By Zephyria 
Isaac also found himself captivated by the Prince’s gaze quite often. He thought that being the Prince’s guard had its own advantages, as it allowed him to look at him so openly and frequently. Although he hadn’t connected this to the idea of sleeping with him, …well, if he did. …No, that definitely wouldn’t work. The impact of the lower body, which would undoubtedly be agonizing, was simply too great.
After imagining it for a moment, Isaac shook his head.
“It would be better if he were a bit softer… Then there would probably be quite a few people who would volunteer to be Kaieon’s bed partner. After all, given his looks and background, there are many people who admire him.”
As Isaac muttered regretfully, Brick tilted his head with a skeptical look. “I don’t know about that.”
“Isn’t the problem the size? That’s not something that can be overcome by mere affection.”
“No, still, if he just took it easy and wasn’t so rough, it could somehow… …Not me!!”
Shaking his head, Isaac suddenly felt a persistent gaze approaching from the side and snapped back to a serious expression. However, Brick’s suspicious look did not easily fade.
“I heard you even practice with sausages.”
“……. ……. …….”
Isaac closed his eyes, feeling as if he were coughing up blood. He wondered where on earth such nonsense was circulating and how. No, he didn’t wonder. He absolutely did not want to know.
Brick looked worriedly at Isaac, who was holding his forehead in dizziness, and gently patted his shoulder before speaking seriously.
“I have no interest in that sort of hobby, but my friend, out of the affection of colleagues who have worked together for a long time, I could lend you mine instead of a sausage once for the sake of your well-being.”
“Lend me what, you crazy bastard! I’d rather use a sausage!!”
Without realizing it, Isaac lunged forward and grabbed Brick by the collar.
The Great Hall fell silent. By the time he realized what he’d done with a gasp, it was already too late; everyone’s eyes shifted toward them at once. Isaac froze in the position of clutching Brick’s collar, and the Prince’s gaze landed on his face.
What on earth do I do now…
The stares of the people were piercing enough, but the expressionless blue eyes staring at him were even more terrifying. Moreover, because of the topic they had been discussing until just a moment ago, his heart pounded even harder. Cold sweat poured down.
“You there, what is the meaning of this?”
The State Chancellor, who had been conducting the meeting, shouted while raising a white eyebrow.
Oh boy, a disciplinary suspension is practically guaranteed. Isaac steadied himself as his vision went dark and straightened his posture. Even then, he was extremely bothered by the faint whispers reaching him: ‘A Royal Guard? No, an escort? Whose escort?’, ‘Ah, that person. You know, Kaieon’s…’, ‘Ah, exactly that…’. Seeing how those gazes immediately shifted to pity and compassion, he didn’t even need to hear the words to know what followed ‘exactly that.’
But that wasn’t the problem right now. He would gladly accept a suspension or any other punishment, but for a Royal Guard and an escort to chatter and disrupt the atmosphere during a state meeting was no small blow to the superiors’ dignity. Especially if it was that Prince, it wouldn’t be strange at all if his head were chopped off on the spot.
“You two, where are you stationed?”
The State Chancellor spoke again, sounding indignant. Isaac broke into a cold sweat, feeling the Prince’s gaze, which remained unchanged and expressionless. However, he couldn’t remain silent forever in the face of the imposing Chancellor’s interrogation, so he slowly opened his mouth, frozen stiff.
“Byeokyeong Palace, directly under Lord Kaieon—”
It was just as Isaac squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.
Right then, an anomaly occurred.
Suddenly, a painful sound, like someone being strangled, echoed. It came from the front of the Great Hall. While the people’s attention shifted back to the front, it was followed by a heavy thud of something falling.
A man sitting in the front row of the Great Hall had collapsed. It was Lord Luorden. He was gasping for air, clutching his throat as if suffocating, and his complexion had turned blue.
“Lord Luorden!”
The Great Hall instantly became chaotic as people crowded around Lord Luorden. In the commotion, Isaac, now free from the eyes of the crowd, looked over in surprise.
Lord Luorden, wheezing and clutching his throat, had his eyes half-rolled back, and a doctor, summoned in haste, knelt beside him to examine him. It was then that a faint pattern flickered briefly and vanished above Luorden’s forehead just as he finally lost consciousness.
The pattern, which looked as if it had been drawn with subtle light powder, flickered for only a few seconds, but it was enough time for the many eyes gathered around him to notice. And there were several people who knew what it was.
“The contract…!”
The contract was broken.
The contract made with a mage.
Not a proper termination through the correct procedures between both parties, but a unilateral breach; Lord Luorden’s contract with his mage had been severed.
Who was the mage contracted with Lord Luorden? What happened? Someone bring him here! As the noise of the people grew louder, the Prince stood up. A few people looked on in bewilderment as he left his seat without hesitation and walked toward the door of the Great Hall. Isaac, standing by the door at the back of the hall, hurriedly followed behind as the Prince passed him to exit—and for a very brief moment, their blue eyes met.
Someone seemed to call the Prince from behind, but the Prince did not look back. The same went for Isaac, who followed him. He simply followed the Prince blindly.
It didn’t take long to realize where the Prince was suddenly heading. It became clear as they entered the single path leading toward the northeast of the castle. At the end of that path lay the Hall of Mages, the research center where they gathered to deliberate and study.
Isaac didn’t even have the leisure to wonder why the Prince, who avoided associating with mages, was going there. Rather, the image of Lord Luorden collapsing earlier remained vividly in his mind.
What happened?
A contract with a mage wouldn’t be terminated by a mere mistake or error. Especially not unilaterally. The termination of a contract requires the consent of both parties, and if one party does not consent, at least something close to their essence is required.
If it were a superior, they might be able to terminate it by beheading the subordinate, but for a subordinate to terminate a contract without the superior’s consent was therefore impossible.
However, if that mage had something that could substitute for Lord Luorden. For example, a vital part of the body or blood.
Suddenly, Isaac recalled the words he had heard earlier. The story about that Dark Moon night when Lord Luorden had suffered terrible agony. Even without seeing it, he could easily imagine the terrifying screams and the thick smell of blood that would have filled that room. Yes—the mage could have obtained anything while Lord Luorden was unconscious and unaware of what was happening.
“—.”
What suddenly came to mind was the gaze of that young mage. That pitch-black, sticky, dark light like tar. That pale, gloomy complexion where the vitality had vanished. A chill ran down his spine.
Meanwhile, the Prince entered the mages’ research center. A few mages talking in front of the entrance or in the courtyard recognized him and gave him surprised and unexpected looks. Seeing him enter the research center without hesitation and walk with bold strides, those who looked at each other in confusion ran off somewhere. They were likely going to inform other mages.
Even without that, as he followed the Prince, every mage they encountered in the hallway sent looks of surprise, suspicion, or hostility. Isaac followed the silent Prince. Despite having likely never visited the research center, the Prince’s steps showed no hesitation, as if he already knew the internal layout.
A few high-ranking mages, perhaps having heard the news, chased after them, shouting, “Lord Kaieon! What brings you here?!” “Beyond here are the mages’ private laboratories. Outsiders are forbidden from entering. No matter who you are, Lord Kaieon, you cannot enter so recklessly!” But the Prince didn’t even pretend to listen. Isaac also shook off the hand of a mage who tried to stop him in confusion and followed behind. Judging by the presence heard from the other end of the hallway, it seemed that not only mages but also Royal Palace officials had heard the news and rushed over.
What is it? What does he intend to do?
Feeling a sliver of anxiety, Isaac silently followed the Prince until he finally stopped when the Prince halted in front of the room located deepest within the research center.
A mage standing as if guarding the door blocked the Prince with a stern face.
“This is the private laboratory of Lord Husfelt, the head of the Court Mages. Without Lord Husfelt’s permission, no one may en—”
But before those words could even finish, the gatekeeper’s head flew off.
Ugh, Isaac grimaced. Without even knowing what had happened to him, the gatekeeper’s body, still wearing that stern expression, collapsed to the floor, and the Prince flung the door open. Following the Prince as he walked inside, Isaac offered a brief prayer for the gatekeeper’s soul in his heart and stepped forward.
However, Isaac, who had been hurriedly following the Prince, suddenly bumped right into a back that blocked his path as soon as he entered the room. Realizing only then that the Prince had stopped right in front of the door, Isaac apologized, “I-I’m sorry,” and immediately froze as he looked over the Prince’s shoulder.
The private laboratory of the Mage Guild Master.
That sanctuary, where no one could enter carelessly, looked more ordinary than expected. Bookshelves and books packed tightly against every wall except the door, various experimental instruments filling the vast table in the center of a room as large as a decent mansion, and piles of research notes—while the sheer volume and complex arrangement were impressive, there was nothing particularly strange or shocking about it.
However, the floor area inside the table was wide and empty.
A large circle was drawn on the polished stone floor. Inside the circle, which was at least five or six meters in diameter, unrecognizable complex formulas and all sorts of geometric patterns were densely packed according to some rule.
Each of those patterns was drawn with a dark red liquid, and a tremendous fishy stench emanated from the drying drawing. It was a grotesque and evil magic circle that instinctively made one’s skin crawl the moment they saw it.
And at one end of that circle stood an old man with a hunched back. One would expect him to be surprised by the sudden intrusion of the door being flung open, yet the old man did not turn around.
A large, evil magic circle drawn in blood. An old man standing at its edge. A suffocating fishy stench. A massive, swirling, sinister current.
The old man standing amidst these creepy things slowly turned around. The moment the old man fully faced them, Isaac stopped breathing. The old man’s eyes were pitch black, with no whites left, looking gooey. As if everything inside had rotted away.
Isaac recognized that the old man was the man who was the head of the Court Mages and the King’s mage, having seen him from a distance during a large event in the past. But was the imposing man he saw back then such a small and shabby old man? Was this person truly the mage who harbored a witch in his body? Someone who looked like nothing but an empty shell…?
“Husfelt.”
Then the Prince called the old man’s name. But the old man did not respond to the call. He just stood there like a doll, staring at them.
The Prince stepped toward him without hesitation, and there was no time for Isaac to stop him or say anything. The Prince’s sword beheading the old man happened in an instant.
And—nothing happened.
With a hollow ease, without any anomaly, the old man’s head dropped into the magic circle. The old man’s torso followed and collapsed. If there was a single anomaly, it was perhaps the faint light-drawing—similar to what he had seen on Lord Luorden earlier—that shimmered briefly on the old man’s forehead before vanishing.
Ah, at this moment, the King must also be experiencing temporary pain from the shock of the contract being forcibly terminated. As that thought crossed his mind, Isaac soon stopped breathing. An overwhelming stench pierced his nose.
It was more terrible than any smell he had ever encountered; even though he held his breath, the air that mixed into his lungs made his stomach churn. Like a corpse left in a humid, hot place for months, the smell of rot, as if every single cell had decayed, instantly filled the room.
“—.”
Unconsciously covering his nose, Isaac instinctively thought, ‘Oh no.’
Something was wrong.
There was no way nothing would happen after this old man, the one who harbored the witch, the head of the mages, lost his life. Moreover, this smell, as if he had been rotting for a long time.
This is… a shell.
Whatever was inside had moved elsewhere, leaving only the shell to rot.
Whatever was inside—the Witch of Roberny. Had moved somewhere, to someone, and nothing remained here.
Where?
At that moment, Isaac’s gaze stopped at the opposite end of the circle where the old man had been standing. There were bright red footprints there. The footprints, made by bare feet, had not yet dried and were glistening stickily. It seemed someone had been standing there just a moment ago.
They were one step too late.
That thought flashed through Isaac’s mind. The Prince, who had looked in that direction almost simultaneously with Isaac, walked toward it. Then, he poked the footprint with the tip of his sword. A drop of pitch-black blood clinging to the sword fell and touched the footprint.
And.
Suddenly, the space shook.
A mad wind swept through the room. Despite the wind being so fierce that his ears rang, the objects did not move at all, as if they were in a different space. Not a single piece of paper flew. Even as the wind swept like blades, thinly slicing the skin of the Prince and Isaac.
And—.
「Have you come? But you are late.」
A voice mixed with laughter was heard from somewhere. From a place where one couldn’t tell if it was above the sky or beneath the ground, a grotesque voice—neither clearly a man’s nor a woman’s, neither a child’s nor an old person’s—echoed and soon turned into a cackling laugh.
Suddenly, a face floated within the space. That face, like a mask molded from wax, was smiling with its mouth torn open to the ears. It took some time to realize that this strange and eerie face was actually one he had seen before.
It was that man’s face. The man who had lost his arm, the young mage who was the Guild Master’s adopted son. But it was no longer a human. It had transformed into something that was neither living nor dead, neither man nor woman. To the point where it was hard to recognize.
「O descendant of the cursed royal family, why do you seek me?」
“Where are you, witch?”
In response to the mask’s words, the Prince asked back.
「I am in a new body. It is far more full of vitality and comfortable than that old man’s. The mana is quite usable, so I shall endure well for a while.」
Though it was a body that would begin to rot starting today, the mask laughed loudly, like a woman who had been gifted a favorite new dress.
“It couldn’t have been easy to obtain, yet you managed it well,” the Prince said. But the response to those indifferent words was unexpectedly prompt.
「No, it wasn’t difficult. It was very easy. He sought me out first.」
Isaac, his eyes wide, looked at the face of the mask that had once been human. That face that had made the worst choice a human could make.
As a mage, not just an ordinary person, he would have known all too well. That his soul would now suffer eternally in the flames of hell. Despite that, the fact that he had desperately wanted the witch enough to seek her out first.
「O descendant of the cursed royal family, you seek me surely because of the curse placed upon you, yes? Do you wish to find a way to break that curse? Or do you wish to vent your anger by killing witches indiscriminately?」
Then, the mask drew close to the Prince. Whispering coquettishly, the mask came right up to the Prince’s nose, stared intently at him, and smirked.
「Or—do you intend to break the curse by killing all the witches who will gather at the banquet of the Great Dark Moon?」
The Prince merely looked at the mask with an expressionless face, offering no response. However, his eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at it, and in that moment, Isaac realized that the mask’s whispers had struck a chord deep within his heart.
The mask likely realized it too. It burst into a fit of cackling laughter. Spinning in circles in the air, laughing long and loud as if it were dying of joy, the mask drew close to the Prince once more. Then, it whispered in a mock-pitying tone.
“But oh, what a pity. That wish can never come true. No matter what happens. Even if—yes, just say, by some slim chance—you kill me and wipe out every single witch in this land—or even if the witch who cast the Curse upon you comes back to life—you will never be free from the Curse for as long as you live.”
The mask gave a thin, sly smile.
“Because this is the Curse that this man—this foolish, dim-witted new shell of mine—traded his own soul for in a deal with me.”
Exhilaration seeped into the mask’s low voice. Listening to that slender whisper, which seemed to swallow human despair like sweet honey, Isaac felt his heart grow cold.
That was the only thing the young mage had desired. That the Curse placed upon the Prince would never be broken, no matter what. For a lifetime, until the day the Prince’s life ended. Even if the witch who made the contract died. Even if the Curses of all others were lifted, the Prince alone was to remain bound by the Curse until death.
That contract would surely be fulfilled according to the divine laws of nature, and now, whatever the Prince wished to achieve would never come to pass. He would never attain what he desired.
The mask burst into laughter. The sound of its manic cackling felt as if it were tearing through his eardrums. Isaac covered his ears as the sound hammered into his mind, but it was useless.
Then, just as the laughter seemed to subside, the mask suddenly lunged in front of Isaac. Facing the mask, which had abruptly appeared inches from his nose, Isaac held his breath.
A face as pale as a corpse stared intently at Isaac. Its pitch-black eyes were like the abyss of hell. Is this a witch? This is the true form of a witch that humans encounter.
“You’ve come here too,” the mask whispered. Those black eyes narrowed, and the corners of the mask’s mouth curled upward. In that instant, Isaac recalled a night a few days ago. A night close to the Dark Moon, the corpse he had encountered inside a burning warehouse. Yes, he had already met this witch there.
“Why did something that is neither this nor that crawl out from hiding like a worm? If you’ve crawled out, you should stay where you can preserve your breath; why are you with such a cursed human?”
The mask circled around Isaac, mocking him.
“How foolish, how utterly foolish. Staying with this man, you will not remain unscathed. This man is one who shall live in a living hell, where even while alive, he is not truly living; because of him, whoever is by his side will be miserable.”
“That will not happen.”
Isaac’s response was almost reflexive. At the clear words spoken while looking the mask straight in the eye, the mask fell silent for a moment. However, that silence was soon shattered by boisterous laughter.
“Young and insolent, yet bold. Then, do you claim your current state is not miserable?”
“It is not.”
Isaac answered again, and once more, the mask laughed loudly. However, as if displeased by the answer, the mask’s pale face grew even more bleakly sharp. That eerie face pressed close to Isaac. So close that their noses almost touched, the black eyes glared at him.
“You arrogant brat. Let us see if you say the same the next time we meet. Though I do not know if you will even be alive by then.”
The mask laughed longly. The sound felt like a needle piercing his ears.
The sound that seemed to shake his very brain stopped only when a sword cleaved through the air and sliced the mask apart.
The mask that had been floating in the air vanished instantly. The laughter that pierced the eardrums and the blade-like wind that had swept through the room ceased. Only silence remained, as if nothing had happened.
“…”
Isaac stared blankly at his feet.
The blackened, dried-up magic circle was still there. The vibrating stench of rot and the corpse of the old mage lying at its edge remained unchanged. It seemed as if nothing had happened, but the events of a moment ago had clearly taken place in reality. The witch had been here until just a second ago, and every word she spoke remained vivid in his mind.
“…”
As Isaac lifted his head, his eyes met the Prince’s. The Prince, who had been staring intently at Isaac while slowly shaking the blood off his sword, spoke to Isaac, who was silently meeting his gaze.
“Your face is already steeped in misery. There was no need to wait until the next time we met.”
“Me? …That’s not the case.”
Isaac shook his head. The Prince looked at Isaac in silence for a moment and then gestured with his head. Following the direction of the gesture, Isaac saw a wall mirror. Reflected in it was his own face, drooping with a gloom that anyone could recognize at a glance.
“It’s not because I’m miserable. It’s not that… I’m just depressed.”
Isaac murmured like a sigh.
Yes, he was depressed. It might be more accurate to say his heart felt heavy, but there was little difference.
The Prince would now never escape the Curse. No matter what happened.
“There must be… a way.”
Even the voice whispering those words lacked strength. Then, a thought suddenly occurred to Isaac.
The flint jar.
It was said to be an incomparably precious treasure. Something that could turn even a Half-Witch into a pure witch. Perhaps if he had that. If that existed, wouldn’t something be possible? …Please. Please let it be so.
“There must be a way to break the Curse,” Isaac said again, as if repeating it would make it come true. The Prince, watching Isaac, raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had never given such a possibility any thought.
Once, twice, as he shook off his sword, the Prince, appearing lost in thought, asked.
“Why does my Curse give you reason to be depressed?”
To that calm question tinged with curiosity, Isaac could find no answer. After hesitating for a long time, he only murmured, “I wonder.”
“…I wonder indeed. I have no reason to be depressed… yet my heart feels heavy.”
The fading murmur sounded like he was talking to himself. He tried taking a deep breath, but his heart did not lighten in the least. The Prince watched Isaac in silence as he rubbed his heavy chest and took deep breaths two, three times. He watched as if observing something he didn’t understand, as if a detailed examination might yield a convincing answer.
However, before a clear light could dawn on the Prince’s face, the heavy, quiet silence was broken.
From far outside, the sound of urgent footsteps echoed through the corridor, drawing closer. And before long—
“Lord Husfelt! …W-what is the meaning of this!”
A group burst into the room. About a dozen men—a mix of mages, guards, and officials—were struck speechless by the sight before them.
A massive magic circle drawn on the floor, the Guild Master dead within it, and the Prince holding a sword from which black, tar-like blood dripped viscously.
Even those who knew nothing of the circumstances could tell one thing clearly from the scene.
The Prince had killed the Guild Master.
It heralded the onset of countless rumors, speculations, and the clash of tangled political positions that would soon spread, and in the midst of this unprecedented situation, no one could find the words to speak.
The cats spoke in unison.
「No.」
Isaac blinked at the cats and asked back in a slightly discouraged voice.
“No? No matter what?”
「No, no.」
The cats’ answer was firm. The way they indifferently licked their paws suggested they had no intention of providing any clever solution.
“I thought the flint jar was such a great treasure? You can’t even do that much?”
When Isaac grumbled, asking what kind of treasure that was, the cats widened their already large eyes.
「A Curse traded for a life was locked again by a Curse traded for a life; how do you undo that? Do you think life is that cheap?」
「Yes, that’s right! Manbang is bad for treating life so lightly!」
「Right, right! Manbang is bad for insulting the flint jar!」
“…Fine. So, is there any other way?”
「None, none!」
「Can’t be undone even if you die and wake up!」
“Hey, seriously, there’s nothing?!”
「I said there isn’t!」
Isaac grabbed one of the cats by the scruff and shook it vigorously, but all he got were deep claw marks on his forearm.
As Isaac held his bleeding arm, the cats sat a distance away, huddling their heads together and chattering uselessly. 「Our Manbang really doesn’t know anything, does he?」, 「A Curse layered upon a life… that handsome boy is already doomed.」, 「It’s not easy to overwrite something like that twice; that’s a talent in its own right. What terrible luck.」
「If Alikisa were to break the contract with that mage, the Curse might be lifted, but breaking a contract once made has a massive backlash.」
「Setting aside the return of the mage’s soul, all the Mana Alikisa has gathered over hundreds of years would vanish. Would that vain, greedy thing be crazy enough to break the contract?」
「No, no.」
「None, none.」
The cats shook their heads, saying there was nothing to even think about.
Isaac looked at the cats with a sense of disappointment and finally let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. Then he turned his head.
The Prince was asleep under the shade of a tree a short distance away. Earlier he had been entirely in the shade, but now the sun had tilted, and the sunlight was almost touching his cheek. His golden hair sparkled in the light.
…He is so beautiful.
Now, that person can never escape the Curse for the rest of his life. Even if, by some miracle, every witch in this world disappeared. Having heard that even the flint jar, his last hope, was useless, the last shred of hope vanished, and Isaac’s heart sank heavily.
He wanted to give the Prince—who was already spending his days in gloom—at least a small glimmer of hope, even if he couldn’t tell him.
Currently, the Prince was under house confinement.
The reason was that he had killed the Mage Guild Master. To be precise, it was on the grounds that he had killed the ‘King’s Mage.’
When the Prince struck down the Guild Master, the sudden breaking of the contract caused the King to suffer a great shock and pain, similar to Lord Luorden. Although the second-in-command mage quickly managed the situation and stabilized him, the act of killing the King’s contract mage without the King’s permission was an issue that could not be overlooked, even for a Prince.
Furthermore, it was the Guild Master. Moreover, the culprit was the Prince, whom the Guild had already viewed as a thorn in their side. The Mage Guild, which wielded power rivaling that of high-ranking nobles, would not let this pass quietly. Naturally, the Mage Guild rose up like a swarm of bees, flooding the palace with petitions claiming that house confinement was an insufficient punishment for such an incident.
Nevertheless, the punishment remained house confinement because there were several suspicious elements surrounding the Guild Master’s death.
First, the Guild Master’s adopted son had used Lord Luorden to break his oath of loyalty and disappeared. Facing the high treason of unilaterally breaking an oath of loyalty to the royal family, the Guild decided to cut off the lizard’s tail, claiming they must ‘capture that lawless man’ to take the initiative. However, this did little to expand their influence, and the adopted son’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Additionally, the state of the Guild Master’s corpse was excessively decayed for someone who had died so recently. And the magic circle was one whose formulas were difficult for even high-ranking mages to interpret. …Even if outsiders didn’t know, rumors must have circulated secretly within the Mage Guild. That perhaps a witch was involved—and that if this were revealed in detail, the Guild itself might find itself in a difficult position.
And finally—though this was lighter than the previous two—minor hints found during the investigation of the belongings suggested the Guild Master might have been connected to Roberny.
As several signs appeared that digging too deep might lead to the Guild being implicated, the Guild side could no longer strongly demand a harsher punishment for the Prince. Thus, the Prince’s punishment was settled as house confinement.
“If it were anyone else, they’d have been hounded until their spirit was completely broken…”
Like me after the hunting competition, Isaac murmured to himself. Whether it was the power of authority or simply because the man himself was such a formidable opponent, the Prince had received many visitors since the incident, but not a single one had returned having achieved their purpose. In fact, most were kicked out without even seeing the Prince’s face. Even today, two people had visited in the morning regarding the matter, but they were sent away without even being offered a cup of tea. During that time, the Prince had remained shut away in his study, only coming out to the garden for a nap after the afternoon tea.
Isaac gazed at the Prince, who had obediently accepted the house confinement order issued by the King. To be precise, rather than obediently accepting it, he had simply shown no reaction and refrained from leaving Byeokyeong Palace.
Even under house confinement, the Prince lived without much restriction. The grounds attached to Byeokyeong Palace were quite vast; the only thing he could no longer do among his usual activities was go deep into the forest for hunting. Since he didn’t go out often anyway, the punishment of house confinement was practically meaningless.
However, as if he had been ordered to be confined specifically to the study, the Prince had stayed there continuously. Isaac, who stood quietly behind him and fetched books as requested, quickly realized that the materials the Prince was examining in detail were books related to witches, Mana, and magic. The study was equipped with as many, if not more, related texts than the library attached to the Mage Research Institute. The Prince was nearly mastering every book there. Perhaps this man knew more about witches than Isaac did, the son of a witch (or even the witches themselves)…
“…”
Isaac sat with his shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the Prince. He suddenly remembered a book he had seen left open with a bookmark when the Prince got up for a meal earlier. The passage that had caught his eye was about a method for tracking a specific witch.
《…If the witch is stronger than the caster, they cannot be tracked by incantations alone. In such a case, the heart and eyes of another witch are required. When the target witch or their split spirit is encountered, if a spell is cast by applying blood extracted from another witch’s heart (or powder made from a dried and ground heart), one can see the location of the corresponding witch through the eyes of the heart’s owner…》
The heart and eyes of another witch. That part had been marked with a red pen.
The fact that the Prince, who hadn’t left the study for a while, was now taking a nap likely meant he had found what he was looking for. And what he likely wanted to know was the method to track the Witch of Roberny. And what was needed for that method was…
“…I wonder if the next Dark Moon night will be the day of my funeral…”
「What? Manbang is dying? Then who’s going to bring the flint jar?」
「If you’re going to die, you should give us the flint jar before you go, right?」
「Yes, yes. Completing one’s assigned duty before death is the proper posture of a soldier.」
“…Oh, you little cuties.”
Isaac suddenly lunged forward and hugged the three cats, who were sitting side by side a few steps away, all at once. A very tight hug. He held them firmly, regardless of the cats scratching at his shoulders and neck, before finally letting them go. The cats hissed and scattered, sitting apart from one another.
「He says he wants to die, so why is he trying to kill us?」
「Maybe it’s because he wants to stay with us forever?」
「Sigh… I told him not to fall for my beauty so recklessly, but in the end…」
「But it’s useless. We are pure-bloods and you’re a mixed-blood, so there’s no guarantee we’ll end up in the same place after death. We’ll fall into the warm hellfire, but unless you’ve committed a fair amount of sin, there’s a high chance you won’t be able to come.」
I don’t want to go there at all. If it’s where you lot are, I’d refuse even a refreshing heaven, let alone warm hellfire… Isaac was thinking this with a disgusted expression when it happened.
「Still, if you re~ally, truly want to go to the same place as us after you die, it’s not like there’s no way. Try seducing a witch and making a contract to hand over your soul and body, just like that young human mage. Then you’ll surely be able to secure a spot for yourself in the hellfire.」
But I won’t make a contract with you, because I have no need for a human body, the cats nodded and meowed in unison. Suddenly curious, Isaac asked.
“Has the soul of the mage possessed by the Witch of Roberny already passed over to the other world? Is only the body left?”
「Not yet. The soul only crosses over once the body dies.」
「But there probably isn’t much left of the reason they had as a human. Only the desire they wanted most intensely as a human will remain.」
「And that will be overflowing. Since Mana is overflowing in the body, the desire will boil over as well.」
But I wonder what that kid wanted so intensely that they made that contract? Upon hearing the cat’s nonchalant remark, Isaac’s heart sank.
What that young mage had intensely desired was the Prince’s suffering.
And now, a mass of resentful spirit longing for the Prince’s suffering was hiding somewhere in the world.
“… …To track that witch… do I really need the heart and eyeballs of another witch?”
The moment Isaac asked, clinging to a sliver of hope that something else might work, the three cats simultaneously bristled their fur.
「Kyack! Who leaked such top-secret information to a human?!」
「Shh! Quiet! Don’t speak recklessly!」
“…If it’s recorded in a book a human can find, it’s already game over anyway…”
Come to think of it, that book was so old and worn that it looked as if there were only a few copies left in the world, Isaac muttered, his shoulders drooping once again.
I see. Judging by that reaction, it seems it’s true.
If so… the Prince would wait for the next Dark Moon. To seize the witch he could most certainly encounter and rip out her heart and eyeballs.
“Am I really going to die this time…”
Isaac let out a long sigh and muttered softly. He felt he had spent every day since starting work at Byeokyeong Palace prepared for death, but now that death seemed realistically imminent, his heart sank.
Just then,
“Do you have plans to die?”
A voice suddenly cut in. Startled, Isaac turned his gaze to find the Prince had opened his eyes. After blinking a couple of times, the Prince shifted only his pupils to glance toward him.
“…Were you not asleep?”
“I’m awake.”
The Prince’s blue eyes looked as if he hadn’t slept at all, and he simply turned his body to lie on his side facing Isaac.
“Do you converse with beasts as well?”
“…Of course. Having spent a long time alone, I talk to beasts, plants, and even dolls.”
Isaac replied, hiding his flustered state. At the same time, he didn’t forget to subtly ask, “Did you wake up because of my voice? I spoke very softly… could you hear me?”
“The sign that you were talking. I didn’t wake up specifically because of that. I’ve never been a deep sleeper.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
Only after saying it did Isaac think that the word ‘tired’ suited this man poorly, but—
“I don’t know. In the frontier, I spent my days with only an hour or two of shut-eye.”
Hearing that, Isaac was somewhat surprised.
“…You have a non-human level of stamina.”
“Maybe I’m not human.”
“That’s possible.”
If it were this man, he felt he could believe it even if he weren’t human. No, it would actually be stranger if he were human. Isaac nodded and answered obediently. Then, he flinched, realizing the Prince was giving him a steady, piercing gaze.
“No, I didn’t mean anything else, I just meant that Lord Kaieon is exceptionally extraordinary…”
“….”
“Lord Kaieon is so outstanding, wonderful, and brave that you don’t even feel like a human…”
“….”
“… …I’m sorry.”
Ultimately unable to withstand that steady gaze, Isaac bowed his head deeply. “But I really didn’t mean it in a bad way…” As Isaac muttered his excuses, the Prince stared intently at him, only speaking after Isaac’s head had dropped completely toward the ground.
“I know.”
“….”
At that cool response, which felt as if he had deliberately enjoyed Isaac’s reaction before answering, Isaac’s expression almost soured for a moment, but he managed to maintain a straight face.
“You seem like you wouldn’t mind much even if I weren’t human.”
“Well… it’s not as if you’re particularly human-like right now…”
He didn’t know if the words he mumbled under his breath reached the Prince’s ears. The Prince’s eyes seemed to narrow slightly, so Isaac quickly shut his mouth, and fortunately, no words came back.
However, yes, even if he weren’t human, Isaac felt he wouldn’t mind. Although this man was a precarious and dangerous figure at every moment, he didn’t think he would avoid him simply because they weren’t of the same species.
Was it because he himself wasn’t a whole human? Because he had lived enduring the feeling of being isolated among people…?
“In truth, I wonder what it matters whether the person I know is human or whatever else.”
Even if I, the minority, think so, it’s sad that the majority on the other side doesn’t think the same. Hmm, as Isaac let out a light sigh, the Prince asked.
“Then what does matter?”
“Eh? Well…”
Isaac thought about it quietly. Mutual understanding, exchange of emotions, trust—such things scattered chaotically in his mind, and the one thing that drifted out from within was:
“I think it would be nice if they were a comfortable person.”
Someone he could trust and feel at ease with. Whether it was a witch, a human, or anything else, he wouldn’t care.
He paused in his thoughts when he met the Prince’s deep blue eyes, which were staring at him.
…This man isn’t exactly comfortable, hmm…
The Prince watched Isaac’s face crumple in an instant, and it was impossible to tell what those eyes were thinking. As the Prince watched Isaac blink and hesitantly shift his gaze, he suddenly muttered as if to himself.
“You speak quite candidly without filtering, yet you don’t seem entirely fearless, nor do you seem clueless, and while you aren’t rebellious, you aren’t exactly obedient either…”
He had read him perfectly. Isaac kept his mouth shut, unable to respond. The Prince didn’t seem to be expecting an answer, as he simply stared at Isaac before abruptly changing the subject.
“Right, you said you’re going to die soon?”
Only then did Isaac remember the words he had muttered when the Prince woke up.
“Eh? Ah, yes, well, since times are so strange lately, I thought I might end up that way soon…”
I think the Prince will probably rip out my heart and eyeballs soon, Isaac mumbled vaguely, unable to bring himself to say the words.
“Do you not want to die?”
The Prince asked. Isaac thought for a moment and nodded.
“I would like to live a bit longer.”
“Is there something you want to do while alive?”
This time, he thought for a bit longer. He had no desire with a clear form, but the image of the life he wanted came to mind quickly.
“I want to live quietly in a pretty house with a pretty wife, raising pretty chickens.”
At Isaac’s words, the Prince’s eyebrows twitched slightly. His expressionless face looked almost bewildered.
“That’s not a difficult thing. Why haven’t you done it yet?”
“What are you talking about? It is a difficult thing.”
Isaac answered with a serious face.
“Setting aside the pretty chickens, to have a pretty house with a yard to raise them in, one needs that much wealth. That’s not easy, but above all, the ‘pretty wife’ part is the hard part. She has to have looks that fit my taste, and at the same time, she has to like me back.”
The last condition was the hardest. Of course, it was common to be drawn to charms other than looks as one got to know someone, but it wasn’t that easy to mutually like such a person.
But then,
“Does the other person necessarily have to like you?”
A question he had never even considered came back.
Isaac blinked at the Prince. After staring at the man, who maintained his usual indifferent face, for a long while, Isaac declared.
“Of course they do.”
As expected, this man is lacking something. He had known it already, but realizing it anew made his heart ache.
“How wonderful is it for the person I like to like me back? Have you never experienced that?”
“I’ve never thought about it. Have you?”
“I have.”
Although it didn’t always lead to a good result—though thinking about it, he wondered if there could even be a ‘result’ in human relationships—he had tasted such joy many times, both greatly and slightly. Even if it wasn’t regarding the opposite sex. The feeling that someone I cherish and love also cherishes and loves me. Even if it was something very trivial, it became a moment engraved like a treasure in one’s life. It would have been nice if this man had that too.
“Then why are you still a virgin?”
“….”
…If he had, it would be strange… Isaac found himself thinking. Pressing his suddenly heavy temples, Isaac muttered.
“In life, there are unavoidable circumstances…”
“I don’t know how great those circumstances are, but it seems doing it with a person would be better than doing it with a sausage.”
“….”
His temples didn’t just feel heavy; they felt like they were throbbing. Moreover, was it his imagination, or was the Prince’s face still expressionless, yet he felt like he was being teased? It must be his imagination. But he didn’t know why he felt annoyed again.
“I just haven’t done it, but if I try, I’m actually good at it.”
I may be a virgin, but I’m not that clueless, Isaac asserted, almost groaning, while looking at the Prince with a delinquent glint in his eyes. Whether the Prince disliked that groaning voice or the delinquent look, he wasn’t sure. The Prince suddenly raised an eyebrow and pushed himself up from his lying position. It felt as if a giant predator were slowly rising, and Isaac instinctively tensed up.
“You.”
The person the Prince suddenly called and pointed to with his index finger was not Isaac. A maid, who had been walking from the outer palace as if returning from an errand and was about to turn toward the back door, stopped in surprise at the Prince’s call. After confirming he was calling her, she approached without delay and bowed her head.
“Yes. Did you call for me?”
She was a woman Isaac knew. She came to Byeokyeong Palace every day to do chores like tidying up; she was the daughter of a merchant living on the outskirts of the capital. With a lively and free-spirited personality, she had been involved in several scandals with the palace servants. Isaac had only exchanged a few trivial conversations with her while passing by in the palace.
“He said he’s good at it if he tries.”
The Prince looked at Isaac and gestured with his head toward her. Seeing her look back and forth between the two with a puzzled expression, Isaac blinked in confusion. That gesture clearly meant ‘Do it.’ But what? To what extent? When? Where?
“…Right now? Here?”
When Isaac asked hesitantly, the Prince stared at him and gave a barely perceptible nod. Isaac was speechless. Then,
“I don’t want to.”
That was the only answer he managed. From Isaac’s perspective, it was a perfectly natural answer. The partner, the time, the place, the situation—not a single thing was something Isaac wanted.
The Prince, staring at Isaac, said lowly.
“Did you say you don’t want to?”
Oh no.
“I am not asking for a favor right now.”
The temperature in the Prince’s voice dropped, and Isaac felt a sense of doom.
This… he had no choice. He saw no way to back down clumsily. Despite his reluctance, Isaac looked at the Prince in silence, but eventually, he let out a silent sigh and slumped his shoulders. Perhaps the Prince felt pity for him—though it was hard to believe given his usual nature—the Prince spoke.
“If you’re as good as you say, I might save you once, since you might die soon.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It means I can save you once from something that threatens your life.”
Isaac stared intently at the Prince.
“Is that for real?”
As Isaac sought confirmation, the Prince raised an eyebrow and gave a light nod. In that moment, Isaac saw a ray of hope. That man might not even know what he had just promised, but he was not one to break his word.
Maybe my heart and eyeballs will be safe. Maybe.
Isaac looked at the maid, who was watching them with curiosity. He felt a brief flash of apology toward her, but when Isaac lightly tapped his own lips, she quickly caught on and gave him a bright smile, which soon cleared his guilt.
Isaac approached her and lightly cupped her face. She closed her eyes and smiled generously, as if looking at a cute youngest sibling. As he brought his face closer, feeling the Prince’s gaze observing them coldly, he wondered what on earth he was doing, but he didn’t hesitate. Oh, whatever, he thought, and pressed his lips against hers.
“――.”
He felt her exhale a heated breath. The sensation of her slowly opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue. Soon their tongues intertwined, and her breath became much sweeter.
In truth, this wasn’t the first time for Isaac.
Although he was still a virgin, he wasn’t a monk who had lived without ever encountering a woman; he had experience with kissing and very light petting a few times. And every time, the women’s reactions were similar. Whether they were proactive from the start or shy, whenever they locked lips with Isaac, they would become excited as if tasting something delicious for the first time in their lives. And Isaac, who was bewildered at first, soon instinctively realized the reason. It was because of the nature of the witch that seduced people.
It wasn’t that severe. Not a feeling strong enough for the other person to find it strange. However, they all said the same thing: that kissing him made them feel good.
Hearing that made him feel sad, as if he had deceived them. Also, because it felt like he was facing his own essence, which he usually lived forgetting, vividly before his eyes. That was a big reason why his relationships with them never progressed further.
And now, the woman whose lips were locked with Isaac’s was also exhaling a pleasantly excited breath and hugging Isaac’s neck. Her movements became more proactive at some point, and the arms hugging Isaac tightened. The movement of the tongue became more skillful. …Regardless of whether I’m good or not, she’s definitely good.
Just as Isaac, lost in thought, felt his chest grow hot from the sudden deep intrusion of her tongue, and his own breath heated up, he suddenly felt a gaze clearly touching his cheek.
Even without turning his head, the blue eyes entered the edge of his vision.
The Prince’s deep blue gaze, watching them expressionlessly, was perceived clearly, as if cold water had been poured over his heated chest.
As if a predator had thrust its head in and was watching from right beside them.
An inexplicably chilly sense of crisis.
At the same time,
“Stop.”
The Prince spoke. Despite the voice not being that quiet, the woman didn’t seem to hear and didn’t stop her hand from caressing the nape of Isaac’s neck. Isaac, sensitively noticing the Prince’s narrowing eyes, hurriedly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away. She looked at Isaac in confusion, then looked back and forth between him and the Prince, and quickly stood up straight. She gave Isaac a beaming smile with her eyes, and Isaac could only nod awkwardly.
“You may go.”
The Prince gave a nod to the maid, who quickly gauged their expressions before bowing deeply and departing. As she withdrew, she didn’t forget to send one last knowing glance toward Isaac, to which Isaac responded with a polite nod of his own.
With her departure back into the palace, only the Prince and Isaac remained in a brief silence.
“Did you enjoy it?”
The Prince asked abruptly. He was the one who told him to do it, so why did he sound like he was interrogating a libertine…? Isaac tentatively watched the Prince’s reaction, stammering, “Yes, well, it was just…”
“It looked as though you were the one about to be devoured.”
“No, surely not…”
His voice lacked confidence. In truth, from the moment she began to take an active lead halfway through, Isaac had felt something of that sort.
The Prince looked at Isaac in silence. For some reason, Isaac found it difficult to meet his gaze and shifted his eyes downward to look only at his toes.
“Very well. However, since her skill seems better than expected, I shall grant you one chance of salvation when you request it.”
The Prince spoke. Isaac looked up instinctively. A faint spark of hope ignited in his heart. Just one chance to be saved. Even one was better than nothing. Isaac bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you.”
Perhaps his heart and eyes could remain safe after all. …But on second thought, the person the Prince promised salvation to was Isaac, while the one intending to rip out his eyes and heart was the Witch of the New Moon. They were the same person, yet entirely separate entities… What was he to do about that? Hope and despair intersected simultaneously.
After being immersed in anguish for a while, Isaac suddenly realized there was no presence felt above him and slowly raised his head.
His eyes met the Prince’s. At that moment, Isaac flinched.
The Prince was watching him.
There was no expression. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking. The moment Isaac looked into those eyes, so deep they appeared almost black, an unknown sense of crisis surged within him, though he couldn’t identify what it was. That gaze very slowly scanned Isaac’s lips. Then, suddenly—
“You,”
The Prince spoke. Isaac, frozen like a frog before a snake, flinched and waited for the next words. The Prince, without taking his eyes off him, frowned as if something were unsettling even to him. Tilting his head ambiguously, the Prince muttered, “…No,” and turned his gaze around. He scanned the attendants and guards standing within his line of sight, then beckoned with a finger toward an attendant standing a short distance away.
The attendant, approaching hurriedly with a face mixed with bewilderment and tension, widened his eyes the moment the Prince loosened his belt and gave the short command, “Strip.” Isaac also froze.
Right, come to think of it, it had been quiet for a while. This was a man who used to keep young boys by his side and sated his desires whenever he pleased, without warning or sign. So, if he had been resting, it had been a long rest.
“I-I-I… I…” The attendant looked around with teary eyes. Isaac quietly averted his gaze, muttering inwardly, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’ Most of the people nearby probably felt the same. Once chosen by the Prince, there was no way for the attendant to escape, and the pale-faced man eventually had no choice but to strip his lower half and prostrate himself before the Prince.
Having experienced this two or three times while guarding Byeokyeong Palace during his time in the Royal Guard, Isaac turned his back to them out of courtesy, just as he had back then. Some of his colleagues had stared wide-eyed with curiosity—and the Prince hadn’t cared in the slightest—but Isaac had absolutely no hobby of peeking at others’ private acts.
Just standing here, where the sounds and presence of blushing faces are so vivid, is awkward and embarrassing enough. I wonder what is wrong with those colleagues who watched openly… Isaac sighed inwardly, clasping his hands behind his back and looking far up into the sky.
“Stand here.”
The Prince’s voice reached the back of his head.
Since it felt as though he were speaking in the direction Isaac was standing, Isaac thought, ‘Surely, he must be talking to that attendant,’ but he turned his head briefly to respond to the voice as part of his duty. Then, their eyes met.
The Prince was looking at Isaac. Maintaining eye contact, the Prince spoke again.
“Turn around and face this way.”
It was a calm but firm command.
Isaac stood dazed for a moment, unable to comprehend the order, but only after seeing the Prince’s eyes narrow did he snap out of it and turn around. Standing straight toward them, he blinked in bewilderment.
The Prince reached for his own groin. Gripping his member firmly in one hand and stroking it a few times, it quickly rose and swelled. He brought the now-large organ to the space between the legs of the attendant, who was prone with his hips raised and lower half stripped. Gripping and spreading the attendant’s buttocks with one hand, the Prince pushed himself inside, and a crushed, beast-like cry erupted from the attendant’s mouth.
And throughout that entire process, Isaac was facing the Prince.
This was because the Prince’s gaze remained fixed on Isaac. As if captured by those piercing blue eyes, Isaac remained frozen, unable to look away, staring into those pupils.
“Hng, agh! Ahak! Ah, haak! Ack!”
The attendant beneath the Prince was screaming, losing all reason. However, the Prince ignored it, gripping the attendant’s pelvis firmly and thrusting his hips. At first, it was tight and difficult to enter, but after several forceful pushes, it began to slide in and out smoothly.
The sound of flesh slapping echoed. A squelching sound mixed in. Above those obscene noises, a gaze was piercing through him.
“—”
Isaac swallowed hard. It felt as if even his heart had frozen stiff.
Why? Why is he looking at me like that? As if I were the partner in this act. This is almost—yes, almost like… I’m being subjected to Time Visual Rape.
The moment the word ‘Time’ flashed through his mind, Isaac’s body flared hot. He didn’t know what to do, feeling flustered for having thought of something so absurd.
The Prince continued to watch Isaac as he lowered his gaze in panic and rubbed his face. He was observing every detail of Isaac’s flushed face. Becoming flustered again, Isaac ended up bowing his head.
He could still feel the gaze. He didn’t know why, or for what reason. He couldn’t tell what the Prince was thinking. Or perhaps, the Prince meant nothing by it, and he was simply panicking over his own stray thoughts.
Calm down. Calm down, Isaac. It could just be your own delusion. Yes, that must be it. You idiot, what kind of ridiculous fantasy are you having?
Isaac took a deep breath, pressing firmly against his heart. Then, as if having made a decision, he raised his head, and—
“—”
The moment their eyes met again.
The Prince’s eyes narrowed slightly. His lips tightened. Simultaneously, the Prince’s relentless thrusting stopped—and the attendant let out a long cry.
Soon, a cloudy, sticky fluid leaked from between the attendant’s legs and flowed down the thigh. As the Prince, who had remained still for a moment, slowly withdrew his member from the attendant’s body, the fluid poured out in a rush.
And throughout that time, until he wiped his wet member with a dry towel and readjusted his clothes, the Prince kept looking at Isaac. As if imagining something, or perhaps testing something.
And at the end of that long, lingering gaze,
“…I think it might be possible.”
The Prince muttered to himself. Those low words reached Isaac’s ears clearly, and although it wasn’t clear what exactly was ‘possible,’ Isaac’s heart sank and trembled.
He was bewildered. Bewildered to the point of not knowing what to do. But what was certain was that, alongside that, his body suddenly flared up with a stifling heat.
Only after bolting upright did Isaac realize he was on the bed in his quiet, dim room, and he let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping.
He had eaten a late lunch, spent some time catching up on cleaning and organizing, and then taken a short nap; it seemed he had fallen quite deeply. However,
“…Good grief.”
Now even my naps are like this, Isaac groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Seeing him, Hoden, who had entered at some point and was grooming himself in front of the mirror, looked back with concern.
“You’ve been having sleep paralysis a lot lately, huh? You were groaning in your sleep last night, too.”
“…You should have woken me up.”
“Nah, you’d seem fine again soon, then you’d scowl a bit, then you’d be fine again, so I just left you be. Why, something happen?”
“I think I’m just a bit run down. Did you just get in? Or are you on your way out?”
“Yeah. I’m off tomorrow, so I decided to go on an overnight trip with Aire. I booked a fancy place by the lake. I’m going to spend the whole night burning bone and flesh against a beautiful backdrop.”
Isaac stared blankly at Hoden, who was laughing with a joyful and sly expression.
“Didn’t you say you burned bone and flesh with Aire last night too…? And you’ve come back from your day shift, and now you’re going on a trip to stay up all night again? Your stamina is impressive.”
He was genuinely amazed. I’m exhausted just from dreaming about it. Just dreaming. Just… Oh God.
Ignoring Isaac, who covered his face with one hand, Hoden simply hummed a happy tune.
“There really is such a thing as chemistry between people. No matter how much I do it with Aire, I never get tired. In fact, I feel so refreshed the next day after sleeping. Hey, don’t be so picky about looks and hurry up and find a woman you’re compatible with. It changes your whole life, I’m telling you.”
“…”
Regardless of whether Isaac looked disgusted or not, Hoden continued to gaze contentedly into the mirror. Checking the clock, Isaac saw there was still some time before he had to leave the palace for his evening shift, so he lay back down on the bed. Meanwhile, Hoden, having finished preparing to leave, spoke to Isaac as he put on his shoes, still feeling a bit concerned.
“Are you feeling unwell again? Seriously, this guy is perfectly healthy but occasionally wilts like this. Why don’t you go to a doctor?”
“Forget it, forget it. I’m just lethargic. You’re the one who should be careful not to collapse from overusing your energy. Have a good trip.”
As Isaac waved his hand from under the covers, Hoden replied, “Aire did collapse a few times,” and left the room with another sly, confident laugh. The sound of footsteps faded in the hallway and eventually became silent.
Perhaps because it was the mid-afternoon lull, the building felt empty and quiet everywhere. In the midst of that, there was a soundless presence leaping onto the bed.
「Ugh… the smell…」
Despite grumbling with a wrinkled nose, what was this, pushing its head into the covers where Isaac was buried up to his head?
「They say a late bloom is the most dangerous, but he’s doing it in broad daylight now.」
「I think he’s been starved for a long time. His desires must be surging even while he naps.」
「With whom?」
「Who knows? Since he does it this often, isn’t it highly likely to be someone he sees frequently?」
「Ah, then I know who it is! It must be him.」
「Yeah, probably him.」
「Must be him.」
“Shut up!!”
Eventually, Isaac threw off the covers and sat up, and the three cats that had been huddled by his head quickly scattered, chatting, 「Ugh, the smell,」 「The scent of being in heat is wafting.」
Being animals, they could smell it with ghostly precision. …Of course, as he threw open the covers, a faint scent reached his own nose as well. A fresh, fishy scent of released desire.
“Ah… I can’t take this, really…”
Isaac buried his face in his knees. His physical condition was already sagging as the full moon approached, and now his heart felt just as heavy.
It seemed the memory of that day had remained in his mind as a shock without him realizing it. Lately, he had been dreaming every single night.
The Prince appeared in the dreams, sating his desires while holding someone naked. He, too, was naked. With his characteristic expressionless face, he moved his hips, and a light sweat from moderate exercise seeped onto his bare skin. Just as Isaac was captivated by the vivid movement of the muscles beneath that sweat, the Prince suddenly looked at him. Then, as if captured, Isaac found himself staring back.
Heat rose on that expressionless face with piercing blue eyes. He didn’t know if it was the Prince’s heat or the heat he himself was feeling. Before he knew it, Isaac was breathless, enveloped in a heat that seeped out from deep within his heavily beating heart.
It was a strange sensation that Isaac knew of but had never experienced, and as the sensation grew stronger, he became increasingly bewildered. Just as he tried to turn away to avoid the gaze, at that very moment, he found himself in that place—in the position of the person the Prince was holding.
The piercing blue eyes right before his face. A threatening, chilling sensation flickering darkly within them. And along with a pressure that tightly constricted his entire body, a stifling ecstasy burrowed into his lower half.
The heat stirring in his groin was so vivid it was hard to believe it was a dream. In those vague and hazy circumstances, only that pleasure remained clear—.
“…It just means more laundry…”
Isaac muttered, sliding back down to lie on the bed.
Isaac was someone who rarely dreamed. Maybe once or twice a year. Perhaps that was why the dreams felt exceptionally vivid…
…It was a shock. What on earth was he doing at his age, almost every day? If it had been once or twice, he could have told himself it was a buildup since he hadn’t touched himself for a while, but lately, it was almost daily. Now, it was even happening during short naps. What was more shocking was the partner.
“… … …”
Isaac struggled, clutching his head. When awake, just the imagination made him breathless and his mind go blank, but in the unconsciousness of the dream, he was surrendering his body as if possessed.
「It’s okay, it’s okay. They say heroes are fond of beauty. Men are naturally drawn to beautiful people. Though that doesn’t mean you’re a hero.」
「Of course, of course. He’s the greatest beauty in this country, so it’s understandable.」
“Stop it. Don’t say it.”
Isaac quickly reached out and grabbed a cat’s snout. However, since he only had two hands, there was inevitably one that remained free.
「What does it matter? Our Manbang is a proper adult. He can have nocturnal emissions and he can masturbate. Even if it’s all been found out, there’s no need to be ashamed.」
“Be quiet!”
As he grabbed that one, the other two who had found freedom whispered, 「Masturbating is a bit embarrassing. Especially since he’s old enough.」, 「Strange, our Manbang is a bit airheaded but he’s a decent guy, why don’t women stick to him?」, 「Should we get him a man instead?」
Better to die than suffer this. Isaac pulled the covers back over his head. A few nights ago, he had woken up in the middle of such a dream, left in a half-aroused, ambiguous state. So, for the first time in a long while, he had masturbated… and the feeling when he discovered three pairs of eyes staring at him, glittering in the dark. He thought he might actually become impotent for the rest of his life.
Isaac suddenly felt his energy drain away and let out a long sigh.
He really felt like something was wrong with his head. It felt as if those piercing blue eyes, which hadn’t left him for a single moment that day, had been deeply engraved in his mind and wouldn’t be erased.
“No… this is really not right…”
Isaac muttered, sighing once more.
First of all, having sexual fantasies about a superior was irreverent, but regardless of rank, the fact that that person was the partner was a bigger problem. This was wrong. Absolutely wrong. He already had to keep his heart firmly locked and be careful because the man’s face was exactly his type, and he worried that if he wasn’t careful, his heart might actually be swayed… Gasp, what nonsense am I saying!