far outstripped his, guaranteeing it was she who would succeed to the throne, not him, despite him being prince.”\n“Unbelievable…,” Sylvia faintly murmured as her eyes welled up with tears. Next to her, Doan was uncharacteristically biting his lower lip in fury.\nOscar recalled Tinasha’s strange reaction when he’d picked her up and placed her in bed. That incident far in the past, four hundred years ago, must’ve left an unforgettable mark on her mind.\nWith everyone’s hate stirred up, the witch went on with her story.\n“But the magical power they summoned was much greater than they’d imagined. The plan was to split it up using five names and affix each one to a part of Lanak’s body. But ultimately, they failed to control it. One of the mages working the spell ran away; one was eaten by the magic and died. The power whipped up into a huge vortex surrounding Tinasha…and it destroyed Tuldarr. That’s why the country fell to ruin overnight.”\nThe two mages paled. They had learned about the ancient Magic Empire and its mysterious downfall. Lucrezia gave a limpid smile and returned to recounting Tinasha’s history.\n“Tinasha was on the verge of death but still conscious. She saw Lanak and the other mages escaping and grew frantic… This next part I don’t personally think had anything to do with her talent or power. Whether it was the willpower or the tenacity of someone half-dead, Tinasha succeeded in bringing the magic under control and absorbing it. However, she couldn’t absorb it all, and the parts that she couldn’t scattered all over the world, forming the magical lakes.”\nLucrezia lifted up her ivory hands. Before their eyes, a map of the continent appeared in midair. Five locations glowed red—the remaining magical lakes.\n“Though the storm of magic vanished, the country was already in ruins. All around her were heaps of rubble. She lay there in exquisite pain for three days while her stomach wound healed.”\nThe map disappeared. Lucrezia smiled, biting back her sorrow. “And once it was all over—she became a witch.”\nThat was the tale of how a thirteen-year-old girl met with a checkered fate in a time long past. It was a long-forgotten tragedy that couldn’t be altered\n“After that, Tinasha built a tower in a corner of the Tuldarr territory and made it her home. Through the years, she continued to search for Lanak. I’ve never dared to ask her why. That’s the end of the story. What do you think?”\nLucrezia looked at Oscar. She appeared to be grinning, but she wasn’t.\nSlowly, Oscar let out a long exhale.\nWhen he closed his eyes, it felt like visions of a distant past sprang up in his mind’s eye.\nThere was a desolate landscape and a girl. One who’d lost everything and had become a witch.\nHow much despair had she suffered? Despite it being more than anyone could’ve rightly endured, Tinasha had still managed to smile so naturally before everyone. How long must it have taken until she could get that smile back?\nOscar thought of his witch.\nHe recalled her fragile body. Her proud soul. Her whims, her love, her loneliness, her cruelty.\nOscar wished he could have been there to take her hand in the beginning.\nHe cursed himself for not being at her side when she was suffering the most.\nThose were ancient memories, however, which meant the only thing he had any hope of reaching…was Tinasha as she was now.\n“Do you think she still loves the man who slit her belly open?” Oscar asked Lucrezia.\n“Who knows?”\n“Then how do you think she feels about me?”\n“Don’t ask me things you know the answer to,” Lucrezia replied, pointing a red-painted nail at him. “She left the barrier on you, didn’t she? And she left you her dragon? There’s your answer.”\nOscar touched the back of his left ear.\nThe night before, Tinasha had written a sigil in her own blood to temporarily seal off his protective barrier. If Lanak had seen the barrier, it seemed unlikely he would’ve let Oscar be.\nTinasha’s silent gift to Oscar was still protecting him, even in her absence.\nOscar stood up and addressed the group. “There are no changes to the essential plan. I’m going to kill that disgusting man and bring Tinasha back. That’s all.”\nAls nodded, his eyes closed, and Doan bowed. In tears, Sylvia bobbed her head over and over.\nThe Witch of the Forbidden Forest looked at them and smiled like a mother of children who had done well.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA memory of a past that could never be recovered.\n“You can sleep,” Lanak told Tinasha, and she closed her eyes. She was in his arms as he walked along, and they were warm.\nTo Tinasha, he was the only family she’d ever had. That was why she found herself comfortable enough to act so defenseless.\nFor a while, she lingered in a hazy dream, but she blinked her eyes open once she realized that the air around was suddenly different.\nThe pair were in a dim, cavernous room. It felt cool, and Lanak’s echoing footsteps were the only sound.\nAfter noticing that Lanak was carrying her up some stone steps, she murmured, “Is this the cathedral?”\n“Ah, are you awake? Your magical resistance is strong, so of course you woke up.”\n“Magical resistance…”\nLanak was talking as if he’d used magic to put her to sleep.\nThe alabaster man climbed the stone steps. At the top was a ceremonial altar, with rays of moonlight streaming in from a skylight onto the chilly platform made of pale stone. Tinasha finally noticed the figures all around them. Countless mages in robes, faces shadowed by hoods, were clustered around the altar in silence.\n“…Lanak? Who are these people?”\nHe didn’t answer her.\nSmiling limpidly…he placed her down onto the cold altar.\nWhen she tried to get up, he pressed her shoulders back down against the carven slab.\n“Stay still, Aeti,” he said and took something from a recess in the dais.\nRays of moonlight caught something white.\nTinasha saw it, but she couldn’t comprehend what it was. She just lay there on her back as if frozen, staring at the dagger Lanak was holding.\n“Lanak…?”\nThe blade plunged down.\nThe tip pierced her belly.\n“…Aaaaaahhhhhh!”\nHer body arched up like a bow, but Lanak held her down and brazenly cut her stomach open.\nBlood spurted and flew, and her guts were dragged out.\nShe heard the sound of multiple people chanting. No matter how she shouted and struggled, Lanak kept cutting her open.\nHer high-pitched screams didn’t stop until they turned at last into bitter sobs.\nThus, in a tale as old as time, that loathsome country came to an end.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“…!”\nTinasha jerked awake.\nShe clutched her head with shaking hands. Inside her mind, dreams and reality and the past and the present were all jumbled up.\nShe looked around and found herself in an unfamiliar room. She sat up in bed, tugging on her long nightgown.\nAfter several deep breaths, her heart finally stopped pounding. Once she got out of bed, she began to pace around. Before long, she caught sight of a full-length mirror on the wall.\nFor a moment, she saw a skinny little girl there and she gasped.\n“Ah…”\nBreathless, she looked again but now saw only her adult self reflected back at her.\nTinasha looked nothing like the child she’d once been. The years had worn her down and caked her with despair and hatred. She knew that deep in her heart, however, that same self was still there. That girl who’d been driven mad four hundred years ago was still there.\nTinasha stepped up to the mirror and placed a hand on the icy glass. “This is why I told you not to get too close to a witch, Oscar…”\nHer lips curled into a self-deprecating smirk, as the dark eyes of the woman inside the mirror seemed to avert her gaze.\nTearing her eyes away from that reflection, Tinasha went through the basic steps of getting herself ready. She had many things to do now. She couldn’t stay in a dream forever.\nWhen she arrived at the castle’s main hall, three mages were having an audience with the king. Seated atop a white throne, Lanak noticed her and called, “Good morning, Aeti. Did you sleep well?”\n“I did, thank you. Who are these people?”\n“Ah yes. Apparently, they’re about to head out to a city in Tayiri.” Lanak chuckled.\nThe way he phrased this made it sound like it had nothing to do with him, and Tinasha cocked her head innocently. “To go burn that city?”\nHer question sounded like a little girl’s, and one of the three mages nodded with emphatic aggression. “Yes. A declaration of war.”\n“Then I’ll do it,” Tinasha decided.\n“What?! But…”\nShe’d made the statement rather lightly, twirling her hair, and the three mages exchanged bewildered looks.\nThe beautiful witch smiled fearlessly. “I’m allowed to ask for whatever I want. I will go to the city. You three go prepare for war or something.”\nTinasha fixed the mages with powerful eyes the color of darkness and the bearing of royalty. More than anything, however, the witch possessed a power that afforded no room for disagreement.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOne week after Tinasha disappeared, Oscar was buried in diplomatic materials in Farsas Castle, very far from Cuscull.\nCuscull, the northwestern part of Tayiri that had broken off and declared independence, shared no borders with Farsas.\nReaching it would require first going through Old Druza in the northwest or Cezar in the northeast, then Tayiri itself.\n“Or first go west, then north through the territory of Old Tuldarr, and surround Cuscull from the west,” Oscar observed.\n“But supposedly the magical power fields are unpredictable in Old Tuldarr,” Lazar said.\n“Some people say that land was cursed to begin with, but no matter how you look at it, the real source of the problems has got to be him,” Oscar spat. “Because the land is permeated with a large-scale forbidden curse… I never would’ve thought the magical lakes stemmed from the same source.”\nOscar stared at the unfurled map of the mainland on his desk.\nBeyond the western borders of Farsas lay deserted, desolate land belonging to no country—the wasteland where Tinasha’s tower resided. The presence of the witch’s spire was certainly a part of why the area had been abandoned for over three hundred years, but there was more to it than that.\nThat barren strip of land ran along the western edge of the tower all the way up to western Tayiri. It had been regarded as cursed since the Dark Age because of the fall of Tuldarr.\n“I never considered it much before, but was all that land under Tuldarr’s rule? It would had to have been almost as big as Farsas is now. That was unusual for the Dark Age, wasn’t it? Tuldarr must’ve been mighty indeed,” Oscar observed.\n“It certainly seems to have possessed the power befitting the title of ‘Magic Empire.’ According to Miss Lucrezia, Tuldarr was originally founded as a place to shelter persecuted mages,” Lazar explained.\n“So it grew more and more powerful from there, until it rose to become the most powerful country on the continent by way of magic alone. Then one day it was brought to absolute ruin leaving only forbidden, magic-soaked waste behind. I’ve never heard something so ridiculous.”\nWhen Tinasha had told Oscar of how their current era came to be known as the Age of Witches, she’d said the spell that was supposed to use the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned as the catalyst would have irreversibly altered the mainland. Apparently, Tinasha herself had been used in the very same way, and the effects of that incident could still be felt to this day.\nThe mere thought of that served only to infuriate Oscar. He knew if he dwelled on that idea too long, he’d want to march into Cuscull alone and cut that man named Lanak down where he stood. The others definitely wouldn’t allow him to do that, however. Even Oscar had to admit it was far too brash.\nThat said, spurring the military into action because of his own personal feelings was even more out of the question.\n“I guess all I can do is wait until Tayiri comes running to us in tears…”\n“What if Miss Tinasha gets married in the meantime?”\n“…Now there’s an interesting thought,” said Oscar, indicating that Lazar should lower his head. Then Oscar used his fists to slowly apply pressure to Lazar’s temples.\n“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”\n“According to Lucrezia, Lanak is a spirit sorcerer, too. If he’s going to get married, he’ll wait until the fighting’s done.”\n“I—I see…,” Lazar whimpered.\nOscar let go, releasing Lazar. Instantly, he sprang out of his lord’s grasp, rubbing his sore temples with tears in his eyes. “Your Highness, did you do this to Miss Tinasha, too…?”\n“I use different amounts of force on different people, obviously,” Oscar replied. Lazar was looking at him reproachfully, suspecting him of treating his protector rudely. If Oscar had put real force into the move with Tinasha, he’d have crushed her delicate skull.\nOscar folded up the map and snapped, “I don’t know who he thinks he is, sweeping in and shamelessly spiriting Tinasha away, but I won’t be satisfied until I cut him into forty-eight different pieces.”\n“I don’t think it has to be that many pieces,” Lazar protested.\n“Anyway, I guess I’ll make sure we’re ready to ship out at any time while we wait to see what Tayiri’s move is,” Oscar said, scratching his temple with the end of a pen.\nAs it happened, he didn’t have to wait very long. That evening, two letters addressed to Farsas arrived.\nIn a castle hall, the king looked out at the cluster of royal council members and showed them the letters in his hands. “Here they are. One is from Tayiri, asking for aid from neighboring countries against Cuscull’s violent attacks. It says that Cuscull appears to be plotting to conquer the entire mainland and that it will not be satisfied with Tayiri alone,” the king detailed in a leisurely tone.\nOne general, Granfort, raised his hand and stepped forward. This man was in the prime of life, and he spoke in a measured, dignified voice. “My apologies, but it is hard for me to believe that Cuscull truly does have that intention based solely on the word of their current target. Isn’t this simply some internal skirmish? I must express doubts as to the wisdom of sending our troops into the situation so recklessly.”\n“Ah, you would think so normally. But there’s one more letter…from Cuscull. This has gone out to all the Four Great Nations—Tayiri, Cezar, Gandona, and Farsas. It’s a request for surrender.”\nThe king’s words sent a shock wave of fright through those assembled.\nJust as quickly as the fear had come, the royal council started to murmur among itself, with some snickers mixed in. The Four Great Nations were all powers with extensive, storied histories and unquestionable sovereignty. For a tiny country founded less than a year ago to demand submission of these superpowers was ludicrous beyond belief. Surely, Cuscull was getting too far ahead of itself.\nOscar and Als were the only ones not laughing.\nWhat would the reaction have been like if it weren’t Cuscull trying to annex the Four Great Nations but the former monarchy called the Magic Empire? In the war-torn Dark Age, Tuldarr was a powerful state that successfully repelled invasions from other countries without surrendering ground. What would happen if that country that had once existed to protect the rights of mages now sought to attack other countries as a means of ensuring that goal?\nMore and more mages were flocking to Cuscull by the day, including incredibly powerful spirit sorcerers. Fighting against them would necessitate anti-magic warfare. There hadn’t been a mage-centric war on the mainland in the past two hundred years, however. Chances were high that one wrong move could lead to getting mowed down without even knowing what was happening.\nThe king, famous for his mild nature, surveyed those present with a stern look. “We don’t yet know if this will end up as something we can laugh about. I would prefer not to misread a nation and do something that cannot be undone. Five major Tayiri cities were destroyed all at once the other day. Casualties are estimated to be in the thousands. These were not cities that happened to be close to Cuscull, either. The attacker appears to have simply chosen the largest settlements. One of them was not far from Cezar at all.”\nA hush fell over the audience.\nUltimately, the study of magic was rather lacking in most countries. Many were content to simply learn what had already been recorded in books. At best, a kingdom kept around fifty court mages. Cuscull had many, many more. It was beyond most people to accurately predict when and where such a sizable force of mages would attack. A city in Farsas could be struck the next day.\nAfter making sure that the hall was quiet again, the king opened the letter in his hand. His gaze dropped to it. “Finally, this is for Oscar.”\n“What is it?”\n“In the cities in Tayiri that were destroyed…the people vanished, but the buildings were left intact. They say it’s the work of the Witch of the Azure Moon.”\nEveryone in attendance suddenly stiffened.\nA witch, who’d previously been content not to involve herself, had finally started using her immense power to interfere in war. Those who understood how unprecedented this was shuddered with fear, confusion, and horror. Some of them looked reproachfully at Oscar, knowing the witch in question had been at his side until very recently.\nOscar himself was like a rock, and his expression didn’t change.\nWith his eyes trained on his son, the king continued. “Tayiri requests that you, as the current bearer of Akashia, slay the witch. This is separate from the request for aid made of Farsas; they want you to kill her. Can you do it?”\n“I can,” Oscar answered immediately. Behind him, the color drained from Als’s face. He raised his hand, intending to say something.\nBefore the general could speak, however, Oscar added, “I refuse to do so, however.”\nThe king looked puzzled, and a faint line creased his brow. “I won’t ask you to endanger yourself by going if you can’t win.”\n“I’m the only one who can kill her. But I won’t. If Tayiri wants aid, let’s go give it to them. But only if Cuscull is our enemy. Tinasha’s a separate matter.”\n“Didn’t she join up with Cuscull of her own free will?” inquired the king.\n“It might look that way, but I don’t think so,” Oscar replied.\nThe king’s face darkened in an exceedingly rare display of anger. His full intimidating aura, normally held in check, was laid bare. As the royal council members grew pallid, the king rose from his chair and looked down at Oscar. He took in a short breath and then proceeded to berate his son. “Are you a fool to get so possessed by a witch?! Have you forgotten that the lives of the people are riding on your shoulders?!”\nEveryone shrunk inward at their lord’s earsplitting roar of indignation.\nOscar only offered a wry huff, however.\nThe witch had said the same thing to him. It wasn’t very long ago, but Oscar felt oddly nostalgic about it already. Everyone was chewing his ear off, trying to test him.\nOscar met his father’s angry gaze, his bright sky-blue eyes blazing. “Father, we don’t need to go back and forth. I’ve already made up my mind. I don’t plan to lose, and I also don’t plan on giving anything up.”\nThat much Oscar had decided a while ago. Perhaps everything had been leading up to this ever since Oscar had learned the truth of Tinasha’s past from Lucrezia… Or maybe it’d been from when Oscar had first reached the top of Tinasha’s tower.\nRegardless, the prince’s answer was clear, calm, and wholehearted. The king eyed him silently.\nAfter only a moment, the king’s rage seemed to quiet and he gave a heavy shrug of resignation. “It really must run in the family…”\nNo one in the room understood the meaning behind their ruler’s mutterings. With a pained smile, the king sat himself back down.\n“All right, then. Do as you like. In exchange…”\n“In exchange?” Oscar urged.\n“You take the throne. I think I’ll abdicate.”\n“Y-Your Majesty!” cried Minister of the Interior Nessan in a panic.\nThe king received the concern rather nonchalantly. “It’s a little early, but I don’t mind. He’s already handling almost all the official duties. The one who rules this country is supposed to also be the bearer of Akashia anyway. It’s the perfect opportunity for Oscar to do some important things.”\nEven Oscar was taken aback by his father’s rather sudden decree. It was true that kings in Farsas took the throne unusually quickly compared with other countries, though. This was because the king of Farsas wielded Akashia, meaning he had to be a capable swordsman.\nIn accordance with that tradition, it would not have been strange if Oscar had been crowned as soon as he’d come to possess the mighty weapon. His father had just been occupying the throne since that day.\nOscar snapped out of his shock, and a smile broke across his graceful features. “I can’t believe you… All right, I accept the throne with the utmost gratitude.”\nThe king nodded, a dark smile on his lips. It very much resembled his son’s. He seized upon the opportunity to give Oscar another warning. “You must always be aware that your decisions affect the entire country.”\n“I will take that to heart,” Oscar declared, silently wondering what Tinasha would think of him saying such a thing.\nHe tried to imagine it, but the Tinasha in his mind had her back turned to him.\n“I’m a witch, and you possess Akashia; you really might have to kill me someday.”\nAt the time, the witch had said that in partial jest, but it was the truth.\nOscar was the owner of the only sword in the world capable of killing the Witch of the Azure Moon—his protector. Maybe Tinasha had so enjoyed her time together with Oscar because she’d known all along that it was ephemeral.\nWhat role did she expect Oscar to play in the war that was to come? Did she instead wish him not to get involved at all?\nOscar could only grasp at an answer as the tale hastened onward, faster and faster."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0005.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 4. The Shape of Emotion\nIf he closed his eyes, he could still see it so clearly—the sight of his mother in agony, engulfed in flames.\nNearly ten thousand soldiers marched through the Asdra Plains, a landscape with nothing to entice the eye but the thick forests that flanked it. The plains were not far from Cuscull at all, cut through by a highway road that led from Tayiri to Cuscull. Troops marshaled by Tayiri’s Prince Reust marched along this road on their way to Cuscull. This crown prince was Cecelia’s older brother, much sterner than their father in temperament, and he had disapproved of his royal father’s decision to send aid requests to the neighboring countries.\nThe Tayiri people were known for their valor in battle, and they regularly boasted that their soldiers could beat Farsas’s in hand-to-hand combat. In the eyes of the military officers of Tayiri, Reust included, Cuscull was a country of five hundred mere mages at best—no different than an irritating pest. It didn’t matter to them that such a number of magic users was ten times more than a normal country possessed.\nThe troops Reust commissioned, commanded by a trusted general in his place as he remained in the castle, made their way with no troubles. At their current pace, they would reach the castle in Cuscull in another two days.\n“…They’ll reach the target in twenty minutes.”\nThe scout’s report made all in the forest tense up.\nCuscull mages were lying in wait. For the past several days, they had made meticulous preparations to ambush the Tayiri army. Riding high on prebattle excitement, one mage said, “Can’t wait to see the looks on their faces.”\n“It’ll be over before that happens. They don’t have any mages on their side. They can’t use or defend against magic.”\nTheir hushed whispers were as much to reassure one another as anything else.\nAnother mage piped up loudly, “They’re just a pack of delusional fools who think they’re strong, even though they don’t even have any magic. They better realize who’s going to be controlling whom.”\nUpon hearing such scornful derision, the Cuscull soldiers all around them exchanged uncomfortable looks. Not able to use magic themselves, the soldiers ended up on the receiving end of numerous openly contemptuous glances. Leaning against a tree trunk, Renart rolled his eyes.\nThe oppressed had flocked together to form a country, and now they looked down on anyone who wasn’t one of them. That was the current state of affairs. The few soldiers that Cuscull commanded had been brought to the fledgling nation for a number of reasons. Some were the family members of mages who had come; some agreed with Cuscull’s founding principles; some were simply in it for the promise of new money.\nWhatever the purpose, they faced worse treatment than the mages because they could not cast spells. Peeling the veneer off the so-called nation of mages revealed this underneath. It was still a long way away from any sort of stability derived from a ruler with overwhelming power. It was not yet Tuldarr.\nOriginally from Tayiri, Renart was a youthful mage fighting for Cuscull. He loathed seeing how those around him were behaving and shut his eyes. The murmurs persisted, even in the dark.\n“Anyway, the witch is getting her revenge now, isn’t she?”\nThe atmosphere of the forest grew even more fraught at that.\nThey were talking about the woman who had suddenly been made the king’s bride.\nShe was terribly beautiful, with black eyes and hair, and she destroyed five enemy cities as soon as she arrived in Cuscull. There was no warning and no mercy given to women and children. Her power was so tremendous that it inspired more fear and awe than joy in victory among the mages of Cuscull. Because they were mages themselves, they understood her power far outstripped that of any human.\n“…So she really is a witch?”\n“Most likely. I don’t know which one she is, but I pray she’s not the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned. That’s the one who destroys countries.”\n“Best not to interact with her. She’s only our ally for as long as we don’t upset her.”\nA while back, a member of the royal council by the name of Kagar came to invite her to Cuscull, but he incurred her wrath and got himself cut down in cold blood. The king had now set her free to do as she liked. No one wanted to be her next victim.\n“A witch? Now isn’t that interesting,” cut in a very relaxed voice.\nRenart opened his eyes. There was now a man standing in the middle of the group—the chief mage of Cuscull, Bardalos. He wasn’t very tall, and his looks were nothing to write home about. His eyes glinted with a sadistic gleam, however, constantly seeking out his next prey.\n“The witches can change the course of history, or so they say. Don’t you think it’s actually pretty good luck that we’ve got one at our disposal?” Bardalos asked leadingly, but all fell silent. Not only were they afraid of the witch—they were also afraid of Bardalos. Originally hailing from a small eastern country, he was a criminal who had carried out numerous mass murders in the towns and villages of his homeland. After wiping out the team sent to take him down, he was banished and went into hiding. Now he had reappeared as the chief mage of Cuscull.\nSeeing that no one would answer him, Bardalos snorted and pointed out at the plains just beyond the edges of the forest they were concealed in. “Well, it’s just about that time. They’re walking right into our slaughterhouse. Let’s burn them to the ground.”\nAt that, everyone squinted out at the rolling fields. As Renart gazed at the shadowy shapes of troops marching closer, he thought of the flames on a day long ago.\nEver since Renart could remember, he and his mother had lived in a cabin in the forest.\nHis dad died before he was born. His mother was an embroidery artisan who went into town once a week to sell her work and buy food with that money. Renart himself, however, was not allowed to go into town.\nUnfortunately, the forbidden was all the more alluring. One day, he slipped out of the house and snuck into town, where he met a group of children his age and showed them what he always did. He used magic to retrieve a girl’s hat that had fallen into a pond. She was in tears, so he thought she’d be happy. When he presented her with the hat, however, she slapped it away with a look of abject fear. The children scattered and fled, and scary-looking guards chased after him.\nRenart desperately ran all the way home.\nEven now, he could clearly remember the look of despair on his mother’s face when she heard his hurried explanation. When they ran out of the house without even packing their belongings, the guards from town had just arrived. They saw Renart and his mother trying to escape and lit a bottle they’d brought with them. Then they threw the flaming container of oil toward the house, at the two of them. Renart’s mother shoved him away just in time, and he fled into the forest.\nHe looked back once, only to see his mother in her death throes, writhing in agony in the flames.\n“…My mother wasn’t a mage,” Renart muttered to himself.\nHis mother had died for his mistakes, but mage haters had been the ones who’d actually killed her.\nRenart didn’t think of joining up with Cuscull as fleeing to safety. It was a means to carry out something he knew he had to do.\nEven now, he could recall the faces of the men who killed his mother. They were still young at the time of the fire, and over the years they went from guardsmen to officers in the army. He knew exactly where they were stationed.\nRevenge.\nRedemption.\nThose were Renart’s only reasons to live.\nThus, when he saw the large-scale spell enacted across the plains…Renart felt a dark exhilaration. Those men would die on these grasslands. They deserve to go up in flames, roiled with agony, just like my mother did that day, he thought.\n“We really stepped in it this time. We’re marching out to the middle of nowhere.” The general laughed dryly, surveying the army from horseback in the middle of the Asdra Plains. “We’ve gotta get this over with quickly so we can go home and give a good report to His Highness. We’ll make a nice clean sweep of those filthy mages. Ah, maybe we’ll bring a few of the nasty curs back as tribute. Chop them up alive.”\nFlattering laughter rang out around him. The general was in good spirits and sported a grin on his face. Suddenly, a messenger dashed over from the vanguard at top speed. The general’s expression quickly soured.\n“G-General, we have a problem!” cried the messenger.\n“Yes, what is it?”\n“There’s an invisible wall up ahead… It’s blocking our advance!”\nJust as the general was about to spout That’s absurd! the ground beneath them shimmered. From horseback, the general watched as a red spell configuration materialized and expanded across the ground as far as the eye could see.\n“What is this…?”\nThe general leaned forward to get a better look. No sooner had he done so, however, then crimson flames leaped up from the design and swallowed him whole.\n“Now there’s a sight,” said Bardalos, hungrily observing the blazing plains from midair. He could see the figures of thousands of soldiers writhing and collapsing amid the flames below his feet.\nThe mages had laid out a far-reaching fire ignition spell on the plains in advance. They waited for the Tayiri troops to pass over it, and then they activated it.\nIt was all done under Bardalos’s command, and he watched the sea of flames with delight. As he was taking in the sight of the enemy soldiers’ anguish, a voice from the ground hailed him.\nHe looked down at his subordinate. “Yes?” he asked.\n“Lord Bardalos! They’re breaking in from the south!”\n“Oh, are they? Well, I’ll be. Let’s go meet them, then,” Bardalos declared, an intrigued smirk on his face as he mounted his horse.\nCuscull and Tayiri were now in open war.\nThe Tayiri cavalry emerged from the flames amid cries of anguish and death throes and the awful stench of burning flesh. Their faces were masks of mad rage as they charged at the mages, who poured from the forest to meet them. Waves of magic hit the Tayiri soldiers one after another, setting them ablaze.\nUndaunted, the soldiers kept coming in a rushing torrent that soon reached those Cuscull mages on the front lines. They trampled over the magic users who had fallen to a stab of their spears, and the cavalry soldiers brandished their swords.\n“Kill them! Kill them!”\nNone could tell from which side the cry had come. All anyone could do was muster their sword or spell. Renart fell back to a part of the forest the soldiers hadn’t penetrated and set up a defensive barrier. Shielded from the growing flames, he looked for the former guards who had wronged him years ago.\nInside, he hoped they’d already fallen prey to the licking tongues of fire.\nIf they hadn’t, Renart was ready to slay them himself. He began a new incantation.\nJust then, an explosion went off right next to him.\nA scorching hot wave blew through his magical defense wall. Renart whirled back, and his jaw dropped open.\nThe forest just behind him was gone.\nThis was Bardalos’s doing. From atop his horse, the chief mage laughed as he let loose more magic attacks.\n“Go on and kill them already. If you don’t hurry, they’ll all be gone!” he shouted. This was the voice of a man who was clearly enjoying himself. He sent out another fire explosion. Those mages running about trying to escape found themselves reassured by Bardalos’s power and confidence. With a renewed will to fight, they began pushing back against the Tayiri soldiers.\nAfter the front line moved past, the air filled with silence and a cloying heat.\nAll that was left were dead bodies burned to a crisp by Bardalos’s magic. Renart saw that among the dead lying there was a soldier who was once his ally. Secretly, Renart let out a sigh of grief.\nLess than an hour later, a great number of people lay dead.\nAs the fires began to wane, the scene they revealed was so horrific that most of the mages turned green at the sight.\nCharred corpses blanketed the earth as far as the eye could see. The nausea-inducing spectacle and foul smell hanging in the air were so intense that the mages would likely never forget what they’d witnessed. While victory clearly belonged to Cuscull, the aftertaste was brutal. The suffocating nature of war made it difficult for anyone to speak.\nRenart felt suffocated, too, as he sprinted through the forest. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he caught sight of three soldiers running around screaming like chickens with their heads cut off.\nHe wondered why they were so desperate to survive at the loss of their dignity. Surely, they should’ve perished in the blaze. How selfish of them to want to live after taking his mother’s life. Someone who killed another had to be ready to suffer the same fate themselves, after all.\nLike a huntsman stalking his prey, Renart sent out a blade crafted of wind. It pierced the back of the man lagging the farthest behind, and he fell. When Renart stepped over his body to pass through, he looked at his face.\nHe’d gotten a little older, but it was definitely one of men who’d murdered his mother ten years ago. The man was already dead, with a trail of blood leaking from his mouth. His eyes were bulged in fear over his untimely death.\nRenart was a little surprised to realize that this inspired no emotion in him.\nHe thought he’d feel satisfied, but he didn’t. All he felt was dull and numb, as if he was submerged in cold water. It was like realizing that the person he thought he was this entire time had actually been sloughed off along the way. His body kept going out of pure momentum.\nThe second one was within range, and Renart shot him down with magic, and he crumpled to the ground like paper. He’d likely died instantly, but Renart didn’t look at his face… He didn’t want to see.\nThe third one tripped on a tree root and fell to the ground.\nCrawling forward, he looked back and begged in vain, “Someone save me…”\nRenart muttered to himself, “Mother pleaded for the very same thing…”\nNo one came to help her, however. They had killed her in cold blood. So why did they want to live now?\nRenart hummed an incantation, and a blade of wind appeared. The man saw it and feebly shook his head. “Please… I don’t want to die…”\nRenart looked down at the man, lifting his summoned sword.\nThoughts of his mother’s last moments and of ten years of hatred came rushing back. All of that would finally end here.\nAs he narrowed one eye, he heard the man sobbing.\nHis right hand was hot from the magic he’d manifested. The time he’d waited for was finally here. He’d dreamed of this—the end of the vision seared onto his mind. There was no cause for hesitation.\nThat was why…\nAnd yet—\nFor some reason, he just couldn’t manage to bring his summoned blade down.\nRenart stared at the trembling man. And a command fell naturally from his blood-caked lips.\n“…Go.”\nHe lowered his hand. The blade made of magic vanished.\n“Go! Don’t let me see you again! Get out of here!”\nAt that, the man rushed to get to his feet and took off deep into the forest. Renart buried his face in both hands so he wouldn’t see this. He took a deep breath to calm his agitated breathing.\nThen he heard a jarringly blasé taunt from behind him. “Oh-ho? What do you think you’re doing? Don’t tell me you let the enemy escape?”\nThe tone was mocking. Renart turned to see Chief Mage Bardalos, with a cynical smirk twisting his face. He eyed Renart. “I thought I said not to let a single one get away. Am I wrong?”\n“…You’re not wrong.”\n“Well, whatever. I’ll chase him down and kill him. You head back.”\n“Wai—” Renart started to cry out, then bit his tongue.\nBardalos snickered as he tore into him. “What is it? Are you telling me not to end his pathetic life? He’s a soldier who entered a battlefield. Don’t you think he knows death is a possibility?”\n“He no longer has the will to fight,” Renart argued.\n“Do I look like I care? If he doesn’t want to fight, he shouldn’t have come out here in the first place. Or…what? Do you want to die in his place?”\n“…Excuse me?” Renart said, utterly at a loss for words as he stared at the man before him. Bardalos’s eyes were filled with a mad, murderous glee. To him, it was all the same if he killed the enemy soldier or if he killed Renart.\nGreat mages had the power to kill people as easily as cutting blades of grass. That was what it meant to be a mage.\nRenart let out a ragged breath. An unspeakable exhaustion weighed heavy on him.\nMaybe I wouldn’t mind dying, he thought. He’d die covering for an enemy he thought he wanted to kill. He wanted to burst out laughing.\nBut—enough. He needed to end things here.\nJust when Renart made up his mind, a woman’s thin voice cut in.\n“That man is my attendant. I’ll thank you not to bully him too much.”\nThe voice was unfamiliar, and Renart looked over his shoulder.\nThere in the forest permeated with the scent of blood stood a raven-haired woman, the king’s favorite.\nShe was so beautiful it almost looked artificial. Bardalos gave her a dark smile. “Well, well, well, Lady Aeterna. When did you arrive?”\n“Only moments ago.”\n“Well then, I do apologize for not meeting you personally. You appear quite exhausted. Was it that tiring giving the declarations of war to the other countries? I would’ve happily done that for you.” Bardalos’s tone was openly mocking.\nRenart took a closer look at the woman. She did look terribly pale-faced. He could even detect fluctuations in her power, as if she’d spent too much magic.\nShe only eyed Bardalos with a haughty stare, despite his sarcastic attitude. “This way was faster. Ignore deserters. Treat the wounded and go back to Cuscull.”\n“…Very well,” Bardalos said, wiping his expression blank and bowing before teleporting away.\nThe woman glanced at Renart. Before he could even gasp at the darkness of her eyes, she’d already vanished, too.\n“…Thank you for what you did back there,” Renart said, his head bowed. He had come to the woman’s chambers after returning to the palace of Cuscull.\nShe was sprawled along a couch by the window, looking indolently up at the sky. It was as if she hadn’t noticed him there at all.\nDespite her seemingly paying Renart no mind, he inquired, “Why did you save me?”\nWhile he was her attendant, he had never spoken to her. He only knew what she was.\nShe was the fearsome woman the king had brought back. She was the one who would be queen someday. This was a woman who did not get close to anyone and never smiled. People spoke of her as a doll made of ice whose only job was to kill.\nRenart did not believe all the rumors, though he did think of her as one far removed and above himself. Bardalos probably saw through all the rumors, too.\nShe finally flicked her eyes over to Renart expressionlessly. Her voice was devoid of any inflection as she answered quietly, “Because you looked tired.”\nThe reply was so simple that Renart wasn’t sure if it was a proper reason.\nCuriously, he felt himself freeze up. He was struck by the odd sensation that this woman had peered so thoroughly into him that he may as well have been transparent.\nHer long eyelashes were cast down. Her eyes appeared as ebony pools.\nIt was a strange gaze, very reminiscent of an abyss. Meeting it gave Renart the feeling that he could see his own past reflected there.\n“I—I—”\nBefore Renart registered what he was doing, he spilled everything about himself. It was like a dam had broken. His childhood, his mother’s death, the days he’d spent in pursuit of revenge, and what’d happened earlier that day.\nThe woman remained silent the entire time, evidently content to stare up at the ceiling. He couldn’t tell if she was listening, but once his story came to an end, she cocked her head at him. “How did you feel when you killed them?”\nFor a second, Renart was at a loss for words. Hurrying so as not to make that apparent, he fumbled to express himself. “It was like a load was taken off me…but it was also very unpleasant.”\n“I see. What about when you didn’t kill one of them?”\nDark eyes pierced right through him. The woman’s question made him shiver with fear, and he answered in a trembling voice. “I felt relief…but I also felt that I should’ve killed him.”\n“So honest,” the woman fired back rudely, and Renart was shocked by her tone. This didn’t sound like an emotionless ice doll; Renart was dumbfounded.\nPaying her inferior no mind, the woman continued her aggressive line of questioning. “So what will you do now? I can help you escape, if that’s what you want.”\n“…What?” Renart stammered, feeling like he’d misunderstood something.\nShe stared back at him, as even as a cat. “You did what you came here to do. There’s no need for you to stick around here, is there?”\nWhat did it mean for the king’s favorite to be suggesting that a member of his forces flee?\nIt didn’t look like she was joking or teasing, however. Instinctively, Renart swallowed a held breath.\nThe king’s bride—a woman rumored to be a witch—was supposed to be a cruel, heartless lady.\nRenart thought those rumors wrong. Up close, she was vague and elusive. She seemed set apart from humans but also completely human at the same time.\nFeeling that her dark eyes were focused on something beyond the room, Renart couldn’t help but ask, “What is your purpose here?”\nWitches were always said to not involve themselves in mortal affairs. Why then was this supposed witch taking such an active role in a war?\nHer eyes widened. A faint grimace crossed her face.\nSuddenly, her expression revealed itself. A very lonely-looking queen admitted in a whisper, “I… I am here because of my own delusions. That’s all.”\nThe bitter words didn’t match her beautiful figure. Just as Renart was marveling at how her inner demons were the same as his, the door swung open violently.\n“Lady Aeterna! How could you invite such a person in!”\nA girl burst in with her shoulders hunched up angrily. Another woman was right behind her.\nThe younger one in the front looked to be about sixteen years of age. Her slightly curly hair was pinned up, and her eyes blazed with conviction.\nThe older one in the back couldn’t have been more than twenty. She had dark blond hair and a calm disposition. One glance revealed her to be a fairly powerful mage.\nThe icy woman let out a sigh as she eyed the younger of the two intruders. “It’s my prerogative to speak to whoever I want.”\n“Who is this girl, a lady-in-waiting?” asked Renart.\n“Who’s a lady-in-waiting?! I’m a mage, too, you know! I’ll definitely get my revenge on the people who chased us out of town!” the girl snapped, red-faced with anger. She certainly sounded serious, but her childish phrasing sapped the word revenge of all its dark dignity. Renart observed all this with a pained smile.\nThe girl noticed his expression, and her face turned purple. “What’s your problem? Got something to say, servant?!”\n“Tris, hush,” admonished the possible witch, and the girl instantly clamped her mouth shut. While Tris looked displeased, the soon-to-be queen continued, “I told you before that I won’t deny you your revenge. Carry it out as you see fit, whether that’s punishing them by the proper channels or exacting it directly. If you choose the latter, however—that act and your own intentions will only lead back to the past. You must think carefully about whether it’s truly worth it to waste who you are now on that. Is it really so important to lower yourself to nothing but a remnant of your past…? If you’re not prepared, all you’ll succeed in doing is losing yourself, even if you do get your revenge.”\nWhat she said hit Renart hard, for it was undoubtedly true for him as well.\nTen years ago, he’d watched his mother burn to death. Every breath he’d taken since had been to remember that moment. He was just the remnants of that child gone mad with rage. Once that child’s fury dissipated, there was nothing left. That was why Renart felt utterly despondent, with no idea where he should go.\nTris scowled, her face still red, but she said nothing further and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door hard behind her, and the blond woman gave a helpless smile. “I’m very sorry.”\n“I’m used to it,” answered the future queen, getting to her feet and letting out a little yawn. She looked at Renart and smiled. “So what’s your answer to my question? What will you do?”\nRenart gazed back into her dark eyes.\nHe didn’t know what lurked there. Nothing was reflected in her gaze; it was as lifeless as a mirror.\nAlthough her delusions had left her stranded, here she was, still standing.\nHis life should have ended with his revenge, but she’d scooped him up. So if he had to seek a path to go down from now on, it could only be—\nRenart made up his mind and knelt before the ebony-eyed woman.\n“I hereby pledge my loyalty to you.”\nHer eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered and smiled.\n“Strange man.”\nHer smile was terribly kind and human.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Ugh! Why is Lady Aeterna so fond of lecturing?” Tris groused indignantly, sipping tea in her antechamber. Across from her, the blond woman smiled uncomfortably.\nHer name was Pamyra; she and Tris were under orders to attend to the witch and look after her needs. However, the one who required the most looking after was actually Tris herself. She had an extremely high opinion of herself, and she sat in her chair with pursed lips.\n“She’s not even that much older than me. I wish she’d stop her meddling,” muttered Tris.\nWhat she said was so far off the mark that Pamyra gaped at her. “What? Tris… Do you not know who Lady Aeterna is?”\n“She’s His Majesty’s bride, isn’t she? And a really strong spirit sorcerer, too.”\n“More than a strong spirit sorcerer, she’s the Witch of the Azure Moon.”\nWhen she heard that, Tris’s face was a sight to behold. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, and her jaw dropped to the ground. She was frozen in place for a while, and then all the blood drained from her face only to come rushing back and turn her bright red. “Is that true?! The Witch of the Azure Moon?! No way, I…I’ve admired her forever!”\n“It’s true. I’m surprised you didn’t know,” Pamyra replied curtly, while Tris’s eyes sparkled with interest.\nAnd she’s the last queen of the Magic Empire of Tuldarr, Pamyra thought.\nPamyra was born and raised in an isolated village of spirit sorcerers within the territory of Old Tuldarr.\nFour hundred years ago, when Tuldarr was destroyed, its realm stretched far and wide. That said, it may as well have been a city-state, as most only dwelled within the palace city. There were those mages who lived quietly in the wilds, however.\nPamyra was a descendant of those people. All her life, she’d heard the same story—the tale of a girl who was to be queen of Tuldarr and became a witch.\nOver hundreds of years, various storytellers had embellished the fable and spun it into a secret legend.\nIn the story, the witch was beautiful, fearsome, strong…and all alone.\nAs a young girl, Pamyra had worried and fretted that the witch lived a lonely existence up in her tower. As she grew older, she came to understand that the witch chose that for herself.\nAs she grew, so, too, did her memory of the fairy tale begin to fade. That was when Lanak came to their village.\nTuldarr’s prince spoke of restoring the country. While the others disapproved of such a suspicious proposal, Pamyra alone accepted his invitation. She had long desired to live in a place as wondrous as Tuldarr—the powerful, mysterious nation whose city ran on magic, that researched advanced technology, that cut off all relations with other nations.\nA land ruled by the most powerful mages of the modern age. It represented the highest achievement magic’s power could accomplish in the entire history of their land.\nLegend had it that the regent of Tuldarr would take multiple high-ranking demons, known as mystical spirits, as personal familiars during the coronation ceremony. Nowadays, the idea of humans subduing high-ranking demons—called gods by ancient people in rural lands—sounded like a pipe dream.\nPamyra, however, dared to wonder if, perhaps, it was true.\nShe felt anticipation and hope swell up within her and left her village for the first time in her life.\nBut when she came to Cuscull and spoke of her origins, all the other mages sneered at her behind her back.\n“I heard her parents are spirit sorcerers. Or, well, they used to be.”\n“Spirit sorcerers, but they decided to have a child…”\n“They gave in to the desires of the flesh, huh? Won’t she end up just like them?”\nFor her, the humiliation was unbearable.\nShe didn’t know how other spirit sorcerers had fared over the past four centuries. In her village, everyone saw it as a happy thing when two people in love got married and were blessed with children.\nThe idea that losing your spiritual magic would make you inferior as a mage angered and frustrated Pamyra. She did her best to tolerate the rumors, however, believing that everyone would stop talking once they saw what she could do.\nThe harder Pamyra worked, the worse the gossip got, though. Just when it seemed like too much and the longing to return home began to claw at her mind…she arrived.\nLanak introduced her as “my bride and a girl who was raised alongside me.” That meant she was none other than the witch who was a potential heir to the throne, just like him.\nShe had hair like black silk, skin like white porcelain, and true to the story, her eyes were the color of darkness. Pamyra had always thought the witch’s beauty had been exaggerated over the years, but the woman’s visage left her stunned.\nPamyra hastily volunteered to be the witch’s attendant and was certain she’d never forget their first encounter.\nThe witch, standing by the window, had turned to look at her and said in a tone that carried some amount of surprise, “You’re a spirit sorcerer?”\n“Yes, I am from the village of Dilenne, Princess.”\n“Don’t call me princess…,” the witch replied, uncomfortable. There was a pause, but the witch quickly returned to the topic at hand. “I see—so you’re from that village… Is everyone doing well?”\n“Yes, thanks to you.”\nWhen Tuldarr had been destroyed, much of the land surrounding the castle had been contaminated by a forbidden curse. Pamyra’s village was unaffected because the one survivor of the disaster had purified the land around the settlement.\nThe witch smiled faintly, as if she were remembering that, too. “That was a long time ago. If you’re a spirit sorcerer, does that mean there are many still born in your little town?”\n“Yes. My parents were spirit sorcerers, too, and I’ve inherited all their techniques,” Pamyra replied instinctually. She quickly froze, however, afraid she might be mocked again.\nSurprisingly, the witch gave a gentle smile. “You are very much loved. That’s a wonderful thing.”\nAffection and longing bled out of that gaze. She was as beautiful as the legends said but much kinder than the old fairy tales would’ve had Pamyra believe.\nIn an instant, Pamyra made up her mind. She imagined it must’ve been quite similar to what a newborn chick felt upon seeing its mother for the first time. Pamyra was struck by a deep, abiding certainty that this witch was her master.\nThe blond woman knelt and bowed her head low. “As a mage, I pledge myself to thee. Order me as thee will.”\nShe used to worry if the witch was lonely living all alone in the tower.\nPamyra, however, would do her best to prevent the witch from feeling lonely in this castle. She felt certain that was why she’d ended up here."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0006.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 5. The Side of Me Unknown to You\nThe boy stood frozen before the gates to his city. He’d returned from running an errand in the next town over. The streets looked no different. They should’ve been bustling with people, however. The boy couldn’t spy a single person out on the thoroughfare. Shops were empty, as was his own home.\nWandering the city in search of someone—anyone—the boy eventually came to the conclusion that the place was completely deserted. He was at a complete loss. The whole thing felt like some bad dream. Maybe he’d just found his way into a different city that looked identical to his?\nEverything looked familiar; the graffiti on the walls that had been there for years, the old dolls decorating the storefront windows.\nHe went back to his house, clinging to the smallest glimmer of hope.\nOn the kitchen table, his mother had laid out lunch for him.\nIt smelled like home, and he felt tears well up. The food was still fairly warm.\nHe ate, tears pouring down his cheeks, and then ran to the next city over on weary legs to let them know what had happened.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe extremely gruesome battle of Asdra Plains exceeded almost all expectations.\nAll of the ten thousand soldiers Tayiri had were lost, save for the five hundred or so who deserted. Cuscull ended up losing just under fifty mages. Such a gruesome outcome forced those neutral countries to reevaluate the power of magic, as well as the danger that Cuscull posed.\nThe battle of Asdra was not the only thing to prompt such reconsiderations, however.\nAt almost the same time as the battle, one city in each of the Four Great Nations was attacked.\nThese assaults were similar to the ones the Tayiri cities suffered: The buildings were left intact, while only the people vanished. Only big cities were targeted, and the countries that had considered themselves mere spectators in the conflict now had to seriously consider the letter Cuscull had sent.\nOscar, his coronation now only four days away, received a report on the attacks and grimaced.\nNormally, his being made king would be a grand affair with all the important people from each country in attendance. With the looming crisis, however, it was set to be a simple event for domestic guests only. Along with coronation plans and preparations, the royal council was busy attempting to get a handle on the political situation.\n“So how bad was it?” Oscar asked.\nSuzuto, standing before Oscar, nervously gave his report on the vanished city denizens. “Just like the attacks on Tayiri cities, the buildings suffered no damage. Inside them… Well, it really was as if everyone simply vanished without a trace. Some restaurants even still had steaming hot bowls of soup on the tables.”\n“A very bizarre phenomenon,” commented Oscar.\n“While I couldn’t find any signs of human life, I sometimes…got the feeling that something was there.”\n“What kind of feeling?”\n“It was like I felt a presence or a sensation. It struck me rather often, but never did I actually see anyone there.”\n“…I…see…,” Oscar said, dubious. This story got stranger and stranger the more he heard. He wanted to go and take a look for himself but knew that’d only upset everyone.\nOscar dismissed Suzuto, then turned to Doan, who had been waiting in a corner of the study. “What do you think?” Oscar asked.\n“To be honest, I have no idea how such a thing could be done,” Doan replied.\n“Could it be her doing?”\n“I’d say it has to be. Her not being responsible poses its own problem, because it means there’s another mage capable of impossible things.”\n“I guess that’s true. None of the other witches are involved,” Oscar reasoned.\nAfter half a year, he thought he’d witnessed and understood how exceptional Tinasha was, but the truth was that her power on the battlefield was beyond anything he could’ve conceived. If that much was true of Oscar, who’d gotten to know her, one could only guess how ill prepared other countries were. Doubtless they were fearing for their lives.\n“Ugh. She just doesn’t know her limits, and it’s making it hard for us,” groused Oscar.\n“Actually, you could say that’s just how prepared she’s been for this,” Doan pointed out calmly. He was right. That was why she disappeared from Farsas.\nOscar sighed. Als, who was also in the room, spoke up. “Cezar has decided to dispatch troops, but Gandona is still hesitating.”\n“I see,” Oscar said, putting his legs up on his desk and crossing them. He wet his dry lips with his tongue.\n…The answer had been there all along.\nTinasha had only been searching for the right time, and now that time had come. Oscar huffed, swinging his feet down and standing up.\n“Marshal the troops. We ship out after the coronation.”\nAls and Doan bowed respectfully in response.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEver since his gorgeous protector disappeared, Oscar had been plagued by a single lingering thought day after day.\nHow long has Tinasha been contemplating this exact situation we’re in now?\nHe was sure she’d figured out who the king of Cuscull was long before Farsas did.\nThat was why she got rid of her cat familiar after its job was done, and it had to have been the reason she’d rushed to break Oscar’s curse.\nOscar believed there was a different reason she’d trained him, however. She probably left him with a choice, so he wouldn’t end up like her—powerless and violated.\nTinasha was an emotional, self-sacrificing, awkward witch. She was stuck in time forever, but she’d finally chosen to take action. She’d jumped headfirst into her own fate.\nAs for the future Tinasha was envisioning… Oscar knew she wasn’t acting to safeguard her own future.\nWhat choice did that leave him with, though?\nOscar pondered that question as he looked down on the city from a platform along the castle ramparts.\nHis coronation went off without a hitch, and the people welcomed their young king with wild, enthusiastic cheers when he was presented to the public. It was a scene Oscar himself had envisioned often. He’d known such a day would come ever since he was a boy, and yet he hadn’t imagined it would be nothing more than a simple milestone.\nHe was probably the only person in history to get cursed by one witch and then earn the protection of another. Both of those things, however, had come about as the result of the royal burden he’d carried as long as he could remember. Much of his own life was out of his hands; the path of a prince was set before he ever saw it.\nThat said—choosing Tinasha now was the one thing he did of his own free will.\nOscar had never imagined a future such as this when he was a child. That made what happened from this point on all the more important.\nThe new king waved to the people and returned to the castle. Without a moment’s delay, courtiers and staff clustered around him. As he paced, Oscar made his way down the hallway, giving orders to Chief Mage Kumu, Als, and Doan about the following day’s march to Tayiri.\n“Make sure we can teleport away at any time. Our opponents are all mages, after all. Plan a way for me alone to be able to get out in the worst-case scenario. I may be able to manage something if I do.”\n“Very well. Your Majesty shipping out as well is really our last resort, but…”\n“Tayiri isn’t holding back, and neither can we. Farsas must use everything at its disposal to ensure its safety.”\nAkashia—the Mage Killer. So long as Oscar held that sword, he carried a powerful advantage over mages. Of course, the bearer needed to be a skilled swordsman, too, but Tinasha had ensured that with her thorough technical instruction. Ultimately, Oscar knew he could even slay a witch if he wanted to.\n…He could, but whether he would was another story.\nAs the group made their way down the hallway, solidifying plans, a boy popped out of the door to the lounge. He leaped in front of Oscar, waving his hands wide and shouting. “You’re going to kill the witch, right? I wanna go, too!”\nThe startling outburst left everyone in silence. As a faint frown crossed Oscar’s face, Suzuto came running up from the other end of the hallway.\n“What are you doing? You’re speaking to His Majesty!” Suzuto scolded, pinning the boy’s arms behind his back. He bowed to Oscar. “I deeply apologize, Your Majesty. That was very rude.”\n“Is this your little brother?”\n“No, he’s a boy from one of the cities that was attacked… He was away when the tragedy occurred. He had nowhere to go, so I brought him back here.”\n“Ah, I see.”\nEvidently, while Suzuto had been out on his investigation, he’d found a boy from a city whose inhabitants had all suddenly vanished and had brought him to safety in the castle. His arms still pinned behind his back, the boy piped up, “I heard all about it. The witch killed everyone, right? I wanna go, too! I’m gonna get revenge!”\n“No. Children should be in school,” the newly coronated King Oscar flatly insisted.\nThe boy didn’t back down, however, and escaped from Suzuto’s grip to shout at the king some more. “Then let me borrow your sword! I’ll go kill the witch.”\n“Listen here…,” Oscar started. He grabbed the boy’s collar and lifted him off the ground so that the two were eye level. The boy kicked his legs, and Oscar fixed him with an astounded glare. “No normal person is a match for the witch, even if you did have this sword. Got it? If you do, then behave yourself.”\n“You’re just saying that ’cause you don’t wanna kill her! Take me with you!”\nAll those around were frowning at the child’s wild behavior. Kumu glared at the boy. “How dare you speak to His Majesty like that…”\n“It’s fine. Besides, he’s saying some funny stuff. I don’t want to kill her, do I? You’re absolutely right,” Oscar admitted.\n“But you’re supposed to be the king!” cried the boy.\n“Listen up… If a mage or a witch wants to shoot down a city, they’ll just fire a few huge attacks from above without caring about the buildings and be done with it. Think about how complicated it must have been for her to make the people vanish but to leave everything else untouched. If you don’t use your head, you won’t be able to see them again.”\nWhen the king pointed that out, the boy’s eyes grew wide and he fell silent. After thinking for a bit, he spoke up timidly. “My mom’s…alive?”\n“Probably. I’m going to get the witch to tell me,” Oscar said, setting the boy back down on the floor.\nHe was wobbling with the faint hope he’d been given, but he was equally afraid of possible disappointment. Rather accusingly, the boy inquired, “But what about if they really are dead?”\nIt was obvious he was afraid to even ask, and Oscar’s eyes narrowed. His handsome face went blank.\nHe surveyed the boy with the eyes of a king seated on his throne—someone who bore a long history and a heavy responsibility.\nAs the irrepressible majesty of a king pressed down on him, the boy gulped.\nOscar cast his sky-blue eyes down as he spoke.\n“If that truly is the case, then I’ll kill her.”\nOscar’s tone sent a chill down Als’s spine.\nIt wasn’t a lie. He meant every word.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAt midnight as the moon glimmered like a pearl, Pamyra entered her lady’s chambers to find her drawing a long-distance transportation array.\n“Lady Aeterna, where are you going?” asked Pamyra.\nThe woman standing in the middle of the room flinched and turned around. “Oh, Pamyra. Don’t sneak up on me. Also, don’t call me that.”\n“My apologies, Lady Tinasha.”\nAfter hearing the revised term of address, Tinasha stuck out her tongue like a child caught making mischief.\nAt present, only Pamyra knew of Tinasha’s true nature, which ran completely counter to the personality she assumed when acting as the king’s bride.\nSeveral days after becoming Tinasha’s attendant, Pamyra noticed that the witch seemed to be hiding something. Once they were alone, she questioned Tinasha mercilessly while pledging her loyalty. After much pleading and reassurance, she finally seemed to win the witch’s trust.\n“No matter what happens, I am on your side. If you ever find you cannot trust me, cut me down where I stand.”\nWhen Pamyra first pleaded with her, Tinasha glowered at her in silence. She was quickly worn down by her attendant’s persistence, however.\n“All right, all right… To begin with, don’t call me Aeterna when it’s just the two of us.”\nTinasha had conceded with a faint, exasperated smile, and her demeanor turned much more calm and polite than it had previously been. Pamyra supposed this was the witch’s true self, and she thrilled to see it.\nNow was not the time for exultation, however. While Tinasha’s power was certainly immense, she only had herself and she was exceedingly isolated in Cuscull. Pamyra wanted someone who the two could trust a little more and had recently been wondering if Renart would be that person.\nIgnoring Pamyra’s fretting, Tinasha resumed work on her array. “I’m heading out for a bit. If someone comes by, cover for me.”\n“Wait, ah—” Pamyra tried to ask where she was going, but a moment later the witch vanished from the room without a trace.\n“I can’t believe this woman!” Pamyra cried, but there was no one to hear this. The moon hung silent and pallid in the sky.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFrom the balcony, the moon looked red.\nIt looks like it’s dyed in blood, mused Reust, the crown prince of Tayiri, quite cynically. His hair was bound up and cast a long shadow down his back.\nNearly ten thousand soldiers had perished on the Asdra Plains, because of his own poor judgment. Something bitter was roiling in Reust’s stomach as his eyes remained fixed on the heavens.\nTayiri had a long history of persecuting mages.\nOver the past one thousand years, the country had seen more than its share of blood. Not once had Tayiri’s belief that Irityrdia was the one true god ever been shaken.\nWorld-Splitting Blade and Sleeping Paleface were among the other names for Irityrdia, who decreed that humans with magic were greedy, impure, improperly sprouted, and shouldn’t have been born. It was said that those with magic could not keep hold of their minds or bodies in front of Irityrdia and would go on mad rampages that brought harm to innocents. The ancient people of Tayiri bore witness to this truth, feared their god, and shunned mages. It was a tradition that had survived into the modern day. Many mages had attempted their own uprisings, only to be quelled time and again by the overwhelming royal army.\nWhen Cuscull declared independence, no one thought it would last long. Everyone assumed its existence was because the king of Tayiri was too lax.\nReust had felt the same way, and yet the soldiers he had insisted on sending out were annihilated.\nRegretting his underestimation for not having marshaled a larger force, Reust cursed himself for not taking command himself. It was much too late for that now, though. In a week, troops from Farsas, Cezar, and Gandona would arrive at the Tayiri capital. Having criticized his royal father for calling in reinforcements, Reust secretly still hoped to achieve something on Tayiri’s strength alone before aid could arrive.\n“Tomorrow I’ll marshal the troops again and command them myself…”\nReust looked up at the sky, bitter determination in his heart. But as he looked out, the moonlit sky suddenly warped.\n“…!”\nReflexively, he drew his sword.\nThat warping was the sign of a mage appearing after long-distance teleportation. He’d seen it many times by now, and he was always able to cut the mage down the instant they appeared. This time, however, it came from the sky, a place his blade couldn’t reach. Reust wished he’d brought his bow, but it hardly mattered now.\nAs he grit his teeth in frustration, the warped space widened.\nIn the next moment—a witch appeared.\nHe recognized her right away as the witch who had attacked Tayiri’s cities.\nShe had been so bold as to show herself before striking and announcing that she was indeed a witch. Her hair and eye color were true to the reports, but her beauty far exceeded what Reust had imagined.\nShe was like moonlight given form. It defied all the laws of the heavens, and he didn’t understand why she was blessed with such features. Her long eyelashes stirred slowly. From beneath them, she flashed a piercing look down below.\n“Prince Reust?” she called in a voice as clear as cold water.\nThe darkness in her eyes was so deep it felt like Reust could fall forever. Something about them drew him in.\nShe was so vivid and striking that Reust thought he might stop breathing. One glance was all it took to utterly captivate him.\nReust’s voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t answer right away. After a span of some moments, he finally eked out a reply. “What do you want, witch?”\nShe gave a little nod, floating in midair. The way she spoke suggested she was choosing her words very carefully. “It’s pointless to keep attacking Cuscull. I’d like you to call off your march.”\n“Utter shameless nonsense. What’s your aim here?”\nThe witch sighed a little at his outright scorn and hostility, then pointed one ivory finger at him. “This will all be over in another two weeks. If possible, I don’t want you deploying your reinforcements until then.”\n“…What did you just say? What does that mean?”\nThe witch didn’t answer. Reust was at a loss as to how to interpret her words.\nWas she just wasting his time, or did she have some other intention?\nFloating in the air, the witch gazed back at Reust impassively. Her black sheer silk dress fluttered in the breeze; she seemed about to disappear any minute now.\nReust was struck by an odd feeling that the witch wasn’t even really there.\nHe cleared his dry throat and took a step forward. “If you’re asking for favors, come down from there, pathetic mage.”\n“Pathetic mage? Don’t you people understand that attitude landed you in the current situation?” the witch asked rhetorically, one side of her mouth quirking up in a cruel smile.\nThe sight of it made a jolt of fear and excitement course through Reust. He had the distinct sense that her white, wholly inhuman hand could cast him down into unending darkness.\nHe wondered what to say in reply. Silence was as good as admitting defeat, so he pasted a sneer on his face. “Mages disrupt our god’s world with their selfish desires. Such power is a sin. Come down. If you do, I’ll listen to you.”\nReust didn’t think she’d obey his order, but to his surprise, the witch zipped down swiftly until she was floating at eye level with him, though still beyond his reach.\nNow beholding her at an even height, Reust acknowledged that the witch had a startlingly petite frame for someone so strangely intimidating. A wave of light dizziness crashed over Reust as he felt that she’d fit perfectly in his arms if he were to hold her.\nA slightly bitter smile twisted the witch’s features. “You’re much taller than I am. You’re probably also that much more flexible, too. But wouldn’t you find it ridiculous if I envied you and tried to cast you out just because of that? Using a god’s name to hunt down those who are different only shows how weak humans are.”\nShadows cast by the moon threw into relief a terrible sadness on her face.\nThe witch’s dark eyes appeared to be floating and bobbing along a sea of night. Reust wanted to know if he was reflected inside them.\n“…You’re trying to use words to deceive me. The power that creatures like you possess is unnatural.”\nEveryone in the world was different; that much was to be expected. Mages differed in a more significant way, however. A witch understood that better than anyone.\nSnorting, the witch asked Reust, “Have you ever swung a sword down on a baby’s head?”\n“…What?”\n“Have you ever burned a mother and her crying baby at the stake?”\n“What in the…?”\nReust’s throat grew dry. He had an idea what she was trying to say. As the blood drained from his face, the witch clarified, “Your country permitted all of that to happen. Not as madness but as routine. I’ve seen even more horrifying spectacles. That’s the reality of Tayiri.”\nReust was speechless. The witch’s tone wasn’t harsh or scornful at all, though. She spoke with detached indifference.\n“As the crown prince, you surely know your nation’s history and about the governments of other countries. You must realize how unusual Tayiri is. Three hundred years have passed since the Dark Age, and no other country is still as relentlessly elitist as your homeland. You should be able to understand that what you’re doing is the same as cutting off your own foot.”\nA certain ratio of children with magic were born to parents without any talent for the arcane. Tayiri ostracized those children, regardless of their circumstances. Those kids had been born in defiance of Irityrdia, after all. It wasn’t worth considering whether it was right or wrong. Put another way, it was something most were content not to think about… Reust did not have that option anymore.\nThe witch tossed back her long black hair. A white light glowed at her fingertips, then changed into a butterfly that flapped its lovely wings and disappeared into the dark of the gardens.\nThat done, the witch’s voice took on a remonstrative tone. “No matter what kind of a mage you are, there are still rules you are bound to follow. No matter how you struggle, you can’t bring people and nations back to life. That’s true of anyone—mages are no exception. You might think magic users differ from normal people, but the reality is they’re nearly identical.”\n“…A witch’s nonsense.”\n“No matter what I am, there still remains a man who can cut me down quite easily. Even my power has its limits,” said the witch with a smile. For a moment, she looked almost pleased to know that.\nHer smile soon vanished, however, and her face became a stiff mask. Cold, dark eyes scrutinized Reust. “I’ve given you my warning. Think it over.”\nAbruptly, she opened both arms wide. Reust realized she was preparing to teleport away and cried out reflexively, “If you want me to halt the reinforcements, come ask again tomorrow! Come to me! If you don’t, I won’t do as you ask!”\nHe received no answer.\nWithout an incantation, the witch created a magical array and vanished. No trace of the woman remained as the wind whistled past.\nLeft in the shadow of the witch who had so enthralled his soul, Reust spent a while refusing to budge from the balcony.\nAt long last, he returned to his room, bereft of the desire to marshal his army the next day.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen he first met her, she was just a baby sleeping in her crib.\nHer skin was as white as snow and soft to the touch. He remembered thinking that her eyelashes were incredibly long.\nIt was the baby taken from her home to be his royal bride. It took several years before Lanak realized what all the sealing ornaments on her ears and fingers meant. By that point, she’d grown into a frighteningly beautiful young girl—and the strangeness of her talent was beginning to become apparent to all who met her.\nHe’d always thought of her as a girl he ought to protect, until their paths diverged.\n“…The Allied Forces of the Four Great Nations? How very ostentatious,” the king of Cuscull commented lightly, as if this didn’t concern him in the slightest.\nSprawled on his throne, Lanak examined the ceiling languidly. The empty throne room had no furnishings. The Cuscull palace was splendidly crafted, but it was lacking in a certain sense of history that other countries had.\nThe same was true of its monarch. His face devoid of fear or anger, Lanak complained, “They struggle pointlessly. Everything will settle where it’s supposed to be in time.”\n“Your Majesty. As ordered, we’ve completed all corresponding preparations,” reported a mage kneeling before the throne. Lanak pointed at the deserted hall. At once, blue lines drew up a floating map of the mainland. The other mages fell silent as they scrutinized it.\nThere were five glowing lights on the map. Each was connected to the others by glowing lines, which branched out into even more lines that spanned the entire continent.\nIt was a wondrous sight, and Lanak broke into a smile. “This shall be our new country.”\nUpon hearing the king’s words, the mages gazed at the map with longing.\nMost people could tell that the intricate lines overlaying the map were a magic spell. Once they did, they shuddered at the scale of it. No spell spanning the entire mainland had ever been attempted before. The proposal of such a thing would only earn the one who thought it up a chorus of laughter.\nLanak trusted himself to be the only one capable of bringing such an impossible feat into the realm of reality. Once it was done, the lives of all would change overnight. He regarded his spell map with great satisfaction. “This will erase all suffering and create a world far more suitable to live in.”\nThe mages gazed at their king reverently, overcome with emotion. One brought up a hesitant objection, however.\n“B-but is such a spell really possible…?”\n“It’s all right. We have Aeti,” the king replied.\nJust then, the door to the throne room opened and the black-clad witch entered.\nHer looks were so stunning, it was like she’d walked out of a painting. After realizing she’d attracted everyone’s attention, she lifted her long eyelashes and bobbed her head in a light bow. As expressionless as a doll, she asked the king, “What’s going on, Lanak?”\n“I was just talking about you. Will you help me transform our land?”\n“Help you? Of course,” she answered breezily, then crossed the room with perfect composure and sat down on a couch that lined the wall. It was a usual spot for her and was located only a dozen paces from the throne. Leaning against the armrest, she began to read a book.\nLanak gazed at her calmly. “No matter how complicated and large a spell is, it must still abide by the basic laws. As long as you have enough magic, all you have to do is cast each spell one by one. Isn’t that right, Aeti? I taught you that a long time ago.”\n“Yes, because you were instructed on that principle long before I was,” she said with a smile, not looking up from her book.\nThe two had been raised in the same castle, both as potential rulers. While that had been four centuries ago, to Lanak it may as well have happened yesterday. Unlike the witch, who was very much aware of everything that’d happened in the intervening time, Lanak had spent much of the last four hundred years in a magically induced stasis. He was spelled to sleep while he enjoyed a light, all-but-eternal dream.\nAt times, Lanak could sense the witch’s familiar nearby but was unable to react. The powerful magic needed to fuel the stasis spell had left his body half-broken from the recoil.\nDespite that, he had seemingly returned whole. The long sleep had made his memories and thoughts hazy, but he hadn’t forgotten what was most important.\nProtecting her. That was his role, and it hadn’t changed since he was a child.\n“You were such an obedient, good student that the tutors always praised you. During breaks, all you did was follow me around, but you learned everything I taught you right away…”\nAeti was five years younger than Lanak. In the early days, she was little more than a child clinging to him, but her talent had been undeniable even then.\nIt was more than just natural ability, though. She also put in fierce effort but so did Lanak.\n“You were very clever. In just a few years, the tutors no longer had anything to teach you…”\nBy the time she was ten, she’d surpassed all her instructors. Her many tutors all withdrew voluntarily, and she was left in solitude. Lanak was the only one in the entire castle who dared to reach out to her.\n“But compared with me, you were always so much more…”\nThe light in Lanak’s eyes dimmed. His gaze was hollow as he looked at the witch who had once been a potential ruler of the empire, just as he had been.\nTinasha was the first to notice the shift in Lanak, and she watched him intently.\nAs if poised to take action at any time, as if making sure of something…\nThe other mages stood petrified by the look in her eyes. Her voice alone was gentle as she asked, “Lanak? What’s wrong? Did you remember something?”\nWhen he heard her voice, Lanak blinked slowly. At some point, his temples and hands had begun to sweat.\nA lingering chill ran through his body, as if he’d stumbled across something deeply unpleasant, and he took deep breaths to calm himself. “It’s no good. It’s like I’m still in the dream,” he admitted.\n“It wasn’t a dream,” Tinasha urged.\n“I know.”\nLanak’s home country had been destroyed. Four hundred years later, he built a new one. That much was real.\nFrom time to time, however, he had the oddest sensation that he was forgetting something. It was some sort of lingering emotion he hadn’t quite parsed.\nLanak asked the girl who was once so small, “Aeti, are you upset?”\n“About what?” Tinasha said, her gaze back on her book. Long black locks swept over the floor, and she looked just like a blooming flower. This witch truly captivated all who looked upon her. She was all grown up now, and Lanak felt both pleased and somewhat lonely to see her as she was now.\nGazing at her, Lanak waved his hand lightly. Upon seeing his dismissive gesture, the other mages cleared out immediately. Once they were alone, Lanak started again. “About what happened four hundred years ago. On the last night we were together.”\nIt was a subject neither had broached since their reunion. Tinasha was a little surprised to hear him bring it up. With a panther’s fluid grace, she slowly sat up and looked at him. “Why now, after all this time? I thought you’d forgotten.”\n“I’ll never forget.”\nEven though most of his memories were a fuzzy jumble, that night was something he’d never forget. The shock and fear on her face when he’d cut into her stomach were seared into his mind. Screams, sobs, and pitiful begs echoed in his ears.\nOn the other hand, however, Lanak couldn’t recall how it had felt to look down on her then. It was all faint, worn away by the long sleep, and he couldn’t get that part of the memory back.\n“I thought you might be upset. I’ve been wondering.”\n“I’m not upset,” Tinasha answered curtly, as if to say that was the end of the conversation. She resumed her reading.\nThat was a clear rejection. Lanak had no choice but to change the subject. “Do you think if we suppress them with huge amounts of power, the fighting will end?”\n“I think it will, but it won’t get at the root of the problem,” she replied.\n“But we might be able to save the people who are unhappy now,” Lanak countered.\n“Mm-hmm,” Tinasha answered.\nUnable to order his thoughts very well, Lanak pressed his fingers to his temples. The man had the faintest sense that his memories and personality were snapping apart, perhaps because he’d slept for too long. Holding himself together as he felt like he was going to fly to pieces, he gazed at his bride-to-be. She was the most powerful person on the continent.\n“Once you became a witch, did you not want to do something like that yourself?” Lanak inquired.\n“I didn’t. That would just be self-righteous,” answered Tinasha.\n“Even if that meant someone died?”\n“Everyone dies eventually. If I interfered in the world and prevented something from happening, it might end up killing human thought.”\nWhat Tinasha said smacked of a policy of everlasting total noninterference, and it sounded cruel. Such was the road she had chosen, however. Lanak, who only knew how kind and sweet she was to everything and everyone, felt a little lonely again.\n“Is what I’m trying to do also self-righteous?” he asked.\n“Yes.”\n“That’s cold.”\n“Then you shouldn’t have asked.” Tinasha laughed, and then her face turned serious. “But because you summoned me, I was able to interfere in the conflict between Tayiri and the mages a little.”\n“Aeti.”\n“So thank you. I mean it,” Tinasha concluded, a smile on her face. If this was her real smile, then what wasn’t real?\nLanak broke into a smile, too. “If it made you happy, I’m glad.”\nBreaking a cycle of tragedy required action. And the time for it is now, Lanak reminded himself. Heaving a huge sigh, he turned his gaze up to the ceiling.\n“You don’t need to worry about a thing. I’ll protect you.”\nEven if the whole world shunned and feared Tinasha for being a witch, he would be on her side. If he didn’t do that, then she would be all alone, just like when she was a little girl.\nLanak repeated his vow as though a command to himself. “I’ll protect you, Aeti.”\nPerhaps that sentiment was the one thing that hadn’t faded from Lanak’s mind after four hundred years.\nTinasha was no longer a little girl, but things were still the same. Aeterna would forever be a weak and helpless person who existed for him.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I’m going to sleep for a bit,” Lanak declared. He then retired to his chambers.\nTinasha departed from the throne room shortly afterward.\nAs soon as she reached the corridor, she was joined by her guard, Renart.\nHe looked concerned. “The king seemed a little…”\n“He’s fine. I don’t think he’s awakened from his dream yet.”\n“His dream?”\nAmong those in the castle, Renart and Pamyra were the only two mages assigned to serve Tinasha. They had won her trust and had a rough idea of what happened to her in the past. It was because of that knowledge that Renart had come to the throne room fearing the king had done something to hurt Tinasha, but the witch quickly brushed that concern aside.\n“Renart, do you know why the witches of this land are all women?”\n“What? Er… Is it not because they’re witches, not wizards?” he asked, anticipating that she was setting up a pun of some sort, but Tinasha laughed and shook her head.\n“You’re quite a strong mage yourself, but the truth of the matter is that men’s bodies are unstable in terms of magical power. It’s difficult for them to survive for long periods of time with vast amounts of magic. A normal life span is not long enough for negative effects to manifest, but hundreds of years will take their toll on a man’s mind or body. It causes a breakdown. That’s why there are no men among witches. To come as far as we have would mean self-destruction for them.”\nTinasha said such frightening things so flippantly. Renart attempted a smile but found himself unable to muster one.\n“Which means the king is…” He trailed off.\n“His mental faculties have deteriorated. While he used a magical sleep, he still suffered quite a bit. His mind comes and goes, but it’s all focused around his mental state when he was fifteen. He’s very unstable. That’s why he’s being so sweet to me. To him, I will forever be the powerless child I was back then.”\nA self-deprecating expression crossed Tinasha’s face. Renart frowned at the sight of it.\nThe witch only ever spoke of her past with a glibness to her tone.\nEven that told him something, though. Namely that a long time ago, Tinasha adored Lanak as if he really was her family. Now that her big brother was back, as kind as he ever was, Renart wondered what Tinasha was thinking. While he was worried, he found himself incapable of discerning even some small part of the witch’s true intentions. Deciding on another course of action, Renart asked about something else. “Is what the king said really possible? A spell that spans our entire land…”\n“It is, if we use my magic,” Tinasha replied. She answered so matter-of-factly that it left Renart stunned. With a hand, the witch flipped her long, braided hair back. “We’re talking about using magic to completely control the continent. People in the past may have conceived of this, but none saw it successfully realized. In terms of sheer ability, the first king of Tuldarr should have had the power to do it. He was the only one who had all twenty spirits at his beck and call, after all. But spell casting at that time was much more difficult than it is now. That may have been what prevented him. Spell-casting research didn’t know many advancements until the time of the fourth regent.”\n“Ah, er, Lady Tinasha—” Renart cut in. If he let her continue unchecked, she’d go off on a tangent about the history of Tuldarr.\nShe realized what he meant and gave a little cough. “It’s possible; but if we do it, it will irreparably alter the mainland. Smaller countries might collapse, and it would mean all-out war with the Four Great Nations. Lanak would never stand for that, though. Depending on how things go, we could see a death toll that exceeds the Dark Age.”\n“You mean…”\nThis was definitely an unprecedented state of affairs. Renart shuddered to realize he was standing at a turning point in history.\nThe witch remained unperturbed, however. Evidently remembering something, Tinasha suddenly changed the topic. “Oh yes, how are you coming along with what I asked you to do?”\n“I’ll have the forty obsidian stones for you by today. Tomorrow at the latest.”\nThe witch had asked him to find stones of a deep color possessed of as few imperfections as possible.\nTinasha nodded. “Just to be safe, you should make yourself your own defensive array, too.”\nRenart inclined his head in silence. While he wasn’t a suicidal man, he felt he should give priority to his lady, not himself. Despite the fact that he’d so brazenly thrust his vow of loyalty on her, she’d smiled and accepted it. Renart intended to repay Tinasha no matter what it took.\n“Now what could you two be discussing?” wondered a new voice that slithered from behind the shadow of a pillar.\nIt was an oily, clinging sort of sound. As its owner emerged, Renart scowled without realizing it. There stood Chief Mage Bardalos. The king had forbidden people in the castle from having excessive contact with Tinasha, but Bardalos took every opportunity to engage with her.\nFor someone like him with such a bloody past, the fact that Tinasha had such immense magical power residing in such a slender body caught his attention and incited a sadistic interest. He made no attempt to hide his desire, and Tinasha stared him down with eyes as cold as ice.\n“I’m thinking of making a necklace. I asked him to gather some stones,” she stated, inclining her head back at the foul man.\nBardalos’s lips curved up in a smirk. “A necklace, eh…? Yes, obsidian would look very nice against your hair and eyes. But shouldn’t a bride wear a different color? Like pearly white…or garnet red?”\n“I’m not sure about red for a bride,” the witch replied, trying to pass by Bardalos. He stepped squarely in her path so as to bar her way, however. His already narrow eyes clamped down even further, giving him the countenance of a hungry reptile.\n“I think red would look wonderful on you. It’ll match the color of your blood. I’m really very interested in knowing just how beautiful those organs hiding inside that lovely body of yours are.”\n“Go ask Lanak,” Tinasha spat scathingly.\nEven Renart didn’t quite understand what that meant. He glanced at her, but she appeared as cool and unaffected as always.\n“Get out of the way,” ordered the witch. “Or if you’re a baby who can’t walk on his own, perhaps I’ll move you myself.”\nA gleeful smile spreading on his face, Bardalos took a step back and cleared the way. Sensing that something was off about that, Renart shielded his lady with his body as they passed by.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter the defeat at the Asdra Plains, Tayiri ultimately decided to hold off on sending reinforcements to Cuscull. At Prince Reust’s orders, the troops were assembled but detained in the capital.\nAdditionally, armies from the other major powers that had heeded Tayiri’s call began to arrive.\nFor four days, Oscar had joined war conferences in Tayiri’s castle, and he was quickly growing fed up. He had suffered through many meetings, and not a single one had resulted in dispatch orders. Prince Reust was the biggest obstacle. Despite holding primary military authority, he merely parroted the words “We need to act carefully.” Oscar was close to the end of his rope and wanted to point out that it was Tayiri who asked for help fighting in the first place.\nAs if that weren’t bad enough, Reust’s younger sister, Cecelia, followed Oscar around every day, testing the limits of his self-control. Finally, he turned an exasperated look on the gorgeous princess and asked, “What do you think you’re doing here?”\n“Am I not allowed to say it’s because I wanted to see you?” she replied with a sweet smile. Looking at her was enough to give Oscar a headache. His mind full of cynical thoughts, he stared back at the young woman.\nThe two were in his guest suite in Tayiri Castle. It was a little after sunset, and the sky had darkened to match the deep blue shade of Oscar’s eyes. Later, I am going to lecture the hell out of whoever let this woman into my room, thought Oscar as he bit back a sigh.\nHis obvious annoyance must have shown in his attitude, because Cecelia arched an eyebrow, got to her feet, and sauntered over to him. Leaning against the armrest, she moved her poisonous red lips to whisper in his ear, “Don’t make that face. When you act so cold to me, it gives me certain thoughts.”\n“Oh? Like what?”\n“That mage woman who followed you around in Farsas—that was the Witch of the Azure Moon, wasn’t it? It could be quite damaging to your position if I was to make that known,” she breathed. The look in her eyes was challenging, and Oscar pasted on a smile in return.\nHe’d known someone was liable to deduce that eventually, but how had Cecelia managed it? The eyewitness report Tayiri had received spoke only of a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes. Women of Tinasha’s exact coloring were rare, but it wasn’t as if they didn’t exist. A single onlooker’s testimony wasn’t enough to go on.\n“So? Feeling a bit differently now?” Cecelia purred. She peered at Oscar while gleefully enjoying her advantage. Looping her arms around his neck, Cecelia snuggled close to him. Her perfume was cloyingly sweet. Oscar tipped up her chin and drew closer. Then he pressed his lips to hers.\nIt was not a short kiss, and it was soul melting in its intensity. Intoxicated with her victory, Cecelia drank of it deeply. After a while, Oscar pulled back to murmur in her ear, his low voice reverberating through her body. “Why do you think that? It could have been someone who looks like her.”\n“You won’t be able to weasel your way out that easily… I saw her myself. There’s no way I’m mistaken.”\nOscar trailed his fingers along Cecelia’s white neck. He could feel her blood pumping under her soft skin.\n“Where? I don’t believe you,” he said.\nAt that, she let out a shrill laugh. “Do you truly desire that enchantress that much? She’s a witch, so I suppose she uses magic to make men into her slaves. She visits my brother every night, you know. What a trollop she is. I don’t think she even knows I’m watching.”\n“…What?”\nOscar almost crushed Cecelia’s windpipe in his hands. Restraining himself just before he did, he pushed her off and got to his feet. Cecelia was left in a daze, and he grabbed her chin and forced it upward. He stared down at her, no trace of sweetness in his gaze at all.\n“Tell me where Prince Reust’s room is,” Oscar demanded in a tone that was not to be disobeyed.\nReust had asked the witch to come back the next day, but in truth he hadn’t actually expected that she would.\nAgainst all expectations, however, she did indeed return the following night and the one after. She floated beneath the moon, seemingly just out of reach.\nEach time she visited, she explained to Reust how foolish it was to discriminate against others. Sometimes she used roundabout comparisons, while other times she was more direct and brought home how truly hurtful it was. Not once did she look down on Reust or plead with him. Her voice remained ever calm and plain. The witch never remained too long, either. When she was finished answering his questions, she vanished.\nReust never wanted their time to end, though. Each night he would insist, “If you don’t come tomorrow, I’ll send out the troops.”\nHow much better would it have been if he could have said, I want to see you again; I want to talk with you? Unfortunately, the woman he longed to see was a despicable mage of an enemy country. Saying such a thing was tantamount to betraying the history of Tayiri. Reust absolutely refused to cross that line, even if he’d been the one to set it for himself.\nDespite that, even Reust himself could tell he was wavering. He didn’t know if it was because of her or because of what she told him, but as their conversations continued, he began to falter in his belief that mages needed to be killed.\nOnly three days remained before the two-week grace period the witch had set ended.\nIf he could hold off his troops until then, something would surely change.\nReust went out onto his balcony and looked up at the night sky. Just then, someone knocked on his door.\n“Reust… It’s me,” came Cecelia’s voice. While he was suspicious of why she was visiting him so late, he went back inside and unlocked the door.\nHe tensed in shock.\nBehind his pale-faced sister stood the young king of Farsas, sword in hand. A tiny red dragon was perched on his shoulder.\nWith effort, Reust squeaked out the words, “…What do you want…?”\n“Was it not your country who asked that we slay the witch?”\nThere was a provocative look in Oscar’s eyes. Reust gleaned the man’s meaning, and his whole body froze. He stood there petrified, and Oscar slipped past him into the room. He went right for the balcony, and Reust chased after him in a panic. Sensing that Oscar’s attention was no longer on her, Cecelia beat a hasty retreat.\n“Stop! What is the meaning of this?” Reust shouted at the intruder on his balcony.\n“Play dumb, and this is only going to make you look bad,” Oscar replied indifferently, drawing Akashia. The blade caught the moonlight and glittered an argent shade. A sword that killed mages. Tayiri could not have wished to own a finer weapon.\nIn that moment, Reust regarded that blade as the most accursed thing he had ever seen. Everything inside him screamed not to let the witch face her natural enemy. How was he to warn her, though?\nWhile Reust was thrown into confusion, Oscar stared up at the sky. The air beneath the moon began to twist and warp.\n“Don’t come over here!” Reust yelled up at the sky.\nOscar opened his mouth to cry the witch’s name.\nHowever, the woman with dark blond hair who appeared was one neither recognized.\n“I wondered where you were going every night. Is that really what you were doing?!”\n“Yes…”\nPamyra was appalled, while the witch looked disillusioned. Tinasha leaned against the back of her chair and grumbled replies to the woman hurling a litany of questions at her.\n“He doesn’t seem that stupid. but he has some comprehension problems… He always says, ‘I don’t understand, so come back tomorrow.’ It’s proving entirely too difficult to change his beliefs. I give up.”\nPamyra watched Tinasha stretch as she voiced several complaints. A wave of heavy exhaustion crashed over her, and she let out a sigh. “You don’t have to listen to him, you know. You’re too easily swayed by pressure.”\n“I’m sorry…,” Tinasha said, hanging her head guiltily. She picked up one of the obsidian stones laid out on the table. Next to her, Renart was polishing them as he shook his head in disbelief.\nPamyra planted both hands on her hips in a show of indignation. As soon as Tinasha told her the whole story, she knew that the crown prince of Tayiri had fallen for the witch. The only one who hadn’t realized that appeared to be the witch herself. Pamyra wanted to tell the prince off for daring to request continued meetings Tinasha. The witch was a busy woman. She didn’t have time for fools.\n“But if I can soften his attitude, I’m sure it’ll help those mages of the future.” Tinasha mumbled as she turned over a piece of obsidian. “Mages can be born of non-magical parents. There will be no end to tragedy unless Tayiri changes its ways.” She lamented the situation even as she sighed.\nPamyra and Renart grasped their lady’s intent and felt heat rise to their chests.\nIf mages were born only to magical parents, Tayiri’s history of oppression would have ended a long time ago. All magic-using families could have left the nation, and Tayiri would be free of magic.\nThe trouble was, magical aptitude wasn’t determined purely by blood. About half of those children born with magic ended up hurting themselves or their surroundings if they didn’t learn how to control their powers. The seeds of tragedy could be sown anywhere in the world.\nA faint smile on her face, Pamyra faced her lady with a gentle expression. “In any case, tonight you should focus on creating magic implements. We don’t have much time left, so I will go to the Tayiri prince and put an end to this. Tell me the transportation coordinates.”\n“Put an end to what…?”\n“………”\nWhile baffled at just how clueless her lady could be, Pamyra succeeded in obtaining the necessary information for the teleport. Tinasha watched Pamyra with concern as she drew the array. “If something happens to you, I will come.”\n“You don’t need to worry. Renart! Please keep a close eye on Lady Tinasha!”\n“I would’ve done so anyway,” he answered.\nWith that, Pamyra transported herself to Tayiri’s royal castle. After appearing aloft in the night sky, she peered down and spied a castle, its gardens, and the crown prince’s balcony.\nTwo men stood on it—and one of them was holding a sword Pamyra had seen in books.\n“The royal sword of Akashia…the Mage Killer…”\nWhat strange string of events had led the wielder of such a deadly weapon here?\nPamyra didn’t have to ponder the answer.\n“You plotted this!” she cried. Her head flushed with heated anger, and she threw her hands out in front of herself.\nA powerful light bloomed before her palms and quickly began to spread.\nThe woman who’d teleported in had immediately recognized Akashia and was filled with rage. A white glow burst forth from her hands.\nClicking his tongue in irritation, Oscar swung his sword once and dispelled the magic. “Nark! Capture her!” he commanded the dragon on his shoulder.\nHeeding the royal decree, the little scaly thing immediately began to grow larger. Mid-flight it expanded to the size of a small house, raking its sharp talons at the woman. Staggering in the sky, the woman threw up a short incantation to protect herself. At the same time, Oscar flung a dagger at her legs.\nThe hurled knife was one of Oscar’s usual maneuvers against mages who floated in the air. Its aim wasn’t to cause heavy injury. All it had to do was interrupt the woman’s concentration. Most magic users weren’t able to stay aloft after their focus was interrupted.\nTo Oscar’s surprise, the blond woman countered that upset with another spell. Clearly this was a fairly capable mage.\nNark seized upon its opportunity in that instant and battered her with one of its giant wings.\n“Ngh, ahhh!” Although the woman shrieked in pain, she remained hovering. The dragon circled around to claw at her again. Just before its talons caught flesh, there came another rippling and twisting of air.\nThe next moment…a new woman appeared in the sky.\nThrowing up a defensive wall to repel the dragon’s talons, she let out a cry of surprise. “Nark?!”\nHer jet-black locks rippled in the evening breeze. Her slender body glowed a pearl-white shade in the moonlight.\nSlowly, she turned to look at the balcony. Her eyes clearly fixed on one of the men there.\nLooking thunderstruck, she spoke his name.\n“Oscar…”\n“Come here,” he insisted irritably, reaching out to her.\nAt the offer of his hand, Tinasha froze in midair.\nShe knew he was staying at Tayiri Castle but hadn’t expect to encounter him. Some small part of her had been anticipating that they’d run into each other like this, though.\nStupefied, she stared at the man she’d once shared a contract with.\nHis blue eyes had the power to arrest her. Entirely effortlessly, all her memories of when she’d smiled and laughed in his arms came rushing back. It hadn’t been that long ago, but it all felt incredibly nostalgic now.\nTinasha’s lips quivered. If nothing had happened, she might have taken his hand.\nBefore she ever had the chance, another voice broke her trance.\n“Run! Now!”\nReust unsheathed his sword and slashed at Oscar, who parried it easily with Akashia. Tinasha remained unmoving. Pamyra hurriedly grabbed her lady’s shoulder and declared, “Lady Tinasha, we must go!”\nPamyra looked up at the sky, and a transportation array floated up. It was a gate meant to transport multiple people. Renart’s head popped out from the complex magic pattern.\n“I can’t hold it for long! Please hurry!” he urged.\nPamyra seized Tinasha and ascended with her. Nark was confused by the appearance of its former owner and looked to Oscar for new orders. After knocking Reust’s sword out of his hands, Oscar shouted, “Tinasha!”\nIn the last moments before Pamyra and Renart pulled the witch into the array and out of sight, she threw Oscar a terribly anxious look.\nGrinding his teeth in frustration, Oscar stared at the now-empty spot in the sky where the mages had vanished.\nThat was his one chance…and he’d missed it.\nHe needed to get her back. If he had her, everything else would work out. He’d talk to her, and they could come up with a compromise.\nUnforeseen interference had sent Oscar back to square one, however. Tamping down the irritation burning him up from the inside, Oscar put Akashia back in its sheath.\nNark had miniaturized, and Oscar patted it on the head to thank it for a job well done. Then he glared at Reust. “Why don’t you explain what’s been going on?”\nReust licked his dry lips.\nThe moon was red.\nA day of reckoning had come as silently as any other.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Lady Tinasha, are you hurt?” Pamyra asked, looking Tinasha over with concern once they teleported back to the witch’s room in Cuscull.\nAll the blood had drained from the witch’s face, and she stared blankly at Pamyra and Renart. After a while, she answered, “I’m fine, but what about you?”\n“The dragon’s wing just bumped against me a little. Please don’t worry about it.”\nThe witch heard that and sagged to the floor in exhaustion.\nRenart rushed to kneel in front of Pamyra. “Are you really okay? You don’t feel unwell?”\n“No, I’m fine… It was just a bit of a shock. That’s all,” assured Pamyra.\nFrowning, Renart asked his lady, “You know the swordsman of Akashia?”\nTinasha gave a little jolt at that. Some unnamed emotion welled up in her dark eyes.\n“That’s my… He’s a man I once signed a contract with. I trained him so he’d be…able to kill me.”\nThere was something Tinasha wanted to leave in this world, for the history that was yet to come.\nOscar had given that to her. He was the king who would build a new era.\nThe witch said nothing more. She closed her eyes and similarly shut out the feeling building within her.\nThe next day, the Allied Forces began their march to Cuscull."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0007.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 6. The Dream Is Over\n“Aeti, where are you?”\nHe called her name.\nThe spacious castle of Tuldarr was formed entirely of cold stone. The people who walked its halls were like crafted dolls. No one turned to look at him. They didn’t see him.\nWith one exception—her.\n“Aeti?”\nLanak peeked into an alabaster hall. There was the girl who would be his bride, standing in the middle of an empty room.\nHer slender arms were outstretched, and a finely woven spell burst forth like a flower blooming. Suddenly, it expanded to fill the entire chamber, and Lanak was struck breathless.\nThe spell was intricate and expansive, the height of craftsmanship.\nNo matter how Lanak stared, he couldn’t understand it. He couldn’t parse it. Her power far outstripped his.\nIt was all he could do to stand there in shock. Finally, she noticed he was there and turned around, giving him a sweet smile. “What is it, Lanak?”\n“…Aeti.”\nLanak had come because he wanted to see her. In this cold and quiet castle, she was his only friend and ally.\nHis teachers had appeared unenthusiastic for a while now. After many days of feeling stifled, wondering what had changed, he learned that her tutors had all gone.\nThat’s why he’d wanted to see her. He’d planned to comfort her and tell her that he’d be the one to stick with her no matter how lonely she was.\nBut now…he knew.\nHer power was the reason she was lonely. No one could teach her anything. That was why her tutors left, and it was also why everyone lost interest in him.\n…She would be the one to inherit the throne of Tuldarr.\nSurely everyone was thinking it. This delicate, lonely girl would be the next queen.\nShe’d shown up after Lanak, yet at some point she’d far outpaced him.\nIf that truly came to pass, he would—\n“Lanak?”\nShe was looking at him with her dark eyes. The eyes of the powerful. The gaze of a pure person who knew nothing.\nLanak swallowed down the bile rising in his throat…and smiled. “It’s nothing, Aeti.”\nEven so, he was the only one who could protect her. He had to.\nShe still knew nothing, after all, and she was so alone in this castle.\n“…Lanak, wake up.”\nHer voice was in his ears. She gently shook him awake.\nScenes of the distant past fading before him, Lanak blinked his eyes open. A woman was staring at him, and he focused on her.\n“…Aeti?” he murmured by reflex, and she frowned the littlest bit. Her face was that of an adult, one he didn’t know. He always felt slightly uncomfortable looking at it. Letting out a deep breath, he straightened his posture on the throne where he’d dozed off.\n“I suppose I was…dreaming,” he said.\n“What kind of dream?”\n“A dream of the past. When you were still a little girl…I think.”\nHe meant when she was still a helpless child. Lanak racked his brain trying to recall the rest of the memory that was growing hazy with each passing second.\nAt his words, the woman merely made a curious expression. “How odd. Anyway, it’s already a new day.”\nAll the preparations had been made for their move to reform the continent. Emotions ran deep in Lanak’s eyes as he looked at the woman. “It’s all thanks to you. Now the land can be at peace. Mages will live their lives without fear.”\nTuldarr had fallen long ago and would never return. There was no point in reclaiming its throne. That country had not chosen Lanak.\nThat was why he made a new country for himself. One that would ensure the oppressed could live peaceful lives in the future.\nThe witch, once a little girl, narrowed her eyes as she smiled. “If that is what you wish.”\nIf not for her, Lanak’s ideas wouldn’t have become reality. She had the power to change all his visions into something real. That was the one thing he hadn’t obtained, no matter how hard he’d wished—\n“…Aeti.”\n“Yes?”\nThe low timbre of his whispered call was answered quite innocently.\nHer reply brought him back to himself. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking or what he was trying to say. Something bitter had been spreading inside his heart. That much he was sure of.\n“I’ll protect you, Aeti,” Lanak said, as much to remind himself as the woman.\nNow that she’d been reduced to a witch, he would protect her from others. He had to. She was now a wretched creature, shunned and despised by all.\nLanak nodded with satisfaction at his own answer.\nHowever, the bitter taste in his mouth had yet to fully go away.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNearly fifty thousand troops gathered from the Four Great Nations teleported to a fortress to the west of Tayiri.\nThe number might’ve seemed excessive considering they were only going up against a few hundred Cuscull mages, but when faced with an opponent of unknown strength, it felt necessary.\nOscar had successfully coerced the full story out of Reust and was livid to discover that the Tayiri prince had been so easily manipulated into wasting time. The day the witch had asked Reust to wait for was the following day. The only hope now was to move out immediately in the hope of catching Cuscull before its mages could enact whatever plan they’d concocted.\nAt sunset, Oscar, still fuming, met with the generals at the gates of the fortress. They discussed their marching route for the next day. During the meeting, Oscar glanced up and happened to spy Sylvia running toward him. Panting and gasping, she hurried to her king’s side and delivered a report.\n“Your Majesty, the scouts recovered a civilian girl. Apparently, she was attacked by the mages on the road leading from here to Cuscull. Everyone’s gathering in the council room right now. You should come, too.”\nThe girl’s name was Luly.\nShe survived the burning of her village that sat near the Cuscull border. A kindly mage living secluded in the woods had taken her in, but the two had been separated after nearly being discovered by Cuscull forces. She was found by the enemy as she made her way to the fortress, and they gave chase. Oscar found himself deeply impressed as he listened intently to the tale on his way to the council room.\n“I can’t believe she’s unhurt after all that.”\n“Perhaps the Cuscull pursuers were merciful because she’s a child. In any case, you should hear it directly from her.”\nWhen they reached the council room, Sylvia opened the door for her king. Oscar entered and joined a number of other royals and commanders from other countries.\nEncircled by these powerful people was the young girl. Immediately, her eyes lit up as they fixed themselves on Oscar. “It’s the prince! You’re really here!”\n“…I’m not a prince…,” Oscar muttered out of habit but then decided it wasn’t worth making a point of.\nThe girl had evidently heard his whispering, however. “Yes, you are! She showed me. She said you were really strong!”\n“Showed you? Who showed you?”\n“The lady who saved me from the bad magicians. She was really pretty. I couldn’t stop crying, so she told me all kinds of stories. She showed me lots of stuff. She put her hand on my forehead, and I could see all these scenes like they were really happening.”\nIt was a childish explanation, but a bell began to ring in Oscar’s mind. He sank to his knees and looked the child square in the eye. “Did she have black hair?”\n“Yeah. And black eyes. With no light at all, like nighttime.”\nHe’d expected that answer and let out a little sigh. “Damn that elusive woman…”\nStanding back up, he placed a hand on top of the thoroughly exhausted-looking little girl’s head.\nShe’d been chased by mages, saved by a witch, and found on a prairie an hour’s ride from the fortress.\nThe troops departed at dawn and paused their march almost immediately to send out mages as scouts. They couldn’t afford to walk right into a trap like what’d happened on the Asdra Plains.\nBefore long, the mages returned and expressed that nothing seemed peculiar or amiss.\nDoan was one of the scouts, and Oscar gestured for him to come speak privately outside the tent.\n“Is that true?” Oscar asked. “Nothing?”\n“Actually, we could sense some faint magic in the vicinity but didn’t detect any spells. That said…if Miss Tinasha set a spell, I don’t think any of us would’ve been able to sense it anyway,” Doan replied.\n“I see. I thought so,” said Oscar.\nThe others were wrapping up their discussion, having decided to press on straight through. If they detoured now, they wouldn’t be able to cross into Cuscull on the same day. Even if it was a trap, the best course was moving straight ahead.\nAs Oscar was deliberating over the situation, a young woman piped up from behind him. “I do wish you keep moving after asking me for a favor.”\n“…Here’s just the person I was looking for,” Oscar said, turning around to find the Witch of the Forbidden Forest pouting.\nHands on her hips, Lucrezia glared at Oscar. “I went to look at all the towns and cities! It was a lot of trouble, you know!”\n“Sorry. So what did you find?”\nPassing soldiers and commanders glanced over with interest at the beautiful lady having a hushed conversation with the king of Farsas. Oscar and Lucrezia continued undaunted, though.\n“A bit of this, a bit of that,” she answered. “It certainly looks like our girl has done something extraordinary. While the citizens appear to have vanished, she’s actually just delayed their time to the extreme and placed them in a pseudo time-suspended state. On top of that, she’s put up a defensive barrier around them and taken away their sense of awareness. They aren’t gone. They’re all still there, even now. Perceptive humans should be able to sense them.”\n“Ah, I see…,” Oscar said, remembering how Suzuto had reported the feeling that something was there. Now that Lucrezia had explained it, Oscar understood the cities were essentially full of invisible, intangible people. Tinasha had somehow managed this incredible feat across eight cities simultaneously. He was struck all over again by how fearsome the Witch of the Azure Moon was.\nFull of admiration for Tinasha, the king asked, “Can you undo it?”\n“No way, that would be too much work. Besides, she’s arranged it so that it will wear off naturally with the passage of time. It’s due to expire in another hour, in fact,” Lucrezia explained.\n“Seriously?!”\n“Seriously. Okay, I’ll be going now.”\n“Hold on a second.”\nLucrezia lifted her arms to teleport away, but Oscar grabbed one. She gave him a quizzical look.\n“I’m sorry, but since you’re here, I’d like you to tell me if Tinasha has cast some sort of magic ahead.”\n“Why me?”\n“No one else can.”\nOnly a fellow witch possessed the skill necessary to detect Tinasha’s spell craft.\nLucrezia retorted coolly, “No matter what’s out there, you can’t afford any detours. So it hardly makes a difference. Rest assured, it’s not anything that will kill you.” Then she stuck out her tongue. Evidently, she already knew what sort of spell lay waiting on their path.\nOscar sighed. “So there really is something. Nothing good comes of having Tinasha for an enemy.”\n“If you really understood that, you wouldn’t have asked me for help. You’ve got enough on your plate just dealing with her. If she finds out I was involved, too, things will only get worse. Do you want to wring your own neck?”\n“I’m not in a position that affords choosiness. For now, I can only deal with things as they come.”\nOscar felt pretty sure he could find a way to silence the other countries. Lucrezia picked up on his implicit meaning and gazed at him in astonishment. “Stop acting so inflexible. It’ll backfire on you later. If anything, I’m giving preference to what she wants far more than you are.”\n“Giving preference? She’s acting with total disregard for her own interests,” Oscar shot back.\n“Even so, I can’t help you more than I have. You’ll have to figure something out on your own,” Lucrezia declared. Her words were harsh but fair. Oscar scowled.\nLucrezia gave him information but refused to get directly involved. That was her line in the sand. While it looked like she was forsaking Oscar, she was actually respecting human freedom.\nOscar understood that and nodded, accepting that he wasn’t going to get his way. “Fine. I’ll figure something out myself.”\n“What a good boy you are,” teased the grinning witch. Her smile quickly melted away, however. She turned very serious, far more so than Oscar had ever seen before. In a low voice, she said, “She won’t protect herself. You must be her shield.”\n“…I know.”\n“I’m very glad she has you at this turning point,” Lucrezia admitted, a hazy fondness passing over her amber eyes. The emotion was gone after a single blink, and Lucrezia smiled as wide as she ever had. “Work hard and do your best.”\nAfter issuing some rather light words of encouragement, she was gone. Oscar had the distinct feeling that two witches had him in the palms of their hands. He took a breath to recenter himself, and then he went back into the tent.\nIn the end, it was decided that the fifty thousand troops would proceed as planned along the original route, although they suspected a trap.\nIn expectation of the worst, the royals and commanders were to all ride in the very middle of the formation, however. This included Oscar, who let his other generals lead the march while he surrounded himself with Als, Meredina, Kumu, Doan, Kav, and Sylvia, among others. As long as he had them near him, he knew he’d be able to weather whatever happened. Even if it was a magical trap.\nMuch to the surprise of many, nothing extraordinary happened during the first hour of marching. The commanders gradually began to relax in the face of the uneventful monotony.\nAs the procession soldiered onward, a messenger came running from a battalion stationed at the vanguard.\n“No matter how far we go, our surroundings stay the same.”\nUpon hearing that, Kav murmured wonderingly, “Wow… To set up a blockade of such a huge chunk of space. We had no idea we were going in circles. Fairies use similar magic in forests a lot, but this might be the first time in history that one on such a large scale has been accomplished.”\nMore than half of what he said sounded more like a compliment than anything, and Oscar felt a headache coming on. It was almost as if he could hear Tinasha shouting Just go around and around in circles, then! at him.\n“Her very existence should be illegal.” Oscar groaned. “How can we break the spell?”\n“Locating its essence and destroying it is the quickest way out. Judging from the scope, Miss Tinasha is not actively maintaining it now. She’s set up sigils and something to use as a core to do that for her. That’s if we can find it first—it’s impossible to see this spell.”\n“I can’t see it, either,” Oscar said.\nThey were at a complete loss. Privately, Oscar cursed Lucrezia’s heartlessness, though only just a little.\nThe soldiers had halted, and from Oscar’s position in the center of the march, they seemed to be in quite the disarray. He looked around and saw that the generals, royals, and aides-de-camp were trading information and ideas on how best to escape their trap. His eyes caught sight of Reust, and Oscar made a sour face.\nIt was all because of Reust’s time wasting that things had gotten this bad in the first place. Oscar felt a fresh wave of irritation threaten an angry outburst.\nJust as Oscar bit it back…a guest arrived.\nIt was a man clad in black mage’s robes. He materialized in the midst of the crowd without any forewarning, and as everyone’s heads began to turn, he bent one knee and made a sweeping bow. In a full, ringing voice, he greeted the army with all due formality.\n“I believe this is our first time meeting. I am the chief mage of Cuscull, Bardalos.”\n“Wha—?”\nImmediately, several soldiers drew their swords. In an instant, the air was crackling with tension, and Bardalos gave an exaggerated shrug. “Ah, don’t be too hasty. If you kill me, you’ll never get out of here. This is a fine work of art crafted by the bride of our very own king. I doubt you’ll be able to get out now that you’re inside it.”\n“You clown… What have you come here for?” spat out a Cezar general.\nBardalos only smiled at the attempted intimidation. He answered with theatrical flourish, as if reveling in his assigned role. “On this fine day, you are all bravely gathered here to make an offer of subordination to Cuscull. I am most extremely and humbly delighted. I would be thrilled to allow you the chance to witness our king’s great act of bringing the entire mainland under his control. If I may be so bold as to escort you…”\nBardalos wheeled around to take in everyone surrounding him.\n“However, I’m afraid that I am unable to invite each and every one of you. We do have limited seating. That said… Yes, I do believe we have room for those of you who are here in this vicinity.”\n“Who would go along with that?!”\n“Don’t get ahead of yourself!”\nAngry cries rose in reply to Bardalos’s arrogant invitation. The man paid them no mind, a masklike smile painted on his face.\nAkashia in hand, Oscar stepped forward. “Fine. Take me.”\n“Your Majesty?!” shrieked Kumu. At once, Bardalos flashed Oscar a pleased grin. He spread his arms wide, black robes billowing. A complicated spell appeared before him.\n“Of course, I can take you… But all the rest must go as well. No one has the luxury of saying no. I’m afraid I rather need you as an audience. After all, you’re—”\nThe transportation array activated. The gate widened to encompass around fifty people, with Bardalos at the center. Screams and shouts of fright filled the air, muffling the latter half of Bardalos’s sentence.\n“—to be the bride’s hostages.”\nBardalos sneered ominously.\nThe transportation spell brought them to the middle of a huge, open wasteland.\nGritty, sandy air whipped past.\nThey were standing in the midst of decaying ruins. A round plaza thick with sand clouds was half-crumbled away, lined with a row of equally eroded white stone pillars. Much of the stone paving underfoot was cracked and peeling. Ten steps led up the center of the plaza to a raised section. Atop that sat an old stone altar and a suspiciously new-looking empty throne.\nOscar stood in the middle of the plaza, turning to observe everything.\n“We’ve been ambushed, just like they planned,” he muttered.\nEverything looked peaceful, appearing as some visage from the distant past. Along the outer edges of the plaza, an arena of circular stone steps towered over them imperiously. The weathered things looked just like petrified flower petals.\nAt present, the many rows of encircling steps were filled with several hundred Cuscull mages. Their chilling gazes were locked on their newly arrived guests. Mixed in among them were quite a few strange-looking creatures, including winged, mid-level demons. Presumably, these had been summoned and put to work.\nOscar gazed at the crowd calmly, but the others were frozen in place, whether out of astonishment or fear.\nKeeping his eyes forward, Oscar called for one of his confidantes. “Als, what’s your take?”\n“Not good. There’s way too many of them and way too few of us.”\nWith only fifty on Oscar’s side, a head-on battle seemed a poor choice. Oscar checked on how his other subjects were doing and then drew Akashia. Pitching his voice so they could hear, he ordered, “I have a defensive barrier, so don’t worry about me. Protect yourselves.”\nNo matter what happened, Oscar knew he would not die so long as Tinasha was alive. Oscar didn’t intend to let his team die, either, however, and he readjusted his grip on Akashia’s hilt.\nAt that moment, a man appeared at the top of the central stairway, flanked on either side by other mages.\nHis white hair caught the eye, and his robes were a magnificent finery unto themselves. He stepped forward with his retinue trailing in his wake. Next to the altar, Bardalos bowed to him and gave way.\nOscar fixed his eyes on the newly emerged man. “Lanak…”\nWhen those around Oscar heard his growl, shock crossed their faces. Lanak was a historical figure from four centuries ago, but here he supposedly was looking not a day past twenty. With his abnormally pale hair and skin, it was like he’d walked out of a dream.\nLanak surveyed his audience and smiled. “Welcome to the ruins of Tuldarr’s cathedral.”\nThe involuntary guests all exchanged looks. Ruins of the famed Magic Empire, a country that prided itself on its exceptional power, had been sleeping here in silence throughout the centuries. Lanak took a seat on the new throne that rested amid the ruins of a country lost so tragically.\n“I’ve brought you all here today to share a proposal. At our current place in history, people suffer cruel discrimination and strife. Tayiri, the foremost enemy of our nation, is the greatest example of this. Their god is unfair and fickle. His power does not reach you. Such is why people murder one another. Whether it be hate or love, they kill.”\nLanak’s voice was even, bereft of both sternness and compassion. The man appeared to be a doll parroting a learned phrase. His eyes even seemed to be made of glass as he cast them down. “But we can put an end to that. No more fighting. That will be the rule. Anyone who can’t abide by it will be punished immediately, no matter where they are on the mainland… I have the power to enforce this.”\n“What?” Oscar cried without thinking. Many others were left speechless. Surely some of them doubted Lanak’s sanity. What he said was tantamount to declaring his own divinity.\nSuspicion flickered in the eyes of some of the guests, who suspected Lanak of deception. The ruler of Cuscull laughed. “I’m sure you know of the five huge reservoirs of magic known as magical lakes. They are formed of natural life energy, magic, and the souls of countless humans. Right now, each one is divided, mindlessly drawing in the life force of its surroundings. But if we use a spell to connect the lakes into a network, it would form a giant web across the continent. Once we do that, I’ll be able to see everything that happens right from this very chair. Even the weather will bend according to my will. Magnificent, don’t you agree?”\n…Surveillance of the mainland and control of the weather.\nIt was like some nightmarish future vision. If Tinasha were here, Oscar knew she’d object.\nA vision of her doing just that popped into Oscar’s mind, and he let out a puff of laughter.\n“Your Majesty…,” Als warned from his spot at Oscar’s side.\n“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m fine. I’ll take this seriously.”\nThe magical lakes were formed upon Tuldarr’s destruction. Originally, they were the power that Lanak was supposed to inherit but had proven too much for him to control. Now he had fashioned a new method of doing so. The demonic beast incident had taught Oscar about the power of the magical lakes. Their wild and mighty energy accidentally created that terrible creature from something never actually meant to be a weapon. If Lanak could purposely bring all the magical lakes under his control, the potential he’d possess really would rival a god’s.\n“He’s practically insane for even thinking to try this, though.”\nNo matter how noble Lanak’s ideals were, he couldn’t be allowed to spy on the entire mainland. No one knew when his self-righteousness would go off the rails.\nLanak stood from his throne and smiled. “The spell will take about an hour. Waiting might bore you, but I do want you to bear witness. This is the dawn of a new era, after all.”\nThe king of Cuscull made sure his audience gasped in shock before breaking into a wide grin. “Now then, allow me to introduce my bride. If not for her, we could have never performed a spell of this magnitude. I’ll be borrowing her power as the catalyst. Aeti, come here.”\nLanak waved his right hand, opening a teleportation gate next to him. A woman emerged with three mage attendants in tow.\nShe was a resplendently pale creature, signifying to all that she was the bride in question. Her radiance was such that it made it easy to forget the dire circumstances at hand.\nHer dress was replete with a long train crafted of multiple layers of lace. Black flowers were strung into her long, ebony hair. Her fine features would have taken a sculptor a lifetime to re-create, and her dark eyes were cast downward in melancholy.\nSlowly, her lashes lifted and she cast a glance at Lanak. As she did, the audience gathered at the bottom of the stairs realized who she was and a frisson of terror ran through the crowd. Two of the three mages at her side turned pale as well. The one who didn’t was a young woman who’d seen fewer years than her peers.\nBardalos smirked as he took in the bride’s expression. A smile on his face, Lanak inclined his head. “What’s wrong, Aeti?”\n“Did you undo my spell?”\n“I didn’t. I helped Bardalos bring them here. I wanted them all to see.”\n“…Ah,” Tinasha said shortly, then turned back to give a reassuring smile to the attendants that flanked her. She moved to sit down beside Lanak’s throne. Midway through her motion, a rustic chair made of white stone popped into being to catch her.\nLanak placed a hand on her shoulder. Then he began to chant a slow and deliberate recitation.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs the sound of his incantation echoed off the ancient ruins, Oscar thought about what he should do.\nThere was only one hour until the spell was complete. He had to do something to stop it soon.\nSimply trying to kill Lanak would incur retaliation from the surrounding Cuscull mages. The other captives would no doubt be dragged into the fighting, too. Worst of all, the enemy greatly outnumbered them, ensuring that Oscar’s side would lose.\n“I just need an opportunity…”\nOscar looked to his shoulder and saw Nark let out a little yawn. He then turned back to stare at the woman who gave him the dragon. Her dark gaze had dropped to her feet; she refused to meet anyone’s eyes. Oscar wondered what her goal was in all this.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPamyra didn’t let her inner turmoil show on her face and simply kept a close watch over her lady.\nShe’d never thought they’d summon an audience.\nThe mage couldn’t be sure whether that had been Lanak’s doing or Bardalos’s, nor did she want to think about how things were going to play out with this new change to the plan.\n“Give me power… Protect us…,” Pamyra murmured to herself, praying to anyone who might be listening.\nLanak’s chanting echoed throughout the half-rotted sanctuary.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFour hundred years was a long time.\nIt was long enough to lose your mind, but Tinasha had overcome that.\nFor the first century, she hadn’t been able to stand to talk to anyone besides Lucrezia.\nHer life had been an endless series of torments, from the loss of her country to the betrayal of the one she loved most. Even after she’d become a witch, there were those who still hunted her down, trying to gobble up everything she had. Tinasha despised everything about those who had let such terrible things happen to her.\nEventually, she succeeded in locking away her grief and resentment but gave up on trusting and loving other people in the process. Tinasha feared her searing hatred would return and bring the world to ruin if she ever dared to love anyone again.\nAfter the completion of her tower, Tinasha began to grant audiences to those who overcame its trials. As time went on, she discovered she was starting to like people a little.\nThey were interesting.\nFiercely devoted.\nShe was envious of how their lives soared and dipped so beautifully.\nSo this is what humans are like, she thought. Why am I different?\nHow much more time would have to pass before she could die?\nWas slowly whittling down her own soul really bringing her closer to what she wished for?\nLife in the tower was peaceful and never changing. She was free and alone.\nTinasha never found what she was looking for, no matter how long she looked. Nor did she know why she was searching.\nHer time was spent grasping at delusions.\nThen it came. At last, she found the person she was searching for.\nHis humming voice was low and pleasant to listen to.\nIt was the voice that had often been her lullaby. His presence gave her the strength to bear her empty childhood. So long as that boy was with her, she could survive being driven into a detached wing of the castle for her studies.\nIt was a sweet voice, one that promised protection.\nTinasha closed her eyes and followed the magic that was being drawn out of her. She felt the enormous spell Lanak was weaving.\nOnce it was completed, everything would change. The spell he was chanting was the beginning of the end.\nWhat she wanted lay just ahead.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe sight of his demolished homeland didn’t inspire any longing nostalgia in Lanak.\nIn the Dark Age, the Magic Empire spanned a large territory, yet was also impenetrable by other countries. The king at its head commanded multiple high-ranking demons, any one of which could decimate an army. Lanak had once believed in the future that ancient Tuldarr envisioned. He had vowed to see it done.\nAll those feelings for his nation had died out at some point, however. Perhaps they’d vanished when he realized he was not to be chosen as ruler, or perhaps it was when Tuldarr fell. Even Lanak couldn’t remember anymore.\nA long sleep had worn his heart and mind thin. Even his very surroundings felt veiled and unreal as he sat on his throne. His one grip on reality remained the warmth he could feel coming off the witch he was clutching. He steadied his breathing and carefully wove together the words of the spell.\n“Silence drifting on a sea of grief. Countless outstretched hands choose me. Neither morning nor night. Their eyes are everywhere.”\nBorrowing from Tinasha’s inexhaustible wellspring of magic, Lanak crafted the spell by tying together strands of her power. As small spells threaded together, the creation turned massive.\nAt the same time, he reached out across the continent toward the five magical lakes, grasping and linking them. The growing spell sucked up even more magic from the lakes and urged them into harmony with one another. Quickly, Lanak’s conjuration began to extend out to every coast. Huge amounts of force pulsed and coursed, and winds began to eddy and swirl very slowly in the ruins.\nAmid the growing storms, Lanak’s voice crackled like thunder.\n“I command the first lake that was born. I am the one who defines. I command you under the name Compassion, which brought you into being. Your location shall be daybreak.”\n…Lanak suddenly found himself wondering what he’d do once this was over.\nHe’d only ever thought to control the land through magic. He hadn’t considered what to do after. He glanced at Tinasha, who was still sitting next to him.\nPerhaps he’d build her a mansion here. A place where she could live in peace. She used to love her birth country. Surely that hadn’t changed. Lanak wanted to grant her the relaxing days she deserved. He wanted to free her from her duties and loneliness.\n“I command the second lake that was born. I am the one who defines. I command you under the name Jealousy, which brought you into being. Your location shall be morning.”\nMagic of this scale had never been seen in all of recorded history. The ceremony required scrupulous care. There was meaning in taking the trouble to do so, however. Once completed, there would never again be war. People, no matter who they were, would gain the right to live their lives. When he thought about it that way, even his long years of sleep seemed worthwhile.\n“I command the third lake that was born. I am the one who defines. I command you under the name Denial, which brought you into being. Your location shall be noon.”\nAt the moment, Lanak had no complaints about taking the throne.\nIf there was one regret he truly had, it was that he couldn’t quite recall the sort of person he was in the past. He didn’t know what he loved, what he hated, or why he committed such a terrible act against Tinasha. He was still the same person, but his own self felt formless and unmolded.\n“I command the fourth lake that was born. I am the one who defines. I command you under the name Longing, which brought you into being. Your location shall be twilight.”\nWhen he thought of the past, the first thing to come to mind was always her as a lovely young girl. In his memories, she was always blushing shyly. He had to protect her. She existed solely for him to protect.\n“I command the final lake that was born. I am the one who defines. I command you under the name Hatred, which brought you into being. Your location shall be midnight.”\nWhy had he lived for four hundred years? Why hadn’t he died?\nHe didn’t know what he’d been thinking, putting himself into a magical sleep, but suspected it was so he could see her again.\nCalm feelings surging within him, Lanak gazed down at his bride.\nShe was staring up at him and perhaps had been for some time.\nThere was a challenging glint in her dark eyes.\nFor some reason, that look made him flinch and recoil.\nA sneaking feeling began to grow.\nHe stopped chanting.\nA smile flickered across Tinasha’s face.\nLanak had never seen her make such an expression before.\nCuscull mages were abuzz with speculation as they watched the king’s bride suddenly stand up.\nShe brushed Lanak’s hand from her shoulder. He stumbled back several steps.\n“Aeti, what are you…?”\nThe witch offered no answer. With a radiant smile, she faced him. More specifically, she turned toward the spell configuration he had created. With elegance, she extended a hand.\n“Come.”\nIn answer to her command, the enormous configuration rushed to her.\nThe winds swirling around the ruins dispersed at this new interference.\nStruck dumb, Lanak tried to stop the spell from going to her. He stared at the woman, thoroughly stunned.\n“What are you doing?” Lanak asked. “This is—”\nWith a snort, the woman took in her surroundings\nShe gazed at the ruins of her fallen country with an overwhelming sense of wistful longing.\n“It’s been so long…”\nHer clear, lovely voice resounded far and wide.\nShe beamed at Lanak with a smile so beautiful that anyone in the world would’ve found themselves entranced by it.\n“I’ve been searching for you forever… I really wanted to see you; I missed you. When we met again, I was so happy I could cry.”\nIn her eyes shone honest admiration for Lanak. It was a look not unlike that of love, though not quite the same.\nUnder her slender fingers, Lanak’s complex spell array wavered even more, jerking toward her. From her petal-shaped lips fell a whisper imbued with trembling ardor. “I really needed you… What I truly wanted…was the names of the lakes that only you, as the caster, knew.”\nThe woman’s smile twisted, and suddenly she was someone new.\nIn an instant, she changed from adorable young girl to powerful victor. Her grin was bewitching and cruel.\nLanak felt the abyss within her seize hold of him.\n“I can finally set free the bound souls of the people you killed four hundred years ago—all those poor people who melted into the magical lakes.”\nA proclamation from the distant past echoed. It spoke of a wish that had survived the passing centuries.\nFinally, signs of dawning comprehension showed on Lanak’s face.\nThe witch extended her pale ivory arms wide.\n“Come to me.”\nThe spell was drawn into her arms. Lanak desperately tried to stop it, but it was wrested from his hands and quickly fell under the woman’s sway.\nWith a sweet, beatific smile, she poured magic into the complex array, resetting it.\nAt an incredible speed, the witch transmuted the spell from one that would control the magical lakes…into one that would dismantle and divert them.\n“Aeti, you…”\nLanak had lost all thought. All that remained in his mind were his few feeble memories.\nShe should have been the person he needed to protect.\nOnce she was a weak, lonely little girl, but now she was a feared and hated witch. She couldn’t survive without him. He had to ensure her safety.\nLetting her overpower him…was unacceptable.\nLanak was waking from his long sleep. Fury and hatred blotted out the dreaming persona. Arising to replace it were the emotions that had been previously frozen dead within him, feelings from a time long since destroyed.\nThe violent, indelible passion that had led Lanak to slice open a poor girl was now surging back to life.\n“Aeti… Would you betray me again?”\n“Betray you? The reason I am still alive today was all for this moment,” the witch declared.\n“Now, let the atonement begin!”\nHer roaring declaration was a link between the past and the present.\nFurious heat boiled in Lanak. Four hundred years later, this woman was still getting in his way.\n“Why, you… I won’t allow it!”\nFurious, Lanak prepared a spell to attack, but Tinasha effortlessly lifted a hand and diffused it. Furious at the counter maneuver, Lanak barked, “Kill this woman! …No, neutralize her! Cut off her limbs for all I care!”\nTinasha watched Lanak’s pale face contort with hideous fury as she leaped back a few paces. With a nasty sneer, she cooed, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you look like that. You’re the spitting image of the man you used to be. Does that mean you’ve finally woken up?”\n“You’ve got a big mouth for a little brat!” Lanak spat acidly.\nRenart and Pamyra hurried to Tinasha’s side. She glanced at them, then snapped her fingers. Pieces of obsidian appeared, floating in the air all around her. With the same motion, Tinasha pointed at the captured audience still standing at the base of the stairway. Forty of the dark, glassy stones winked out and reappeared in a pattern around the group, forming a barrier."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0008.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Ahhh… I knew it!” Pamyra cried in consternation, and Renart sighed. The stones were infused with spells originally meant to form a protective barrier around Tinasha. Despite her power, she still required concentration for the incantation to divert the five magical lakes. That was why she needed a barrier that could protect Oscar and the others during the intervening time. Both Pamyra and Renart knew, however, that Tinasha was protecting the captives at the expense of guarding herself.\n“Go!” the witch hissed to her two loyal attendants.\nFending off the hail of offensive spells that came barreling downward from every direction, Pamyra and Renart both turned down the command.\n“No!”\n“I refuse.”\nLanak’s huge spell had already activated, synchronizing the magical lakes. If Tinasha relinquished now, a storm of magical power worse than when Tuldarr was destroyed would carve its way across the land. The only hope was to reset the spell and divert the magical lakes. Tinasha was the only person capable of such a feat.\nGuarding their lady, Pamyra and Renart retaliated against Lanak’s closest followers. The man himself fell back behind a row of his supporters and was still clearly enraged. Evidently, he didn’t want to expend his own magic.\nWithout an incantation, Renart summoned up a blade of wind. It mowed down two mages still in the middle of chanting. Pamyra was about to give pursuit when she sensed something and threw up a defensive shield at Renart’s side. Black flames battered against it.\n“Ngh! Damn you…!”\nThe attack was more intense than she’d anticipated, forcing Pamyra to devote all her strength into fortifying the shield. She stumbled a few steps back and glared at the source of the strike.\nIt was the mad mage Bardalos, standing there with a look of unmitigated glee. “So you really did betray us! How hilarious!”\nBardalos loosed another wave of dark fire. This time, he aimed for the witch, who was still deep in the middle of her diversion spell. Renart hurried to block it, but a second spell came hurtling toward him and rooted his feet to the ground.\n“Lady Tinasha!” Pamyra screamed, afraid that Bardalos’s attack would reach the witch.\nMuch to her relief and surprise, however, the shadowy tongues of fire never knew the taste of Tinasha’s flesh.\nLooking slightly put out, Tinasha glared up at the man who had leaped to protect her.\n“You really need to learn how to ask me for help,” he drawled.\nBefore Tinasha stood the one man who could kill her.\nAs Oscar was eyeing the situation at the base of the steps, Als came running up to him, hacking his way through Cuscull soldiers along the way. Doan and the other mages intermittently stepped outside the barrier to return fire against the enemy mages. Nark swelled in size and engaged in an aerial battle against five demons.\nOf those fifty who’d been kidnapped via teleport, close to half managed to grasp the situation and spring into action. Some even dared to push past Tinasha’s shield. They charged forward to protect the witch, recognizing that she was key to their survival. Others climbed the stone steps in an attempt to reach the throne.\nAs things quickly devolved into a free-for-all, Bardalos hurled a spear of light toward the man who’d stood himself in front of the witch. The magic pole arm merely struck Oscar’s barrier and shattered.\n“What?!” Bardalos exclaimed in shock. Oscar cast a knowing glance back at Tinasha. She returned the look while still working on Lanak’s spell.\n…He’s here. He actually came.\nJust knowing that was enough to fill her with a curious feeling of reassurance. The back of her throat grew hot.\n“What do you want me to do?” Oscar asked, and Tinasha looked down and ran some calculations. It was going to take her thirty minutes to finish reciting the spell. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to last that long amid the current chaotic situation. Even if she did, there was still a chance of catastrophic damage.\nTinasha looked back up at Oscar. Her dark eyes glowed with a light that Oscar knew very well.\n“Give me as much time as you can.”\n“As you wish,” he replied immediately. Tinasha nodded.\nThen she began the new incantation that would overturn everything.\nPositioning himself in front of Tinasha, Oscar prepared to square off against Bardalos. The mad mage grinned with delight. “The swordsman of Akashia, eh? Heard a lot of legends. Wonder how much is true.”\n“Hmm? I don’t care,” Oscar spat out and advanced on Bardalos. The other man had been expecting that, however, and aimed a sickle of flames at Oscar’s feet.\nDodging it would risk the spell hitting Tinasha behind him. Instead, Oscar brought down his sword and smashed Bardalos’s magic apart. Akashia scattered the flames, leaving only black scorch marks on the stone.\nBardalos licked his lips. “You’re pretty good with that. I thought you were just a foolish swordsman who’d let the barrier do all the work.”\n“I don’t want to make any trouble for her—that’s all,” Oscar shot back.\nThe defensive barrier was linked to Tinasha. Oscar wasn’t sure what was going to happen as she completed her spell. As such, he wanted to make certain that he didn’t drain her power unnecessarily.\nBardalos sneered as the king again fended off the magic rushing at him with a single sweep of Akashia. “It’ll be interesting to see how long you can keep that up. You might even die without ever moving a single step from where you stand. That sure would be a shame. My first audience with the Mage Killer is certainly turning out to be rather disappointing.”\n“Sorry to say, but my merciless teacher gave me one hell of a training regimen. I promise you won’t be disappointed, though I can’t promise your survival.”\n“Bold words. I hope you have the strength to back them up,” Bardalos sneered. With an arcane motion, he summoned up some two dozen fireballs that floated in midair.\nA swordsman who kept his distance would soon find himself battered by a volley of ranged attacks. While this upstart king possessed a legendarily dangerous weapon, Bardalos believed there was nothing to fear so long as the sword never touched him. In his mind, the battle was already over—and he had won.\n“Go on—burn to cinders,” he cried with glee, commanding a flurry of fireballs down on Oscar. With one eye on his burning storm, Bardalos lifted his right hand to cast his next spell. He believed wholeheartedly in his own dominance, but then his eyes widened.\n“Die.”\nUnbelievable speed, unbelievable distance. A drawn sword glittered before his eyes like a polished mirror.\nAll of Bardalos’s thoughts ended there. In one motion, Oscar had cleaved through the foul man’s magical defenses and his neck.\nMany of the Cuscull mages began to lose their will to fight after seeing their chief mage meet his end in a flashy spray of blood.\nBehind them, Lanak continued to rage. “Summon more demons! Kill them!” he howled.\nAt this royal decree, the mages on the outermost stone steps began summoning incantations. A mage near the throne began the same sort of spell, but Als came leaping up and quickly struck that person down. With Pamyra and Renart in the fray as well, Lanak’s forces were quickly losing control of the platform with the throne.\nTo compensate, more and more of the mages who’d been in the outer ring teleported into the center. The occasional demon came with them, too.\n“That can’t be true! There’s no way Lady Aeterna would betray us!” rose Tris’s voice above the melee.\nShe couldn’t bring herself to attack Tinasha, but neither could she defend her like Pamyra and Renart. Unsure and unwilling, she simply stood stock-still in disbelief. As other Cuscull mages teleported to the center of the fight, she was pushed to the back.\nTris’s childhood dreams were dying before her very eyes, and it seemed that everyone was content not to help. Only power and blood mattered on the battlefield. Finally, Tris tore her tear-filled eyes away from the spectacle and ran off. Tears trailing behind her, she vanished into the wilderness. A Cuscull mage who noticed the fleeing girl raised a hand to send a fire arrow after her.\nMeredina’s sword bit into the caster and stopped the spell before it began, however. Protected by a barrier made by Doan and Kav, she slashed her way through the outer stone steps. As she pressed on through the crowd, someone threw a ball of light in her face.\n“What in the—?!”\nClosing one eye reflexively, Meredina slashed blindly with her blade in an attempt to hack through the spell. Before her sword made contact, the incoming magical attack simply bounced off the protections that her friends had placed on her.\n“Stop acting like His Majesty. You can’t cut through magic with a normal sword,” Doan reminded her, appalled, as he hurled a small lightning bolt at some Cuscull mages.\n“Wasn’t it better than doing nothing?” she snapped back.\nMeredina came in from the left. With a practiced motion, she severed the arm of a mage that’d been attempting to protect himself with lightning. He collapsed to the ground with a shriek, and Meredina continued to move forward.\nFrom behind, Doan calmly cautioned, “You’re going a little too fast. Slow down.”\nMeredina shrugged and took two steps back, only to meet the sharp claws of a lizardman’s swipe. A terrible, metallic screech rang out in the arena. She exchanged three blows with the creature before plunging her sword into its scaly chest.\nAnother lizard tried to grab her sword, but a Cezar general cut it down from behind. Meredina pulled the blade out and nodded at the general, who gave a casual wave back.\nSword in hand in the middle of the battlefield, Reust looked at the dauntless Farsasian crew and bit back a sigh.\nHe had a habit of losing track of time during fights. One moment would pass in a flash, and the next seemed to lag. It was like wandering endlessly through a fog with no clear exit.\nAs he crossed swords with a wave of advancing demons, he looked up at the witch on the stone platform. Even at this distance, her white dress made her easy to spot.\nShe seemed just as beautiful as ever, even as she chanted her spell. Reust was so caught up in looking at the lovely lines of her face that a small magic spear grazed his shoulder. When he looked to see who had thrown it, he saw a very young mage—a boy, really—scowling at him with fear and hatred.\n“Die! Rot in hell, you monster!”\nThe bitter cry was unmistakably meant for Reust alone.\nTayiri had built up this hatred over the centuries. Seeing it right before him in the flesh took his breath away.\nThe boy sketched a rough spell array, then hurled it at Reust. It became a fireball as it arced through the air, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Faced with a literal burning manifestation of anger, Reust choked out, “Is this the result of Tayiri’s sin…?”\nIt was indeed a terrible thing to deny others the very right to live as human beings.\nBoth sides had been born with a twisted resentment of each other.\nHad the day come for that to end? Was an end even possible?\nReust closed his eyes, ready to accept what came. Before the fireball could consume him, it was dispelled. Whirling around, Reust saw a mage of Farsas who waved him off casually.\n“Save the deep thoughts for after this is over, Your Majesty. Right now, our priority is surviving.”\n“…Got it,” Reust answered curtly, though not without sincerity. Tamping down the bitterness rooted in his heart, he strode up to the mage boy. As the little magic user hurried to prepare another spell, Reust drove an elbow into his stomach. He supported the buckling boy, gently laying him down on the ground. The time to think would come later; for now, Reust knew he had to keep his head up high.\nHe raised his sword, ready to engage his next opponent.\nA winged demon swooped down upon the witch with its claws outstretched. A burst of fire rose to meet it, however. Hurling attacks as they dashed up the stone stairs, Sylvia and Kumu finally reached the top and rushed over to Tinasha. Although she was in the middle of her long incantation, she acknowledged the pair with a smile.\nOvercome with joy that Tinasha was still her old self, Sylvia nearly broke down in tears. “We’ll protect you. I promise!” She then began to chant a spell. “O midday star, o nighttime flower. O thing that cannot be seen, breathe. Spiral up.”\nIt was a rather elementary spell that induced sleep. However, in the hands of Sylvia, a court mage, the effect was strengthened to a degree one could only describe as bizarre. Ordinarily, the spell wouldn’t have affected other magic users very much. That was why the Cuscull mages chose to ignore it. This complacency proved to be their undoing as one by one they began to stumble and fall.\nNext to her, Kumu took point in front of the witch so that Oscar could enter the fray. He put up a defensive barrier and listened to the witch’s incantation more closely.\n“…A double incantation?!” Kumu yelped in surprise before he could stop himself, and all the mages around him turned their heads. The shock on their faces meant that they’d realized it, too.\nA double incantation was an old, high-grade magical art that had died with Tuldarr.\nAccording to the records, by using one incantation to create two spell configurations, two types of magic could be utilized at the same time. Doing so unfortunately required more than just the power to cast each spell individually, making double incantations one of the most advanced magical arts ever devised. Tinasha’s usage of this now meant that she was preparing to cast something besides her spell to divert the power of the magical lakes.\n“And not only that…”\nWhen Kumu realized what the second spell was, he gasped and fell silent. Pamyra had come up to him, and she finished his sentence. “This is…from Tuldarr’s coronation ceremony…”\nAs if in response, the witch stretched out her right hand, palm facing downward.\nA white glowing circle of light appeared around her. It rapidly expanded, stopping at the edge of the stone stairs. Lanak saw it from his position in the air above the fray, and he seethed with fury.\n“Aeti! How much further will you go to mock me?!”\nTinasha offered no answer.\nDozens of white, glowing spell patterns rose up within the great ring. A huge light erupted from what would’ve been the one o’clock position had the spell array been a clock. Soon after, a similar luminous burst appeared at the two o’clock position, then three, and so on.\nPowerful lights glowed in sequence until finally the twelve o’clock position blazed to life.\nPerched from a high vantage point, Doan beheld the incredible display and muttered, “Could that be Tuldarr’s…? Wait, twelve? All of them? She can’t be serious.”\nBrandishing Akashia against multiple demons, Oscar slashed apart the torso of a lizardman who leaped at him. He snapped the weapon to shake blood from its blade, then looked over his shoulder.\nHe caught sight of the witch and grinned. “Has enough time passed yet? What are you gonna show us?”\nCombatants on both sides chanced glances at the witch. An unbelievable amount of magic had gathered around her.\nThis was when she showed what a witch was truly made of. Everyone could feel in their bones that this was going to be a turning point in history.\nTinasha paused in her chanting and began to issue some sort of decree. Her voice rang out sonorously across the battlefield.\n“Appear, spirits bound to Tuldarr by an ancient contract! My name is Tinasha As Meyer Ur Aeterna Tuldarr! I am your regent, and by this proclamation, you are defined… Come to me!”\nAll was lost to a blinding explosion of white.\nA violent torrent of power came rolling in. Sandy winds buffeted those still standing.\nThe air changed. A stream of alternating hot and cold winds rushed in.\nWhen the dust settled—Tuldarr’s twelve hereditary spirits had appeared.\nThe beings known as the spirits of Tuldarr were legends spoken of in magical history. They were high-ranking demons that the first king of Tuldarr had summoned and bound to the nation. At the time a new regent was crowned, one to three of them—based on the regent’s magical abilities—would be selected and put to use.\nHistory had taught many that it was impossible for any ruler of Tuldarr to control multiple high-ranking demons at once.\nTinasha’s calling of all twelve seemed akin to lunacy, yet it was happening before every nonbeliever’s eyes.\nThe high-ranking demons stood above the circle. One of them, a man with vermilion hair, said in a leisurely tone, “It’s been so, so long since I last made myself known.”\n“Oh? I hadn’t gotten enough sleep yet…,” another complained.\n“Hey, the country’s in ruins.”\n“Well, anything humans create is fragile.”\nAs the demons started to chat with one other, the humans all around gaped in shock. Some of the demons looked elderly, while others appeared as young men and women. One or two even resembled children. Whatever their appearance, it was clear that none were truly human. Their deep crimson hair and aloof, intimidating airs betrayed their true natures.\nIf left to their own devices, they seemed liable to chat among themselves forever, but a word from the witch shut them up.\n“I order…”\nAt that, all the spirits knelt down. The old, white-haired one at the twelve o’clock position spoke for its peers with a dignified tone. “Our master. What is your order?”\n“Annihilate the enemies. Leave those who do not show hostility unharmed. Avoid killing if you can.”\n“We understand.”\nTheir directive clear, the twelve rose to their feet. A few of them had their eyes closed, yet others were openly smirking. The vermilion-haired spirit appeared to be familiar with Tinasha and teased, “You’re all grown up but still such a naive little girl.”\n“Just do it,” Tinasha commanded, waving a hand at them dismissively, and they scattered.\nInstantly, the nearly one hundred demons the Cuscull mages had summoned all vanished.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe appearance of the spirits was enough to sap any remaining desire to fight from Lanak’s forces. Terrified of such a supernatural power, they either surrendered or fled the scene.\nNow free of opposition, the witch resumed her first incantation. All anyone could do was watch the huge, intricately woven spell as it grew to exceed all human limitations.\nJust like that, the battle was over. Lanak turned tail and ran through the ruins of the country he’d destroyed, panting all the while.\nGradually, the tumult grew distant. He tried to teleport away but found concentration extremely difficult. Whether it was due to exhaustion from the spell he’d created using Tinasha as a catalyst or more deep-set damage from his long stasis was anyone’s guess. Either way, his body’s magic was in tatters.\nLanak growled, the taste of fresh blood in his mouth. “Aeti… Aeterna…”\nAll he did was repeat her name. It was impossible to say now whether the word was spiked with hatred or something else entirely.\nOver and over, Lanak repeated the name, as if calling it was the only thing still anchoring him in this world. A cloud of sand rolled by and engulfed the pale man.\nSuddenly, Lanak’s surroundings grew terribly dark. He looked up to see a red dragon circling overhead. After catching sight of Lanak, the great beast started into a descent. A man leaped off its back.\nAmid the grit, Lanak spied a double-edged sword that’d been polished to a mirrorlike sheen. He knew it well; the weapon was the only one of its kind in all the land.\nThe man who’d leaped from the dragon was blocking Lanak’s way. Doing his best to remain calm, Lanak called, “Hello. We meet again, I see. I believe the outcome of our little skirmish is already decided, so what are you here for?”\n“Oh, nothing. I just had something to ask you,” Oscar replied, readjusting his grip on Akashia’s hilt. His handsome features were emotionless, but an angry fire burned in his eyes.\n“What could you possibly want from me? If there’s anything you want to know, you should ask Aeterna, not me.”\nMuch like what had transpired in today’s battle, Lanak was sure that Tinasha understood more than he ever had. He was the only one who’d been clueless.\n“Aeti knows everything. Take pity on me. We were both potential rulers of Tuldarr, but I wasn’t powerful enough.”\nLanak wished she’d stayed as the little girl he only had to protect. She was supposed to marry him; that was her role. Unfortunately, her talent and diligence had brought about a betrayal. If she’d only been weak, none of this would have happened.\n“It is because of her that Tuldarr came to ruin. She’s the reason I…”\n“You abused her trust,” Oscar spat coldly. His words concealed a frightening threat, and Lanak fell silent.\nWhile the pale man was unsure of many things, he had a powerful hunch that he was going to die here.\nLanak’s long life, a journey bereft of joy, was coming to its end.\nWith indifference in his tone, Oscar asked another question. “What did you feel when you cut her open?”\n“…Ha.”\nLanak’s face twisted into something resembling a smile. He only remembered that it was a lurid, ghastly sight.\nHe could hear her voice as she screamed and begged him to save her. Her blood and entrails had gushed up from her little body. The nauseating stench tickled his nose even now.\nLanak could still feel her innards in his hands, and he glanced down at his empty palms.\nCompassion, jealousy, denial, longing, and hatred.\nThe names he gave to the lakes were the only feelings Lanak had ever felt toward her.\nShe was the woman who controlled his life and whose life he should have controlled. In truth, he had loved her. She had reached out to him with such innocence, and he’d only wanted to cherish her.\nHe simply never had the power to make that happen.\nThat was why…he’d wanted his power to exceed hers.\n“Lanak, stay with me. Don’t leave me alone.”\n“It’s all right, Aeti. I’ll protect you.”\nSomeday, he’d awaken from that fleeting dream. The illusory vision of the past that had so consumed Lanak for over four hundred years was now finally giving way to reality.\n…He was sure that she would never look back at him again.\nLanak had been the one who’d perished that terrible night at the altar. In the throes of his demise, he’d ripped the purest part from his beloved.\nThe pallid man looked up with a crooked smile on his lips. “I wasn’t thinking about anything. She was just a tool.”\nPerhaps that’s why he didn’t need to say her name anymore.\nLanak closed his eyes, shutting out all feeling.\nAkashia bore down on him, and in his final moments, Lanak whispered her name one last time.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA young man selling firewood in the landlocked nation of Cezar was suddenly struck by an odd sensation. Curious, he looked to the eastern sky.\nLegend had it that an evil god and his worshippers had built a village hidden in the forest along the eastern border. However, if the old tales were to be believed, magic fell from the sky and destroyed the village four hundred years ago.\nAfter that, the place where the secluded settlement once stood became known as something called a magical lake.\nAs the boy stared toward the horizon, he saw something shine brightly in the sky and his eyes widened.\nAt first, he thought it was just his imagination, but the very next moment, white lights began to fountain up from the forest. Rather leisurely, they began to make their way up toward the sky.\n“…What in the world?”\nThe sight was a wonder, a mystery, but beautiful to behold.\nSuch a spectacular phenomenon was enough to inspire faith in forsaken gods.\nA warm, soft breeze swept across the entire region, though there was no wind.\nThe luminous motes continued their climbing until they diffused into the sky, gradually diminishing in number and growing paler. The boy stood rooted to the ground, entranced by the sight of it all.\nAt long last, all the floating, meandering globes dissolved into the clouds and disappeared.\nNothing was left.\nFor a long time after, the young man gazed dumbly up at the heavens.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe titanic spell configuration, set aloft from the witch’s grasp, finished diverting the energy of the magical lakes and dissolved into the open air above.\nNow that her long incantation was finally over, Tinasha stared out at the former battlefield with placid eyes.\nThe stench of blood and charred flesh clung heavily to the breeze. Burnt and motionless bodies lay facedown. Tinasha carefully partook of the brutal sight. Cries of agony and death still lingered in her ears, or perhaps the sound was in her mind.\n…It would be very easy to cry.\nTinasha didn’t want to, though. Allowing her emotions to rise risked them overflowing and her losing control. No matter what she felt, Tinasha knew it didn’t change the fact that every death today was her fault—her burden.\nThose who survived were staring at Tinasha with a strange elation. It was the deep sort of emotion shared by comrades who fought side by side for a united cause.\nThere were just as many—particularly those still cowering inside the barrier Tinasha had formed with the pieces of obsidian—who eyed her fearfully, however. Pamyra and Renart moved to shield their lady from those hostile gazes.\nThey were covered in wounds from head to toe, and Tinasha cast them a look as if to say, It’s all right now.\nHer dark eyes landed on Nark, who’d come back. The man who alighted from the red dragon spotted her and wasted no time in rushing to her side. Tinasha awaited him in silence.\nA general from Gandona stopped Oscar before he could reach the witch. “As the bearer of Akashia, I trust you know what needs to be done,” he said.\nA nervous ripple ran through the crowd. All present knew that Oscar was tasked with slaying the witch.\nOscar nodded tightly, then strode to Tinasha. He paused before Pamyra and Renart, who were teeming with animosity. Before either could conjure up some manner of defense for their lady, the witch talked them down.\n“Thank you, both of you. Let him through.”\nWhile they were reluctant, they heeded their lady’s order and stepped aside.\nOscar passed between the two and at last came to stand before the witch.\nTinasha was about to call Oscar’s name but held the word back.\nShe knew he had been crowned king of Farsas. That made it all the more improper for people to know he had any connection to a witch. He was someone who would walk the path of righteousness and go down in history as a wise ruler.\nKnowing this, Tinasha thought it best that she fade away and become nothing more than his stepping-stone. She prayed that he would find happiness in the future to come.\n“Please…,” she said, the quiet plea unconsciously spilling from her. Realizing she’d spoken aloud, Tinasha pressed her lips shut tight.\nShe didn’t know what she’d planned to say. All that she’d kept so repressed had somehow slipped out a little. The lingering heat in her throat felt good. Tinasha thought it more than she deserved to die while enjoying that sensation.\nThe witch took a deep breath, then closed her eyes with a smile.\nDiverting the magical lakes had exhausted her own power. It took everything she had just to stand upright.\nIf she was to meet the end today, she wanted to greet it on her feet, however—on her feet and dry-eyed.\nThe lakes were gone, Lanak was dead, and now she would die.\nWith her death, the ghosts of Tuldarr would disappear. After four hundred years, the fate they had altered would at last right its course.\nTinasha tilted her head up a little, almost as if she were expecting a kiss.\nShe waited for Akashia to run her through.\nOscar reached out toward her face. He brushed her smooth cheeks.\n“Do you remember what I said when you broke Lucrezia’s spell?”\nNo answer came.\nVery gently, he placed the blade of Akashia against her alabaster neck.\nTinasha’s body crumpled into Oscar’s arms.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Aeti, come here.”\nShe could hear a voice coming from very far away. It called her name, and she opened her eyes.\nTinasha was peering down a stone corridor that seemed to stretch on forever.\n“Come to me, I’ve missed you.”\nThe voice was coming from somewhere behind her. It belonged to a boy who Tinasha missed terribly. She smiled. Tinasha recalled how she used to feel accustomed to solitude but still longed to cling to the warmth of someone’s hands. Something not quite self-derision and not quite loneliness filled her heart.\n“Aeti.”\n…Names defined people.\nThe name one was called became their self.\nNo matter how sweetly the voice in her memories called that name, Tinasha knew she would never turn back again. Aeti was a child who died a long, long time ago.\n“Good-bye, Lanak.”\nEyes focused on what was ahead, Tinasha began to walk forward.\nThe stone felt cool under her bare feet and told her nothing of the future that awaited her.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen she awoke, Tinasha realized she had no idea where she was.\nIn truth, she did know. It was more that she didn’t understand. Her brain felt heavy and slow as she shook her head. Sitting upright in bed, she blinked blearily at the blue sky that could be glimpsed through the nearby window.\nAs she did, the door opened without a sound. Tinasha glanced over and saw a woman there. “Pamyra…?”\n“Lady Tinasha, you’re awake!” Pamyra cried, rushing over to kneel before the bed and take Tinasha’s hand. She placed it against her own forehead, testing its warmth. “You’ve been asleep for over a week… I was very worried.”\n“I’m alive?”\n“Of course you are!” Pamyra reproved her, but it still didn’t feel real. Tinasha found she was wearing a nightgown, and she placed her feet on the floor. She tried to stand, but her body was too weak for her to stay up. She staggered, and Pamyra supported her.\n“Thank you… So why am I in Farsas?”\n“A lot of trouble has happened. But right now, you can’t be up and about. Rest some more.”\nThey were in Tinasha’s bedroom in Farsas Castle. She had vacated these quarters, but it all looked the same as when she had left. Tinasha let Pamyra push her back down and sat on the edge of her bed.\nShe asked about the other mage. “Where’s Renart?”\n“The laboratory. Should I call him?”\n“No, I just wanted to know he was safe,” Tinasha said. She had a feeling that he was all right if Pamyra was, but it still gave her a sense of relief.\nTinasha took a breath, then looked up at Pamyra, who was checking the witch’s pulse.\n“Pamyra, I have a request…”\n“What is it?”\n“I want to go out of this room… Help me bathe and change my clothes.”\nHer lady had barely recovered, so Pamyra pulled a face at this demand but nodded reluctantly.\nBathing proved a little tiring but also felt so wonderful that it swept aside what had built up inside her. It awakened her consciousness to a degree and cleared her thoughts. Back in her bedroom, Tinasha used magic to dry her hair and slipped into the long dress Pamyra brought her.\n“It feels like my legs have weakened… I can’t walk very well… It might be easier to fly or teleport to get around.”\n“You need to rest properly!” Pamyra practically shrieked, and someone outside the door took that as their cue to enter. The master of the castle walked in, looking sullen.\n“Don’t go out if you aren’t at your best.”\n“Oscar…”\nHe gave her the same warning as Pamyra, who bowed as she passed him and left the room.\nTinasha used magic to float over and land in front of him. She’d lost a bit of weight, and he picked her up like he would’ve done with a child. She touched his cheek as she asked, “Why am I alive?”\n“Right off the bat, huh? If you’re feeling that good, I suppose you won’t mind if I grind my fist into your head for a moment.”\n“That really hurts. Please don’t.”\nOscar brought her to the bed and sat her down on its edge. Then he dragged a nearby chair over and took a seat himself. “I never had any intention of killing you. And it feels gross that you wanted to make me do so.”\n“I’m sorry.”\n“Anyway, I’ve got tons more things I want to lecture you about. It’s likely to take half the day, so prepare yourself.”\n“…I’m sorry,” Tinasha repeated, hanging her head like a child getting reprimanded. Oscar reached out and entwined his fingers in her long, silky black hair. As it was freshly dried, it was still a little warm.\nThe witch gazed into his eyes. They were a deep blue, and he stared at her just as seriously as he had before. Belying his harsh words was a look full of adoration that he lavished on her.\nAn indescribable sense of nostalgia welled up inside Tinasha when she saw that. “Can I touch you?” she asked.\n“Do what you want.”\nShe floated up into the air and landed on her knees between his legs on the chair. Looping her arms around his neck, she pressed in close.\nShe had always thought that loneliness was just a natural thing for her.\nWhen she finally found a way out, she plunged in headfirst, but then left it behind… The month and a half she had been away had felt like forever.\nEveryone assumed Tinasha was dangerous, and she’d never thought it mattered. All she’d cared about was waiting for the right moment to arrive. Once it did, she believed she’d finally be able to pay back all the people she hadn’t been able to save. To that end, she did her best not to pay any attention to what others thought, even if it wore away at her.\nThat was why Tinasha had held it all in—everything she wanted to cry out. No matter how the irritation and self-hatred tore at her, she never let it rise to the surface. Even when that sludge of emotion burned her up from the inside and she thought she would go mad, she still told herself she didn’t have the right to express those feelings.\nIt was much the same as her childhood spent living all alone in a detached wing of a castle.\nNo one was with her. She blamed herself for everything. That had long since become her reality.\nAcceptance should have settled in, yet Tinasha had always found herself strangely…lonely.\n“You brought me back.”\n“Of course I did.”\nTinasha buried her face in Oscar’s shoulder. He was just as steady and warm as when she’d left.\nSomething began to rise up within her, tempting her to open up, but the witch didn’t know what to say. There was just a comforting heat in her chest. It was so tranquil she felt ready to fall asleep in Oscar’s arms.\nTinasha smiled, her wet eyelashes trembling. “A lot…happened. In the past and now.”\n“Mm-hmm.”\n“But I…”\nAfter getting that far, Tinasha found herself unable to continue. She was positive that Oscar already knew anyway.\nShe breathed heavily, and as Oscar stroked her hair, he muttered, “Oh right… You’re my fiancée now.”\n“Why?!”\n“If I didn’t say you were, I couldn’t have brought you back with me. It was bad enough that someone told me to kill you, but your huge display of power earned you a whole list of suitors.”\n“You need to respect my opinion!”\n“You’re already here; just do your best for the remaining half of the year,” Oscar instructed—as high-handed as ever.\nTinasha pulled back to heave a huge, exaggerated sigh, but she couldn’t stop her face from breaking into a grin. She looked up at him from under her long lashes. “As you wish, then, O contract holder.”\nOscar nodded solemnly, and she gave him an angelic smile. Then she hugged him again, whispering “Thank you” in his ear.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter the battle at the ruins, Oscar immediately sat down with all the high-ranking members of each country.\n“All right, let’s jump right in and start our discussion of what to do post-battle. The plan is to cover everything we can, including how to handle that,” declared the king of Farsas, an irrepressible air of authority belying his calm demeanor. The representatives of the other countries, Reust included, picked up on the inherent threat in his words and gulped.\nThe conference, held at Tayiri Castle soon after the group returned, was on a timer. The witch, depleted of her power and cuffed with the Farsas sealing bracelet, was put to sleep in a separate room. If they didn’t decide how to handle her before she woke up, none could say how things would play out.\nEveryone understood that going into this discussion, though things began under a veneer of calm. Focusing mainly on Reust, the group made arrangements regarding compensation for the troops Tayiri sent out and the Cuscull mages taken as prisoners of war. When talk finally turned to what to do with the witch, a general of Cezar—one of the Four Great Nations—readily volunteered as the first to speak.\n“About the witch… Whatever her reasons, she sided with Cuscull and she’s incredibly guilty. There can be no better time to end the threat she poses than this very moment… There would be one less threat to our land.”\nAmong the five witches who were the symbols of their era, Tinasha was undoubtedly the strongest.\nThe battle with Lanak had laid bare the extent of her power. On top of that, she now controlled twelve high-ranking demons. She was not someone they could just ignore.\nThe representative of Gandona, another Great Nation, agreed. A silence of implicit consensus fell over the room.\nOscar surveyed the group, then rested his folded hands on the table. “There’s still room for discussion as to whether she’s guilty. We were able to confirm that all the people who vanished from cities and towns in Farsas were restored unharmed before the battle.”\n“…What?”\n“It seems likely that she used a kind of invisibility magic to merely hide them. I’d like to know if this is the same for those cities that were ‘attacked’ in other countries,” Oscar said, though he knew what the answer would be. Confusion broke out among those at the table.\nThe only one present who was not shocked to hear that was Reust. He lifted a feeble hand to reply, “Tayiri has also confirmed what happened in our cities. It’s true—there were no victims wherever she was involved. I can’t say the same for the very first town that burned to the ground, but…it’s possible that she learned from that incident and intervened within Cuscull to reduce future damage.”\nTinasha had volunteered for a dirty job to make sure no one else came to harm.\nThose gathered in that very conference had seen with their own eyes what Tinasha’s true goal had been.\nThe queen of a ruined country. The witch who lived for those that had been lost.\nOscar and the others carried the weight of their respective countries on their backs. They all felt deeply moved despite themselves by the awfully clumsy, sincere beauty of that woman.\nThe third prince of Gandona piped up nervously. “She’s the successor to Tuldarr, isn’t she? Doesn’t that mean she has magical knowledge that’s been otherwise lost for centuries? I think it overly hasty to execute her while she’s unconscious…”\n“But we won’t be able to stop her once she’s awake. She’s a witch,” snapped the general of Cezar warningly, a sour look on his face.\nOscar cut in quickly. “If she’s with me, I can stop her. She’s very reasonable as far as witches go. And I’m sure I don’t need to explain why Farsas is the most suited to take charge of her.”\n“…Akashia.”\nThe royal sword of Farsas was the one weapon that could kill a witch.\nRight now, a sealing bracelet, made of the same material as Akashia, held Tinasha in check. At present, she wasn’t a threat. The king of Farsas was the only person in the land with items that could so disarm a witch at his disposal.\nRather hesitantly, the Gandona general protested, “But wouldn’t that mean that Farsas has a monopoly on the witch’s power? If she’s as reasonable as you say, I should think many countries would want to borrow her power.”\n“If all you had to do was ask her for a favor, she wouldn’t have been living in a tower. As long as we don’t do anything, she’s completely harmless—just floating around reading books all day long. But make one wrong move and she’ll reject you. The envoy from Cuscull made that mistake, and she turned down his invitation.”\n“She refused an envoy from Cuscull? How do you know about that?”\n“Because I was originally the one who brought her down from her tower,” Oscar admitted. Reust’s eyes widened.\nThe others reacted in much the same way. Everyone looked like they wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Slowly, Oscar looked at each member of the conference in turn. Sitting up perfectly straight in his chair, he said, “I’m sure she had her reasons for her part in the Cuscull incident, but ultimately the fault is with my negligence. I apologize for that and vow that nothing like this will happen again.”\nHis low, resonant voice sent a ripple through the council. The representatives from the other major nations exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond to what the king of Farsas said. Though he was making his own position highly precarious, Oscar went on matter-of-factly, “Bearing that in mind, I intend to answer your concerns to your complete satisfaction. Ask away.”\nOscar ceded some ground in the debate, but his unwavering intent was still clear in his attitude. Doubt plain in his tone, the Cezar general inquired, “I’m sorry, but why are you going to so much trouble for her?”\nThe witch was a living cataclysm, an abominable oddity. Why was he, a royal, taking steps to protect her? It was a perfectly natural question, and Oscar smirked. “That’s easy. It’s because she’s going to be my wife.”\n“What…?”\nPalpable waves of varying degrees of shock ran through the room as everyone’s heads swiveled to look at Oscar.\nThe young king of Farsas just gave the largely uncomprehending group a light smile. He finally picked up the cup of tea in front of him and took a sip.\nBy the end of the day, the decision was made; the witch would stay with Oscar.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I just know he did something rash so he could take me in… Hmm, is it really all right…?” Tinasha fretted between mouthfuls of soup in bed.\n“I wouldn’t worry about that part. He was kind enough to allow Renart and me to stay with you, too,” Pamyra said with a tight smile.\nIt certainly hadn’t been easy—Oscar had been left with no choice but to force his opinion on certain points—but he’d succeeded in convincing the other representatives to withdraw their concerns about the witch. Upon hearing that, Tinasha decided she needed to be on her best behavior whenever she left Farsas.\nPamyra went on to explain one other thing she knew her lady was wondering. “Tayiri initially held the Cuscull mages who surrendered, but later they were allowed to return home. Prince Reust has declared that Tayiri recognizes Cuscull as a self-governing, inviolate dominion for mages.”\n“…Wow, that’s unexpected.”\n“It appears he’s taken your sermons to heart. Inspired by recent events, a number of Tayiri people have begun speaking out about the persecution of mages. Several members of the Tayiri elite had children born with magic who were killed by the state, after all.”\n“Ah… I see now. That would help things along.”\nThe death toll for Tayiri ultimately comprised those killed in that first village that was razed and the soldiers who fell during the battle on the Asdra Plains. Both were tragedies but may have marked the end to something even bigger. Only the passage of time would say for sure.\nTinasha felt faintly for her part in the recent changes. Returning her empty bowl to Pamyra, she broached the subject of one final person she was worried about. “Do you know what happened to Tris?”\n“I don’t know where she is now, but…I’m sure she’s doing fine wherever she is. I just know it.”\n“Oh…”\nIt seemed Tinasha hadn’t succeeded in saving everyone.\nFor all her power, such a feat was impossible. Just like turning back time or returning the dead to life, there were some things she could do nothing about.\nEven if she had the ability, it was unfeasible to expect a single person to help everyone. That was why Tinasha had decided a long time ago that she wouldn’t get involved. Her decision to exist as a witch was a choice to live for those who had passed, not the living.\nEven so, she couldn’t help but mourn. Whether that amounted to hypocrisy or self-gratification, she was still free to do it.\nTinasha gazed up at the canopy of her bed and sighed.\nEverything she had been working toward was over now. There was nothing left she wanted to do. If she died the next day, she wouldn’t have found it objectionable… Her contract with Oscar still remained, however.\nTinasha decided to live for just a while longer. She would live for the man who hadn’t killed her.\nWhen she thought about it that way…she did feel a little glad to be alive."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0009.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 7. Teatime\n“All the magical lakes really cleared away completely. It’s amazing.”\n“That was my goal from the start.”\nOne week after Tinasha awoke, King Oscar had handled almost all the remaining post-battle cleanup, and Farsas Castle was completely back to normal. Amid that backdrop, two witches were having tea in the castle lounge.\nIt was a glorious afternoon, and Sylvia whispered to Kav at the next table over, “It doesn’t seem strange to me at all anymore to see Miss Tinasha and Miss Lucrezia here at the castle… I suppose my senses are dulled…”\n“Mine too,” he replied.\nTwo of the mainland’s five witches came and went freely from the castle of one specific country. This was probably the first time such a thing had ever become commonplace during the Age of Witches. By and large, they were the personifications of power and fear. The extent of said power had recently been laid bare for all to behold. The sight of two witches calmly sipping tea was oddly humanizing, however.\nTeacup in hand, Lucrezia pointed at Tinasha. “I heard you inherited the spirits, too? You were really prepared for the worst.”\n“Don’t bring that up,” Tinasha said with an annoyed scowl.\nBehind her, Pamyra piped up wonderingly. “Why didn’t you inherit them before this?”\nIt was a perfectly natural question. The witch who should have become queen of Tuldarr grimaced. “I’ve never felt a need for more might than I already have, and the spirits are the symbol of the Tuldarr throne. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to have a ruler but no country? Country and ruler are concepts that exist to protect the lives of the people, after all.”\nTinasha smiled, as if to say that, even now, she had no use for the twelve.\nWhat she said made perfect sense, and Pamyra simply nodded. Sylvia, Doan, Kav, Renart, and the other mages all looked serious.\n…Even so, she’s a queen without a throne, thought Pamyra.\nThe witch brushed it off as something she’d done for a personal reason, but she had chosen to exist for four hundred years in order to free the souls of Tuldarr’s dead. If anyone was fit to rule, it was her.\nLucrezia rested her chin in her hands and stared at the witch. Then her eyes narrowed fondly. Before Tinasha realized it, the other witch was wearing a bright, perfect grin. “By the way, I brought a new type of pastry for you to try.”\n“Really? What kind?” Tinasha asked, her eyes sparkling, and Lucrezia conjured up a plate piled high with confections.\n“Here you go. Be my taste testers, everyone.”\nThe pastry was cut into the shape of a flower and dusted with sugar on top, but breaking it open revealed three layers in different colors. Tinasha tasted one first, followed by Sylvia, Pamyra, and then the men. Perhaps Renart didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, because he hesitated. After a moment, he gave in and partook, however. His eyes widened. “This is good.”\nLooking delighted, Sylvia took a second one. “They’re absolutely delicious! I’m in heaven!”\n“Mm, thank you. Have as many as you like.”\nMost of the group was enraptured, but Tinasha looked unsure after eating one. She appeared quite dubious, and Lucrezia cocked her head.\n“What is it?” she asked. “Do you not like the taste?”\n“No, the taste is fine. Did you put magic in these?”\n“Mm-hmm. Since I made them with three types of batter, I used magic to adjust the baking time.”\n“I see,” Tinasha said. With her doubts dispelled, she took another pastry. As she savored the taste of it, she sipped at the tea she’d made. Lucrezia’s baking was always exceptional. Tinasha had been enchanted by the taste of her friend’s handiwork ever since she first became a witch. Lucrezia looked on with a smile as Tinasha grinned happily to herself.\nBy the time Tinasha took a third one, the other mages had already eaten through most of the plate. She took a fourth and twirled it around as she asked innocently, “Is the magic you used new? You said we’re taste testing them.”\n“Nope, I put an aphrodisiac in them,” Lucrezia admitted, grinning with glee.\nEveryone froze. Doan put down his half-eaten pastry. Kav choked on a mouthful of tea.\nThis was unbelievable. A muscle in Tinasha’s face twitched. “What exactly are you playing at here…?”\n“I buried it layers deep in the spell so you wouldn’t notice, but you still picked up on the magic. I suppose it was naive of me to hope you wouldn’t sniff it out.”\n“I’m asking you to tell me why you did that!”\nMagic began to crackle and spark in the air over the table. The mages all paled at the sight.\n“Maybe we should call His Majesty…,” Kav muttered to his peers in a low voice.\n“Oh, possibly.”\nNone liked the idea of explaining how a castle fell to indecency.\nJust as Kav tried to creep out of the room unnoticed, Lucrezia blocked his path with a barrier.\nThe instigator of this chaos surveyed everyone with confidence in her eyes. “At least listen to what I have to say first. You’ll begin to feel the effects roughly two hours from now. It comes on pretty strong, so I’ll keep the details to myself. Also, it will last about three days, so you can’t just hole yourselves up in your rooms.”\nThe explanation was worse than expected, and Tinasha buried her face in one palm, utterly exasperated. Sylvia begged Tinasha in tears, “Can you break the enchantment?”\n“This is Lucrezia’s handiwork, so two hours won’t be enough…”\n“Oh no…What are we going to do…?”\nThere was no use in worrying. Dropping her hand, Tinasha crossed her arms and leaned against the chair back. Sighing, she eyed her friend. “All right, what do you want us to do?”\n“Your intuition is spot-on.”\n“How many hundreds of years do you think I’ve known you?”\nThe two had shared countless conversations similar to this. A brilliant smile on her lips, Lucrezia held out her right hand above the table. Above her palm floated an image of a ring.\nIt was a silver band inscribed all over with spell sigils and inlaid with a small garnet.\n“I lost this a while ago. I’d like you to look for it.”\n“When and where did you lose it?” Tinasha pressed.\n“Five hundred years ago at home.”\n“That was before I was born! Clean your house!” snapped Tinasha.\n“It’s no longer in my house, of that I am certain,” Lucrezia replied.\nTinasha let out a little frustrated groan. Lucrezia loved riddles and using tricks to demand favors of people. There weren’t enough clues to go on, however. Surely, Lucrezia wasn’t so cruel as to deny them their best chance.\n“Give me a bit more information. There’s no way I can find it with so little to go on,” pleaded Tinasha.\n“I made it, so it’s tinged with my magic.”\n“You can’t track it?”\n“Nope. I can’t see it,” answered Lucrezia.\nThere were few scenarios where a witch couldn’t track her own magic. That would place the object either behind an extremely secure barrier or on the person of a powerful magician. The treasure vault was the only place in the castle with such a barrier. Tinasha herself had reinforced it after the incident with Miralys.\nAfter thinking it over, Tinasha stared at her friend. “Two hours?”\n“Two hours. If you make it in time, I’ll undo the enchantment.”\n“And if I don’t make it?”\n“Then I’ll be entertained.”\n“I’ll blast you into the sky,” Tinasha grumbled, getting to her feet. She looked around at the other mages. “Well, guess I better get to work.”\nAlready, her voice sounded exhausted.\n“So I need access to the treasure room.”\n“You haven’t told me why. Explain that first,” insisted Oscar, not looking up from his papers. Tinasha had teleported into his study out of the blue.\nHe was king now, but he still made use of the same rooms he had prior to being crowned. Moving everything had proven too much of a hassle.\nTinasha had predicted his response, and she brought both her palms together before her face and begged, “I would really rather not go into it. There’s no time. Please.”\n“No. Tell me. I’m already planning to lecture you later on your secrecy.”\n“Urgh…”\nThe Cuscull fiasco had robbed Oscar of his trust in Tinasha. With a great deal of agony, she managed to relay the gist of her current situation. By the time she finished, Oscar was doubled over with laughter.\n“I can see you have no sympathy for our plight…”\n“You can’t expect me not to laugh at this. What were all you mages even thinking?”\nAs the one with the most magic of the entire group, Tinasha could say nothing. Instead, she hung her head dejectedly. Oscar got up from his chair and patted her head. “Well, I find it highly entertaining, so it’s fine by me if you don’t find the ring.”\n“It’s not entertaining in the least! Have a little more value for your subjects!”\n“You reap what you sow. Don’t eat suspicious stuff,” Oscar chided calmly as he headed for the door. He opened it and turned back to gesture that she come along. “Well, come on. You don’t have much time, right?”\nTinasha perked up and rushed after him.\nAs Oscar and the witch made their way down the corridor leading to the treasure vault, Oscar went over each and every detail of Tinasha’s predicament.\n“So this is really going to affect you, huh? I thought normal magic drugs didn’t bother you.”\n“The ones Lucrezia makes are an exception… She’s fed me all kinds of weird potions in the past.”\n“And yet you ate something she made again. I don’t get it.”\n“Because it tasted good.”\nShortly after passing a group of guardsmen, they came into view of the doors to the treasure vault. Oscar approached and pushed the giant things open. Once inside, Tinasha reached out with her magic to search the place.\nIt came as no surprise to her that she detected several unknown objects that resonated with strange power, but none of them carried Lucrezia’s magical signature.\n“It’s not here… Hmm, so my guess was wrong…?”\n“Too bad,” Oscar commented, not sounding like he was really all that worried. Tinasha glared resentfully at the man who looked perfectly content to just watch things play out.\n“Do you have any other ideas?” Oscar asked.\n“I have one I’m pretty sure about. The Tuldarr treasure vault.”\n“That exists?!”\n“It’s been sealed off for a long time, but now that I’ve taken the throne, I should be able to open it. I’m going to go check,” Tinasha declared. She then proceeded to draw up a transportation array.\nOscar stopped her. “Sounds intriguing. Take me with you.”\nTinasha was surprised but quickly grinned and took his hand, resetting the array to open up a gate.\nThe two teleported into the middle of empty wilderness. In the distance loomed the cathedral ruins—the sight of the recent battle. After wandering about for a bit, Tinasha caught sight of something and paused in her tracks. Slowly, she raised her arms above the ground.\n“I am queen. Open your path.”\nIn response to her royal decree, a white spell sigil floated up from the earth. Seconds later it vanished, leaving a stone stairway descending underground in its place.\n“Whoa, what’s this? Amazing,” commented Oscar.\n“The entrance is enchanted. It’s very likely that no one has come in here since Tuldarr fell,” said Tinasha, manifesting a ball of light in her right hand and readily heading down the shadowy stairs. Oscar followed her.\nAfter going down two flights of stairs into increasingly stagnant air, they entered a wide room of stone.\nThe instant they stepped on the ground, candelabra on the walls flickered to life. The glow illuminated messy piles of magical objects on shelves and stone tables. It looked just like the witch’s rooms in her tower.\n“I’ve got to make sure to clean up in here from now on.”\n“Wow… Look at all these magic implements,” said Oscar, picking up a nearby crystal ball. Inside of it floated an image of an unfamiliar seaside.\nHer eyes focused ahead, Tinasha warned, “Some of these things could be activated by touch. They’re dangerous, so try not to touch anything.”\n“Got it. I’ll watch out,” said Oscar, returning the crystal ball back to its spot. Tinasha turned away and used her magic to search all around, just as she’d done in Farsas. As nearly every object in the vault was magical, it was going to take Tinasha far longer to distinguish one thing from the next. Carefully, she sorted through every nook and cranny, taking care not to overlook any small articles.\nAfter he’d wandered all over the treasure vault, Oscar returned to Tinasha’s side. “Is it here?” he asked.\n“It’s…not!” Tinasha cried in horror. Judging by Lucrezia’s account, however, it really should have been. Tinasha checked the time and felt something in her stomach drop as she realized only an hour remained. The witch wondered if perhaps it was wiser to return to Farsas and admit defeat to her friend.\nAs Tinasha fell into panic, Oscar dropped a hand on her head. “Think it over one more time. There’s gotta be a clue. What’s different about today compared with other times you’ve met with Lucrezia?”\n“Hmm… The most obvious is that I’ve claimed the throne of Tuldarr. Another would be that I have Pamyra and Renart, but Lucrezia didn’t know about them until she arrived at the castle today, so I don’t think that’s it. The last thing I can think of is that you’re a king now.”\n“That reminds me, I did see Lucrezia once after being crowned.”\n“You did?” Tinasha inquired. She was interested to know the circumstances of their meeting, but now wasn’t the time to ask about that. “I really think it has to do with Tuldarr, since she lost her ring five hundred years ago. Not much remains from that era. It was the Dark Age, after all.”\n“Are there no other structures still standing?”\n“In terms of underground facilities, it’s just this and the Spirits’ Hall.”\nAt that, Tinasha and Oscar exchanged a glance. Oscar ruffled the witch’s hair. “Looks like we know where we’re headed next. Can we get there from here?”\n“No, they’re not connected. I’ll have to get the coordinates once we’re aboveground. The hall should be located directly below the remains of the cathedral.\nThe pair returned to the cathedral ruins, then teleported underground from there.\nThe Spirits’ Hall was a round, empty cavernous space paved with stone as far as the eye could see.\nNormally, any of the twelve spirits that had not been claimed rested here as statues. Tinasha inherited all of them, however, leaving not even a pebble in the place.\nMagic lights in hand, they each took a side of the vast hall and began to explore. Along the way, Oscar discovered a singular door in the outer wall. “Does this connect to somewhere?”\n“It actually connects to the castle, but it’s probably long since caved in.”\nAside from the door, they didn’t find anything. They made a loop of the room and met back up in the center.\n“Doesn’t look like it’s here,” Oscar observed.\n“No, it doesn’t. I can’t sense anything. I think I’ll summon one of the twelve and ask them… King Zayurk reigned five hundred years ago, so I’ll ask one of his old spirits.”\nTinasha shrugged, then called quite casually, “Senn, come here.”\nIn response, a spirit materialized before them.\n“My Queen. What do you need?” asked the spirit in the form of a man in his mid-twenties. His white hair was short and slightly bluish. Crimson burned in his eyes. A devious smirk was on his handsome face.\nTinasha crossed her arms and spoke plainly. “Do you know the Witch of the Forbidden Forest?”\n“I know her.”\n“I’m looking for a ring she made. It’s a silver garnet ring.”\nSince this spirit had been active when the ring was lost, Tinasha thought he may have some knowledge on it. That was why Tinasha had summoned him, but his reply far exceeded what Tinasha had been expecting.\n“I have it,” he said.\n“You what?! Why?!” she shrieked wildly before she could stop herself. She’d never dreamed that the spirit had the item in question. Her head was spinning as she wondered what in the world was going on, but Oscar poked her in the back to remind her about the time limit. Recalling the urgency of her predicament, Tinasha asked, “Will you give it to me? She wants it.”\n“It’s mine. But if the queen wants it, I’ll obey her orders,” he said, looking a little doubtful but still smiling.\nTinasha felt somewhat indecisive. She was resistant to the idea of confiscating someone’s property simply because she was their master. Under the circumstances, Tinasha was left with little recourse than to accept the lesser evil. Looking sour, Tinasha nodded. “Then I’ll make it an order. Give me the ring. Once I’ve given it to the Witch of the Forbidden Forest, I can try to negotiate it back for you.”\n“No need for that. If she wants it, that’s all the answer I need,” Senn replied, holding out a hand. Tinasha held out her own in kind. A ring appeared out of thin air and dropped into her palm. She looked it over and confirmed that the sigils and the stone were all that Lucrezia had described.\nTo make sure she wouldn’t lose it, Tinasha put the ring on her own finger. It was extremely loose on her, as a man’s ring might have been. She closed her other hand around the little trinket.\n“Thank you. I feel bad about this,” she admitted.\n“It was an easy task. I’ll be off, then,” Senn declared and vanished as quickly as he’d arrived.\nThe witch turned around and showed Oscar the ring. He stared at how it was practically falling off her slender finger. “You made it in time,” he said.\n“Thanks to your help…,” Tinasha replied, breathing a sigh of relief. Then she took his arm and cast a transportation spell back to the castle.\nAfter Oscar gave his impressions of the little adventure—“That was fun”—and returned to his work, Tinasha headed back to the lounge where Lucrezia and the aphrodisiac-dosed mages were waiting.\nThey were still sipping tea just like when she left, and Tinasha gave them an exasperated look. “I’m glad you’re all taking this so calmly.”\nDoan looked up from a spell book, exhaustion plain on his face. “I feel like we’ve had to adapt to all manner of things lately. By comparison, something like this just doesn’t seem worth a fuss…”\nThe others’ expressions were much the same; it appeared they agreed with him. On the other hand, the woman who was the cause of all this grinned delightedly. “Did you find it?”\n“Yes,” answered Tinasha, taking the ring off and throwing it at her beaming friend. Lucrezia snatched it as it arced through the air. The mages all looked at her, nerves taut.\nThe Witch of the Forbidden Forest rolled the ring around on her finger, inspecting it, then broke into a smile. “Mm-hmm, thank you.”\nEveryone heaved a sigh of relief. Tinasha massaged her temples, thoroughly exhausted from yet another day she’d spent wrapped around Lucrezia’s little finger. “Next time, just ask normally,” she insisted.\n“Oh, but where would be the fun in that?”\n“First things first. Go on and undo the enchantment,” Tinasha urged. Lucrezia reached her left hand out. Instantly, the spell design appeared there before popping out of sight. At the same time, those ensorcelled suddenly felt themselves free of the magic’s insidious effects. As the creator of the spell, it only took Lucrezia a moment to undo it. Anyone else would’ve needed a long incantation and that was assuming they could crack it at all.\n“Unbelievable… You always waste so much magic,” Tinasha complained.\n“It’s the best I can manage, okay? I’m not like you.” Lucrezia sniffed.\n“This is why they call it the Age of Witches…,” grumbled Tinasha as she floated over to her friend. After all that trouble, she wanted a proper explanation.\nTinasha sat down and rested her chin in her hands, looking distinctly displeased. “So what was that all about?”\nThe oversized ring on her finger, Lucrezia arched an eyebrow. The smile melted off her beautiful face, and she pouted like a child. Throwing Tinasha a sidelong glance, she muttered sulkily, “…I gave it to an old lover of mine.”\n“What?” Tinasha said, eyes round and wide. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.\nIgnoring her, Lucrezia waved a hand. “Welp, gotta go!” With that, she winked out of sight.\nLeft in the dust, Tinasha stared blankly at where her friend had been sitting until just a moment ago. “Wh-what in the world…?”\nSomething had clearly happened between Lucrezia and the spirit Senn before Tinasha had even been born.\nEvidently, there were still things she didn’t understand, even after living for hundreds of years.\nTinasha stared at her bare hand. She had the feeling that the silver ring contained someone’s love and affection."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0010.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 8. Ocean Blue\nIt was a rather sunny day, so much so that it was uncomfortably warm, even inside. The witch had just brewed tea in the king’s study, and she repeated the words Lazar had said to her, “What? Birthday?”\n“Yes, that’s right. It’s two weeks from now.”\n“Whose?”\n“Mine, of course,” Oscar cut in, breaking his silence as he signed another document. Still surprised, Tinasha placed a cup of tea near his free hand.\n“So you have a birthday…,” she muttered wonderingly, placing the tea tray under her arm.\n“What do I look like in that head of yours?” Oscar retorted. His eyes remained trained on the contract he was looking over. His fine features exuded nobility, though Tinasha was long used to seeing them.\nTinasha let her true thoughts slip out. “You’re going to be twenty-one, right? …So young.”\n“Everyone must seem that way when compared with you.”\n“Mentally, you’re like an old man, so it’s especially surprising.”\n“I will grind my fist against your head again. Come here,” Oscar said, reaching out for the witch. She dodged and leaped back.\nTinasha took a seat in a chair to the side of the table and had a sip of her tea. In sharp contrast to his leisurely protector, Oscar worked hard at progressing through his documents. He worked efficiently from right to left.\n“What does ‘surprising’ mean? Don’t you have a birthday, too?” Oscar inquired.\n“Yes, I do. I was born just the same as you were. It was two months ago.”\n“How old are you?”\n“I’ve forgotten… I suppose I’m four hundred plus around twenty or thirty.”\n“Crazy,” Oscar remarked.\nLazar stacked up the papers Oscar was done with and picked them up. The faithful attendant asked his king, “And what should we do for your birthday celebration, Your Majesty?”\n“My dad just had his, so we don’t need to do one this year… Too much trouble.”\n“But the coronation ceremony was a simple affair, too,” Lazar protested.\n“And right after that, I saw just about everyone who’s anyone while we were in Tayiri, so it’s fine,” Oscar argued. While he carried out his duties impeccably, he had little desire to appear at fancy affairs.\nLazar hummed unhappily, but when he considered the situation with Cecelia in Tayiri, he felt some amount of sympathy. He gave up and nodded. “Then I’ll answer as such to the people who have already inquired about the matter.”\n“Please do that, thanks.”\nLazar left, his sighs trailing after him. The witch set down her cup and floated up. Fluttering through the air as if she were swimming, she drifted over to a position directly above Oscar’s desk and looked down at him. A bit of her sweet floral perfume tickled Oscar’s nose, and he smiled.\n“Is there anything you want?” she asked, her voice like tinkling bells.\n“Where did that come from?”\n“It’ll be your birthday, so just this once.”\nOscar tilted his head to look up at Tinasha, only to find her grinning in amusement. She looked so innocent—it was hard to believe she had lived for over four centuries.\nOscar paused in his work to consider the question. “You’ve put me on the spot. I can’t think of anything.”\n“So you want for nothing,” Tinasha replied doubtfully.\n“I’m aware of how blessed I am,” Oscar said, gesturing for her to come closer. She descended until she was sitting on his lap with her legs out to one side. Oscar brushed her hair back, revealing one pale earlobe. He took in her lovely profile and neckline, and his eyes narrowed.\n“By the way, about getting married—”\n“I’m not going to!” Tinasha cried in her usual way. Oscar made a face as he dropped a hand on her head.\n“Then there’s nothing I want. I have you, and that’s enough.”\n“Really?”\n“Mm-hmm. So don’t dart around hiding here and there. You’re not a little kid, you know.”\nTinasha groaned, aware she could say nothing for herself. In the end, she just looked up at Oscar regretfully.\nLittle light penetrated the deep canopy of the forest. Thick bushes abounded, seemingly staring at any visitors. Silent in the shadows, they appeared eerie and almost ill intentioned to any humans who wandered through.\nDespite the gloom, patches of sunlight filtered down in spots surrounding the cabin tucked snugly away in the woods. One sunbeam generously poured right onto a group of flowerpots. The planters must have been placed in just the right spot forecast to get sunlight. Wondering at it, Tinasha knocked on the door of the house.\n“Oh, it’s you. Come in,” said Lucrezia, appearing at the door. She seemed mid-experiment, as she held numerous tiny bottles between her fingers. Once inside, Tinasha began to brew some tea herself, as she was very familiar with this house.\nSoon enough, the two sat down. Tinasha lifted one finger that was wrapped around her teacup to point to the ceiling. “Tell me how to make the pastries from the other day. Without the aphrodisiac.”\n“They won’t taste the same without it.”\n“Seriously?!”\nTinasha often wound up an unwilling live test subject for one of Lucrezia’s potions, but as this only happened once every fifty years or so, she would always forget and recklessly consume a Lucrezia creation again. While Tinasha was extremely cautious in every other area of her life, she was aware that when it came to this, she had a tendency to forget in calms the vows she’d made in storms.\n“So why have you come today?”\n“Oh, I have something to ask you about. What’s a normal thing to give men?”\n“…What in the world?” the Witch of the Forbidden Forest exclaimed, staring nonplussed at her friend after such a random question. Tinasha recounted the events of the conversation back in Oscar’s study.\nTo Lucrezia, the situation seemed quite trivial, and she offered a simple answer. “If he said he doesn’t need anything, then you don’t need to worry, do you?”\n“I’ve been feeling like I owe him a lot lately. Since I have the chance, I’d like to pay him back.”\n“Owe him, huh?” Lucrezia said. She rested her chin on her hands as she eyed Tinasha, who was carefully selecting a cookie.\nWanting to give someone a birthday present was so completely ordinary that it seemed exceedingly unordinary for a witch. Lucrezia wondered if Tinasha had realized that.\n“So then why did you come to ask me for advice?”\n“Because the other day with the ring, you…”\n“What?!”\n“Nothing,” Tinasha said, electing not to broach the subject after seeing the look her friend gave her.\nWith hurried bluntness, Lucrezia cut to the chase. “Anything you give him will be fine.”\n“I suppose you’re right… Maybe I’ll go take a look around the Tuldarr treasure vault while tidying it up a bit. There might be some intriguing armor in there or something.”\n“I am begging you, do not make that man any stronger than he already is!” cried Lucrezia. Feigning calm, Tinasha sipped at her tea.\nEven so, she did wonder if getting him something he could use every day would be best. The question was what? Maybe some sort of food that wouldn’t leave leftovers? Tinasha mulled over the idea as she picked at a cookie. She realized she had almost no experience giving someone a birthday present. If she messed this up, she’d have to consult her memories from before she became a witch. Never had Tinasha considered such an innocuous concept to be so vast.\n“I can’t think of anything…”\n“Give him your body. He’ll love it.”\n“You’re a pervert,” Tinasha said. She broke her cookie in half, sighing.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe southern tip of Farsas touched the ocean.\nNumerous port cities dotted the mainland’s southern coast, and each had long bustled with fishing and trade. Merchants did business with partners in the continent far across the sea to the east, as well as with countries along the eastern coast of the mainland.\nOne day, an aristocratic merchant ship set off from the port city of Nisrey bound for none other than the eastern country of Mensanne. The ship was laden with pearls and silk goods to sell there, where it would load purchases of grains and spices to bring back to the southern ports.\nSoon after departing Nisrey, however, the boat disappeared without a trace.\nPeople suspected that the long-lost ship had been set upon by pirates or that it ran into some sort of accident. No information to support either claim surfaced, however. As time went on, more reports poured in of similar vanishings.\nAfter ten such cases, people began to regard that portion of the ocean as cursed waters that no ship could cross.\n“The other day, I replied to the other countries, letting them know about your birthday celebration. Prince Reust of Tayiri sent word that he’d like to make an official visit thanking you for your military aid.”\n“Turn him away,” Oscar replied immediately.\nLazar pulled a face. He sighed as he chided his king. “Please don’t be difficult. Farsas can’t afford to take a hard stance against Tayiri.”\nOscar was quite aware of that, of course.\nFarsas had recently sent troops in accordance with Tayiri’s request, and everything had wrapped up rather well, given the stakes. One unfortunate outcome was that every other country was now acutely aware that Farsas possessed Tinasha. Fortunately, no other nation openly opposed that, but it was still safest for Farsas to be on its best behavior for the time being.\nAs if that alone wasn’t enough, Oscar had also crossed swords with Reust over his keeping Tinasha’s visits a secret. If Oscar was entirely honest with himself, the last person he wanted to see was the Tayiri prince.\nLazar flipped through the papers in his hands. “Even if you refuse him now, the visit is only three days away. Your letter will pass his retinue on the road.”\n“I just wanted to say it. I have a feeling I know why Reust is coming.”\n“Why?”\n“He wants to see her, doesn’t he?” Oscar said, jerking his chin over at Tinasha to indicate her as she entered the room with a book in hand.\nAs both men’s gazes converged on her, she cocked her head in bemusement. “What are you talking about?”\n“You, you traitor.”\nFaced with criticism she didn’t recall incurring as soon as she stepped into the room, the witch scowled.\nOscar ignored her and passed some documents to Lazar. “Here, you handle the preparations.”\n“Hey, Oscar… What was that just now?” Tinasha inquired.\n“Does it matter if you don’t remember?” he retorted shamelessly. It was hardly a satisfactory answer, but Tinasha sank down into a chair anyway. She started to flip through a thick spell book.\n“What the—?” she heard Oscar say in a tone of surprise. She looked up to see him frowning down at a document.\nAs she looked on curiously, Lazar explained, “Evidently, a number of ships have gone missing in the southern sea. The cause is unknown, but the damage keeps piling up. The nobles and the merchants have banded together to request the situation be handled.”\n“If they’re going missing on the ocean, it’s probably the work of pirates, right?” Tinasha theorized.\n“We had some issues with pirates a while back, but General Als should’ve handled it.”\n“Ohhh. Then maybe it’s a sea monster.”\n“Do those really exist?” Oscar asked, setting the report down and crossing his arms. It was dangerous to face off against any type of demonic spirit or monster and even more so at sea off some faraway port.\nOscar began seriously considering the sort of team he’d bring while Tinasha gave a brief explanation. “There are many types of sea monsters. There’s huge fish as well as creatures of unknown shapes and sizes. Sea creatures can grow very big. Of course, it’s also possible that it’s just a regular demonic spirit.”\n“What falls under the classification of ‘unknown shapes and sizes’?” Oscar questioned.\n“Things like gigantic sea anemones… Have you never seen one?”\n“I’ve never even seen the ocean,” Oscar admitted.\nNext to him, Lazar raised a hand and offered, “Neither have I.”\nFarsas as a country was so huge that many people who were born in the capital went their whole lives never glimpsing the sea. Surprised by the response, Tinasha let out a little cry of shock.\n“If you’ve never gone to the ocean, can you not swim, either?” she asked.\n“I can swim,” Oscar assured her.\n“That’s no fun…,” she muttered.\nThe conversation had gotten off track, and Oscar reeled it back in. “Who do you think is best suited to handling this?”\n“It depends on their skill, but if you bring Als, then you’d need about ten people, including mages. That should be enough to handle it. There’s no accounting for the creature’s size, though.”\n“Als, huh? He’s more of a land guy, I wonder if putting him on this team is a good idea…”\nAs Oscar was deliberating over his decision and Tinasha floated directly overhead, she peeked at the papers. “Oh, Nisrey. That really takes me back. In Nisrey, there’s—”\nShe got that far before she clapped her hands together, having just remembered something. Oscar looked up at the sound. “What’s up?”\n“I’m heading out,” Tinasha declared.\n“Why so suddenly…?”\n“Don’t mind that. I’m going to take care of it!” Tinasha answered, suddenly very excited and in a great mood. Oscar narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. He wanted to make her tell him what she’d thought of, but he also knew that Tinasha handling the trouble at sea was the safest way to see it done.\nAs Oscar rested his chin on his knuckles, he remembered something else. “Fine then, go along. Pick out who you want to accompany you.”\n“Thank you.”\n“Make a weeklong trip of it and get some rest while you’re at it.”\n“Your Majesty…,” Lazar objected, appalled. He knew what Oscar was up to. This was a ploy to make sure Tinasha wouldn’t be around when Reust arrived. For a king, he could certainly act very immature.\nThe witch suspected nothing, however, and replied to Oscar’s seeming generosity with a wide smile that bloomed like a flower.\n“I’ll be back by your birthday,” Tinasha promised. She gave a playful toss of her hair before winking out of the study.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe witch chose Als, Suzuto, Pamyra, and Renart to accompany her.\nAls had knowledge of the southern regions of Farsas, and he suggested Suzuto accompany him. That was because he was close with the witch and counted as one of the few people in the castle not afraid of her. Then Tinasha picked Pamyra and Renart. While the two had recently been made Farsasian mages in name, it was more accurate to say they served Tinasha directly. Unlike most other local mages who were terrified of the sea, Pamyra and Renart had volunteered to go on the trip.\nThe group of five used a transportation array to teleport to a fortress far to the south. From there, they rode on horseback to the port town of Nisrey.\nAls had vanquished the southern pirates only three short months ago, and the people of Nisrey had not yet forgotten his deeds. Tinasha’s group was met with cheers and applause upon their arrival. Marquis Broguia, the most influential person in the city, welcomed the five into his mansion.\nThe marquis wore an ashamed expression as he bowed low before Als. “I’m deeply sorry to be troubling you again.”\n“Not at all. Ships going missing is quite the significant matter. We’ll get this resolved as quickly as we can,” Als replied formally. While Tinasha was the actual leader, Als took the role of a figurehead so as to ensure her identity as a witch stayed a secret.\nMarquis Broguia’s eyes widened as he beheld the beautiful woman behind Als, and then he seemed to grow concerned at how small their party was. He suggested sending some of his private officers, but Als refused. “We’re only asking for a ship and the sailors to man it.”\n“I’d be happy to, of course, but… Will you really be all right?”\n“We’ve brought everyone we need,” said Als. He flicked his gaze over to the witch, who was looking out the window. She grinned and waved at him.\nThe next day, the group of five was escorted to the port where they borrowed a medium-sized ship that normally ferried around twenty. The marquis had wanted to lend them an even larger man-of-war, but Tinasha said it would be a waste if it sank.\n“Does that mean there’s a chance we could sink?” murmured Suzuto. His face looked pale as they sailed out toward where the disappearances had occurred.\n“We can’t rule it out. I’ll do my best to keep us from sinking, though,” Tinasha said matter-of-factly.\nAls cocked his head in puzzlement. “What exactly are we up against anyway?”\n“Based on what I’ve heard, it’s either a demonic spirit or a sea monster. I’m hoping it’s the former, because that will be easier for me to handle. I don’t like how sea monsters look. They’re big and slimy.”\n“That’s your reason…? I think there’s bigger problems beyond their size and sliminess…,” Als objected.\nPamyra suddenly cut in, raising her hand. “Could it be a kraken?”\nThe witch frowned at that. Krakens were a famous and gigantic sort of sea monster that lived deep in the ocean. They were said to resemble squids or octopuses. Tinasha’s little band was in for a hard-fought battle if their opponent was something on that scale.\nAfter some thought, Tinasha shook her head lightly. “Krakens tend to live only in the northern waters. I don’t think one would be this far south unless it’d been specifically summoned.”\nSuzuto piped up and hesitantly inquired, “Um, sorry to ask something so basic, but does magic not work on things that are underwater?”\nThe three mages exchanged glances. Renart was the one who answered. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s more difficult for a spell to affect something that’s in the water. If they’re completely submerged, the spells will have almost no effect. You can’t speak an incantation while submerged, so it’s best for us to fight above the waves, if at all possible.”\nTinasha and Pamyra nodded in agreement. Als let out a deep sigh. “We’ll have to lure it out, then. Before the boat sinks.”\n“Even if it sinks, we can fly back to land,” the witch said brightly, and Pamyra and Renart grimaced. Tinasha often floated in the air when she was in the study or her rooms, but flight magic required a spell and dedicated concentration. Most normal mages couldn’t fly and perform other spells at the same time.\nFortunately, both Pamyra and Renart were highly skilled mages who could do battle while flying. So long as they didn’t need to defend themselves, they could carry the others away. With this crew, they could handle the situation even if the ship was lost.\nOwing to the heat, Tinasha’s hair was tied up, and she was wearing a lightweight, boyish outfit. A thin sword was sheathed at her waist, and her overall lithe figure made a perfect picture against the marine backdrop.\nAs she gazed out at the open water, Als turned back to eye the others. He didn’t know about them, but Als sometimes felt like Tinasha was a natural part of Farsas—and he often found himself forgetting she was a witch at all. He had a hard time believing that she would someday leave the castle.\nThat was why her leaving for Cuscull had been such a shock to him. Now that she was back, he felt relieved. Als actually couldn’t imagine Oscar marrying anyone but her.\nHe was unsure how things would truly play out, however. At best, he knew he could only accept whatever came and grow used to it with time.\nAfter about an hour, they reached the area of the ocean where the disappearances had taken place. Far in the distance was the shore, where an intimidating gray quay jutted out from the cliffs.\nAls scanned the surface of the water. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. “All right, Miss Tinasha, what should we do?”\n“We’ll be wasting time if we wait to get attacked, so I’m going to send out a scout,” she replied. After a short incantation, a fishlike creature appeared in her palm. Upon closer look, it wasn’t a living creature but a hazily glowing mass of clay. She threw it into the water, where it began to zip along just like a real fish.\n“It’s going to loop around the area and search for magic. If something happens, it’ll alert me,” she explained.\n“That’s convenient. I guess we’ll break out the booze while we wait,” Als replied.\n“You’ll die when you fall in the ocean,” Tinasha cautioned.\nNeither of them seemed worried at all, but everyone else on the boat looked pale and drawn. The crewmen were there on the marquis’s orders, but more than ten ships had gone down already—no exceptions. They wanted to turn around and head straight back to land.\nBlessed with fine weather, their vessel bobbed in the blue ocean. A favorable tailwind carried the ship to the middle of the danger zone. Als peered back at the distant sight of land on the horizon. “I’ve come here before. We sank one of the pirate ships around here.”\n“Ohhh. Then maybe it’s a ghost ship causing all this trouble,” Tinasha suggested.\n“That’s ridiculous. First of all, ghosts don’t exist; you told me that yourself—”\nThen Als noticed that the breeze had suddenly died down. The sea was eerily calm. The sailors in charge of adjusting the sails were glancing around uncertainly. Off to one side, waves could be seen rippling out from a point not too far away. Tinasha grinned radiantly after noticing the trembling in the water.\n“Oh, sorry. I guess it really is a kraken after all,” she stated.\nScreams erupted high into the air.\nTen huge tentacles, each the width of a column, rose from the briny depths.\nThe half-transparent limbs tried to assail the ship from all sides, but each was stopped by an invisible wall. In the nick of time, Tinasha had thrown up a barrier to protect the boat. Unfortunately, that only provided a moment’s relief before the kraken tried to drag down the ship by way of pulling the barrier itself.\nThe witch’s eyebrows raised. “This isn’t good. The shield’s got about ten seconds before it breaks. Drive that thing back.”\nAls and Suzuto unsheathed their swords while Pamyra and Renart began to chant spells. In the middle of it all, the witch continued to bark her countdown. “…Eight! Nine! Ten!”\nOn that final word, the barrier shattered.\nWith nothing stopping the kraken’s tentacles anymore, the slimy things slunk their way over the deck. Pamyra and Renart burned them with magic. One tentacle tried to make off with a sailor, but Suzuto intercepted it with his sword while Als cut it off. The severed limb wriggled fiercely for a moment before a spell from Renart sent it tumbling back into the ocean.\nAs she burned the other legs, Tinasha conjured another magical shield around the ship. In the face of such an unexpected counterattack, the kraken dragged its arms back into the sea. Pamyra looked out over the slimy deck.\n“This is inarguably disgusting…”\n“Apparently, you can sell kraken mucus for a high price.”\n“Lady Tinasha…”\nTheir battle with the kraken had lasted only a few dozen seconds, but it had all felt too bizarre to instill fear. Instead there was a strange sort of mania that hung about the vessel and its crew. Als realized his heart was beating out of control and took some deep breaths."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0011.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“If there’s a kraken, then that means there’s someone who summoned it,” Als reasoned.\n“Most likely. But I don’t understand what their goal is. The attacks seem completely random,” Tinasha answered.\n“Can you kill it?” Als asked.\n“That might be difficult unless we can get it to stay above water for more than a few moments at a time. I wonder where its weak spot is…”\nNo sooner had the words left the witch’s lips than the boat began to rock. Everyone lost their balance and almost fell. Tinasha herself was about to slip, and Als grabbed her arm to support her. He looked to the ship’s bow and saw three fat tentacles coiling around it, pulling the boat up vertically—barrier and all.\n“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”\nAs the bow was hoisted higher and higher, everyone started to topple down toward the stern. Als grabbed hold of Tinasha, who shouted, “Pamyra! Renart! To the sky! We’re abandoning ship.”\nThe two loyal attendants began their chants while Tinasha took hold of Als.\nAls lost his footing, but they escaped into the air a split second before the kraken’s tentacles lugged the hull to one side. All they could do was watch from above as it pulled the barrier with the ship inside down into the inky dark.\nTinasha surveyed the violently roiling waves and scratched at her temple. “I’m definitely glad we didn’t take a big ship. I guess Oscar will have to pay off our debt.”\n“I think that necessitates a discussion with Marquis Broguia…,” Als remarked. He had a feeling the marquis wouldn’t mind the loss of an entire fleet of ships so long as it meant the death of the kraken.\nPerhaps realizing there was no food on the boat it had sunk, its tentacles began wriggling about the surface in search of new prey before finally disappearing back under the water. Watching from above made it clear how unusually large this specimen was. The whole creature, judging by its limbs, was big enough to eclipse an entire town.\n“I’m tracking it, so let’s figure out how to combat it. That should probably wait until we get the sailors back to land, though,” Tinasha said.\nPamyra heeded her lady’s order and opened up a transportation portal in midair. Then she pushed the sailors into it.\nAt the same time, Tinasha crossed her arms and fell into contemplation. She only spoke up once the sailors were gone. “It looks like the creature’s bound to this particular portion of the sea. That said, it doesn’t appear to be taking orders from anyone.”\n“You think someone summoned it and left?” Als inquired.\n“No, I think the summoner is here,” she answered.\n“Here? You mean, among us?” Als said, pointing to himself.\nThe witch shook her head, however—a faint smile on her face—and pointed downward. “He’s probably dead. I bet it was one of the pirates you defeated, Als.”\n“Huh?” Als was frozen in place as Tinasha gazed back at him with her beautiful eyes.\n“Do you mean that a pirate summoned the monster but died before giving it any orders, leaving it trapped in these waters?” Renart theorized.\n“That seems the most probably explanation. The summoning must have taken a long time, and this is the result. I’m glad it didn’t happen while you were subduing the pirates, Als.”\n“Ugh…I can’t believe this,” Als moaned, faintly horrified as he finally understood. Had his fortune been even slightly less favorable, he would’ve wound up in the kraken’s clutches. While he wasn’t sure whether the beast was an octopus or a squid, he knew for certain that dying while battling a creature like that was not how he wanted to go.\nPamyra turned to her lady and asked, “What shall we do? Fire attacks at the monster or destroy the spell pattern the summoner left behind?”\n“Either target would be deep underwater. Hmm, what to do?” wondered the witch aloud. She scanned the air. Her dark eyes came to rest on Als. Tinasha seemed to mentally debate her own idea for a moment, but eventually she pressed her palms together and requested, “Please be our bait.”\n“…Oh, you really have got to be kidding me,” Als said, echoing what he’d exclaimed earlier. He turned his head skyward in futile supplication.\nStill hovering in the air, the group laid out their plan while keeping careful watch on the rolling waves below.\nWhile Als readied his sword, Pamyra and Renart drew up attack spells. Suzuto had managed to avoid being part of the bait, so he stayed aloft with Tinasha and her mages.\nPamyra and Renart cast separate spells, then combined them into one. For her part, Tinasha called up a barrier around Als.\n“I’m going to lower you into the water, so draw it toward you. Once it’s hooked, we’ll reel it up.”\n“I’d really prefer not to die…,” Als griped.\n“I’ll be very careful,” Tinasha reassured him.\nThe witch checked to make sure her mages had completed their spell, then motioned with her alabaster hands to slowly drop Als down into the ocean. Only his feet sank below the water, but Tinasha’s protection kept Als’s boots dry. The general looked up at his teammates hovering overhead and wondered how long it’d been since he’d felt this helpless and alone. From far away, he could see that the witch’s hands were still moving.\n“She really has the perfect personality to be His Majesty’s wife…”\nThey were definitely alike in how reckless they were. More importantly, Tinasha was powerful and reliable.\nWaiting began to make Als anxious, so he swung his sword around as a test. Based on how the water reacted, Tinasha’s barrier seemed to be globe-shaped. Curiously, no water leaked in, even if his sword penetrated it. With his blade, Als idly stirred little pools in the sea.\nAfter a little while, bubbles began to gather close to where the kraken had surfaced earlier.\n“…There it is,” Als muttered. His back felt uncomfortably sticky with sweat. He readied his sword and slowed his breathing. No sooner had he done so than a huge sheet of water rushed up. A gigantic tentacle crept from the depths and encircled him.\nThe tentacle pressed in to wrap itself around him, but just before its tip could touch him, the globe-shaped barrier began to carry Als up and out of the water. The tentacle was hot on his heels, and Als slashed at it. His cuts were repelled by a nauseatingly elastic surface, however. The kraken’s limb retreated slightly but didn’t give up the chase.\n“Looks like my sword isn’t gonna help…”\nAls continued to soar upward. Ten huge arms stretched far up toward the sky, pawing after him.\nEach limb was taller than a tower. The sight of them wriggling after Als was like something out of a nightmare. Tinasha stared at it from her position in the air, then nodded at the two mages next to her. “It’s time. Do it.”\nAt their lady’s command, Pamyra and Renart fired their magic down at the same time.\nFierce spears of lightning crashed down, colliding powerfully with the ten tentacles of the kraken. Electrical currents ran through them, and a piercing shriek rent the sky.\nThe sea monster tried to retract its unexpectedly electrocuted arms, but that wasn’t to be. The witch’s lips curled in an evil grin. “You can’t get away. Who do you think you’re up against?”\nUsing no incantation, Tinasha cast a spell to bind the great sea beast’s arms and hold it in the air. Electricity charred its writhing limbs, and a fragrant aroma began to waft through the air. The shocks diffused at the water’s edge, however, so they didn’t reach the kraken’s trunk and head.\n“Hmm… Not enough after all,” Tinasha murmured, grabbing a cylinder that had been at her waist. She poured five crystal balls out of it and flung them carelessly into the sea. As the little spheres sank, they spread out into a neatly formed circle with the kraken in the middle.\n“Renart, could you look after Als?” Tinasha requested.\n“Yes, my lady,” said Renart who accepted stewardship of Als from the witch.\nNow free of distraction, Tinasha began an incantation.\n“Let my words sink in. A change of form shall not be a change in quality. The definition will not waver but merely flow and float… Move aside.”\nIn response to her chant, five white lights started fountaining up from underwater. All at once, a white magic circle linking them together appeared in the air. Once the glowing disk surrounded the kraken, the ocean water within its circumference began to slowly drain.\n“…Unbelievable,” Als breathed. Never had the man dared to envision such an astonishing display of magic. Next to him, Pamyra gasped.\nIn three minutes, a perfect circle had been cleaved all the way to the ocean floor. The kraken’s huge body was stripped of its watery armor, revealing its ugly shape to the open air. Its black eyes, each easily three times the height of an adult human, glared at its opponents with unmistakable ire.\nTinasha scrutinized the sea monster she’d captured. “Is this a squid? Looks like it would be quite tasty.”\n“Miss Tinasha, I don’t know why that’s the first thing that comes to mind when you look at that thing…,” Als muttered miserably. In contrast, the witch appeared in slightly brighter spirits as she began another incantation.\n“Recognize my will as law, transformer that sleeps in the earth and flies in the sky. I control your thunder and summon you. Know my command to be every concept of your manifestation.”\nWhen Tinasha finished her chant, ten balls of lightning appeared in her hands. They crackled and popped, sending out silvery branches of light every passing moment.\n“Go.”\nTinasha glanced at her collected spheres, and they obediently sped off to assail the defenseless kraken. Each one expanded to a tremendous size and affixed itself to one of the kraken’s ten immobilized tentacles. Then, with frightening speed, they moved along the limbs as though they were pathways and made for the monster’s trunk.\nAn air-rending sound exploded on impact.\nThe kraken’s arms blackened and crumbled into fragile pieces.\nAs the lightning attack reached the kraken’s head, a drawn-out scream like nails on a chalkboard shook the sea.\nThe terrible shriek grew fainter and fainter before fading away entirely. As its last cries echoed off into silence, the kraken drooped feebly, still unable to move. One of its large, beady eyes had gone cloudy.\n“Is it dead?” asked Als.\n“We’ll see,” Tinasha replied, floating down to inspect. She hovered in close enough to examine the mighty creature’s head and eyes.\nSuddenly, the kraken’s one dead eye regained its dark luster.\nIn a flash, it regenerated its disintegrated arms. One thin tentacle caught hold of Tinasha’s right foot.\n“Lady Tinasha!” cried Pamyra, trying to swoop down, but the kraken entwined itself around the witch’s body before she could. It tried to draw the witch toward the rows of tiny teeth inside its beak.\nBearing the pain, the witch placed a hand on the tentacle coiled tight around her.\n“Dissolve!”\nThe kraken’s arm exploded. Tinasha kicked away and teleported over to Pamyra. The two of them rose up to come next to Als. “Miss Tinasha, are you all right?” he asked.\n“I broke my ankle,” she answered. Looking down, he saw that her right calf and foot were crisscrossed with red bruises from where it had been snared by the kraken’s tentacle. Proper healing was going to take some time.\nThe witch took a moment to look down at the sea. Her concentration had broken, so the parted water was thundering back to fill the open space. The kraken’s regenerated ten giant limbs were wriggling about.\n“This damn squid… How should I deal with you…?” Tinasha muttered hatefully. Suddenly, the creature stopped moving. A huge distortion formed around it, creaking and groaning for a bit like the low growl of an animal. Then the distortion converged toward a central point.\nThat was when the kraken inexplicably vanished.\nRenart finally let a breath out. “Looks like it went well.”\n“It certainly looks that way,” the witch said with a shrug. Not a moment later, a young man about Suzuto’s age appeared nearby from thin air.\nHe nodded to her with a calm expression. “My Queen, your orders have been carried out.”\n“Thanks, Nil. And stop calling me ‘My Queen.’”\n“But you are the queen,” the spirit said crossly.\nNext to him, Suzuto looked visibly relieved. “The magic pattern for the summoning has been destroyed. I’m sorry it took so long to find it.”\nAls listened to his subordinate’s report, then sheathed his sword and grinned. “You succeeded just in the nick of time. Thanks.”\nWhile the three magic users and Als had faced the kraken head-on, Suzuto had gone diving inside a barrier maintained by one of the witch’s spirits. He’d searched the wreckage of the dozen or so ships sunk by the kraken for the pirate vessel, then—following the spirit’s instructions—used his sword to smash the spell pattern seared into the deck by the summoner.\nOnce the summoning mark was gone, the kraken was released from its bindings and returned to its original home in the northern depths.\nWith that, Nisrey’s sailing troubles came to an end.\nMission completed, Als glanced over at the witch floating next to him. “I don’t know what we would have done without you here, Miss Tinasha.”\n“Hmm. Maybe Oscar would have come,” she replied, not even joking. She broke into a face-splitting grin. A frightening amount of power was packed into her petite frame.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOn the day before Oscar’s birthday, Prince Reust finally arrived in the castle city of Farsas after a long trip on horseback from Tayiri. While his country now tacitly acknowledged the existence of mages, their castle still used no magic at all, which denied him access to teleportation, something the other Great Nations used in abundance.\nOscar was there to greet Reust, welcoming him with formal remarks of gratitude.\nNews of Als and his party’s return came soon after the guest’s welcome banquet began. Oscar was given the news while in the grand hall.\nHe clicked his tongue in disapproval, wishing the journey had been delayed even slightly.\nAfter the magistrate who delivered the missive excused himself, Reust inquired lightly, “What was that?”\n“Als and his team have returned from a mission to kill a sea monster. We’ll hear the full story from him later.”\n“General Als? I owe my life to him as well. Would it be all right if we sought an audience with him immediately?”\nOscar wanted to scowl but knew it strange to refuse. He ordered that the new arrivals be summoned to the banquet.\nTen minutes later, the Nisrey expedition team entered the grand hall and bowed. Renart and Pamyra lifted their heads only to catch sight of Reust and freeze. Oscar felt bad for them but noticed that their lady wasn’t present. While he wondered at that, he struck up a conversation with Als. “How did it go? I heard you ran into something big.”\n“Until further notice, consider squid off the menu for me.”\n“I kinda wish I could’ve seen it. I bet it’d be tasty.”\n“You really are two peas in a pod…”\n“Who are you talking about? Hey, where’s Tinasha?”\nPamyra answered the king. “She has some business to take care of, so she’ll return later.”\n“Got it. Good job out there,” Oscar replied.\nPamyra nodded, then she, Renart, and Suzuto bowed and left the hall in haste. Left behind, General Als accepted a glass of wine and offered a formal hello to Reust. The foreign prince looked at him oddly. “Does the witch always go with you on these sorts of expeditions?”\n“She does when it’s something we can’t handle ourselves or when she feels like coming along.”\n“She’s a temperamental one,” added Oscar with a wry face, before taking a sip of his own drink.\nNormally, Oscar’s birthday would be a grand celebration filled with invitees from many nations, but as it was the second birthday celebration that year, Reust was the only guest. That made the event easy to pull together, but a guest was still a guest and had to be attended to. As a result, two hours after the banquet started, Oscar went out to the balcony alone to sober up. He didn’t get drunk easily by any means, but he wanted to be as sober as possible on official diplomatic occasions. He also wanted a break, and he took in the night air while gazing at the scenery outside.\nThe sun had already set, and faint orange and dark blue streaks intermingled in the sky. The few lingering clouds were dyed golden. The sight so beautiful that Oscar wanted to show it to Tinasha.\nAs he gazed idly up at the sky, he felt someone behind him and turned around. Reust was standing there with a humble expression, and once their eyes met, he bowed. “I want to deeply apologize for how I behaved.”\nOscar knew exactly what the other man was referring to. He meant when they had ended up crossing swords outside Reust’s chambers.\n“I’m sorry, too. If possible, I’d like us to forget all about it,” said Oscar.\n“If that’s all right with you, then let’s do just that… Has she been doing well?”\nThis was probably what Reust had really wanted to ask all along. Oscar smiled and prepared to answer.\nBefore he could, however, the witch in question teleported right behind him. “Oscar, I’m back,” she said, floating up and throwing her arms around his neck with an innocent smile. She quickly caught sight of the foreign prince in front of her and paled. “P-Prince Reust…”\n“It’s been a while,” he replied politely.\nShe was back, but her timing was supremely unlucky. Suppressing a sigh, Oscar undid her arms from around his neck and moved her to the side. She looked ill at ease as she floated back to the ground. When he looked over, he saw she was wearing a very boyish lightweight outfit.\n“What is that getup? Come back after you’ve changed your clothes.”\n“I’m sorry,” Tinasha said. She would’ve had her hands full dealing with just Oscar, but there was a guest of honor in their midst, too. The witch looked flustered as she inclined her head to Reust. “I apologize for greeting you like this. I’ll come back later.”\nShe made to teleport away, but Oscar caught a sense that something was off and grabbed her arm.\n“Wh-what?” she asked.\n“Is there some magic on your foot? What happened?”\nHer eyes wide, she shook her head immediately. “You’re imagining things.”\n“There’s no way I am. Show me,” he demanded, reaching out for her bare right calf. Twisting to keep her balance with one leg out, Tinasha floated up and straightened her posture.\n“I told you, it’s nothing!” she cried. There was no injury on her slender leg. Oscar frowned at the smooth skin there, but he used his other hand to draw Akashia. She guessed what he meant to do and started to flail, but he held fast to her leg and wouldn’t let her squirm away.\nReust, who had no idea what was going on, wasn’t sure if he should try to defuse the situation. Before he could, Oscar touched the flat of Akashia’s blade to the witch’s leg. Once he did, the magic dispersed.\n“I knew it…”\nWith the glamour dispelled, spirals of red bruises rose to the surface of her skin. The witch turned her head to the side, with Dammit clearly written on her face. She’d successfully healed the bones, muscles, and nerves, but she couldn’t erase the bruises permeating her skin.\nThe sight of red marks twining around her slender white leg was more titillating than painful looking. Reust turned his face away with the distinct feeling that he’d caught sight of something he shouldn’t have.\nOn the other hand, Oscar examined the marks with a very unhappy look on his face. “You really let down your guard. How could you be so foolish? If you’re going to get yourself hurt like this, I’m not going to send you out the next time. You have to beat it without the close call.”\n“Okay…”\nOscar released Tinasha’s leg, and she clucked under her breath as she teleported away, clearly too proud to admit she was wrong. He watched her go and heaved a sigh, then winced at Reust, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.\n“This is how she usually is,” Oscar explained, his voice laced with much more fondness than exasperation.\nThirty minutes later, Tinasha returned to the banquet dressed in full formal mage’s robes. Clad in white, she was wearing light makeup—meaning Sylvia must have caught her. She was so lovely that her mere presence changed the entire tone of the room.\nOnce again, she greeted Reust. “I’m so sorry I appeared before you looking like that.”\n“Not at all. Defeating the monster must have been quite an ordeal,” he replied.\nShe flashed him a grateful smile. Her aura was entirely different from when they’d met at Tayiri Castle. Gone was the mysterious and forbidding sense of intimidation. In its place was the calm of sunlight filtering down through a forest. To witness such a transformation in her made Reust feel both glad and lonely.\nTinasha—a person, a witch, and a queen with no throne—changed her aspect like the waxing and waning of the moon. All people had various facets to them, but because she was a witch who had lived for such a long time, each of her qualities was truly differentiated.\nShe sat down next to him, and as his eyes ran over the delicate planes of her face, he broached the topic on his mind. “Thank you for everything you did back then. What you said gave me a lot to think about…and in the end, I realized I’d never thought about anything for myself. Our god Irityrdia is indeed absolute, but I may have been trying to pretend I was that god myself by throwing around my power and hiding behind his name.”\nHis halting delivery was awkward and full of self-admonition, but his sincerity was evident. Tinasha was serene as she responded, “Please don’t beat yourself up. We’re talking about a history that’s gone on for centuries. It would have been very difficult for you to go up alone against that. That said, I think what you’ve done is incredibly meaningful. Yes… It’s very human.”\n“It’s…human?”\n“Humans kill people but have the capacity to save them as well,” Tinasha said with a smile. She was as radiant as the moon.\nA dull pain prickled at his heart. But on the surface, he asked her with a smile, “Incidentally, when are you planning to be married?”\n“What?” Tinasha replied blankly, caught off guard. Oscar, sitting across from Reust, cleared his throat and started to laugh. Tinasha finally remembered the excuse by which she was allowed to remain in Farsas. “Oh! Um, well, that’s—”\n“It’s a lie,” Oscar interjected smoothly as Tinasha fumbled for how to reply. Now it was Reust’s turn to gape. “That was a pretext to bring her back here. In reality, she’s only my protector.”\nFor her part, Oscar’s protector—not fiancée—looked uncomfortable. Lazar, standing on ceremony behind her, was too shocked to move. He’d never dreamed his lord would tell Reust the truth, not when he’d hated the idea of Reust and Tinasha meeting. What kind of turn of events was this? He dreaded what would come next.\nReust looked back and forth between Oscar and Tinasha, unable to parse Oscar’s meaning. After a moment, he dared to ask, “Then what are your plans for marriage?”\n“I don’t have any,” Oscar answered.\n“You said she’s your protector…?” Reust inquired.\nThe witch of the tower answered that one herself. “We have a contract. You know that I normally live in the tower, don’t you? He climbed all the way to the top, so as his reward, I signed a contract with him.”\nThe witch gave a soft smile. Feeling as if he would be drawn in completely by it, Reust couldn’t help but say, “Then what if I could climb the tower? Would you grant me a wish?”\nAll present, excepting the king and the witch, froze awkwardly. It was completely obvious that Reust was attracted to the witch. But it was also all too certain that the king of Farsas’s mood would darken if anyone pointed that out. If things really went wrong, it could mean conflict between the two countries.\nWhile his attendants and confidantes were worrying away, Oscar merely sipped at his drink with perfect composure. The witch looked a little surprised by Reust’s question; then she put on a somewhat pained smile. “I don’t mind, but I wouldn’t recommend it. His Majesty here climbed it easily, but it normally takes a team of at least ten. It’s so difficult that I only see successful challengers once in a hundred years—if I do at all. I tamper with the memories of those who fail and transport them to random locations on the mainland, so people with royal responsibilities probably shouldn’t attempt it.”\nHer warning was unshakable fact. Stories of the tower’s trials were told even in far-off Tayiri. That included the part where the majority of fearless challengers went out to try their luck and never returned.\nThe barrier was so high that Reust almost hung his head. He still couldn’t quite bring himself to give up, though.\nTinasha was one of a kind.\nAt that moment, she was within his reach.\nIt didn’t matter to Reust that she was a witch and he was the heir to the throne of Tayiri, a country tough on mages. Reust took her hand and faced her as her eyes widened.\n“I…,” Reust began.\n“Tinasha,” Oscar interjected. Tinasha tilted her head to the side, mystified. Oscar used his glass to gesture toward the balcony. Disinterest plain, he offered, “If this is going to be a complicated conversation, could you have it outside?”\n“I understand,” she said, frowning as she got to her feet.\nLooking abashed, Reust took her hand again. “I’ll be borrowing her for but a moment. So sorry about this.”\nOnce he’d let the witch out to the balcony, Als hissed in his lord’s ear, “You sure you’re all right with this?”\n“Why should I have to mind the affairs of a woman who’s lived twenty times longer than me?”\nNo one was expecting that reply, and Oscar’s confidantes exchanged glances. Oscar, for his part, was eminently calm as he took another sip from his glass.\nReust and the witch returned quickly. Neither of their expressions betrayed any change.\nTinasha sat down next to Oscar, furrowing her elegant brows at his wineglass. “Don’t drink so much. You’ll die.”\n“Where did that come from…? I don’t know what you mean.”\nShe didn’t bother to explain her reasoning. Oscar found it suspicious, but set down his glass and switched to water.\nAfter that, those seated at the table enjoyed pleasant conversation for a while before Tinasha excused herself and went back to her room. With that, the party started to wind down naturally.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs Oscar changed his clothes in his bedroom, he wondered if he shouldn’t take a bath to remove the last lingering traces of tipsiness in his system.\nHe checked the time and saw that it was almost midnight. He took off his shirt and then heard a rapping at his window. He answered, and the witch opened it and entered. Oscar took one look at what she was wearing and was suddenly struck speechless.\n“What’s with that outfit…?” he asked.\n“It’s easy to move in, and that’s what’s most important to me,” Tinasha answered. She was wearing a black sleeveless dress. It hugged the lines of her torso snugly before flaring out at the waist into a very short skirt. Practically all of her smooth ivory legs were on full display. She was surely wearing underwear beneath it, but such a revealing outfit made Oscar do a double take. The bruises on her legs were all gone; she may have used magic to cover them up again.\nOscar couldn’t tear his eyes away from her creamy, slender thighs. “I don’t know whether to let my eyes drink their fill or avert them…”\n“Stop talking nonsense and change into something you can move about easily in, too,” Tinasha insisted. It was only then that Oscar noticed she was carrying several folded bundles of thick cotton fabric. He wondered what their purpose was as he donned a light jacket. Then she called over, “Oh, and tell Nark to come.”\n“What the hell…? Do I need Akashia, too?”\n“It doesn’t matter too much either way,” Tinasha answered.\nEvidently it wasn’t going to be something too dangerous. Nark was sleeping in a corner of Oscar’s room. He roused the dragon and put it on his shoulder. After some deliberation, Oscar ended up bringing Akashia, too.\nThe witch took his hand and opened up a transportation array right in the middle of the room. The array took them to a spacious, grassy plain. The moon was high and bright in the sky. The witch picked up Nark and bade it grow. From there, they continued their journey on the dragon’s back.\nAs city lights came into view far in the distance, Oscar asked the witch sitting next to him, “What city are we heading toward?”\n“Nisrey,” Tinasha replied.\nOscar was surprised to hear the name of the city where Tinasha had so recently vanquished a sea monster. Looking again, he saw a dark sea spread beyond the dots of light comprising the city. Bluish-white moonlight rippled across the water, glittering silver on cresting whitecaps. The moon’s reflection shuddered ever so slightly as it sparkled luminously.\nOscar could do nothing but gaze out raptly at such overwhelming natural beauty. It was the first time he’d ever seen such a sight. The night sea looked like it could go on forever, tinged with stillness and mystery. Brushing back her black locks, Tinasha grinned. “I really should have taken you during the day, but you were busy.”\n“…No, this is great,” Oscar said, still overcome with wonder, and she smiled with satisfaction. Moving up to the dragon’s head, she signaled something to it. The dragon understood and made a slow rotation over the ocean.\n“Are you going to show me the kraken or something?” Oscar asked.\n“What would you do if I said yes?” Tinasha responded.\n“I’d take back what I said to Als.”\nThe witch could imagine what their conversation entailed, and she burst out laughing. The dragon changed its heading and started to fly along the coast.\nBefore long, they reached the top of a rocky cliff some distance away from the city and Nark let them down there. It shrank back to its original size and climbed onto Oscar’s shoulder.\nThey were just outside a southern city, and as such, a languid heat clung to the air despite it being nighttime. The high temperatures were probably what drove Tinasha to put on such a skimpy, almost boyish ensemble. She ran her fingers through her hair, mussed by the salty sea breeze.\n“Well, shall we be off?” she said, taking his hand. Silently, they rose up into the air and descended slowly down the cliff face toward the ocean. Oscar stared eagerly down at the water; all this was so fresh and new to him. Then he realized there was a cave opening halfway down the cliff. She led him into it by the hand.\nThe tiny cave was a hollow that sloped down at an angle, and soon enough they entered a wide space filled with seawater. There was a small crack in the rock making up the cave ceiling, letting in moonlight that shone with a blue light on the water.\nIt looked like the sea had eroded the interior of the cliff over the years to form this space. It was like being inside an eggshell. The rocky enclosure kept the water still and calm.\nThe witch let Oscar down on a spot along the wall where there was a foothold the size of a closet.\n“Let there be light—”\nShe opened her hands, and white balls of light flared to life. Some flew up to the ceiling and some dived into the water to illuminate the cave.\nImmediately, the place took on a cerulean tint.\n“What is all this…?” Oscar murmured, his breath taken away by the transformation.\nThe water gleamed with a brilliant azure hue. The color only intensified deeper into the water. Those conjured luminous globes that had been submerged underwater shone here and there in electrifying and gorgeous shades of cobalt.\nEverything glittered like sapphires. Oscar was thoroughly entranced and found himself unable to hold back a sigh of wonder. The witch’s smile was one of total gratification. “What do you think?” she asked.\n“It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”\n“The bottom is sandy, so you can swim without worrying about rocks. There’s no fish here, either.”\n“You want us to swim?!”\n“You can, can’t you?”\nThe thick cotton cloths Tinasha had brought must have been for wiping themselves dry after swimming. She placed the towels somewhere they wouldn’t get wet, then dived into the water without delay. A spray of water sparkled in the air.\n“That’s why she’s dressed like that…,” Oscar realized, nodding to himself as he doffed his shoes and jacket. He likewise removed Akashia and placed a sleepy-looking Nark next to the weapon.\nThe water was deliciously cold when he waded in, and it sent lighting running up his body. It was so hot outside that the chill was quite comfortable and welcome. Oscar dived down to the bottom and found it blanketed with white sand. He glimpsed an underwater cove deeper in. It probably led out to the open sea, but the jagged opening made it hard to tell.\nOscar’s body felt lighter. He hadn’t gone swimming since he was a child, but that had done little to fade his muscle memory.\nHe swam up to the surface to breathe and found Tinasha floating just above the surface watching him. Droplets of water fell from her long, black hair. Each one carved tiny ripples in the water as they hit the surface. Her glossy skin and ebony eyes, now backlit by azure moonlight, created a fascinating allure.\nUsing his fingers to comb back his own wet bangs, Oscar asked her, “Did you make this place?”\n“It’s entirely natural. I came here a lot to relax back in the day. This is the first time I’ve brought someone with me, though. Oh, it was missing a foothold, however, so I carved one into the wall earlier today.”\nShe pointed to the little ledge their belongings were resting on. Nark was curled into a ball, snoozing away on top of Oscar’s jacket.\n“So…happy birthday,” Tinasha said, pressing her palms together and offering him a pleased smile.\nFinally, Oscar understood why she’d brought him here. He reached out and tugged on her hair until she slowly came down to his level. When he touched her cheek, it was oddly warm.\n“Thank you,” Oscar replied.\nTinasha suddenly laughed out loud like a child.\nBy the time Oscar had gotten his fill of swimming and returned to the foothold, a sense of heaviness had permeated his whole body.\nHe turned back to see the witch still playing in the water. She really looked just like a kid.\nSmiling and shaking his head, Oscar grabbed one of the thick towels and dried his hair off. After he’d toweled off his chest and arms, he looked back to ask Tinasha about a change of clothes. Tinasha didn’t answer. Instead, she sat on the water gazing straight at Oscar.\n“What?” he asked.\n“Nothing, I was just thinking that something looked pretty…”\n“What is?”\n“You are.”\n“What the…?”\nOscar didn’t think pretty was a compliment generally used for men. But the witch didn’t seem to be concerned about that. Her head was cocked to one side as she took in every bit of his beautiful face and well-proportioned body. Beneath the force of her unbridled gaze, Oscar gestured her over.\n“What are we doing about our clothes? I didn’t bring anything to change into.”\n“I’ll dry them,” Tinasha offered, walking along the water’s surface as easily as she would have done with solid earth. With one press of her hand to his clothes, warmth circulated along the fabric, drying it instantly, though his skin didn’t feel hot at all.\nImpressed, Oscar examined his newly dry clothes. Then he remembered something he’d forgotten to ask about. “Oh right, what did Reust say to you?”\n“Ah, that? He proposed,” Tinasha recounted.\n“Again?”\n“I said no.”\n“You shot him down fast.”\n“I just don’t like him in that way…”\n“Did you tell him that when you rejected him? That’s pretty harsh,” Oscar observed, feeling a little bad for Reust.\nThe witch, still dripping wet, made a disapproving face. “What would you do if I’d said that and relations with Tayiri deteriorated? I turned him down tactfully.”\n“I see,” Oscar replied.\nAlthough they were both witches, he was positive that if it was Lucrezia, she would have happily toyed with poor Reust. The prince was lucky it was Tinasha he’d proposed to—everyone was fortunate for that.\nStill, Oscar felt there was something slightly off about what Tinasha said. He’d heard her insist that her being a witch was her reason for not getting overly familiar with anyone.\nWhat change of heart must she have gone through to now say that she didn’t like Reust in a romantic way? Oscar found the whole thing strange but had the sense that if he probed too deep, he’d just end up pitying Reust, so he said nothing.\nThe witch peered at Oscar. “Are you tired? Should we head back?”\n“No, I want to keep looking around a little. You brought me all this way and everything,” he replied, and Tinasha broke into a happy grin. Her smile was so lovely he could only stare in fascination. Her gaze was soft with joy, and there were no traces of sadness or loneliness to be found.\nSeeing that up close sent Oscar into a trance. He tipped up her chin, moving closer to her entirely naturally.\n“Hey, wait—!” she cried, paling as she tried to push him away. He only caught hold of her with his other hand, however.\nThen he pressed his lips to hers, even as she flailed beneath him. Nothing about the blue-tinted cave they were in felt real, so he made sure she was. Her long eyelashes tickled his face.\nFirst, it was just a light brush of lips, though a lengthy one. Then Oscar changed his angle and kissed her again—and again, kissing her with yearning and the desire to make her body heat, her breath, belong to him. A slow, lazy passion suffused his body; it felt like their souls were melding.\nIt was all so sudden, and while Tinasha resisted and tried to pull away, Oscar wouldn’t allow it.\nIt was all Tinasha could do to remain standing under such a rain of breathtaking kisses. A mysterious heat welled up deep within her soaking wet body, seizing hold of her thoughts.\nShe felt faint.\nShe even forgot how to use magic.\nThe warmth—and the numbness that came along with it—dominated her body.\nThat was when the lights around them gave a mighty shudder.\nOscar sensed the lights’ flickering and pulled back. With the witch’s mindfulness disrupted, the globes had begun to blink on and off. When she realized what was happening, she used her free hand to cover her reddened cheeks. Until now, her control of such a simple spell had never wavered like this, no matter what kind of pain she was in.\n“What do you think you’re doing…?” she whispered.\nOscar released Tinasha’s hand. He’d been clutching it very tightly but fortunately hadn’t left a bruise. The witch was red to the tips of her ears, and he patted her head. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he said, ostensibly calm.\nTinasha glared at him, her eyes big and resentful.\n“I’m gonna swim a little more,” Oscar stated unevenly and dived right into the water."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0012.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“…What?” Tinasha exclaimed, left behind with a heart that wouldn’t stop pounding. As she massaged her chest, she muttered, “But…I just dried your clothes…”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReust left Farsas the next day. The witch offered to teleport him, but he refused firmly. As his retinue of attendants and guardsmen made their way home on horseback, a commanding officer Reust had known for a long time inquired, “Are you really all right with giving up?”\nReust gave a light chuckle, aware of what the guard was referring to. “I was refused flat out. I have no choice but to.”\n“But isn’t she simply bound by her contract to Farsas?”\n“No…,” Reust said with a wry grimace. Memories of last night flashed through his mind. He’d asked Tinasha the same thing, and she’d been radiant as she answered…\n“He’s special. I couldn’t handle another one like him.”\nThe witch probably wasn’t even aware of it herself yet.\nAs she’d smiled ruefully, looking the tiniest bit exasperated, Reust had recognized his defeat with perfect clarity, however."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0013.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 9. Nighttime Serenade\n“How much of these stories are even real?” muttered the king at his study desk. The witch was up on the ceiling with a thick spell book open before her. She didn’t know what “these stories” referred to, and she floated down while still upside down to look over Oscar’s shoulder.\n“What’s that? A book of fairy tales?” she asked. An elaborate and exquisite illustration dominated the left page; this appeared to be a collection of nursery tales for children. The picture of a princess gazing into an oval mirror looked eerie and old-fashioned.\nOscar closed the book and showed her the cover. “I’m having a quick look through a book we acquired to add to the castle reference library. There’s a lot of weird stories. It’s pretty interesting.”\n“Oh, it’s a book from the Dark Age,” observed Tinasha. A request from a historical or literature scholar had most likely brought it to the castle. The tales people used to tell one another back then became fairy tales over time and had all been collected in this tome at some point. Tinasha came down and sat on the edge of the desk. Reaching out for the book Oscar had opened back up, she began to leaf through the pages.\n“The story of the Mirror of Oblivion, huh? This is from before my time. I couldn’t tell you if it’s true or not.”\nThe art depicted a princess gazing into a looking glass. It was an illustration of a story from the early days of the Dark Age. The tale spoke of a princess who spent her days in tears and sorrow after losing her parents. One day, she looked into a mirror and forgot all her sadness. The fable itself had little meaning, but if it was based on a true story, the mirror could have been a magic implement.\nTinasha flipped through more pages as she mused on what sort of spells were responsible for each story.\n“Oh, this one’s true. The story of a castle that suddenly got covered in ivy.” Tinasha pointed to the one she was describing.\n“That one’s relatively new. I think it’s from the very beginning of the Age of Witches,” Oscar commented.\n“Yes, it is. It’s about me.”\n“………”\nIgnoring the pointed look he was throwing her, Tinasha drifted back up to the ceiling. From below, she heard his heavy sigh.\n“That makes me want to appear in one of these odd little stories, too…”\n“What do you think you’re saying? Have some self-respect,” chided the witch. Oscar, evidently rather bored, paid this no mind. Tinasha quickly resumed her reading. As she turned a page, the thought occurred to her: What kind of king will people say he was?\nWithout realizing it, Tinasha began to smile.\nThere were seven lecture halls for the mages of Farsas Castle. All of them were in use during the day, but permission for after hours could be requested. Six mages were gathered in one such reserved auditorium, forming a circle in the center around two women.\n“Pamyra, the transition to the sixth sequence is too slow,” said the witch. Pamyra rushed to erase the spell configuration and recast it from scratch. Tinasha silently inspected the intricately woven spiritual magic spell.\nNo one in the castle but the witch could teach spirit sorcerer magic to Pamyra. She had begged her lady to help her practice, which the witch did often.\nDoan, Sylvia, Renart, and Kumu looked on with keen interest. Spiritual magic was a unique form of spell casting that utilized most of its magic in the spell configuration as opposed to spell execution.\n“You can’t only look at the sequence you’re assembling now. You have to be focusing on the whole thing constantly and think ahead to what’s next,” Tinasha instructed, holding out her right hand palm up. In an instant, a delicately wrought spell formed there. “The kind of spell a mage can envision and execute is one indicator of magic aptitude, but that’s not all that matters on the battlefield. Your speed and the stability of your spells are both directly linked to how strong you are. No matter how much magic you have, it’s all meaningless if your spells are a jumble.”\nPamyra nodded meekly, and the witch smiled at her. She quickly turned serious again, clapping Pamyra on the shoulder. “The truth is, it’s most ideal not to encounter a situation where you have to fight directly. For mages, our best fighting style is one that involves preparing spells ahead of time and keeping premade sigils and arrays ready for attack. This is because face-to-face combat involves too many uncertain elements.”\n“Very illuminating,” said Chief Mage Kumu with a nod. The witch found his reaction quite nostalgic. She had lectured the mages of Farsas on how to fight seventy years ago as well. The country had been at war then, so she had prioritized teaching them survival spells over killing ones.\n“Now then, how about a little contest?” Tinasha proposed with a light wave of her hand. Before her, a glass ball the size of a person’s head appeared.\nThe glass was hollow, with a tiny ring inside. There were no cracks or seams on the glass, though there was a hole the same size as the ring at the very top. The aperture was reinforced with a silver inlay around the rim, making it too narrow for the ring to pass through, however.\nTinasha pointed one ivory finger at the glass sphere. “Cast a spell that will pull out the ring inside without damaging the glass sphere. Teleportation magic is disabled. I’ll be looking at your spell-casting speed and method. You have three minutes to devise a strategy. Feel free to touch the sphere and inspect its composition.”\nAfter she finished, she placed the hollow globe on top of a desk. Doan picked it up and spun it upside down. The ring fell down with a tinkling noise, but the silver rim at the bottom blocked it from coming out. The silver rim must have been forged at the same time as the glass, because it was stuck fast to the inside of the sphere.\nThe mages, given their task, picked the sphere up one by one and pondered over what to do.\n“All right, three minutes are up. Is everyone ready?” the witch asked, and the group nodded. Tinasha surveyed the nervous-looking bunch. “Then we’ll start. Five, four, three, two, one, go!”\nAt the signal, all the mages began their spells. Kumu, Pamyra, and Doan used no incantation, while Sylvia and Renart uttered short chants. Kumu completed his spell the fastest, then Pamyra. The other three completed theirs at nearly identical times after that.\nTinasha studied each spell design, and her eyes narrowed. “Kumu, Pamyra, and Doan are using a method to remove the silver rim. Kumu, your speed and stability are both strong. That’s to be expected… Pamyra, yours is a little too cautious but quite well-made. Doan, your decisiveness is good. You just need to shave off some excess in the third sequence.”\nThe three felt relieved to hear such positive criticism. Mages did not normally undergo tests, and they were all quite nervous.\n“Renart’s spell will create a hole where there is none, then seal it up again once the ring is out. I guess you think you’re better at transmuting the glass than the silver rim?” Tinasha asked.\n“That is what I decided, yes,” Renart answered.\n“I see. I like this change in thinking. The spell is well-made, too. Carry on.”\n“Thank you.”\nLast, the witch carefully examined Sylvia’s spell. Unfortunately, she nearly burst into laughter almost immediately.\nShocked, Sylvia looked nervously from one side to the other. Next to her, Doan sounded stunned as he said, “Sylvia, that will break the ring.”\n“What? But…”\n“It’s fine. I did say not to break the glass, but I didn’t say anything about not breaking the ring. Not bad. This one is the most interesting,” the witch remarked, still giggling with delight. Within seconds, she had a spell drawn up in her right hand. She poured it into the glass ball, and the ring was sucked out right away.\nIt had happened so fast it looked like teleportation, but the five mages recognized that she’d shrunk the ring, removed it, then restored it to its original size. The quintet of pupils let out cries of admiration. Shrinking spells were difficult and could not be used on living things or anything larger than a human hand. Such magic was so circumstantially useful that it was often forgotten.\n“Spell casting is the forging of your idea with your technique, so you should always be practicing. Okay, I’m giving this to Sylvia. I applaud your imagination,” Tinasha praised, tossing the ring casually to Sylvia. The other woman caught it with both hands.\n“Th-thank you!” she cried.\n“It absorbs spells to be launched at a later time. It’s a simple magic implement, but you can use it over and over. Feel free to employ it however you see fit.”\nSylvia nodded over and over, looking rapturous with gratitude. With that, the special lecture broke up.\n“People are talking about a song that kills anyone who listens to it.”\n“Is the song really bad or something?”\nKumu and Renart returned to their research, while the remaining four moved to the lounge. Doan had been the one to broach the subject over tea, and Tinasha was quick to shoot it down. Doan wagged a finger before his face, however.\n“That’s the thing. Apparently, the song is very good. The woman singing it is famous as a singer. But everyone who hears it ends up committing suicide.”\n“No, no, no,” cried Sylvia, trembling with her hands over her ears.\nTinasha made a face at her. “Is this really that scary? I very much doubt it’s real anyway.”\n“Oh, but it is. Suicide is on the rise in the city. Dozens are already dead,” Doan revealed.\n“What?! This is happening here?!” cried Sylvia.\n“Yes. It’s the talk of the town right now. People have purposely gone and listened to it for themselves, so the numbers have skyrocketed.”\n“…What in the world?” muttered Tinasha.\nHuman curiosity was undoubtedly the most frightening part of the rumor. If this was really happening, it was a serious problem.\nAfter listening in silence, Pamyra turned to her lady and asked, “Can magic really cause something like that?”\n“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but I would categorize this more as a curse. Still, curses shouldn’t have the power to make people commit suicide… Maybe it is some regular sort of spell. That it’s afflicted so many is unusual, though. It would be difficult to pull the strings on something like that. Hmm, I’m having a hard time conceptualizing it. This would be hard for a normal mage to do.”\n“Then what about you, Miss Tinasha?”\n“Yes, I could do it. I’d pick someone out of a crowd and kill them while making it look like they committed suicide.”\n“………”\nTinasha’s words painted a realistic picture, stunning the group silent. The witch sipped at her tea nonchalantly.\nLooking at the clock, Tinasha saw that it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon. She set down her cup and got to her feet. “In any case, could you try and keep Oscar from hearing about this, if you can?”\n“Why?”\n“He’s been extremely bored lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said he wants to go and listen to it for himself.”\n“…Understood.”\nEver since Oscar took the throne, things had largely calmed down, but this king was incredibly curious and prone to bouts of exploration. Added to that was the fact that this case was occurring right in the castle city. Such a tempting target right under his nose could prove dangerous.\nThe witch quietly decided she would have to handle this in secret should it continue to be an issue.\n“People are talking about a song that kills anyone who listens to it,” said Oscar with great interest as soon as Tinasha entered his study. She sank to her knees in disappointment.\nOscar half rose to his feet, surprised. “What’s wrong? Low blood sugar?”\n“…It’s nothing,” she muttered, collecting herself and standing back up. She started to brew some tea. “Who did you hear that from?”\n“Lazar.”\n“Why, that little…,” Tinasha muttered, cursing the attendant who was thankfully not present. While Lazar frequently worried that his lord would act recklessly, he still brought him all these tales of shady incidents. It was enough for her to suspect that Lazar was riling him up on purpose.\nUnaware of what Tinasha was thinking, Oscar asked her if it was possible that magic was causing this, just like Pamyra had earlier.\n“I won’t know details until I hear it for myself,” Tinasha stated flatly.\n“Oh yeah? Then let’s go check it out.”\n“I meant that I would! Alone!” cried the witch. She handed Oscar a cup of tea with a smile.\nOscar noticed that it was a very shallow sort of grin and rested his chin on his hands with a grimace. “You’re not going.”\n“Why not?!”\n“There’s two singers causing this. One is a tavern singer, and one…works at a brothel.”\nTinasha was dumbfounded at the revelation. Women weren’t allowed in the brothel, but Tinasha had a feeling it was more dangerous for Oscar to go. “You’re the king. Please do not go to a brothel…”\n“Lots of people conceal their identities when they go.”\n“So that means I could disguise myself as a prostitute and go,” she reasoned.\n“Absolutely not. That’s a hard no,” Oscar said.\n“Just let me do it!” Tinasha insisted. She grabbed Oscar’s shoulder and shook it back and forth. It jostled the cup in his hand, making the tea wobble. “Didn’t I tell you that the protective barrier won’t protect you from psychological spells? Have you already forgotten the pain Lucrezia caused you?!”\n“I don’t recall much pain being involved.”\n“I didn’t mean it literally!” Tinasha scolded, releasing Oscar. She gave him a smile with eyes so icy they would make anyone quake in their boots. Oscar beheld Tinasha, unflappable, even as the woman exuded her full witch’s might. “End of discussion. I’m going to do something about the tavern singer first, so you be good and do your work.”\n“Fine, I understand,” Oscar answered, waving his hand lightly. The witch remained unconvinced, however.\nTinasha didn’t doubt her own ability to resolve the case, though, so it was fine. She decided to start looking into things immediately, so as not to give Oscar a chance to act. She left the study and headed back to the lounge, where she grabbed Doan.\nWith Doan recruited for her investigative mission, she had him go over the details as they made their way to the tavern.\nThe tavern singer’s name was Delia. She was an attractive woman with a good voice that had earned her quite a bit of popularity.\nAbout a month ago, she began singing a new song. The tavern patrons raved about the melody, which was redolent with melancholy and nostalgia. Before long, however, some of them began committing suicide. Not everyone who heard the song was discovered dead, but as about thirty people had already fallen victim to it, the tavern owner was considering canceling the performances.\nOnce that rumor got out into town, more and more people came to sample the “killer song.” The owner suddenly found himself with a crowd too large to turn away, and performances continued.\nThe witch was left aghast after hearing the whole story. She frowned. “That’s terrible. I can’t help them if they want to die of curiosity. Are the people going to the brothel acting the same way?”\n“The brothel? What are you talking about?”\n“I heard there are two singers causing this.”\n“That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I only know about Delia.”\n“Huh?” Tinasha spat reflexively.\nHad Oscar tried to trick her? Maybe he thought she’d give up once she heard the word brothel.\n“He’s got some nerve trying to pull off a cheap trick on me…”\n“I don’t really understand, but please be gentle with our king,” Doan pleaded. Consulting the map, he led the way. The route he chose was very like him: sparsely populated back streets so they could save on trouble.\nTinasha snapped her fingers. “If you like, I can go on alone, and you can head back.”\n“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going, too. I’m a mage, and I don’t believe in superstitions.”\n“Come along, then,” urged Tinasha. She was grateful that Doan was possessed of such a no-nonsense temperament. Soon they arrived at the tavern, where the dim lighting conveniently concealed Tinasha’s beauty. It was dinnertime, so they ordered some light food.\nThe sound of glasses tinkling and low murmurs filled the space. They could hear a fair number of conversations about the song in question.\nNamely, people wondering what exactly was this song that killed its listeners.\nDumbfounded, the witch rested her chin on her hands. Then a light shone down on a small stage at the rear of the tavern. The patrons all turned to glance that way.\nDoan looked up from his salted fish. “Almost time.”\n“Have a defense spell at the ready, just in case. If it’s not magic, I’ll handle it,” Tinasha instructed.\n“Understood.”\nA woman with all the charm someone in the prime of adulthood could carry appeared onstage. Her features were not outstandingly beautiful, but her dark sensuality was eye-catching. She looked around the crowd, smiling in gratitude, before drawing her right leg slightly behind her.\nShe took a deep breath in and stood up straight. With only the strums of a zither to accompany her, she began to sing.\n\n“Here is a forbidden place, a room with no air.\nI sing a song that no one listens to.\nNight falls in my hometown so far away,\nwhere you are not—you are not anywhere.\nYou’ll never come home despite all my wishing.\nShould night come again tomorrow, I may as well die.\nHere is a forbidden place, a dream with no air.”\n\nHer voice crooning out a heartrending melody was so lovely that it sank deep into the hearts of the audience. However, a strange unease arose within them the more they listened. Doan glanced over at the witch next to him, who was listening raptly. She must have felt his gaze, because she turned to look at him.\nShe inclined her head in thought for a moment before suddenly giving a light wave of her hand. Once she did, the song became inaudible.\nFlustered, Doan looked all around the tavern, but the other patrons appeared lost in the song. He felt uneasy and was about to get up when the witch tugged on his sleeve. She leaned over to his seat and whispered, “You’re the only one who can’t hear it. It’s better not to listen.”\n“Is it a cursed song? I don’t feel any magic.”\n“Don’t worry. I’ll explain outside. Let’s go,” said the witch with an apologetic smile. With urgent haste, she rose from her seat. All except Doan were too enraptured to spare even a single glance at the disturbance.\nWhen they emerged back onto the street, it was completely dark outside. Tinasha spoke once they had put some distance between themselves and the tavern. “So it’s just a song. A genuine song.”\n“Just a song?!” he repeated.\n“Yes. A normal song with no magic or curse in it. The melody, lyrics, and her voice seem to have a disquieting effect on people. I’ve lived a long while, and I’ve only encountered this a handful of times. It’s exceedingly rare, but there are some songs, paintings, and poems that are like that. Tired and sickly people are particularly weak to this sort of thing. We should pursue the proper channels to get performances of that song canceled.”\n“I see…,” Doan said, shoulders slumping. It was a bit anticlimactic. He’d expected to hear some sort of fantastical backstory. Upon finding out it was just a normal song, he felt both relieved and disappointed.\nThe witch noticed his expression and gave a half smile. “The truly frightening incidences are ones like these, with no magic behind them. There are rules to magic, and we can use those rules to devise a solution. But this probably just stems from the incredible talent of the person who wrote the song and the woman singing it. Encountering a case like this makes you realize how mysterious the human power is.”\nTinasha smiled, her eyes cast down, and asked Doan to file the paperwork to have performances of the song prohibited before returning to the castle. There was a great deal of relief that washed over her as the witch realized that this was the end of the incident.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhile the witch was having dinner at the tavern, the lights went on in an establishment in a back alley on the western side of town.\nUnlike those back alleys on the eastern side, these were safer and the clientele tended to be wealthy. This brothel was no exception, and it wasn’t unusual to see nobles sneaking in and out of its doors.\nA recent windfall of profit had left this particular brothel’s owner, Gaske, in a fantastic mood.\nThis was due entirely to Clara. An unceasing stream of clients came seeking her. Even if most of those clients never visited again, enough new ones poured in that it didn’t matter. They were all seized with curiosity and enough baseless confidence to think they’d be fine. It was impossible to correct their misapprehensions.\nGloating to himself, Gaske opened the doors and retreated to the reception booth. Soon enough, the first client arrived.\nThe tall man with a hood pulled down low over his eyes to hide his face was dressed well. Judging him to be a nobleman, Gaske welcomed him courteously as a guest of honor. The client took the greeting as a sign to get right to the point. “This is where I can find the woman who sings the song that kills its listeners, right?”\nGaske was surprised to hear how young his voice sounded. A series of kidnappings fifteen years ago had left the city with few young adults of noble heritage.\nPrying into the identities of patrons ran contrary to the rules. “You mean Clara. Yes, she’s here. But she has a prior engagement at the moment…,” Gaske answered with a smile.\n“I see. But if I don’t see her now, I’ll end up caught by someone pesky. Is there any way you can be flexible?”\n“I’m really very sorry, sir, but…”\nThe man grimaced upon hearing Gaske’s reply. He pulled up his hood to show his face. “Do you know who I am?”\nThere was no way he wouldn’t have. Stunned, Gaske dropped the papers he was holding.\nHow wonderful it would be to manipulate people with nothing but your thoughts. It was inarguable that many had thought of such before.\nClara had that power; she was certain of it.\nShe could bend anyone to her will if she only wished to do so. If she wished them to die, they would. All the clients who came to her knowing that must have been dense or otherwise frivolous about their own fates. As such, she felt that it wasn’t her fault if they died.\n“Clara, you have a client.”\n“Ah, Simon.”\nA man holding a zither knocked on the door of her room before entering.\nShe had known Simon for three years. Clara had found him collapsed outside the brothel with nothing to his name and brought him in. After learning of his musical talent, Clara made him her dedicated accompanist. As she had saved his life, he would do anything she asked. She didn’t want to take him as a lover, but she felt that there was no one who understood her better than he.\nSeated before her vanity, Clara stood up as she fastened a clasp into her hair. “My reservation, right? I’m coming.”\n“No, it’s a walk-in.”\n“A walk-in?”\nThe brothel where Clara worked saw very high-profile clientele. It wasn’t possible to force your way in using money or pedigree; appointments were required. Who was it that had forced their way in and cut in line? Clara was wholly intrigued.\n“All right. I’m coming,” she said, rushing through the rest of her routine. Leaving Simon there, she headed for the designated room.\nA huge bed dominated the room. A single window was located very high up on the wall. It was designed that way to prevent peeping, but it made the room feel stuffy.\nThe man was standing at the entrance, sipping a drink; he turned around when he felt her presence.\nHe was exceedingly handsome, with eyes the color of the sky right after twilight.\nShe’d never met him before but recognized him instantly.\nClara froze in shock. She couldn’t take another step into the room.\n“What’s wrong? Come in,” the king of Farsas invited her easily, noticing that she wasn’t moving.\nOnce Clara finally emerged from her cage of astonishment, she sat down gingerly next to the man and poured him a drink. “Is it all right for Your Majesty to be in a place like this?”\n“It’s not, which is why I came in secret.”\n“Surely you could have any beautiful maiden you desire.”\n“The one I’m in love with is pretty stubborn.”\nOscar drained his glass, then set it aside. He gazed back at the woman. She was undoubtedly lovely, though her features gave an impression of instability. He reached out and caught up a lock of her hair. Upon closer analysis, her glossy, soft black hair was a shade lighter than the witch’s. “…Hers really is the color of night.”\n“Your Majesty? Did you say something?”\n“No, nothing. More importantly, I heard you can sing a very interesting song. I came to hear it.”\n“Do you really mean that?”\n“I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t. I fear for my life if I ever got caught here.”\nClara was shocked once more into silence. She was different from the woman at the tavern. If Clara wished people to die as she sang, they would. This young king likely had no idea. “Please don’t joke around. You have no heir.”\n“Just so you know, I don’t plan on dying.”\n“Then please give up on listening to the song,” Clara said.\nHe placed her ivory white hand along his cheek. His eyes pierced into hers, laden as they were with the power to compel people to obey him. She gasped, feeling as if his blue eyes would suck her in completely.\nThis wouldn’t do.\nShe couldn’t sing. Even if she could, she couldn’t kill him. She couldn’t wish for him to die.\nShe couldn’t kill him.\n“I’m asking you to sing.”\n“…I’m unable to. In return, perhaps I can offer you something else. This is, after all, an establishment for slaking all manner of desires.”\n“I don’t want a woman. I’ve got what I need.”\n“Then it seems all you can do is leave. There is nothing I can provide you with, be it a song or my conversation.”\nThe king scowled in displeasure at that. Up until now, he had generally received whatever he wanted. He’d had the power and the self-awareness to make that possible.\nNow he stood bested by a prostitute wielding bargaining as her weapon. Clara would not yield, even to a king.\nInstead of speaking, she wound her arms around his neck. Very slowly, she lowered herself onto him. She pressed her lips to his with a clear passion.\nIt didn’t feel real. She wished this moment would go on forever.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe day after returning from the tavern, Tinasha headed for the study to report on the events of the last night.\nOscar listened to her while managing a stack of paperwork.\n“And I’ve asked Doan to take care of that, so when the application comes in, please approve it,” Tinasha concluded.\n“Got it. Sorry to have you go through all that trouble.”\n“It’s nothing. Actually, I have a favor to ask. I’d like to borrow some mages for about a week, starting today. I’d only need them in the evenings after they’ve finished their lectures. And I’ll pay their honorarium.”\n“I don’t mind. But what are you going to do?”\n“I want to organize the Tuldarr treasure vault. The seal is broken, and I can’t have anyone robbing it. So I’d like to sort through everything and move it to the tower…and, if possible, to Farsas.”\n“The treasure vault? You’d transport that to Farsas?”\n“I won’t use anything even if it’s placed in the tower, so I’ll keep only the dangerous items there. Moving the rest here means that it’ll just end up hoarded away, but I’d still like to.”\n“Huh… Okay, got it. Go ahead,” Oscar approved, letting out a little sigh.\nWith the treasure vault emptied and the spirits brought under the witch’s control, it seemed the entire legacy of the Magic Empire of Tuldarr would soon be entirely lost. Briefly, Oscar wondered if this was really all right. He decided that if this was Tinasha’s decision as the last queen of Tuldarr, then so be it.\nThe queen with no throne floated up into the air as she always did, flipping upside down and looking Oscar in the eyes. She observed her own reflection in the man’s sky-colored eyes, while Oscar saw his in her ebony ones.\nTinasha looked at him fondly, a softness in her gaze. Released from the delusions of her past, she now gave off an air of innate ease and reliability. Oscar reached out to draw her face closer. He moved to kiss her red lips, but before he could, she noticed something and cried, “Oh!”\n“What is it…?” Oscar frowned, put out at the thwarting of his maneuver.\nTinasha did not heed the gripe, however. She was pointing to his collarbone. “You have a bruise there. Did you run into something?”\nThat damn woman, Oscar cursed in silence. He took care not to let the emotion show on his face. Things would get nasty if Tinasha discovered his little meddling excursion. She’d warned him so sternly not to get involved, after all. If she knew he’d ignored her cautioning, he would absolutely be in for the lecture to end all lectures. Thankfully, the witch hadn’t caught on.\nTinasha rested her chin on her hands, tilting her head thoughtfully. “I can’t erase your bruise. Do you want me to use a glamour to conceal it?”\n“Yeah, could you? Speaking of, how are the ones on your foot?”\n“You should worry more about yourself,” Tinasha muttered, looking put out. She placed a small illusory effect on Oscar’s collarbone and then kissed his forehead while she was at it.\nThat evening, Tinasha brought five mages—Kav, Doan, Sylvia, Renart, and Pamyra—to the Tuldarr treasure vault. The sight was so magnificent that they let out cries of wonder.\n“It’s a mountain of treasure!”\n“It is a treasure vault. Please pick out any items that resonate with faint magical power. We’ll bring those back to Farsas. Anything suspicious needs to be taken to my tower, so set those aside, too. If you find anything that seems like it would be dangerous to touch, let me know. Once it’s all done, I’ll gift you with something here.”\n“We’ll do our best!” chorused the group. All six were wearing clothes that were easy to move around in, and they set about classifying the magical objects one by one. It was a lot like packing up for a move. Shouts of admiration rang out everywhere, which the witch found amusing.\nDoan waved Tinasha over, and she approached. “I completed the paperwork to have performances of that song canceled,” he said.\n“Sounds good. Let me know if there’s any trouble.”\nIt was enough just to have cut off a potential avenue for Oscar to get into trouble. Humming happily, Tinasha started organizing. Things proceeded without incident.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nClara hadn’t expected him to ever return.\nHer heart was in a flutter at the unexpected visit. As soon as he saw her, he snapped, “Don’t mark me. I told you this was a matter of life and death, didn’t I?”\nHe was clearly very grumpy, but even that made her happy. She let out a laugh like tinkling bells. “Do you have someone very jealous in your life?”\n“I wouldn’t say jealous, but… She’s not attached to me at all,” he admitted with a grimace. A light in his eyes told Clara that he was thinking of his beloved, and it chilled her to the core. That was an emotion a prostitute should never show on the surface, however. She gave an awkward smile. “Then there’s no need for you to be so faithful.”\n“Not attached to me and unwilling to act are two different things. If she finds out I went rogue, she’ll destroy me and the country.”\nNaturally, Clara took that remark as a joke. The man sat in a chair and took the liberty of leaning against her.\n“I’m quite envious that you have someone that concerned about you. What is she like?” Clara asked.\nThis made him pause and think for a bit. His witch was truly an enigma. It was difficult to put her nature into words to explain to someone who didn’t know her. “Hmm… If I could compare her to anything, it would be purest white and darkest black. She’s like a leopard who enjoys human company.”\n“Oh my. She must be a well-brought-up lady who hasn’t suffered a day in her life.”\n“She has. Very much, in fact. But that’s not her at all…”\nIt was true that Tinasha was well brought up, but it was equally true that she’d suffered far beyond the scope of what most were capable of envisioning.\nBesides, she wasn’t merely a lady; she was a queen. Oscar had witnessed that firsthand during the Cuscull conflict. That was why she understood better than anyone else the weight borne by royalty.\n“Well anyway, about that song. I didn’t come here to bargain with you,” Oscar started.\n“I refuse,” Clara stated.\n“Don’t be so hasty. Most things can’t kill me.”\n“No man has listened to my song and lived to tell of it.”\n“Then I suppose that will make me the first.”\nClara was left bewildered that he wouldn’t back down.\nShe couldn’t sing, for she had no reason to kill him. If she refused outright, however, she feared he would stop visiting. That was no good, either. The woman needed a way to ensure his return. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to steep herself in the heat burning deep in his body, in his skin. That was why she had to barter.\nClara got to her feet and caught hold of his jaw from behind, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Hmm… If you became my regular, I’d think about it. You’d have to come at least five times.”\nOscar made a plainly sour expression upon hearing Clara’s terms. “I don’t have the time for that. Sing today.”\n“I refuse. This is a place where women sell their bodies, not where songs are peddled. If you would like to hear a tune, you must pay the appropriate price.”\nThe demand caused Oscar to grimace. He wondered if simply giving up was the better choice.\nOn the other hand, more could die if he turned back now. It would also mean the past two nights of sneaking out had been a waste, something Oscar was loath to admit. He’d considered sending out one of his retainers instead, but if the retainer got killed, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. The witch had reminded him insistently that she couldn’t protect him from psychological spells, but the first sign of magical interference would expose Clara outright. At the very least, Oscar felt confident that he could handle whatever might happen better than most people.\n“Five times, huh. And you promise?”\n“Yes, I promise,” Clara replied, feeling as if she were walking on air after hearing his acceptance.\nAn hour later, Oscar left the brothel. He walked for a short while before stopping and suddenly turning around. He called out to someone in the alley. “Als, I see you.”\n“Huh?” came an astonished voice from the shadows.\nOscar couldn’t help bursting out laughing. “I lied. I didn’t actually see you.”\n“…Your Majesty,” said Als, emerging with an awkward bow. He wasn’t wearing his jacket, so as not to stand out in the back streets. Mystified, the general asked his king, “When did you notice me?”\n“As soon as I came out. We’ve known each other forever, so I picked you out right away.”\n“I saw you’d snuck out of the castle, so I couldn’t help but follow after.”\n“I don’t mind. This is perfect,” Oscar said, falling into step with Als and catching him up on the song that heralded death.\nAls’s eyes widened with shock. “This is different from the one Miss Tinasha went to see?”\n“Yeah. This one is very hush-hush, only spoken of in whispers by noblemen and merchants. When you consider the kind of place it originates from, it makes sense that they don’t want it becoming public knowledge. This song’s also more powerful than the tavern one—just about everyone who’s heard it has perished.”\n“That’s horrifying. And so odd that two singers would appear at the same time,” Als observed.\n“True… That part is troubling,” Oscar agreed.\nAccording to Tinasha’s report, the tavern woman was just a singer, but perhaps there was a deeper connection between the two than first believed. Oscar thought it a good idea for him to go listen to the other song once.\n“Als, I hate to ask, but I’d like for you to dig up all the details on the people who died at the brothel. Find out their causes of death and any underlying circumstances.”\n“Yes, Your Majesty. But are you sure you don’t want to ask Lazar?”\n“No. He’s no good at lying to Tinasha.”\nAls blanched once he heard the witch’s name. “Don’t tell me you haven’t told her about this…”\n“If I had, you can bet I wouldn’t be here right now.”\nAls suddenly realized he’d been drawn into a nasty secret and immediately felt a bitter sense of regret.\nThat witch absolutely hated it when Oscar acted rashly on his own. To make matters worse, this was a song that could herald death. If this put the king’s life on the line, Tinasha would be so incensed she might end up risking her own life, too.\nRealizing this, Als cocked his head, puzzled. “I wonder if she’d feel jealous if she found out about all this.”\n“I don’t think so. She told me herself that I have to start searching for a queen now that my curse was broken.”\n“True.”\n“Don’t just agree; you’re going to put me in a sour mood. Anyway, that’s why I think she’ll only get upset over the sneaking out and acting reckless parts,” Oscar reasoned.\n“Only, huh…? That might be the most frightening thing of all… She’ll have the whole castle disappear.”\nAls was filled with trepidation, but Oscar just said lightly, “Well, if I do get busted, we’ll face her together. Collective liability.”\n“Spare me…”\n“She doesn’t let off people who keep quiet about what they know. Lazar got the screws put to him before.”\nThe illicit temptation to betray his king and spill everything to Tinasha flitted through Als’s mind. Oscar must have seen right through that, though, because he clapped Als on the shoulder. “And I won’t let you off if you bust me voluntarily. I’ll be waiting on that investigation.”\n“…Yes, Your Majesty,” Als complied, accepting his orders with slumped shoulders.\nClara returned to her room and started picking out her outfit for Oscar’s next visit. She couldn’t recall how long it’d been since her heart thrilled with such exhilaration; it actually surprised her that she was still capable of feeling this way. Singing a happy tune, she laid out a bunch of gathered clothes on the bed.\n“Clara, what are you doing?” came a sudden voice, and she jumped.\n“Oh, Simon. I’m choosing an outfit,” Clara answered brightly.\nSimon slanted a look at her. “Do you really like him that much?”\n“We’re talking about the king! …No, it’s not that. I like him. There’s no one but him.”\n“He’s way above your station.”\n“I know that! I don’t want to be his wife or anything. I’m aware of our social statuses.”\n“So long as you understand,” Simon replied flippantly, sinking into a rattan chair. He sighed as Clara put together an ensemble, acting as spirited as a teenage girl.\nClara’s ear caught the dispirited sound, and she did an about-face. “What? Do you have something to say?”\n“He wants you to sing, doesn’t he? You should just sing for him.”\n“I can’t. I don’t want to kill him…”\n“Just sing while wishing he’d fall in love with you.”\nClara’s eyes grew wide. That hadn’t occurred to her. She thought all her powers could do was kill. “Do you really think I can do that?”\n“I bet you can. You’ve got the power.”\n“Really?” she asked nervously, and Simon laughed.\n“I know you can,” he insisted.\nSimon always knew how to fill Clara with confidence.\nThe king didn’t come the next day. When he did visit on the following day, he brought a little red dragon with him. Clara’s eyes sparkled with childish joy upon seeing a dragon for the first time. Oscar made sure to warn her immediately, however.\n“Don’t touch it. It’s not all that tame.”\n“It’s lovely,” she breathed.\nHe gave a strained smile before tossing the dragon a fruit from the plate piled high on the table. Nimbly, the dragon snapped it from the air and swallowed it down.\n“I was busy yesterday, and I’ll be busy tomorrow, too.”\n“I don’t mind. Naturally your work must come first.”\n“If that’s how you feel, then sing for me today.”\n“No,” Clara declared, jerking her head aside. Thinking of when she’d sing a new song made her heart pound out of her chest. She fought to keep a smile off her face. Oscar paid her no attention and kept tossing fruit to the dragon. Before long, the plate was empty. Oscar’s dragon was rather small, and Clara was unsure where the tiny thing was putting it all.\n“Should I have a new plate brought up?” she asked.\n“Don’t bother. It actually doesn’t need to eat.”\nOscar made no attempt to hide his desire to leave. Clara hated to see it, but it also stirred her desire to change his tune.\nRight now, he was hers.\nThat thought was especially sweet, and it seared itself into her heart. So she wound her alabaster arms around him. Atop the table, the dragon curled up and went to sleep.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter four days of organizing the treasure vault, all the magic implements had finally been cleared out. With so much empty space, the repository now looked over twice its size. While the majority of stored items had been small, there’d been a staggering number of them. Sorting through all the trinkets would’ve been a far greater task than six people could’ve handled.\nSince they were handling magic implements, only mages could help with the task. What’s more, it was the Tuldarr treasure vault, so Tinasha could only allow in people she trusted. The team she’d appointed sifted through the remaining objects efficiently.\nAs Tinasha categorized a shelf of objects in the back, she noticed a small box made of white stone that had been all but hidden deep in the recesses of the shelf. Pushing aside some other unremarkable things, she reached out and grabbed it.\nOpening the lid, she found a blue crystal sphere inside. It was slightly bigger than her palm. Magical sigils she’d never seen before were engraved on the surface. “Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen this before…”\nTinasha tilted her head to one side and then the other as she pondered but couldn’t recall where she’d seen it. The carved symbols were alien to her, and she couldn’t so much as manage a guess as to what they did.\nAfter considering it for a while, Tinasha decided it should go to her tower. Placing it with a heap of other magic implements, she returned to the others just in time for Sylvia to run up to her excitedly.\n“Miss Tinasha! We found this!”\n“What is it?” asked the witch. Sylvia presented her with some lace folded into layer upon layer. Tinasha detected a trace of magic; evidently the stuff was charmed not to deteriorate. She spread it out, taking care not to dirty it, and saw that it was a long wedding veil. “What in the world…?”\n“Here, look at this!” Sylvia cried, pointing to the edge of the underside of the veil. There was some tiny silver stitching there.\nSuspicious, Tinasha got a closer look. In the script of Tuldarr was written, “To my beloved daughter Tinasha. May you grow up healthy.”\n“Oh my…,” Tinasha said, gaping in shock at seeing her own name there.\nThis veil was a present sent to the palace from parents whose names and faces Tinasha had never known. They’d sent it as a gift for the child that’d been taken from them.\nTinasha didn’t know what to say. Some unknown emotion was burning hot inside her.\nFrozen, Tinasha stood there staring at the silver embroidery.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOn the night of his fifth visit, Oscar again brought the dragon and appeared to be in unusually high spirits. Sprawled on the bed, Clara watched his back as he dressed. “Why are you in such a good mood today?”\n“Am I?”\n“You’re acting like you are.”\nHe chuckled, buckling on his sword belt. “My girl found something interesting. She’s so cute when she’s happy. And what she found will look really good on her when she’s a bride.”\n“…When she’s a bride?” Clara repeated, feeling rage boil low in her belly. While this was a brothel, it was still considered insensitive to discuss other women in the bedroom. Oscar was probably doing it on purpose. He was implying he didn’t consider her an option.\nClara understood as much. She meant to keep her feelings to herself, but hearing Oscar speak that way of someone else proved too much to bear. She dug her nails into the pillow. Her obsession with him ran too deep; it tilted dangerously toward hatred.\n“I want to kill him…” The unbidden whisper startled even Clara.\n“You’ll keep your promise tomorrow?” Oscar asked, his tone lighthearted.\n“…Yes.”\n“Don’t expect to get off easy if you break your word.”\n“I am aware.”\nOscar left the room without looking back once.\nAs Clara watched the door close behind him, she weighed her own emotions with lifeless eyes. Should she love him or kill him?\nMorning arrived quickly.\nClara had spent the entire time worrying. She didn’t sleep a wink, though she might have had flashes of dreams.\nBeneath her love for Oscar was a desire to kill him. She herself didn’t know what she wanted to do. This was the first time in her life she’d agonized over anything to such an extent.\nUnfortunately, the appointed final meeting arrived all too soon.\nWith makeup covering the dark circles under her eyes, Clara welcomed Oscar with Simon at her side. They did not go to the usual room but to a hall used for banquets.\nOscar was sitting cross-legged directly on the floor, the dragon in his lap. Calm in the face of potential death, he annoyed Clara deeply. “All right, time to let me hear it.”\n“Are you prepared?” Clara asked.\n“I don’t plan to die,” Oscar assured her. That was enough to settle Clara’s mind for her.\nHis strength was merely arrogance. Why wouldn’t he look at her? Was he trying to cast her aside? The more she yearned for him, the more she hated how unshakable he was.\nA bitter smile came to her lips. She turned back to Simon and gave a signal.\nHe strummed the zither, the note trembling in the air and casting a gloomy pall over the room.\nClara took a breath of air and then began to sing. In song, she sobbed out the passions she could no longer hold back.\n\n“Here is a forbidden place, a room with no air.\nI sing a song that no one listens to.\nA flower falls into my hand, leaving not a single petal behind.\nYou are not here—you are not anywhere.\nMy hands grab onto nothing at all.\nShould night come again tomorrow, I may as well die.\nHere is a forbidden place, a dream with no air.”\n\nClara’s hands trembled.\nShe didn’t know if she was standing upright. She looked at Oscar and saw that he was listening intently, no change in expression.\nShe wanted him so badly she thought she’d go crazy.\nShe was afraid of the song coming to an end. Not even she could guess what would happen when it finally did. Clara’s voice clung to the melody Simon plucked on his instrument, but then she realized he had stopped playing and whirled around.\nSimon’s eyes were wide in shock. For the first time, Clara became aware that there was a second voice singing the song. It trilled the same words and hit the same notes in perfect synchronization. Careful listening revealed that the second singer had to be someone other than Clara, however.\nImmediately, Clara silenced herself.\nA beat later, the other voice stopped, too.\nShe glanced at Oscar and saw him grinning with amusement. She flew into a rage and shrieked, “Why?! What did you do?!”\n“What did I do…? Come to think of it, you wanted to know about my girl. Allow me to introduce Tinasha.”\nHis final word was addressed to the dragon on his lap. With a glimmer of magic, the creature became an attractive woman.\nHer skin was white as porcelain, and her hair was black as night. She was breathtakingly beautiful.\nIn her dark eyes was a glint of displeasure. From her position on Oscar’s lap, she threw Clara and Simon a cold glance. Oscar kissed the witch’s cheek, then whispered into her ear, “Which one’s the leader?”\n“He is,” she replied without hesitation.\n“I thought so. I completely wasted my time.”\n“Wasted?!” Clara exploded. An insuppressible sense of defeat welled up inside her.\n…She never thought it would be her.\nFury clouded the courtesan’s mind. She wanted to rip Oscar away from Tinasha.\nWhile Clara seethed, Simon stood up behind her. He reached out a hand to the two guests, but the witch commanded, “Don’t move. If you do, I will judge you to be in opposition and kill you.”\nSimon’s lips curled into a sneer. A spell configuration manifested in his open hand.\nThen he was sent flying. He collided hard with the far wall and fell limply to the floor. Clara stared at the sight, unable to believe her eyes. She staggered over to Simon, who wasn’t moving. His wrist was bent at a sickening angle. He looked like a broken doll, and Clara saw red.\n“What did you do to him?!”\n“I warned him,” the witch said, swiftly rising to her feet. Her threatening aura filled and dominated the room.\nIt was the same pressure that had proven frightening to tens of thousands of soldiers. Clara was undaunted, however.\n“How dare you! He was the only thing I had in this world! What do you know?!”\n“I won’t know anything unless you tell me. Or was he so important to you that you wish to meet him in death?”\n“Die! Both of you!”\nNothing mattered anymore.\nAfter a moment of hesitation in the face of Clara’s mad frenzy, the witch drew up a spell to fire intangible power at her.\nFrom behind, Oscar got to his feet and stayed her hand, however. “Wait—don’t kill her,” he insisted.\nTinasha threw him a sour look. “She might not have been the instigator, but dozens of people are dead.”\n“Everyone’s wished they could kill someone.”\n“She’s thinking of killing you. A tiny splinter could be made a sword with time. It’s best to nip it off now.”\n“Don’t bother with her. Stop.”\nTinasha sighed heavily at getting told over and over to hold back. She dismissed her spell and faced Oscar. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling attached.”\n“I’ll take her statement through the proper channels. It’ll teach the noblemen a lesson, too.”\n“I wish there was something that would teach you a lesson.”\nTinasha waved her hand, and Clara collapsed.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWith the main offender dead, his accomplice—Clara—was banished from Farsas. As Als looked between Clara’s written testimony and the investigation report, he let out a whistle of admiration. “That Simon guy made it look like suicide, but he was the one actually killing them. What a letdown.”\n“That was the easiest way to do it,” replied Tinasha as she sipped her tea in the king’s study. The matter was all resolved now. “The woman had a bit of magic, too. She hadn’t undergone any training, but she could layer it on top of her song to give her a degree of control over the mood of her listener. The audience would get depressed and think they were about to commit suicide. That’s when Simon would strike.”\nOscar voiced a doubt after her succinct summary. “That woman believed herself to possess some other sort of power.”\n“Everyone she wished dead went ahead and died one after another. It’s only natural she’d think something like that after a while. The man egged her on repeatedly, too,” Tinasha explained.\n“What an incredible tale…” Als sighed, looking up at the ceiling. All the secrets had been revealed, but the case itself remained so peculiar that he had a hard time believing it all. “But what was his aim in the first place?”\nChin resting in her hands and a sullen look on her face, Tinasha answered, “My guess is that Simon just wanted to give Clara what she wanted. Evidently, this all started when a patron cruelly insulted her. Then he created the song for her. Their signal was that she would sing the song to someone she wanted dead. She was the one who selected their victims.”\n“And the tavern singer happened to hear the song and decided to make a name for herself by singing it, too?” asked Als.\n“The tavern singer was the superior performer. The tune was designed to manipulate emotions. An exceptional voice meant that no magic was needed. To sum it all up, everything stemmed from the man who composed the song. Truthfully, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a talent. If he’d been part of the royal court, a skill like that might’ve changed history.”\nAfter Tinasha brought the topic to a close, she returned her empty cup to the tray. Directing a frigid look at Oscar, she asked, “So how much of a lecture do you want to hear?”\nOscar grimaced. “You’ve already blown up the study; isn’t that enough?”\n“Of course it’s not,” she retorted.\nAls looked around the room. They weren’t in Oscar’s normal workplace. The witch had completely destroyed that room. That had been the perfect opportunity to move Oscar to a room more suitable for a king. At present, Als, Oscar, and Tinasha were standing in the new study. Oscar grumbled as he processed paperwork. “I swore Als to secrecy and everything… I never thought Doan would uncover the composer.”\n“How blessed you are to have such talented subjects. If you haven’t learned your lesson, I’ll hang you from the tower.”\nAfter taking care of the tavern situation, Doan had conducted further investigation to prevent any more trouble. In the course of his work, he’d determined that the song originated from a brothel. As soon as Tinasha heard that, she grilled Lazar and confirmed that requests had come in from noblemen.\nThen she visited the brothel herself.\nOn the night before, Oscar had returned from a meeting with Clara and was hard at work with Als. Suddenly, the door to the room blew apart, startling the two men.\nThe witch strolled in through the wreckage of the door. Her eyes came to rest on Oscar, and she smiled widely. It was the expression of a monarch—bereft of innocence. She opened both arms wide and called up a gigantic spell. Adorably tilting her head to one side, Tinasha asked, “You can die when you hear the song or die now by my hand. Which do you choose?”\n“………”\nImmediately, Oscar and Als realized their secret was out. Als squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of death.\nMagic rolled off the witch in unrestrained waves. One by one, the vases and jars decorating the room exploded. Oscar considered how to react for a moment. He decided to start by asking, “Where did you hear about it?”\n“I interrogated the brothel owner.”\n“Is he still alive?”\n“I didn’t hurt him, although I don’t think he’ll sleep easy for a while.”\nA windowpane groaned a terrible sound before shattering. A calm night breeze blew in from outside.\nAs that breeze swept past her, Tinasha flashed a wickedly beautiful grin.\nIt was her witch’s smile, capable of entrancing all who saw it and driving them to death. Her voice sounded like clear ice breaking to pieces as she said, “No matter how many times I tell you, it seems you never quite understand. It’s getting quite irritating. Giving in to curiosity and overestimating your own abilities… Since it sounds like you want to die in a terribly boring way, I can just kill you now. Go on, stretch out your neck.”\nShe sounded dead serious.\nA table and shelves burst to splinters. Als gasped at the frightening level of destruction. He wasn’t sure if he should get between Oscar and Tinasha or not, but he also didn’t think he could do anything to improve the situation.\nOscar stood up and met the witch’s gaze head-on. “Just wait a moment, Tinasha.”\n“Shut up.”\nThe well-constructed desk Oscar regularly used split in two as easily as paper. The walls began to bend at a convex angle with a stomach-churning sound. Powerful winds stirred piles of documents into a vortex.\nOscar strode over the broken desk and approached the floating witch. With a hand, he reached out to her.\n“Don’t touch me,” Tinasha snapped, trying to use magic to repel him. However, her own protective barrier canceled it out, and she was unable to.\nOscar pulled her into his arms, center of the storm as she was. “I’m sorry,” he admitted.\n“Do you think this is something an apology can solve?”\n“I don’t, but I’m apologizing anyway.”\nTinasha bit her lip. She looked down at Oscar with utter detestation.\nThe witch stared into the king’s eyes. They appeared calm but also slightly anxious.\nDespite Tinasha being a witch, Oscar never showed any sign of being afraid of her. She liked that but also hated it.\n“I want to bite you to pieces.”\n“If that will make you feel better.”\n“It won’t.”\n“So I’d get bit for nothing.”\nTinasha raked Oscar’s hair up into disarray. She cradled his head and stared at him. “I owe you a lot, so I’m going to let this go. But if you do this again, I’m going back to my tower.”\n“I understand. I’ll bear that in mind.”\nFor quite a while, Tinasha stayed gripping Oscar’s head. After venting all her frustration, she released him with a deep sigh. Slipping out of his grasp, she floated into the air.\nHis life spared, Oscar surveyed the room and blithely declared, “It’s totaled.”\nWhen the witch heard that, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.\nOn the day after the old study’s destruction, Als was sipping tea in the new study as he muttered, “I really thought I was gonna die. Stop getting me involved in your schemes.”\n“Lazar said the same thing to me earlier,” Oscar noted.\n“It’s what you deserve,” Tinasha spat coldly, though she still refilled Oscar’s cup. That done, she sat herself down on the armrest of Oscar’s chair. “If you want to go around womanizing, just take an official consort or royal mistress or something. Are you an idiot, wandering around outside like that? Are you an idiot king?”\n“It wasn’t like I meant to get up to any debauchery…”\n“Shut up.”\n“………”\nEvidently, the witch was still angry. Like a child, she kicked Oscar in the shin with her heel. “In four hundred years, I don’t think I’ve ever been this mad, and you’re not even an enemy.”\n“Well then, I’m glad.”\n“You shouldn’t be!”\nUsing a kick to push herself forward, Tinasha slid off the armrest. Hands on her hips, she faced Oscar and stared him down. “…Well… Even if I get mad, it has no effect on you… So whatever. I feel like I’m just wasting my power by getting upset.”\nTinasha gave a little shrug, accompanied by the same sort of cute smile she usually wore. She reached out and patted Oscar’s head. The motion was so gentle that his eyes narrowed happily.\nOscar caught the witch’s hand and pressed a kiss to the top of it. “Once I have you, I won’t need anything else,” he said.\n“That isn’t possible, so you need to choose someone properly,” Tinasha replied firmly. Then she let out a loud, high laugh. It was like the sound of a flower bursting into bloom."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0014.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 10. Moon Fragments\nA vast, pale-blue sky stretched out overhead.\nClouds streamed past and filtered the heat of the sun, shielding those below.\nAmid this gentle afternoon, the clang of metal clashing against metal echoed throughout the castle courtyard. The clear sound rang brightly. At times, it would come in quick staccato, while at others, it would be a slow legato.\n“Don’t fall back right away, Tinasha.”\n“Urgh.”\nPractice sword in hand, the witch parried blows from a similar weapon. She advanced toward her opponent’s left. Leaning forward lightly, she attempted to knock him off his feet.\nHer blade was repelled with a soft clink, however. It went flying out of her hand, rotated several times in midair, and landed some distance away.\n“Oh, that was close,” she said, clutching her numb wrist as she eyed the fallen sword.\nOscar rested the flat of his sword on Tinasha’s shoulder as he drawled, “Put up a barrier to repel anyone who might get close. I don’t want stray swords impaling people.”\n“All right,” Tinasha agreed, and she jogged over to retrieve the weapon. After checking her wrist, she took hold of the hilt and assumed a fighting stance again.\n“Is His Majesty here?” asked Als as he popped into the lounge. He’d looked everywhere for his king, and this was the last place on the list. He cocked his head to the side when he failed to find Oscar there, either.\nKav looked up from the essay he was writing and answered, “He’s outside.”\n“Outside?” Als repeated, glancing toward the windows in the back. The mages who frequented the lounge were standing there, watching the courtyard below.\nAls joined them and peered down, too. There he found his lord and the witch having a sword fight. “What’s going on here?” he inquired.\nPamyra answered him with a wince. “His Majesty said his reflexes were slowing and dragged Lady Tinasha out there.”\n“I see.”\nThe witch was quite capable with a sword, but Oscar’s superior skill was quite apparent, even at a distance. Als, who fell somewhere between the two when it came to swordsmanship, studied their practice with rapt interest.\n“Those two really do get along well,” commented Sylvia.\n“I suppose they do,” replied Doan from his spot next to her. Then he remembered something, and an evil smirk crossed his face. “There’s only four months left in their contract. How about we bet on whether they’ll get married before it expires?”\n“What?” cried Sylvia. Her brows knitted disapprovingly.\nFrom behind them, Kav declared, “I’ll wager on it never happening,” without even looking up from his writing.\nDoan laughed out loud after hearing his challenge so readily accepted.\n“I bet that they will get married!” Sylvia shot back with a huff. Her cheeks were puffed out.\nWith sides drawn, the instigator of the wager joined in and said, “I’m with Kav. It won’t happen.”\nAls shook his head in exasperation as he listened to the three mages. When the trio looked at him expectantly, however, he admitted, “I think they will. That’s my hope anyway.”\nThe votes were split half-and-half, and everyone looked pensive. Pamyra, who hadn’t placed a bet yet, offered, “I think the most important issue facing them isn’t their own feelings but the political situation surrounding them.”\n“True enough,” Doan agreed with a nod.\nAls cut in. “But in terms of someone who’ll be an immediate asset, there’s no better queen than Miss Tinasha. She’s strong, and she’s the heir to Tuldarr. She has knowledge and techniques that any other country would love to have.”\n“She brought almost all the artifacts from the Tuldarr treasure vault to Farsas,” Pamyra revealed.\n“You don’t say,” Als replied. He looked down at the witch in the courtyard with a good degree of shock. She was parrying and thrusting her sword in silence, her lithe form supple and flexible.\nPamyra watched her lady calmly. “I bet they will get married. I’d like her to find happiness sometime soon.”\nUnaware she was the subject of much speculation, Tinasha lunged again and once more found her sword knocked away.\nOscar returned to his study, feeling satisfied now that he’d loosened up his muscles. Tinasha, however, flopped onto the couch by the wall as soon as she got through the door. She crumpled into her seat like a boneless cat.\n“You all right?” Oscar asked with a frown.\n“I’ll be fine once I’ve had an hour to rest. I don’t have a lot of stamina…”\n“You should put on a bit more weight.”\n“I don’t think I can build any more muscle than this,” she answered, staring at her thin arms and legs. To all appearances, mage’s bodies were low in fat and muscle.\nIt was stranger still that she could even wield a sword with that physique, but perhaps her many years of experience had afforded her technique enough to compensate. In reality, no one could’ve held something as heavy as a sword without first strengthening their physical form in some way.\n“You’re not tired?” Tinasha asked.\n“That was just a warm-up for me. Lately I feel like I’m going to rot away behind a desk.”\nAs she thought about it, Tinasha realized that she’d seen Oscar doing nothing but clerical work for the past three weeks. The last time the king had enjoyed some fresh air and exercise had been during the death song incident.\nTo Tinasha, Oscar seemed the type who belonged out in the thick of battle. The truth, however, was that he spent almost all his time dealing with documents. He never even took time off. Tinasha felt a bit sorry for him. Oscar was still a young man, after all.\n“What do you think about visiting the brothel?” the witch suddenly suggested.\n“Are you teasing me?” Oscar asked, incredulous.\n“I’m not trying to…,” Tinasha said, floating up into the air and zooming over to his side. She was so tired that it was easier to use magic than walk.\nWith his free hand, Oscar tugged on a lock of her hair. “I’d rather you take me to the sea again.”\n“That’s easy enough,” replied the witch, sinking down onto the edge of the desk and picking up the papers that were left. She felt like there weren’t as many as usual. Checking the clock, she saw that it was only noon. “Then how about I help you with these, and we go somewhere in the evening? We can go to the sea or wherever else you’d like.”\nOscar’s eyes widened a fraction at her suggestion. “We can go anywhere?”\n“As long as it’s on the mainland. The city, the mountains, the lake, anywhere.”\n“The lake, then,” Oscar decided.\n“The lake it is,” Tinasha repeated with a soft smile.\nOscar felt his heart dance with joy like when he was a child.\nAfter all his hard work, he’d earned a bit of fun. So long as he was with his witch, he couldn’t ask for anything more.\nWith Tinasha’s help, Oscar’s remaining paperwork was resolved in under half an hour. She went back to her rooms to get ready and changed into a light, flowy dress.\n“Normally the two of you are busy when you go out together, so relax and enjoy yourselves,” Pamyra said cheerily as she helped her lady change.\nTinasha nodded but picked up on something odd she couldn’t overlook. “Something about what you said makes it sound like we’re a pair of lovers…”\n“That’s precisely what it looks like.”\n“Wait…,” Tinasha objected, feeling as if something was wrong.\nPamyra gave the witch a placid smile in return. “Judging by appearances, the two of you are very intimate.”\nThis was a clear wake-up call. When Tinasha reflected on how she and Oscar normally interacted, she could certainly see why things would seem that way. Tinasha acknowledged the facts and let out a sigh. “I guess it’s because I’ve gotten used to him touching me all the time…and I end up touching him, too. If this keeps up for another hundred years, I might end up marrying him by mistake. Scary!”\n“Will it really take another hundred years…? And even then, ‘by mistake’…?” Pamyra murmured, feeling incredibly disappointed. She was hoping to see her lady happily wed.\nOscar and Tinasha left the castle before sunset. First, they used Tinasha’s transportation array to jump to her tower; then they flew farther west on Nark’s back. Oscar was in holiday mode, carrying a normal longsword instead of Akashia.\n“Which lake are we headed to?” he inquired.\n“Lake Soknas in the south of Old Tuldarr. Now it’s part of Magdalsia, I believe. We’re almost there.”\nMagdalsia was a small nation in the southwest. Cattle farming thrived there, and mountains and forest dominated the majority of the country.\nAs they flew through the evening sky on Nark’s back, red slowly began to tinge the sky. The setting sun dipped over the mountaintops. Tinasha pointed to the overlapping peaks.\n“There it is, look.”\nTucked between the mountains was a flat stretch of land. Its edges were ringed with trees, and the lake in the center glittered with a reflection of the evening sun. Nark gradually dropped altitude.\n“I came here many, many times when I was little. A long time ago, you used to be able to collect bluish crystals called moonstones by the waterside, but I heard that you almost never find them now. I miss them,” Tinasha explained.\n“…I see,” Oscar answered.\nIt was rare for the witch to talk about her past, and Oscar studied her face intently. He saw only nostalgia there, no gloom, and that reassured him.\nNark descended lower and lower. By the time the dragon was about three stories above the ground, it was flying directly over the lake. The witch leaned to one side off the dragon’s back and gazed down below. The water was clear but fairly deep, as the bottom wasn’t visible.\n“Where should we land?” Tinasha wondered aloud.\n“Okay, let’s go!” Oscar declared.\n“What?”\nHe scooped her up in his arms and leaped off the dragon.\nHer long scream echoed across the lake, followed by a gigantic splash.\nSeveral seconds later, Oscar floated to the surface with Tinasha in his arms. He burst out laughing at the shock on her face.\n“Y-you gave me a scare… What do you think you’re doing?”\n“I thought that would be nice and invigorating.”\n“It was more like terrifying!” Tinasha cried. She felt all over his body to check for injuries. He’d shielded her from the impact, so she was fine. Most likely owing to the protective barrier, even his sword was still in its sheath. All was well.\nLooking up, Oscar saw Nark circling the lake while shrinking smaller; it had noticed its master was gone. Still laughing, Oscar readjusted his hold on Tinasha. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you scream.”\n“It’s been a while since I’ve heard it myself…,” she grumbled, placing a hand on Oscar’s shoulder and pushing off up into the air. She wrung out water from the hem of her dress. She hadn’t planned to swim today, so the cloth was sopping and heavy. Looking down, Tinasha saw that Oscar had started swimming. Fortunately, the water temperature was perfect. He was having so much fun that he actually looked his age for once, and Tinasha grinned. “It looks like this will be a good break for you. I’m glad.”\n“All thanks to you. Does anything live in this lake?”\n“In the past, it was just ordinary sea creatures, but now no one knows. Try to be careful.”\n“Got it.”\nAfter flying around the area, Nark landed on the witch’s shoulder. She lowered herself to the surface of the water and sat down there.\nThe eastern edge of the lake glittered a crimson shade, while in the west it was dark from the shade of the trees. A pale moon began to claw its way up. The sky was still a few shades lighter than the color of Oscar’s eyes.\nTinasha raked back her wet hair. She could use magic to dry it, but it wasn’t especially necessary, since it could very easily get wet again. Oscar swam up to her and rested his chin on her knees. “You look like a water spirit doing that.”\n“Do I? Maybe I shouldn’t be sitting on the water.”\n“Eh, I think it’s fine,” Oscar said. He tugged on her hair to bring her face close and planted a kiss on her cheek.\nTinasha’s eyes narrowed like a cat’s, and she gazed back at him with a complicated look on her face. “You know, Pamyra said we seem like a pair of lovers.”\n“Do you have a problem with that?” Oscar’s counter came so quickly that the witch had to take a moment to consider the question. Even if they seemed that way to others, that didn’t mean anything had actually changed.\n“…Not really.”\n“I suppose we would, though,” Oscar commented, smiling at Tinasha as he pushed back stray locks of his hair. Most of his smiles were more on the intimidating side—wry smirks or amused grins—so when he showed a simple grin like this, it was utterly captivating.\nTinasha reached out to touch his face. His blue eyes reflected the darkling sky. Upon gazing into them, she thought she could see the moon there, too, and leaned closer for a better look.\nThat was when Oscar yanked Tinasha down into the water, cradling her in his arms and pulling her to him. Not a moment later, something whizzed through the air. Something flew in from the shore and collided with Oscar’s barrier.\n“What was that?!” Tinasha cried.\n“An arrow…,” Oscar replied.\nTinasha rushed to catch Nark in her arms as the creature hit the water. Narrowly avoiding sinking, it thrashed in her arms. Oscar stood in front of them protectively, glaring at the shore.\n“Did you hit it?”\n“I don’t know. It went into the water.”\nFive men stared out at the lake surface from the forest at the water’s edge.\nIt’d looked like someone was sitting on top of the water, but that must have been an optical illusion. One man gave up and shrugged, lowering his bow.\n“Would’ve been great to get a water spirit’s treasure, though.”\n“If that really was a water spirit, you don’t want to provoke it. And even if you killed it, it would just sink into the lake and you’d never get it.”\n“Whatever it was looked human, but it was probably a fish or something.”\nThe men exchanged disappointed and relieved remarks as they turned back to leave.\nJust then, a loud splash came from behind them.\nThere was a woman standing on the shore that they could see through the trees. Her feet were submerged, and the hem of her black dress trailed in the water. Long jet-black hair and glistening white skin painted a portrait of ethereal beauty.\nThe men froze, but one of the younger ones pulled out an arrow. Taking that as a signal, the rest of the group did the same.\n“Wait. We’re human,” the woman insisted. The men squinted suspiciously at her.\n“Human? Really?”\n“Yes, really. We came from Farsas.”\n“I knew you’d look like a water spirit,” came a new voice. Startled, the group of hapless hunters scanned the woods. They saw a young man leaning against a tree with a sword fastened at his hip. He was dripping wet from head to toe, as if he’d been swimming. “That’s my companion. She’s a mage.”\n“Ah…,” the men murmured, finally accepting the explanation. Mages were a rare sight in rural lands, though there were many in Farsas who were ignorant of magic users as well.\nA man who looked to be the oldest of the group stepped forward. “We’re very sorry. We were convinced she was a water spirit and acted terribly. Are you hurt at all?”\n“I’m fine,” the woman said with a bright smile, coming to stand next to her companion. The men bowed their heads, abashed.\n“Normally, we’d be too scared of a water spirit to lay a finger on one, but we panicked…”\n“Has there been some sort of problem recently?” inquired the witch.\n“No, there’s a festival in our town today,” one hunter explained.\n“A festival? For water spirit elimination?” Tinasha repeated, finding it curious. Quickly, she dried her clothes and Oscar’s. The men were thoroughly impressed by the trick.\nOne man in the middle of the group laughed as he explained, “It’s a marriage festival. Nowadays, the celebration almost never accompanies a real marriage, but the whole town still gets into it. People come from neighboring towns and villages to take part, too. Would you two like to join in?”\n“What would that entail?” Tinasha pressed.\n“Women just wait in town. Men make the rounds of the lake and rustle up gifts—from nature, that is. They bring them back to the woman they want to propose to.”\n“I see.”\nRural areas had curious festivals. Mountain hamlets without much in the way of entertainment might toil all year preparing for festivals like this one. While Tinasha was impressed, she had no intention of participating. No sooner had she opened her mouth to refuse the invitation than Oscar tapped her lightly on the head.\n“Sounds interesting. Let’s do it.”\n“What?! Wh-what’s gotten into you?” she protested.\n“We’re here and everything, so why not? You go head on into town.”\n“You can’t be serious… You don’t even have Aka—”\nTinasha was about to say Akashia when Oscar ground his knuckles against her temples.\n“I’ll be fine. Go on now,” Oscar insisted.\n“I didn’t miss you doing this to me! Ow!”\nOscar patted his worrywart protector’s head. Leaning slightly, he whispered in her ear, “We’re somewhere safe. There’s no danger, so relax and wait for me. Things like this can be fun once in a while.”\n“…All right. We did come here for you in the first place…”\nOscar still had Tinasha’s protective barrier, but above all else, he was a strong fighter in his own right. The townsmen saw that they’d wrapped up their discussion and showed Tinasha the way back to the town. Apparently, while there were only five of them now, many more would soon arrive to scour the woods.\nOscar gave the witch a jaunty wave. “Don’t follow any men you don’t know.”\n“I’m not some lost child!” Tinasha retorted. While she still felt a bit uneasy, she had no choice but to leave and head for the town.\nIt only took a few minutes of walking before she arrived at the settlement. The place was in full festival mode. People were crowded onto the narrow streets, with alcohol and food on offer everywhere. It was completely dark, but soft lights gleamed from every direction, giving the whole place a warm glow. The sound of children singing drifted from somewhere nearby.\nAs Tinasha stood and paused at the entrance taking everything in, an unfamiliar middle-aged woman tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re here for the festival, aren’t you? Where have you come from?”\n“Farsas.”\n“Another faraway place… Well, you’re welcome here. Are you here alone?”\n“I came with someone, but he’s out gathering things in the forest.”\n“Ah, so you’ve got a boyfriend. Then you’ll need to change.”\n“What?”\nBefore Tinasha could even ask why she needed to change, she was led away.\nThe middle-aged woman brought Tinasha to the town gathering hall, where she guided the confused witch into a room jammed full of women changing. A chorus of admiring cries rose up from the women near the entrance.\n“Wow, so gorgeous.”\n“Heard she came from Farsas. So sophisticated.”\nThe excited women ushered Tinasha into a chair before she could get a word in edgewise and set about applying makeup to her.\n“Um…”\n“Don’t talk! I’m putting on your lipstick now.”\nAll the ladies surrounding poor Tinasha appeared to be married. They gleefully painted her face. The younger women, on the other hand, were busy getting themselves ready. Tinasha wondered why she’d bothered coming to such a distant place when she could’ve been subjected to the same treatment back in the castle. She wanted to run away but knew that it’d upset the people attending to her.\nPartway through a little sigh, Tinasha’s eyes suddenly widened. Something had made contact with Oscar’s protective barrier. A slight fluctuation in magic reverberated within her.\n“What’s wrong?” asked the woman powdering Tinasha’s face after noticing her darkened expression.\n“Nothing… I’m just worried about my companion.”\n“He’s fine. You should trust your boyfriend more!” the lady assured her with a grin, clapping Tinasha on the back cheerfully. Worry had already sunk in, however, and Tinasha couldn’t shake it.\nFinally, the women finished getting ready and trooped out to the town plaza. Tinasha followed, clad in the outfit she’d been forcibly loaned.\nThe center of the village was now full to the brim with women in gorgeous costumes, filling the place with the bright din of youth. As the women waited for their suitors, men returned from the woods one after another, found their mates, and presented them with gifts. Each presentation earned a chorus of sighing admiration, which in turn only elevated the overall excitement.\nTinasha took in the spectacle, standing at one edge of the plaza with a veil covering her face.\nShe did have some awareness of how her features made her stand out in a crowd. All she had to do now was meet up with Oscar and go home, but no matter how long she waited, he failed to show. Tinasha detected no further disturbances to the barrier, but that did little to reassure her.\nThe witch looked up at the sky from the gap in the veil. The moon glimmered translucently in the heavens.\nShe wondered if she should go after him or not.\nIt wasn’t that Tinasha didn’t trust Oscar, but knowing that he was alone made it difficult for her to relax. She was staring at the ground, plagued with indecision, when her veil was suddenly lifted up. Startled, Tinasha looked up.\n“Did I keep you waiting?” asked a familiar voice.\nTinasha recognized Oscar and sighed deeply in relief. When they parted, his clothes were dry, but for some reason, he’d gotten all wet again. As she reached out to dry his clothes, she smiled and admitted, “I was worried.”\n“No trust in me at all, huh? Hold out your hand.”\nPuzzled, Tinasha held out both hands. Oscar dropped something he’d been holding into them. The five rounded crystals were tinged with faintest blue.\n“These are…”\n“I bet you haven’t seen them in a while, right?”\nThe townspeople surrounding the pair gasped at the sight of the rare moonstones.\nFor a while, Tinasha merely stared at the collected stones that rested in her open palms. She recalled the ones she’d once collected herself. They were long gone now.\nWarmth bubbled up inside the witch’s chest. Blinking rapidly, she felt on the verge of tears. When she looked up at Oscar, he offered her an abashed smile.\n“Thank you. I’m really…very happy,” Tinasha said, beaming at him. While her childhood was long past, the grin on her face still appeared innocent. She was positive she wasn’t doing a very good job of smiling, but she really was very happy.\nOscar leaned in close to her. She closed her eyes and accepted his kiss.\nIt didn’t matter that they looked like a pair of lovers even though they weren’t. She couldn’t put it into words.\nIt was enough that he was next to her, touching her.\nAll of it felt entirely natural, and that’s what made it real.\nAfter Tinasha changed back, she and Oscar left the town. From Nark’s back, they watched the lake grow smaller and smaller in the distance.\nTinasha was clutching the moonstones protectively. “Where were these?”\n“The lake bottom. I grabbed a water spirit and made it show me.”\nThe witch’s jaw dropped; she was speechless. This man had the rare talent of finding trouble wherever he went.\nTinasha didn’t feel like lecturing him at the moment, however. The moonstones were warm from her body heat.\n“When we get back to the castle, will you change their shape and mold them into a necklace or something?” Oscar inquired.\n“No… I’ll keep them like this.”\n“Okay then,” he accepted, patting her on the head. She closed her eyes, happy.\nOscar’s touch was warm and fond, and Tinasha abandoned herself to the memories that washed over her."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0015.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 11. Green Vines\nThe wide underground cave was stuffy and damp.\nRevered as sacred ground, the hollow had long been kept a secret. A young man clad in blue gazed at murals that illustrated major moments in history. His sword was already wet with blood, red droplets dripping off the tip.\nFor a time, all was quiet and no one spoke.\nA man who’d fallen before the youth looked like he was still breathing, though only faintly. Another man knelt next to him and looked up at the youth in blue.\n“Who are you? Why do you have that sword? Only our leader should be able to inherit th—” In the middle of speaking, he caught sight of his elder brother, facedown on the ground. The man’s older sibling was the current leader of their clan. Sure enough, his hand was curled around the hilt of a sword identical to the one the mysterious young man was carrying.\nThere should’ve only been one of that blade in all the world. What did this mean? Why did this young man have the weapon’s twin and know of their holy place? Why had he tried to kill his elder brother?\nThe man’s mind swirled with doubts, and the one garbed in blue looked down at him. “You were just and fair. You treated me sincerely, which is more than I can say for my overly fickle father. It was you who taught me how to fight. I’ll always be grateful for that.”\n“…What did you say?”\nHe was certain he’d never taught this boy anything. This was their first time meeting. The man’s clan was nomadic. They were a band of robbers that drifted from one country to the next. This strange blue assailant had appeared in one of the safe houses the clan maintained.\nThe man’s older brother, the leader, leveled a furious look at the youth. Evidently, the mysterious boy had appeared while they were raiding a town, and they’d chased him off. The leader went after the fleeing boy and entered this sacred place. By the time the leader realized he’d been lured into a deserted area, the one in blue cut him down easily.\nThe boy ignored his questions and continued blithely, “I actually wish I could’ve saved my mother. But even if I’d prevented that raid, I wouldn’t have disappeared. I know that if I let him live, he’ll make my mother unhappy someday. He’ll burn her village down and take her away, treating her like his plaything. He won’t give her enough food, and he’ll make her sleep on straw. He’ll whip her harder when she gets sick and weak. He’ll try to be a good father to me, but…no father of mine would treat my mother like an old rag.”\nThe youth’s words were directed at the clan leader’s younger brother, who could only guess at the meaning of the speech. Dazed, he looked at the boy and asked, “What are you saying…? You and he aren’t even that far apart in age. He can’t be your—”\n“Exactly. This all happens later for you. But that future isn’t going to exist. I’ve altered it for the sake of my mother.” The boy scowled, and his face steeled against pain. “My mother was a kind and beautiful person. She should never have been forced to live that kind of life…”\nThe youth in blue let out a deep sigh. Quietly, he spoke into the dark cave.\n“After her death…I learned of a way to change the past. Then I came here.”\nHis voice echoed off the rock walls and faded away. The clan leader’s younger brother ruminated on what the boy had said over and over. Finally, he said, “…So that means you’re…”\nWhat the boy said pointed to only one thing.\nHe’d come from the near future to change the past. The one in blue was the spawn of the clan leader and some woman he’d abducted. The young man had somehow gone back in time to save his mother from her fate.\nIt sounded ridiculous, unbelievable even. That the boy carried a copy of the clan leader’s sword was powerful evidence, however. The weapon was only to be bequeathed to the next head of the faction of bandits, after all.\n“Tell me your name,” the younger brother of the clan leader insisted, hardly understanding why he’d said it himself. He simply felt like if he didn’t ask now, he’d never know. Nothing would be left of the boy. It would be as if he were never there. Perhaps the man asked for a name because he believed that. For the first time, the boy’s face relaxed.\n“You were the only one who was sympathetic to my mother. You helped me when I was little and buried her in her home village. That’s why I’ll tell you everything. My name—and how I came to be here.”\nThe boy glanced down at his father on the ground. A flowing pool of blood made it clear that he had little time left. That much was clear to all three who were present. The boy returned the sword to its sheath and presented it to his young uncle. “If possible, give this sword to my mother someday. Tell her it’s a gift from someone who wishes her happiness.”\nAs soon as the boy’s father died, he would wink out of existence with him.\nWith that moment fast approaching, the uncle accepted the sword…and nodded.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe eastern side of the mainland was home to the major nation of Gandona and an equally large country called Mensanne. There were many far smaller states that dotted the area as well. This created a land of many crisscrossing international borders. Unfortunately, this often gave rise to conflicts. Many of the smaller domains repeatedly invaded their neighbors.\nYarda’s invasion of Farsas ten years ago was one such case. Despite Yarda’s sudden attack, Farsas easily repelled the incursion. At the time, Yarda was well on its way to major nation status, but defeat saw it relinquishing half of its land.\nOne hundred years ago, Farsas built the fortress of Minnedart to keep an eye on its tumultuous eastern border. It was the largest garrison in the country, with thirty thousand troops stationed there at all times to secure the edge of Farsas territory.\n“Inspecting the fortress? I’ll go, too. If I take my eyes off you, you’re bound to wind up in trouble,” said Tinasha.\n“You’re the only one who would say that,” returned Oscar.\n“Everyone thinks it; they just don’t tell you.”\nOscar eyed the witch from his desk. She was standing before him, riffling through his stack of paperwork. In three days, Oscar was heading to Minnedart with several military officers to conduct a regular inspection.\nAs the witch read up on the eastern border, she hummed admiringly. “I see there was a skirmish ten years ago.”\n“A small one, yeah. You’re not really up on this stuff, are you?”\n“I normally keep to myself… Ten years ago means you were alive to see it, right?”\nOscar thought that Tinasha’s long life often made her phrase things somewhat strangely, but he kept that idea to himself. Instead, he cast back to his memories of the conflict. “Yep. I remember it because during the cease-fire negotiations, Yarda said they wanted me to marry their princess.”\n“What happened with that?” Tinasha pressed.\n“I didn’t agree. It only would’ve made things worse,” Oscar explained.\n“Oh right,” Tinasha said.\nAt the time, Oscar still had his curse. If the princess from Yarda had gotten pregnant and died, the two nations’ tenuous peace would’ve broken down in a heartbeat.\nThe curse breaker herself muttered, “Indeed, indeed,” evidently having banished all memory of the curse now that it was gone.\nIt seemed that Yarda bitterly regretted the entire affair, as they interpreted Farsas’s inexplicable rejection of the offer to mean that a Yardan princess wasn’t good enough to be queen of Farsas. Yarda had been in too weak of a position to back out of peace talks at the time, however, and ten years had done little to close the power gap between the two neighboring states.\nWhile Oscar attended to other matters, he added, “It’ll take about three days, so pack for that.”\n“All right,” Tinasha replied. She returned the papers she’d taken to the desk and vanished from the room. Snorting at how abruptly she’d left, Oscar picked up the documents.\nOn the day of the observation, Oscar, Tinasha, General Granfort, and three officers used a transportation array to reach the fortress of Minnedart.\nFarsas had over forty generals, and Granfort was the oldest among them. His initial misgivings about the witch had softened quite a bit with time. This probably had something to do with Oscar’s father, the former king, recounting the events of seventy years ago to the members of the royal council.\nThis served to clear up the misconception that Tinasha was a witch scheming to possess the country and revealed that she had claimed the throne of Tuldarr. Someone like that had to be acknowledged as highly valuable to society. Granfort and the others came to welcome her as a counterbalance to Oscar, considering how she often scolded him and kept him in line.\nTwo generals stationed at Minnedart welcomed the inspection party. General Edgard, who commanded the fortress, was Granfort’s peer. The other, Galen, was a rather young officer of only twenty-seven years. They both appeared surprised to see the witch but concealed that feeling immediately and knelt to bow to their king. Once the ritual greetings were complete, Tinasha tugged on Oscar’s sleeve. “I really think I should have come in disguise…”\n“That would be no fun for me. It’s fine,” Oscar replied in clipped tones. Tinasha scowled. As she followed him down a corridor in the fortress, she looked out the window and saw kids playing in a courtyard below. “Children live here?”\n“Residents of a nearby village have been living here since last year. The men of the town died in a battle, so Minnedart took in their elderly, women, and children.”\n“A battle…” Tinasha sighed. The children’s cheerful shrieks of joy echoed throughout the courtyard.\nCarel, a soldier stationed at Minnedart, saw that it was his break time and headed for the courtyard. Once the kids saw him, they dropped the stones they were playing with and ran up to him gleefully.\n“Carel! Tell us a story! We want a story!”\n“A story, huh? What do you want to hear?”\n“The story of the blue knight!”\n“Again?” Carel asked. He removed his sword and placed it on the ground before sitting down cross-legged. He was only eighteen. Having joined the army two years ago, Carel was still at the recruit training stage. The kids surrounded him, their eyes shining with anticipation.\n“Once upon a time, when our settlement was a vast prairie, there lived a beautiful girl in a village. A never-ending stream of suitors longed for her hand in marriage. But she turned them all away.”\n“I guess none of them were very handsome.”\n“Hush and listen. But one day, bad men on horses attacked the village. The bad men set fire to houses, burned the village, and tried to kill people. But then a knight dressed all in blue appeared. He drove out the bad men and saved the girl they were about to carry off. She was deeply moved and said she would be glad to marry him, but he declined and disappeared. The end.”\n“Carel, that was over too fast!”\n“Tell us a better story!”\nThe children protested one after another. Carel answered seriously, “It’s all true. That’s your story, and don’t ask for more.”\nThe kids continued to pout, and Carel was reaching to poke at their cheeks when he heard a young woman giggling from behind him. Whirling around, he saw a lovely and unfamiliar woman standing there. She met his eyes and bobbed her head to him.\n“I’m sorry. I was curious about what kind of story you were telling,” said the king’s witch as she grinned.\n“If that was over too fast, does that mean the real story is much longer?”\nCarel was thrown into a fluster upon learning of her identity, but when Tinasha asked for details about the tale, he sat back down. The children had lost interest and gone off to draw pictures on the ground some distance away.\n“The story I told is actually a real thing that happened in our village two hundred years ago. The blue knight was apparently the son of the girl he saved.”\n“Er… So you’re saying he came from the future?” Tinasha asked.\n“That’s right. He was the son she had after she was kidnapped by the riders. It’s said he came to the past to change his mother’s ill fate. Changing the past in such a way meant he’d never be born, though. Even knowing that, he still saved her… And legend has it that this is the sword the blue knight left behind.”\nCarel held up the sword he’d set aside. The hilt was engraved with a horse motif. The blade appeared well used but carefully maintained. That it had been handed down for two centuries suggested there could be some magic housed within it.\nThe witch examined the weapon, then voiced an objection. “I see… I think this story is far from the kind meant for children.”\nAs folktales go, it was well made, but it was public knowledge that there was no way to go back in time, even with magic. The part about the knight coming from the future wasn’t true, but it was still an intricately formed story. Tinasha looked back at the kids playing.\n“Do they come from the same village as you?” she asked.\n“Yes… Actually, our home was attacked by a tribe of riders a year ago… We sent out troops to defend ourselves, but almost all the men were killed. Survivors were graciously allowed to stay here. Sometimes I curse myself for not having been there. I’m sure I could’ve done something…” Carel bit his lip.\nTinasha’s face darkened. According to Oscar, a band of horse riders belonging to no country—a group known as the Ito—had long plagued these lands. They were nomadic and roved from nation to nation. Their raids were sudden, and they disappeared just as quickly as they came. Many attempts had been made to stamp them out, but as they would immediately cross into another country and go into hiding, they’d evaded justice for a long time.\n“The village chief’s wife hasn’t smiled for a whole year because her husband died protecting her. They just crush people’s lives underfoot without a care… I can’t let them get away with what they do,” Carel spat, his hands curling into fists. Anger filled his eyes, as if his hated foes were right there before him.\nRevenge begat revenge. Tinasha knew that all too well.\nThat was why she couldn’t allow any threats to Oscar, not even the tiniest seed. She would intervene and nip them in the bud before they could take the form of revenge. She knew they were all laughable tricks. She also knew that she would accept it if she got herself killed someday as a result.\nRegardless, she’d lived for far too long to cling to ideals… Her hands were already covered in blood.\nAfter dinner following the first day of inspection, Galen asked Oscar about his sleeping arrangements and Oscar burst out laughing. The rest of the party gaped as their king howled uproariously.\n“E-er, did I say something I shouldn’t have?” inquired Galen.\n“Unbelievable. Did someone put you up to that?” snickered Oscar.\nGalen had asked Oscar if the witch would be staying with him. It had seemed to be an innocent enough question, but it just as easily could’ve been the work of council members who’d pestered Oscar about marriage and heirs. After Oscar declared that he didn’t intend to choose anyone but Tinasha, quite a few people were now trying to push him in that direction.\nOscar prepared to tell Galen he was wrong, but Tinasha spoke up first from her place beside the king. With a hint of exasperation, she said, “If Oscar doesn’t mind, I don’t, either.”\n“…Do you have a fever or something?” Oscar asked, placing his hand against her forehead in true confusion.\nShe didn’t feel hot, though she did frown at him. “I’m the one who insisted on coming along. It’s fine, I’ll just change my shape.”\n“Oh right.”\nOscar remembered how she’d recently morphed herself into a dragon like Nark. The witch had the ability to change her outward appearance and age at will. With Tinasha as a wholly different creature, it was true that there would be nothing improper about them sleeping together.\n“In that case, I’ve got no complaints,” Oscar declared.\nGalen breathed a sigh of relief and departed. Oscar and Tinasha were left alone, and the witch said feelingly, “It’s actually perfect. This way I’ll know if you sneak out at night.”\n“There really is no trust in this relationship…” Oscar groaned.\n“I’d think it strange if there were,” Tinasha retorted coolly, then let out a little yawn.\nThe after-dinner conference lasted long into the night. The main topic of discussion was Yarda’s renewed suspicious activity. Oscar gave instructions to investigate, then retired to his bedchamber. There he found the witch dozing on the couch. It looked like she’d bathed and changed into loungewear.\n“Tinasha, don’t sleep there,” Oscar said, tapping her lightly on the cheek, but she didn’t stir.\nShe’d never know if I snuck out now, thought Oscar ruefully. Unfortunately, even if he did, there was nothing to do right now.\nDeciding to let Tinasha have a proper night’s rest, Oscar picked up her light frame and carried her to the bed—then he paused. He remembered how she shot up from the bed the last time he laid her down like this.\nTrauma from four hundred years ago was the cause of that, but Tinasha might still be plagued by that same nightmare. Even if things with Lanak had been resolved, Oscar couldn’t be sure. After a few seconds’ consideration, he sat down on the bed with Tinasha in his arms. He lay her down in his lap and poked her cheek again.\n“Wake up, wake up.”\nWith a little groan, the witch’s eyes fluttered open. Dark spheres heavy with sleep blinked up at Oscar.\n“If you’re gonna go to sleep, do it in the bed,” Oscar chided.\n“Okay…,” Tinasha murmured, crawling over to a corner of the huge bed with his help. Then she curled up like a cat and fell back to sleep.\nWhile Oscar was relieved to see she wasn’t having a nightmare, he realized something else with chagrin.\n“You didn’t change your shape at all…,” he muttered, grabbing a lock of her hair. This time, however, she showed no signs of waking.\nSighing, Oscar covered Tinasha with the blankets and then left to go take his own bath.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere were images she could never forget.\nBlood and the body of her fallen husband. The young man she could see just past his body. His arm on the ground.\nFor whatever reason, these gruesome memories of the past played back in black and white.\nThe only color was the chilling eyes of the man glaring at her.\nThey were a deep green, the color of a forest that knew no sun.\nShe didn’t want to see him ever again. She didn’t want to look.\nBut that green continued to torment her.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter leaving the witch where she was and going to sleep, Oscar awoke in the dead of night with a strange suffocating sensation. He blinked his eyes open but had trouble seeing anything. His body felt heavy. Something warm was touching him.\nAs that went on, he realized something had slipped between his lips and was licking into his mouth. He woke up instantly.\nOscar was shivering and dizzy all over. The woman’s tongue intertwined with his. His hands were held down, and he moved one to touch her cheek.\nShe noticed it and slowly pulled back. She sat up and lay a hand along his face; he was staring at her. With the empty eyes of a dreamer, she gazed into his blue eyes…and spoke.\n“Wrong…,” Tinasha murmured, then suddenly shouted, “No!” With that cry, she leaped up.\nOscar gaped at her. “What do you think you were doing…?”\n“I got synced up…,” Tinasha replied, sounding mortified. She clutched the sides of her head as she leaned over the bed.\nAs she moaned in distress like a child, Oscar came back to himself and patted her head. “That’s enough—just explain. I don’t understand what’s happening. Did you suddenly feel like marrying me?”\n“Not at all…”\n“You don’t have to answer so fast.”\n“I was in a deep sleep, so I dreamed on someone else’s frequency…”\n“What the hell?” Oscar asked, rubbing his temples. The manner in which he’d been roused from bed had left his head spinning. Checking the clock, he saw it was still hours before dawn.\nThe witch pulled her knees under herself, sitting up straight on the bed. She appeared somewhat more collected now. “Most likely, someone in this fortress is asleep and dreaming of something passionate. They’re unconsciously broadcasting those thoughts. The person in question probably has magic, but likely doesn’t know how to control it. Something like this wouldn’t affect normal people, but I have magic, and I was tired… I guess I picked up on it. I’m sorry!”\n“That was bad for my heart.”\n“Please forget all about it…,” the witch begged, groveling. Just looking at her like that filled Oscar with fatigue. He didn’t even consider taking advantage of the situation; he was just exhausted. This brief, strange incident had left him feeling as though heavy stones were weighing down his nerves.\n“You said it was wrong. What was wrong?” Oscar inquired.\n“Your eye color, I think. It wasn’t green…,” Tinasha admitted.\n“I’m glad you woke up,” Oscar said coldly. The witch refused to meet his eyes. Even if his response hadn’t been so frigid, she was still too ashamed of her own conduct. “Anyway, I’m going back to sleep. You better change your shape like you said you would.”\n“Okay…”\nOscar lay back down, rolling so that he was facing away from Tinasha. The witch finally lifted her head and changed into a black kitten. Feebly, she wrapped her tail around herself. Unfortunately, sleep proved elusive for her after the shameful mistake she’d made.\nWhen he woke up the next morning, Oscar picked up the curled-up cat by his pillow. The little animal gave a big yawn and jumped onto his shoulder, where it stretched. Oscar stroked its neck and said, his voice low, “If you want to stay a spirit sorcerer, you better remain in that form all day.”\nThe warning sent a shiver through the cat, and the creature shrank in on itself, ears drooping.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDuring the morning of the second day of inspection, Oscar made the rounds through the fortress. He listened to discussions of repairs for the deteriorating bastion walls. After that, he retired to a makeshift study and reviewed other reports. A few representatives of the refugee villagers requested an audience. Oscar granted it, and in came an elder—the former chief of the village—and a lovely young woman in her late twenties. Her pale golden hair was bound up, revealing the lines of her fine features. Ordinarily she would have been a peerless beauty, but at the moment, pronounced shadows cast a pall over her looks.\nSensing the presence of visitors, the black cat curled up on the corner of the desk lifted its head. It sat up slowly and stared at the young woman. Oscar took notice and glanced at her.\n“I see. So it’s you.”\n“Excuse me?” the woman asked.\n“No, it’s nothing.”\nThe woman introduced herself as Elze, the widow of the chief who was murdered. Even when she smiled to be polite, sorrow could be felt in every line of her face. With the greetings concluded, she turned to leave, but Oscar called out to stop her. “Did your late husband have green eyes?”\nHis casual question caused her to stiffen. Her grief-stricken expression froze in shock, which Oscar found suspicious.\n“No, they were brown.” The elderly former chief was the one to answer.\n“Huh. Ah, sorry for asking about something trivial. You can go,” Oscar declared. Once they’d left the room, he rested his chin on a hand thoughtfully. Bored, he sent the ornamental crystal ball on the desk rolling toward the cat. Its ears perked up, and it pounced on it.\nOscar petted the cat as it toyed with the sphere, and he whispered into its black ears, “Whose dream do you think she was seeing?”\nThe cat ducked its head in a shrug and batted at the ball again with one black paw, sending it spinning.\nCome noon, Oscar rode out of the fortress on horseback with Granfort and the other officers and soldiers.\nMinnedart’s inspection was also something of an excuse to check on things in the adjoining country of Yarda. With a black cat riding on his shoulder, Oscar gazed curiously at a reddish-brown, craggy expanse from his perch on a cliff. “The landscape changes as if there really was some sort of boundary. It looks completely different from the fortress’s surroundings.”\n“People say this area was formed from some kind of upheaval of bedrock during the Dark Age. There’s even steeper canyons closer to the border and tiny fissures hidden in the ground, so please be careful,” Tinasha warned.\n“Will do,” Oscar said.\nRocky hills and jagged peaks of many different sizes clustered together to form a natural wall. The formation had long safeguarded Farsas’s eastern front until Minnedart was built. An incursive force that was marching west into Farsas would have to veer farther south to avoid the difficult terrain. That would put such an army’s path close to the border with Gandona.\nTen years ago, however, Yarda had crossed these precipitous canyons to invade. The eastern half of the rocky ravine had belonged to Yarda at the time, allowing them to lay their preparations without Farsas’s knowledge.\nOscar stroked the cat on his shoulder. “Time to head back. I still have to tour the village.”\nToday marked one year since the refugees’ village had been attacked. Plans were underway to help them relocate. Many wanted to look around the ruins of their old home before they did so, however. They had left the fort together and were waiting with a guard escort at the base of the canyon region.\nOscar grabbed the reins and turned his horse around. Avoiding the protruding rock pillars that dotted the landscape, he guided his steed as it snaked its way down. As Oscar was jolted along in the saddle, he took in the sharp features of his surroundings. “When I’m with Tinasha, we teleport places a lot. It’s nice to travel normally for once.”\nWhen the black cat heard that, it whapped Oscar’s head with a front paw. The king didn’t look like he minded the cat’s slaps, however. The rest of the party, following behind, didn’t know quite how to respond and stayed silent.\nOnce they were halfway through their descent, Oscar’s horse suddenly stopped. The black cat on his shoulder raised its head.\n“Your Majesty? What’s wrong?” called Granfort. Before Oscar could respond, a shadow loomed overhead.\nLooking up, they saw a full lineup of men stood on the rocky hills towering on either side. Each man had an arrow readied.\nThe king had close to fifty of the projectiles pointed at him. With startling calmness, he mused, “Ito, huh? I thought you were a horse tribe. Where are the horses?”\n“Y-Your Majesty… You shouldn’t provoke them…,” Granfort insisted.\n“Tinasha, don’t make a move. Stay down,” Oscar instructed, giving his protector a concise order. Hearing her name calmed the men’s nerves a fraction. But the cat, half on its feet already, threw him a look of protest before reluctantly settling back down on his shoulder.\nOne of the Ito archers stepped forward. He was tall and appeared to be in his early thirties. He looked down on the Farsasian party with eyes the same deep green shade as a sunless forest.\n“I’m the leader of the Ito. I want to talk to the most powerful one among you.”\n“I guess that’d be me,” Oscar drawled. Then, with all the majesty of a king infusing his tone, he went on to command, “Give us your name.”\nThe people of Farsas all sat up straight at that, and the archers recoiled slightly as well. Only the man who’d declared himself the Ito leader met Oscar’s gaze without flinching, though he did seem surprised. He threw out his chest and declared arrogantly, “My name is Javi. We want something and came to negotiate.”\n“You’re awfully shameless for a thief. We wouldn’t mind cutting all of you down right here, right now,” Oscar needled.\n“That’s some big talk considering the situation you’re in. Don’t you have eyes?” Javi retorted. He probably reasoned that with all his archers’ arrows trained on the Farsasian party from the high ground, they could kill the whole lot of them in a second. The instant a single shaft was loosed, however, it would be the Ito who fell. Oscar had only traveled to the border with a small party precisely because it was fewer people to protect if a fight broke out.\nThe king of Farsas responded with a shrug.\n“You all can think what you want. Looting’s been our clan’s way of life for a long, long time. We take pride in it. How is that different from taking an army and attacking another country? I’m following a much more honest way of life than a man who doesn’t fight and just gives orders,” Javi snapped.\nA cynical smile played about Oscar’s lips as the fur of the black cat on his shoulder bristled. It opened its mouth to growl threateningly, but Oscar picked it up by the scruff of its neck. He ignored the little animal’s struggling.\n“You do love to talk, don’t you? What do you want?” asked Oscar.\n“A woman,” Javi answered.\nAt that, Oscar and the cat exchanged a glance.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA dry breeze blew in from the deserted village. From horseback, Elze gazed out into the distance.\nThis had been a peaceful place once. At the time, Elze had thought things would continue that way forever.\nShe hadn’t been unhappy with her husband or her life in the village. Elze had married the man she’d been ordered to and built a home with him. He cherished her, and their life was idyllic. She was very happy—up until the day the village was attacked.\nThe man who killed her husband. His eyes had seared into her.\nElze didn’t want to see him ever again. She found herself unable to forget those deep green eyes, however.\nHow often had she wished to forget them? She’d spent many nights desperately wishing to return to how things used to be.\nThe more she thought, the more those eyes plagued her dreams. She had no idea how long it would be until she could escape them.\n“What’s wrong, my lady?” asked Carel. The question brought Elze back to herself. The young man assigned to guard her was from her village. The concern in his voice was plain.\nElze shook her head minutely. “It’s nothing. I apologize.”\nEach time she was called “my lady”—the term of address for a chief’s wife—it brought reality rushing back. She felt suffocated, like there was nowhere for her to go.\nThat hollow sensation was absolutely because she’d lost her husband. Elze could no longer see a place to move on to or a path to tread.\nEver since that day, she’d remained frozen.\n“Elze,” came the voice of the former chief who’d accompanied her. She turned around, only to seize up in astonishment.\n“Why…?”\nThe king’s expedition party was coming down from the rocky hills, but its members had clearly changed since they’d set out. General Granfort was at the head of the group, instead of the king. What’s more, men who appeared to be Ito riders were mixed in among them.\nGuards around Elze began buzzing with concern over what’d happened. Carel’s face darkened at the sight of his hated enemies. Granfort, however, galloped over to Elze and said, “I apologize, but the situation has changed. We need you to come with us before we go to the village.”\n“Come with…? To—to where…? Why are they…?”\n“It’s a summons from His Majesty. You, at the very least, are to come with us,” Granfort declared with a grave look. Then he turned his horse around. Numb with shock and incomprehension, Elze followed, only to be reunited with those green eyes she had desperately wished never to see again.\nThe rocky protrusions jutted up together onto a hilltop composed of reddish-brown rock. Upon that was a natural, open clearing.\nIt was circular, situated atop huge, natural columns. The site was so high that a fall almost certainly meant death. There were large pieces of stone that rose higher surrounding it, however.\nOscar dismounted from his horse and brought only the cat with him to the unusually formed plateau. He looked around with admiration. “It’s like a giant cage. Interesting. Didn’t know this place existed.”\n“This is a holy place for the Ito. It is said that a long time ago, a god once visited this place.”\n“A god? Was it Aetea? A child of Aetea?”\n“Neither. The god’s name has been lost. It was some other deity.”\nJavi’s strange way of speaking made Oscar glance at the witch in cat form, but the cat only twitched its tail disinterestedly. Tuldarr had been an atheistic magic nation, after all.\nMore than thirty Ito riders arrayed themselves around the holy clearing, making no effort to hide their hostility. Oscar paid their attitude no mind, inspecting the cracks and fissures in the ground. He looked up to ask Javi, “So you want a duel?”\n“I do. If you want to call over men from the fortress to fight, I’ll send a messenger.”\n“No need. I’ll make do with the men I have here.”\nThe guards who accompanied their king didn’t appear intimidated, despite being outnumbered nearly five to one. They glared right back at the row of Ito men around the edge, who were emanating cold animosity.\nJust then, Granfort appeared at the top of the narrow hill road leading to the clearing. Elze followed behind him, and she turned white as a sheet when she caught sight of Javi.\nHe stared at her evenly. “It’s been a while.”\n“Ah…” was all she managed to get out before going motionless.\nOscar cocked his head to look at her. “Did Granfort tell you the situation?”\n“Ah yes…,” Elze replied.\nShe was what Javi wanted.\nOne year ago, he’d failed to carry her off. This time for sure, he vowed to use force to take her away.\nCurrently, Elze had no one to protect her. Her husband as well as the men of the village were all dead. So Javi insisted on having someone from the fortress that had taken her in act as her defender. Not wanting to engage in open war with the Farsasian troops and waste the lives of his clan, the Ito man had proposed a duel.\nThe demand was the last straw for the Farsasian side. Many lost their tempers and called the Ito audacious, greedy thieves. To them, the Ito were criminals and in no position to request a fair match. They wanted troops summoned to crush the raiders head-on.\nThe people of the Ito were not without their own complaints.\nWhen they looted towns, they didn’t kill women or children, and they had their own families to provide for. To them, pillaging was a duty they had to carry out to maintain their clan’s way of life.\nHowever, no matter the Ito’s circumstances, looting and pillaging were acts that Farsas could not allow. There was no way that Farsas would simply nod understandingly and acknowledge the Ito clan’s assertions. That was where the negotiations broke down. It was Oscar who’d quickly put an end to things.\n“Before us stands an enemy that has long eluded us. If we can win the duel and get them to do what we say, that’ll speed things up. That means that you are going to be the witness.”\n“I—I…,” stammered Elze, so dumbfounded that she was like a hollow doll that couldn’t move. She stood there at a loss for words as uncontrollable emotions crashed over her. Behind her, Carel scowled at Javi with eyes burning with hatred.\nJavi looked away from them and pointed to Oscar. “You choose three of your strongest. I’ll do the same. Sound good?”\n“No problem here. It’ll be over faster with fewer people. Truthfully, I don’t mind if it’s just you and me.”\n“What a stupid brat you are. All you do is mouth off. The people around you must suffer so much.” Javi snorted. The black cat tried to swoop down on him from Oscar’s shoulder, but the king wrapped a hand around its belly to hold it in place. The cat fought him desperately but couldn’t escape his grip.\n“If we win, you’re forbidden from any looting and pillaging in Farsas from now on…and you know what will happen if you break your word,” Oscar stated, his voice turning low and threatening all of a sudden. Javi flinched at the decree but concealed the unconscious motion and nodded.\nWhen Javi turned around and gave a signal, two men from the line along the edge stepped forward to fight in the duel. After approving them, he stared at Elze, who was still trembling next to Granfort.\nShe stared back at him, her beautiful face fraught with fear. It was no different than a year ago. She looked so forlorn and helpless that a gust of wind could blow her away.\nThat, however, was precisely what instilled such attraction in Javi.\nHe had met her during a looting where the smell of blood roamed heavy about the air. Shielded by her husband’s back, she’d struggled to hold him up. She was beautiful. Javi was done in at first sight. The fierce glint in her eyes as she’d looked at her husband had completely taken hold of him. He wanted to make her eyes glow that way for him.\nAmong Javi’s faded memories, only the image of her remained vivid and bright.\nHe could never forget the look of shock in her eyes as she stared at him over her fallen husband.\nHe had never felt this much attachment toward another person. But he wanted her badly. He couldn’t give up.\nThat was why he was here now.\nWithout taking his eyes off Elze, Javi rubbed his left arm. It had been magically reattached. Getting the limb back in proper working order had required a considerable amount of pain and hard work.\nElze’s eyes widened slightly. Her thin lips trembled.\nScratching his head in annoyance, Oscar walked over to where his team was. “So I’m definitely one of the three. What should we do about the other two…?”\nHe grabbed the cat by the back of its neck and lifted it up to eye level. “Going by order of strength, this one should be first, but right now she’s just a cat.”\nJust then, the cat’s outline rippled. The tiny black kitten turned back into the witch’s original shape in a flash. Oscar’s face darkened as he scolded, “I told you not to change back. Are you asking to get punished?”\n“Just because I was a cat, you can’t grab me by the back of the neck. I’ll suffocate!” Tinasha spat.\nThe others were speechless at the witch’s sudden appearance. No one thought that the king’s short-tempered little kitten was his protector in disguise. Rubbing the back of her neck, Tinasha said offhand, “I’ll go.”\n“No,” Oscar refused.\n“Let me finish… Of those two he’s going with, the shorter one is probably a mage.”\nOscar eyed the two men standing in the clearing. Both the muscular giant and the short-statured man were carrying swords and didn’t look like mages. If Tinasha said it was so, however, then Oscar believed her.\n“Got it. I’ll leave him to you.”\n“Understood,” Tinasha replied, already starting to tie up her long hair. Drawing closer to Oscar, she whispered, “Also… Isn’t there something strange about this place? I feel an odd presence.”\n“An odd presence… They said it’s a holy place. Could that be it?”\n“Mmm… Something about the story of ‘a visit from another god’ is fishy. If it wasn’t some member of Aetea’s lineage, then what did they take for a god?”\n“A high-ranking demon maybe? That sort of thing happens a lot.”\n“It does, but I think it’s something more…” Tinasha trailed off. The witch racked her brain, trying to figure out what it was that nagged at her. She shot a glance at Oscar with her dark eyes. “Maybe I should transport everyone to a different location? Like the castle training grounds or something.”\n“That would certainly be interesting, but I don’t think they’d go for it. We just have to make our win quick,” Oscar said, patting her head.\nThat was when a young man ran up to him. “Your Majesty! Please choose me!”\nThe appeal came from a rather desperate-looking Carel. Oscar gazed into his eyes, which swirled with resentment. “Why?” asked the king.\n“They’re the ones who attacked my village. They killed my father.”\nTinasha frowned. Oscar took that in, then returned his gaze to the soldier.\n“What’s your name?”\n“Carel, Your Majesty.”\n“Got it. You’re in,” Oscar decided, and joy bloomed on Carel’s face.\nNow I can defeat my enemies, the young man thought. He looked over at Elze, but she was still deathly pale and staring at Javi.\nThe first fight of the duel was between Carel and Joaquin, the enormous Ito man. The spectators held their breath as the two men drew their swords and faced off. Carel had the slenderer physique by a long shot. Against a person as large as Joaquin, it looked like a child was battling an adult.\nJoaquin looked down on his opponent and sneered. “You’re a survivor from your village? You should have stayed hidden.”\n“Shut up, you savage!” cried Carel, readying his sword. It was obvious to all that he exuded inexperience.\nThe match seemed decided before it had even started. Javi, however, frowned at Carel. “That sword… Why does he have it?”\nCarel’s weapon was the spitting image of a blade passed down from leader to leader in the Ito clan since ancient times. Javi was certain the real sword had been shattered in a battle during the previous clan leader’s time.\nJavi found it suspicious. Then he recalled something from his childhood.\nDeep in a sacred place, there was a story carved into the wall next to a mural—\n“And start!” called out a voice, signaling the beginning of the match.\nCarel swung his sword in a huge arc before running straight at Joaquin. He brought a blow down on his opponent with all his might. Joaquin deflected it with a smile, however. Carel slashed over and over at the giant man, but none of the swings ever made contact. Even so, Carel kept attacking head-on.\nAfter a while of batting slashes away, Joaquin’s lips curved up and he struck down powerfully from above.\nUnable to withstand the force of the strike, Carel was sent sprawling. The Ito guffawed as if they were watching an entertaining spectacle.\n“Dammit…,” Carel muttered, face flushing with shame. He wasn’t even allowed a chance to get back on his feet, however. Joaquin brought his sword down to crush the young man. Still seated, Carel scrambled back. The desperate maneuver had afforded him safety, but it didn’t look like he’d be able to avoid a third attack.\nCarel’s eyes shut in anticipation of death. No impact came, though, no matter how long he waited. He opened his eyes a fraction. “What…?”\nThere was a slender sword standing right before his eyes. Joaquin’s sword had been deflected by one much thinner and was now embedded in the ground. A small pair of feet crunched on the sand next to Carel, who was still in shock.\n“The match goes on. I’m up next,” said the witch in a voice as cold as ice. Her long ebony hair was bound up tight.\n“You’re sending out a woman? Farsas must be running out of capable people,” sneered Javi.\n“She’s actually too capable, if you can believe it,” Oscar retorted flippantly.\nAll eyes were on Tinasha, who casually readied her sword. Her formfitting mage’s costume threw her slim and elegant figure into sharp relief. The second man to fight, Inigo, grinned at her lasciviously as he gave her body a long, slow once-over. He pulled out a curved sword and faced her. “You’re a fine woman, though a bit too skinny. Maybe I’ll skin you.”\n“You’re certainly welcome to try,” Tinasha invited, flashing him a cruel smile. When the start signal came, she leaped off the ground. Her strike wasn’t powerful, but it came down with fearsome speed. Reflexively, Inigo held up his sword to block it. The witch’s weapon worked so fast that the Ito man’s head was liable to go flying off his shoulders if he lost focus for even a moment. He reassessed his initial contempt of the woman.\nIn a cold sweat, Inigo blocked three more attacks, then poured his strength into launching one big blow. Tinasha dodged it and jumped back. After waiting for the right timing, Inigo aimed his sword point right for her. He cast a spell, pouring magic into it.\nHe brought forth an invisible rope and sent the tip flying toward Tinasha’s thin frame. Conjured cord twined around her, binding her instantaneously.\nHer arms were lifted up, and with her wrists bound, she dropped her sword. The Farsasian side broke into a commotion when they saw that.\nOn the other side, crude grins spread across the faces of the Ito clansmen, who were well aware of Inigo’s power.\nNot many mages used swords. Few would’ve guessed that Inigo could use magic, especially after taking his rustic dress into account. Inigo had used that misconception to take advantage of scores of people in the past, toying with them before killing them. Inigo had savored every petrified look when his victims realized they’d been immobilized.\nInigo approached Tinasha and placed the point of his sword right between her collarbones. She met his gaze evenly, not appearing frightened at all.\n“No one said we couldn’t use magic, did they?” he snickered, sure of his victory. He moved to slit her costume open with his blade.\nBefore he could, his sword shattered apart with a ringing noise.\nInigo’s jaw dropped as he stared at the sparkling fragments lying on the ground. It didn’t feel real, and he didn’t quite register the evident danger he was in. He looked up to find his opponent floating in the air with a merciless smile on her lips. In a lilting voice, she said, “You’re right. No one said we couldn’t use magic.”\nHer ivory hands closed around his neck. Then the clearing echoed with the sounds of his screams.\n“So that puts us at a draw,” Oscar said matter-of-factly, eyeing Tinasha after she came back from her fight.\nJavi looked stunned. “What did you do to Inigo…? What is that woman?”\n“A mage got done in by magic. I don’t think I did anything unusual,” Tinasha answered. She returned to Oscar’s side and undid her hair. “Okay, now let’s go home. Right away. As soon as possible.”\n“What’s got you so spooked…? Well, go on, then, Tinasha,” he said. She caught his meaning and floated up to dab her blood behind his ears. That would allow a sword to get past his barrier, though not magic. Javi couldn’t cast spells, though, so that was enough.\nAs she was checking the spell, Oscar caught sight of her white earlobe and suddenly drew close and nibbled on it.\n“Hyaugh!” she cried in a strange voice, blushing and jumping back. If she were still in cat form, the fur on her back would’ve been standing on end.\nShe pressed her hands to her ears, while Oscar tossed her an evil grin. “That’s for not doing what you’re told. Stupid cat.”\n“Ugh! Why…?” Tinasha muttered reproachfully. Leaving her there, Oscar walked into the clearing, Javi following after him.\nThe air around them was tense. A dry breeze blew between the rock pillars.\nOnce he reached the center of the clearing, Oscar turned to look at Elze. He stared at her, something significant in his gaze. “What do you want me to do? Shall I kill him?”\nFaced with this sudden question, Elze’s eyes widened and she gaped back at him.\nShe couldn’t think. No answer rose from her heart. Her breath came in faint gasps as she stammered, “Th-that man killed my husband…”\n“I know. But that’s not what you want, is it?”\n“Wh-what I want…”\nAll Elze had to go on were the facts of what had happened. She was born and raised in a completely normal environment. She’d gotten married as her parents had wished. What she wanted had never mattered. Elze had never been aware of a want or a desire of her own. She avoided what one should and never did anything improper. She had lived a very ordinary, stagnant life.\nIt was unthinkable for her to feel attracted to a man who was an enemy.\nStanding next to the king, Javi’s deep green eyes bored right into Elze. She stiffened beneath the weight of his gaze.\nShe couldn’t answer, and Oscar eventually looked away to focus on his duel against Javi. He threw a sidelong look at the spectators and saw that Tinasha—perhaps doing what she’d been told—had changed back into a cat and was perched on top of a small rock pillar with her paws and tail tucked under her body. She looked extremely serious, which made Oscar snort as he pulled out Akashia.\n“Hurry and come at me already. If I don’t get back soon, I’ll have a mountain of work,” Oscar taunted.\n“Little brat… You better be ready,” Javi spat. He drew out a long broadsword. It was crafted to prioritize weight over sharpness and had the ability to smash apart an opponent along with their sword when he struck at full strength. Anyone who’d ever faced Javi knew to fear that weapon, but Oscar didn’t appear bothered in the slightest. Javi licked his lips and settled himself into position.\nThe start signal came.\nAs it did, Javi charged straight ahead. Immediately, he swung at Oscar.\nHis sword’s powerful slash was surely lethal for anyone on the receiving end, whether they parried it or not. Oscar leaped back to avoid it.\nJavi struck back swiftly with his heavy weapon, closing the distance between them with a sideways swipe. Oscar dodged the second attack. When Javi’s next blow came, Oscar fended it off with the edge of Akashia. He then used his left hand to catch hold of Javi’s right arm.\n“What?!”\nOscar ignored Javi’s cry. With incredible speed, Oscar drew back his own blade.\nFormidable strength brought Akashia whistling forward, and the sword severed Javi’s arm just above the elbow.\nThe limb hit the ground with a dull thump. Soon after, a bestial scream ripped through the clearing.\nJavi fell to his knees in pain, but he still reached out with his left hand for his fallen sword.\nBefore his fingers could touch the blade, however, Akashia was at his throat. A calm voice called to the Ito leader. “Looks like it’s my victory. I’ll make sure you honor our agreement.”\nA cheer rose up from the Farsasian side. The Ito were breathless with astonishment.\nBiting his lip, Javi glared at his right hand and his sword.\nElze nearly fainted as the match came to a close, but Granfort supported her.\nAmid all the wild enthusiasm, her body felt strangely cold. Color faded from the world.\nThe only parts of the scene that seemed alive were the man groveling on the ground without his arm and the red of his blood.\nShe couldn’t hear anything.\nShe couldn’t say anything.\nHis green eyes took hold of her. His mouth formed the shape of her name.\nThe world lurched. Elze slumped over.\nThe next thing she knew, she was on her knees in the pool of blood, reaching out for his face.\n“D… Don’t die…”\nThat was all she was finally able to say.\nJavi’s emerald eyes were so much more brilliant than they’d been in her dreams.\nOscar exhaled and sheathed Akashia. He then went over to the black cat and placed it on his shoulder.\nHe turned back to gaze at the man and woman in the center of the clearing. The dazed woman was trying desperately to stanch the bleeding from the man’s arm.\nBoth sides watched in silence as the bizarre scene played out.\nOscar snorted in disgust and spoke to the cat on his shoulder. “Tinasha, can you reattach his arm?”\n“I refuse.”\n“I suppose you would, but stop the bleeding, at least.”\nThe witch wanted to tut at him in annoyance. Oscar had never intended to have her reattach the man’s arm in the first place. He’d just made an unacceptable request first, so that she’d agree to something less drastic afterward.\nTinasha wanted to protest, but in the end, she bit her tongue and cast a spell to stop Javi’s bleeding.\n“What do you want to do about her? If you want to retrieve her, I will,” Tinasha said.\n“She can decide for herself. If she’s been dreaming about him, let her face him herself,” the king replied, and the cat stared up at him.\nThat was when her dark eyes grew huge.\nThe wind died down flat and the atmosphere suddenly changed.\nSensing something abnormal, Oscar shouted, “Get away from there!” to the two people in the middle of the plateau.\n“What?” Javi asked. He was the only one to react to Oscar’s warning. Elze wasn’t moving; her hands seemed affixed to the puddle of blood. She was looking down and away. Concerned, Javi put his left hand on her.\n“Hey, what’s wr—?”\nSomething invisible repelled his hand.\nThe wind whipped back up again, swirling into a vortex with Elze at the eye. The maelstrom quickly grew faster and faster, throwing the people in the clearing into chaos. Oscar shouted at everyone, “Get down from here! You’ll get drawn into it!”\n“Your order doesn’t decide anyth—!” shouted back an Ito member, whose words were cut off as the high winds pulled him off his feet. With a scream, he was swept out between a gap in the outcroppings and fell to the ground below. This shocked the other Ito clansmen into action.\n“R-run!” someone cried, and panic rippled out among them. People crashed into one another as they hurried to escape. Cries of those being trampled could be heard.\nOscar kept a hand on the cat. The poor thing looked like it was going to be sucked up in the vortex.\n“Tinasha, are you all right? What’s going on?”\n“I’ll…teleport them…,” croaked a hoarse feline voice as a transportation array engulfed all of the Farsasian citizens in the clearing. Granfort and Carel disappeared with surprised looks on their faces, but Elze remained at the center of the whirling winds. She was stock-still in the pool of blood. Suddenly, from a corner of the clearing, Inigo shrieked and squirmed away.\nCracks opened up in the earth of the clearing. Immediately, they widened and the red bedrock inside fizzled into sand and started to crumble away, joining the windstorm.\n“Not good… Tinasha, you okay?” Oscar asked again.\nAt this rate, the entire clearing was going to cave in. Oscar looked up at the cat on his shoulder.\nNow the cat was breathing raggedly. Its tiny body was shivering, and its black gaze couldn’t stay steady. The witch was in a bad way, and a scowl crossed Oscar’s handsome face. He heard Tinasha’s feeble voice plead, “Oscar… You must…stop it…”\nThe king of Farsas saw that a white mist was seeping up from the fissure closest to the center. It was heading toward him, and he used Akashia to clear it away. The mist vanished when it touched the sword, but fresh vapor streamed up in an endless supply. The huge chasm in the middle was widening little by little, and some sort of particularly thick mass was crawling up from it. It looked distinctively human as it tried to stand up from within the deep crevice.\n“What the hell is that…?”\nThe white mass reached its handlike appendages up to the sky. As it pulled itself free, it began to float into the air.\nSomething like that couldn’t be allowed to run free.\nOscar recognized that much intuitively, but there was little he could do in the face of such mighty wind. As a stream of sand reached his feet, Oscar brandished Akashia before the white creature.\nThen he threw the royal sword into the air. It soared through the eddying gale and pierced the white thing. The strange creature’s body immediately dispersed.\nUnfortunately, an even larger fissure cracked open the clearing. With a violent lurch, the cat fell from Oscar’s shoulder into the gigantic aperture.\n“Tinasha!” Oscar shouted, reaching for her. He missed but dived in after her without a moment’s hesitation.\nThe king and the witch were swallowed up by the holy ground.\nThey tumbled into a pitch-black opening in the rock.\nBefore Oscar could worry about where they would land, the crevice opened up into a wide space filled with dim white light. He and Tinasha were falling toward a body of water. Oscar finally managed to catch hold of the black cat in midair, taking it into his arms.\nImmediately after, the pair plunged into the water with an enormous splash.\nOscar broke the surface right away, boosting the cat up onto his shoulder. The cat had stiffened, its black eyes huge.\n“Are you unharmed?” Oscar asked with urgency.\n“Yu—”\n“Yu?”\n“Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck! I hate water! I hate being wet!”\n“Whoa, what’s wrong? Calm down,” Oscar insisted, but even as he spoke, the sopping wet cat was in chaos, attempting to clamber up from the water to his head. It dug its claws into his back in its panic, and Oscar patted the little animal. “I understand. You can change back into a human, so calm down. We’ve got to swim for a bit—don’t fall in.”\nThe pair were in a faintly lit, gigantic cave with walls of rock. It was much bigger than the underground cave Tinasha had taken him to on his birthday, though not as deep. It was more of a spring than a lake. Oscar was uninjured due in large part to his protective barrier. The considerable impact against the water would have undoubtedly broken something otherwise. It may have just been a spring that formed when underground water pooled, but to the wet cat, it was a full-scale calamity.\nWhat Oscar said must have brought Tinasha back to her senses and calmed her a little, because she transformed back into her original shape. The shift hadn’t freed her of a cat’s fear of water, however, and she clung tearfully to Oscar’s neck while he swam.\n“I—I got soaked… My fur got so wet…”\n“You can swim. What’s gotten into you? I can’t see where I’m going; move your arm out of the way.”\n“Cats hate getting wet! What is this awful place?”"}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0016.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I’d like to know that myself,” Oscar said, pulling the witch into his arms as he swam the rest of the way across the cold spring. When they reached the shore, he hoisted her up first before getting out of the water himself.\nMuttering complaints all the while, Tinasha dried their clothes. As she did, she froze. “Oscar… Where’s Akashia?”\n“I threw it. I saw it fall into a different fissure.”\n“I—I see…,” she said, most likely well aware that scolding him for something that reckless wasn’t going to help their current situation.\nTinasha sighed as she finished magically drying her and Oscar’s clothes.\n“What happened back there? You were acting odd. So were Elze and that Ito mage,” Oscar pressed.\n“Right… It’s strange that you were the only one unaffected by what happened,” Tinasha replied as she took in their surroundings. A lichen on the walls was emitting a faint glow that illuminated the place. The witch pointed to a singular rift in the wall. “Let’s walk and talk. I want to get Akashia back.”\n“Got it. Sorry about this,” Oscar apologized, ruffling her hair, and her eyes narrowed happily. They set out along the path the rift had carved for them.\n“Some sort of external magical interference was making me feel sick. A strange power from underground was coming up toward our internal magic. For people like me and the Ito mage who’ve undergone magic control training, it felt like something shut up inside us was forcibly churning us up. I felt so bad I couldn’t cast any spells. I don’t know what it was like for Elze, but I can only imagine…”\n“Mine is uncontrolled, but I was fine,” Oscar interjected.\n“You’re a bit of a special case… You also had Akashia. That Javi guy might’ve managed to avoid the feeling, too.”\n“Javi, huh? You didn’t like that place from the start, and I guess with good reason.”\nRegardless of what’d happened, Tinasha and Oscar were now underground. Oscar looked down at the witch next to him. “If you want, you can wait back at the fortress. I’ll look for Akashia.”\n“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m your protector. I’m actually very glad I came with you. I shudder to think of you off getting yourself drawn into trouble without my knowledge,” Tinasha stated pertly. She then grabbed hold of Oscar’s sleeve. The witch may have meant her words to be a sign of her dedication, but it betrayed her compassion more than anything else. Oscar smiled and continued the march forward.\nBeyond the rift in the rock lay a narrow, crooked path. Oscar ran his fingers along the surface of the wall. “This is man-made. Is this part of the Ito holy ground, too?”\n“Most likely. I think the aboveground part is just a lid. The battle on that seal is what broke it,” Tinasha hypothesized.\n“A seal… What of that white mist that was inside? Do you know what that was?” Oscar inquired.\n“I don’t. There’s not enough evidence for me to hazard a guess. All I can sense is that it’s something bad for mages,” Tinasha replied.\nAn end to their path was nearing now, and they could see that it led into an open space. Tinasha was about to advance into it, but Oscar held her back. “Someone’s there,” he hissed, pulling out his dagger. Tinasha obediently followed behind him.\nConcealing his footsteps as best he could, Oscar crept out into the round, empty chamber of rock. A man was crouched in the middle of it, and Oscar gaped at the sight of him.\n“Did you fall down, too? Are you okay?”\nIt was Javi. He looked up at them with empty eyes. “You… How did you get here?”\n“We fell. If you’ve got any fatal wounds, she can heal them,” Oscar replied.\n“Hey, don’t speak for me. I plan to kill all of them as soon as I can,” the witch retorted, sounding truly enraged. Oscar grimaced.\nHe’d learned over the course of their time together that she was indifferent toward people who were hostile to her but merciless to those who treated him that way. She was much crueler than him, particularly to people who struck back even after their defeat was clear.\nBoth of them were confident in their own abilities. Oscar was content to let his enemies escape, but Tinasha beat them down thoroughly to nip any future revenge plots in the bud. It was not easy at all to rein her in when she was full of wrath.\n“Leave it. You don’t have to handle everything. Besides, right now I have something to ask him.” Oscar turned to Javi. “What is this place?”\nMurals and written characters were carved into the faintly glowing walls. Javi glared at Oscar and Tinasha as if they were something unpleasant. “This is the Ito’s sacred place. Only the leader and his closest associates know about it. Carved into the walls is the history of our clan… I’ve only been here once before as a kid.”\n“Your history, huh? Interesting,” Oscar remarked. He walked up to the right edge of one wall, where the carvings looked the newest. Inscribed there was small, tightly packed text detailing the events of two years prior, with no pictures. In some places, it was too smudged to read, but here and there, Oscar could pick out words like two of the same sword, the past, magic crystal ball, and memories of a clan.\nWhen he brought his face closer to get a better look, Tinasha called to him. “Don’t wander around. This is more annoying than I thought.”\n“Hmm? What’s up?”\nTinasha was looking at an even older carving on the opposite wall. It was composed almost entirely of pictures, and she pointed to a drawing of a white human-shaped being. It had no face or clothing, and little balls were depicted at its feet. The other humans around it were reverently bowing down to it. “This is probably their visiting god. It’s the thing that just attacked us.”\n“Oh, because it’s white? Is it okay to decide that’s what it is just based on color?”\n“There’s more written here that makes it obvious. ‘The god who came from another place found the devil fiends mixed in among the humans and killed them. Everyone gave thanks to the god and feared it. They made a resting place for their deity.’ In the early Dark Age, devil fiend was an insult for mages. Mages weren’t treated as people back then. This ‘god’ can provoke reactions in people with magic, revealing them to be mages. That’s why the Ito revered it.”\n“I see. So they turned their sacred land into its resting place. But what is it really? It looked like mist. Is it a demon?”\n“No. A demon would have its own magic. This thing was different…”\nTinasha traced a part of the wall. Oscar squinted and saw that it was what must have been the god’s name, judging by context. But it had been scraped off at a later date, and only some of it was legible.\n“…ity…di…? I can’t make it out,” Oscar finally admitted, brooding over it.\nTinasha whirled around to look at Javi, a grim look on her face. “The god that came from another place. Have you heard where that place is?”\nJavi’s face was pale, but he glared at Tinasha and refused to answer. She let out a huge sigh. “The fact that you’re here but largely uninjured must mean that you followed the path down here yourself. You didn’t fall like us. You came in search of Elze, right? You better start talking before it’s too late. She had magic.”\n“Wha—? That can’t be…” Javi gasped. He struggled to get to his feet, but he fell to his knees in agony. After a brief moment of indecision, he finally decided to give Tinasha the answer that she wanted. “Th-they said it came from the north.”\n“I knew it…,” the witch whispered to herself.\n“Tinasha, what do you know?” Oscar inquired.\n“I can’t be certain, but there’s another country with similar stories of an entity that can badly affect the mind and body of those with magic. Its mere presence was said to be enough to cause their magic to run wild and hurt those around them…”\n“It can’t be…” Oscar had heard the same story. Just two months ago, he’d needed to review an account of it.\nBefore sending out Farsasian troops to aid in a foreign country’s religious war, he’d thought to study up on that nation’s cultural history. It was in that research that he’d learned of the entity known as the World-Splitting Blade or Sleeping Paleface.\nA huge country in the north worshipped that fearsome creature as a god.\n“…Tayiri’s one true god, Irityrdia,” Oscar muttered, completely stunned.\n“Most likely, yes… That giant thing was what they deified,” Tinasha affirmed.\nTayiri, which had long expelled and oppressed mages, was where Irityrdia had come from.\nIt was what led mages to run amok and hurt people. That in turn had caused those without magic to demonize spell casters.\nThis Irityrdia had drifted in from the north and come to rest here.\nTinasha uncrossed her arms and asked Javi, “So what does this room connect to? You must have an idea of where Elze is.”\n“…I couldn’t get in. It connects to a chamber just below the center of the holy place. But there’s an invisible wall, and I can’t get past.”\n“I’ll do something about that. Elze and Akashia probably ended up close to each other,” the witch declared, looking around the chamber. She spied a door across from the passage Javi must have come in through.\n“Oscar, will you wait here?” Tinasha requested.\n“I will not,” he stated flatly.\n“I thought so! I expected this! I want to forcibly teleport you home!” Tinasha shouted at him, just the same as she always did.\nOscar didn’t answer, instead offering a thought. “Won’t a mage be at a disadvantage against that creature? Won’t it just be a repeat of what happened earlier?”\n“I’ll put up a defensive wall. Besides, I’m not a cat anymore. If it tries to send out more magical interference, I just have to push back against it. I’m actually the most worried about you without Akashia.”\n“Hmm. Perfect timing—I’ll just borrow this,” Oscar said, picking up Javi’s broadsword. He handled it as if it weighed no more than a feather, and Tinasha felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. With no fanfare, the duo headed for the far side of the chamber.\nOscar pushed past the door that barred the way to a piece of mythological history.\nBeyond it, a winding narrow path extended outward. The surrounding stone made the trail just wide enough for Oscar and Tinasha to pass through.\nThe witch walked two steps behind the king so as not to get in the way of any sword attacks. Along with a long incantation, Oscar could see a finely wrought defensive wall taking shape around them.\nThe air changed degree by degree. As he made his way forward, Oscar asked, “If Irityrdia is up ahead, do you think you can kill it?”\n“I’m not sure… As we saw earlier, an attack with Akashia appears to be effective, but we’re up against mist.”\n“A mist creature, huh? Guess we’d have to burn it.”\n“I don’t know if I’d call it a creature… Judging by the interference I suffered, it was probably closer to a phenomenon. One that reacts to magic and rejects it.”\n“Rejects magic? So it’s something like Akashia?”\n“No, not quite that. Akashia dismantles and scatters magic here within the hierarchy where we live, but this phenomenon seems to try to push magic back to the plane in the hierarchy where magic primarily exists. The name World-Splitting Blade refers to how Irityrdia tries to cut through the gaps between planes in the hierarchy. Originally, we mages are born with power that’s on the magic plane. It feels like someone trying to make off with our very organs.”\n“It definitely doesn’t sound pleasant.”\n“It’s not. But that’s only true for someone who’s undergone control training and can store magic in their body.”\n“And for someone like Elze?”\n“…Their magic wouldn’t be so easily cut out. It could mean they’d be blotted out, soul and all.”\n“We’ll need to hurry, then,” Oscar declared, quickening his pace. Finally, the path began to widen and led into a chamber that looked like the carved-out inside of a mountain.\nInstead of glowing moss, darkness and white mist clung to the place. Oscar scowled as he peered at the way forward. “Isn’t there some sort of invisible shell up ahead?”\n“There is. That was probably what blocked that Ito man back there from entering. Someone cast a spell to prevent Irityrdia from escaping. Magic wouldn’t have been enough, of course—that’s why I believe they transmuted their soul into a spell. The seal must be very old, though; it shouldn’t have held for this long,” Tinasha mused. She sidled up next to Oscar and stroked the empty air.\nThen they heard a soft shattering noise. The mist was stirring. The white shroud blanketing the room surged forward toward them. But a few steps before it could reach Oscar, Tinasha’s barrier blocked it. Glaring at the strange anomaly, the witch waved a hand.\n“…Move aside.”\nThe witch’s power pushed back the pale fog that threatened to swallow the two. Sweat gathered on Tinasha’s brow as she forced the vapor aside.\nOnce Oscar realized that Tinasha probably couldn’t endure this for long, he patted her shoulder. “I’ll be back. Don’t overexert yourself.”\n“Be careful,” she whispered and nodded to him. Oscar took off at a run. He meant to look for Elze and Akashia, but he couldn’t see anything with the mist pressing in on him. Tinasha expanded her defense to encompass Oscar for a time, but once he got too far for it to follow, he dived into the mist alone.\nThat was when everything shook and warped.\nIt felt just like up and down were all out of order, yet Oscar’s feet remained firm on the ground. The persistent mist was trying to interfere with his magic—attempting to overwhelm him and the barrier Tinasha had placed on him.\nIt wanted to crush his body to a pulp, but Oscar marched onward, undaunted. “Elze! Can you hear me?!”\nJudging by how the woman had been acting aboveground, Oscar had to concede that it was possible she’d been pushed off this plane of existence. Even so, he called out in search of her. An instinct suddenly commanded that he draw his sword.\nSomething came whooshing down at Oscar from overhead, making a high-pitched sound when it clashed against his blade. Oscar tried to push away the other weapon, but his sword was suddenly confronted with nothing but empty air.\nTinasha’s efforts forced the mist back farther, compressing it tightly.\nFrom within the alabaster vapors, Oscar saw a person emerge. The sight of her caused his handsome features to twist. “You…”\nIt was Elze. Her blank eyes were darting all over, and she held something white and swordlike in her hand. It looked like she’d lost her mind, as if she was a marionette controlled by strings.\nShe lifted one slender arm—and threw the pale sword at Oscar.\n“Ngh!” he grunted. While he repelled the attack easily enough, the hurled weapon dissolved and turned to white mist.\n“It’s possessed her. Not good.”\nA corporeal opponent was a far easier target, but there was no way Oscar could attack Elze. As he hesitated, she swooped down upon him again. He parried another slash of a fog-formed blade, but he was at a loss for how to proceed. Elze was innocent in all this. Oscar found himself trapped in a stalemate. Seeing that her attacks weren’t landing, Elze leaped far back.\nThen she opened both arms and threw out her chest.\nOscar didn’t know what she planned to do, but then he saw mist start to move toward her open mouth. A steady stream of it flowed into her petite frame.\n“Oh, come on… That’s where this is going?”\nThere was little to do but watch the strange sight. Oscar had to wonder how such a slender body could house such a vast quantity of the strange miasma. He was granted precious little time to think, as Elze began to emanate a gentle light.\nOscar deliberated for a moment, and then he kicked off the ground and closed in on her. He slashed down from overhead to put an end to the mist influx.\nAn ivory hand stopped his sword, however.\n“What?”\nClutched in Elze’s hand was the blade of a broadsword powerful enough to cleave bone. While Oscar was surprised, his body moved reflexively. He let go of the sword and leaped back.\nSwinging from the blade, Elze brought the weapon to bear down at the exact spot where Oscar had been standing just a moment before. The huge sword she’d appropriated twisted like flimsy wire. As Oscar watched the weapon shatter to slivers in her grip, he wanted to burst out laughing.\n“If this is what a god is, Aetea’s downright docile.”\n“Come on now. You’re the king. Watch what you say,” came Tinasha’s exhausted voice. Oscar whirled around. The witch had stopped trying to push back the mist, as there was no need now that it was contained inside Elze.\nTinasha wiped the sweat from her forehead as she came over to Oscar. “That was pretty heavy labor… Any mages who faced that thing in the past definitely fell into endless despair.”\n“You okay? You’re really pale.”\n“I just feel extremely seasick. It’s like something’s churning up my insides… I can’t walk straight.”\n“I don’t feel it that bad,” Oscar admitted in reply. His surroundings grew hazy in the mist, but it was nothing like what Tinasha was describing.\nThe witch shook her head feebly. “Half of my magic came to me later in life, so it’s easier for me to feel the effects, I think… As for you, it’s because your magic is sealed.”\n“Sealed? This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Oscar said.\nTinasha’s eyes grew wide for a moment, but she immediately smiled as if nothing was wrong. “Oh, really? Then it must be my imagination. Let’s focus on what we’re going to do here.”\n“I want to hear more about that later. Anyway, is there anything we can do about Irityrdia without killing Elze?”\n“It’ll be very hard… Magic has almost no effect on it, so I can’t draw it out in the usual way. Having said that, it’s impossible to destroy whatever’s inside her without harming her body. The humanlike figure depicted in that mural may have also been a human who was possessed,” Tinasha explained without taking her eyes off Elze. “A physical form to attack makes things easier for us.”\nThe vapor that had once filled the room was now nowhere to be found. All that was left was a glowing woman in a dark chamber.\nWhen she opened her eyes, they were completely white. From her slightly parted lips came a trail of fine mist. She appeared human but was something else.\nThe witch frowned. “For now, we need to get Akashia. It seemed to be capable of dispersing Irityrdia.”\nOscar scanned the gloom. Now that the fog had cleared, he could see something glinting in the distance. Its occasional shine had been calling to him for a while now.\n“But if I cut Elze down with Akashia, she’ll die,” Oscar protested.\n“She will. But if that thing gets out in the open, something far worse will happen. So as a last resort—” Tinasha cut herself off. Oscar sensed someone approaching and spun around.\nA man had emerged from the passage into the chamber.\n“I won’t let you kill her,” he swore. He glanced at what remained of his right arm and declared with even greater determination, “I will not let you kill her.”\nHe was so weak he looked like he could collapse any minute. Still, Oscar and Tinasha knew his words were no bluff.\nOscar started to say something, but the witch held up a hand to stop him. She turned to Javi and said, “I understand how you feel, but something bigger is at stake here. Irityrdia has possessed her. If she’s turned loose on the world, it will be nothing short of catastrophic. Once anyone with magic gets near her, they’ll either self-destruct or go mad. A berserk mage is a threat to everyone. Things like that are the reason Tayiri has spent over a thousand years ostracizing mages.”\nTinasha’s dark eyes mirrored a dark abyss. Her gaze was the sort one could only acquire after watching bloody conflicts repeat themselves throughout history.\nOne look from those dim orbs was enough to paralyze someone. It was unmistakably the glare of a witch. How bottomless her eyes could be was something she didn’t regularly reveal; Oscar squinted at her. Javi stiffened, and the witch went on in a voice as cold as ice. “What she is now is nothing but a vessel that will propagate more innocent deaths. Do you want the same mistakes of the past to repeat themselves? If you fail to understand, then I’ll start by killing you.”\nTinasha’s tone was enough to snuff the life from those who heard it.\nNormal people would’ve cowered and begged forgiveness after one look into those ebony eyes.\nThe witch was only speaking the truth, however.\nJavi cleared his dry throat. He looked at the stump of his arm…but then glared back defiantly at the witch. “I don’t care who she kills or how many.”\n“That’s enough nonsense. You’ve got guts, laying down your own life.”\n“Even so…I won’t let you kill her. She’s the one I want,” Javi insisted, stubborn to the last.\nTinasha stared at the Ito man. Her eyes told him nothing, and Javi shrank back a little under the weight of her gaze. He held his breath and cleared his throat.\n“…Please save her,” he begged.\nTinasha frowned, appalled. She rubbed her temple with a finger. “I suppose I have to. But you’re going to help.”\nShe looked over at Elze. The woman was in a state of total possession, standing stock-still in the open space as if waiting for her next moment of opportunity. Tinasha gave Oscar and Javi brief instructions. Javi looked unsure but obeyed and took his position.\n“Do you think we have a chance now?” Oscar asked.\n“Mmm… I wish I had some sort of medium to ensure it’ll work. But I was a cat, so I didn’t bring any equipment.”\n“What kind of medium?”\n“Normally, I’d use crystals. You know, like the ones we saw at the foot of the humanlike thing in that mural?”\nEvidently, those ancient carvings were what Tinasha was basing her plan off. Without a conduit like the ones that had been depicted, all she could do was take over the job herself.\nOscar suddenly straightened up in surprise and responded, “Oh, I’ve got something that might work. Here.”\nHe pulled a small bag containing a crystal ball from his breast pocket, and Tinasha’s eyes grew wide. “Why do you have something like this? You’re not a mage.”\n“Because it’s your favorite toy. I brought the one from my desk.”\n“I’m human! I only made myself look like a cat!” Tinasha squawked, her cheeks puffing up. Despite her protestations, she received the palm-sized sphere and inspected it. “Urgh… It’s a little too big… Won’t fit in my mouth…”\n“What are you talking about? It’s a cat toy.”\n“It’s not a toy!” Tinasha insisted loudly. She squeezed the ball, and it shrank to the size of a small pearl.\n“What was that? How’d you do that?” Oscar inquired.\n“Shrinking magic is a real thing, you know. Now watch—the crucial part is what comes next,” Tinasha instructed, popping the reduced crystal ball into her mouth. Oscar’s eyes bugged out. Suddenly, Tinasha asked, “If I became a threat to the entire world, would you kill me?”\nIt was reminiscent of something she asked before.\nWas that the same situation Javi was facing at that very moment, or was it different somehow?\nThe witch’s question sounded like that of a little girl trying to probe into something she didn’t quite understand. Without any hesitation, Oscar responded, “Only if it were beyond a shadow of a doubt that you couldn’t be saved.”\nNo matter the situation, no matter the circumstances, if there was even a sliver of a possibility, he would reach out to help her.\nHe’d set her forward and get her on her feet. They’d move on, even if she were smeared in blood and mud—even if she’d garnered hatred from every side.\nIf she’d truly closed off every option and it was all over already, however…\nIn such a situation, Oscar knew he would be the one to bring Tinasha to her end. When he took the throne, he accepted the position knowing he needed to be prepared for that.\nHis words may have sounded callous, but they’d showed that he was more devoted to the witch than anyone.\nTinasha was left breathless at Oscar’s reply.\nAnd then…she gave a heartfelt, blissful smile.\nHer eyes were soft with feelings she couldn’t hold back as she gazed at him. “That’s why I can fight. Because I know you’d do that.”\nShe floated a few centimeters into the air and took Oscar’s face in her hands.\nTinasha’s dark eyes bore right into his. Then she closed hers, eyelashes fluttering, and pressed a kiss to Oscar’s forehead. After pulling back, she whispered in his ear, “Let’s go.”\nThe witch gave a solid pat to Oscar’s chest. At the same time, he saw the crystal ball go down her throat as she swallowed it.\nBefore he could think about what that meant, he broke into a run.\nThere was no more mist. Oscar was heading for Akashia, not Elze. The possessed woman reacted to his magic, taking no notice at all of Javi. Her eyes followed Oscar as he ran. A dozen arrows of that white fog formed around Elze before speeding after Oscar.\n“Guess you’re so predictable because you’re not really alive,” commented Oscar. Keeping an eye on the arrows closing in, he made a huge leap. The vaporous projectiles all missed, crashing harmlessly into the ground. With no change in expression, Elze motioned to summon up new arrows to chase him.\nThat was when Tinasha called out, “Hey, Irityrdia. Shouldn’t I be the one you’re aiming for?”\nHer voice cut through the dark, and Elze’s eyes swiveled to Tinasha. Clad all in black, the witch appeared not unlike a moon hanging in the night sky. “You were laid to rest here in this sacred place. I wonder how many sacrifices were needed to seal you away.”\nThe question carried across the cavern. It filled Oscar’s ears as he charged through the black. The closer he got, the more certain he was that it was Akashia sticking out of the ground. He picked up his beloved sword and was about to turn back when he noticed something scattered on the ground a short distance away.\n“Are those…human bones?”\nScattered skeletons lay faded on the dark earth. Piles of dust had accumulated on them, and in their midst glittered freshly shattered crystal shards.\nThe witch’s voice boomed. “You were held by an ancient seal but awakened in response to my magic. That is why you surfaced and reached for me…but I rejected you. So you took that woman instead.”\nTinasha reached out a hand. Her eyes curved beautifully with her smile and then flashed with irrepressible rage. “So come to me, O god who has killed many and driven more to madness, who has left its claw marks on history. As a mage of this land, I—the Witch of the Azure Moon—shall face you.”\nBlue flames sparked from her hands. A colossal magic bonfire powerful enough to burn anything to a crisp at a single touch sprouted to life.\nThe flame was so different from anything found on this plane of the hierarchy that Irityrdia froze for a moment.\nThen it let out a terrifying roar. “Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”\nThe taut scream emerging from the woman’s mouth rang double and triple in everyone’s ears.\nElze kicked off the ground and attempted to spring an attack on Tinasha. Javi had gotten behind her, however, and held her back. As he restrained her with only his left arm, his face twisted at her inhuman might.\n“Stay here… Do not go!”\nElze struggled in his arms like a broken doll. Javi gritted his teeth and dug in his heels firmly.\nShe fought and writhed, striking out at him with supernatural strength. There came the dull sound of bones breaking, and Javi doubled over, anguish writ clear on his face. He refused to let her go, however, and she let out a beastly howl.\nThey were entangled like that for a while, until Elze gave a jolt. “Ah…aaahhh…”\nFrom her immobile body, a stream of white mist began to flow out, drawn toward the witch’s flame. The sentient white mist pressed in. As it came nearer, Tinasha flashed it a dauntless grin. “Come.”\nThe witch closed her eyes…and let out a little sigh.\nThen…something winked out of sight.\n“Tinasha!”\nWhat she erased was the solid wall that was otherwise always in place around her magic. The first thing mages were taught was how to establish one’s individuality in the world, but she was a witch. Her distinctiveness wasn’t ordinary and neither was how she held her magic in check.\nShe had undone it entirely.\nAn almighty bundle of magical power was utterly defenseless.\nThe god turned into mist and surged toward it.\nTinasha extinguished her blue flame as the stream of vapor closed in but did nothing else.\nThe mist flowed right in between her red lips, entwining around her arms and legs and her waist. The phenomenon descended on her, trying to remove her magic from every pore of her body.\nThe sight was bizarrely beautiful and yet completely sickening.\nJavi stared in shock, assaulted by nausea. In his arms, Elze fell limp.\n“Dammit!” cried Oscar, running toward the witch. He realized what the piles of bones were. The mural had depicted smashed crystal balls and human remains.\nLong ago, someone must have used the same method to seal away Irityrdia.\nThe process entailed using oneself as a vessel for a god—but humans were short-lived. So in order to prevent a god lacking a conscious will from going free after its human vessel died, a crystal ball swallowed internally acted as a medium to store the god. Double vessels kept Irityrdia tied to this holy ground. The old crystal balls—the god’s resting place—had shattered into pieces under the pull of the witch’s power.\nTinasha had noticed the mist was sealed using two vessels…and resolved to do the same thing others had in the past.\n“Tinasha! Stop it!” Oscar insisted.\nIf she became a phenomenon that only existed to kill…\nOscar would be the one to bring an end to it. He didn’t plan on burdening anyone else with that responsibility.\nUndoubtedly, that’s the sort of role the witch wanted him to take. Oscar had always chosen paths that prevented the possibility from becoming an inevitability, however.\nA beautiful witch. The symbol of the strongest, most abominable power in the entire land.\nA queen with no throne from an empire that fell long ago. Oscar knew if he let go of her even once, he’d never get her back. She’d glide away as easily as water. Ordinarily, the two should never have met. The slip in time that had allowed it would carry her off.\nThat’s precisely why Oscar knew he couldn’t give up.\n“Tinasha!”\nOscar grabbed her shoulders. By now, there was no mist remaining. A wisp of white breath escaped her slightly parted lips.\nShe looked up at him with empty, dark eyes. In a thin, weak voice, she said, “Not…yet…”\n“What’s not yet?” he demanded, but he was relieved to see she was still conscious. She wasn’t lost. He could still get her back. Glancing down at her stomach, Oscar said, “I’m going to make you throw up that crystal. It’ll be painful but bear with it.”\nIf he separated it from her, they should be able to take another tack. He also wouldn’t mind just going back to square one. The two of them could battle the likes of a god. He was convinced of that.\nEyes still vacant, Tinasha immediately responded, “But then it might get away…”\nHer face was pallid as she looked down at herself. Slowly, she pressed a few fingers down on a spot in the center of her body, just under her rib cage. Then she slid her fingers lower. The black fabric of her formfitting costume opened up smoothly like a knife through butter. Skin as soft as virgin snow peeked out from under the gap.\nThen her fingers stopped right over her navel. “It’s here. You can do it, right?”\n“Listen…,” Oscar said in exasperation, having gleaned her meaning.\nIrityrdia was inside the crystal ball she’d swallowed. There was only one way to keep it from ever truly escaping.\n“Are you planning to make me disembowel you?”\nTinasha’s plan was to have Oscar cleave her through and smash the crystal with Akashia. By using her own body as a decoy, the god could be slain. That was the only way.\nThe graceful lines of Oscar’s face were all twisted in bitterness, which made the witch laugh. “Disembowel? You’re the one most capable of finishing the job with minimal injuries. I’ll heal right away, so I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m used to getting holes cut in my belly.”\n“Can you be a little less ridiculous…?” Oscar muttered through gritted teeth.\nIt was true that Tinasha had experience with atrocious injuries, but that didn’t make the decision any easier for Oscar.\nYet here the witch was, asking him to do just that, entirely naturally. “Take up your sword and win.”\nTinasha gazed at Oscar’s sullen face and tilted her head. “Do you not think you can do it?”\n“Don’t try to get me riled up, idiot. I’m just in shock at how shameless you are. Are you a cat?”\n“I’m not a cat,” the witch insisted. Complete trust shone in her eyes.\nNo—it wasn’t even trust. Her gaze was saying, You can do it. To her, it was just a fact, not a matter of trust.\nShe was handing her body, her life, over to Oscar without a single doubt.\nThis woman was nothing but trouble, and that was precisely what he loved about her.\n“Fine, I’ll do it. You do your best to dull the pain.”\nOscar wiped Akashia with a cloth.\nThis was the royal sword. It was meant for war. Its blade was not slender at all. But where he would be cutting bled out copiously even under the best of circumstances. He didn’t want to nick any other organs. Taking off his left glove, he touched her skin to make sure of his aim. He traced upward on her soft belly, and she shuddered. “Th-that tickles… Don’t touch it too much.”\n“Don’t move around. Just try and bear it. If you don’t stay perfectly still, I’ll touch you more later,” he warned her, and she screwed her eyes shut.\nTinasha used magic to anesthetize the area, and while she could stanch bleeding and heal herself, it wouldn’t be possible to do so as long as Akashia was touching her. He needed to be as swift and sure as possible. There was little time left to wait.\nOscar looked down at the witch. Her breathing had grown very shallow. While Irityrdia was sealed in the crystal ball inside her, it was taking a heavy toll.\nOscar collected himself and grabbed Tinasha around the waist using his left hand.\n“You’re my one and only,” he said, voicing a simple truth, the same way she’d done. “Concentrate. We’ll beat this without any close calls.”\n“Yes, of course,” she said, grinning up at him just like a challenger in her tower. “Oscar, I’ve always, always wanted to beat a so-called god to a pulp.”\nHer desire to fight was clear and honest.\nThe witch lifted her chin and closed her eyes. “Go on. Do it.”\nOscar nodded in acquiescence. Then he focused his strength into his grip on Akashia’s hilt—\nAnd crushed the thing once called a god."}
{"ID": "UnnamedMemoryVol2_866", "chapter": "section-0017.txt", "text": "Unnamed Memory\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 12. The Same Dream for a Time\nAfter doing much more than he had planned, the first thing Oscar saw when he returned to the fortress was his old playmate on the verge of tears.\nLazar was at the front gate to welcome his king back, and his knees almost gave out under him when he saw Oscar.\n“Y-Your Majesty… I’m so glad you’re safe…”\n“What are you doing here?” Oscar inquired very matter-of-factly.\n“What am I doing here?! I came running once I heard you’d gone missing! I was told there was some commotion over a duel with the Ito, but everyone was teleported to safety except you and Miss Tinasha!”\n“Oh yeah…”\nOscar and Tinasha had managed to sort things out and teleported back. Apparently, Minnedart had been thrown into chaos during their absence. Cries of “His Majesty’s back!” echoed throughout the fort. Granfort and the others hurried over, then looked down at the witch lying in Oscar’s arms. She was half-asleep but opened her eyes blearily at him. “Is it time to explain…?” she asked.\n“I’ll do the explaining. You just get some sleep. I’m taking you back to the room.”\n“Sorry… I’ll go back myself…,” she murmured, vanishing away with a silent transportation spell.\nLazar had gotten an eyeful of her all covered in blood and ventured fearfully, “What happened…? Did the Ito do that…?”\n“No, I did. I stabbed her.”\n“Excuse me, Your Majesty?!”\n“I’ll explain while we clean things up. Give me a hand.”\nHe was exhausted and desperately wanted sleep, but there was currently no one else around who understood the entire situation. Oscar gave orders to the people who had gathered around him and retreated to the makeshift study in the fortress.\nHe gave Lazar a brief rundown of everything. By the end of it, his attendant was left in shock. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right…”\n“No, you did. You just don’t want to believe it. Accept the facts.”\n“Why did you end up killing another country’s god when you just went out on a short observation mission?!” Lazar cried. The story about the battle with Irityrdia had left Lazar looking like he could fall to his hands and knees at any moment.\nNo work would get done if he wasted time doing that, though. The most pressing matter at the moment was the banning of future Ito raids. Oscar rested his elbows on the desk and placed his chin in his hands. “Well, all that stuff about Irityrdia is just between us. Maybe it was something else with a similar name.”\n“No matter what it was, I’m just so very glad you’re safe… Oh, that’s right, there was a woman who didn’t come back, either. What happened to her?”\n“Yes, Elze. After healing her, we dropped her off at the former site of her village. If she wants to, she’ll come back on her own,” Oscar explained.\nHe didn’t know exactly what answer Elze would decide on or how she’d face herself. If she chose to go back to her old life, the man who’d followed after her would surely escort her to the fortress.\nJavi had begged the witch to spare Elze’s life, even in exchange for his own. Oscar trusted that Javi and Elze would work things out with each other.\nAfter drafting the agreement that Javi had agreed to, Oscar passed the document to Lazar. Lazar read it over twice and asked, “This says that there will be a formal signing of an accord at a later date, but will the Ito really respect something like this?”\n“Good question. If they don’t, we’ll just have to deal with them in a different way when that time comes.”\nIf the Ito didn’t accept, Tinasha would fly into a rage and possibly annihilate their entire clan. For their sake, Oscar truly hoped this matter had come to an end. He looked out the window; it was completely dark outside. “There’s still a lot to sort out, but can I go back to my chamber? I’m worried about Tinasha.”\n“Go right ahead. I’ll take care of the rest,” Lazar replied.\n“Thanks,” Oscar said, gathering up the bare minimum of paperwork and heading back to the room he and Tinasha were sharing.\nHe thought she’d immediately pass out after teleporting, but she’d had the strength to take a bath and wash off the blood. She was laying on the bed in a nightgown and looked up at the sound of the door opening. “Welcome back…,” she managed weakly.\n“Are you doing okay? There’s no more fragments inside you, right?”\n“If there were, I’d definitely know. I’m fine. I don’t have a scar, either,” she informed him. After giving a little yawn, the witch turned to lie facedown.\nOscar sat down next to her, tugging on a strand of damp black hair. “You’ve really gotta take better care of your belly. That’s gonna bite you when you’re giving birth to our child.”\n“I won’t… I’m definitely not doing that… Anyway, you should get to sleep. It’ll be rough when the recoil from your magic getting shaken up kicks in later.”\n“I still don’t feel anything, though.”\nOscar did have to admit that he was feeling exhausted, however. He stood to head for the bathroom, but then something occurred to him. Tinasha was already dozing, but he asked anyway.\n“Are you going to sleep in human form? Did you forget you’re sharing a room with me?”\n“I trust that you have a firm grasp on your self-control…”\n“You’re gonna get yourself in trouble one of these days.”\n“When I’m a cat, I curl up in a ball… But I want to stretch my legs… Just let me sleep like this for an hour.”\n“…Go to sleep, then.”\nEvidently relieved by that, Tinasha closed her eyes immediately. Her breathing turned deep.\nOscar couldn’t help but frown in exasperation as he looked at her. The witch was so defenseless in sleep. She’d cozied up to him considerably compared with when they’d first met, but he didn’t think it was in quite the right way. He stroked her hair and covered her with the blankets. “So typical… You’ve gotta stop trusting me so much.”\nThe weight of Tinasha’s trust in him felt like a comfortable load to Oscar, though.\nHe wished that he would always be the one she asked for help and that he would always be able to pull her out of distress.\n“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”\nThe next day, he would take her hand again and they’d start their march forward. They’d journey to prevent themselves from reaching an end they couldn’t come back from. Even if that took a lifetime, nothing would make Oscar happier. He gazed down at his rare and precious guardian.\nThey carried the legacy of the Magic Empire of Tuldarr into a new era and destroyed the mindless god.\nThe story of the king and the witch still had many more pages to go.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I want to kill them…,” growled a voice in a dark room.\nThe speaker was a slender woman, and the fury in her voice seethed like lava sleeping underground.\nHer red-hot hatred scorched her spirit as she awaited the time to unleash her boiling rage upon the world.\n“I want to kill those two…”\n“…You can’t. Not only is she the most powerful witch but the bearer of Akashia is her guardian. Make no mistake, those two are the strongest duo in all the land,” the owner of the room said in reply to the first speaker’s litany of curses. She sounded bored, but lying below the surface of that was a placidity tainted with poison.\nHer matter-of-fact statement caused the incensed woman to bite her lip. “Even so, I want to kill them,” she insisted.\n“Weren’t you in the wrong? You’re the one who toyed with people’s lives.”\n“I want to kill them…”\nHer resentment ran deep. Her anger had deafened her to what the other woman was saying.\nThe owner of the room listened to the other whisper for a while before she suddenly gave a little snort. In an amused tone, the witch said…\n“Then let me teach you how.”"}