Extra: The Song Heard Round the Tower

A trial run repeated ceaselessly. A miniature garden toyed with mercilessly.

Destinies on intertwining trajectories that are recorded and observed.

Peeped at and admired.

But that is a tale from a bygone time—a lost story.

What begins now is a tale of the first and last meeting of two deviants

expelled from the wheel of destiny.

That year, the castle city of Farsas was seized with fear.

Children went missing in a series of mysterious kidnappings.

Despite royal investigations, security patrols, and parental vigilance,

kids kept disappearing.

There was no evidence to follow. The case took a ghastly turn when

everyone was at a complete loss.

The five-year-old crown prince vanished from his bedroom in the castle.

"I'm going to go see my mother! I'll do whatever it takes to get her to

help—"

"But Rosalia, she only allowed you to marry me on the condition that

she never provide any sort of aid to us in the future."

"So you're telling me to keep quiet and do nothing, then?! A demon has

kidnapped our son!" the queen shrilled, clutching a bright-blue bird feather.

Previously, no clues had been left behind after a child was abducted, but a

feather was found under the prince's bed this time.

All the mages concurred that it belonged to a demon. The queen, a mage

herself, agreed with them.

The king gazed in anguish at the feather the queen was waving in his

face. Then he recalled something.

He remembered the woman who, fifty years prior, had accompanied his

grandfather.

"Master, we have challengers."

"I see, I see. How rare. I wonder how far they'll get?"

"They seem to be here on urgent business. I heard them talking about

something that had happened to a child."

"Hmm?"

The azure tower was home to a witch who granted wishes to those who

climbed the spire. On rare occasions, she listened to the requests of those

who failed her challenge, too. There was no exact rule. It all depended on

whether the wish of the person risking death to challenge the tower moved

the witch's heart or not.

She would allow those wishes in exchange for total silence on the

matter. Her power was immense.

The Witch of the Azure Moon, the strongest in all the land, cocked her

head innocently in curiosity and set down the book she was reading on a

table before her. A moment later, she vanished.

True to the stories his grandfather had told, the tower's trials were intense.

By the third level, half of the officers he'd brought with him were down.

Kevin observed the marked exhaustion on the faces of the remaining

members of his group and grew more nervous.

But that didn't mean he was giving up. He would reach the top of the

tower. Only there could he die.

As he was rallying himself to face off against a lion that must be some

sort of magical creature, he noticed a girl appear behind the lion and

frowned.

"Is that…?"

She had porcelain skin and long, jet-black hair. Her dark eyes were so

striking as to be utterly unforgettable after one look at them. A fine, high

nose stood beneath beautifully shaped eyebrows and long lashes. The red

petals of her lips were lovelier than a masterwork painting.

After peering around at the group, she stepped up and gave a light rap on

the lion's head. It fell to the ground instantly.

Paying no attention at all to the stunned looks on the faces of all in the

party, she glanced over at Kevin. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh! Is that Akashia?

What business does the king of Farsas have here?"

While Kevin wondered what exactly this person meant by her artless

question, it hit him. This girl bore a striking resemblance to the witch his

grandfather had told him about.

"Are you the Witch of the Azure Moon?" he asked.

"I am. If you're here with an urgent matter, I'll listen to what you have

to say. But if you're not, I'll let you get on with it."

"No, I am! I need you to save my son. He's been abducted by a demon!"

"A demon?" the witch repeated with a suspicious frown.

Kevin held out the blue feather he had brought. She eyed it coldly.

"When was he abducted?"

"Last night."

"It may be too late, then."

"I don't care! I won't give up hope if there's a sliver of a chance!"

"Then will you pay with your own life?" she asked indifferently.

The king paled. But without even thinking about it for a second, he

nodded. "I am prepared for that. Please, I beg of you."

After letting out a little sigh, she snapped her fingers. The feather

teleported from the king's grasp into hers. "You are foolish. Think about

your position. If your son is dead and you die, too, what's going to happen

to your country?"

Her criticism was scathing. But Kevin only gave a bittersweet smile.

"Should that happen, I trust my younger brother to handle it."

He still hadn't faltered once. The witch stared at him with disdain. But

then she floated up into the air and, quite abruptly, vanished.

Had she agreed to his plea? While the group was still puzzling over that,

a teleportation portal sucked all of them up and deposited them outside the

tower. Those who came to their senses first made a mad dash back to the

tower, but there was no longer a door there—or any sign that there had ever

been a door.

"A child-abducting demon, hmm? I suppose even mid-ranking demons have

a modicum of intelligence."

No demon had been caught yet, which pointed to a certain degree of

craftiness. It likely wasn't the effort of a single creature.

Still, one of them had managed to get past the palace wards, which

meant they must have enough magic to slip through. Most mid-ranking

demons were unbalanced, possessing either exceptional spellwork or

magical ability, but not both.

As Tinasha floated high above Farsas castle city, she inhaled deeply.

Then she drew up an intricate spell in the blink of an eye and hurled it

down below.

With the blue feather in hand, she watched and waited patiently for a

reaction to her detection spell. Traces of magic emerged all over the city—

proof enough of the demons' mad, uncontrolled romp.

The strongest residue was coming from one location in the castle.

Tinasha traced it and found that it led outside the city. The magic, trickling

out in a slightly westward path, was so faint that an ordinary mage wouldn't

have noticed it.

"Hmm. Underground, I suppose," Tinasha muttered, teleporting there.

She found herself at the mouth of an ancient mine in some woods in

western Farsas. Upon discovering a small cave, she entered it without

hesitation.

She had been living holed up in her tower for so long that she wasn't

familiar with the outside world. She tried to stay apprised of the bare

minimum of current events, but only those she deemed newsworthy. More

frequently than not, she wouldn't take notice of any small-scale wars that

broke out or child-kidnapping sprees.

The only thing that overruled that policy was someone showing up on

her doorstep.

"So this boy is Lavinia's grandson and Reg's great-grandson? Why

come to me? I suppose I can guess."

While it did occur to her that the answer was she embodied the king's

best chance, it had still required considerable gumption to show up at the

tower of an infamous witch.

And once she heard that a child's life hung in the balance, she couldn't

refuse.

Partway through the cramped cavern, Tinasha discovered a tunnel

obscured by magical camouflage. She stepped into it and found herself in a

passageway of finely hewn stone. These must be ruins of something.

Tinasha glanced around at what appeared to be a dungeon of some kind.

"Now, where should I start investigating?"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" a woman shrieked with a

grating, metallic voice.

Puzzled, Tinasha peered into the darkness and found a birdwoman

advancing toward her from deeper in the passage. Brilliant blue plumage

fanned across her head and arms. The woman's oblong eyes were distinctly

avian. Nodding in satisfaction, Tinasha remarked, "Ah, so it was you. I've

been looking for you. You've been stealing children in the Farsas castle city,

haven't you?"

"Are you a mage?"

"You're half right," replied Tinasha, lifting an arm carelessly as a silver

dagger materialized into her grasp. With the lightest flick of her wrist, she

threw it at the demon.

The birdwoman's mouth curled scornfully, and she spread her wings to

deflect the blade.

"That won't—"

But before the demon could finish, an enormous hole opened up in her

breast. Blue feathers fluttered in the air. The demon collapsed, a look of

shock on her face.

Tinasha eyed her coldly. "That's what happens when you can't tell when

someone's a witch. Although it's not like you'd have gotten away even if

you had."

The witch plucked a drifting feather from the air. Then she strode off

down the stone passageway.

The dim rock chamber was lit only by a candelabra on the walls, glowing

weakly. It was pitch dark anywhere the flickering light couldn't reach,

symbolizing utter despair.

New children were brought into the room, and others were taken away.

Even as young as they were, the kids understood what had happened to

those who were gone. They huddled together as their own deaths drew ever

nearer.

Footsteps approached from outside the chamber with a watery, squishy

sound that was not at all human.

Someone was going to get taken again.

While the other children cowered, one wore a dauntless look. Dressed in

his nightclothes, he was a new arrival, but he didn't seem frightened at all.

His highborn status was evident from how his cousin, who'd been

kidnapped earlier, was startled to find him there.

The door opened, and a black-furred man poked his head in. "Who

should I pick today? Teresa did say she wanted a girl."

That made the three little girls in the room tremble. They backed away

toward the stone wall in an attempt to get away even a little, their eyes

squeezing shut against their tears. But their meager act of resistance was in

vain, for the man entered and reached for the closest girl.

"Nnnnoooooooo!" she cried, letting out a shriek as she shivered

uncontrollably.

Grinning, the man made to grab her but found his way blocked by a boy

in nightclothes.

Though he had no weapon, the boy stood there armed with pride and

anger alone and glared at the demon, who was taken aback.

"Stop it!" snapped the boy, his blue eyes blazing.

"O-Oscar," protested a blond boy trying to stop him.

The man snorted. "Now this is funny. You two are royals, aren't you?

The type who'd die for your precious pride. I think I'll take you up on your

offer and pick you for today's snack."

The demon reached out for Oscar, who stood firm. Blocking the girl, he

slapped the demon's hand away with every drop of strength in his body.

Predictably, rage filled the demon's eyes. His voice grew lower and

rougher. "I'll rip you apart right here before I drag you out. A little

bloodshed is all part of the fun."

"What do you gain from eating me?" asked the boy.

"I get stronger. Eventually, I'll become a high-ranking demon."

"No, you won't," said a voice as cold as ice from behind the man, who

whirled around. A young woman stood there, one who had approached so

stealthily he hadn't sensed her at all. She smirked up at him fearlessly.

The black-haired girl of sixteen or seventeen snapped her fingers.

"High-ranking demons are conceptual entities, different from you in every

way. No matter how powerful any of you grow, you'll never become one."

"Where…did you come from? Who are you?"

"None of you can tell who I am, which means you're all complete

nobodies," she replied, making no secret of her scorn.

The man's face twisted with fury. The nails of his right hand

transformed into a curved blade. He took a step toward the girl, flashing it

at her. "You're a little older than Teresa wanted, but a girl is a girl. Looks

like you're the snack today."

"Choosing based on age is only going to give you food poisoning. But

enough of that. Is Teresa that birdwoman? If she is, she doesn't need any

more meals. Ever."

"What does that mean?"

The young woman grinned. She pulled out her other hand from behind

her back and sent a flurry of blue feathers fluttering to the ground. The man

stared at the sight in shock. "Did you…? How dare you!"

"Come on. Now it's your turn. Time to play," the girl mocked sweetly,

cajolingly. Her graceful fingers drew up a spell. When the man saw how

intricate and powerful it was, he realized for the first time that he was up

against something he couldn't surpass.

He had no time to even think of a way to fight back. She didn't allow

him any.

Instantaneously, he scattered to pieces—though he didn't leave a speck

of dust behind. The black-haired girl watched it happen calmly.

Then she stepped into the rock chamber and smiled. "I've come on

behalf of the king of Farsas."

No one could believe it. A stir ran through the children, who were all on

the brink of despair by that point.

The boy who had protected the little girl maintained his vigilance as he

demanded, "Who are you? Have you really come to save us?"

"Who I am is a secret. Yes, I'm here to rescue you. Do you want to go

home?" she asked with a smile. It didn't seem like she was lying. The kids

exchanged glances and then began to stand one after another, gathering

around her.

"Miss, are you a mage?"

"I am. I'm going to open a portal to take you back to the city, so wait

just a moment."

"Are you from Farsas? You're so pretty! I've never seen you before."

"Do you work in the castle?"

The children began clamoring around her, pelting her with questions

now that the danger had passed.

The young girl gave them a tense smile back, stooping down to their eye

level. "I am not from Farsas, nor do I work in the castle. I'm here because I

was asked to come."

A blond boy caught hold of her hand. "Hey, will you marry me once I

grow up?"

It was a childlike, innocent question, but the girl's dark eyes sparkled

mischievously. "As long as you're all right with an age gap. But first, you

have to be stronger than I am."

She cast her spell, and a small portal opened on the wall.

"It's time to go now. This is linked to the castle city in Farsas."

With cheers, the children stampeded for the portal. One by one, they

plunged into it.

She watched them go until only one remained. He turned back to look at

her before he went. "Thanks… You saved us."

"It was no trouble," she replied, breaking off there to stare at him.

Something like surprise came into her dark eyes.

For whatever reason, their color was terribly familiar to Oscar. It was

like he'd seen that hue before, a long time ago. It was the oddest feeling of

familiarity—a memory he couldn't yet recall.

She must have been experiencing something similar. After gazing at the

boy, she came back to herself and smiled. "Your father is a very impressive

man."

As she raked a hand through her black locks, she ducked in and pressed

a kiss to the boy's forehead. His eyes grew wide.

"You look a little like Reg. It really takes me back… Anyway, you need

to get going," she said, giving his shoulders a push. He nodded and stepped

into the portal. As his surroundings transformed around him, he glanced

back into the cavern chamber, but the girl was already gone. He stared at

the empty room in shock.

That mysterious girl whose name he didn't even know left a very strong

impression on the boy.

Fifteen years passed.

Tinasha poured tea into a cup. Fragrant steam wafted into the air. As she

regarded it with a reasonable degree of satisfaction, she said to the person

behind her, "Welcome. You are the very first person to ever reach the top of

the tower alone. I've made some tea."

The witch turned around. In the doorway stood an unfamiliar young man

of about twenty. His well-toned physique spoke to someone with no weak

spots. His handsome features offered glimpses of a domineering personality

and gave an overall impression of masculinity.

In his eyes shone a color of the sky just after dusk. Tinasha cocked her

head, feeling she had seen that exact hue somewhere before.

The young man didn't seem like he planned to budge from the door.

Tinasha held up her hands to show him they were empty. "I'm not going to

do anything. Come in."

He came back to himself, wincing sheepishly. Then, after a pause, he put

a proper smile on his face. "It's just…I thought you'd be more grown-up."

"I'm still a witch. I've halted my body's physical growth."

"The last time I saw you, I was still a kid. I really thought you were an

adult."

"A kid?" she frowned.

The man showed her the sword he carried. "It was fifteen years ago.

Don't you remember?"

That blade was passed down through the Farsas royal family, a weapon

entirely unique. As the witch beheld the mortal enemy of mages, realization

dawned in her dark eyes.

Tinasha clapped her hands together. "Oh, from that one time! You've

gotten so big. You're not cute anymore."

"I don't think I'd be happy if I were cute at twenty like I was at five."

"Wow, you've really grown up into quite the man. Your late father

would be proud."

"He's still alive."

"I'm sorry, that was a joke in poor taste."

Grinning, the man sheathed his sword and strode into the room, right up

to her.

"I am Oscar Lyeth Increatos Loz Farsas. Thank you for saving me back

then. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Tinasha. It's been a long time," she greeted him, a smile bursting

into bloom on her face.

Though she proclaimed herself to be a witch, she seemed no different from

any other young, beautiful girl.

Keeping his impolite thoughts to himself, Oscar sat down across from

her and accepted a cup of tea. They made pleasant, harmless conversation

about the past and the tower.

But before that could go on for too long, she snapped her fingers and

changed the subject. "So why are you here now as the first successful

challenger in seventy years? Do you have something you want?"

The witch in the azure tower granted the wish of anyone who climbed it

to the top. The last one to complete that achievement was Oscar's greatgrandfather, who had sealed away an enemy nation's magic weapon with

the witch's help.

After staring intently at the witch seated across from him, Oscar replied,

"Well, yes… But before that, could I ask you to go a round with me?"

"What? You mean a fight? Does that mean you're here as the bearer of

Akashia to vanquish a witch?"

"No, I'd never be so ungrateful. I only want to test my skills."

"Er, I'd really hate to kill someone whose life I went to the trouble of

saving many years ago," Tinasha protested. She was that sure of herself.

The idea of losing didn't seem to be a possibility to her. She was, after all,

the strongest of the five witches.

Oscar grimaced. "I'd prefer not to die."

"Then you should give up on this. You're as reckless as your father."

Oscar knew that the witch told his father she would take his life in

exchange for saving his son.

But in the end, she hadn't, nor did she tamper with his memories. She'd

only had her familiar toss the entire party out of the tower.

However, once Oscar was safely returned to the castle, a letter from an

unknown sender was delivered to the king. Reading only, Say nothing, it

was presumed to be the witch's demand.

In response, the court announced that the missing children cases that had

terrorized Farsas were the work of demons and that a mage unaffiliated with

the castle had resolved the situation.

Tinasha could be nice, but she was still a witch.

Any normal person would have backed off upon hearing her say that,

but Oscar only gave a strained smile. "Even if I die, I have a cousin. He was

among the group that you saved."

"Woooooooooowww. Well…I suppose if you're serious about this."

Tinasha stood and sighed. Spreading her arms wide, she cast a spell. As it

activated, it teleported them to the first floor of the tower. She glanced

behind her, and the door disappeared.

After taking a few steps back, Tinasha grinned. A narrow longsword

appeared in her right hand, a dagger in her left. "I'll be your opponent, then.

Don't even consider holding back. Come at me like you're trying to kill

me."

That gracious proclamation was clearly imbued with all the majesty of a

witch, not a young girl. Swallowing nervously, Oscar unsheathed Akashia.

They were about six paces apart. Oscar waited for his chance, gauging

the distance between them.

He hadn't expected her to whip out a sword of her own—let alone two

of them. One or both must be magical weapons that carried mystical

properties. He couldn't even imagine what sort of skill she had.

But she didn't seem to be as concerned as Oscar, cracking her neck and

flexing her toes against the floor to ensure her stance. Though it was short,

the white dress she wore didn't seem suited for combat. She glanced down

at the knee-length hem, and Oscar followed her gaze.

What beautiful, slim legs.

The moment her gaze dropped, Oscar lunged for her.

What happened next astonished him. Tinasha strode forward to meet

him.

She parried Akashia's first strike with her longsword and thrust her

dagger at Oscar's right arm. Immediately, he flicked the hilt of it away with

his elbow and then swung Akashia down swiftly and powerfully to parry

the longsword as well.

Tinasha twisted her blade to dampen the power of the blow, but Oscar

was too quick. Her beautiful face screwed up into a little scowl.

He got back into a fighting stance and immediately attempted a third

thrust. However, the witch flung her dagger at him, delaying his attack.

Using his left hand to bat away the flying knife, Oscar brought Akashia

down on her. But she was gone. He heard the sound of panting overhead.

"Ah!"

She had used magic to fly far above him. She did a light flip in the air.

Her sword sparkled with azure lightning, which flashed as the crackling

sword shot toward him.

The lightning seared his eyes; Oscar used Akashia to guard against it.

After deflecting Tinasha's weapon, he found that the witch was no longer

above him. Following his instincts, he whirled around and swept Akashia

through the air.

Tinasha, who had alighted behind him and was about to swing her sword

down on him, quickly ducked to dodge away. She cast a teleportation spell

and returned to her original position.

As she tightened her grasp on both blades, she grumbled, "Ugh, I've

gotten rusty. You're not bad. Stronger than I thought."

"Thanks," Oscar replied, calm on the outside, though he felt so nervous,

his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Dual-wielding was atypical in and of itself. The way she mixed in magic

on top of it made her tough to predict.

Oscar might win if it were a sword fight alone, but magic was the pith

and marrow of a witch. Oscar had initially believed he could beat her as

long as he kept her in close range, but now he was reconsidering what

would be the best way to attack from here on out. All the while, Oscar

maintained a close eye on the distance between them. He would just have to

keep pressing forward, using his superior speed to prevent her from getting

a chance to cast.

However, that might be difficult to do without killing her outright.

Frustration over things not playing out the way he'd thought they would

welled up within him. Ultimately, none of it came to anything.

With a bright smile, Tinasha made the swords in her grip disappear.

Then she extended her right hand. "I think I'll get a little more serious…and

bring this to a conclusion."

In an instant, a gigantic spell filled the area.

Oscar couldn't see it, only able to sense that something in the air was

different.

Magic amassed in the spell, and it burst into flame. All at once, it turned

into a wave of red and surged toward Oscar. Despite his shock, Oscar held

firm to Akashia and took a step in. He thought Akashia would nullify

enough of the attack to carve an opening in the fire, enabling him to slip

through.

But just before Akashia could touch the fire, the flames vanished.

"Huh?"

He had only a moment to wonder before he was aghast to realize he

couldn't move a muscle. Looking over at the witch, he saw her grin and

wave at him. Then she sent him flying into the tower wall.

In his childhood memories, the witch was strong.

Powerful, mature, and…she seemed to be a little lonely, too.

Perhaps he thought that because she mentioned his great-grandfather, a

man he'd never met.

Curious about her, especially since she had revealed she wasn't from

Farsas, he hounded his father immediately upon returning to the castle until

he learned the truth.

A tall tower in a barren wasteland. And apparently, she had lived at the

top of it for centuries.

He wanted to see her, to thank her.

But only those who climbed the tower could do that. That meant he had

to get stronger.

From that day forward, he threw himself into sword training with great

intensity.

He studied both in the classroom and on the training fields, all so that he

could see her again someday—to rescue her this time. He would stand

beside her as a proper adult.

That way, perhaps he could ease some of her loneliness.

Such was the naive dream of a child.

When Oscar came to, it was already dark outside.

Pale magic lights on the walls glowed in the dimly lit room.

When the witch, sitting at his bedside reading a book, noticed he was

awake, she gave him a tight smile. "How are you feeling? All of your

wounds should be healed."

He sat up and curled his hands into fists two or three times, but nothing

felt wrong. "Looks like I'm fine. Thanks for doing that."

"You shouldn't have been so thoughtless. You need to decide before

fighting whether you can beat an enemy or not."

"I wanted to know the difference in our strength. I was pretty confident,

too, but…"

"Yes, I might have been in some real trouble there if the battle was

limited to close-range combat. I made dinner. Would you like some?"

It threw him how she asked about dinner in the same breath as admitting

her life might have been in peril, and he burst out laughing as he stood.

She stared up at him, bemused. "What? Did I hit you somewhere I

shouldn't have? You got hit all over, though."

"No, I'm fine. I'll take some dinner."

"Coming right up. Oh, and decide on what you want for your wish."

"I already have," Oscar muttered as he watched the witch depart from

the room with a fond look on his face.

"You're more domestic than I expected you to be. The food's good."

"Well, I've been living alone for a very long time. That said, don't

compare it to the meals you get at the castle."

An array of dishes Oscar had never seen before was laid out on the

dining table. None of it was Farsasian cuisine.

Still, they all smelled delicious and tasted exquisite. The dishes had

almost a gentle taste, like a meal cooked at home for a family somewhere.

As he sipped at the glass of wine she had offered him, Oscar focused on his

food for a while.

Once she finished eating, he broached the topic of his reward. "I've

thought about my wish."

"Have you decided what you want? I can't grant anything, but go ahead

and tell me."

"I want you to train me until I'm strong enough to beat you."

"You… You want what?"

"I want to win against you."

That floored her. None of the other challengers had ever requested

something like that before. Grimacing, she scratched at her temples. "Er, I

don't think I have that much of a death wish."

"I don't mean to kill you. I want to beat you in a match."

"Why? Is this part of some grand adventure where you travel around to

get stronger for combat? I think you're already pretty capable."

"But I lost, didn't I?"

"I don't think I could call myself a witch anymore if I lost to some

twenty-year-old mortal with decent skills, even if he had Akashia," she

retorted dryly.

However, Oscar wouldn't give up. "No one in the castle can beat me,

but I want to get even better."

"Are you planning to wage war against a witch or something?" she

pressed, her cold eyes gazing past him to something else entirely.

He picked up on her meaning and shook his head. "Do you mean my

grandmother? No, no. I've never even met her."

"Really?" Tinasha asked, looking just the tiniest bit abashed.

Oscar nodded. He'd never been introduced to his grandmother, the

Witch of Silence. His mother had cut off contact with her when she married

into Farsas. He didn't have any particular interest in meeting her, either, and

naturally, he harbored no desire to defeat her.

His true wish was for something else.

Oscar gazed steadily into the witch's dark eyes. In a low, steady voice,

he explained, "I want to have lots of choices. I don't want to feel like I

could have made something happen if only I'd been stronger."

Her eyes widened a fraction, but Oscar didn't recognize the fleeting

emotion that flashed across them. She only looked down immediately, her

eyelashes casting shadows and covering the dark abyss that was her eyes.

She sighed. "Very well, then. I suppose I should be glad you didn't ask

me to marry you. I'll train you for three months. However, I make no

guarantee that you'll be able to beat me at the end of that time."

"That's fine with me. I'll do my best," he replied instantly, making a

very adult-looking smile spread across her face. That smile captivated

Oscar. He couldn't help but ask the question that had occurred to him. "Did

someone ask you to marry them before?"

"The world would be a much more peaceful place without the existence

of someone so foolish."

"Didn't you say you'd marry anyone who was stronger than you?"

"I most certainly did not!" she exclaimed, denying it vehemently.

Evidently, she didn't recall her conversation with the children fifteen years

ago.

The pair's height difference was totally flipped, and Tinasha looked up

at Oscar with the eyes of a wary cat. "So you came to my tower to get

stronger?"

"If anything, I came here to thank you."

Also, to make sure the witch wasn't feeling too lonely.

They could talk later about his desire to spend his life with her.

Tinasha stared at him before pursing her lips in a pout. "You're an odd

man."

"Am I?"

"You shouldn't let your guard down around a witch. They all have their

quirks, and each is terrible in her own way."

"I will bear that in mind."

The sight of her shaking her head at him gave Oscar a flash of

familiarity. He frowned.

The hazy memory faded before it could take a precise shape.

The clanging of swords filled the air. But the intervals between each

collision came much further apart than was the case with Oscar's usual

speed. His opponent was the witch who lived in this tower. She snapped the

fingers of her left hand as she wielded a thin practice sword with the other.

In response, Oscar leaped back. An invisible blade passed in front of his

face.

"Correct," she said, smiling over at him. She snapped her fingers again.

This time, instead of falling back, Oscar moved in toward her. Her dark

eyes grew wide. As he brought his sword down on her, she giggled. "You're

getting it."

The faint praise didn't make Oscar drop his guard. The witch's sword

met his.

Right after a metallic clang, he felt something bump against the back of

his head. When he stumbled forward, Tinasha snapped her fingers again.

Quickly, he dodged to the left—but a gust of wind caught his feet. As he

lost his balance, he heard the witch say disappointedly, "Magic that you

dodge once will loop back around. Since you can't see it, it means you

really are dodging based on pure intuition."

"I honestly don't get it myself, but that seems to be the case."

Tinasha's drills had begun one week prior. Oscar came to the tower and

trained with her every day. At the moment, they were doing a practice

exercise on guarding against magic.

As they exchanged blows, Tinasha sent out occasional blasts of invisible

magic. She signaled this with snaps of her fingers, but she didn't send out

an attack every time she made the gesture. She wanted Oscar to quickly

discern whether there was magic flying toward him or not and act

accordingly.

Presently, Oscar was managing around 80 percent of the attacks

successfully on intuition alone, but the witch was dissatisfied with that.

"You lost against me because you can't detect invisible spells. You have

magic, but no sight for it, which needs to be rectified. It's a huge problem.

Why didn't anyone train you when you were younger? Isn't your mother a

mage?"

"She instructed me on the basics, but I couldn't get the hang of it, and

she gave up. She told me that a royal of Farsas is a swordsman first and

foremost, so that should be the part to focus on."

"Ooh, so she abandoned it because you weren't cut out to be a mage…

But if you don't master the art of magical sight, you'll never get past

opponents of a certain level. Like me, for instance."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. I'd say the strongest of all the witches

counts for more than just a 'certain level.'" Oscar retorted.

However, his wish was to win against Tinasha. Even with Akashia, he

wasn't going to make up for the difference in their skill levels in a scant

three months. Oscar realized that he really should have done more training

in spellwork when he was a boy.

As if sensing his thoughts, Tinasha said, "But I think it's much better

how you are now, instead of being half-trained as a mage and half-trained as

a swordsman. To be perfectly honest, you're among the top five strongest

swordsmen I've seen in the past few centuries."

"That actually makes me pretty happy to hear."

"Which is why you need magical sight, whether we have to force it on

you or not. In the worst case, I could remove one of your eyes and replace it

with a magical one."

"I really cannot believe you just proposed that with a straight face,"

Oscar muttered. It was never long before her witchy demeanor revealed

itself. But at heart, she was a good person who was very caring about

others. He'd learned that much over the past week they had spent together.

She also would never have rescued him if she weren't like that.

Tinasha vanished the sword in her hand and stared up at him. "But your

eyes are such a pretty color that removing one would be a waste."

"I'll…work on mastering that magical sight as soon as possible."

"Good, you're a diligent student. We'll pick this up again tomorrow,"

the witch said, and she turned to go.

That made Oscar remember something he needed to tell her. "Sorry, but

can you excuse me from tomorrow? I have to go investigate a magical

lake."

"A magical lake?" she repeated, her dark eyes narrowing.

It may have been Oscar's imagination, but he thought the air around the

witch grew chilly.

"Where is there a magical lake?" Tinasha questioned.

"In northern Farsas. It's the place where you once fought against a

demonic beast."

On that site, seventy years ago, Oscar's great-grandfather had battled

alongside Tinasha after signing a contract with her.

A frown marred the witch's lovely features. "Why are you going to

investigate it now?"

"One of our mages makes regular research trips to the lake, and he was

just attacked by some mages of unknown affiliation while out there. He

survived, but we have to track down those other mages, so I'm going to go

and check it out."

"I'll go."

"What?" Oscar replied with some shock.

Tinasha stared at the floor, a cold look in her eyes. "I'll look into it. You

return to the castle. Don't worry; I'll handle this."

Her words implied that Oscar shouldn't pry, while her lovely gaze was

as ice.

It was the first time he'd seen her like that. Everything about her

expression was dark and shuttered, a yawning shadow passing across her

face. That shadow struck fear into all who witnessed it, convincing him

anew that she really was a witch who had lived for eons. But that wasn't all

he noticed.

"I'm going, too," Oscar declared.

"Excuse me?"

"I planned to investigate. If you intend to come, then we'll go together.

Sounds perfect, actually."

"Why?!" Tinasha screeched, her voice breaking. Now she was back to

her usual self. She stared up at Oscar like she couldn't believe how stupid

he was. "Why would the crown prince go on an expedition outside the

country? Let me handle this."

"But isn't that the place where a witch sealed away a demonic beast? I

don't think it's dead, so it's pretty dangerous."

"I'm perfectly aware of that! I'm the one who sealed it, you know!"

The Witch of the Azure Moon had locked away a demonic beast deep

underneath a magical lake seventy years ago, where it still slept. The

monthly inspections Farsas conducted ensured that was still true.

Oscar asked something he'd been wondering since childhood. "Did you

seal it away because you couldn't defeat it?"

"No, I can. It's just that its magical resistance is so high, and it's so

massive that I'd need to use incredibly potent and far-ranging magic to do

so. Back then, that area was heavily populated. There was a chance that the

local citizens would die if I exercised that much power, so I decided against

it."

Oscar nodded. "Ah, I see." To a witch, the existence of regular people

was nothing more than a hindrance. He went on to ask, "Do you think the

beast could be revived?"

"Well…who knows?" Tinasha muttered, that same shadow flitting

across her gaze again. She combed her long hair with a hand. "If, by some

chance, the seal has been undone, then you can ask me to rewrite our

contract and request that I kill the beast."

She gazed up at him, eyes full and round. Oscar had bested the witch's

tower and signed a contract with her. For his wish, he'd asked her to train

him, and now she was offering to alter that deal to request she kill the

demonic beast.

However, that would probably mean that she would no longer give him

lessons. Too stunned by the implications to speak, Oscar stood there while

the witch flashed him a sharp, poisonous grin. "What's the matter? You

don't want to use the hard-won privilege you acquired all on your own to

protect your country?"

"No, that's not it at all. If you're the only one who can kill this monster,

it makes sense to ask you to," he replied immediately.

Tinasha's eyes widened.

It was only natural that Oscar would put his country first. He'd never

manipulate his choice for selfish reasons.

"Besides, I'd only need to climb the tower again," he added.

"Do you think that's allowed?!"

"It isn't written anywhere that it's limited to one time. Anyone who

climbs the tower earns the right to one wish. Isn't that how it goes?"

"Yes, but I made it so difficult that no one in their right mind would

want to climb it a second time!"

"How about I start now and give it another go?"

"That would be completely uncalled for! It's hard work cleaning up each

floor! You need to go back home! Now!" she shouted, pointing to a spot on

the ground floor inscribed with a transportation array that led back to

Oscar's chambers in Farsas Castle. Every day, he used that spell to come to

the tower for training, but if he angered Tinasha too much, she might erase

it.

Oscar regained control of himself and got back on track. "Putting aside

my hard-won privilege, it's my mage who got attacked at the magical lake. I

have a duty to investigate."

"Fine. Do what you want," Tinasha snapped, evidently not in the mood

to discuss the matter further.

Every so often, she would draw a hard boundary between them that kept

Oscar from coming any closer, and this was one of those times. She

probably did it for the same reason she lived alone at the top of a tower full

of impassable trials and traps. The witch lived like solitude was a natural

part of her life. Whenever Oscar caught a glimpse of this side of her, he was

beset by an emotion he couldn't identify. He felt an urgent need to take her

by the hand for no reason he could remember.

As he stared at her, he remembered something else. "Oh yeah, we have

the Festival of Aetea coming up in Farsas."

"Is it that time of year already? Do you want to cut back on your training

because you'll be busy?"

"No, I wanted to invite you to visit the celebration. I'll show you

around."

"What? You'd really do that?" Tinasha asked, face lighting up like a

little girl's. Oscar hadn't expected that manner of response. She seemed an

entirely different person.

Squealing happily like the teenage girl she outwardly resembled,

Tinasha gushed, "I've actually never attended the Festival of Aetea before.

Oh, I'm so excited!"

That smile transformed the light in the witch's eyes, granting Oscar an

entirely new impression of her. She was like a jewel that glittered in

different ways, depending on the angle of the light refracted through it.

Oscar laughed at how the witch was behaving like someone younger

than he was now.

Instantly, Tinasha frowned suspiciously at him. "What's so funny? I

truly don't understand you."

"I feel the exact same way about you."

"You were much cuter when you were five… Can I turn your body back

to that age?"

"Absolutely not…"

Oscar wanted to take her by the hand, not revert to a child and have her

lead him by his.

If possible, he wanted to get strong enough to win against her and to

save her whenever she needed help. He'd already expressed his gratitude to

her for the rescue. Now he desired to forge a relationship of equals between

them. It seemed like a long way off, but it was still his goal. He aimed to

reach it by the end of the next three months.

Oscar's smile grew strained as he glanced down at the witch. "To you, I

bet I seem totally inexperienced. However, I plan to show you that the time

you're putting in with me has yielded solid results. Believe me, I know I'm

asking for a lot here. At least let me show you around the festival."

"I mean…you did beat the tower. You've earned the right," Tinasha

muttered, glancing away a bit awkwardly. Perhaps she felt guilty for

treating Oscar like a kid, when he took his training so seriously.

Looking to the transportation array, Tinasha said, "If you can see magic

in five days, I'll take you with me when I inspect the magical lake."

"Tinasha…"

"So you'd better be here at the tower for practice tomorrow. Until we go,

I'll have my familiar stand guard at the lake."

She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled with the eyes of a

young girl who'd known many losses. "You're doing wonderfully."

Her words were clear and imbued with kindness, speaking to the core of

who she was as a person.

In the end, it took Oscar half a year to win against her.

Because small incidents kept cropping up, Tinasha relaxed the threemonth end point she had set at the beginning. She defeated the unsealed

demonic beast, cleared her mind of the delusions about her homeland she'd

labored under for the past four hundred years, and somewhere along the

way, it became natural for her and Oscar to be together.

At the half-year mark, they had a mock battle, and Tinasha lost. She was

a little down about it, but she still seemed pleased.

Oscar proposed marriage to her: "Because I won, after all."

She was concerned: "Did you…hit your head?"

He confessed: "All these years, I've never been able to forget about

you."

She frowned at him: "You're crazy."

"When I found out about your tower, I knew I had to climb it—and talk

to you."

"That isn't normally why people climb my tower."

"I didn't know what to think when you acted so upset after I finally

managed to see you again."

"It's because you kept worming your way into my life."

At the moment, she was sprawled on the ceiling reading a book, like

some big cat who had happily taken up residence in the castle. She hadn't

accepted his proposal yet, despite making herself entirely at home.

Apparently, she was still continuously bothered by him.

However, the more time they spent together, the more it seemed like it

might last a lifetime…just like the silly dream he'd had.

It didn't matter that neither recalled any memories from their final

lifetimes as mortals.

Because when they met down in the cavern, it fulfilled the promise she

made to find him, no matter when in time.