By Zephyria 
But Isaac’s words never made it out. It was because the Prince bit down on Isaac’s lips again. Along with that,
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t want it. Because I do.”
The hungry breath of a beast before a feast scraped roughly against his ear.
Isaac thought he was dreaming with his eyes open.
If not, there was no way such a thing could be happening; hadn’t he had dreams like this a few times before? So, there was no reason to be surprised to have such a dream again, but…
“……, ……ugh,”
Isaac had been flinching and swallowing his breath for a while now. He couldn’t help it. Despite his body fluttering independently of his will, he couldn’t move because a weight as heavy as a mountain was pressing him down.
The Prince, who had spent a while overlapping their lips, sucking on his tongue and ransacking the inside of his mouth as if to devour Isaac’s entire mouth, finally pulled away just as Isaac’s consciousness began to fade from a lack of breath. He looked down at Isaac from directly above. Because of the backlight, the Prince’s face was not clearly visible. Only those pitch-black, glistening eyes were vividly clear, as if they were cutting through his heart.
“……Now you finally have a face befitting a witch’s child.”
The Prince, looking down quietly at Isaac, breathed the words through his teeth. Along with those words, the sensation of him biting Isaac’s cheek made Isaac let out a short moan and flinch.
He didn’t know what kind of face he was making. He was simply gasping, feeling stifled and overwhelmed by the oppressive heat. Even though he was breathing, he felt as if he were constantly lacking air. As Isaac panted, his chest heaving, the Prince’s lips trailed down his nape.
“A face that tempts people. One that stirs lust. ……Is that not so, you witch’s child?”
The Prince bit Isaac’s nape. Isaac flinched and recoiled. The Prince followed closely, sucking on his neck. His fierce biting left no part of the neck unscathed. The lips that chewed and sucked were stinging and ticklish.
Though he had been bitten countless times through several Dark Moons, this was different. The sensation of slow tickling possessed a feeling clearly distinct from when blood was being drunk. It felt as if something was itching from deep within his heart. He didn’t know how to describe this feeling.
“Ah……!”
At that moment, Isaac’s body gave a great lurch. It was because the Prince’s hand, which had slipped inside his disheveled clothes, had gripped the small protrusion on Isaac’s chest while stroking it. As if that short burst of sound was unexpected, the Prince stopped moving for a moment.
However, the moment Isaac instinctively tried to pull away, the Prince pinned him down by lying on top of him. Like a small child pinned under a sturdy adult, Isaac’s struggling body couldn’t budge an inch.
Suddenly, the Prince seemed to smile faintly. A short breath brushed over Isaac’s nape.
“Come to think of it, yes, you liked this spot.”
I remember, the Prince murmured. Recalling a recent event, Isaac’s face flushed hot, and he reflexively replied, “No, it’s not that I like it,” but the only response was the Prince’s narrow gaze.
“I think you do.”
Along with a whisper laced with a low sneer, the Prince took the protrusion he had been rolling with his fingertip into his mouth. Then, he pressed down hard with his tongue and sucked with a force that was almost painful, and Isaac swallowed a long breath.
His body jumped instinctively. Every time the Prince pressed with his tongue, every time he sucked so hard it felt as if the flesh might be torn off, Isaac’s body leaped repeatedly. Despite this, his body, pinned beneath the Prince, could not escape from under him at all.
“You don’t like it, huh…….”
The Prince murmured with his lips pressed against Isaac’s chest. The Prince, who had been watching Isaac as he gasped for air, gestured downward when their eyes met. Following that gaze, Isaac saw his own body revealed through the small gap the Prince had made. The front of his trousers was bulging.
He became vacant. While Isaac stared blankly as if looking at something incomprehensible, the Prince pulled down his trousers.
“—Wait, wait a second,”
Isaac flinched and tried to push himself up, but the Prince pressed down on Isaac’s chest with one hand. Though he struggled with all his might as his trousers were pulled down, he couldn’t move, as if crushed by a stone pillar.
His lower half was exposed.
His subtly rising desire was laid bare before another’s eyes. The heat rushed all the way up to his nape. His mind became a mess in an instant, and he didn’t know what to say or what to do.
But before Isaac could organize his thoughts, the Prince undid his own clothes. The Prince’s naked body, having cast off his clothes with indifference, cast a shadow over Isaac. And through that, Isaac visually confirmed the desire he had guessed from the touch earlier, now standing clearly erect.
“—”
The Prince’s naked body was not unfamiliar. He had seen him several times grabbing someone nearby and performing the act whenever he desired.
However, he had never looked at him so directly. Perhaps because of that, the Prince’s member, which he had seen many times, looked unbelievably massive.
Isaac, who had been staring dazedly at the Prince’s lower half, came to his senses when the Prince, looking down at him askew, gripped Isaac’s knees and lifted them.
“—Kaieon-nim, please, wait, please,”
As the Prince, positioned between the splayed legs, gripped his own member and attempted to push it between Isaac’s thighs, Isaac’s desperate plea burst out. He gripped the Prince’s shoulders and tried his hardest to push him away, but the Prince didn’t budge an inch, remaining just a palm’s width away. Stopping for a moment as if annoyed at that distance, the Prince looked down at Isaac.
“Kaieon-nim, I’ll die. I’ll really die. My body will surely split in two, I’ve never done this once, I surely can’t endure—”
His tongue froze, and the words didn’t come out properly. Because he tried to speak too urgently, only fragments of sentences came out, but he didn’t even realize it. Looking down at the pale Isaac, the Prince seemed to frown.
The sound of a light click of the tongue seemed to be heard. Soon, the Prince, lying atop Isaac, ruthlessly took Isaac’s chest into his mouth again, hugging and pinning the leaping body.
The sensation of the chest protrusions being chewed alternately, like a hungry child, gave him chills. Below, their naked members were touching. The vivid feeling of the swollen flesh rubbing against each other spread through his entire body. Not stopping there,
“Hah……!”
Isaac shuddered as if struck by lightning. The reason his frozen body suddenly began to struggle was that the Prince, who had stroked from Isaac’s knee up to his thigh, pushed a finger into Isaac’s body.
“Do, don’t do this, stop, ugh, ……ah, ……please, stop, please,”
“It would be better to stay still, witch’s child. Unless you want me to push it all in right now.”
“—”
He couldn’t breathe. The unfamiliar sensation of being opened from below was so chilling that his waist trembled. He felt every bit of the fingers that pushed in relentlessly, increasing in number one by one, searching the inside. At the same time, the Prince, lying over Isaac again, sucked and chewed at Isaac’s chest haphazardly as if starving.
What should I do? What am I supposed to do? Intense sensations he had never tasted in his life were rushing in like a storm. He wanted to run away. He wanted to return to that familiar tranquility as soon as possible. Nevertheless,
“Right. There’s no way you’d hate this. There’s no way the bloodline of a lewd witch would hate this.”
A faint laugh was mixed into the Prince’s rough whisper. Isaac realized that his own member had stood stiffly right above the sensation of being searched inside. And that he had begun to get wet and slick.
He felt as if his brain were melting.
Why isn’t this dream ending? He felt like he always woke up around this point. Why isn’t it ending, and why are the sensations so vivid?
It felt as if half of his consciousness had flown away. The body leaping as if sparks were flying over his senses, the desires rubbing against each other below, the hand stroking and opening his insides—it all felt like things happening in a dream.
So, when the hand searching his insides withdrew and the desires touching below separated, bringing a hollow silence, he thought, Am I finally waking up from the dream? Relaxing, Isaac closed his eyes and let his body, which had become painfully sensitive from constant stimulation, go limp.
Then,
“————.”
His fading consciousness suddenly snapped bright.
For a moment, he saw nothing when he snapped his eyes open. He couldn’t even breathe. No sound could be heard. Sensation existed in only one place.
Below—into the body where the fingers had been searching until a moment ago, the Prince himself had pushed inside. The moment Isaac instinctively recoiled, the Prince let out a low, groan-like sigh.
“Relax, witch. ……Relax if you don’t want to get hurt badly.”
Heat flickered in the Prince’s voice as he spoke lowly through his teeth. The moment he finished those words, the Prince thrust his hips forward relentlessly. With a momentum that felt as if it would make a squelching sound, the member that had only entered the tip surged in all at once. And once more, thump. Again, thump.
“……, ……, ……!”
Not even a breath could escape Isaac’s open mouth. He couldn’t breathe. The massive volume forcing its way into his body was incomparable to what he had seen with his eyes. A terrifying pressure that filled his insides tightly as it pushed in.
He felt like he was going to die. Amidst the overwhelming pressure that made breathing impossible, Isaac barely managed to reach out. A face appeared right before his blurred vision.
The Prince was looking down at Isaac. It was a face he had never seen before. Not the face of a human, but that of a beast. A face where desire and heat were mixed, as if he had finally bitten into a sweet morsel after a long hunger.
He was exhaling rough breaths. Those pitch-black, glistening eyes stared at Isaac. Slowly lowering his head, he bit into Isaac’s lips. Simultaneously, he thrust his hips, and with a sensation as if a sound echoed in his ears, Isaac’s moan flowed into his mouth. A suppressed, hollow laugh escaped the Prince’s lips.
“You did very well up to this point. Do you realize you’ve taken it all in?”
Isaac looked at him, panting in short breaths. The Prince quietly stroked with his fingertips the place where their bodies were deeply overlapped. The entrance, tightly gripping the monster-like mass of flesh without a single gap, was precarious, as if it might tear at any moment. It was just as the Prince, who had been stroking that entrance, whispered threateningly, “Relax.”
“—Ah!”
The flesh that had been packed tightly in suddenly pulled out. However, before the opened belly could close again, the flesh that had gone out leaving only the tip surged back in relentlessly.
A single cry finally burst from Isaac’s choked throat. And that sound did not stop. It was because the thrusting, pounding into his body with terrifying momentum, had begun.
“Sa, save me,”
Isaac gasped out the words intermittently, losing his mind.
He felt like he was going to die. No, he really was going to die. Isaac didn’t even realize he had clung to the Prince’s neck. Nor did he realize that the Prince, who had stopped for a very brief instant, had wrapped his arms around Isaac’s back. The more Isaac clung to the Prince, the more strength went into the Prince’s arms, hugging him with a suffocating tightness.
Isaac’s only thought was that he had to escape this terrifying pressure somehow. If he couldn’t escape, he just wanted to become even a little bit more comfortable. His body moved instinctively before the instructions of his mind.
Every time the Prince thrust roughly into his lower half, where he had tried to relax, he aligned his body to that flow. His waist, his thighs, his insides moved according to instinct, tightly squeezing and enveloping the desire that had dug deep inside. And right then,
“—”
“…—”
Rough breaths burst from both of them simultaneously.
Both the Prince and Isaac leaped violently, as if a fuse deep inside their bodies had been triggered, their vision flashing white.
What is this?
What is this feeling?
Isaac blinked his wide eyes and recoiled. The Prince, looking down at Isaac, suddenly let out a faint, hollow laugh.
“You were a virgin with a body like this?”
The sound he breathed through his teeth was like a growl just before a roar.
“A body that reacts this intensely—a body that swallows a man like this, and you’ve had no experience until now……?”
The Prince whispered, bringing his lips close to Isaac’s ear. Isaac gasped for breath more and more. The flesh that had already opened his lower half to the limit seemed to swell even further.
“That’s why you’re not a human, but a witch. ……I finally understand what it means for a witch to bewitch a person.”
The fierce whisper dug into his ear. At the same time the Prince bit Isaac’s earlobe, the thrusting resumed below, far more violent than before.
Isaac’s consciousness flew away. Thus, he didn’t realize he was sobbing uncontrollably while clinging to the Prince’s body. He clung to the Prince’s neck as if there were no other way to survive. The more he did, the stronger the force hugging Isaac became.
As if they were the only two people in the world.
As if there was nowhere else to cling to.
Thus they hugged, overlapped their skin, and mixed their bodies.
—Sweet.
—Why is it so sweet?
Licking the tears and sweat that drenched Isaac’s face, and later licking the lips from which only hoarse sobs escaped, the Prince seemed to murmur.
Sweet. How can it be this sweet? At the same time, that thought occurred in Isaac’s mind.
At some point, a splashing sound was coming from below. Every time he thrust into the gap that felt so tight not even a single strand of hair could fit, a cloudy liquid leaked out, soaking the area below their waists.
He realized that water was pooling fully inside his body—when he felt it slowly seeping into him.
The life force that had flowed in like air when their tongues touched was now flowing in and filling him like water. He instinctively realized that this thing filling his body, satisfying a hidden hunger he had never known, was the life force flowing from the Prince.
How sweet and thick it was.
Could the drinks of gods, which do not exist in this world, be this sweet?
“……More…….”
He thought he wanted to eat a little more, just a little more.
Isaac hugged the Prince. He pulled his head close and sucked on the lips that were already overlapped. The Prince stopped moving. Isaac hugged him with all his might and kissed him again.
It was sweet to a point of ecstasy. At the same time, only one thing came to mind in his distantly blurred head.
Yes, I liked this person.
Even though he had already known, the thing that had been unstable and doubtful was now firmly embedded in his heart as a clear fact.
He liked this person. No matter what kind of person he was, no matter what he did, he hoped the feeling of liking him would not be erased.
Isaac let out a sigh at some point. At the end of that breath, the Prince, who had been silently still until then, suddenly hugged Isaac as if to crush him.
“This is still far from enough. You’ll have to eat much more life force. Much more—until you can’t eat any more.”
The fierce whisper seeped into Isaac’s mouth, and the rough heat surged again as if to explode.
It was truly a spectacle.
In the spacious hall, brilliantly lit, there was a giant and luxurious table, upon which food was piled so high that the table legs seemed ready to break. The food, steaming as if freshly cooked, looked incredibly appetizing, and Isaac stared at the table in a daze.
‘Please, eat.’
As Isaac just stared, salivating, a middle-aged servant standing beside him said with a benevolent smile.
‘Eh? ……Can I eat this?’
When Isaac asked back in surprise, the servant smiled even more kindly and nodded, saying, ‘Of course. All of this is food for the soldier.’
Hearing those words, Isaac, suddenly overcome by hunger, began to eat the stew placed right in front of him. Such a clean yet rich taste; there surely was no other stew in the world this delicious.
The servant, who cleared the empty plate in front of Isaac who had finished in an instant, pulled the next plate and placed it before him. Isaac bowed his head in gratitude and attended to the plate. It was a kish. The kish, containing mushrooms and nuts, was incredibly savory and flavorful.
Once again, the servant who had promptly cleared the empty plate brought out a very thick and large steak. As the knife sliced through the meat, which was only lightly seared on the outside, the juices flowed out abundantly; it was truly the best steak of his life.
Eating the last piece of that massive steak, Isaac felt immensely happy and satisfied. The taste was excellent, and his stomach was pleasantly full; now, a light palate cleanser would make it perfect.
‘Um, then, the dessert…’
Isaac spoke to the servant clearing the empty plate. The servant replied with that same gentle smile.
‘Of course, dessert has been prepared, but before that, there are many main dishes remaining.’
‘Huh? …Main dishes? Many?’
Isaac blinked in bewilderment, his face still wearing a smile. Were there usually that many main dishes? Come to think of it, everything he had eaten so far had been incredibly voluminous.
Meanwhile, an empanada filled with vegetables and three types of minced meat was served before Isaac, accompanied by cooked vegetables.
‘Excuse me, I’m full, so I’d like to stop…’
‘You must eat.’
The servant continued to smile softly. Isaac blinked in surprise, but since the food had been painstakingly prepared, he munched on it anyway. Of course, the empanada was delicious. It was far superior to any empanada Isaac had ever tasted.
Regardless, because it tasted so good, he forced himself to eat it all despite being full, and soon his stomach became as round as a mountain.
‘Phew… thank you for the meal…’
However, while Isaac was patting his stomach and offering his thanks, the empty plate vanished instantly and a new dish appeared. A whole roasted turkey.
‘Please enjoy your meal.’
‘… … …No, this is a bit too much…’
Isaac spoke to the servant, his smile gone, but the servant—who remained warmly smiling—didn’t bat an eye.
‘You must eat.’
‘…Why?’
‘It is the Prince’s strict order.’
Isaac stared blankly at the servant with his mouth agape. With a face of utmost gentleness, the servant pointed toward the vast table. A table where luxurious dishes were lined up without end.
‘These are all things the soldier must eat. You cannot finish your meal until you have eaten everything.’
Just as Isaac was about to ask where such a rule came from, the servant cut him off firmly with a deep smile.
‘Even now, the chef is continuing to prepare dishes for the soldier. He is a wonderful chef who has never once grown tired or taken a break.’
‘…I can’t, I can’t eat it. I can’t eat that much. I can’t eat any more. If I eat any more, I’ll die…’
Even as he spoke, Isaac stared with wide eyes at the dishes that seemed to spontaneously increase upon the table. Every single one of them was incredibly voluminous and rich. Even the soup, which should have been a light drink, was a greasy meat soup.
‘Now, please eat before it gets cold.’
Regardless of whether Isaac looked pale or not, the servant smiled warmly and pushed the dishes toward him. Even as Isaac resisted, saying he couldn’t eat more and that his stomach would burst, the food was relentlessly shoved into his mouth.
Every single bite was incomparably delicious. And there was enough to kill him.
“I can’t eat, I can’t eat any more… sob sob, please save me…”
At some point, Isaac had begun to sob. At first, he had only pretended, hoping that if he looked pitiful, they might go easy on him, but as he pondered how he had ended up suffering from food torture, his heart grew heavy and his eyes welled up. As Isaac sniffled, a sound began to reach his ears.
「I can’t believe someone who doesn’t even dream is tasting such a desperate tragedy.」
「From the looks of it, it’s not something I wanted. Either someone else wanted it for him, or it’s something that’s going to happen. One of the two.」
「I don’t really care, but I wish it would just stop…」
That chattering, complaining voice was very familiar.
Opening his eyes while crying, Isaac blinked his damp eyelids. His blurred vision cleared after a few blinks.
The countless dishes that had been weighing him down had all vanished, and in their place, only the yellowish sunlight filtering through the curtains swayed quietly.
“….”
「….」
The first things that caught his eye were three silver birdcages hanging in a row by the window next to the bed. And inside each one sat a cat.
“…. What are you guys doin—”
He stopped mid-sentence because his voice was completely hoarse. Clutching his throat, which felt cracked like an old man of ninety-nine, Isaac blinked.
Wait. That just now was a dream. And this is my room—the room assigned to me in Hailen’s Star Palace. It’s probably early afternoon. But why am I lying here at this hour…
“—”
The moment he shifted his body while recalling his memories, Isaac let out a silent groan. It felt as if his lower back was being split wide open. Even while his lower half felt numb and the sensation was dim, a throbbing pain surged in, screaming ‘I’m dead,’ and his memories suddenly flashed back.
…That’s what happened.
For a moment, Isaac forgot even the pain and stared blankly into the air. It couldn’t have been a dream. The feeling that his torso had been split into two pieces was too vivid for it to be a dream.
The feeling of skin touching, the sound of breath brushing his ear, the stifling heat, the stimulation that relentlessly heated his insides—those things rose vividly in his memory. He thought he vaguely saw the dawn breaking outside the window… but it was blurry as to when he had lost consciousness. Or when he had been moved here. He was certainly at the Lord’s mansion…
「You were carried here wrapped in a blanket.」
One of the cats in the cage muttered grumpily. Isaac flinched.
「That handsome guy rolled you up in a blanket like a straw mat, sat you in front of him, and rode back on horseback.」
「You left the Lord’s mansion in full view of everyone and returned to the Star Palace in full view of everyone.」
「The Lord and his daughter’s faces turned pale.」
「Understandably so. They spent the whole night standing anxiously in front of the door, listening to every single sound.」
「Oh my, goodness. Those two were too much. What was the need to let a precious young lady and her father hear such scandalous thumping and bumping sounds?」
The more he heard, the more absurd it became. Isaac clutched his head and collapsed face-down on the bed, letting out a long groan. The mental blow was enough to make him forget the physical pain.
He could guess it. Recalling the Prince’s usual behavior—though Isaac had been so flustered and out of it that he had no memory of anything other than what happened to him—the Prince was not one to care about the eyes of others. Surely, the Prince would have freely done as he pleased, ignoring anyone calling from outside or whether the door was open, and it would have been the same when leaving the Lord’s mansion and returning to the Star Palace.
Since the Prince’s nature was well-known enough to be a rumor, it wasn’t particularly shocking, but the people of Hailen must have been quite surprised to witness it firsthand. …And my social standing must have plummeted and shattered into pieces.
「Social standing? What’s that? Did Manbang have something like that?」
「He probably means the stage before ‘a body already thrown away,’ right?」
After curling up for a while beneath the creatures who continued to chatter away even while caged, Isaac raised his head, thinking, ‘Well, that’s true.’ One of Isaac’s great strengths was that he recovered quickly, both physically and mentally.
“Is Ellie okay? Nothing happened to her, right?”
「As soon as she parted from you last night, she bolted a hundred li away. What’s there to worry about?」
「Dream demons are certainly the best at fleeing. Maybe it’s because they’re quick-witted, but the moment they sense danger, they leave without looking back.」
「She probably won’t even linger near Hailen ever again.」
Hearing the cats’ words, Isaac felt relieved. Once he shifted his focus away from his own situation, the first thing that came to mind was the image of the trembling, terrified dream demon. Although it wasn’t explicitly revealed that she wasn’t human, she was a witch, and for some reason, the Prince had looked at her with a chilling gaze, which had been weighing on his mind.
“I see… I feel a bit sorry that she ended up like that after helping me.”
「Such things are a daily occurrence in a witch’s life.」
「If you’re sorry, give her some life force the next time you run into her.」
She’d love it, she might even suck it all dry, why not give us some? The cats stared intently at Isaac, their mouths practically watering. These little…
“What life force is there to give to you guys! I’m already lacking and have to gather it bit by bit from people.”
「And you ate until you were bursting yesterday?!」
「You looked full enough to go a hundred years without eating?!」
As soon as Isaac spoke with glaring eyes, the cats snapped back with equal intensity. …Being overwhelmed by the sheer force of those big-eyed creatures, Isaac was pushed back, and only then did he remember one more thing he had forgotten.
For the first time in his life, he had consumed another person’s life force.
Along with that strange sensation he had never experienced while living only as a human, he recalled the exquisitely sweet taste that had flowed into his body. Just thinking about it made him feel faint, as if a sweet and thick scent was vibrating inside him.
“…I didn’t know it would taste that good.”
The ordinary word ‘delicious’ felt infinitely meager. As Isaac stared blankly into the air, recalling that indescribable taste, the cats looked at each other, tilted their heads, and asked.
「It tasted good? That handsome guy’s life force? We thought it would be incredibly bitter.」
“Does the taste differ from person to person?”
「Of course it does. Blood tastes different, so why would life force be the same?」
It differs by age, gender, eating habits, and personality. That handsome guy is great in every other way, but because of his personality, we were sure it would be bitter as poison. How unexpected, really. Or maybe Manbang’s taste is just weird, the cats chattered while hanging in the air.
After staring into the air for a while, Isaac slowly shook his head.
“There’s no taste like that anywhere else.”
There absolutely wouldn’t be.
The life force that flowed in drop by drop through their overlapping bodies. That suffocatingly sweet sensation filling his insides. He could assert that nothing could be better than that; to Isaac, it was perfect.
The cats looked at Isaac with disbelief.
「You probably won’t be able to walk for a few days, but at least you won’t feel cheated since it tasted good.」
“Why wouldn’t I be able to walk for a few days?”
「Can you walk?」
At the cat’s question, Isaac tried to push himself up in bewilderment, only to realize it once again. The throbbing, throbbing, throbbing pain below his waist. The moment he tried to move abruptly, a groan escaped him. His insides still felt split open, and the entrance that had been traversed was sore and burning.
「But Manbang must be naturally gifted.」
「Right? How is he still alive after having that big thing put in?」
「Right? That size is practically equivalent to a mid-to-high rank demon, isn’t it?」
「Considering demons are much larger than humans, that handsome guy is the abnormal one.」
「I really thought our Manbang was going to die yesterday.」
The cats stared at Isaac with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘How on earth did you survive?’ Overwhelmed by three pairs of wide eyes staring at him at once, Isaac instinctively shrank his neck and stammered.
“Well… um… he loosened things up a bit before putting it in… and he warmed up my body in his own way…”
What on earth am I saying in front of these kids… no, they are monsters at least several hundred years old, Isaac rambled both aloud and in his head.
「Well, that’s true. That handsome guy did work hard to massage it with his fingers before pushing his thing in.」
「What a surprise, unlike him. Until Manbang was dragged into his room yesterday, his mood was absolutely rock bottom.」
「He must have found him incredibly delicious. He always liked Manbang’s taste. Even yesterday, he was biting, licking, and sucking; he didn’t even let go all night even after the boy lost consciousness.」
Isaac had been mostly ignoring the endless chatter of the cats in their cages, but at some point, something started to click. And that something was…
“…Did you guys see everything?”
「「「We did.」」」
The three answered crisply and simultaneously.
We saw it all night, we saw everything, we saw every single detail—they even added comments one by one. Isaac clutched his head and collapsed back onto the bed. A long groan was buried in the pillow.
「No matter how I think about it, I thought our Manbang’s thing must have become very swollen and hurt and ragged, so I tried to lick it for him, but that handsome guy suddenly grabbed me by the scruff and threw me into the cage.」
The handsome guy is bad! The handsome guy is bad! Isaac looked at the cats, who were shouting in unison, with eyes of horror. Lick what…?
「That’s why I couldn’t fix it.」
「So it’ll probably hurt a lot.」
「Still, it’s a miracle you’re alive.」
He’s gifted, truly gifted—Isaac blocked his ears to the voices of the creatures chatting in unison once again. On the other hand, seeing how it throbbed and hurt this much, he wondered if he really had been injured quite a bit.
Isaac was good at enduring a fair amount of pain, and he felt that if he forced himself, he might be able to get up, but… his lower half really did feel languid and throbbing, as if it were paralyzed.
“….”
Isaac tentatively slid his hand down to his lower body. He wondered if he was badly hurt and felt around carefully. He touched very cautiously from near the groin to the inside; it felt okay in some parts and very stinging in others. Then, he touched the inside of his buttocks very slightly.
“Ugh,”
A sharp, burning sensation spread instantly, and he couldn’t help but grimace. It seemed to be quite swollen. He wondered if something was torn or peeled… since he couldn’t see it, it was hard to tell by touch alone.
He needed to know exactly how injured he was so he could apply medicine or ask for treatment, just as Isaac was breaking into a cold sweat and feeling around with his hand.
Click. The door opened.
The door directly in front of the bed opened without warning, and the Prince entered. At the same moment, his eyes locked with Isaac’s.
“….”
The Prince, who had paused his step upon entering the room, stared blankly at Isaac, who had frozen with his hand still touching his inner thigh. Then, the Prince entered, closing the door behind him as if nothing were wrong.
“I didn’t realize you’d find what we did last night insufficient.”
Isaac flinched at the indifferent tone and the glance from the Prince’s eyes, and he quickly shook his head.
“—It wasn’t insufficient. It wasn’t insufficient at all.”
The Prince, who scrutinized the dead-serious Isaac, sat on the sofa by the window. For a moment, it seemed as if the corners of the Prince’s mouth twitched into a smirk, and Isaac looked again, but it was hard to see because of the backlight.
“You don’t need to worry so much. I’ve already checked. It’s quite swollen, but the wounds are just minor scratches. You’ll just need to apply medicine occasionally.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Isaac felt like he might collapse again at the words ‘already checked,’ but he struggled to erase those words from his mind. Let’s just focus on the point that he wasn’t badly hurt. Otherwise, the mental blow would be too great, and he might never be able to get up.
Feeling the Prince’s gaze staring at him, Isaac tried to quickly get up from the bed… but it wasn’t easy.
Which would be less embarrassing: lying sprawled on the bed in front of a noble, or walking around naked to pick up his clothes? While Isaac agonized over this, the Prince didn’t seem to care. He simply observed Isaac for a while and spoke a short sentence.
“You look fine. You collapsed so quickly without lasting long that I thought you might not have absorbed the life force properly.”
‘What do you mean I didn’t last long? I think I was mostly conscious until dawn…’ Isaac was about to say that, but he suddenly realized that his body felt remarkably light. Although the area around his groin was throbbing and tingling painfully, his body itself was in great condition. No, he felt more refreshed and crisp than ever before.
“I think I’ve had plenty of life force. …Are you alright, Lord Kaieon?”
Isaac belatedly realized his mistake and looked at the Prince. The fact that he felt so full of energy meant he had drained that much from the Prince. In truth, he had fed continuously throughout the night; a human’s life force should have been completely exhausted.
And yet, the Prince sitting before him seemed unfazed. If anything, he looked better than usual. Or perhaps he was in a good mood. His expression remained indifferent as always, but for some reason, the air surrounding him felt warm and pleasant. It was a rare occurrence.
“Did you actually eat properly?”
The Prince looked at Isaac with suspicion, as if he were the one in doubt, and Isaac tilted his head. It was strange. He felt as though he had eaten an enormous amount…
「I told you he’s not human. Look at him, perfectly fine even after having his life force scooped out all night.」
「Beyond fine—his face is practically glowing with vitality.」
「What kind of life source is he, exactly?」
“…I ate quite sufficiently… It seems the Prince’s capacity is immense.”
Isaac muttered beneath the cats, who were chatting away in their cage. It seemed the Prince’s inhuman nature extended even to this. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing…
“There will be no need to gather life force from other people. …Provided, of course, that the Prince is willing to give it to me. …Not that I’m insisting on receiving it…”
Realizing that his words sounded as if he were taking it for granted that the Prince would provide it, Isaac hurriedly added a disclaimer. But in doing so, he became embarrassed in a different way and began to ramble again. His face grew hot once more.
The Prince, who had been watching Isaac in silence, spoke coldly.
“There is no need to act like a human.”
“…?”
“Are witches not accustomed to such things? Exchanging power through intercourse and enjoying the pleasure. It is merely laughable to pretend to be chaste.”
Isaac fell silent. He gazed blankly at the Prince before suddenly dropping his gaze.
“If that is how you think, there is nothing I can do, but… I really am embarrassed. Speaking like this is me trying my best in my own way.”
Isaac muttered helplessly and scratched his head.
Pretending to be chaste—he hadn’t even thought about such things. Having spent his life roughing it and rolling around among men, he had experienced all sorts of mischievous talk and situations. Isaac was capable of responding to most erotic jokes without batting an eye, but… still, having experienced such terrifyingly intense stimulation for the first time with someone he liked, he couldn’t help but feel shy and embarrassed. To a degree that surprised even himself.
“Even if I am half-witch, I have lived as a human all my life.”
Isaac let out a quiet sigh. He felt a bit drained, but it couldn’t be helped. To this man, he likely appeared as nothing more than a witch.
Comforting himself with that thought, Isaac looked up and suddenly paused. The Prince was looking at him. His expression was strangely peculiar. It looked like a slight frown, or perhaps a harsh glare, or as if he were thinking, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
His lips moved slightly as if he were about to say something, but then he closed them without a word. Since this was unlike the Prince, Isaac blinked at him.
Finally,
“Then, unless I permit it, do not engage in the acts of a witch. Anything, anywhere.”
The Prince spoke. Isaac nodded readily.
“Yes.”
“To anyone. Never.”
“Yes.”
Watching Isaac answer so readily, the Prince gave a light nod. The tension in his faintly furrowed brows relaxed.
The Prince seemed lost in thought. Isaac gazed at him for a moment, silhouetted against the sunlight streaming through the window, before dropping his gaze again.
He must have truly merged bodies with the man last night. More clearly than the vivid memories, the bruises and hickeys covering his entire body, or the dull ache in his groin, the fact was made evident by the unfamiliar and wondrous energy surging within him.
So this is what it feels like to obtain another’s life force. It felt as if warm, heavy water were filling and undulating inside his body. Such a feeling of overflowing life.
“I wonder how much I can see.”
Isaac muttered unconsciously. The Prince, who had been deep in thought, cast a glance toward him.
“If it’s now, I might be able to see the Witch of Roberny for quite a while.”
Isaac sat up straight, looking at the Prince. Where were they, and what were they doing? With not much time left, the key was how long and how accurately he could see them.
The Prince gazed intently at Isaac before shifting his gaze to the cage. A cat, who had been licking its paw with a bored expression, felt the gaze and glanced back.
“If he loses consciousness due to depleted energy while watching that witch, can life force be supplied afterward so he can wake up sooner?”
「Mew? Though more is leaked than eaten, it does get filled.」
「Even if they’re unconscious, if you keep pouring it in, wouldn’t they swallow half even if half leaks out?」
“…They say so.”
Under the Prince’s gaze, which urged him to translate, Isaac explained the cats’ words, but he was suddenly overcome by the feeling that he was saying something he shouldn’t. Why did he feel a chill down his spine… He felt as though he wouldn’t even be able to lose consciousness in peace from now on.
With a much more relaxed expression, the Prince gestured with his head for him to hurry up and look for the witch. Isaac hung his head gloomily for a moment, then let out a long sigh and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. “I’ll only watch in moderation, not so closely that I just collapse…” he muttered, closing his eyes.
Where was he—she?
He shut out various thoughts and focused solely on recalling them.
Does he still have consciousness? Is he maintaining his consciousness by devouring people even after handing everything over to the witch? And is the witch sharing human life force while overlooking that?
Where are you? What are you doing? You, who are drenched in the blood of my heart.
“—”
Soon, a familiar sensation arrived. A feeling like a single, heavy thud, as if someone had struck his heart. Then, his heart gradually quickened and soon began to race violently, and his closed eyes grew hot as if on fire.
Even though it was a sensation he had experienced several times and already knew, the suffocating pain did not vanish. Isaac clutched his eyes, curled his body, and forced back the groans escaping his lips.
The pitch-black vision covered by his eyelids began to shimmer. Something that had been wavering blurrily, like a thin layer of oil on water, eventually formed a clear image.
And—he could see.
Long, white fingers were doing something. Both hands moved in a circular motion, as if caressing something rounded. However, he thought there was only empty space between the two hands.
In that empty space, amidst the two hands moving slowly as if stroking an invisible ball, something was shimmering. Within the swirling, smoke-like mass, something pale was visible.
It looked like a tiny person. One, or perhaps two. Because it shimmered blurrily, he couldn’t distinguish them accurately, but within the smoke of that rounded space, a couple of small human-like figures were moving. They seemed to be talking, or perhaps walking.
As if peering at someone far away through a magic orb, something blurry shimmered in the void between the hands.
But before he could confirm what it was more closely, the two hands suddenly snapped shut, covering the space. Simultaneously, the void and the hazy smoke vanished instantly, and in the opened palms remained only something like a black, glossy iron ball. No, it wasn’t an iron ball. What was that thing that looked somewhat soft?
Isaac—the witch who shared his vision—examined the black, round object in her hand. Soon, there was a sign of a satisfied smile.
The round object then floated above the palm, wavered like black smoke in the air, and suddenly vanished into nothingness.
As if nothing had been there from the start, only empty air remained.
Then, she stood up. He could see the surroundings as she turned.
It looked like an inn. Aside from the fact that the structure—with simple furniture like a bed and table, a bathroom, and a living room beyond the door—was quite luxurious, there was nothing particularly unusual. Except for one thing: the piles of clothes heaped up in the living room beyond the open door.
Countless old, shabby clothes were piled high. Small and large, women’s and men’s, mixed with accessories and shoes. It looked as if the clothes of dozens of people had been tossed together.
The moment he saw those clothes, Isaac realized instinctively, even without being told. Those were the traces of the people they had devoured. In a clean room where they didn’t seem to have stayed for many days, there were that many traces left instead of corpses.
It was chilling. His heart beat heavily. Isaac unconsciously tightened his grip on his hands. He took a deep breath, feeling as if his chest were tightening.
Soon, she turned her head, and the old clothes vanished from sight. She had been humming a low tune, but at some point, she stopped abruptly. Her figure, standing still in that spot, was reflected in the mirror hanging on the wall.
Her—the young mage’s—image was reflected. The face that had been humming happily until a moment ago was now hideously distorted. As if sudden rage had flared up, he glared with wide eyes and a twisted face, then suddenly laughed. He wore a smile that ripped the corners of his mouth toward his ears.
A chill ran down Isaac’s spine. That was no longer a human face.
He approached the mirror. At the end of that gaze staring straight into the mirror, Isaac felt as if the mage reflected in the glass was looking directly at him. However,
『Were you peeking, little half-breed?』
It was not merely a feeling.
The mage—no, the thing that could no longer be distinguished from the witch—was looking at Isaac from within the mirror. The sneering face was horrifying.
『I shall be busy soon, so take care of yourself, little thing. Do not think of chasing me. —Begone!』
The mage flicked his arm as if shaking off a sleeve. Clink! A crack appeared in the mirror.
At the same time, Isaac swallowed a short groan and clutched his head. It felt as if oil had been poured onto eyes that were already burning hot. A shock, as if his brain had been struck directly, surged through his entire body. His vision wavered violently, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
He felt nauseous. He could feel his energy draining away instantly. The mage was pushing Isaac’s eyes out of that space.
His heart was beating frantically, as if it might burst at any moment. To the point where it wouldn’t be strange if it just stopped abruptly. His eyes felt so hot that he wondered if they had already turned into black ash.
But—no, not yet. Still, a bit more. Just a bit more.
Isaac struggled to keep his eyes wide open toward the mage. The vision, which had been blurry like water churning with debris, gradually settled. He could see the mage and the things surrounding him again.
The mage, who had been looking into the mirror, widened his eyes. Soon, his eyes began to distort hideously and glisten. Those eyes were dyed pitch black. The blackness spread even to the whites, making the eyeballs shine like black glass beads.
The thing that was neither human nor witch glared at Isaac, baring its teeth.
『It seems you’ve eaten several people too. Where did you consume so much life force?』
“—”
『You will not be able to chase me… You will not be able to… You cannot!』
The eerie sound, which had been low as if chanting an incantation, suddenly grew as loud as a thunderclap. From the wide-open mouth, something like black smoke surged out and covered the mirror. And then the mirror shattered—this time, it truly broke and scattered into pieces.
And then,
“—!”
A massive shock, as if his brain were being crushed, struck his head.
A force many times greater than before shook his entire body, and in that moment, Isaac lost consciousness.
His consciousness, which had been cut off for a very brief moment, returned quickly, but the connection was severed in that instant.
On his own bed, bathed in yellow sunlight, Isaac was panting heavily, looking down at his trembling hands. His body, shoulders heaving, slowly collapsed onto the bed.
It felt as if he had exhausted every last drop of energy, leaving only enough strength to barely breathe. His vision was distant.
Where was it?
The window reflected in the mirror they had looked into. Outside, only a mountain ridge was visible. The gently sloping ridgeline was a common sight that could be found anywhere.
Yet, that common sight felt strangely familiar. Where was it? When had he seen it? In childhood? A few years ago? Or in a picture book?
He had to remember. He absolutely had to remember.
“Stop it.”
Then, a voice that seemed to pierce through his chaotic mind echoed in his ear.
“I believe I told you to just do as you are told. Stop thinking. Close your eyes and focus only on taking the life force.”
It was a cool, low voice, as if it could instantly soothe his eyes and heart that felt scorched. …A voice that brought relief.
It was just as Isaac relaxed his shoulders. There was a sensation against his lips. Soon, a hot tongue pushed through the gap of their deeply overlapped lips.
It was familiar. A tongue he had touched hundreds, thousands of times.
Isaac instinctively wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, just as he had when he bit that tongue. Soon, he felt the energy being transmitted through the tip of the tongue. The life force, which seemed to be delivered drop by drop, soon thickened into a stream.
Only then did Isaac realize he was famished. What he had filled had become empty at some point. He must have used it all up while watching the Witch of Roberny.
It was sweet. Sweet and fragrant.
They say the taste of life force differs from person to person. He could guarantee there was no better taste than this. Isaac let out a languid breath.
Isaac swallowed that sweet and fragrant essence. Every time their intertwined tongues flickered, every time he licked the man’s tongue, the life force refilling his body gave him a feeling of utmost abundance.
Then, the Prince suddenly seemed to let out a low, rough breath. As if driven by a sudden impulse, he bit Isaac’s lip and then abruptly pulled his body away.
Their lips parted. With the Prince right in front of him, Isaac felt as if he had been suddenly dragged back to reality.
“I-I’m sorry… thank you.”
Isaac was momentarily confused about how to greet him in this situation, but realizing his hunger had been sufficiently sated, he decided to go with gratitude.
The Prince was looking down at Isaac. His blue, sunken eyes looked at Isaac’s lips. What should I do… As he looked at the lips as if weighing something, he shifted his gaze.
「Where was Alikisa?」
「What was she doing?」
The cats in the cage hanging above their heads were chattering.
Isaac, who had been looking at the Prince who was just about to reach out, turned his gaze to the cats and spoke, “Ah, that’s right.”
“She was in a place like an inn where a mountain range was visible. I think I’ve seen that ridge before, but I can’t remember…”
Isaac frowned and tapped his temples. It felt like the memory was almost there, but the fact that it wouldn’t surface made him more frustrated. The Prince, who had been looking at Isaac with some dissatisfaction, quietly withdrew his hand. Then, he gave Isaac a look, signaling him to continue.
“There, she was touching something… like a ball made of clumped air.”
「A ball of clumped air?」
“Yes. It was a faint, smoke-like thing, rounded and about this size, and it seemed like something was moving inside. One or two people-like things.”
As Isaac indicated the size with a gesture, the cats tilted their heads. The Prince also fell into thought.
“When she clumped it together, it became a black, soft-looking… round lump that glistened like an iron ball,”
「Mew?」
“It floated in the air and then suddenly disappeared.”
As Isaac stopped talking and looked up at the cage, the cats looked at each other and blinked.
「She clumped the time of a space.」
「I wonder what she wanted to show?」
「I wonder who she wanted to show it to?」
The Prince, who had been deep in thought beneath the chattering cats, lightly arched an eyebrow as if something had occurred to him. It seemed that Isaac, who was staring at them blankly, was the only one who didn’t know what it was.
“It’s like taking a piece of time from a certain space and bunching it together. It’s like a visual recording device that allows one to replay events that happened at a specific time and place.”
The cat added that anyone who had studied magic a bit would know what it was, but since Manbang was Manbang, of course he wouldn’t. As the cat said, it was the first time Isaac had ever heard of such a thing.
“Usually, it’s used as evidence when informing someone else of a certain fact.”
“If it disappeared, I guess it was sent to someone.”
“But creating one requires a considerable amount of mana, so it’s rarely done. It consumes as much as eating up dozens of humans.”
Suddenly, the dozens of sets of clothes piled outside the door came to mind. Those were likely the number of people sacrificed for it. Isaac clenched his teeth, swallowing the chilly sensation surging in his chest.
What did it show? Who was it shown to? The cats tilted their heads. Isaac locked eyes with the Prince, who had been sitting silently beneath them.
For now, this was no time to dwell on his memories alone. Quickly pushing the thoughts aside, Isaac relayed the cats’ words to the Prince: “They say it’s like a visual recording device.” The Prince nodded, showing no sign of surprise as if he already knew.
“I’ve seen one before. A mage who had been part of a secret pact among lords plotting a rebellion defected to our side. As evidence and a gift, he sent a sphere that perfectly reproduced the scene of their secret meeting.”
Speaking nonchalantly, he stroked his chin and sank into thought. Isaac also fell silent and lowered his head.
What was that witch trying to show, and to whom? Suddenly, his heart wavered with anxiety.
“We shall know soon enough.”
At some point, the Prince spoke decisively. He was a man who did not waste time agonizing over matters where the clues were not yet sufficient to find an answer. Isaac nodded in agreement. It felt somewhat unsettling, but that was all for now. He simply felt a growing urgency to find that witch before it was too late.
“Was your energy sufficient? It seemed you watched for quite a while.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to the generous amount you shared…”
Isaac bowed his head. This was the first time he had watched for so long and managed to maintain this much energy afterward. Even the fact that he could endure when the witch seemed to try and cast him out midway proved it. He marveled at how much of a difference having energy made.
The Prince nodded coolly.
“In other words, if I infuse life force from late evening until dawn, one can watch this much without much strain.”
“…, …Yes, probably.”
After hearing the Prince mutter as if to himself, Isaac didn’t know why he suddenly felt suspicious and anxious. When the Prince said, “Right, then it will be easier,” that anxiety deepened.
“If I can check where she is every day, finding the witch’s location won’t be difficult.”
Muttering in a tone that was unclear whether it was a monologue or not, the Prince looked at Isaac. Isaac felt he knew what the Prince was thinking but didn’t want to know, so he stammered, “Uh… um…” just as a knock sounded at the door.
The person who entered was Hailen’s Chamberlain. With a very distressed expression, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and bowed.
“Lord Kaieon, a message has arrived from the capital’s central office asking if you have yet to approve the documents sent yesterday morning. They say it is an urgent matter… this is already the fourth contact.”
If the always calm and competent Chamberlain was this flustered, the central office must be pressuring him relentlessly. Isaac glanced at the Prince, wondering why someone like him would postpone his work to the point of being hounded like that.
The Prince checked the clock and stood up calmly. It seemed he was finally going to work. Just as Isaac thought he should quickly get up to stand guard—
“You’ll be quite useful now.”
The Prince, who had stopped his steps as he was leaving the room, looked back at Isaac.
“You may rest this afternoon. Let’s start early this evening. So that you can be sufficiently filled with life force.”
“Pardon…? Uh… no…”
Before the flustered Isaac could say anything, the Prince left, leaving the stuttering man behind. Soon the door closed, and Isaac was left alone in the room, dazed. Along with three cats.
「He said you’ll be useful!」
「Is it a flint jar?」
「Are you getting a flint jar as a reward?!」
The suddenly excited cats began to make a ruckus. Their cages shook violently, clanking as they bumped into one another.
“Uh… yeah, looking at it that way, I guess it’s a good sign…”
Isaac muttered blankly, his voice sounding half-absent.
As the cats danced and leaped with joy, Isaac wondered why his future felt so bleak and distant, and he flopped down onto the bed.
The place was so dark that nothing was visible. Enveloped in a chilly and desolate air, it grew colder and colder. He rubbed his skin with his hands, but the cold did not fade.
Eventually, his eyes seemed to adjust to the darkness. As he shifted his gaze to the dim surroundings, something slimy and unpleasant lurked there. He couldn’t tell what it was, dissolved in the darkness, but it was something he loathed to touch.
…unable to.
Then, he seemed to hear a sound. A gloomy, low voice that drifted far and near, like sobbing. Between an incomprehensible language that sounded like incantations, a few words seemed to be mixed in that he could understand, but he couldn’t quite grasp them.
It felt disgusting.
It was cold and unpleasant. He wanted to escape this place immediately.
He moved his feet. However, for some reason, even though he was clearly moving his legs and taking steps, the scenery around him did not change in the slightest. The empty darkness remained around him, as did the things lurking within it.
Then suddenly.
…cannot. …unable to. …will not be able to.
Understandable words popped out one by one from the gloomy murmuring. Simultaneously, the thing lurking in the darkness began to move, wriggling slowly.
It crawled toward him, slithering slowly, inch by inch.
It was repulsive. He didn’t want to be touched by it. He quickened his pace. But it was useless. No matter how much he increased his speed, his position did not change, and those unpleasant things continued to draw closer.
I have to get away. I must not be caught.
He grew anxious. He was practically running now. Yet, that unpleasant something relentlessly closed the distance, and the gloomy sound gradually turned into something intelligible.
Finally, when that black, writhing, unpleasant thing reached his ankles, the sound suddenly turned into a terrifying, roaring shout. The shout screamed as if to tear his eardrums apart.
—You shall not be able to chase me!
“I had a nightmare.”
When Isaac, with a caramel snack in his mouth, suddenly muttered, the only ones listening were the three cats licking their empty plates at his feet.
Until a moment ago, those three plates had been piled high with goat meat, but now there wasn’t a trace left. Despite that, they were grumbling luxuriously, saying, 「Goat meat should properly be paired with wine, what is this plain water?」 while pushing the water bowl away with their paws. He wanted to grab their tails and shake them.
“You devoured that expensive meat so greedily, and you still have the nerve to say that?”
As Isaac clicked his tongue, the cats immediately whipped their large eyes toward him in a sidelong glare.
「Of course we have the nerve!」
「Did you think you’d have sweet dreams after locking us in a cage for a whole day?」
「And did you just lock us up? Right beneath the cage hanging from the ceiling, all night long, so embarrassingly… Oh, my eyes! My rotten eyes!!」
“…”
Isaac suddenly found himself speechless. Rotten eyes, my foot; they had been staring down intently with those wide, clear eyes…
“No, that was by no means intentional, nor was it something I wanted, in fact, I absolutely didn’t want it… If anything, I’m the one who feels like I should be receiving an apology…”
Isaac rambled on with excuses to the cats who didn’t even look at him, feeling genuinely wronged.
Spending two consecutive nights in bed with the Prince was one thing. Isaac was the type to resign quickly to things he felt were inevitable, and he prided himself on having a mild personality that could laugh off most things in the world. So, since it had come to this—the Prince’s life force was enchantingly sweet, and it wasn’t as if his body had been split in two or a bloody incident had occurred—he decided to submit to his fate.
Even though he was tormented by an object of violent size for a violently long time, and even though his lower body felt sore and stiff all day long even after his body was filled with life force, and even though he briefly thought ‘I’d rather die’ by the time dawn broke after rolling in bed since early evening, he wasn’t actually dying. He had no intention of lamenting his lot, blaming himself, or resenting others.
But.
When he was pinned beneath the Prince, his lower body impaled by that massive member, his whole body being bitten, licked, and sucked until he was half-unconscious, shaking frantically and crying until his voice went hoarse—the feeling when his eyes met the three pairs of eyes staring intently from the cage hanging right above the bed… no one would understand. No one ever would.
In those moments, he lamented the fact that he had unintentionally taken in the cats, blamed himself for forgetting they were hanging there because he was so flustered when the Prince stripped him the moment he entered the room, and resented the Prince, who was the one who hung them there and left them there knowing full well they were watching.
「We were going to wait and see if it would end after a few rounds, originally.」
「Indeed, for we are modest, magnanimous, and generous beings.」
「But why on earth did he pour in that life force relentlessly all night, as if it were worthless?」
「When you fainted for a bit in the middle, no matter how much we meowed and tried to persuade him, that life source didn’t even glance our way.」
“…I don’t think he was usually this intense…”
Isaac muttered as if making an excuse. Those words were not just an excuse, but a genuine, puzzled monologue.
Even back in the capital, the Prince was someone who never hesitated to satisfy his desires whenever and wherever he wanted. In fact, Isaac had witnessed such scenes a few times. However, those were acts of ‘purely discharging desire,’ with no foreplay or aftercare, inserting immediately, thrusting for a while, and turning away as soon as he ejaculated. He never caressed the partner’s body or checked their reaction.
But… why is he like this?
「If a normal person had their energy sucked that much by a witch, they would have withered and died a hundred times over… that life source is no ordinary life source.」
「He was walking around perfectly fine, with his skin glowing with luster.」
「Instead, the one who sucked the life force looks more exhausted. What’s that about?」
“Uh… exhausted…”
It wasn’t so much exhaustion as it was a throbbing pain in his lower body. Still, since he had unintentionally gorged on life force, his physical condition was quite good. He was brimming with energy.
“In this state, I’ll have more than enough to see where the Witch of Roberny is.”
He was waiting for the Prince to see the witch, but it seemed the matter was taking longer. And today, Isaac was resting on leave, citing his nearly broken lower body as the reason. In truth, it wasn’t quite that bad and he could have stood guard, but there was no reason to refuse when the Prince told him to rest. He wondered what had gotten into him. He had seemed to be in a good mood today; perhaps that was why.
“…He seems quite busy today.”
Isaac, who had been looking out the window nonchalantly, muttered as he saw a horse just entering the main gate of the Star Palace. A horse wearing a purple and gold band was a sign that it had been sent from the Royal Palace. However, the rider on the horse was not a formal messenger, but a vanguard messenger. A vanguard messenger is one who informs the recipient in advance that an official document is coming soon, so they should not travel far or be absent, before the actual urgent or important document is sent.
Whatever it was, if a vanguard messenger had come, it must be something the capital deemed important, and if so, there was a high probability that it was something the Prince would also need to examine, regardless of who the recipient was.
The main messenger would likely arrive in the afternoon, so the Prince would probably be tied up with work until then. Depending on the agenda, it could last until evening or even longer.
It seemed seeing the witch would have to be postponed for today.
He briefly considered trying to see where the Witch of Roberny was on his own, but he concluded it was better to wait, as he might exhaust all the stored energy and be unable to see when the Prince actually arrived.
“I hope I see a useful clue as to where she is today…”
Isaac muttered, closing the atlas he had spread out on the table.
Yesterday, when seeing the witch, there was nothing but a mountain ridge reflected in the mirror that could serve as a proper geographical clue. The image in the mirror, showing only a bit of the ridge, felt familiar, but he couldn’t recall where from.
Hoping something would come to mind, he had opened the atlas and traced the connected mountain ranges, but the country was vast with many mountains. There were too many places that looked like it.
“It wasn’t such a unique shape, so maybe I’m remembering it wrong…”
Isaac sighed, tapping the atlas with his fingernail.
Where could it be? Where is she? As he was thinking deeply again, suddenly—
—You shall not be able to chase me.
The ghostly voice revived in his memory. The voice he heard in the dream was the voice of that witch he had heard once before. Along with that voice, the unpleasant feeling of something chasing him to his ankles, as if it would entwine him at any moment.
“What I desire, or what someone desires of me, or what will happen in the future… how do I tell them apart?”
The witch had said she doesn’t dream like humans do. What a witch sees while sleeping is one of those three. Then, which one was last night’s dream? A cat glanced at Isaac while licking its paw.
「What did you dream about?」
“I was in a dark place… and something formless and unpleasant chased me. And I heard Alikisa’s voice. Saying I wouldn’t be able to chase her.」
「Did you get caught by that formless thing?」
“I woke up… just before being caught, probably.”
The cats looked at each other. After rolling their eyes, they looked at Isaac and said, 「The meaning of that dream is very clear.」 Isaac shrugged his shoulders in tension.
“What is it?”
「Alikisa hates you!」
“…. …And?」
And what? Is that it? The cats went back to licking their paws as if it were nothing.
“I already know that!”
Isaac, suddenly feeling deflated, spoke with wide eyes, but the cats ignored him, preoccupied with grooming themselves. Then suddenly—
「She must hate you enough to want to harm you.」
「Right, right, Manbang is a bit annoying sometimes. Not even giving us wine.」
「And trying to lock us in that wretched cage.」
They chattered among themselves. Isaac looked at the three of them with white eyes as they excitedly huddled together to badmouth him like fish in water, and eventually clicked his tongue and stepped back.
If Alikisa hates me—then this was the second time. What she desires. For me to suffer some harm.
「She probably tried to sneak away, but because she was drenched in the blood of your heart, your eyes became able to see her, so she must be anxious.」
「Besides, you keep interfering with her work every single time with that life source.」
「What a hateful thorn in her side she must find you.」