Unnamed Memory - Volume 1 - Chapter 5

5. Falling into the Water

She’d taken a light sleep to refresh her body. Perhaps because the slumber had been so gentle, she was visited by many dreams. In them, she saw memories of a distant past too jumbled to put in order.

There was a vision of herself as a child, as a witch, an infinite number of selves in an infinite number of forms. Before the many sights, she felt akin to a traveler in a desolate wasteland walking all alone.

All of the various people she’d signed finite contracts with had long since lived and died. She was the only one who kept going on, alone. No, perhaps she liked to think she was going on, but in reality, it was more like being stopped in place. All was as it had been the day she’d lost everything…

Then, someone touched her hair, and consciousness returned; light shone in her eyes.

A brightness surrounded her, but she couldn’t yet fully awaken. A warm hand slowly ruffled her hair. The gentle touch instilled a feeling of safety… The sensation had her falling into a dreamless repose.

When her body finally felt recovered and she at last awoke, Tinasha hugged her knees to her chest and tilted her head in confusion.

“…Oscar?” She couldn’t remember why his name was on her lips, but she recalled the warmth she’d felt in her chest…and blushed a little.

In the fortress’s study, Oscar immediately drafted a report detailing the recent occurrences, adding in the information he’d gotten from Tinasha.

Once they returned to the castle and he handed it in, it would be over. He looked up and beckoned to his protector, who was close by.

“What is it?” she asked, approaching with a dubious expression. Oscar hoisted her up easily and settled her on his knees. Her delicate body had felt so heavy when she was unconscious, but now she was so light, it seemed inhuman. Tinasha was always floating in the air, so perhaps she’d reduced her weight with magic.

Held on his lap like a child, Tinasha stared at him with her round eyes. “What are you doing…?”

“Ah, the way you look now just makes me want to hold you,” he answered.

“…”

Tinasha frowned, but Oscar paid it no mind and combed his fingers through her neatly trimmed hair.

“I told the group who returned ahead of us to keep quiet, but considering how you look now, we can’t really hide the fact that you’re a witch anymore. Are you going to use a spell to restore your old appearance?”

“No, it no longer matters. It would be hard to keep people from talking anyway.”

“I see.”

“I’ve also gotten tired of calling a certain idiot prince Your Highness, so this works out well.”

“Tired of it, huh?”

Tinasha crossed her dainty legs, allowing Nark to flutter down into her lap instead of wandering around the room. The sunlight filtering in from the window warmed Tinasha’s milky-white legs.

“The fog around the magical lake was due to the beast, so it should clear up soon. Someone should go out to check on it once every three months. Oh, but there was a cave-in, so tell them to be careful,” instructed the witch.

“Will the magical lake dry up?” Oscar asked.

“The lake is the traces of powerful magic scattered around the land there, so…even if a little was consumed, it will absorb magic and vitality from the surrounding land and restore itself pretty quickly.”

“So that’s how it works,” Oscar said, rubbing Tinasha’s bare toes. Playfully, Nark tried to grab his fingers.

Tinasha folded her arms, falling into thought. “But that mage you stabbed bothers me. I guess this means he’s the one who put the whole idea of releasing the demonic beast into the mind of that old geezer?”

“Most likely,” replied Oscar.

“What business does he have with me to go to such an extreme? It’s so annoying. I wish he’d show himself.” Tinasha pouted.

“I mean… He’s not because you’d kill him, right?”

“How dare you think of me that way. I would kill him, though,” the witch said as if it were the obvious choice—exactly why her opponent was erring on the side of caution. Based on how he’d acted, however, it was very possible that he’d continue making indirect advances. Dealing with him was going to be much more difficult than just handling a direct challenge.

Undeterred, Tinasha decisively stated, “In any case, he’s after me, so I can’t cause any trouble for you. The next time he lays a trap, I’ll take care of him for good.”

“I understand how you feel, but don’t overdo it. It worries me when you do things all on your own,” Oscar said.

“…I’ll be careful going forward,” Tinasha agreed, hanging her head a little. She must have been aware that she’d worried him.

Oscar smiled, and Nark flew to his shoulder. Then, he asked the question he’d been meaning to get to for a while. “Oh right, what kind of guy was my great-granddad?”

“…Where is this coming from? Why do you want to know that?” Tinasha responded with questions of her own.

“Ah, I’m just curious. That old guy said something about him, didn’t he?”

The old mage had called Regius the man she loved. Tinasha looked ready to faint from distress.

“Aaaauuughh! There were a lot of people who had that same mistaken impression at the time. Please believe me when I say it wasn’t like that at all!” she whined.

“Farsas fairy tales say that’s how it was, too, you know,” Oscar added.

The story of a king and a witch was told to children far and wide. Even Oscar himself had heard the tale. In it, Tinasha had been made out to be more witchlike, which was why Oscar had been surprised at the sight of the real article.

“I knew there must be stories like that, but I also knew they would make me angry so never bothered to listen to any.”

“A king begs for help, and the witch demands that he marry her and give her his kingdom in return…,” Oscar started.

“Noooo!” Tinasha wailed.

“After the war ends, the king agrees and holds a wedding, but the witch disappears without a trace.”

“A few bits are correct, but it wasn’t like that at all!”

Some small portion of Tinasha’s magic was starting to leak as a result of her frustration, because a nearby windowpane began making a strange creaking sound. Mentally exhausted, Tinasha heaved a huge sigh while Oscar stroked the back of her neck.

“I suppose I always figured it was something like that,” Oscar said as he continued brushing his fingers along the witch’s nape.

Suddenly, Tinasha jolted up and began fidgeting in his arms. “That tickles! Stop it already,” she demanded.

“Ah, sorry. I guess it was a bit much.” Oscar let Tinasha go, and she silently floated up. Nark also took off, following her. She welcomed the little dragon into her arms and crossed her legs in the air.

“Reg was…to put it succinctly…a stupid king.”

“…”

Regius Kurus Lar Farsas, the eighteenth king of Farsas, was crowned at the tender age of fifteen after his father’s sudden death. He was a straightforward youth, just and upright. Never was he particularly suspicious of others, nor was he one to quit when things got tough. He was thought of as a good king.

“We first met before Druza invaded. He’d climbed the tower, so I asked him what his wish was, and he suddenly asked me to marry him…”

“How absurd,” Oscar added.

“Someone else I know did the same thing…,” chided Tinasha.

Pretending not to hear, Oscar beckoned to Nark. The dragon flew over to him as Tinasha idly flipped around in the air and rolled her eyes at Oscar from above.

“Well, I might have understood if he’d had special circumstances like you! But he didn’t! So I lectured him about how a witch could not become queen, but—”

“Then you demanded his kingdom…” Oscar cut in again.

“I didn’t need it!” Tinasha objected, wondering if perhaps Oscar’s habit of offering candid commentary came from his great-grandfather.

“So then what happened?” Oscar asked, hoping for the story to continue.

“I turned him down, but he clung to me for two days.”

“…”

“I’d gotten fed up and was mad. Then he suggested something else. ‘I don’t want you to leave my sight until I die.’ I don’t even understand why he came to the tower…”

“That…is really stupid.” Oscar suddenly felt like he’d asked Tinasha something he shouldn’t have. Despite feeling a stress-induced headache over his ancestor’s idiocy coming on, he pressed for more. “Did you accept?”

“With conditions. In exchange, I said I would do nothing for him and not come to his rescue. If he did ever request my help, that would become a new clause in the contract, and I would never show myself in front of him again.”

“And then the demonic beast showed up,” Oscar surmised.

“He was extremely reluctant to make the request. I think he came to the decision relatively quickly, though.”

“I’m sure the royal council didn’t want the part about it all hinging on his personal whim going down in the history books…”

Perhaps that had led to the council twisting the facts and spreading the fairy-tale version that had survived until this day. They certainly had unknowingly created a lot of trouble for Tinasha. In midair, her hands shook.

“I wish things had ended there!” Tinasha squirmed.

“There was more…?”

“The contract had ended, but because my relationship to him hadn’t been part of the agreement…”

“Hmm?” Oscar cocked his head.

“A w-wedding, of all things… He threw it together out of nowhere… Even sent a wedding dress to my room…” Tinasha was trembling.

“…”

Oscar massaged his temples. In addition to a headache, he was starting to feel a bit dizzy.

“I stood him up, of course. And I never saw him again.”

“I feel like I just bore witness to a darker side of history I wasn’t meant to know about,” Oscar moaned.

No wonder Tinasha had called Regius a stupid king. Oscar finally understood why she hadn’t wanted to talk about her contract with his great-grandfather when he’d first met her.

“Still… I didn’t hate him or anything. Even though he was stupid. I thought of him like family.”

Tinasha looked down. A wealth of emotions flickered rapidly through her eyes.

Oscar couldn’t help but wonder: If she hadn’t been a witch, would she have accepted the king’s proposal? It seemed a ridiculous supposition. What kind of life would she have lived if it had been true?

“I got on nicely with the woman who later became queen…your great-grandmother. She was smart and quick-witted and probably reined Reg in a bit. You’re a little like her.” Tinasha cut off her reminiscing there, landing softly in front of Oscar. She laid a hand along his cheek and gazed at him with her big round eyes.

The way she stared gave Oscar the feeling she was watching scenes from something long past.

With her true identity now in the open, reactions were mixed when it was announced that Tinasha would be returning to the castle.

Because of the fairy tale about her, quite a few people disapproved of her position at Oscar’s side, but those who had interacted with her more or less accepted it without protest. A fair number of disagreements arose, but no one shared them openly. Tinasha merely gave anyone who disapproved a sort of forced smile.

Oscar reintroduced Tinasha to his father, the king, as well as the few other people who knew about the curse. They gathered not in the audience hall but in a sitting room deep in the castle. The five guests included King Kevin, Minister of the Interior Nessan, veteran General Ettard, Chief Mage Kumu, and Lazar. Tinasha had accompanied Oscar, and the guests listened to his explanation with a range of different expressions.

Oscar concluded his summary of everything that had happened with: “So I plan to make her my wife.”

“You will not! What a terrible explanation that would be if I hadn’t said anything!” Tinasha exclaimed. Because of their height difference, she had to hover slightly to grab Oscar and shake him.

The king stood, attempting to pacify her. “My son has said something reckless. I do apologize. This explains why I felt like I had seen you somewhere before. A long time ago, I stole a peek at my grandfather’s journal, and tucked in the pages was a portrait of you.”

“If the journal is still around, I’d like to ask you to dispose of it…,” Tinasha murmured, face red as she landed on the floor.

The king turned to more pressing matters. “How are you progressing with my son’s problem? Do you think you’ll be able to solve it?”

A perfectly reasonable question, but the witch gave the king a pained smile. “I’ve started analyzing the curse to try to disable it. That’s why I was asked to come live in the castle.”

“No, I asked you here so I could have a year to talk you into marrying me,” Oscar admitted rather bluntly.

“Excuse me?! This is the first I’m hearing of it!” Tinasha snapped.

“Based on how the situation stands, it’s the only reason that makes sense,” said Oscar.

“What doesn’t make sense is that option being open to you in the first place!” The witch fumed, flushing with anger, and Oscar burst out laughing.

Oscar didn’t look like he planned to reply, and all Tinasha could do was curl her hand into an angry fist before turning back to the king. “…I am analyzing the curse, but the Witch of Silence is much, much more knowledgeable about these things than I am. It looks like it will take several months for the analysis to be completed, and even once it’s finished, we might not be able to expect to fully break the curse. One way or another, I will deal with it, so please rest assured.”

“If it doesn’t work, you can take responsibility and marry me,” quipped Oscar.

“Don’t imply it won’t work!” Tinasha started shaking him again.

Ettard observed this and murmured to Lazar next to him, “They do appear to be quite close…”

“They are,” Lazar replied.

“Ugh… What in the world kind of introduction was that?” Tinasha sighed. The mentally draining meeting had left her sapped of all strength, and she was now slumped over a table in the castle lounge.

Oscar said shamelessly, “None of that was a lie. What did you take issue with?”

“There are still some things you shouldn’t say, even if they’re true! Especially since I’m not going to be marrying you!” Tinasha shouted.

“You say that now, but if you can’t break the curse, you don’t have any other option, do you?”

“…I’ll figure something out. I’ll introduce you to another witch or something.”

“Wow. That’s certainly one solution…”

In other words, Tinasha would present a different queen candidate to Oscar. Exempting the Witch of Silence who cursed him in the first place, there were still three other witches.

Tinasha massaged her temples, head in her hands. “One is too dangerous, so that’s a nonstarter, and it’s impossible to communicate with another, but the last might work. She has a lot of issues personality-wise but is very beautiful, and I think she’ll like you.”

“Do you really think I’m going to change my mind after you’ve described her like that?”

It wasn’t that Oscar was uninterested in the other witches—but only as famous historical figures. In terms of marriage, there was no one more attractive to him than the witch sitting right next to him.

Oscar concluded firmly, “I don’t need you to introduce me. I prefer to enjoy my time bothering you, so I’m fine.”

“Don’t bother me, idiot! Be more mindful of the position you’re in!” Tinasha shouted as she got up, stomping over to make tea. As she did so, Lazar and the mages Kav and Sylvia stopped by, and the five began chatting.

“A ghost in the castle? Seriously?” Oscar was rather incredulous at a story Lazar had brought up.

“As of now, it’s just a rumor. A number of people have seen a woman who appears to be soaked to the bone walking the halls at night. After she passes, the floor is sopping wet,” Lazar said.

“That sounds difficult to clean up,” Tinasha commented indifferently, but Sylvia looked pale with fear. Evidently, the lovely mage was not good when it came to ghost stories.

Across from her, Kav stared into his teacup before looking up. “I heard about it from another mage, too. Apparently, the ghost looked him in the face without saying a thing. He was terrified and closed his eyes, but nothing happened. When he opened them, no one was there, just a dripping-wet corridor.”

“Ahhhh!” Sylvia cried, covering her ears and putting her head on the table.

The witch patted her shoulder with a pained smile. “Ghosts don’t exist. Souls have a type of power, but after death, it scatters naturally. It’s impossible, even for witches, to maintain a form and a consciousness after death.”

“Really?”

“Really. If there really is something walking the halls, you can rest assured that it isn’t human.”

“Ahhhh!” Sylvia shrieked. The witch frowned, sticking her tongue out in chagrin.

Oscar objected, “Not human? So you’re saying something has sneaked into the castle?”

“Most likely. It could be a demonic spirit or some other type of fiend. Not having seen it, though, I can’t say…”

“What’s the difference between a demonic spirit and a demon?” Lazar, who was not a mage, piped up with a simple question.

With a smile, Tinasha answered him. “There isn’t a clear dividing line between them, but demonic spirits are generally plants and animals that were transformed after contact with strong magic or a miasma—or the acquisition of demonic blood. These entities usually cause trouble for humans. The demonic beast in Old Druza is a rare example of something that came into being from a jewel, but roughly speaking, that was a demonic spirit, too.”

Abruptly, Tinasha fluttered her fingers in the air, and a silver wolf appeared there. After yawning wide, the wolf winked out of sight again.

Tinasha continued her explanation. “On the other hand, demons are a type of being that have always been the way that they are. Demon sightings are pretty common, and we often lump together the various different types, like water spirits, fairies, and succubi. True high-ranking demons, however, are rarely spotted and are completely different from the ranks of demons that coexist with humans.”

Kav added, “In the Dark Age, high-ranking demons were evidently worshipped as gods. The most well-known is probably the water god of Nevis Lake. Speaking of powerful demons that interacted with humans, I wonder if that’s what the mystical spirits of Tuldarr were?”

“The ancient Magic Empire of Tuldarr? The one that was destroyed in a single night?” Oscar asked, recalling his history lessons, while Lazar sat there, blank with shock.

Kav nodded knowledgeably. “According to legend, twelve high-ranking demons were sealed away in Tuldarr. At the time, they were called mystical spirits. When the royal heir succeeded the throne and became king, he selected one to three of them to be his familiars. That said, this is merely an old story, likely to be false. It’s virtually impossible that multiple high-ranking demons could be put to use like that.”

Tinasha made a wry face listening to the magical history lesson. “For those types of beings, the higher their rank, the less interested they are in human affairs. There’s just too much of a difference in power between them. Think about it this way—would you spend much time on an insect?” the witch inquired glibly, and the others exchanged glances.

Oscar’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s the difference in power between you and those high-ranking demons?”

“I could defeat them easily. Although, I would have some trouble against the strongest of them.”

“Hey,” Oscar chided. Tinasha’s comment was basically a backhanded sleight against those present.

The witch’s eyes narrowed cheerfully as she smiled. “Anyway, that’s why I don’t think whatever’s been sighted in the castle is a high-ranking demon. I’m sure I would’ve noticed if something like that had slipped in.”

“I wonder what it could be… Either way, we’ll look into it later,” Oscar said. He glanced at the clock and stood up. “Time for work. Tinasha, what are your plans?”

“I’m going to go clothes shopping. My old ones don’t fit me anymore. Sylvia said she’d take me around.”

“Oh yes… Yes!” Sylvia cried out too loudly. She seemed to be trying to shake off her lingering fear.

“Those two stand out when they’re together,” Kav whispered to Lazar, taking note of how beautiful a picture the two women painted together.

Perhaps Oscar heard that, perhaps he didn’t, but he turned around to look at them. Sylvia still looked white as a sheet, and he said to her, “Pick out something in black or white.”

“All right… Why?”

“Because I’ll like it.”

“Who cares?!” the witch snapped, calling up a little ball of light in her right hand and throwing it at Oscar as he left the room. Before the light sphere could hit his back, the protective barrier that Tinasha had placed on the prince repelled and dispersed it.

Without turning around, Oscar laughed and sauntered out the door. Tinasha scowled after him, running a hand through her long black hair as she signaled to Sylvia.

“Come on, let’s go. You don’t have to take what he said seriously. I’ll pick out my own clothes.”

“Ah, okay…”

Tinasha set off down the hall, lifting both hands and stretching. When she was in her younger form, her physical body appeared to be about sixteen years old. Now it was closer to nineteen. She hadn’t grown that much taller, but she sported some new womanly curves. Clad in a mage’s robe, Tinasha looked up at the sunny sky out the window.

“Farsas is bizarrely hot, so this will be a good opportunity to get something a bit cooler to wear.”

“You do get used to the temperature living here, after a while…,” Sylvia murmured in reply, still sounding dispirited. She realized Tinasha was staring at her with widened eyes, and she waved a hand in front of her own face. “Um, I’m really not very good with ghost stories… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Everyone has something they can’t handle.” The witch waved a dismissive hand.

“Do you, Lady Tinasha?” Sylvia asked

“Don’t call me that…,” Tinasha replied.

Far out the window, the soldiers were out on the training grounds. Tinasha made a face as she watched them trading sword blows. “A long time ago, yes, but I suppose the longer I’ve lived, I’ve just gotten worn down… At the moment, I would say the only thing I don’t like is to be put to bed.”

“What’s that? You mean, like when a parent puts their child to bed?” Sylvia asked, head cocked in confusion.

But the witch just smiled and didn’t elaborate. Instead, a bitter look came over her face as she recalled something else. “And I’m not good at dealing with Oscar. I have no idea what he’s thinking. He seems to mistake me for a cat or something he’s picked up off the street…”

No matter how Tinasha looked at it, that was exactly how Oscar treated her. It was almost like he viewed a witch as just another type of cat. She had fully expected his perception to change slightly after she defeated the demonic beast, but it had done little to change their relationship. It felt altogether too anticlimactic.

Tinasha did little to hide her baffled emotions, and Sylvia appeared stumped. “It looks like you two get along perfectly to me.”

“Wha—? Perfectly…?” The witch stammered, falling into silence with a very dissatisfied expression, and Sylvia burst into bright laughter. It seemed she’d managed to forget her fear of the ghost rumors.

“There’s a ghost?”

For two or three days, the strange apparition had been the talk of the castle. Rumors abounded in the garrison and made Suzuto, a young soldier, pause while polishing his sword.

“Ghost? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“It just started happening recently, after you got back from visiting your family.”

“Oh? That is recent, then,” Suzuto said, nodding in acquiescence. Until just three days ago, he’d been visiting his parents in eastern Farsas. It was a beautiful bit of land bordered by forests and lakes, but after joining the royal army, he hadn’t been back to visit in three years. He’d used his leave to go visit his parents and stop by an old castle near a lake while he was in the area.

He returned to cleaning his weapon, but one man snickered and said, “That’s right, have you seen the witch yet? Man, what a sight. Well, she was already a looker before.”

“I haven’t seen her since I got back.”

By “the witch,” Suzuto assumed the other man meant the young mage who sometimes came for sword practice. The crown prince had said he’d brought back an apprentice mage from the witch’s tower, but in reality, she herself was the witch.

She was an embodiment of the kind of power only possessed by five beings in all of the mainland—the stuff of fairy tales. It was strange for Suzuto to think someone like that truly existed and lived in the same castle as him, but that was all. He had no intention of acting on his curiosity.

In contrast to Suzuto’s uncaring attitude, his fellow soldiers were getting rowdy and excited. “You’ve got to see her. She’s the very definition of a seductive beauty who could bring ruin to a country.”

“And His Highness is head over heels for her, too, so Farsas’ll be under the witch’s control soon.”

The soldiers chattered and laughed, and Suzuto finally looked up from his work. He eyed them coldly. “You’re all awful. You talked to her when she came by, right? Wasn’t she pleasant enough?”

“Well, she was, but…”

All at once, the reckless, idle gossip faded away; the wind had gone out of their sails.

Despite the safety afforded by the castle, its corridors were dim and spooky at night. Light from the candelabras evenly spaced along the walls flickered faintly, casting long shadows on the figures of two people as they made their way down a hallway.

Lazar looked to his lord, who was moving a step ahead. “What will you do if you run into the ghost because you were up this late working…?”

“Tinasha said there are no such thing as ghosts, didn’t she? If anything, it’ll be a demonic spirit.”

“That’s even worse…” Lazar gulped.

Oscar brought a hand to the hilt at his waist. He was carrying a simple sword for self-defense. He generally didn’t carry Akashia inside the castle, but with all the rumors running around, perhaps it was time for him to start. He was deliberating on the idea when Lazar piped up again with more criticism.

“I mean, you’re always trying to handle everything yourself, which is why Miss Tinasha—” Lazar suddenly stopped, and Oscar heard his friend tumble onto his bottom.

“Don’t just fall over for no reason,” Oscar teased.

“It was more like I slipped on something…” Lazar held a candle up to his hand that had touched the floor.

His palm was very clearly wet. Oscar’s eyes widened. Lazar opened his mouth to scream, but before he could, a woman’s cold arm reached out from behind him and pulled him tight against her.

“Tinasha! Wake up!”

The witch was in bed in her chamber when a man burst in and grabbed her arm.

The rooms the current king had granted her were the same ones she’d used the last time she’d stayed in Farsas. Regius’s order had kept them furnished exactly as they had been for over seventy years. Others had only entered them for regular cleaning. Tinasha had felt a complex series of emotions churning inside her when she saw the quarters.

Dragged from her peaceful bed, she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“Mmm, Oscar… What is it?”

She opened her dark eyes to find she was being carried like a child in Oscar’s arms. The moonlight pouring in from the window gave his face a pallid sheen.

“Lazar is…dead?” Oscar answered.

“Why is that a question?” Tinasha frowned.

She soon understood. By the time Tinasha rushed over after hearing what had happened, a small crowd had gathered at the scene. Lazar was lying in a corner of the hallway, and while he had no exterior wounds, he appeared unconscious, and his body was cold as ice.

As soon as Tinasha caught sight of him, she murmured, “His soul has been taken.”

“His soul…? Can he be saved?” Oscar asked, and the witch bit her lip. Calling magic to her hands, she placed them on Lazar’s body.

“I will maintain his body, but…after three days, his soul will disperse. We need to retrieve it quickly.” Tinasha asked the soldiers in the vicinity to carry Lazar to a different room.

“I can do a quick search, but I’m sure his soul isn’t in the castle anymore… To put it simply, something must have carried it away. Did you see the ghost?”

“I saw it. It was a woman with green hair and bluish-white skin. She dodged my sword. It was like trying to cut through water,” Oscar recalled.

“A water spirit, then…” Tinasha looked back to see a puddle in the corridor and frowned. “Go ask everyone in the castle if they’ve been near any bodies of water lately. Water spirits do not normally leave their homes. There must be a reason it’s come here.”

“Got it.”

The witch ran after Lazar as he was carried away. Oscar went off in the opposite direction to gather people together.

While there weren’t many soldiers in the garrison at such a late hour, each one present was shaken awake and questioned.

Suzuto was naturally summoned as well. After he mentioned something to Als, he was sent elsewhere in the castle—separate from his fellow soldiers.

Suzuto did not normally enter the castle proper. When he and Als entered the room Als had led him to, the first thing that caught his attention was the bed placed along the front window. Someone appeared to be sleeping on it, and a woman with familiar-looking black hair was standing at his side with her back to Suzuto.

“…Good, you’re here,” came a man’s voice to his right. Suzuto knew that voice very well, so he gave a respectful bow in that direction.

“Go on, then,” Oscar, seated in a chair, urged.

“Y-yes, Your Highness. A few days ago, when I went to visit my parents, I stopped by a nearby lake. As I was wandering around exploring, I came across a dry water fountain nearby. There was a stone blocking off the water faucet, so I—”

“Removed it,” Oscar finished.

“Yes.”

“Did anything strange happen then?”

“No, nothing. A little water came out and got on my hands; that’s all.”

Oscar crossed his arms and glanced over at the window. “Tinasha, what do you think?”

“I think that’s what caused it,” Tinasha answered, turning around. Suzuto caught sight of her and fell speechless. Her silky black hair, porcelain-white skin, and eyes the color of darkness filled the dim room with a strange magnetism.

Her ethereal beauty was such that she seemed to be the very personification of a bright-azure moonlit night. Suzuto understood why his fellow soldiers had made such a fuss over her.

“That fountain was originally connected to the lake bottom where a water spirit dwelled. The stone was sealing her away,” explained the witch.

“So when the seal was broken, it opened up to the lake bottom?” Oscar asked.

“She probably came here via the water that landed on Suzuto, although I don’t know why she took Lazar away.”

Startled for a moment at hearing his name come up, Suzuto remembered that this was the same girl who had attended combat practice with him. He felt a jolt of fear upon the sudden mention of Lazar’s name.

“Um… Did I do something bad…?” he asked nervously.

“I’ll explain it to you later. For now, we need to head out. You’ll guide us to that lake,” ordered Oscar.

“Y-yes!” Suzuto said, bowing, and left the room with Als.

Oscar stood and walked over to the bed to gaze down at Lazar’s face. His childhood friend remained in his strange, deathly sleep.

“Hold on, friend. I’ll figure this out,” Oscar muttered.

His voice was so quiet that Tinasha looked up at him with concern. “You’re going?”

“Who else would?” asked Oscar.

The witch looked to Akashia, belted to Oscar’s hip, and gave a little sigh. “Your protective barrier can’t defend against the psychological spells used by demonic spirits and fairies, so be careful. Trust your senses. Don’t fall prey to some illusion. And…,” she said, trailing off.

“What?” Oskar pressed.

Tinasha hesitated for a long time but finally said, “If your life is in danger, I am your protector and will come to your aid. In such a case, I will be unable to keep Lazar alive… Do you understand?”

Oscar didn’t show the slightest lack of composure. He looked down at her and patted her head. “I do, so don’t look so down.”

Tinasha looked terribly forlorn, practically on the verge of tears. She said nothing, though, mustering a tiny smile.

“This will be a cinch,” Oscar declared, tearing his gaze away from Lazar’s pallid face and leaving the room.

Under the moonlight, Oscar, Als, Doan, and Suzuto left the castle on horseback. Suzuto rode at the vanguard, galloping eastward. The lake in question was normally a three-hour ride away, two if they hurried.

When they emerged from the castle, something that looked like a huge bird came swooping down from the darkness. Oscar drew his sword before quickly realizing it was Nark. The dragon gave a cry before settling on Oscar’s shoulder.

“Wh-what is that?” Suzuto stammered, pointing fearfully at the first dragon he’d ever seen.

Oscar scratched Nark’s neck. “Just something a certain worrywart sent.”

Tinasha had never approved of Oscar sneaking out of the castle. Very likely, she didn’t want him going out alone to face an opponent against which her barrier might be ineffective. Taking care to keep Nark from falling off, Oscar urged his horse on faster.

The four ran the horses without stopping. By the time they arrived at the shore of the lake, dawn was already breaking.

Pausing there, Doan marveled at the gorgeous scenery. “This is…amazing.”

Woods bordered the western half of the huge lake. The eastern half backed up to a cliff, on top of which was perched an old castle. The crumbling structure’s gardens stretched down to the base of the cliff, half submerging the fountain. White pillars rose out of the water, giving the place an almost spiritual feel.

Faced with such a wondrous sight, Oscar remarked casually, “Tinasha would love it here.”

“Since we’re here, shall I record the transportation coordinates, Your Highness?” Doan asked.

“That would really come in handy, thanks,” answered Oscar.

Doan started the incantation to learn the coordinates, while Suzuto stared intensely at the lake.

“Wh-when I came here before, the gardens hadn’t sunken into the lake like this…”

“…”

The other three were silent, and it hit Suzuto just how grave a mistake he’d made.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of what he’d done. The stone stuck in the fountain had just bothered him for some reason. All he’d wanted to do was remove it and make the fountain nice again.

Oscar seemed to pick up on his subject’s feelings and dismounted his horse to reassure him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure this out. Should we start by diving into the lake?”

“No, I feel a strong magic coming from the nearby forest. Let’s begin there,” Doan said. Nark alighted from Oscar’s shoulder and flew toward the woods, as if confirming the mage’s hunch was right. The humans followed after it on foot.

The forest was dense and dark; the rising sun could hardly penetrate the gloomy atmosphere beneath its leafy canopy. Nark followed no path as it fluttered this way and that through the woods. To provide a traceable way back, Als led the group and cleared a path with his sword as they went.

“Your Highness, please watch your feet.”

“This magic is very strong… Almost like a fog,” Doan commented, though the remark was lost on the other three members of the party, as they were not mages. Warning one another not to get separated, the group proceeded deeper into the forest.

Eyeing the thickly growing trees above his head, Oscar asked Suzuto, “That castle belonged to a lord of old, didn’t it? Is it abandoned now?”

“The people who live in the area don’t go near it. Growing up, there were all sorts of terrible stories about the place,” Suzuto explained.

“Like what?” Oscar asked.

“There’s a story about a girl who lives in the lake. The lord had a son, and when the son met this beautiful girl, he asked her to marry him. But she said no, because she wasn’t a human. However, the son didn’t give up, and they were married. Soon after that, though, the son fell in love with another woman, and the girl returned to the lake in tears.”

“How disgusting,” Oscar remarked.

“I feel the same way…,” Suzuto admitted.

“But hmm, a girl who lives in the lake…” The prince pondered the idea.

Tinasha had postulated that the culprit was a water spirit, and now that he’d heard this story, he had all the more reason to be wary. For some unknown reason, an inhuman woman had set her sights on Lazar. They had three days to get his soul back, but they hadn’t even lost a day yet. With things as they stood, Oscar felt confident they wouldn’t lose Lazar.

Oscar and Lazar were childhood friends who had been raised in the castle together. They knew each other better than brothers. Oscar recalled the way Lazar always smiled so innocently as he followed him around. “He really got the worst of it this time… Why does he always tag along with me…?” Oscar murmured to himself self-deprecatingly as remorse tugged at his heartstrings.

Lazar, who was petrified of ghosts, had been abducted by one right before Oscar’s eyes, and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. The prince gritted his teeth, feeling angry with himself.

As he was lost in thought, he ran into Nark, who had turned back around.

“Hey, be careful,” he said reflexively.

Peeling the clingy dragon off his face, Oscar took another look around and realized that, at some point, he and Nark had gotten separated from everyone else.

“Uh-oh…”

Something must have happened, and the two had become separated while Oscar wasn’t paying attention. Als had been clearing the brush as they made their way through, but when Oscar turned to look back, he only saw overgrown foliage.

“This isn’t good… Als will be all right, but I’m not so sure about the other two.”

Doan and Suzuto were both capable, but anything seemed possible in a place like this.

As Oscar wondered what had become of his companions, he drew his sword to clear the way. For the time being, he’d keep heading in the direction Nark indicated. Oscar felt grateful to have his little dragon guide.

Suddenly, Oscar heard splashing at his feet. Looking down, he saw that a small amount of water pooled between the outstretched tree roots. It appeared the ground ahead was slowly being swallowed by the lake. Oscar stepped more carefully going forward.

Sensing something, Oscar ducked down. As his instincts had indicated, an unknown object whizzed over his head from behind. It stopped on a branch ahead and let out a high-pitched squeak. Oscar examined it and found it was a green-winged pixie of some sort. It resembled a bat. He could hear a group of chattering voices coming from behind him as well.

“So they’ve decided to show themselves,” he whispered to himself.

Oscar held Akashia ready, checking his footing again with regards to the tree roots and flooded ground. No sooner had he prepared himself than the pixies flew at him.

First, Oscar merely held up his left hand. Just before the pixies would’ve crashed into it, they found themselves repelled by the prince’s protective barrier. The pixies staggered in the air, and Oscar quickly cut them down, along with the one that had attacked earlier. Then, he took a step back, dodging yet another diving at his flank. Having missed its target, that pixie went flying off into the trees. In the meantime, another struck.

There was no end to the waves of attackers, and Oscar was constantly on the defensive. Dodging pixies and branches, the prince picked his way through the forest while cutting down anything in his way. The deeper he advanced, the higher the water rose, until it lapped around only the tallest roots.

By the time Oscar’s boots were nearly submerged, there were almost no pixies left in pursuit. When the prince finally paused to catch his breath, Nark launched off from his shoulder to fly lazily forward.

“…Destroy the barrier.”

That had been the dragon’s original mission. Obeying its master’s order, Nark breathed fire into the air.

The forest erupted in flames. Heat swirled up, causing the surface of the water to quiver. Oscar scrunched up his face against the red tint searing his eyes. All too soon, the flames went out. Once they did, he was surprised to see an unnatural break in the trees had appeared.

The branches of the trees on either side were entwined, forming what looked exactly like a small door. It was unlike any Oscar had ever seen before, and he let out a cry of wonder.

“Wow! Where did that come from?”

This must be the psychological magic Tinasha had nagged him to be careful about. Impressed, Oscar crossed through the tree-made door and found himself inside a small clearing. A layer of clear, ankle-deep water covered the flat ground, and trees encircled him on all sides. Atop a piece of driftwood in the center sat a beautiful green-haired woman along with Oscar’s childhood friend.

“Lazar!”

When his name was called, Lazar slowly turned. He looked perfectly real, but Oscar knew the man’s real body was still waiting back in the castle. Even so, the prince couldn’t help but reach out to his friend. “I’ve come to take you back. Let’s go!”

“Your Highness…,” Lazar murmured, and worry flashed across the face of the woman at his side. Her pale-blue arms wrapped around him. Lazar stared at the woman’s sad expression, and there was a calmness in his eyes.

He looked back at Oscar, then lowered his eyes and shook his head. “I deeply apologize that you had to come all this way to look for me… But I will not be returning. I’m sorry.”

Lazar’s reply was not at all what Oscar had been expecting. For a moment, he doubted his hearing. Frowning, Oscar retorted, “What the hell? Wait until your soul and body are reunited before making jokes.”

Oscar was certain it had to have been a joke. Surely Lazar didn’t understand his predicament.

Gripping Akashia, Oscar took a step forward. Startled, the woman clung to Lazar. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before climbing down from the piece of driftwood. Then, he came forward, keeping the woman covered behind him.

“Please wait, Your Highness. She was betrayed by her fiancé. He promised to marry her, but he ended up with another woman…”

Oscar made a face. If the fairy tale was true, then he sympathized with what she’d experienced. Despite whatever pain the spirit had suffered, though, it was no reason to abduct Lazar, even if she truly was the victim here. The prince’s friend was just being too sympathetic.

“Then she should abduct that guy instead,” Oscar snapped.

“It happened hundreds of years ago. You saw the state that old castle is in, right? He’s long dead. But to her…” Lazar paused, looking back at the spirit.

She caught his gaze and smiled at him. In her smile was all the compassion of a lost child who had finally been found. It belied her character and her soul, worn down over the hundreds of years she’d spent searching for the man she loved, yearned, hated, and waited for.

Lazar looked at her smile with fondness in his eyes. Oscar could sense an unwavering kindness from his friend, but he only felt anxious.

“…You’ll die if you stay here,” Oscar said.

He had long known that Lazar’s kindheartedness would get him killed one day. However, Oscar had always believed that, as long as he was by Lazar’s side, he could prevent it. He’d never imagined Lazar would reject his help.

Lazar looked at his lord and gave him the same sort guilty smile he’d often shown in the past. “I don’t mind. She’s been all alone for hundreds of years, wanting to die but unable to… Wanting to kill him but also not wanting to… I want to save her. If I can’t do that, I at least need to give her some comfort.”

It was clear Lazar was determined to help this spirit, even to the point of sacrificing his own life. Such was the strength of his character, which was undoubtedly why the woman had been drawn to him.

Oscar started to panic. “Don’t get a big head. Is that really something you should be doing?”

Though the words were harsh, Lazar merely smiled. He met Oscar’s gaze and asked, “Don’t you feel anything when you look at her, Your Highness?”

Oscar had no idea what he meant by the question and pondered it for a moment before understanding.

Alone for hundreds of years.

Human, but also inhuman.

Lazar was implying that this miserable water spirit, possessed with tremendous magical power and existing entirely alone…was akin to Oscar’s witch.

Oscar let out a sigh.

He closed his eyes.

In his mind’s eye, he remembered the sorrow he’d seen in the witch at the top of the tower and her lonely smile before she’d left for the magical lake. Tinasha exposed such feelings very rarely, which was why Oscar saw her as a regular girl who needed his help. He was well aware that she wasn’t that at all, of course. Tinasha was very different from ordinary humans.

Oscar opened his eyes and tightened his grip on Akashia. He walked over to the woman gazing at him with childlike innocence in her eyes. He glanced at Lazar standing next to her. The man looked unspeakably sad.

The look in Lazar’s eye was one Oscar would not forget for the rest of his days…but some things were not up for debate.

“I’ll listen to your complaints back at the castle.”

There was no reply. The woman smiled happily.

The ending of a fairy tale was always merciless and abrupt.

Oscar lifted his sword.

A group of people was waiting at the castle gates when the party returned.

Wearing her witch outfit, Tinasha caught sight of Oscar and nodded. “Good job out there. His soul came right back,” she said, smiling. Nark flew over to her shoulder. The tiny dragon appeared quite proud of itself, and Tinasha stroked its little head.

On the other hand, Als handed the reins of his horse to a soldier and grumbled, “Meanwhile, I went around the same spot in the forest over and over… I could have cried.”

“You were caught fast in an illusion.”

“Urgh…”

Doan and Suzuto, who’d suffered the same fate, looked equally disheartened.

Oscar expressed his appreciation for their efforts. “In any case, we saved him. I’ll take care of the rest, so you all go get some sleep. Tinasha, where’s Lazar?”

“Same spot you left him. I’ll stop by later, too,” she answered.

“Got it.”

Apparently, Tinasha still had business to take care of. She hummed an incantation as she departed through the castle gate. Oscar watched her leave, then headed for Lazar’s room.

As he walked, Oscar did not hesitate. He had chosen this himself. Showing regret here would only prove he was ill-suited to rescue others. Therefore, without the slightest change of expression, Oscar strode into the room where Lazar had been kept.

Lazar noticed him walk in and sat up in bed. “Your Highness…”

“You can lie down,” Oscar said.

Likely as a result of having his soul taken, Lazar’s movements were still jerky. Still, he staggered out of bed to kneel before Oscar and bowed his head low.

“I deeply apologize…for my conduct.”

“I don’t intend to apologize…and you don’t need to, either.”

Even though they’d walked such a similar path, they were different people. Oscar knew that, which was why they could be friends.

Lazar didn’t lift his head. Instead, he said tearfully, “Starting tomorrow… I will once again serve you with everything I am.”

“You rest until you’ve fully recovered your strength,” Oscar ordered bluntly. Despite the sternness of the command, the prince’s voice was tinged with his affection for Lazar—the affection he rarely voiced despite their closeness.

“He’s still not fully recovered, so don’t disturb him,” Tinasha said. When she’d come in carrying a round bowl, Lazar was already asleep again.

Eyeing the cloth tied over the bowl, Oscar asked, “What were you up to?”

“Strengthening the wards around the castle. We weren’t able to capture that suspicious mage, so I’d like to prevent any further intrusions. As long as I’m here, no one will be able to enter the castle anywhere other than the front entrance.”

“…We’re really beefing up everything with you around…,” Oscar noted.

Just how many changes would the castle undergo during the witch’s stay? Oscar had some apprehensions, but none of it appeared to be a big deal to Tinasha. She made the action seem as trivial as adding sugar to tea. It was commonplace, over in a flash, and only the memory remained. Just like how she’d left the castle seventy years ago.

Oscar stared at his protector. “You sure you don’t want to marry me and live here permanently?”

“I’m sure! …Where did that come from?” Tinasha replied, sensing something different than Oscar’s usual teasing in his words.

He gazed sincerely into her dark eyes. “Aren’t you lonely living all by yourself for hundreds of years?”

The question sought to probe at the deepest part of the witch. Tinasha was stunned for a second before making a wry face. “Well, I’m a little lonely, but it’s unavoidable.” The look in her eyes seemed to be wondering what had prompted such a question.

In those eyes, Oscar saw a bit of sorrow and harshness.

Unlike the water spirit who’d disappeared into the forest, this witch had never even had anyone to lose. No one to keep in her heart forever, unable to let go. That was why she could go on for ages and ages with nothing but beauty, calm, and solitude.

Tinasha saw the fleeting lives of humans as distant things. While she might feel sad to say good-bye to them and watch them die, it wasn’t enough to drive her mad. Her immense power, her loneliness, and her harshness were what made her a witch. Doubtless, she was aware of her own rigidity.

“Tinasha,” Oscar started.

“Yes, what is it?”

“You can come to me for anything, at any time.”

If someday Tinasha tired of everything leaving her behind while time was frozen for her, Oscar wanted her to know she could come to him. He’d welcome her the same way he always had.

“If you decide you want something that won’t change, I can be that for you. I want you to remember that.”

“Seriously, where is this coming from? Your constant stubbornness is really starting to concern me,” Tinasha answered with a wide grin. Her skin was just as pale as it ever was, and the witch seemed incapable of being tied down by anything.

Oscar felt a sudden urge to reach out and grab her.