Inaudible Whisper

The mutters of several people echoed around the dark stone hall. Soft,

irritated clicks of the tongue bounced off the cold floor.

"So assassinating the crown prince failed? If only Lita had done her job

well. Then this wouldn't have happened."

"But didn't Lita die because someone spotted Jarno?"

"That battle was pathetic. Such a useless death."

Men and women of varying ages offered their thoughts.

If pressed to find a common denominator among them, it would be that

they all possessed the nastiness commonly found in schemers and

conspiracy mongers. Some of them were simply in it for fun, while others

were thoroughly immersed in the world of evil stratagems.

"This means the problem of Akashia remains, yes?"

"If we could just snatch that away, we'd have no cause for concern."

"Apparently a royal from Tuldarr resides in Farsas Castle now…"

"Tuldarr royals aren't anything to fuss over these days. Still, we should

avoid injuring them to get on Tuldarr's bad side."

"Besides, it's not like their princess is going to be in Farsas forever. We

just have to play our cards right. That means ensuring she happens to die

unexpectedly. That way, Farsas has to take responsibility."

The last speaker let a gleeful cackle slip. The others joined in, and their

infectious laughter blended with the night and faded away.

A sense of certain victory pervaded the secret underground chamber.

When Lazar stepped into the study with a sheaf of papers in hand, he was

struck dumb by the sight he witnessed there.

Oscar was working at his desk while a black-haired mage clipped his

fingernails for him. Absorbed in her task, she wielded the tiny pair of nail

clippers deftly.

Once she looked up and greeted Lazar, he recovered from his

flabbergasted state enough to ask her, "What are you doing?"

"I came to collect some of his nail clippings, but I felt bad about only

cutting one, so I thought I'd do them all…"

"It seemed ridiculous for me to stop her, so I let her," added Oscar.

"Later, compare your right and left hands and admire my work," Tinasha

said, concluding her efforts there and sweeping the clippings into a tiny

bottle. Looking smug, the young woman gave it a little shake, which Oscar

regarded with mild revulsion.

"How's the analysis going?" he asked.

"I'm making good progress. The end is in sight. I'll be able to start

breaking the curse in another four to five months."

"You're truly going to break it…? I thought that was a joke."

"I'm doing my job! If you're so suspicious, you're welcome to come

check on me!" Tinasha shot back.

Then she remembered something and cocked her head pensively. "Oh,

that reminds me. I've been meaning to ask but keep forgetting. Who was it

that cursed you?"

In disbelief that Tinasha had never inquired about such a basic thing

before, Oscar planted his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his

hands.

Yet as he thought about it, he realized she hadn't been there when he

first arrived in Tuldarr and outlined the sequence of events that led to his

predicament. Since Oscar had found her, Tinasha had always seemed to

know of his curse, thus they'd never discussed it.

Tinasha had gone over a month without asking, but Oscar was at fault

for not saying anything, too. Scolding himself internally, he began to

recount the story. "When I was a kid, I got hexed by the Witch of Silence.

She cursed my dad and me so we couldn't have children. Afterward, we had

people research a variety of ways to break the magic, but we also had to

keep it a total secret. My visit to Tuldarr last month was the first time I

discussed it with anyone in that nation."

Tinasha listened raptly with wide eyes to his clear and concise summary.

Once he finished, she sighed. "I knew the Witch of Silence excelled at

curses, but this is truly something else. Honestly speaking, it shouldn't be

humanly possible."

"And yet it happened. You killed a witch once, didn't you?"

"I did, but it was a pretty close fight. I don't know if I would win again

the next time," Tinasha admitted indifferently.

Her apathy concerned Oscar. Anxiety aroused, he pressed further. "Can

you really break the curse?"

"I told you I can. And if you already have a future queen secretly

decided on ahead of time, I can even help get her ready," she insisted,

casting her dark eyes down to hide the emotion filling them. "I'll have you

prepared to marry by next year at the latest. Just say the word."

Her flat declaration sounded like a warning to herself as well.

With an elegant curtsy, Tinasha took her leave. As he watched the door

close behind her, Lazar asked his lord, "In that case, should I seek out some

candidates?"

"…Don't bother," Oscar decided curtly.

He just could not seem to get a handle on Tinasha. She threw him all out

of sorts.

The cloud of insecurity surrounding her had certainly faded since the

night of the festival. And she no longer got that faraway look in her eyes

when he gazed her way—instead, her expression now exuded a more varied

range of impressions.

There were times when, defenseless as a cat, she revealed her fondness

for Oscar. Yet there were also occasions when she kept her distance,

perhaps aware of her place. While her behavior changed often, what

remained the same was her trust in him…along with the awkwardness and

earnestness that tinged the edges of it. The concept of manipulating others

deliberately was entirely foreign to her, so if he took her actions seriously,

he'd just wind up as her plaything.

"She really is the most frustrating woman…," grumbled the prince, then

he downed the cup of tea she had made for him.

The band of weapons thieves known as Saterne had a long and notorious

history in Farsas.

The first recorded incident in their list of crimes was the raid of Tobis

roughly 350 years ago.

Tobis, a small town close to the eastern border, was annihilated in a

single night when the crooks descended upon it. The robbers appeared

without warning, killed villagers brutally and indiscriminately, then razed

the town of close to eight hundred to the ground. Only fifty-seven survived.

After that, Farsas mobilized its army to take down Saterne. Over the

course of five battles, nearly a hundred bandits were killed or executed.

However, after nearly a century of peace later, a gang using the same name

resurfaced.

Ever since, Saterne had been like a lizard grabbed by the tail—presumed

dead but always resurfacing after a time. Whether they kept returning

because their leader endured or because some powerful mastermind backed

them, the band's existence was a constant thorn in Farsas's side.

Oscar finished reading the report and tapped at his temple. "Saterne, huh…?

But we forced the Ito to stop their raiding seventy years ago."

"I believe King Regius naturalized them, yes," said Lazar.

Oscar's great-grandfather, known to be an eccentric in many ways,

racked up a great many deeds of arms. Among these was his colonization of

the Ito, a horse-riding tribe that made raiding villages their way of life.

Defeated by Regius's army, they were settled close to the fortress of

Minnedart, where they had lived in peace since.

Saterne, on the other hand, had raided a settlement slightly northwest of

the capital quite recently. Oscar rested his chin in his hands. "Saterne

thieves are much nastier than the Ito. They kill women and children and set

cities ablaze. It's time to wipe them out once and for all."

"According to this investigation, there's a very good chance they're

hiding out in a cave system close to the town they attacked. It says there

could be fifty to a hundred of them…"

"This better not be another lizard's tail situation. Regardless, I can't

really ignore it… I guess I'll send Als out with some troops," Oscar mused.

"Yes, Your Highness. Also, we've received a request for an inspection at

the fortress of Ynureid. The facilities and equipment are getting old, so

they'd like to make a number of changes to the armaments," Lazar

informed him.

"That sounds like more of a job for me than for Dad. Got it." Oscar

nodded.

The fortress of Ynureid was a vital structure for Farsas's defense of the

north. It kept a watchful eye on Druza to the northwest and Cezar to the

northeast. Both countries were powerful enough to qualify as Great

Nations, and they were also hostile toward Farsas.

When Farsas warred with Yarda to the east ten years ago, it was wary of

the two attacking from behind. Fortunately, Druza and Cezar each kept the

other in check, and thus neither made a move. Oscar recalled that, at the

time, his gentlehearted father had complained that he hated war as he

commanded the troops.

With two pending situations sorted, Lazar collected the signed

documents. "All right, I will go get these processed."

"Thanks," Oscar said, glancing out the window as Lazar left the room.

"The weather's great… Maybe I'll go get some exercise."

He did the bare minimum of training on a regular basis, but he did like

to go observe the soldiers' prowess on occasion.

After making quick work of his remaining paperwork, Oscar headed out

of his study for the training grounds.

"I call for a change."

The incantation came as a whisper. In response, the spell configuration

on top of the scrying bowl rotated minutely. Tinasha let out a shallow sigh

now that she'd overcome a particularly tricky adjustment.

Currently, it was an endless repetition of tasks just like that. Breathing a

new recitation into a place where something was missing, checking on the

overall state, fine-tuning it further.

The analysis stage was labyrinthine indeed, but perhaps because she had

come to understand the peculiarities of both the blessing and the curse, her

speed of analysis was much swifter than it was when she began.

Tinasha took a step back and compared the spell configuration above the

scrying bowl with the notes she took when she was younger. The blessing

and curse in her drawing were symmetrical by design in order to cancel

each other out, but she identified one tiny disparity between the spell on the

sketch and the one before her.

"Is a definition name attached to this…?" she muttered.

The blessing spell cast by the Witch of Silence had a place where a very

faint definition name was attached. Because that was the one unanalyzable

part, it wasn't included on the corresponding spell in the notes.

"Using a definition name on a blessing… She was certainly careful."

Definition names were generally utilized in large-scale, long-enduring

magic. By attaching a unique name to a portion of the spell, the caster could

partially encrypt it so it could not be correctly deciphered as long as that

name was unknown.

However, Tinasha had never heard of anyone using a definition name in

a blessing or curse. That was because spells of that type were, by their

nature, cast using distinctive language particular to the invoker. To utilize a

definition name on top of that implied a considerable amount of skill and

ego.

Frowning, Tinasha scrutinized the spot with the definition name, but it

was just a very minute part of the spell when taken as a whole. The curse

that canceled out the blessing ignored that portion. Thus, Tinasha thought it

fine not to concern herself with it, either.

Tinasha took a pen and marked that spot on the drawing with a symbol,

then let out a huge yawn. She had a faint headache after concentrating for

so long.

"…Perhaps it's time for a little break."

Continuing in such an exhausted state wouldn't produce any results.

Tinasha used magic to affix the spell to the top of the scrying bowl, then

left the room.

Oscar's sharpshooter attack from the other day was still bothering her.

In the end, the assailant had managed to get away, but Oscar—the target

—appeared unconcerned. "They'll probably return," he had reasoned.

While he may have been used to assassination attempts as a member of the

Farsas royal family, Tinasha still wanted him to take it a little more

seriously.

As the young woman made her way down the corridor, she glanced out a

window. The greenery of the well-manicured courtyard garden caught the

sunlight and sparkled dazzlingly. Ladies-in-waiting coming and going were

the only people there, and Tinasha gazed out at the scene.

Just then, two people she recognized walked toward her from the other

end of the corridor. Mages Doan and Sylvia noticed Tinasha, paused, and

bowed to her. She eyed the stacks of books they were both carrying and

winced. "Those look heavy. Would you like some help?"

"We're fine! We're just taking them to the lecture halls," answered

Sylvia with a charming smile. It was infectious, and Tinasha grinned back.

Doan asked her, "Are you searching for something? You were looking

out the window."

"Yes, I was checking for any questionable visitors," she replied.

"I don't think any assassin would be so bold as to hang around in the

daytime…," Doan commented skeptically.

"I'd actually like to put wards up around the castle, but a foreigner doing

so could be problematic…"

That the assailant managed to escape despite Tinasha inhibiting

teleportation meant that the enemy was a group of at least a few mages.

Tinasha was confident she was superior in battle, but there was nothing she

could do without the authority to wield her power.

Uneasily, Tinasha snapped her fingers. Red sparks crackled and flew

there, and Doan wiped the dubious look off his face.

Sylvia adjusted her grip on the stack of books in her arms and said to

Tinasha, "Oh, right, I saw that His Highness went out to the training

grounds. If there's really anyone suspicious around, I'm sure he'd catch

them, wouldn't he?"

"Sylvia…," Doan cautioned. Her words had made it sound like the

crown prince was bait.

However, Tinasha's dark eyes lit up immediately. "He did? The training

grounds?"

"His Highness has everyone practice with him from time to time. He's

the strongest in the entire castle, so it puts all of them through their paces,"

Doan answered.

"Yeah, Oscar's a good instructor," Tinasha whispered unconsciously,

then clapped a hand over her mouth.

Sylvia inquired innocently, "Are you interested in swordplay?"

"I learned a little when I was younger. But after taking the throne, things

were so busy that I couldn't keep it up… I've never brought a sword into

combat," Tinasha answered.

Doan's and Sylvia's eyes grew wide at the unexpected response. They

were among the select few who had learned that Tinasha was queen four

hundred years ago. Doan heard it from Oscar, and Sylvia heard it from

Tinasha herself. So they knew that this beautiful mage had the alias of

Witch Killer Queen and fought on the battlefields of the Dark Age. Despite

that, it was difficult to imagine the princess of the Magic Empire wielding a

sword. However, it wasn't so strange for a royal to don a sword for selfdefense.

Restlessly, Tinasha cast her gaze out the window. Sylvia grinned and

added, "You can get to the training grounds from the covered walkway on

the east side."

"What?" Tinasha cried with a start. Her gaze roved all over the grounds

outside. After only a little hesitation, she bobbed her head at the two of

them. "Um, I've remembered something I need to take care of. I'll see you

around."

"Have a good rest of your day!" Sylvia said, waving good-bye to

Tinasha as she scurried down the long hallway and away.

Once she was out of sight, Doan turned to Sylvia with an accusing look.

"Sylvia, stop riling her up."

"Riling her up how?"

"I mean, don't push her any closer to His Highness than she needs to

be," he clarified. This was the woman Oscar had brought back from

underneath Tuldarr Castle. Although she came from four centuries in the

past, it was obvious she had a keen interest in Oscar for some reason.

That was all right so long as it remained benign, but things would get

tricky if she got any more familiar with him.

However, Sylvia stared blankly at Doan, apparently not understanding.

"Why? Isn't it a good thing if they get along?"

"No, it isn't. That's the future queen of another country," Doan pointed

out.

Oscar had to be aware of that. While his actions often appeared rash and

foolish, he kept a cool head when it came to politics. He wouldn't cross any

dangerous lines.

As for Tinasha, however, she looked to be in a somewhat more

precarious situation. She adored Oscar and had no concept of how much

was appropriate.

"She will leave our castle someday. The more attached she gets to His

Highness, the more of a grudge she might bear. While that would be fine if

she were an ordinary woman, she's stronger than a witch," Doan stated

flatly.

If Tinasha were someday led astray by her emotions, there was no telling

what might transpire.

Both she and Oscar would be rulers before long, and they needed to

keep a certain distance.

"That's why I'm telling you not to rile her up. Should something occur

in the future, we wouldn't be able to stop her," warned Doan.

"Aww…," moaned Sylvia in disappointment, pouting. Her lips were

pursed like a sulking child's. "Do you think she'll give up on becoming

queen there and come over to Farsas?"

"The mere suggestion is a danger!" Doan exclaimed, letting out a deep

sigh in response to his colleague's rash words.

Should that come to pass, Tuldarr might regard Farsas as an enemy.

Envisioning an unhappy future, no matter which way it all shook out,

Doan's shoulders slumped.

The training grounds, located along the castle perimeter, were entirely open

and swelteringly hot as the earth baked in the sun's rays.

But regardless of that, a strong sense of enthusiasm emitted by the

people there hung in the air. This was because the crown prince had shown

up to participate in a series of matches with the soldiers.

"You're off your axis. You should pay a little more attention to that as

you move," Oscar advised.

"Thank you very much!" said the soldier before him with a bow. As he

engaged with the next fighter to step forward, Oscar noticed that there was

a woman in the walkway facing the training grounds.

Tinasha was holding her long black hair down as the wind buffeted it.

Oscar scowled at the sight of her standing in a patch of bright sunlight and

muttered, "What is she doing there?"

He parried an oncoming blow, and the force of his counter knocked the

soldier's sword to the ground. Oscar handed his weapon to the guard. "I'm

going to take a little break. It's sunny out, so you all take care of

yourselves."

Then he slipped out of the ring of soldiers and headed directly for the

walkway. Tinasha froze as she noticed Oscar coming. She glanced all

around her as if about to run but remained rooted to where she was.

Oscar approached with a scowl on his face. "Why are you standing in

the sun? Get in the shade. Do you need me for something?"

"Not particularly… I'm merely taking a walk for a change of pace.

Sorry if I'm intruding."

"I don't mind if you watch, but don't get a sunburn. Stand farther back,"

instructed the prince.

Tinasha's fair skin, white as snow, looked like it would burn to a crisp

under the hot Farsas sun. She nodded obediently and retreated deeper inside

the walkway.

Her dark eyes were trained right on Oscar. He couldn't meet that gaze

for too long.

Tinasha possessed the dangerous beauty of a siren, enough to change the

color of the air around her simply by existing.

"…Pity about that personality, though," whispered the prince.

"Oscar?"

"Nothing. You can go wherever you want in the castle, just don't get

lost," he warned.

"If I get lost, I can teleport myself back, so it's all right. I can return no

matter where in the world I go," Tinasha replied, offering Oscar an entirely

assured smile.

In all honesty, the prince had no idea why someone like her was so fond

of him. He couldn't recall ever treating a woman so carelessly in all his life.

Yet Tinasha's interest in him remained just as intense despite that, which

made him wonder if she was still stuck on the man who saved her when she

was young.

Oscar himself was not a person endowed with such unconditional

kindness, however. If he didn't make that clear to Tinasha, it would be a

detriment to them both. Which was why he took off a glove and lightly

pinched her soft cheek.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Tinasha cried.

"Don't get careless. You don't know what could happen," Oscar chided.

"You're the one hurting me!" she protested, glaring at him reproachfully.

Oscar felt satisfied. "Were you really a queen? How'd that even work?"

"How…? Excuse you; I did my job well. I was incredibly busy,"

Tinasha stated confidently.

According to Oscar's research, Tinasha took the throne at age fourteen

and abdicated at nineteen. In the years between, her overwhelming power

dictated her reign over the Magic Empire of Tuldarr. Mysteriously, history

spoke little of her after she relinquished her royal status. That was likely

because she entered magical hibernation. No accounts mentioned any

husbands or lovers. Tinasha had been a young and terribly lonely queen;

people said she was like ice.

"Did no one urge you to wed during the five years you ruled?" Oscar

inquired.

Ever since the prince could remember, folks constantly brought up the

topic of marriage to him. He didn't expect things to be any different in

Tuldarr, where magical power determined who would inherit the crown.

Tinasha responded instantly. "All the time, especially the Traditionalists

who desperately wanted to chip away at my power. I got so sick of hearing,

'Take a prince consort and give birth to an heir.'"

"Ah, because your spirit-sorcerer powers would weaken," Oscar

surmised.

"What they really wanted was so obvious that I just ignored it. For spirit

sorcerers, that really is a life-and-death problem, after all," Tinasha

remarked.

"Oh yeah? Then why would that not apply to me?" countered Oscar.

Tinasha had readily declared she'd give birth to his child if she couldn't

break the curse, but clearly that would enfeeble her own magic. Had she

suggested that anyway because she was confident she'd break the curse or

because she now felt differently on the matters of lovers and child-rearing?

"What? Well, that's because it's you," Tinasha responded, seeming to

find that a strange question.

"…What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hmm?" Tinasha hummed, her eyes narrowing into slits as she pondered

the meaning of her own words. Then she flushed as bright red as a tomato.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean… It's just that it seemed to work out in the true

history…"

"I really have no idea what you're saying," Oscar said.

"You don't need to…," muttered Tinasha, unable to meet the prince's

eyes, her face crimson with mortification.

Oscar had gone too far with his questions and broached a forbidden

topic. It was best not to pry too deeply into this, for both their sakes.

He did his level best to keep any emotions out of his voice as he asked

again, "You can break the curse in time, right?"

"I can… I think. Probably."

"Stop phrasing it in such an alarming way," Oscar scolded.

Had this woman truly been so distant as to be compared to ice? All the

prince could see was a kitten who had just found itself a comfortable home

—a disobedient one who made mess after mess.

Cat caretaker Oscar grew serious and stated, "Actually, if you have

anything you need from me, tell me soon. Two days from now, I'm leaving

the castle to go do a fortress inspection."

"All right. How long will you be away?"

"Two to three days. If anything happens, tell someone…not Als, he'll be

gone, too. Doan. Well, whoever you tell, they'll get me the message," Oscar

replied.

If Doan heard that, he'd probably whine Don't put this on me…, but

there weren't yet many people in the castle who could handle Tinasha's

unpredictable antics.

Her face finally returning to normal, Tinasha blinked her wide eyes at

Oscar. "General Als will be absent, too?"

"Yeah, he'll be commanding the forces to eliminate this band of thieves.

Once it's over, he should come right back."

The two youngest among the Farsas Castle military commanders were

Oscar and Als. In times of crisis, one or the other frequently led the troops,

and their superiority in making swift decisions was acknowledged by all.

But that made it more nerve-racking should something unexpected occur

while they were both out.

Damn. Should I have staggered our missions…?

Als was set to leave the following day to root out the thieves. For a

moment, Oscar considered appointing a different commander, but this was

Saterne, a persistent and clever bunch. When it came to eradicating them,

Als was best suited to the task.

Oscar eyed the woman before him. His biggest worry was that she

would get into some sort of trouble again if he left her alone in the castle.

He began to feel like it might just be better if he brought her along on his

trip. "Tinasha, you should—"

"Um, can you really handle the inspection alone? Won't it be

dangerous?"

"…"

Immediately, Oscar no longer wished to take her with him.

Tinasha gazed up at him with heartfelt concern, and Oscar glowered

back at her. "I can handle it better than you. Be a good girl and stay here."

"I'll be fine. I'm not a child," she retorted, her words sounding like the

lecture of an older girl. It was all Oscar could do to suppress his irritation.

Tinasha was indeed many years his senior, but that shouldn't have mattered.

In any case, if I brought someone like her along, they'd all think she was

going to be the next queen of Farsas.

People would already believe that of any woman Oscar brought, but she

was a foreign royal. Specifically inviting someone like that on an inspection

would undoubtedly imply a future with her. Tinasha had to remain in the

castle. It was the only option.

Oscar made up his mind and warned her again, "You better not get lured

out by any assassins or sharpshooters or whoever, do you understand?"

He was referring to the night of the festival, among other things, and she

flashed him a little smile, her lips pressed firmly together. "Leave it to me.

And—be sure to come back safely."

Her soft whisper hung in the air. The desire she expressed and the steady

look in her eyes were as loaded as if they were infused with magic.

Two days after Als and five hundred cavalry soldiers rode out of the castle,

Saterne was all but destroyed.

Half the ruffians hiding out in the mountains to the northwest of Farsas

were dead or captured, and Als switched his orders to hunting down the

remainders.

When Oscar received word of that at the fortress of Ynureid, he

grumbled, "It's all gone about how I expected, but it's crucial we stamp out

every last one of them…"

Saterne had fallen only to rise from the ashes countless times over by

now, and it probably did not have one clear leader.

That was why, if they let the survivors get away, they would only band

together into a new gang of thieves. This time they had to get more than just

the tail; Oscar wanted every single one of them behind bars.

Lost in his thoughts, the prince suddenly felt a prickling sense of unease

and narrowed his eyes.

It's all going too much to plan.

Saterne had to be aware that Farsas wanted the gang annihilated. Yet

they kept hiding out right where scouts reported, and half of their gang fell

so easily. Normally, they would have moved their hiding spot much sooner.

They must still have something up their sleeve.

Oscar tapped at his forehead, but he still couldn't figure it out. Because

he wasn't there himself, all he could do was leave it to Als.

Still, he sent instructions to remain wary while hunting down those who

escaped, then he returned to inspecting the fortress.

Two hours into his check of the ramparts, word broke of an emergency:

"The remaining Saterne members stormed the castle and abducted the

princess of Tuldarr."

Tinasha was in a library detached from the rest of the castle.

For the past week, she had been coming out here every day to reference

books that were not to be taken from these shelves.

Seated at a built-in desk with her head buried in a huge stack of

volumes, Tinasha was concentrating intently on the text as she reached out

to turn the page.

All of a sudden, a sense of unease pinged at her mind.

She felt some sort of commotion behind her and looked up. "Hmm…?

What's going on?"

As Tinasha expanded her magical senses to see what she was picking up

on, she noticed the slightest fluctuations in the castle's wards.

Someone had slipped through from the outside, causing ripples that

emanated from what was like a hole bored into the protective enchantments.

"Someone's stolen in."

Tinasha got to her feet reflexively. Quickly, she returned the half-read

books to their shelves and then jogged toward the door. The mage at the

reception desk gave her a quizzical look, but Tinasha ignored it and threw

open the door.

Light poured into the dim library.

For half a second, Tinasha was aghast by what she saw outside. Two

intruders in rough-hewn clothing were crossing swords with a soldier. The

soldier looked to be losing as he parried their weapons away and shouted,

"Intruders! Someone, get over here!"

While that was happening, Tinasha cast a spell. An intangible pressure

blew away the two attackers who were about to cut down the guard. Then

she attempted to draw up another spell.

Unfortunately, she was so focused on her casting that she failed to notice

a blond man sneaking toward her in the shadow of the door. The man

transferred his blade to his left hand and silently pressed in close enough to

grab her.

"Ah!"

When Tinasha finally became aware of him, shock colored her fine

features.

While dazzled by her beauty, the blond man used his momentum and his

body weight to slam into her stomach.

Tinasha crumpled to the ground with a groan. The man picked up her

slender body with one hand, checked the quality of her clothing, then

shouted to his fellows, "This woman's all we need! Retreat!"

He sheathed his sword, then readjusted his grip on the unconscious

Tinasha, taking her in both arms. He dashed over to a transportation array in

a corner of the gardens and leaped onto it without hesitation.

It was like passing through a pool of lukewarm water. Once he was

through, he was back in the forest on the outskirts of the city.

The incursion group returning from the castle let out whoops of relief

that they had made it back safely. They had brought back spoils of war—an

unconscious woman.

The man carrying her asked the male mage who had been waiting on the

other side of the array, "Jarno, how's our hostage?"

Jarno inhaled slightly at the sight of her lustrous jet-black hair and

peerless beauty. "This…must be the princess of Tuldarr. We couldn't have

found a more perfect captive."

In response, cheers sounded from the gathered ruffians, while the mage's

lips curled in a smile.

He hadn't thought they would bring back such a prize.

By nature, the members of Saterne were only good at making quick

escapes. The mage had never been given reason to expect much from them.

Therefore, he had hired them to divert Farsas's attention, using half as bait

to trick the military while deploying the remaining forces to the castle.

Jarno sought the crown prince and Akashia, and there was no need to

engage with Farsas head-on for that.

But when he saw how things had turned out, greed began to well within

him. Jarno pointed to the woman. "Go exchange the hostage for Akashia as

planned. Once you have Akashia, kill her. I'll double your reward after you

do."

"Double?! Seriously?"

"Yes. But in exchange, you must slay her. Don't even think of selling

her off somewhere," Jarno warned.

A crude grin materialized on the blond man's face. "That's such a waste.

I've never seen a girl this pretty. She'd fetch an incredible price."

"If you want to sell her, we don't have a deal… Oh, and don't lay a

finger on her. That might make her less valuable to Farsas as a hostage. If

she's a potential queen consort, she's only worth something with her virtue

intact," stated Jarno, rummaging through the pouch at his waist and digging

out a golden arm cuff. It was inlaid with five glass beads, each of which

was filled with a clear liquid. Needles protruded from the inside edge of the

cuff.

The man unclasped it and fit it tightly around Tinasha's upper arm. He

smirked when he saw three rivulets of blood streaking down from it.

"That's a sealing ornament with a sleep drug inside. Don't ever take it off.

The drug isn't magic, so she'll wake up as soon as you remove the band.

And if you've got any other sealing ornaments, put them all on."

The other men left to go search for any similar items. As they did, the

woman stayed fast asleep in the man's arms. After a moment's hesitation,

Jarno reached out to touch her brow.

Killing her now would mean one less thing to fret over.

That would deny Jarno Akashia, however. That sword was their ultimate

goal. It might have been a little risky, but all they could do was cross the

bridge they were on. Should things go sideways, they'd play their next card,

the one made for such a moment.

Jarno whispered an incantation and poured a spell into the captive from

where his hand touched her.

The man holding her eyed him skeptically. "What are you doing?"

"Just a little bit of insurance. No matter how powerful a mage is, they're

helpless against psychological spells while sleeping," Jarno answered with

a gleeful sneer. The blond man watched him, looking distinctly unnerved.

"…What in the world does that birdbrain think she's doing?" muttered

Oscar. He was in an open plain near the Farsas capital, which the Saterne

thieves had specified as the delivery point.

After a frantic discussion following Oscar's hasty return to the castle, he

had come to the location specified by the gang with twenty cavalry officers

in tow.

Doan, right behind Oscar as his guard, gazed up at the cloudy sky.

"Evidently, the Saterne members we captured were a diversion. Several of

them knew the coordinates to teleport inside the castle and opened up a

direct link. They were only inside for five minutes."

"Wish I could say things ended with minimal casualties, but I guess their

intention from the very start was to get something to trade for Akashia. The

fact that they got her is truly vexing, but I guess it's on me for making her

stay home…," Oscar grumbled.

Quite a few magistrates had objected to exchanging the royal sword for

a foreign princess.

Akashia was not merely a weapon—it was the symbol of the Farsas

royal family. It was equivalent to Tuldarr's mystical spirits. If Oscar lost it

to some outlaws, he might as well cast the Farsas royal family's reputation

directly into the gutters.

Naturally, when they asked, "Are you really going to hand over

Akashia?" no one dared to add "…For some foreigner?"

But Oscar had insisted they didn't have time to debate it and left.

He tightened his grip on the reins with a disgruntled expression. "If she

gets killed, I guess that means war with Tuldarr."

"Please don't joke…," pleaded Doan.

So long as Tinasha was a hostage, Saterne wouldn't treat her roughly,

but who could say what they would do once the exchange was complete.

Projecting an air of outward calm, Oscar whispered to himself, "This all

happened because she was around me."

He should have known that quite a few people were targeting him since

the moment he arrived back in Farsas. But until now, he had left the matter

alone, reasoning that he'd work it out eventually. And now he was paying

the price for it. He swallowed down his inner turmoil.

Finally, the party reached the handoff point. The area was open, with

nowhere to hide, and roughly thirty Saterne riders were already waiting.

Oscar had his soldiers stop opposite them, some distance away. After

drawing Akashia, he said, "We're here. Where is she?"

A stir ran through the Saterne riders as they assessed the ancient

craftsmanship on the hilt and the mirrorlike, double-edged blade. Riders on

left and right parted, and a man emerged from between them, an

unconscious woman across his lap.

"Put the sword in the sheath and toss it over," commanded a menacing

voice.

However, Oscar stood his ground. "Hand her over first."

"Don't press your luck! The sword!"

Oscar puzzled a little over Tinasha's appearance. Five earrings adorned

her snow-white ears, and her dark eyes were shut tight. "Then wake her up.

I don't know if she's alive or dead."

Saterne members exchanged glances at this arrogant demand. In the

meantime, Oscar asked Doan, "What do you think?"

"She's likely alive. But those objects… They're probably sealing

ornaments. Just one of them would render a normal mage magically

impotent, so I don't think we can count on Tinasha's help even if they wake

her up."

"I wasn't counting on it to begin with," Oscar stated, patting his waist.

He had another longsword belted on in addition to Akashia. He was ready

for this to turn into a fight after the exchange.

The Saterne thieves, on the other hand, conferred among one another

over the request to wake their captive.

Jarno had told them not to rouse her for any reason, but it was true that

the transaction couldn't proceed unless they proved she was alive. Touching

her and feeling her body warmth made it obvious, but they also couldn't

hand her over first.

"We just have to take off that bracelet, right?"

"Is that a good idea?"

"She's still got at least twenty sealing ornaments on her even after she

wakes up. Plus, once we've got the sword, Jarno will open the

transportation portal for us. Nothin' to worry about."

The man with Tinasha on his lap propped her body up while another

bound her wrists together behind her back. Once that was done, the man

holding her reached for the bangle.

With a soft click, it popped open. He patted her cheek. After doing so

quite a few times, her long eyelashes finally started to stir. Large, dark eyes

peeped from beneath. The young woman blinked several times, craning her

neck around. She was about to fall off the horse because her wrists were

fettered, so the man behind her held her up.

"Oh, my head hurts…"

"Wake up already, you dummy!" called Oscar, sounding exasperated.

She stared at him sleepily. "Oscar? What's going on…? Wasn't I…?"

"Do you want me to explain it to you?" he asked.

"Please."

"To put it simply, you were stupid," Oscar retorted.

Unable to tell if this was good-natured or irritated teasing, Tinasha

frowned. Soon enough, her memories of what transpired returned. She took

in her surroundings, realized her hands were bound, and finally grasped the

situation. "Um, I'm sorry…"

"Unbelievable. You have to be more careful next time," Oscar

admonished, and Tinasha dipped her head.

One of the Saterne thieves got tired of listening to their banter and

shouted, "Hurry up and give us the sword! You promised!"

"You'll give her over once I do, right?" said Oscar.

"Of course," brazenly fibbed one ruffian.

Tinasha's eyes grew wide. "You captured me to get Akashia? …That's

no good at all. Take these off."

The men burst out laughing at her demand. "The spoiled, ignorant little

princess sure does like to talk."

"Take them off? Do you really think we'd do that because you asked

nicely?"

Tinasha scowled indignantly in response to their jeers. Amid all the

taunts, Oscar alone looked unamused and started to urge his horse forward.

Seeing that, Tinasha's tone shifted to that of a formidable conqueror.

"Remove them, now. If you don't, I will not be able to control my strength."

The murderous intent lacing her voice was electrifying.

The thief holding her up froze. Tinasha's dark, powerful eyes bored into

his. Pain lanced through his hands, and the grip he had on the woman

instinctively slackened.

Astonishingly, Tinasha did not fall.

She floated up into the air slowly. All present stared at her in disbelief.

Her long black hair fluttered as if it was a living thing all its own, and a

beatific smile graced her red lips. Letting out a bewitching laugh, Tinasha

gazed down at those below. "Casting proper spells is hard at the moment…

So don't expect too much in the way of control."

"Don't worry about that. These men live off murder and looting," Oscar

answered, his eyes narrowed as his horse continued forward.

Tinasha flashed a soft smile at his instruction. The ropes binding her

wrists burst open. "All right."

A single alabaster hand extended, and a giant sphere of flames roared to

life before it. Tinasha effortlessly floated down and launched it without so

much as a word.

The Saterne thieves flung their arms up to cover their faces. They felt a

skin-searing blast of hot air and heard an explosion but then opened their

eyes upon realizing they were still alive. The flames landed a short distance

from the center, setting five men along the edge alight.

Tinasha pursed her lips, annoyed. "Ugh, my aim is terrible."

"What are you doing? Just get back here," Oscar insisted, reaching a

hand out to her. Tinasha, dipping lower, stumbled through the air to reach

him.

Just then, the man who'd had Tinasha in his grasp spurred his steed to

gallop. "Don't let her get away!"

Tinasha landed on the ground, and the man swung his sword down at

her. She tried to cast a defensive spell but had difficulty because of the

many ornaments. Just as she steeled herself for injury, someone grabbed her

up from the side.

"O-Oscar…"

The prince didn't reply. Deftly, he used one hand to settle her on his lap

while the other wielded the longsword, parrying the thief's blade away.

Over Oscar's shoulder, Tinasha watched the Farsas forces surge forward to

attack the Saterne riders.

Tinasha heard Oscar chuckle in her ear. "You'll regret your bad luck in

getting her involved in this."

The Saterne man's sword was dispensed with neatly, owing to the

incredible difference in skill between him and the prince. Oscar slashed

once at his opponent, and the man fell to the ground without a word.

At the same time, the two sides met in battle, and shouts erupted across

the open plain. Someone at the rear of the Saterne riders blanched at how

quickly things had turned against his side.

"H-hey, Jarno! Open up the portal!"

Sadly, the plea went unanswered.

The Saterne thieves put up a weak resistance and were all slain by the

Farsas soldiers in seconds.

"Hey, how do you feel? Did they do anything to you?" Oscar questioned as

he and Tinasha rode back to the city.

"I was unconscious, so I can't be sure. I think I was drugged. I feel

sick…," the young woman replied from his lap as she checked her upper

arm. There were bloodstains just above her elbow.

Oscar frowned when he saw that. "I hope feeling sick is all it is. Get a

physician to examine you later."

"Sorry…," Tinasha muttered, massaging her temples lightly. Everything

still felt a bit disconnected to her, likely because of the substance in her

system. That wasn't all, however. Something was bothering her. She

circulated the magic in her body and identified what was causing her

discomfort. "I've been…ensorcelled. It's some sort of psychological magic

telling me what to do."

"Psychological magic? Can you undo it?" he asked.

"I can. It looks like if I don't, I'll attempt to kill you after I've gone to

sleep. Ah-ha-ha."

"…Undo it right away," Oscar instructed, pinching Tinasha's cheek

when he heard that carefree laugh. Could she sound any less worried?

"Ow," the young woman groaned, escaping the prince's fingers. Then

she gave a shrug. "It's ordering me to steal Akashia, too. Why is it so

focused on Akashia?"

"I have absolutely no idea. Even if they steal the sword, only a royal of

Farsas can wield it. There's a bloodline binding on Akashia."

"Right…," Tinasha muttered, a grim searching look in her dark eyes. It

disappeared as quickly as it had come, however, to be replaced with guilt.

"I'm truly sorry that I've troubled you…"

"You're not a cat, so don't let yourself get picked up and carried off so

easily. Still, well, it's our fault they broke into the castle. I shouldn't have

left you behind. Sorry about that," Oscar admitted.

When she heard that, Tinasha's black eyes turned as round and wide as a

feline's. "Wh-what's gotten into you? You're apologizing?"

"Do you want me to pinch you some more?" he shot back.

"No, I've had enough!" Tinasha cried, shaking her head furiously. She

shot Oscar a glance and whispered so that others couldn't hear, "Um, if

something like this happens again, you should prioritize Akashia over me."

"Don't let it happen again, birdbrain," Oscar snapped.

"No, I mean… I'm someone who shouldn't exist in this era anyway, so

Tuldarr wouldn't be in that much distress if they lost me."

Naturally, Tinasha didn't wish to be endangered again, but she was from

another country, and her status wasn't worth trading the royal sword of

Farsas away for. She didn't want Oscar to make the wrong choice for fear

of worsening relations with Tuldarr.

In response to her earnest plea, Oscar stared at her coldly. "Do you not

value your own nation?"

"It's very important," Tinasha responded instantly, without even

thinking about it.

"Then you should understand your worth a little better. Don't let others

treat you lightly. Learn to play the game. We can always retake Akashia

after you're safe."

"…Oscar," Tinasha said in a hushed tone.

He was acting the very picture of a royal, quite befitting the master of

the royal sword that was the symbol of Farsas.

Tinasha had never seen this side of the prince before, and she suppressed

a sigh. "But I…"

Unlike the royal lineage of Farsas, which was determined by blood, the

throne of Tuldarr could go to the most powerful. Tinasha was only a

replaceable cog in the machine.

She was about to say as much when Oscar cut in, looking straight ahead,

"Relax. I don't value you more than my homeland. This time, it just worked

out, and I was able to get you back. That's all."

His blunt words were designed to put Tinasha's mind at ease, and they

were also the truth.

Oscar possessed a strong, steady mind, and he wasn't at all selfindulgent like his counterpart from long ago.

And yet it was because of that strength that he lent her his aid, too.

Tinasha felt overwhelmed with emotion. She stared up at him, struck

with a feeling she could not identify.

Before long, the city came into view.

From the woods, Jarno had used magic to spy on the exchange. He swore

under his breath when the Saterne thieves failed.

"This is why I told them not to take the cuff off… Bunch of idiots."

Moreover, the princess was more powerful than even he had assumed.

Her wielding magic with so many sealing ornaments on was beyond

anything he had expected. Perhaps Akashia was not the only thing that

demanded disposing of.

"But considering how much power she has, she'd make an excellent

pawn."

He used psychological magic to slip a suggestion into her mind. The

spell was still connected to Jarno, and he could manipulate it as he pleased.

Right as he tapped into it, however, a female voice sounded in the deserted

forest. "What are you doing, grinning to yourself? Gross."

Jarno whirled around and was shocked to see a redheaded girl floating in

the air. She regarded him with an indomitable smile playing about her lips.

"You shouldn't seek to treat her as a doll. I'd rather make you into my

souvenir to bring back."

A spell infused with devastating magic materialized as she spoke.

Jarno couldn't even manage to scream before fainting. A maelstrom of

power swallowed him.

Once back in the castle, Tinasha undid the enchantment placed on her and

ran a hot bath.

Soaking in the tub, she checked her body and was relieved to discover

nothing out of place.

She really made quite the blunder this time. The closer a threat got to

her, the slower her reaction would be. While that was a constant for mages,

it was no excuse for slacking off. Tinasha refused to obstruct Oscar's path

to success.

Aware that her body was heating up all over, she hugged her knees to

her chest. "Oscar…"

As Tinasha whispered his name, something hot buried deep at her core

awakened. The prince was similar to the Oscar she had met in the past, but

at the same time, he was an entirely different person.

He wasn't gentle at all. In fact, he was actively mean to her. That was

undoubtedly because their personalities clashed, but she also found herself

not hating it when he treated her like a cat—because her feelings for him

had not changed in all this time.

But now it was more than just that. Something else was making Tinasha

oddly uneasy.

It was like her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. She was antsy,

wanting to shout something out but also run far away at the same time.

This feeling hadn't existed for her four hundred years ago—and neither

had the mysterious heat that seemed to seep into her thoughts.

She closed her eyes with a flutter of her wet eyelashes.

"…It's so strange."

Maybe she was just exhausted after getting kidnapped and forcing

herself to draw on her magic. The more her thoughts turned to him, the

more out of it she felt. Perhaps it was just a simple case of getting

overheated in the bath. Upon realizing that, she hurried to get out of the tub.

Suppressing a wave of sleepiness, she wrapped herself in a towel and dried

her hair.

There was a rapping at the door.

"Yes?" Tinasha called.

"It's me," came the reply.

"Oscar?!" the young woman yelped, rushing over to the door upon

hearing a voice she had not at all expected. This was the first time he had

ever knocked. Stranger and stranger things were happening, his apology

from earlier included.

When Tinasha opened the door, and Oscar got a look at her, a

bewildered expression froze on his face for a second. However, he quickly

scowled and pinched her cheek. "Open the door after you've put some

clothes on. Why are you like this?"

"I-I'm sorry…," the young woman said, rubbing at her face as she

headed back into the room and put a long mage's robe on over the towel.

Perhaps owing to a childhood habit Tinasha hadn't shaken, she tended

not to be too wary around Oscar. In his eyes, she conducted herself no

better than a child.

Once Tinasha had evened out the robe's skirt and fastened the ties on

either side, she removed the towel from underneath it. Oscar, who had

followed her in, had his back turned throughout the process.

"I'm all dressed," she announced, and the prince turned around.

"Physically speaking, are you okay?" Oscar asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I undid the control charm, too."

Oscar pulled out a chair and sat down, planting his elbows on the

armrests and watching as Tinasha folded up the towel. "Listen—"

"What is it?" she questioned, but before he could go on, the air at the

center of the room warped.

A girl with red hair teleported in, with an unconscious man in tow.

"Lady Tinasha, I've returned!"

"Welcome back, Mila," she replied.

Oscar was taken aback by the girl popping in out of nowhere, but he

instantly recognized her. This was the same creature who had been guarding

the door in the underground chamber of Tuldarr Castle. Tinasha had called

her a mystical spirit, so she must have been one of Tuldarr's twelve.

Mila swept her gaze across the room and noticed Oscar. Chagrin crossed

her face. "A-am I interrupting?"

"Don't worry about it. Who's that man?" Oscar asked.

"This is my little gift to you. He's the one who manipulated the outlaws

into infiltrating Farsas Castle," Mila said, and both Oscar's and Tinasha's

faces darkened.

"Molcado fled east of Tuldarr to what's now Druza and had children there.

At present, the only ones who can control wyverns are those connected to

the court of Druza. It looks like they're summoning up tons of wyverns and

using the souls of the beasts to form a forbidden curse. They want to invade

Farsas, but since Akashia would neutralize the curse and get in their way,

they're eager to get their hands on it any way they can. There, that was your

Mila report!" the spirit girl concluded.

The three had moved to the council room, joined by other Farsas

officials, who were left slack-jawed by this extraordinary mystical spirit's

account. Jarno, the man she had brought, was a court mage for Druza. Once

he woke up, it was interrogation time.

With a grim expression, King Kevin looked around the deathly silent

room. "I certainly did not expect them to be using such a thing to invade.

Princess Tinasha, do we have any recourse should they put this forbidden

curse into action?"

While Tinasha belonged to another country, she was present as Mila's

master. All eyes turned to the beautiful young woman, and she shook her

head regretfully. "Akashia is the only thing… A curse like that would

undoubtedly be crafted for large-scale destruction. It would push out any

magic used to repel it."

"I see."

"However, a forbidden curse must still abide by the rules and laws of

magic. A normal human can't prepare a spell to loose more than five shots,

regardless of how much time they have to get ready. Any more and the

caster won't be able to withstand it. Therefore, victory means holding out

against those five shots…," Tinasha answered, then she glanced over at

Oscar next to her.

She looked hesitant to continue, and he frowned. "What is it? Just say

it."

"Urgh! Akashia can render forbidden curses completely ineffective, but

there's no telling if its wielder would suffer aftereffects or not. You would

need to draw up a barrier to protect the user," she explained.

All who were gathered nodded in agreement. One among them, General

Ettard, raised his hand and commented, "Should we not just invade them

first? It seems prudent to strike before they are ready."

"That could work. However, it risks being interpreted as aggression by

other nations who know nothing of the deeper circumstances," King Kevin

asserted.

That made the room groan in disappointment. The king fell into deep

contemplation for a few moments, his eyes shut tight. After a time, he fixed

a placid yet resolute gaze on his son. "Can you do it?"

"I can," Oscar responded without hesitation.

Kevin heaved a huge, long sigh. His eyes, normally so gentle and kind,

now glowed with the majesty of a king. "Then let us assemble the army, but

we will not fire first. We will wait for them to march."

All bowed in assent to the king's decision, including Oscar. Kevin then

pointed directly to him. "And I would like you to take the throne."

"Excuse me?" Oscar questioned, his eyes growing wide with

understandable surprise. He quickly recovered, though, only to glower at

his father. "Don't abdicate just because you hate war."

"I cannot deny that I despise conflict, but that's not why I'm doing this.

You're the one who wields Akashia, which means you should rule. And you

are not to die. Averting the forbidden curse alone won't be enough. The true

victory will be your safe return. We have no other heir and no future until

we do, so I want you to go out there with all that in mind," Kevin declared.

This was a wholly unforeseen turn of events. The magistrates watched

with bated breath as father and son argued.

Oscar eyed his parent sullenly for a while but then abruptly broke into a

rueful smile. "I never intended to perish in the first place… But all right. I'll

take the throne. While I'm out on the battlefield, you can take it easy with

some paperwork."

"I've no love for paperwork, either," Kevin countered jokingly, and

everyone relaxed.