By Zephyria 
Isaac slowly stepped back a few paces, turning halfway to remove the sight from his vision. Bern, who had been standing right beside him with his mouth agape, watching their actions, noticed Isaac and followed him.
“What’s wrong? You can’t see very well from here.”
“That’s exactly why I came here.”
“Why? I know Lord Kaieon is the type to do whatever he pleases regardless of the time of day or whether he’s outdoors, but it’s rare for ordinary Royal Guards like us to see such things from this close! ……Wow, incredible……. Hey, hey, hey, look at that, look at that. I guess the rumors were true. His thing is like a forearm—”
Isaac clamped a hand over Bern’s mouth. Since Bern had been whispering like a breeze, it was unlikely to be heard over there, but one of the attendants glanced back toward them. Bern wasn’t entirely devoid of tact; he quickly shut his mouth with a brazen expression, and Isaac stood in a straight, proper posture befitting a Royal Guard.
As a result, the direction of the Prince was once again directly in front of him, but Isaac strained his gaze upward, trying his best not to see the gruesome scene.
Isaac believed that a person should live seeing things that are refined and beautiful, and it was then that the Prince’s face entered his sight.
It was a beautiful face. So much so that one’s gaze was stolen unconsciously. Yet, that face simultaneously looked utterly languid and bored. Even in this moment, in the midst of sexual intercourse.
He was always like that.
Everything always seemed tedious and tiresome to him.
“Hey, isn’t our Prince seriously handsome?”
Bern whispered beside him, sounding as if he couldn’t help but admire him. Isaac stared blankly at Bern with eyes that seemed to ask how he could say such a thing with that scene before them, then let out a sigh.
“There is certainly no room for doubt on that.”
“How can someone who looks like that be so, hmm, awe-inspiring?”
This guy was definitely going to make it big later. Isaac looked at Bern with amazed eyes for describing a terrifyingly cold and ruthless superior in such a way, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Who knows……. People don’t always live according to how they look. Besides, no matter how high-ranking someone is, their life isn’t spent only in a field of flowers.”
“I suppose so. Just look at the nights of the Dark Moon……. Sigh, anyway, it’s all because of that witch’s curse.”
Isaac didn’t respond and looked up at the bright, round moon hanging in the sky. Today, with the energy of the full moon remaining, the Prince and the other royals—though all except that Prince were currently asleep—would be in excellent physical condition. Contrary to Isaac. The same applied to the Dark Moon.
The Dark Moon. Around the time when the witch’s power grew strong, the royals would complain of a languid, heavy headache, and on the night of the Dark Moon, they had to endure the night writhing in terrible pain. Other royals who had contracted with mages could fall asleep and forget the pain, but the Prince was not so. He experienced that terrifying agony in full every single month.
“Did his personality become like that because he’s lived his whole life in such pain?”
When Isaac muttered unconsciously, Bern tilted his head, wondering.
“It’s impossible to know until the curse is broken. They say the curse will lift once every witch on this land has vanished, but I wonder if that day will ever come.”
“I’m curious how many witches are actually left.”
Kill them as soon as they were found, kill them again. Now, news of capturing a witch had become very sparse. At most, once or twice every few years. Still, the fact that the curse remained unbroken meant that witches likely still remained on this land.
Then, what exactly am I?
As Isaac stared blankly at the moon, he heard the sound of someone collapsing with a thud. Turning his head, he saw the young man who had been lying beneath the Prince sprawled on the floor, seemingly fainted. It seemed he had finally lost consciousness.
Looking down at the young man, the Prince said only one thing.
“Pour water.”
……Wow…… what a lack of humanity…….
Whether Isaac was appalled or not, the attendants were nonchalant as they fetched water from the lake and poured it over the young man to wake him. They acted as if this was nothing. Well, he was a man who tore apart the entrails of wild beasts with his bare hands…….
As soon as the young man regained consciousness from the cold water, he was dragged back under the Prince and pierced through again. Sobbing sounds of “Please, just a moment,” and “Please, forgive me,” leaked out breathlessly, but it was useless. Unfortunately, since it was near the full moon, the Prince’s condition would be very good today.
Feeling deeply sorry for the young man who, during the day, strode through the palace with an arrogant face, looking down on the palace servants and acting superior, Isaac silently offered a moment of silence.
It couldn’t be helped. He could only pity the misfortune of the young man who had fluttered before the Prince with a face pretty enough to catch his eye. Actually, it might not even be called misfortune. It could be said that the young man had fluttered before the Prince with the intention of doing exactly that from the start, and finally caught his eye to secure the position of a favorite.
The Prince’s tastes were relatively clear; he took neat and pretty-looking men as his favorites. It wasn’t that he originally only liked men; he had embraced women the first few times, but after they all broke down and were discarded within a few days, he shifted toward men who could endure longer than women, leading to the current situation.
Whether woman or man, he was a person perfectly indifferent to his surroundings to the point that he didn’t even distinguish between them.
Eventually, the favorite fainted again. Having been tormented so much that his lower body was smeared with cloudy fluids and red blood, the favorite lost consciousness and did not wake up even when water was poured on him.
Discarding the favorite, the Prince stood up and looked around, seemingly not yet satisfied. With his member still erect and his naked body radiating heat, the Prince’s intention as he slowly surveyed the surroundings was so clear that everyone froze stiff.
The Prince’s gaze, scanning the attendants one by one, landed on Isaac. Standing tense, Isaac felt his heart grow cold. Cold, emotionless eyes gauging which bastard to bite into. A chill ran down his spine.
The gaze lingered on Isaac for a moment before moving to the next person, and even after the Prince had completed his circuit, Isaac’s frozen heart did not thaw.
“What a bunch of faces…….”
The Prince clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied. Then, he beckoned to an apprentice servant who was relatively pretty, and the servant approached hesitantly, face pale with terror. Before long, screams like a pig being slaughtered echoed and then subsided, and everyone present mourned the victim while simultaneously feeling grateful that their own faces were not particularly outstanding.
Isaac thought, watching the moon tilt over the lake, that this was the first time a night shift had felt this long.
The tavern on a weekday was moderately crowded.
On payday evenings, Royal Guards who had finished their shifts would usually share drinks in a good mood at the tavern, and Isaac was no exception. Even for those whose pockets were light, such a day was a time when they could afford the luxury of three or four glasses of alcohol.
Having entered the tavern with his colleagues, Isaac drifted off to sleep after a couple of drinks. That “drift” must have lasted quite a while, because when he opened his eyes again, his colleagues were tipsy, and two or three familiar young ladies were sitting with them at the table.
“Oh my, this gentleman has been nodding off for a while and finally seems to be waking up. Didn’t you sleep last night?”
Isaac stared blankly at the young lady sitting opposite him, teasing him with a beaming smile, and only after a moment did he realize she was the flower-selling girl he often saw at the nearby crossroads. He shook his head vaguely and said, “No.”
“I did sleep…… but my sleep hasn’t been refreshing lately, so I couldn’t sleep deeply.”
“Why, is it because you’re lonely sleeping alone?”
The girls, who sold flowers by day and love by night, asked with a wink.
“No, my dreams were unsettling. Every night, it feels like something is constantly whispering beside me. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel like I’ve slept well. It’s been like this for a few days.”
“Oh my, how strange. Could it be a Malevolent Spirit or something?”
“This guy lives at the Church Grounds! You know, that old church building on the hill behind Marnius Square. ……Well, it’s practically a ruin now, so it wouldn’t be strange if ghosts appeared.”
A colleague listening in interjected and reached a conclusion, convinced by his own words. Isaac moistened his throat with a glass of water and lightly tapped the back of that colleague’s head.
Whether ghosts appeared or not, he just wanted to get some deep sleep.
Indeed, even last night, his ears were noisy as if something was constantly chatting, so he couldn’t sleep deeply.
Normally, he should have slept soundly last night. The Dark Moon was still a few days away. On this day, when his body felt light and his mood was buoyant, Isaac had finished his evening shift in a good mood and returned home late. He was tired enough to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but it was a pleasant evening.
The first thing to welcome Isaac as he opened the door was a cat sitting alone on the bed, and Isaac paused in his tracks.
He thought he hadn’t seen it for a few days, but it seemed to have returned. The big-eyed cat.
‘You…… is your paw okay?’
Though it was a stray cat that always stole food and ran away, Isaac felt glad to see it after a while and approached pleasantly. The cat, staring intently at him, dropped something it had been holding in its mouth onto the bed.
‘Oh…… what is this, a gift? Are you finally paying me back?’
The cat looked at Isaac with a very boastful and arrogant expression. With a face that said, Now, hurry up and praise me, praise me, Isaac chuckled at the cute cat and approached, picking up the dark object that had fallen on the bed.
It was a stone.
‘……. …….’
Looking again, it was a stone. No matter how he looked at it, it was a stone. Not a rare mineral or a Raw Gemstone, but a common Flint.
‘What is this…….’
A random stone. And what was with that arrogant expression? It looked at him with its nose held high as if it were granting something magnificent, almost as if it were scolding him for not immediately kneeling and worshipping in gratitude. ……Or perhaps it was a face that said, Sucks to be you, what did you expect, dummy?
As Isaac stared at the cat while clutching the stone in one hand, another cat entered through the window. Another one with wide eyes, looking familiar, approached while staring at Isaac and also dropped something it was holding in its mouth.
When he picked up the object, which looked like a rusted piece of iron,
‘……. ……. ……Firesteel?’
Now he saw that the stone was a flint stone. And he had Firesteel too. It had brought a well-matched pair. It had, but…….
‘I mean, it’s not like I’m some crazy person who can’t start a fire…… I don’t even smoke…… what am I supposed to use this for?’
Isaac asked the cats in bewilderment. At that, the cats looked flustered as if they understood human speech. As if they had received a reaction completely different from what they expected.
Staring at the cats, who blinked and seemed momentarily lost, Isaac soon burst into an absurd laugh.
‘If you’re going to give it, you should give the flint jar too. Where’s the jar?’
Isaac pressed them jokingly and tossed the flint stone and Firesteel aside. It was absurd, but whatever. These young animals must have seen someone lighting a fire with these. They probably thought it looked fascinating and brought them as gifts. It was quite commendable and cute.
‘Right, good boy, good girl. I need to sleep, so please leave.’
Isaac picked up one cat in each hand, lightly tossed them out the window, threw two pieces of sausage outside, and closed the window.
Good grief, all sorts of things happen in life. Who uses Firesteel in this day and age, but still, it’s a much better gift than bringing a dead mouse. Now, even if they sneak into the room and steal food, he shouldn’t scold them too much. Aren’t they creatures that know gratitude in their own way?
Thinking pleasantly, Isaac got into bed. And as soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep, languid sleep…….
—That—that—that guy! I brought him a treasure unlike any other in the world out of the goodness of my heart because it was commendable that he took care of me when I was sick, and he’s sleeping? Sleeping?! I might just chew his head right off!
—Ho ho, the ignorant young one is just immature. Be patient, Third. The elder must be patient.
—I generously forgave his rude and wicked words about my beautiful eyes being useless, and yet I see such a wretched fellow!
—Tsk tsk, how can he be so clueless? I think we should help him a bit.
—Even if we want to help, he first has to light a fire with that thing to be helped, so what on earth are we to do…….
In his sleep, it felt as if something was constantly whispering and chatting in his ears. Even in his slumber, he thought it was terribly noisy, but his languidly sleeping mind would not wake, and Isaac had to listen to all those noisy, incomprehensible sounds in his dreams.
He thought they mentioned something about a treasure or a box, but it wasn’t clear because it was a dream. He thought there were some meowing sounds mixed in too…….
Anyway, because he had such nonsense dreams all night, his body didn’t feel refreshed upon waking.
I’ve been having those strange nonsense dreams quite often lately. Am I lacking in vitality these days…….
While Isaac was seriously considering taking herbal medicine, the young lady sitting in front of him widened her eyes in surprise upon hearing that Isaac lived at the old Church Grounds on the hill.
“Oh my, does someone actually live there? That place is completely falling apart. Now that I see, our guard brother must be poor. I thought he was the son of a decent family because he’s so neat and handsome.”
“What’s handsome about him? I’m way more of a beauty!”
The colleague, who had been glancing at the girl with vacant eyes for a while, spoke up grumpily and glared at Isaac. He couldn’t help but feel jealous, but still, the idea that a guy with a belly and a bushy beard was more handsome than him was just wrong…… Isaac grumbled while sipping his drink.
“Why. Even I was told I was handsome back in my day. Don’t you remember when I first joined the Royal Guard, before the squad leader remembered my name, he used to call me ‘you, the neat-faced one’?”
“That was years ago! The landscape has changed since then! Sure, you might have been told you were decent back then, but not now. Compared to then, you’ve completely withered. Totally withered.”
Isaac glared disapprovingly at the colleague who was speaking passionately, fueled by jealousy. He had been a beautiful youth when he was young, but now he was utterly ordinary, and while Isaac had never particularly cared about his appearance, he was reaching the age where children on the street started calling him ‘mister,’ so such words didn’t sound very pleasant.
“Why? I think if you dressed up a bit, fixed your style, and got some skincare, you could definitely be called handsome too.”
The girl in front of him chimed in, and Isaac deliberately looked at his grumping colleague once before whispering more sweetly to the girl.
“Do you think you’d fall for me?”
“No way. No matter how handsome, I hate poor people.”
The girl smiled brightly, yet she was cold.
The colleague burst into laughter as if to show off, and Isaac lowered his head deeply. Yes, that’s how life is. With his shoulders slumped, Isaac turned his gaze away as he brought the glass to his lips.
Just then, a group of people was descending the stairs from the upper floor. Four or five men who looked dangerous at a glance and several women who appeared to be courtesans. Those women were all beautiful and radiant, but the woman descending alongside the man at the very back was by far the most strikingly beautiful. The woman that nine out of ten men drinking in the shop couldn’t take their eyes off was the renowned most beautiful courtesan in the capital, Selina.
“……Truly beautiful…….”
Isaac also couldn’t take his eyes off Selina and just stared blankly, only managing to let out a sigh and mutter after she and the group left the shop. At that, the girl sitting in front of him gave him a playful look.
“Our guard brother likes beauties too, huh?”
“Well, is there any man who dislikes a beauty?”
“Of course, and among them, this fellow is especially famous for liking pretty things.”
A colleague beside him suddenly chimed in with a tattle-tale remark, and Isaac simply pushed the man’s face away with his palm. “If there’s any man who dislikes beautiful things, tell him to step forward,” Isaac grumbled, and naturally, not a single man stepped up to claim he was that person.
“Still, if Selina is dealing with him personally, that man must be something special.”
One of the colleagues muttered this, and Isaac recalled the middle-aged man who had exuded an imposing aura, remaining unphased even beside that dazzlingly beautiful woman. The wrinkled corners of his eyes, curved in a generous smile, seemed to hold no gaps, as if every crease had carved a history of harsh times. Experience told Isaac that such men were not to be approached recklessly.
“Oh, you don’t know? That man is Roberni!”
As expected.
Hearing the name the woman spoke, Isaac thought to himself. The other colleagues also looked surprised.
Roberni was the man at the apex of the underworld syndicates that controlled a vast territory, including the capital and areas several days’ journey away. With innate cunning, keen judgment, and decisiveness—coupled with a physical strength that was said to be unmatched in his youth and a streak of luck that made everything he touched prosper like wildfire—he was a man whom even most nobles dared not treat lightly. He was, in every sense, the Emperor of the underworld.
“Is that the man who’s said to fear nothing in this world? Isn’t Roberni nearly sixty? He only looks about fifty.”
“When you can manipulate everything in the world to your will, what’s left to stress over that would make you age?”
The woman beside the colleague, who was muttering enviously about how he could even get his hands on the capital’s greatest beauty, whispered,
“Still, things seem to be quite noisy lately. Haven’t you heard? They say some mysterious assailant has been causing a series of incidents in Roberni’s territory recently.”
“Incidents?”
“Apparently, they’ve been harming Roberni’s subordinates. And only those of quite high rank, at that.”
“What? Could it be a new organization forming?”
The guards frowned, worrying that a gang war might break out, but the woman shook her head.
“No, it’s not certain, but… apparently, it’s just one person.”
“What? Alone? How can one person take down Roberni’s subordinates? Unless they have some extraordinary trick up their sleeve.”
“That’s one thing, but what’s the reason? Revenge? Is it revenge? It must be revenge, right? There are more than a few people who’ve been wronged by Roberni’s clan.”
“Who knows. They’re keeping it quiet, so nothing more is known. Anyway, that’s why the atmosphere around Roberni’s side seems bad lately. They’ve put out a wanted notice with a massive bounty, but apparently, the person hasn’t been caught.”
“Haha, what a strange world. A champion of justice has appeared, has he?”
The guards looked at each other with expressions as if they had heard every odd tale in the world. Yet, what they simultaneously thought of was not admiration for a champion of justice.
“Fearless or not, there’s a limit. Who in their right mind would mess with Roberni?”
Everyone nodded in unison at someone’s sudden mutter.
His influence stretched like a spiderweb not only through the capital but also into the surrounding areas; there was nowhere his reach did not touch. It was said he had connections with high-ranking nobles and even royalty, and his wealth was such that he could build a castle of gold. His prestige was so great that—
“Rumor has it he’s a man who can even employ top-tier mages.”
“But is that rumor true…? I mean, they say you can’t even meet a top-tier mage unless you’re royalty.”
“Even if not top-tier, he must know some high-ranking mages. He’s caused several incidents that can’t be explained without magic. Like when he assassinated the Sider clan, his political rivals, back then… To commit such an impossible murder so cleanly without leaving a single piece of evidence, it has to be a mage.”
The colleague recounting the grim rumors of the past lowered his voice significantly.
“There’s even a theory that it wasn’t a mage, but the work of a witch. The coroner said he’d never seen a corpse killed so grotesquely and miserably…”
“Oh my, goodness. Let’s stop talking about this. It’s scary.”
The woman, who had been listening intently to the whispers, shrugged her shoulders and shivered. Only then did the colleagues nod and change the subject, and Isaac handed a drink to her as she hugged herself.
“Is it that scary?”
“Of course. Even a mage would be scary, let alone a witch. How horrible. Just hearing about it gives me goosebumps.”
To her shuddering, one of the colleagues joked lightly.
“Mages and witches both use magic, it’s basically the same, so why bother?”
“What’s the same about it? Witches are far more horrific. Isn’t that right?”
The woman sought Isaac’s agreement, and Isaac, sipping his drink, slowly nodded.
“There is a strict difference between a human who knows how to use magic and something that wasn’t human to begin with. —One more drink here, please.”
As Isaac held up his empty glass, the server quickly brought a new one, and in the meantime, the conversation drifted elsewhere. Isaac remained silent, simply munching on the peanuts served as snacks.
This is the norm. This is the general perception of witches. A terrifying and chilling existence, fundamentally different from humans, whom some even call demons. There was no reason to feel hurt or saddened by hearing such things. Isaac had lived this life for decades and felt nothing. And yet, he couldn’t help the sudden chills that occasionally swept through his heart.
The feeling of being isolated. The feeling that no matter how hard he tried to fit in among them, he could never truly blend in. Like an orphan abandoned in the wilderness, Isaac would suddenly remember: that there was no one in the world like him.
But that feeling was fleeting; Isaac swallowed that familiar, infrequent emotion along with his alcohol. If he had chewed over every single one of these casual remarks, he wouldn’t have survived this long. Besides, hadn’t he promised? To live bravely and become happy.
“Who cares about the people above the clouds. I’m not asking for a woman as beautiful as Selina; I just hope I can meet a decent girl. I’m getting older by the year, and if I keep dawdling, my mother’s nagging at home is no joke.”
“True. I wonder when I’ll get married and have a precious child.”
Colleagues around Isaac’s age tilted their glasses and sighed in succession. Among them, who were at an age where the world claimed they had passed their prime, Isaac simply nodded, prompting one of them to smack the back of his head.
“Why are you just smiling when you’re aging right along with us? You think you don’t get old? Your prime days are gone too. When are you getting married?”
“Why are you taking out your mother’s nagging on me?” Isaac replied, only after smacking the man’s head back in return.
“Well, what if someone appears who can embrace me even if I reveal everything about myself?”
“What could you possibly have to reveal that’s so grand?”
“They say every house has a skeleton in the closet. Doesn’t everyone have one or two things that are hard to talk about? Don’t you guys? Can you reveal that you suffered from gonorrhea before? Can you tell how your father shaved your head bald and locked you in the shed for gambling? Can you tell how you got dead drunk and stripped naked in the middle of the street and—”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Shut your mouth!!”
Isaac ended up being lightly beaten by his colleagues, who rose like a swarm of bees to cover his mouth. Amidst them, who were huffing and puffing while glancing around, Isaac rubbed his aching body and muttered.
“Look at this desolate world where truth is concealed by violence… I should really move to a peaceful countryside, get a pretty wife, and live in a pretty house raising pretty chickens…”
“Do you think just anyone can get a house and a wife in the countryside? Without a single penny? You’ve got to make money first.”
“Money… how do you make that again?”
“Who knows. If I knew that, I wouldn’t be in this position…”
The poor royal guards put their heads together and began to lament in whispers.
“They say the first rule is to absolutely not spend and just save.”
“Even so, our salaries are obvious. Is it possible to live without buying a single drink on payday?”
“Then I should really quit being a royal guard and find a job with a lucrative income…”
“See, I told you gambling is the only way to make a fortune! Stop cursing me and think about it carefully; traditionally, the path to becoming rich through gambling—”
“You need a beating.”
Once again, one person fell victim to a beating. In the midst of this, someone spoke indifferently.
“If there’s a way for a royal guard to touch a hefty sum of money, wouldn’t it be by achieving a great feat and receiving a generous reward?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment at those words.
“A feat. Well, if you achieve a great feat, the reward is one thing, but they say you can get whatever you want from the King’s treasure vault.”
“Right. Then you’d enjoy wealth and honor in an instant!”
“But how do you achieve a feat?”
Everyone became quiet again. It was a question as difficult as devising a way to win at gambling.
“In such a peaceful era, it’s not easy to achieve a feat. I suppose you’d have to capture and hand over a fairly significant witch for it to even be considered a feat.”
A significant witch. Isaac tasted bitterness in his mouth, thinking that even if he offered his own neck and said ‘capture me,’ as a mere mixed-blood, he wouldn’t even fetch a few coins.
“Or, you could go chase after Roberni right now and hand him over. Someone like Roberni would certainly be a huge feat.”
“…Wouldn’t I have to secure my own neck first before that…?”
Amidst the various comments, someone raised a glass, saying, “Come on, let’s just drink,” and taking that as a signal, everyone stopped their useless fantasies and clinked glasses. And Isaac reminded himself of his usual thought: ‘I should just live quietly. Seeking luck that doesn’t fit one’s station always leads to trouble. The best way for a person to live is quietly, without drawing attention.’
The Dark Moon returned.
It was a pitch-black night, said to be when witches hold their banquets.
Looking up at the stars that sparkled as if they would pour down from the moonless night sky, Isaac climbed the hill with a fluttering heart. Even his steps seemed to sway and waver.
At the end of the hill path, a church building that looked like a bleak, abandoned house was visible. As Isaac climbed the dark and eerie hill path with a grin, a man emerged from the building. Hoden was coming down in his uniform, perhaps because he was on duty tonight.
“Isaac. Looks like you’re coming back after drinks. Did you drink? You look like you’re in a good mood.”
“Mm, I had a bit. Are you on your way to your shift?”
Isaac hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol today, but he answered with a beaming smile. It was easier to just say that than to try and hide the buoyant, excited feeling.
It was always like this during the Dark Moon. Vitality surged through his body, and he felt a sense of euphoria as if he were drunk. In times like these, Isaac could feel the witch’s blood flowing through him.
“Yeah. Until dawn. Guarding Byeokyeong Palace. …Sigh. Of all days, it had to be today.”
However, the moment Hoden pulled down his hat and let out a sigh that seemed to sink the earth, the mood that had been floating high in Isaac’s heart plummeted instantly. It felt as if alcohol he hadn’t even drunk had suddenly worn off.
Byeokyeong Palace.
There was a man there tonight who, for the same reason as Isaac, was experiencing a completely different sensation. Contrary to Isaac, who was buoyant all night due to the witch’s blood, there was the Prince, who would suffer terrible agony all night due to the witch’s curse.
Hoden trudged down the hill, asking Isaac to pray for his safe return, and Isaac simply watched his back until he was swallowed by the darkness before starting to climb the hill again. Despite still feeling a buoyant excitement as if drunk, a wave of melancholy surged alongside it, and he entered his house with a heavy, drunkard-like sigh.
When he was young, his mother told him a story like a folk tale.
His grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother, the Great Witch Grandmother, had given a soldier—the ancestor of the current royal family—great wealth and asked him to find her treasure. But lo and behold, that greedy and vicious soldier not only stole the Witch Grandmother’s treasure but even killed her. Then, that wicked villain used that treasure to kill the King, who was the original owner of this country, married his daughter, and usurped the throne.
Because of that great sin, the soldier received a curse given by the Witch Grandmother in exchange for her death, and those who inherited his bloodline were destined to suffer in agony every Dark Moon night when the witches’ power grew strong. That is the current royal family, and they are, in fact, the descendants of a thief who stole our precious treasure—so his mother had told him.
His mother had lamented deeply, asking how such an injustice could be, that those thieves, without even reflecting on their own sins, were massacring our witches.
“Even if that soldier deserved to die after suffering every Dark Moon for his whole life, what sin did his descendants commit for generations… Grandma…”
Isaac muttered to himself with a sigh. But on the other hand, he wondered what sin the massacred witches had committed.
“This is why paying evil with evil leads to an endless cycle…”
Isaac let out another deep sigh, but after standing still for a moment, he eventually gave a small laugh and tilted his head.
What did it matter? In the end, the affairs of the world would roll where they were meant to, and upon that great wheel of fate, whether witch or human, they simply rolled along in quiet obedience. Above all, was today not the Dark Moon?
A Dark Moon where one feels full without eating anything and ecstatic without doing anything. Isaac entered his room with buoyant steps. Then, he suddenly stopped, flinching.
In the dim room lit by a single small oil lamp, three pairs of eyes were staring intently at him—one on the bed, one on the table, and one inside the food basket—having played as if they owned the place until the moment the door opened.
“…”
It’s truly strange. I clearly close the windows tight before I leave, so how do these guys get in every time? Did Hoden leave them open by mistake?
Isaac stood at the doorway of the dim room in a silent standoff with the three cats before entering and closing the door. He rolled up his sleeves, intending to catch them one by one and put them out the window as usual, but today, these creatures were peculiar. They didn’t move an inch, just sat there staring intently at Isaac.
“Are you hungry? Alright, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give you each a piece of cheese. So let’s go outside first…”
It was as Isaac muttered, reaching out to the nearest cat.
—It is the Dark Moon.
—It is our night.
He felt as if he had heard a voice from somewhere.
Isaac paused and looked around. He couldn’t tell where the sound had come from, and he was the only one in the room. He remained still for a moment, but the only thing he could hear was the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
“…I must really be lacking in vitality.”
Thinking that he should probably prepare some herbal tonic since he was hearing hallucinations, Isaac reached out to the cat again. Just as his hand was about to touch the cat, the creature, which had been staring at Isaac without moving until that very moment, suddenly leaped up. Stepping on Isaac’s shoulder, the cat jumped onto the table, knocked over the oil lamp with its tail, and climbed onto the bookshelf. As the lamp fell and the light went out, the room was instantly engulfed in pitch-black darkness.
Isaac froze in place. In the room that had suddenly gone dark, his vision was momentarily blinded.
The Dark Moon. A night without even moonlight. The only thing filtering through the window was the thin, shattered sparkle of starlight.
As Isaac’s lightless eyes slowly acclimated to the darkness, the stars began to enter his sight one by one. In the night sky where countless stars sparkled, there was no moon. The place where the moon always resided was now pitch black. It was the night of the witches.
Isaac’s heart raced.
It was a strange night. Feeling buoyant as if drunk was a regular occurrence every Dark Moon, but today was exceptional. His heart fluttered for an unknown reason.
As Isaac gazed at the pitch-black sky as if entranced, a low meow reached his ears. A cat, which had approached his feet unnoticed, let out a thin cry. Come to think of it, wasn’t this the first time he had properly heard this cat meow? Just as he thought that and lowered his gaze, the one on the bed also looked at Isaac and meowed. As if on cue, the one on the table did as well.
Three cats all meowed toward Isaac. They took turns, one after another, as if they were actually speaking.
“What is it…?”
Isaac whispered, looking at each of them with wide eyes. He wondered what was going on, and the plausible conclusion he reached was:
“What. You want food? Alright, alright, I get it, you little gluttons.”
At Isaac’s words, the cats let out loud meows as if they were suddenly offended, but other than that, there was no reason for them to act this way. Amidst their fierce cries, Isaac walked toward the cupboard.
It wasn’t easy to find something for the cats to eat in a cupboard located by the doorway, away from the window, where not even starlight reached. He fumbled for bread and pushed it aside, pulled out dried meat only to realize it was salted and put it back, repeating this several times.
“I really need to light a lamp first.”
Eventually, Isaac returned to the table and picked up the lamp. Just as he turned to go to the kitchen to transfer a spark to the wick, the cat that had been on the table leaped down, stood before Isaac’s feet, and dropped something it had been holding in its mouth.
It was a stone. One that had been rolling around aimlessly in the corner of the table for a few days.
As Isaac looked down, wondering why there was suddenly a stone, another cat approached and dropped a piece of metal with a clatter. Only upon seeing that rusted piece of metal, which had been discarded in the corner of the table along with the stone, did Isaac remember the existence of the Firesteel these creatures had brought him a while ago.
“……. ……. …….”
What is with these guys… I’m scared…
Isaac looked down at the cats with extremely suspicious and reluctant eyes. Just how many humans had these cats swindled in their time to become so unnervingly perceptive? Watching them with a sense of dread, Isaac finally gave in to their persistent meowing and picked up the flint stone and the Firesteel.
Whatever. They probably just want me to light the fire and give them food quickly. I’ll find something for them to eat, kick them out, and then lock the doors tight and go to sleep.
Isaac struck the Firesteel using a piece of oiled paper as tinder.
Click.
At that moment, it felt as if his vision shimmered.
“…?”
Isaac slowed his hand, feeling a momentary flicker in his sight, as if a heat haze were rising in the darkness. However, perhaps he had seen wrong, for the darkness remained still and silent.
I guess I really do need some restorative tonic. Now I’m even getting untimely dizzy spells.
Isaac struck the Firesteel again, and as a spark flew with a crackle, that strange shimmering sensation returned to his vision, but this time he didn’t stop. Aside from the cats, he felt he needed to get some food into himself as well.
And so, when the spark finally caught the tinder and the room brightened again.
Amidst a strange shimmer, as if the air itself were waving, Isaac lit the lamp and turned around.
“Now, I’ll give you food, so hurry up and—”
He lost his words mid-sentence.
Where he turned, three tigers—with eyes the size of teacups, wheels the size of windmills, and bodies the size of towers—were crouching and staring at him.
“――.”
Jet-black, glossy fur. Piercing, flashing eyes. Bodies massive enough to swallow a human in one bite.
Isaac froze on the spot.
This is impossible.
I must be dreaming with my eyes open.
No, I must have fallen asleep at some point. Right, I’ve been feeling frail lately, so it wouldn’t be strange if I drifted off without realizing it. Therefore, this is a dream.
How else could he explain this bizarre situation?
The three beasts were staring intently at Isaac. Just as the thought crossed Isaac’s mind that those three pairs of enormous eyes looked familiar,
「You’re Kali’s son, aren’t you?」
A voice was heard. It was a strange sound, as if whispering right in his ear, yet echoing from beyond a distant mountain. Isaac stared blankly as the mouth of the beast directly in front of him moved, the sound flowing out, and only a moment later did he realize he had heard a longed-for name.
「He looks like her.」
「He does.」
Then the other beasts opened their mouths in turn, and with each one, that strange voice was heard. After that, the voices flooded in like waves.
「She was so pretty, from a good family, and smart; I wonder how she ended up marrying a human and suffering so much.」
「He was decent-looking for a human. She’s always had a thing for faces since she was young.」
「What’s the point? He was a human with a short life expectancy to begin with.」
「Humans don’t live long anyway. A hundred years at most.」
「Then what about him? Is he only going to live another seventy years?」
「He’ll live longer than his father. After all, even a half-breed is still a witch.」
「Kali went over to the land of the new moon and bragged every day about how her son, whom she left behind in that world, is just like her—so beautiful and clever. Since we couldn’t verify the facts, wasn’t she just blatantly lying?」
「Leave her be. Her father is the type of man who would indulge her even if she tried to make soy bean paste out of red beans, just because his daughter who left home finally returned.」
Isaac, who had been staring at the beasts in shock, slowly regained his senses. Right, it’s a dream, a dream. It must be because it’s the Dark Moon that he’s having such a vivid and strange dream.
But it was a good dream. Hearing that his mother was living happily in that other land, even if only in a dream, made Isaac feel fond and warmed. Mom, you used to scold me, saying I’m clumsy and slow because I take after Father.
Once he realized it was a dream—and a good one at that—Isaac’s heart felt much lighter and more at ease. Watching the behavior of the big-eyed beasts, Isaac suddenly spoke up.
“You guys… you’re cats, aren’t you?”
In an instant, the beasts all flinched simultaneously, the fur on their scruff standing on end.
「What, what, what!」
「So what!」
The way they shouted as if their tails had been stepped on, glaring with those huge eyes even wider, was quite grotesque, but Isaac thought, I knew it, and braced himself. Since it was a dream, it couldn’t be hard for a cat to become a tiger, and above all, there was no way other creatures with such unnervingly large eyes existed. If they were cats, he wasn’t afraid.
“Why are you little things speaking so informally while pretending to be big?”
「Little things?! We are noble and elegant beings! How dare a lowly half-breed!」
“If I’m a half-breed, then what, are you guys Pureblood Witches?”
「Of course!」
「Not just any Purebloods, we are the magnificent and holy three brothers of the prestigious Gregorovius family!」
「You lowly creature, now that you’ve recognized us, quickly prostrate yourself and worship!」
This chattering sound also felt familiar. Right, now that he looked at them, these were the ones who had been rambling in his dreams.
As his tension eased, hunger rushed in. Leaving them to their chatter, Isaac took bread from the basket and took a bite. Since it had been a few days since payday, he luxuriously took out some butter to spread and poured milk instead of water into his cup. The cats in tiger’s clothing shut their mouths and stared intently at Isaac’s fingertips. He could hear the sound of them gulping.
“Are you guys hungry too?”
「Hmph, hmph. If you wish to offer a tribute, we may graciously accept.」
Where did these arrogant thief-cats come from? Flabbergasted, Isaac snorted and continued munching on his bread.
“Forget it. Even if I emptied a month’s worth of food, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to fill the bellies of three such huge—”
「What?」
「We what?」
Before Isaac could finish his sentence, the house-sized beasts vanished, and in their place sat three cats, their wide eyes rolling frantically.
“…….”
Oh boy…
Forgetting to chew his bread, Isaac stared at the cats and let out a hollow laugh. He suddenly felt drained and started giggling. It was already the Dark Moon, a time when moods fluctuate; well, a dream like this is interesting in its own way.
Ah, whatever, I’m in a good mood. Isaac took out the herring he had kept on ice to fry tomorrow morning. As soon as he placed the fish before the three cats, whose eyes began to sparkle instantly, the three became one with the fish, rolling around in a frenzy.
Crouching beside the three as they happily tore into the raw fish with chomp chomp chomp sounds, Isaac reached out to pet one of them. Immediately, a tail slapped his hand away, resulting in failure. How haughty.
Only after they had cleaned the fish, leaving nothing but heads and bones, did the three begin grooming themselves with satisfied faces, licking their paws. Among them, the one with eyes the size of teacups glanced at Isaac and arrogantly tilted its nose up.
「I accepted the tribute specifically in consideration of your sincerity. For a half-breed living in the land of humans, this is an honor hard to obtain once in a lifetime, so be grateful.」
“Right, why are such precious beings still here instead of going to the land of the new moon?”
Isaac asked the cat with a smirk. The cats stopped grooming and stared intently at Isaac. Their gaze was so steady that Isaac looked back and forth between the three pairs of eyes, bewildered.
「We need a jar.」
The cat with eyes like towers spoke.
“Huh? A jar?”
「We need the flint jar. To hold that.」
The cat’s gaze shifted past Isaac’s shoulder. Turning his head, Isaac saw the flint stone and Firesteel on the table. The dark flint stone and the rusted Firesteel.
“Would any suitable box do? Then I’ll find one for you. That’s not hard…”
「No, no.」
「We need the flint jar that the flint stone was originally kept in.」
「It must be that exact flint jar.」
The cats each added their piece. Isaac, picking up the stone and Firesteel, looked puzzled.
“Why?”
「Because it is our treasure.」
The cat’s voice echoed with unusual clarity.
Isaac looked down at the stone and Firesteel in his hand. They were common items that could be found anywhere. Old and worn-looking.
「It was originally ours. A precious treasure passed down through our family for generations. The cunning AmneMika used a trick to steal it away. Now that AmneMika is dead, the treasure should return to us, but the soldier who killed AmneMika took the treasure.」
Isaac recalled stories of a witch’s treasure he had heard somewhere. He asked with a strange feeling.
“Where is that flint jar?”
「In the King’s treasure vault.」
In that place said to be filled with all sorts of gold, silver, jewels, and mysterious, wonderful things.
The cat repeated.
「Bring it to us. We need it.」
“Bring it to you…?”
If it were that easy, why would those precious treasures still be there? Isaac clicked his tongue and shrugged.
“If you’re telling me this, why don’t you just go get it yourselves?”
「No, no. The King’s treasure vault is inside the Royal Palace. What if we go into a place swarming with royalty and accidentally get caught and have our blood sucked?」
“Blood?! Why would your blood be sucked? Royalty aren’t vampires.”
「They’re under a witch’s curse. If they drink the fresh blood of a witch, they can be freed from the witch’s curse for one night,」
「Youngest, shush!!」
Another cat quickly blocked the chattering cat’s mouth with its paw, but it was too late.
“…Aha… is that so…?”
Indeed, this was something they would want to keep secret. If this fact became known, the royalty would become even more desperate to capture a witch.
The moment Isaac muttered reluctantly, the cat’s body suddenly grew rapidly, becoming much larger than the tiger from before. The beast, now so massive it filled the entire room, growled, revealing sharp teeth.
「If you tell anyone, I’ll eat you. I’ll cast a terrifying curse on you…!」
“I won’t tell, I won’t tell. I don’t want to see something unsightly either.”
Isaac waved his hands. A witch having her fresh blood sucked—the mere thought was horrific. The beast looked Isaac over with suspicious eyes and then slowly shrank its body. Isaac watched with fascination as it quickly returned to being a cat.
“But if you can use magic like that, you can just use magic to take the flint jar.”
「No. Magic doesn’t work in that treasure vault. Moreover, a witch cannot enter. We are powerless.」
“Hmm… that’s too bad.”
Isaac looked down at the cat, whose head was drooping in disappointment, and offered a nonchalant consolation, as if watching a fire across the river. It was in the next moment that the cat beside him suddenly spoke.
「But you can enter. Because you are half-witch and half-human.」
“Eh?”
「Yes. Besides, you’re so bold that you work in the Royal Palace despite being a witch’s child.」
「Our treasure is in the Royal Palace.」
「So you’re the perfect person to bring the treasure.」
The cats were in perfect sync. Ignoring Isaac’s bewildered gaze, the cats began to sing the song of 「Bring it, bring it」 once again.
“…Excuse me. I’m sorry, but.”
Isaac rubbed his temples and frowned, feeling a headache coming on from the meowing.
“That’s not a place just anyone can enter. A low-ranking guard like me can’t even see the door. I’d have to achieve a great feat just to maybe get a glimpse of it.”
「Then just achieve a great feat.」
Even though he explained it clearly, the cats, who knew nothing of the world, didn’t seem to understand the problem. Isaac felt a sudden wave of fatigue.
“Forget it. My goal in life is to live quietly and peacefully. I won’t do it. I don’t have the confidence. So go find someone else.”
As Isaac firmly refused and trudged toward the bed, the cats dug their claws into the hem of his trousers and hung on, following him while meowing noisily.
「Bring it, I said bring it.」
“Why should I?”
When Isaac asked back, the meowing stopped abruptly. Isaac looked at the three cats hanging heavily from his clothes, staring at him with wide eyes, and sighed.
“Your situation is pitiful, but the direction I aim for in my life—”
「I will grant you a wish.」
Then, the cat with the largest eyes spoke. The cat, having let go of Isaac and leaped onto the bed, looked at him.
「I will grant you three things you desire every Dark Moon night. Lend us that flint stone. If you strike it once, he—here, the cat pointed to the one with eyes like teacups—, if you strike it twice, he—this time pointing to the one with eyes like windmill wheels—, and if you strike it three times, I will come and grant the wish of the one who holds the flint stone. That is how we will grant your wishes, so you bring us the flint jar.」
The cat spoke, rolling its tower-like eyes. The other two cats leaped up beside it and looked at Isaac.
Their gaze was solemn and grave, as if they were about to enter into some kind of contract, and Isaac thought, I’m really having a strange dream, as he looked down at the flint stone and Firesteel still in his hand.
“If I strike this, a wish…?”
Muttering to himself, Isaac instinctively struck the stone and Firesteel together. He had only tapped them lightly and without strength, but a small spark flew once.
At that moment.
The shadow of the first cat swelled enormously. Isaac knew that the shadow covering the entire room was actually the cat—now a beast so large it could no longer be called a tiger—when he saw the massive eyes glistening and looking down at him from above.
「I shall grant your first wish. What do you desire?」
A low voice, sounding as if it came from beneath the earth, echoed with a rumble.
Isaac swallowed hard, looking at the beast before him. Even though he knew it was a dream, his heart raced. It’s okay. It’s a dream. Nothing to be afraid of.
“A wish… uh… well….”
「What do you desire?」
The beast thrust its head right in front of Isaac’s nose. Faced with the beast growling and urging him from a distance so close they almost touched, Isaac’s mind went blank. A wish—he had never really thought about one. Something he wanted. If it was something he wanted.
“A… a beautiful,”
「What do you desire?」
“One night with the most beautiful woman in this country…?”
The words had tumbled out of his mouth impulsively. It was because the memory of drinking with his colleagues not long ago had momentarily flashed through his mind.
Only after the words had escaped him did Isaac belatedly recall a beautiful wife, a beautiful house, or a beautiful chicken. He blushed to himself, thinking, I must be an instinctively lewd man if that’s the wish that popped out of me in a moment’s panic.
Deciding it would be better to wish for something else, Isaac raised his head again, but the great beast had already vanished.
“Huh?? Where did it go so—…”
「And the second?」
“What?”
「The second. You have to strike that thing twice.」
The cat sitting on the right side of the bed pointed with its paw toward the Firesteel in Isaac’s hand. Still glancing around, wondering where the great beast had disappeared to, Isaac instinctively struck the Firesteel twice. Clink, clink.
As small sparks flew, the cat on the right swelled up tremendously. It seemed slightly larger than the previous one. At the very least, its eyes were certainly much bigger—nearly the size of windmill wheels.
「What do you desire?」
Once again, a booming voice that sounded as if it were echoing from beneath the earth washed over Isaac. Isaac stared blankly into the massive eyes that glared at him, the giant head tilted slightly, and suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
Is this a dream or what… Still, it doesn’t seem to be a nightmare, so this is kind of fun. Fine, it’s a dream, so what does it matter?
“Uh… right. I’m hungry, so… a lavish feast.”
Isaac spoke boldly as he perched on the old wooden chair, and no sooner had the words left his lips than everything around him transformed.
A large, luxurious table appeared before his eyes, filled to the brim with all sorts of extravagant delicacies. From foods he had longed for but couldn’t eat, to dishes he had never heard of but looked so appetizing they made his mouth water. Fragrant wine. Fruit liqueurs. Cakes and frozen treats that melted the moment they touched the tongue.
It wasn’t just the food. Isaac’s room had also changed into something so opulent it felt like the chamber of some royal, befitting the table. The worn-out bed and the peeling wardrobe were gone, replaced by heavy, beautiful furniture and a soft, richly colored carpet. The wooden chair Isaac had been sitting on had become a plush seat draped in silk.
“…Whoa…”
What on earth was happening? He didn’t know what kind of paradise he had fallen into.
As Isaac stared blankly at the scene, his eyes met the beast’s, which was looking at him from beside the table as if asking how he liked it.
「Please, eat.」
The beast spoke with mock politeness, and only then did Isaac nod and turn his attention to the food. The fragrant, appetizing scent stimulated his hungry stomach. Though he felt a deep regret that this feast was nothing more than a dream, he happily picked up the turkey barbecue right in front of him.
What if it’s a dream? It’s a very good dream. I hope I wake up only after I’ve eaten everything. Thinking this, Isaac began conquering the dishes lined up in a row. He marveled at how wonderful the dream was, especially since he could actually taste the food and it was exquisite, when suddenly, he snapped his head up.
“Wait… does this mean they’re actually going to bring the most beautiful woman in the country?”
「And the third? You must make your third wish.」
Without answering Isaac’s question, the last remaining cat spoke. Isaac instinctively struck the Firesteel three times, and that cat also transformed into a giant beast. The creature, whose head nearly touched the ceiling, looked down at Isaac, rolling eyes as large as towers.
「What do you desire?」
“Uh…”
Isaac hesitated, unable to think of something quickly. More than that, the thought from a moment ago—that he might actually spend this night with the greatest beauty in the land—would not leave his mind.
Even if it were a dream, what if a truly stunning beauty was carried in? Was it okay to have such a wonderful dream? No, since it’s a dream anyway, he might just wake up the moment she enters. …But he was eating this feast right now. There was no reason a beauty couldn’t happen. If the dream progressed further and some… impure things happened…
Suddenly, Isaac’s chest tightened and his heart raced. Although he lived a relatively plain life compared to other soldiers, he was still young and felt desire. As Isaac suddenly turned red and became shy, the beast looked at him as if it had seen everything in the world and pressed him again, 「What do you desire?」 Isaac stammered, unable to think of a plausible wish.
What, what should I wish for? Right, if a beauty is arriving, I should offer her some jewels or flowers.
Having decided without thinking too long, Isaac opened his mouth to stammer, “Then, something that would make her happy—”
The window flew open.
A violent wind roared into the room through that window.
The wind, like an untimely typhoon, made everything in the room flutter and shake, and Isaac crouched down, covering his face with his hands.
Soon, the wind ceased as calmly as if it had never happened, and the objects in the room remained in their places as if nothing had occurred. And there, in the center of it all, Isaac saw something that hadn’t been there until a moment ago.
A large beast was standing in the middle of the room.
That pitch-black beast, with eyes as large as teacups, was the one that had appeared and vanished when Isaac first struck the Firesteel, and now, it was carrying a person on its back.
“—”
They brought the beauty. Isaac realized it instinctively.
The beauty seemed to have lost consciousness—then again, considering it was the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be strange if she had been carried away while sleeping—and lay sprawled across the beast’s back. Though she was mostly hidden by the beast’s long black fur, he could tell that her disheveled hair sparkled brilliantly like fine gold thread.
It was hair more beautiful than any he had ever seen in the world. It seemed impossible for the owner of such hair not to be beautiful. Suppressing his wildly pounding heart, Isaac instinctively bolted up from the table and approached the beast and the beauty.
At that moment, as if sensing Isaac’s presence, the beauty seemed to move slightly. Although the small movement stopped halfway, Isaac realized she was not asleep. She was conscious.
Is she scared? Yes, she must be terrified to be carried here by a giant beast out of nowhere. Feeling sorry and pitiful, Isaac spoke carefully.
“Beautiful lady, please don’t be afraid. As for me…”
Just as Isaac was about to speak manfully and maturely, as a young man of certain status working in the Royal Guard, promising that he would never do her any harm, the beauty slid limply from the beast’s back and tumbled onto the carpet.
“Hey! Are you alright?!”
Startled, Isaac rushed to her side and knelt. The beauty, sprawled on the floor, seemed to be in pain, breathing heavily and occasionally twitching with thin tremors.
“Now look here, where does it hurt…”
As Isaac lifted the beauty and asked, he paused. As if she had just emerged from water, the thin robe she wore was soaking wet and clung to her body. Since she seemed to be wearing only a single robe over her bare skin, the curves of her body were revealed in full, and Isaac instinctively blushed and turned his head away. …But.
“…”
Wait, something felt a bit strange. What was strange was…
Frowning in curiosity, Isaac whipped his head back, and at that exact moment, the beauty reached out and gripped his wrist, causing him to flinch and drop his gaze.
He was shocked.
He was shocked because the grip on his wrist was incredibly strong, and he was shocked because the hand was unexpectedly large—larger than his own. But above all, the hand was drenched in a reddish liquid.
Now that he looked, it wasn’t just the hand. The beauty’s entire body was glistening with a reddish liquid.
What is this…? This pale red liquid that smells fishy…
“…Blood-stained sweat…?”
It was then that Isaac murmured.
The beauty, who had been gripping Isaac’s arm, slowly raised her head. Disheveled blonde hair clung to a sweat-drenched face. Between the strands of hair, eyes that seemed to drift between consciousness and unconsciousness flickered, and the moment he met those terrifyingly deep blue eyes,
“—”
Isaac’s heart stopped.
He knew this person.
This was the person Isaac never wanted to meet in such a private setting—no, someone he would have had no reason to encounter in his entire life—
It was Prince Kaieon.
Outside the window, the Dark Moon covered the night.
Though it couldn’t be seen inside the room draped with thick silk curtains, outside, in the moonless night sky, only the stars would be shining eerily.
The Dark Moon, when witches are most active—.
A man destined to writhe in agony all night long under a witch’s curse every Dark Moon was now here, in Isaac’s room.
And indeed, he seemed to be in such terrible pain that he couldn’t even let out a proper groan, unable to move, only trembling and convulsing occasionally. Blood-tinged cold sweat was seeping from his body, and bluish veins bulged across his rigid frame. Even his breathing seemed labored, with occasional gasps that were rough and hurried, as if he were being strangled.
Faced with this horrific sight that felt suffocating just to behold—Isaac, who had been standing there dazed and speechless, snapped back to his senses when the Prince’s grip on his forearm tightened.
“Ugh…”
Isaac’s face contorted at the grip, which was strong enough to break bone, and he finally came to his senses. He whipped his head toward the pitch-black beast standing proudly right behind them.
“What is this!”
When Isaac shouted his question, the beast, which had looked immensely proud and confident, wore a face that asked why he was saying something so nonsensical.
「The most beautiful person in this country.」
“When did I tell you to bring this person!”
「But he is the greatest beauty in this country, isn’t he?」
“—”
Isaac was speechless. His breath caught in his throat, and he could only stand with his mouth agape, glancing at the Prince.
The greatest beauty in the country.
Perhaps that was true. No, honestly, it would be hard to find a face more perfectly sculpted than this. In the first place, it was absurd and nonsensical that he hadn’t thought of this person upon hearing the words ‘greatest beauty.’
But.
Even so.
“You ungrateful, wretched, steamed-and-eaten-still-not-enough pieces of cat shit…”
Isaac, his face pale, shouted all at once and hurriedly tried to stand up and back away, but it was too late.
Crack.
The hand he had just tried to shake off gripped his forearm even tighter, then clamped down completely. The sound of bone echoed, and a dizzying pain surged through him. Isaac stopped in his tracks, unable to complete his step.
It didn’t seem… broken. But it was certainly not intact.
Cold sweat soaked the back of his neck, and the man holding Isaac’s arm slowly raised his head and upper body, as if rising from the earth.
Their eyes met. Half-closed, unfocused blue eyes shimmering with madness.
“It couldn’t possibly be a dream… This pain doesn’t let me sleep even for a moment…”
The Prince whispered to Isaac, as if talking to himself.
Unexpectedly, his voice was low but calm, as if echoing from the bottom of hell. It was far closer to normal than those flickering eyes. This indicated that the Prince was maintaining a shred of sanity even amidst terrible agony. Nevertheless, he remained chillingly terrifying.
As Isaac instinctively flinched and shrank back, the Prince gripped him even tighter. Those blurred, unfocused eyes scanned Isaac thoroughly.
“However, an ordinary beast could not have broken into my palace and brought me here. Nor could an ordinary human command such a beast. …Therefore, you,”
Crack, crack, the arm bone screamed. Pale with pain, Isaac stared at the Prince, unable to even blink. The Prince, rising slowly like a snake, drew close to Isaac until their noses almost touched. From that close distance, the Prince smiled crookedly.
“You must be a witch.”
Snap.
That unfamiliar yet vivid sensation of a bone breaking.
Simultaneously, an immense pain surged, and Isaac didn’t even realize he had let out a scream. No, before he could even register that fact, the Prince pounced on Isaac like a leopard and pinned him down.
Sitting atop Isaac, who was shuddering from the pain of his broken arm, the Prince grabbed his hair and yanked it up. With his broken arm crushed under the Prince’s knee, Isaac gasped in pain, looking at the Prince with blurred eyes.
Let this be a dream. Please, let me wake up soon.
But unfortunately, the pain was too vivid, and Isaac had to realize that he was in a reality more surreal than any dream.
“That’s… not…”
Isaac, spitting out words one by one with a stiff tongue, had to stop as the Prince’s large hand tightened around his throat. His airway was blocked.
“A witch summoned me…? In a time when one should be digging a hole in the ground and hiding so that not a single hair is seen…?”
The Prince laughed as if it were absurd. More strength entered the hand gripping Isaac’s neck. Isaac felt death approaching. Whether it would be from suffocation or a broken neck.
“I will tear away every single piece of flesh from your body and pull out your tendons. I will crush your bones piece by piece until you die. —Even then, it won’t be a hundredth of the pain I suffer every Dark Moon.”
The Prince whispered, grinding his teeth as if that were the only thing that infuriated him. Even now, blood-tinged red sweat was forming and dripping from his forehead and neck. He was still tasting that shuddering agony.
As Isaac’s vision began to fade from the lack of oxygen, he was pulled back to reality by a searing pain digging into the nape of his neck. The Prince was biting into Isaac’s neck. Just as he had said, as if trying to tear away the flesh piece by piece. The smell of blood wafted strongly.
I’m going to die.
The fear of death rushed in vividly.
Every time the Prince bit his neck, a fire-hot pain seeped in along with the scent of blood. Isaac, whose consciousness began to blur, went limp like a deer whose throat had been torn by a predator.
Then, as his head fell back, three giant black beasts came into Isaac’s view, sitting in the middle of the room and looking down at him. Right, why had he forgotten them?
Come to think of it, Isaac had not yet spoken his third wish. He still had a chance. Suddenly, hope surged within Isaac, and while maintaining eye contact with the beasts, he barely managed to squeeze out a whisper.
“He… help me…”
「You don’t have the Firesteel, do you?」
The beast’s reply was utterly nonchalant.
Isaac stared blankly at the beast. And only a moment later did he remember that he had left the Firesteel on the table and rushed toward the fallen beauty.
Isaac could barely move his eyes. The Firesteel lay at the far end of the table. It was only a few steps away, but with his neck gripped in the Prince’s hand, it felt further than hundreds or thousands of miles. Isaac whispered again, pleading.
“You… you said you’d lend it to me… I already struck it… so please, help…”
「Anyway, you’re not holding it right now, are you?」
The beast, replying with the same airy tone, began grooming itself, licking its paw as if it were none of its concern. Isaac, who had been looking at the beast desperately, was so appalled by the behavior of those three big-eyed Monsters that his breath caught. Following that, a fierce rage surged, and he ground his teeth.
A person is dying right in front of them, and those bastards, after bringing the source of the disaster inside, are pretending not to know… Even if I die, I should kill those damn breeds first before I go. This is infuriating.
Repeating only that thought regretfully, Isaac looked at the Firesteel sitting quietly on the table with blurred eyes, and having no other choice, he could only let go and wait for death to arrive.
Mom, Mom, I couldn’t keep my promise. But it’s not my fault, so please don’t scold me. Until now, I’ve lived quite bravely and happily…