By Zephyria 
He was so exhausted that he thought he surely wouldn’t wake up for at least a week. Moreover, he had slept so deeply that it felt as though a million years had passed while he was under.
Thus, when Isaac opened his eyes and saw the sun setting red outside the window, he wondered with a hazy mind, How long has it been since I woke up?
Sitting blankly as if his soul hadn’t fully returned to his body, he blinked a few times before his second thought occurred: I’m still at Hailan’s. Isaac was lying in the prince’s bedroom, on the prince’s bed, within Hailan’s detached palace. For some reason, he felt like he’d been waking up here constantly lately… Since it wasn’t his first time waking up here, he worried less than before about being arrested for lèse-majesté, but still, occupying the prince’s bed and lying there alone didn’t feel entirely comfortable.
Where did he go? Just as Isaac, his senses finally returning, turned his head to look around,
「…….」
「…….」
「…….」
Three pairs of black, glistening eyes stared back at him from within clumps of dark fur, meeting his gaze right in front of his face. They were looking at him with their usually terrifyingly large eyes half-closed—though they were still huge—which made the look incredibly eerie.
“……. You were alive.”
After staring blankly at the three of them perched right atop the headboard cushion, Isaac greeted them. Immediately, the three of them shouted in unison.
「Of course we are! Did you think we died!」
「Manbang survived, so why on earth would we die!」
「I wanted to ride the horse too, but you just hopped on and left us behind, you heartless thing!」
Hearing them argue back so sharply, it seemed there had been no need to worry about them. Even as he lost consciousness from exhaustion, he had collapsed while worrying about where those three black furballs were, which had made his sleep restless, but it had been for nothing. As expected, they weren’t the type to be in danger no matter where they were tossed.
“How much time has passed since that day? Three days? A week? More?”
As Isaac muttered while watching the setting sun, the three of them snorted.
「Half a day has passed.」
「You slept so long you must’ve left your sanity behind in your dreams.」
「Ho ho, Third, it’s wrong to say that. Manbang never had a sanity string to begin with.」
Isaac blinked at them and then looked back at the setting sun. Half a day. That meant that nightmare-like time had been just this dawn. It felt like a distant memory, as if he had slept for an eternity.
“I woke up sooner than I thought…….”
Isaac muttered, scratching the back of his neck. He thought he had been worn down to the bone, almost as much as when he had exhausted his strength using his eyes to see the witch, but indeed, it seemed that exhausting one’s energy through magic and through mental strain were two different things.
Then, he suddenly shifted his gaze to the three of them, who were lying prone and sulking. The three of them, curled up like loaves of bread on the head cushion without doing a thing, looked extremely displeased and depressed. Come to think of it, they too had witnessed that nightmarish scene where the witches—their comrades—were slaughtered.
“……. I’m glad you all are safe.”
Isaac muttered, feeling a mix of pity and affection. The cats looked at Isaac, their pupils darting around with continued dissatisfaction.
“The witches…… did everyone who went there die?”
Isaac asked, thinking that surely not all those numerous people could have died, and the cats snorted again.
「How long do you think witches have lived in the human world for them to all die from something like that? A few are left.」
「Hmm. Roughly a dozen or so?」
「Elegant and noble beings like us survived, of course.」
Listening to them chatter about being the top one percent, Isaac fell silent.
A dozen or so out of the witches who had filled that field. They had truly been nearly wiped out.
He felt a complex surge of emotion. A stinging ache at the thought that so many had been slaughtered, and on the other hand, a sense of regret that since not all had vanished, the royal family’s curse would not be broken. He felt a heavy weight from two opposing thoughts simultaneously.
“Right…… the curse on the royal family won’t be lifted then.”
「It’ll be lifted soon. The remaining ones talked it over and decided to just cross over to the Land of the New Moon during this Great New Moon.」
Isaac, who had been muttering like a sigh, paused at the cats’ response. He stared at them intently.
「Even without this, the humans were getting stingier and more unpleasant, so everyone gave up on them after this incident. They’ve decided to board the Moon Fragment Boat when it comes during the Great New Moon.」
「There probably won’t be any witches left in the human world.」
Isaac looked down blankly at the sulking cats. A sudden, faint sense of regret washed over him again.
I see. Now, there would be no more witches in the human world. Truly, witches to the land of witches, and humans to the land of humans.
Isaac slowly nodded his head.
“……You must be depressed because so many of your comrades died.”
Even though he had shuddered at the sight of the witches’ demonic banquet, the fact that so many were slaughtered made his heart heavy, even for someone who was only half-blood; how much more so for them? It wouldn’t be strange for them to be disgusted enough to leave this land.
A subtle guilt for having been beside the person who committed such a slaughter covered his heart. Isaac quietly reached out his hand toward the sulking, curled-up cats. However,
「Why would we be depressed just because they died?」
「Their witch-life is theirs, our witch-life is ours.」
「If they were the type to die there, they wouldn’t have survived long anyway. At most, would they have lived another hundred or two hundred years?」
「There are plenty of ones who’ve lived thousands of years in the Land of the New Moon; maybe we’ll actually be able to communicate with them. We couldn’t talk to those hundred-year-olds in the first place. We don’t share a table with such people.」
“…….”
The words they spoke so nonchalantly, while swatting away Isaac’s hand with their tails, were filled with sincerity. Isaac looked at them bleakly as they responded in a tone that suggested he was talking nonsense, without a single shred of regret.
These witches have absolutely no affection for their comrades… Who was calling whom heartless? And—though he already knew—what was with that obnoxious sense of superiority? Well, witches were generally like that. The feeling of affection and pity he had felt vanished instantly.
“Then why are you three looking at me like that? Do you not like me?”
Isaac cast a bleak look back at the three, who had looked dissatisfied and sulky for a while. In response, the three gazes became even bleaker. Beyond bleak, it was almost unsettling.
「Did you bring something into your body?」
「It feels like something very unpleasant and eyesore-inducing is sitting in there.」
Isaac blinked. He stared at them blankly for a moment before muttering a beat late, “……Ah.” Only then did he remember. Come to think of it, Alikisa was there.
“……You can see her?”
「Of course we can!」
「Do you think we poked holes in our eyes because we had extra skin to spare!」
「Why is she sitting in there sleeping?!」
“Is she sleeping?”
「Of course she’s sleeping! From what I can see, she’s completely bankrupt of strength! It’ll take a few more years before she even has the energy to open her eyes!」
“Then she’ll sleep for a few more years?”
「She’ll be snoring away, snoring away!」
「Wake her up and kick her out right now!」
「Kick her out even if she doesn’t wake up!」
「Who gave her permission to be in there?!」
「And you, Manbang-Manbang or not, how can you be so naive and foolish?! Knowing what that is, how could you just swallow her into your body? Would you drink lye if it were free?! Why did you let her in?!」
The three of them were clamoring like fish in water. The whole room was deafeningly noisy. Frowning, Isaac shifted his body back slightly and muttered.
“The magician said she’d break the curse placed on Lord Kaion.”
The cats shut their mouths instantly. They stared intently at Isaac. Isaac retreated a bit further. Seeing their expressions grow more ferocious, he wondered if he shouldn’t have mentioned it.
「How wonderful, just wonderful!」
「He’s so impressive, so impressive!」
Sure enough, they began leaping and rolling around on the head cushion as if they were about to pounce and bite Isaac.
“I can just kick her out, kick her out.”
「Kick her out? Who says you can just kick her out?! You must have made a contract, a contract! How can you just kick her out as you please after that?! What are you going to do now?!」
One moment they told him to kick her out, and the next, they were in an uproar because he said he would. Watching them wail and moan in distress, Isaac let out a small laugh. He patted the three of them, and though he got his hand bitten hard, he didn’t give in and scratched behind their ears.
“I can kick her out.”
「How?! By breaking the contract?! Then the backlash will hit you a hundred times over! Do you want to die?!」
“A witch can’t possess another witch.”
「Yes, that’s why she possessed a half-blood like you! If you’d just left her alone, she would’ve died because she had nowhere to go, so why did you just accept her?!」
“Once I become a pure-blood witch, she’ll be kicked out.”
The moment Isaac spoke casually, the cats’ wailing stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the whole world went silent. In the profound silence, three pairs of eyes stared intensely at Isaac.
「Pure-blood witch……?」
“You said if I get the Bushitong, I can become a pure-blood witch.”
「You can, because the Bushitong is a treasure like no other in the world!」
“Then naturally, Alikisa won’t be able to stay in my body.”
「That’s true! Because a witch cannot possess another witch!」
“Then well…… if I prepare a beast with some magical power and become a pure-blood witch, Alikisa, having been kicked out of me, will have no choice but to enter that beast if she doesn’t want to die, right?”
Since she’ll have to live as a speechless beast for the rest of her life, it’ll be a bit of a hard life, but let’s just call that the price for having lived wrongly until now, Isaac muttered, and the cats stared at him.
「Wow…… this guy is really mean…….」
「I agree…… vicious…….」
Despite their constant bad-mouthing of him, their hips were wiggling with pleasure.
「But once you become a pure-blood witch, it’ll be hard to live in the human world, won’t it?」
「All the witches are leaving, and you’re planning to stay behind all alone? The royals will throw a fit, saying the curse won’t be lifted because of you.」
「First of all, that ill-tempered Hwasubun will probably come for your head.」
The cats took turns commenting as they looked at Isaac. Isaac kept his head lowered in silence for a moment. Even though it was something he had already decided, saying it out loud made his heart feel cold.
“……. I’ll just have to cross over to the Land of the New Moon too, I guess.”
The moment the words left Isaac’s mouth, the cats leaped up from the head cushion with a shout of 「Yippee!」
「Yes, that’s a great idea! Manbang, you come over too!」
「What’s the point of staying in the human world! Humans are stingy, the water and air are dirty, and it’s boring and dull.」
「For once, Manbang has had a proper thought!」
The three of them ran around the bed in excitement, as if they had never been sulking and curled up. Even though they were annoying every time he saw them, seeing them so happy made Isaac chuckle. Though that smile slowly faded.
Yes. That was the only way. To break the curse placed upon the prince. He had no choice but to resolve to leave this place.
If so, there really wasn’t much time left. About one month until the Great New Moon when the Moon Fragment Boat arrives.
One of the cats approached Isaac, who was staring blankly at the setting sun. Tilting its head and looking at Isaac, the creature tapped the back of Isaac’s hand with its tail.
「It’s better than staying here and being killed by Hwasubun for being a witch. If you go to the Land of the New Moon, there are plenty of guys as handsome as you.」
“……. Really?”
His ears perked up and he felt a bit better—not really. No matter what kind of appearance came his way now—though he didn’t think they’d be better than the prince’s—he didn’t think he’d like it that much. Loving someone is, on one hand, a tender thing, and on the other, a sorrowful thing.
However, what the creature said was true. The prince was someone who would kill every last witch remaining in this land; once the final few witches vanished, he would kill Isaac next. No matter how much he liked him, he had no intention of quietly accepting death from the start. This was the sequence of events that had been predetermined.
Isaac let out a long sigh and nodded to himself.
Now, what he had to do was,
「So, hurry up and find the Bushitong.」
“…….”
Yes, that was it.
The key was whether he could actually retrieve the Bushitong from the King’s treasure vault, but that had been Isaac’s goal from the beginning.
“I wonder if I can argue that I’ve been useful in my own way…….”
The prince had promised that if he produced useful results, he would be allowed into the treasure vault. Having come back from the brink of death several times, he felt he could demand that the promise be fulfilled.
……But where was he?
“Lord Kaion…… is he in the office? Or the library?”
「Who knows? He seemed incredibly busy since this morning. People have been visiting him all day.」
Ah, Isaac nodded. That made sense. Since it was the day a massive witch hunt had taken place, he must be unimaginably busy. He’d probably be this busy for a week, then for the following month, he’d barely have time for a cup of tea, and for the three months after that, he’d be slightly busier than usual.
If he went now and said, ‘Give me my reward,’ he’d be lucky if the prince didn’t kick him out, and the people around him would call him tactless; but regardless, since he was nominally a guard, he should at least try to fulfill his duties.
Isaac rose from the bed. His joints and muscles were slightly sore, but his body felt very light. I must have regained some strength while sleeping, he thought, scratching his cheek sheepishly as he left the room.
There had never been a time when witches and humans were on good terms, at least as far as the records went.
Witches always exploited humans as food or servants, and humans used witches as tools to achieve their own desires. While some positive results might have derived from their interactions, fundamentally, witches were cruel, evil, and terrifying beings to humans.
Over the long ages, through days where humans were killed by witches and witches were killed by humans, it had been about a hundred years since humans began hunting witches in earnest. For those hundred years, the blood of witches soaked the mountains and rivers, and they gradually became harder to find, to the point where rumors spread that no witches lived in the land of humans.
It was in the midst of that that the massive witch hunt occurred. It was a large-scale massacre, the likes of which hadn’t happened in decades.
The land across the fields was stained red with the blood of witches, and a red river flowed. This wasn’t a story that floated around like a distant legend, but a reality that people passing by could see with their own eyes—the red earth, the river, and the remains of witches scattered upon them.
There was no way the whole world wouldn’t be in an uproar.
Especially Hailan, where it happened, and even more so on the day it occurred; the prince, being the party directly involved, must be so busy that ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.
“……If he’s not in the library or the office, where did he go…….”
Isaac muttered, sitting on the terrace outside the office.
The office—or more accurately, the drawing room, which the Prince had been using as an office since his arrival—was empty. Recalling the Prince’s habit of sitting out on the terrace to catch his breath between tasks, Isaac stepped outside, but there was no one there either.
Normally, in such a case, one might consider horseback riding, a stroll, or hunting, but it seemed unlikely he would do such things in the midst of this chaos. Thus, Isaac sat down on the terrace and sank into thought for a moment.
Even then, the fragmented sounds of people passing by and conversing could be heard from the adjacent room, where the terrace doors were left open, and from the garden below. While he couldn’t hear the words clearly, most of the conversations were laced with phrases like “The witch…” or “The witches…” It seemed this was the talk of the world today. And for good reason.
Isaac was just about to stand up from the terrace to go outside and ask anyone he encountered where Lord Kaieon was.
The sound of the office door opening signaled someone’s entry. For a moment, Isaac leaned his head out the terrace door, wondering if the Prince had returned, but he quickly pulled back upon hearing a woman’s voice let out a heavy sigh and exclaim, “Goodness, witches, of all things.” “I’ve never seen so many witches dead before. How gruesome,” another voice replied. It seemed a few servants had entered to tidy up the office.
“Forget the witches, I’ve never even seen a dead person before.”
Along with a whisper of fear, there was the sound of decorations being moved near the table. The Prince rarely left things scattered and did not tolerate others touching the items he used, so there should have been very little for them to clear. Likely just dusting the ornaments and furniture, or removing half-finished teacups and trash.
“I figured there would be witches somewhere, but I never imagined there would be so many. I heard there are over several hundred corpses.”
“They said they lined them up in the fields on the way to Kuslo. They’ll burn them all tomorrow once they’re sorted.”
“But I’ve truly breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, I haven’t had a moment’s peace for the past few months. My parents retired to a quiet mountain village south of Kuslo, and there were rampant rumors for months that entire villages were disappearing.”
“Right, come to think of it, Cecilia’s house was in that area. She must have been so worried. I heard it wasn’t just a rumor, but actually happened. Several reports had already been filed, and investigations were carried out, and it turned out to be the work of witches.”
“Yes, that’s why Kuslo was the first to organize its own defense force, and people in Atlane and Hailen were starting to take it seriously.”
The clinking sounds of cleaning mixed with their conversation. Isaac sat there blankly, thinking they would be startled if he suddenly interrupted, and waited for them to finish. As he did, he thought of the villagers who had died.
Countless people who had no reason to die had perished. It was a relief that such things had ceased, but too many had already passed away.
Isaac quietly looked down at his own body. Because of the witch contained within.
…As expected, he could not find a new body to transfer her into and let her roam the outside world again. Yet, since he couldn’t keep her locked in his body forever, he had no choice but to drive her out. In a way that she could not resist.
Isaac let out a quiet sigh and leaned his head against the wall.
“I heard it was the day all the witches in the human world gathered? Does that mean there are none left?”
“I don’t know; they say a few might have escaped and they’re still looking. But it seems most of them have been wiped out.”
“They sent a courier to the capital at dawn, so the capital must be in a festive mood by now.”
“Lord Kaieon is truly incredible. Not only did he return after defeating those terrifying monsters in the borderlands, but now he’s wiped out the witches too. How is this possible? He really can’t be human.”
“…He did seem a bit inhuman, in many ways.”
Though the last remark was ambiguous, blurring the line between praise and slander, the conversation soon shifted back to the Prince. Endless praise followed for the peerless hero who had once again achieved an unbelievable feat.
The awe, which had mostly been a fear bordering on terror, had shifted into an awe closer to admiration and veneration. It was the gaze directed at someone who had accomplished a great task, seemingly impossible for a human, in such a short amount of time.
“…Though, as a man for me, he’s a bit much.”
At someone’s sudden addition, others followed with “Hmm, me too,” and “Me too.” Isaac momentarily glared, thinking they were getting ahead of themselves when no one had offered them anything, but then—
“By the way, that man who is Lord Kaieon’s guard…”
He shut his mouth upon hearing someone bring it up cautiously.
He hadn’t expected his own name to suddenly pop up. He didn’t even know why he was being mentioned. He reflexively held his breath, and as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, wondering if it was okay to keep sitting here and listening,
“I heard he’s a witch.”
At the whispered words, he froze completely. Without a single movement, even his breath stopped; Isaac was paralyzed.
“Really…? Truly…? My goodness, I’ve greeted him and talked to him a few times every time I ran into him!”
“No, Sam confirmed it. She has a friend among the people who came from the border, and that friend said so. That the witch played a huge role in achieving this.”
“Good heavens… he doesn’t look like it at all, but he was a witch? How chilling.”
Did he steal my life force or soul while talking to me? The woman whispered with a distressed face, while others comforted her. It’s okay, nothing happened, I talked to him often too.
“Then from the witches’ perspective, that man is a traitor.”
“I didn’t see him that way, but that’s a bit…”
“So that’s why Lord Kaieon always kept him by his side and watched him so closely. In case the witch harmed people. I wonder what he’ll do now?”
“Since he’s a witch, wouldn’t he have to be killed? To break the Curse.”
“Ugh… let’s stop talking about this. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”
He heard one of them rubbing her arms. To think a witch was right nearby, how terrible, how scary—their whispers continued.
Shortly after, the signs of cleaning finished, and they left the office. On the now-silent outer terrace, Isaac slowly slumped his frozen body. His body, which had been leaning against the wall, slid down to the floor.
First, his mind went blank, then he became flustered over what to do, and finally, the strength left him, and his body went limp.
I see.
The word that Isaac was a witch must have spread. To be precise, he was mixed-blood, but such a distinction wouldn’t matter to them. The only important fact was that a wicked and feared being, which they knew existed but had never seen with their own eyes, turned out to be right beside them.
A witch. A fearful and malicious entity that might cause harm without them even knowing.
“…”
Isaac rubbed the area around his heavy stomach and looked at the red, sinking sun. If the rumors had already spread, there was nothing to be done. Since it wasn’t entirely false, he couldn’t even make an excuse. He could only endure it in silence. Besides, he had already decided he needed to become a Pureblood Witch and would soon be crossing over to the land of the new moon; he only had to endure the thorn-like gazes of people for a while.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
Isaac murmured softly as if comforting himself and stood up. No matter how much he repeated it, he couldn’t help the sinking feeling in his heart, but he couldn’t just sit here and dwell on his gloom.
Sighing and scratching his head, Isaac left the office. Regardless, he had to find the Prince. As for everything else, he had no choice but to act as if nothing were wrong, as if he knew nothing.
Even if, like this, someone he encountered in the hallway flinched upon seeing him and hurriedly brushed past while turning their gaze away with a subtly frowned face.
“…”
Walking down the hallway after leaving the office, Isaac stopped for a moment as he watched a servant shrink away and quicken their pace upon seeing him. That servant did not look back once until their back disappeared from view. Even though they were someone who, until very recently, had greeted Isaac casually and shared a few words about the world.
Slumping his shoulders and resuming his walk, Isaac realized clearly after experiencing a similar thing once more.
The palace was a place where words traveled fast. Moreover, after such a massive event, all sorts of talk must have circulated through all sorts of people’s mouths. True stories, false stories, major events, and trivial matters—all of them. And among those stories, the fact that “the Prince’s guard was a witch” must have been a fairly significant piece of gossip. Enough to be passed from one person’s lips to another for an entire day.
Here, Isaac was no longer a person.
To them, Isaac was a ‘witch,’ nothing more and nothing less. A witch under the Prince’s surveillance. A target to be wary of, no matter how friendly the face he approached them with, because he hid a wicked and malicious nature.
“I should have been born as a cat…”
Murmuring words that would have made the three cats glare instantly, Isaac swallowed a low sigh.
It’s okay. It can’t be helped. It’s something to be endured. No matter how many times he whispered that, he couldn’t help the growing weight in his heart.
Even as he did, a servant walking from the other end of the hallway saw Isaac and awkwardly stiffened their face, glancing at him with a look mixed with caution and curiosity.
“Have you by any chance seen Lord Kaieon?”
When Isaac asked, the servant seemed startled, as if they hadn’t expected him to speak to them, and vaguely pointed outside with a nod before hurrying away with quick steps. After watching his back for a moment, Isaac bitterly turned and headed toward the outside of the palace.
Outside the palace, unusually more people were coming and going than usual. Many of them were soldiers clad in light armor. Having come from the borderlands under the Prince’s orders, they walked around nonchalantly even with shockingly large wounds on their arms or legs. They truly lived up to the reputation of being the roughest and toughest soldiers in the country. On the other hand, because they were such people, it made sense that they could slaughter the feared witches so ruthlessly.
Even for them, who likely weren’t well-versed in the rumors circulating within the palace, the talk regarding this incident seemed to have made a full round. Even though they couldn’t possibly know Isaac’s face individually, there were several among those passing by who pointed at Isaac with their chin and whispered something to their comrades.
A person truly cannot live after committing a great sin.
With every step he took, the gazes were as stinging as walking on a bed of nails; he wondered how those who had to endure people’s stares managed to live.
Asking a passing servant once more about the Prince’s whereabouts and walking in the direction pointed, Isaac did not meet anyone’s eyes.
Unlike the palace people who peeked stealthily, the soldiers’ gazes, which were bold and explicit, clearly revealed hostility, hatred, and contempt. If Isaac had not been under the Prince, he likely would have already faced someone’s blade.
“…”
While accompanying the Prince, he had vaguely thought that such a day might come, but the reality was harsher than he had imagined.
Turning around a building wall and entering the rear garden, Isaac saw a few men sitting there. The first person to turn their head toward him was someone Isaac knew. It was Rihan.
Seeing Isaac, Rihan raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment. Isaac gave a small nod of greeting and walked toward them. Seeing Rihan there, he figured the Prince must be somewhere nearby, but the Prince was not among the four or five people sitting there.
To be this invisible… rather than continuing to encounter people and be showered with dark gazes, it would be better to just go back to the bedroom and stay inside. Just as Isaac was thinking of turning back—
“Lord Kaieon went to the bedroom a moment ago; did you miss him?”
Rihan spoke. Seeing him point to an empty chair opposite him, it seemed he was inviting him to sit. Isaac stood there for a moment, staring blankly at Rihan. Rihan asked, “Why?” with a puzzled look. Isaac shook his head with a faint smile.
“No… it’s just that since I woke up, you’re the first person to speak to me so casually.”
He hadn’t known that such a trivial and natural thing would touch his heart so much. This man was the only one who treated him like a human being. Even though this man had known Isaac was a witch for a long time.
As he sat in the empty seat Rihan pointed to, the gazes of the others gathered on Isaac. All of them seemed to be soldiers from the border, looking at Isaac with eyes mixed with curiosity, caution, and hostility. However, since Rihan, their leader, remained calm, they didn’t say anything particular.
“It seems the situation was mostly sorted out while I was asleep. You must have worked hard.”
When Isaac spoke, Rihan simply shrugged his shoulders. Though he didn’t say it, fatigue was etched on his face. Having spent the night wiping out the witches and not having rested since, he must be exhausted.
“You must have known exactly where the grand assembly was held to be waiting nearby.”
Isaac struck up a conversation. It was because he remembered the soldiers pouring into the barrier the moment it broke at dawn. It was surprising enough that such a large force of soldiers had moved from the distant borderlands to this place without being detected and waited in Hailen, but he was also surprised by how they had been waiting as if they already knew and swept away the witches instantly and ruthlessly. He guessed that clearing out Roberni’s gang in the capital had been similar.
“That’s just a knack. I had people scattered throughout Hailen, so I could quickly tell where crows or beasts were moving strangely. In the borderlands, we hunt monsters almost every three days. Witches are a bit more cunning and sly, but those creatures have similar behavioral patterns.”
Rihan spoke nonchalantly. “That fellow also always hovers above Lord Kaieon’s head when he’s not on an errand,” Rihan said, looking up. At the end of his gaze, a pure white hawk was gliding in the high sky. Ah, I see, Isaac nodded.
“I was surprised that the soldiers pushed in all at once as soon as the barrier broke. Lord Kaieon looked to be in danger, surrounded by witches, so I was anxious, and I was glad it worked out.”
The moment Isaac’s words fell, all eyes focused on him. Amidst the gazes that seemed to ask What is this now?, Isaac remained silent for a moment before realizing why they were looking at him that way.
“No… rather than looking in danger, I just thought it would be nice if someone was by his side.”
When he added, Actually, I didn’t think at all that he would be in danger, those strange gazes softened slightly, but the look of What nonsense am I hearing? remained unchanged. Among them, only Rihan looked at Isaac with a suspicious and unconvinced face before slowly speaking.
“Right… it was the first time I saw his expression change.”
Only after hearing those words, murmured like a monologue, did Isaac understand why people had looked at him that way a moment ago. With the same gaze they had used, thinking What nonsense am I hearing?, Isaac looked at Rihan. The other men were the same. However, Rihan did not yield to those gazes and tilted his head.
“The moment the barrier broke, I rushed straight to Lord Kaieon, but he didn’t even look my way and was muttering. ‘Now that the barrier is broken, that fellow must be with that witch.’ Then his face hardened and he rushed off…”
Rihan seemed to be thinking for a moment with his arms crossed, then glanced at Isaac.
“At first, I wondered who ‘that fellow’ was, but thinking about it now, I believe it was probably you.”
“……. Yes, it is true that I was with the witch when the barrier broke…….”
Isaac replied vaguely, scratching the back of his neck.
It was said that the barrier would only break if the witch at the center of the grand assembly suffered a great shock. Since Isaac and the Prince had been searching for Alikisa at the time, the fact that the barrier broke midway meant that one of them must have caused her a shock. Thus, it was understandable that the Prince guessed Isaac was with Alikisa, but—
“She was someone who didn’t even blink after having her guts ripped out while fighting monsters…….”
“Yes, she was certainly capable of that.”
It was utterly incomprehensible that someone so capable would change her expression over nothing. Simply because Isaac was with her.
…Perhaps he worried for her a little. He didn’t seem like the type, and no one else in the room seemed to think so even in the slightest, but could he have been concerned? If so, that would be nice.
“Is she some kind of incredibly useful and valuable witch?”
At that moment, a man gestured toward Isaac with his chin and asked Rihan. “Kaieon wouldn’t keep someone in mind unless they were reasonably useful…,” he muttered, tilting his head skeptically.
“Yes, I think so too.”
Isaac nodded in easy agreement. Beside him, another man scanned Isaac blatantly and spoke with admiration.
“But seriously, if I didn’t know she was a witch, I’d be completely fooled. She looks exactly like a human.”
“Yes, because I’ve lived as a human my whole life.”
Again, Isaac nodded and replied readily. The man let out a hollow laugh, as if thinking, Look at this guy.
Now, wherever he went, he was no longer a human, but a ‘witch who looks like a human.’ Feeling a bitter sensation rise again, Isaac quietly swallowed a sigh. It was better with those meeting him for the first time. Though it made him slightly depressed, he could ignore it. But what about those he had been familiar with? If he returned to the capital.
Isaac thought for a moment and let out a quiet sigh. Whether he interpreted the sigh as such or not, one of the men clicked his tongue in pity.
“Since it’s come to this, there’s no helping it. She’s a terrifying person, so don’t try any tricks and just listen obediently. Then she’ll at least kill you in one clean stroke so it’s not painful.”
Isaac looked at the man, who was saying exactly what Rihan had said before. The other men seemed to agree, nodding lightly.
“I agree. Though she is a good person in her own way…….”
Isaac accidentally started to speak and then shut his mouth. This was because the men showered him with looks that seemed to ask, What is this now? Well, indeed… thinking about it now, it did sound a bit odd. He hoped they wouldn’t ask in what way she was a good person.
Meanwhile, the men leaned toward each other and began to whisper.
“Now that I look at him, it seems Kaieon picked up some sort of dim-witted witch…….”
“Well, if they’re too cunning, there’s too much to worry about and they’re not easy to use, so a dim-witted one is better.”
“Anyway, they say he was quite a big help. That’s enough, then.”
“Right, in what way is she a good person? The fact that she didn’t kill him the moment they met?”
He had hoped they wouldn’t ask, yet they asked anyway. Isaac fell into deep thought as he looked at the man who was leaning in, asking with genuine curiosity. If he said she was handsome, he felt he would truly be treated as a dim-witted fool. …But besides that, no matter how much he thought, no other strengths came to mind. Our Prince is in quite a predicament…….
“……I just liked her.”
After agonizing for a long while, Isaac finally said only that.
In a way, that was his absolute truth.
He had thought about it countless times, but in the end, that was all there was. There was no particular reason or specific cause for liking her. As the men stared intently at Isaac, who spoke with such pure sincerity, they remarked:
“See, I told you he’s using a dim-witted and lacking one.”
“No wonder he seems so human; he looks far too naive for a witch.”
“No, maybe this is actually his tactic.”
“Then he’s truly dim-witted. What kind of trick would work on a person like that?”
They whispered among themselves, branding Isaac as dim-witted.
Isaac, who had been praised throughout his life for being observant, resourceful, and competent, couldn’t help but feel wronged by their harsh criticism, but he refrained from protesting. He felt that even if he spoke, it wouldn’t make a dent, and reflecting on the previous conversation, he admitted he probably did seem a bit dim-witted. Moreover,
“…….”
Right then, his eyes met the Prince’s, who was striding toward them.
Isaac quickly stood up, and almost simultaneously, the other men who spotted the Prince also stood up without hesitation.
“I thought you’d still be in bed…… you woke up sooner than expected,” the Prince muttered, stopping in front of Isaac.
“Yes, I thought I’d sleep for about a month too.”
Isaac sat back down as the Prince sat, and soon the other men returned to their seats as well.
A silence followed for a while. Neither the Prince, who scanned Isaac expressionlessly, nor Isaac, who met that gaze without a word, spoke; nor did any of the other men.
It wasn’t just that the talking had stopped. The men’s expressions had frozen stiff. Those who, until a moment ago, had been talking and joking quite comfortably were now sitting in rigid postures, tense, as if a single minor mistake would result in their heads being flown off. Isaac soon realized that this was their natural attitude when with the Prince.
Veteran soldiers who had swept away witches with such overwhelming might were now frozen stiff, holding their breath in tension. Likely as they always had while the Prince stayed in the borderlands. As if they were dealing with a terrifying monster. Only Rihan, who remained composed, was keeping his fear in check.
This was how they had always lived in the borderlands.
Isaac looked around at them bitterly and scratched his head. Then,
“We return to the capital as soon as things here are settled. I intend to finish the cleanup within a week,” the Prince said. Since he spoke to no one in particular, everyone’s gaze converged on him. Each man seemed to be organizing the tasks they had to accomplish over the next week in their heads.
“Have the escaped witches been identified?”
“We are pursuing them, but since most of the escaped witches are high-ranking, they are not easy to find,” Rihan answered with a slight frown, to which one of the men added:
“We must chase them to the end and catch them all. We should take this opportunity to wipe out every last witch.”
However, after saying that, the man suddenly looked as if he had realized a mistake and glanced at Isaac. It seemed he hadn’t targeted Isaac on purpose, but had simply made a slip of the tongue.
Now that it’s known I’m half-witch, my position becomes awkward at times like this, Isaac clicked his tongue inwardly. It would be better if they didn’t mention it at all, or if they didn’t care at all.
Isaac looked down at his fingertips before speaking.
“They say all the few remaining witches will cross over to the land of the new moon during this Great Dark Moon. No witches will remain in the human world.”
The people’s gazes shifted to Isaac all at once. The Prince also stared at Isaac expressionlessly.
“Is that certain? Where did you hear that?”
“From the tigers. Their specialty is saying raw truths whenever they open their mouths, but occasionally they say things that are correct.”
And this was likely correct.
The Great Dark Moon was approaching, and when the Moon Fragment Ship arrived, all the witches remaining in the human world would board that ship and cross over to the land of the new moon. Then, this place would become a world entirely for humans. Just as they desired.
The Prince looked at Isaac in silence and gave a light nod. He, too, found those words believable.
One month remained. In a month, no witch would remain here. None.
“Hah, if that’s true, does it mean all witches will vanish from this world in just a month?”
“Then the Curse on the royal family will be lifted as well,” the men said, confirming with Isaac urgently before checking the Prince’s face. The Prince nodded nonchalantly.
“I suppose so.”
“Congratulations. Now you will be able to spend the Dark Moon nights in peace.”
“It has nothing to do with me. Another Curse was layered upon me, so that one will not be lifted.”
The Prince shook his head as he spoke to the men who bowed deeply. The men flinched and fell silent. However, the Prince did not seem particularly displeased or angry. The men merely observed him in silence, as he seemed indifferent to everything, including his own Curse. Then,
“Ah…… that one was lifted.”
Isaac, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke inadvertently.
Amidst the gazes that converged on him once again, Isaac flinched for a moment. It was because the Prince raised an eyebrow slightly and stared intently at him.
“Lifted?”
“Uh…… yes.”
“Why?”
“Well…… because that witch broke the contract with the mage…….”
The Prince looked at Isaac steadily. Meeting that gaze, which felt as if it could pierce through everything in his mind, Isaac only then realized he might have said the wrong thing.
“You must have seen it yourself. ……Meaning, around the time the barrier broke,” the Prince murmured languidly. His gaze was still fixed on Isaac. Isaac became increasingly certain that he had spoken out of turn.
“Breaking a contract should entail a significant backlash; why would that witch risk that specifically to break the contract?”
At the Prince’s low question, Isaac could not answer immediately.
To explain this in detail, he would eventually have to mention that Alikisa was currently dormant inside him. Then how would he explain beyond that? That he would cast her out, and to do so, he must become a Pureblood Witch, and for that, he must obtain the flint jar, and that flint jar is a peerless treasure? In a situation where he didn’t know where or how things might go wrong?
…No, he couldn’t say it.
“……. She clung to me and begged. She said that since she was going to die anyway, please break the contract and lift the Curse.”
At Isaac’s answer, the Prince fell silent. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Isaac.
“I suppose she grew kind-hearted just before death…….”
Even as he spoke, Isaac thought it was a truly unbelievable excuse, but no other words came to mind. Isaac forced himself to meet the Prince’s eyes.
The Prince was staring at Isaac as if to bore a hole through him. After watching Isaac in silence, he frowned slightly and opened his mouth, “You,” he began. Isaac flinched inwardly, but decided he had no choice but to insist for now, and met the Prince’s gaze even more firmly.
The Prince, watching Isaac quietly, tilted his head obliquely. And with his gaze fixed, he remained silent as if lost in thought.
It felt like sitting on a bed of needles. While Isaac was inwardly breaking into a cold sweat, Rihan, who was beside them, broke the silence.
“Regardless, if the layered Curse has been lifted, it is a good thing. However, regarding that contract, can the rights of a third party be used as collateral instead of the parties involved?”
Rihan’s question was directed at Isaac. Hearing this, Isaac realized that Rihan suspected whether Isaac had offered something like another person’s life as a price while making a contract with the witch. Believing that no matter how close to death that witch was, she wouldn’t have performed a good deed so readily, he was simultaneously doubting Isaac.
Perhaps the Prince felt the same.
Isaac looked at the Prince. His expressionless face was unreadable. Isaac smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“No. A contract can only be made using what the party themselves possesses as a price. ……Though I don’t have much worth offering.”
I don’t push others’ burdens onto them at will.
Rihan seemed to guess the reason for the bitterness in Isaac’s answer soon enough. Perhaps feeling a bit sorry, he looked slightly awkward and changed the subject.
“However, this young man has contributed quite significantly to this matter. Even if he is a witch, rewards and punishments must be clear. How do you intend to commend him?”
At those words, the room fell silent all at once.
Rewards and punishments always follow a great event. What reward a person who achieved a feat receives, and what punishment a person who committed a wrong receives—this was a crucial procedure after the work was finished. Through these rewards and punishments, those watching learned and guessed many things. What they should and should not do, who would hold greater power, and who would be pushed out of their current position. That is why more attention is focused on what others receive than on the reward one receives themselves.
Although this man was a witch and likely wouldn’t receive anything grand, knowing what he received would allow them to infer what they might obtain.
And Isaac—who clearly had something he wanted—waited for the Prince’s answer with tension. The reward the Prince would give had already been implicitly decided through a previous conversation. It was an item in the King’s treasure house.
The Prince was not one to retract his words once spoken, nor was it likely that such a brilliant man had forgotten in the meantime, but Isaac couldn’t help but be nervous.
The Prince looked down at Isaac, who was staring at him with a serious expression.
“Yes. He was quite useful. I must grant a reward befitting that.”
The Prince spoke slowly, pausing for a moment before continuing.
“I will give you whatever you desire.”
The moment those words fell, a deathly silence descended upon the room.
Whatever Isaac desired.
No one was ignorant of how immense those simple words were. Among the men who looked at each other to see if they had misheard, Isaac also stared at the Prince, aghast, with wide eyes.
It was absurd. He could only think that the Prince had made a slip of the tongue. No, however, this Prince was not a man to make such mistakes. Therefore, this was an impossible situation.
A single word from a noble carries weight equal to their status. A noble had to take responsibility for their words, and failing to keep a promise remained a shame for a long time. Thus, the Prince now had to give Isaac whatever he desired as a reward.
Rihan gave Isaac a quick glance. Having felt pity for Isaac, a witch who was destined to die, he was signaling him to use this to save his life. Others also held their breath, waiting to see what Isaac would wish for.
“――.”
Isaac looked at the Prince. The Prince was waiting for Isaac’s answer.
He could have anything. Just one thing. Anything he desired.
Isaac could have asked for his life to be spared. Or he could have taken a mountain of gold and jewels, or demanded the position of Chancellor. He could have asked for a title or a fief.
Or.
“……Will you truly give me anything?”
Isaac asked. Looking at his serious and tense face, the Prince nodded.
“If it is something I can give.”
…Or, he could obtain the person he desired. A person who could never possibly be his might, perhaps, become his.
For a moment, Isaac’s chest tightened, and he took a deep breath. It was a tremendous greed that he himself hadn’t even been aware of.
Isaac stared at the Prince without blinking, and the Prince looked back at him. He waited patiently for Isaac, who remained silent for a long time, to answer.
And Isaac knew what he desired most of all, and also—he knew what answer he had to give.
“In the King’s treasure house,”
The moment Isaac spoke, everyone listened intently. The Prince’s eyes seemed to narrow slightly.
“Among the things in the King’s treasure house, please give me one that I choose.”
Isaac spoke quietly. The moment he finished and closed his mouth, a fierce sense of regret and longing washed over him. It was because what he truly wanted was something else. Nevertheless, Isaac knew what he had to obtain.
The Prince gazed steadily at Isaac. Looking at him with a face devoid of expression, he asked:
“Do you truly desire that?”
“Yes.”
This time, the answer came quickly. It was because he felt that if he hesitated even for a moment, he might end up saying no, or that he wanted something else. He didn’t look back at the sound of Rihan clicking his tongue, nor at the men whispering, “I’ve always wanted to see that place,” or “Still, if it were me, I’d rather…”
Well, with this, the great door of opportunity that might have opened only once in his life had slammed shut.
The Prince stared at Isaac for a while. Compared to the “anything” he had offered, a mere treasure was a very modest wish, yet the Prince’s eyes sank coldly, as if Isaac had wished for something he shouldn’t have. His jaw tightened, as if something displeased him. This left Isaac feeling a bit flustered.
The Prince silently gazed at Isaac, who was wondering if he had asked for too much, and eventually nodded without a word.
“I shall give you what you desire.”
“—Thank you.”
Isaac bowed deeply.
It was done. With this, the flint jar would be in his hands, and his wish had been granted. Yet, it was a pity that he couldn’t be purely happy because of the lingering regret in a corner of his heart.
Once the flint jar was in his possession…
He would become a complete witch and would have to cross over to the land of the new moon. The Prince, freed from the Curse, would be able to live the rest of his life in peace. And Isaac would never see such a Prince again.
To throw away the opportunity of a lifetime and get this instead.
Overwhelmed by regret and sorrow, Isaac leaned helplessly against his chair.
Beside him, the Prince continued to stare at Isaac with a look that was far from pleasant, almost as if he were glaring. Meanwhile, Isaac lamented the lost opportunity and blamed the innocent—though, thinking about it, not so innocent—cats.
The disappearance of the world’s witches was a monumental event.
Though they had been invisible, they had clearly lived hidden among people, preying on them and causing harm. When news broke that these fearsome and terrifying beings had been wiped out in one fell swoop, those who initially refused to believe it eventually cheered in belated surprise as the stories spread through the mouths of those who had witnessed it firsthand.
People could not hide their admiration for the Prince’s achievements, and poems and songs overflowed, praising the hero who had accomplished an unprecedented series of great feats.
When the Prince returned to the capital from Hailen, the city was in a festive mood. As if welcoming a triumphant general, crowds lined the streets, cheering for the Prince as he returned to the castle, and the procession—complete with scattering flower petals and sounding trumpets—stretched from the outskirts of the capital to the main gate of the Royal Palace.
It was a procession that made it starkly clear who held the strongest power and popularity in the land.
While everyone cheered the Prince’s return, those who welcomed him most enthusiastically were the direct members of the royal family.
The superficial reason was that the Curse on the royal house had been lifted, but in reality, that was a secondary issue. For those who had made contracts with mages to fall into a deep sleep during the Dark Moon to escape the pain of the Curse, the Curse of the Dark Moon was not a significant part of their daily lives. Rather, by creating the opportunity to break the long-standing chain of the Curse, the Prince had further strengthened the royal authority and the power base of the royal family. Furthermore, the emergence of an unparalleled hero from among the direct royal line was an infinitely welcome development for the royals, both in terms of winning the people’s hearts and checking the power of the nobility.
The King, overjoyed by the achievements of his son and heir, lined the palace paths with flowers and held a grand feast for a week starting from the day the Prince returned. For seven days and nights, nobles and royals gathered at the palace to honor and praise the Prince.
And on the seventh day, the final day of the feast.
Rewards from the King were bestowed upon those who had made great contributions to this endeavor.
The first person called by the King, who sat in the center of the innermost part of the banquet hall with a deeply satisfied and proud expression, was, of course, the Prince himself.
“Come closer.”
The Prince was already seated closest to the King, but because the table was so wide, there was still some distance. As the King beckoned him to close that gap, the Prince stood up silently and approached.
“What should be bestowed upon the Prince, who has achieved such a great feat for our royal house and our country?”
“I am humbled. Your words of commendation are grace enough; I desire nothing more.”
The Prince answered calmly, and the King nodded with a benevolent smile before speaking solemnly.
“Under the protection of the gods, I bless you; you shall possess everything in this land that you desire.”
“Your grace is immeasurable.”
The Prince already possessed territories, titles, and all manner of wealth and glory. Whatever else was granted would only seem meager as a reward for such a great achievement; thus, the blessing that he would eventually inherit everything was the most fitting and magnificent reward.
The Prince sat beside the King as directed, and Isaac stood by a pillar in the back, watching the Prince. Normally, a guard would move behind their master when the master moved, but no one except the King’s own guards could stand behind the King. Thus, Isaac simply shifted one step to the side from where he had originally been standing.
Until now, he had only been seeing the Prince’s back, so Isaac thought it was good that he could now see the Prince’s profile from this position.
He already knew the Prince was handsome, but under the brilliant lights of the grand assembly hall, his distinct features appeared even more beautiful. The shadows fell perfectly, making him look like a sculpture.
He really is handsome. Most of the royal family were considered beauties, but beside him, they all seemed to fade. Even the Grand Duke, who was famous for being a top beauty in his youth, couldn’t even come close to him… As Isaac was thinking this, the Grand Duke turned his head as if he had heard the thought, and their eyes met. Isaac quickly hid his flustered expression and looked away as if nothing had happened. The Grand Duke frowned for a moment while looking at Isaac, then turned his head away.
Under normal circumstances, Isaac should have been sent to prison the moment he returned to the capital on charges of murdering Sir Leon, as well as defying the Grand Duke’s Decree and fleeing. In fact, as soon as Isaac unpacked his things in the annex of Byeokyeong Palace upon returning to the capital, the prison officers sent by the Grand Duke stormed in. However, the officers, who encountered the Prince in front of the annex while trying to drag Isaac away, had to return empty-handed. What private conversation took place between the Prince and the Grand Duke afterward remains unknown, but the Grand Duke never sought Isaac again.
Isaac guessed that the matter had been settled by handing over a territory owned by the Prince, which the Grand Duke had had his eye on for a long time. The Grand Duke had originally intended to be greedier, but after hearing how the Prince had turned the capital upside down to conduct a massive purge of Roberni’s faction, he seemed to have backed off.
The Prince had swept away Roberni’s group with the momentum of someone who would flatten the entire capital by calling in soldiers from the border; the Grand Duke must have judged that such a recklessly bold Prince—especially with his well-known temper—might do something unpredictable.
“…”
In reality, since everyone knew who had actually killed Sir Leon and Isaac had been forced into a position of being falsely accused, he had no reason to feel guilty toward the Grand Duke. Still, he thought that whenever their eyes met unexpectedly, his heart would jump… and Isaac tried his best to avoid the Grand Duke’s gaze.
Then, the next person he locked eyes with was a Royal Guard standing by the opposite pillar, gripping a spear. As soon as that guard met Isaac’s eyes, he flinched and looked away as if he had seen a bug. Isaac looked at him and closed his mouth bitterly.
It was Hoden. A comrade who had shared a room with Isaac and a friend he had spent a long time with in the Royal Guard. Just two or three months ago, before leaving for Hailen, they had shared drinks and laughed over casual jokes.
But now, Hoden and the other comrades they had drunk with were all reacting similarly. All of them, upon meeting Isaac’s eyes, awkwardly looked away. They didn’t even greet him when they passed by, and if Isaac greeted them first, they would only cast an uncomfortable glance and keep walking. Some even cast blatantly displeased or disgusted looks as they passed.
Only a few, like Simon or Brick—who felt like real brothers—offered a simple greeting, but that was all. They, too, did not wish to have long conversations with Isaac.
It was because the rumor that Isaac was a witch had reached the capital.
‘He was a witch all along and fooled us perfectly. He probably sucked our life force or stirred up malice without us knowing. Who knows if the fights or accidents that happened in the unit were actually caused by that witch.’
Knowing full well that Isaac was sitting not far away, Isaac listened to the harsh words spat out by one of his former comrades in the Royal Guard and understood why they shunned him.
He thought it was understandable.
That was why, despite spending so much time in the Royal Guard, he had never told anyone that he was a mixed-blood witch. It is rare to find a human who would readily accept and tolerate the fact that someone they knew turned out to be a witch. …But.
“—.”
Isaac picked up a nail-sized pebble rolling on the stone floor and flung it violently toward the opposite side. It hit Hoden’s temple with precision, just as he was avoiding eye contact.
It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but it was a hard enough hit to definitely leave a bruise. Hoden let out a small scream, “Ack!” and clutched his temple. A few people looked back with strange expressions, but fortunately, the scream wasn’t very loud.
Hoden, eyes wide, checked what had hit him and looked in the direction the stone had come from—toward Isaac. The moment their eyes met, Isaac glared at him fiercely and spoke through his lips.
‘You son of a bitch. You didn’t even say a word after getting married.’
Hoden must have read the lip movements, which moved precisely syllable by syllable. As Hoden stared back, his brow twitching in confusion, Isaac spoke again.
‘Belated congratulations on your marriage, you son of a bitch.’
That was it. Isaac looked away, and shortly after, Hoden, who had been looking at Isaac with a peculiar expression, also slowly turned his head.
It was fine. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel hurt or resentful that his old comrades were suddenly acting so awkward, but if it only went that far, it couldn’t be helped. Regardless, Isaac had said what he wanted to say to an old friend who had married while he was away from the capital.
Even with other comrades he had been close to, Isaac continued to offer rebukes like, “At least greet me, you human,” even while being consistently ignored every time they passed. Only frowning glances came back, and no answers, but that was enough. For now, it was enough that he could say what he wanted to say.
“I’m leaving soon anyway…”
Isaac muttered to himself. A sudden sigh escaped him.
The capital, which had welcomed the Prince with grand receptions and intense cheering, had turned into an incredibly cold place for Isaac. To them, it was that Isaac had changed into a witch, but to Isaac, everything had changed. He would have been fine if strangers looked at him strangely and shunned him, but having people he had known intimately for a long time keep a cold distance was truly unbearable. He had been prepared, but he hadn’t expected to feel this drained and deflated.
“They’re helping me cut ties with the human world before the Great Dark Moon.”
Isaac muttered alone and took a deep breath.
There were only about fifteen days left until the Great Dark Moon. The nightmare-like nights spent at the Grand Coven of Witches felt like they were just yesterday, yet time was flying.
Would time flow quickly after crossing over to that world? He hoped so. So that he could quickly forget the regrettable and painful memories.
…No, but he also didn’t want to forget.
It was as Isaac was thinking this and looking at the Prince.
The Prince, who had been sitting with his usual languid and bored expression despite it being a banquet for him, suddenly turned his head toward Isaac. Their eyes met.
Isaac, who had been staring blankly at the Prince, flinched for a moment and reflexively looked away—then quickly looked back at the Prince. Noticing the Prince almost raising an eyebrow, Isaac inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. There had already been several times when he had unconsciously looked away the moment their eyes met, only to be fiercely interrogated by the Prince. Especially now, since the Prince wasn’t in a particularly good mood, he had to be careful.
The Prince had not been in a very good mood lately. To be precise, he had been like that since the day of the massive purge of the witches, but for some reason, it was unclear why.
As the Prince had long desired, the witches had completely disappeared, the aftermath was being handled without issue, and the people who had been whispering slander about the Prince in the shadows had vanished. Despite this, the Prince had been in a bad mood from Hailen all the way back to the capital.
‘…Is there something bothering you?’
Isaac was the first one to ask that.
It was a few days before leaving Hailen, during the busy days of cleaning up after the Witch hunt, at a dinner with several high-ranking officers of the border soldiers.
While eating together with the Prince, who always seemed neither good nor bad due to his expressionless and taciturn nature, Isaac kept looking at the Prince and tilting his head. Thinking that he seemed to be in a bad mood, he had suddenly asked.
At that, the dinner table fell silent for a moment. The men looked at Isaac and then at the Prince. The Prince, keeping his gaze fixed on Isaac without a word, slowly put down his water glass. After a short silence, Rihan spoke while looking at the Prince, whose face was no different from usual.
‘Everything is going well, so what…?’
Hearing the words spoken while looking back and forth between Isaac and the Prince, Isaac, who had asked impulsively, became a bit flustered.
‘No… it’s just that you’re drinking your water slower than usual… You’re like that when you’re not in a good mood, Kaieon-nim.’
And today, he sprinkled a bit more salt on the food, and his movements while eating were slightly slower than usual, Isaac muttered, adding more, causing Rihan to raise an eyebrow. He glanced at the Prince as if it were a detail he had never considered. The other men were the same. Then,
‘I didn’t think he was eating that much slower than usual…?’
‘People can just eat slowly sometimes, do you track every little thing?’
‘Kaieon-nim, is there anything that could be bothering you?’
While the men spoke in tones of surprise, Rihan asked the Prince as if to confirm. The Prince, who had been staring at Isaac while slowly stroking the water glass he had set down, finally spoke.
‘I didn’t know that myself.’
See, I told you so, the men waved it off lightly as soon as the Prince answered. Isaac just tilted his head and scratched his scalp.
Was it just his imagination? Indeed, having followed the Prince and observed the progress of events, everything was being handled very smoothly. There was no reason for the Prince to be in a bad mood. Moreover, even if there were a reason, he was fundamentally a person with almost no emotional fluctuations. If something displeased him, he would just get rid of it.
Eh, I must have misread him. As long as he’s not in a bad mood, it’s fine.
Isaac tried to leave it at that, but…
『But why has Subuni been so angry lately?』
The cat, looking at the Prince’s back as he headed toward the bathroom, suddenly spoke from the bedside where Isaac was lounging, buried in the bed.