Song of the Spinning Wheel Part 2

"Ah. I see. She's the royal mistress." Tinasha spoke in a voice as cold as

ice, and Kav ducked his head instinctively.

They had all retired to the lounge, compelled by Tinasha to explain

about Delilah. Floating in the air, Mila smirked in amusement. "What? So

you got rejected again, Lady Tinasha?"

"Mila, I'm sure I don't know what you mean. Do you think I have

feelings for that irritating man?" Tinasha replied, all smiles as she glanced

up at her spirit.

The smirk froze on Mila's face. "Ah-ha-ha-ha… Never mind. Don't get

mad for real."

"Oh, I'm not," assured Tinasha.

A porcelain vase placed against the wall shattered with a high-pitched

noise. Tinasha clicked her tongue at that development, then summoned a

sealing earring into her hand and put it on.

The spirit girl quickly dodged in midair. "I-I'm going to go check on

Legis!"

Mila disappeared, leaving the three mages behind.

Don't rile her up and then just run away, Doan and Kav both thought.

They needed to pacify Tinasha before she blew up the castle. Doan, who

understood best what was really going on, started by indirectly referring to

the reason Delilah was welcomed into the castle. "I mean, His Majesty has

that to contend with, doesn't he? She said she can manage it."

Doan had to word things awkwardly to skirt around classified subjects,

but Tinasha managed to glean his meaning. She tilted her head to one side,

her shapely eyebrows knit. "That's…impossible, at her power level. She'd

die."

"What?! R-really?"

"Really. No ordinary level of magic can endure something like that. I'm

a bit abnormal, so I could, but half my magic was something I acquired. No

matter how great a mage you are, it's impossible if all you're armed with is

the power you had at birth," Tinasha confirmed.

Delilah had received special treatment this whole time because it was

believed she could survive Oscar's curse. It would be an entirely different

story if that turned out to be a lie. Was she tricking the king knowing it

would put her own life in danger, or had someone else deceived her?

Once he grasped the facts, Doan leaped to his feet. "I'll go tell His

Majesty."

"Don't you think he knows? It's his excuse for so blatantly indulging

her."

"Princess Tinasha…"

With the way she was talking about Oscar and falsely accusing him, she

either didn't trust the king at all or was incredibly angry with him.

Doan propped his arms on the table to support himself as his body grew

weak.

Smiling, at least outwardly, Tinasha went on. "Or is it some sort of

roundabout concern for me? Implying I don't need to work on breaking the

curse anymore? I am having a hard time with it. How kind of him."

"W-wait, please…"

Cracks appeared in five windowpanes, one after another. Sylvia watched

it happen, shrinking away apprehensively. Tinasha summoned another

sealing ornament and put the ring on her finger, but it did nothing to stem

the tide of magic in the room.

Tinasha's smile had remained unwavering, but now irritation flashed in

her eyes for the first time. She gave up on grinning and pulled a sullen face.

Carelessly, she raked her black hair back. "I don't even know what to say…

It's all gotten so ridiculous. I'm leaving. I can't look at his face."

There was no doubting whom she was referring to. Tinasha took a

moment to call up a spell, then vanished from the room.

In the lounge after the storm had gone, the three mages all exchanged

glances, each of them wearing a different expression.

The castle city of Farsas was visible far in the distance to the south.

Tinasha had teleported away without using an incantation to a place high

in the sky, where she hovered motionless looking down below her.

Here, where there was nothing but open, rolling plains, she could go

unnoticed by anyone even if some of her magic leaked out.

She yanked off the sealing ornaments and dismissed them. As she did, a

bolt of lightning flashed across the clear sky.

Observing her magic as it ran amok, Tinasha cursed him. "He's really

so…incorrigible…and annoying!"

Unable to hold them back, the words burst out of her, sounding even to

her own ears like the cries of a child.

The heat running through Tinasha seemed to change color and erupt into

flames. She used one hand to gather up the magic leaking out of her in bits

and pieces. That vast power instantly formed a huge, sparking ball of light.

Holding it in her hand, she eyed the castle in the distance.

If she wanted to destroy the structure, she could, even from here. Wiping

it out would take only a moment.

She had the power to do so. Her lip curled.

"…So stupid," Tinasha mumbled, feeling all the more overwhelmed

now that she'd voiced her vexations.

Trying to wield her strength in childish anger only made her look

foolish. So did the fact that she was the kind of person to lose her temper

over something like this. Foolish—and pathetic.

Tinasha thought she already knew he had no interest in her. And she

couldn't do anything about him going for another woman instead of waiting

for her time-consuming curse breaking to be done. Letting a thing like that

wound her was absolutely immature.

Despite understanding as much, it didn't change how mortified Tinasha

felt.

"Oscar, I hate you!" she grumbled like a spoiled kid after extinguishing

the ball of light in her hand.

The gripe wasn't meant for the present Oscar, but the one she had met

many years ago. Back then, he often waxed poetic about his wife, the other

Tinasha. He seemed to cherish her from the bottom of his heart. But what

did that mean for her current self? The only way for her to interpret this was

that she lacked the qualities to attract him.

"He promised he'd make me happy…" Tinasha bit her lip, tears

streaming down her face. She knew it was misguided for her to lash out at

Oscar's past self, but her heart ached so much when she remembered what

he had said to her. In the end, she was nothing but a coddled little girl.

I didn't come here because I'm in love with him and want him. There's

no way I'd desire someone like that.

Even so, Tinasha felt a little lonely, as if she were the only one out of

place in this era. She had nowhere and no one's arms she could return to.

If the young woman could conquer this loneliness…would she become

something else?

Tinasha shut her eyes, lost in childhood fantasies.

As her fertile imagination raced, a man suddenly spoke, snapping her

from her reverie. "What do we have here? That's a good look on you."

His voice hummed in the air, and her eyes flew open in surprise.

Tinasha was high enough in the air that no one else should have been

able to reach her. Yet there before her floated a man—a silver-haired, blackeyed, terribly beautiful fellow. There was an ethereal and inhuman quality

to him, with a teasing smile plastered across his face.

"Travis…," Tinasha muttered.

The man snorted and looked askance at her. "I guess it's been four

hundred years. Oh, but you were asleep, so perhaps it's like yesterday for

you? Not like that's a significant amount of time for me, either."

"It has been a while… What are you doing here?" Tinasha asked.

"I came to get a load of your gloomy little face," he replied, his

expression that of someone gleefully rubbing salt in someone else's

wounds. Tinasha scowled.

Travis had conducted himself this way four centuries ago, as well. To the

demon king, who was fond of humans and loved to meddle in their affairs,

Tinasha's suffering was nothing more than a delectable snack for him to

feast on with some wine.

However, he was the one who suggested Tinasha go into stasis and

chase after Oscar. She was grateful to him for that.

After some time smirking as he savored Tinasha's sullen face, Travis

swept both arms out dramatically. "Whatever is the matter? You used a

magic sleep to see him, but he won't look at you in the way you desire? You

poor thing."

He truly had come to rub salt in her wounds, and Tinasha hung her head

dejectedly. Feebly, she argued back. "No, it's fine. I wasn't expecting

anything from him…"

"Don't try to act like it doesn't bother you. That only makes you look

even more pitiable," Travis stated.

"Ugh…"

Perhaps he'd been watching all along, or maybe he had the power to

learn about the situation now that he was on the scene. Travis laughed

mockingly. "You need only kill that woman, right? You could turn her to

charcoal in a flash."

"Humans can't do things like that…"

"Who else does things like that but humans? We certainly don't," Travis

said, sniffing cynically. His assertion was oddly persuasive, and Tinasha

struggled to respond.

It was truly outrageous. People had infinite reasons for killing one

another.

However, Tinasha disliked the notion of murdering for her own lust. No

matter how powerful the emotion was, she didn't want it to lead her astray.

If that could happen, she'd rather have no feelings at all.

The young woman bit her lip as Travis eyed her appraisingly. "Do you

not have your mystical spirits or whatever anymore?"

"I returned them when I abdicated the throne. I only have Mila left,

though she's in Tuldarr now," Tinasha answered.

"Hmm," Travis responded disinterestedly. With a grand flourish, he

offered a hand to Tinasha. It was fairer and prettier than most women's.

When Tinasha looked at it, Travis smiled. "If you don't want to kill her,

then you could always die, yes? Because it's too painful to live?"

"What?" Tinasha questioned, stunned. The man's words had been too

blithe and abrupt, leaving her dumbfounded. Tinasha's body moved

instinctively to weave a spell, however. Travis didn't joke about things like

that. He did everything seriously, and it was all play to him. She had learned

that firsthand.

Immense magic amassed at his fingertips, enough to change the whole

atmosphere. Carelessly, he flung it at her.

"Ngh!"

The energy, powerful enough to eradicate anything, rushed violently at

Tinasha. She let a defensive barrier take the hit.

Yet the spiral vortex of magic washed her away, barrier and all. She let it

ferry her some distance back from Travis.

Shivers chilled her body. Her heartbeat thudded out of control.

Travis smirked, amused.

The second wave came from the right. If taken head-on, the attack would

tear Tinasha apart; she eluded it by turning aside.

Travis mocked, "Come on, face me and take it. It's no fun toying with a

defenseless girl. Or are you just suicidal?"

"I still have a few things I need to do, so I don't want to die…," Tinasha

stated, a spell coming to life in her palms. A mighty cruciform sword took

shape in midair and slashed at Travis.

But with a light wave of his hand, he dissolved it. "Are you

underestimating me? If you haven't made any progress in four hundred

years, then let me blast your guts open," Travis hissed, his smile a lurid

gash on his face.

Licking her lips nervously, Tinasha dashed through the air.

She recited a short incantation. The direction of the wind changed.

Offsetting the formless power that assailed her on all sides and swallowing

it up, she sent it back. The wild winds howled and grated harshly.

I never thought I'd end up having to fight him again.

Centuries ago, Tinasha had suffered a crushing defeat at Travis's hands,

and that was with all twelve of her spirits. Glancing down at her blooddrenched state then, Travis had decided that she was interesting, so he

would let her owe him, and he healed her.

Now the time had come to settle that debt, and there was no way Tinasha

would resign herself to death by his hands. She still hadn't repaid Oscar for

anything nor told him anything. She wanted to keep living.

For just a second, Tinasha closed her eyes.

The moment lasted an eternity. When she opened them again, she found

herself on a battlefield.

"I will decide when I die," the young woman declared, composing an

impossibly intricate spell. Tightly interwoven white strands of magic

swelled and multiplied, the spell terrifying in its sheer density.

If this power came from her very core, then it would stand as proof.

Tinasha would rise above this. She would hold her head up high.

Trusting in herself, Tinasha let the energy fly.

When Delilah returned to her room, she burst out in an irrepressible smile.

Upon meeting Tinasha in person, she was certainly overwhelmed by her

beauty and charisma, but Delilah was the one the king had defended in the

end. He chose her over that pretty princess. That was absolutely good

enough.

Delilah sat on her bed and set the vanity case she brought to the castle

with her on her lap. She opened the box and inserted a thin nail file into the

gap behind the mirror pasted to the underside of the lid. The gap widened,

and a scrap of paper fell out. She unfolded it, spread it out, and saw that a

magical sigil was drawn there.

Holding her hand over the mark, she murmured her incantation.

"Let my voice carry, tied to a single wing of old."

Once infused with her magic, the sigil glowed. A spell configuration

rose to the surface of the paper.

After several seconds, an old man's voice spoke from above the mark.

"Delilah? How are things going?"

"Perfectly. I've won the king's favor," she informed him smugly.

Her contact seemed to fall into thought for a short while. Seeking

confirmation, he asked, "What's happening with the Tuldarr princess?"

"I met her, but she won't be a problem," Delilah replied.

"It doesn't look like the poison worked. Drive her away if possible. And

if you can, destroy that spell she's in the middle of analyzing, too."

"I can't break into her room. If you really need that done, send some

help," Delilah complained petulantly.

The man snorted. "Impossible. Fine, just drive her away, then. Do you

think you can get into the treasure vault?"

"I think so, if I request it of him. He told me I can ask for whatever I

want," Delilah bragged.

"Be careful. If you make it in, look for the box. It contains an orb inlaid

with a tiny sigil."

"All right."

Delilah could control men as she pleased. However, this was her best

one yet. She wanted to stay here forever if possible. His power and

sweetness were melting her soul.

Still, she had to do what she was here for. Forgetting that spelled death

no matter where Delilah fled. The old man was threat enough, but there was

also that other man.

Abruptly, there came a knock at the door.

With a faint smile, Delilah quickly ended the call and folded the paper

back up like it was. She slid it behind the mirror, shut the lid, and returned

the box to its spot on her vanity table.

With an air of innocence, she called back, "Yes, what is it?"

"It's me," said her lover before entering. He stared right at her. "What

were you doing?"

"Nothing at all, just thinking of you," Delilah lied.

Oscar gave a low laugh. Delilah frowned when she noticed Akashia

belted at his waist.

"Are you heading out somewhere?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere," the king assured, unsheathing the sword.

He leveled the tip of it at Delilah.

She was left stunned and frozen by this turn of events. Only his voice

was gentle as he murmured, "You were very, very careful. I didn't think it

would take a month for you to slip up. Because of you, Tinasha's upset. I

might have to replace all the windowpanes again."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Did you not realize we've been watching you this whole time? Kumu's

been tracking your calls," Oscar revealed.

Delilah instantly paled, clapping both hands over her open mouth.

Excuses that might get her out of this ran circles through her mind.

I have to say something. I can't back down here.

Mustering all her energy, she turned her soulful, pleading eyes on Oscar.

She reached both hands out in supplication. "Your Majesty, they used me

and threatened me. My feelings for you are real."

"Whatever you've got to say, you can say it to Als," Oscar declared,

stepping aside. Now that he wasn't blocking the door anymore, Delilah

could see that Als and some soldiers were standing ready. The woman was

aghast as she realized what that meant. "Arrest her. Put some sealing

ornaments on her, too."

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Als, and he came in to grab Delilah by the

arm.

As Oscar sheathed Akashia, Delilah shouted at him, "Wh-what do you

think you're doing to me?! You're doomed without my help!"

"We'll manage. Later, I'll find out who put you up to this, but I've got

someone who can break my curse. She's even offered to bear my children if

that doesn't work out. A strange one, to be certain, but she's a hell of a

woman. That's enough for me."

Delilah's eyes grew so round she couldn't open them any further.

At the same time, Als inhaled sharply. Until now, he had never heard

Oscar speak a positive word about Tinasha. This whole time, he was never

able to work out whether Oscar really did think so little of her or if his

insults disguised an attraction.

Still, knowing the truth changed nothing.

Oscar's and Tinasha's positions made it difficult for them to be together.

If Oscar really did manage to make her his, it would be once breaking the

curse had proved impossible. Aware of how complicated everything was,

Als cast his eyes down.

The soldiers dragged Delilah out of the room as she made strange

keening noises. Before they departed, Als turned back to bow good-bye to

his king, only to find him gazing out the window with a faraway expression.

Tinasha ached all over. She had far too many injuries to count.

A short incantation stopped the bleeding on her leg. Without a moment's

delay, she teleported a few steps to the right.

Immediately after, a great black maw passed through where she had

been moments earlier. The spray of magic kicked up stung her with

lingering waves of pain. Tinasha traced a bloody finger through the air.

"I call upon the primeval waters, a torrent of life and death. Engulf

everything and dominate what once was."

Upon the spell's completion, four thick pillars of water sprung up

around her. They surged into a roaring whirlpool, though Travis remained

unfazed. Tinasha pointed at him. "Go!"

The liquid columns rushed at the man from every direction at terrifying

speed. All at once, he vanished amid the deluge.

As she made sure he wasn't reemerging, she began a new spell.

"Let my voice reverberate. I define it as a symbol of my wishes. May a

breath of wind be deemed a blessing. For the manifestation of…"

"Don't use a double incantation right in front of my face," said a voice

from right behind her.

In a panic, Tinasha cut the recitation short and ducked. She teleported a

distance away.

"Ow!"

In a delayed reaction, searing pain lanced through her left arm. She

looked down to see that a chunk of flesh was missing from the limb. Bone

was visible. Though it hurt something fierce, Tinasha stanched only the

bleeding and numbed the pain. Torn flesh would take time to restore, and

she didn't have that luxury at the moment.

Travis loitered in the air, a bored look on his face. His left hand was

dripping with wet crimson.

"You don't have any of your spirits, do you? Don't leave yourself wide

open like that," he drawled.

"Yes, but…"

As Mila had pointed out once before, Tinasha had only ever fought in

the rear guard. Aside from doubling her incantations, she didn't know what

else to do.

Regardless, she was up against the virtually all-powerful demon king.

His magic was in an entirely different league, not to mention his combat

skills. Forget about winning—Tinasha couldn't even survive a head-on

challenge like this.

I need to think…

Controlling her breathing, Tinasha sought after an idea.

Even as she did, countless blades of wind bore down upon her from all

sides. The relentless, inescapable hail of attacks continued to buffet the

young woman.

There wasn't the smallest pause in the onslaught.

Taking a sharp inhale, Tinasha deftly weaved through the storm, each

strike missing her by a hairbreadth.

I should be able…to make it even more precise and well honed…

She focused her mind. Her thoughts cleared.

Tinasha got ahold of all the paths of her magic. She sensed them quite

distinctly, whether they were behind her or above her.

All her years of experience started to catch up to the future, always one

moment ahead.

"…Sing."

A spell exploded out.

It was made up of infinite lines of magic woven together, beautifully

intertwined as it expanded. Though each and every strand was so fine it was

almost invisible, the spell still deflected all the wind blades. Tinasha was

utilizing the minimum amount of power to defend against a storm of

attacks.

Travis whistled. "Did you finally get serious? Your moves are better

than they were last time."

Not only that—they were superior to what they'd been several minutes

ago. Tinasha was transforming into someone who existed purely to fight,

not in the vanguard or in the rear.

Travis eyed the woman with amusement before muttering, "But you've

still got a ways to go."

Then he launched an invisible net toward her.

She noticed it and leaped out of the way, but it pursued her as if

possessed by a will of its own.

"…Ngh!"

Beams of light erupted from Tinasha, tearing the net apart.

Unfortunately, it stitched itself back together in an instant and resumed

pursuit.

It caught her foot, slicing right through the skin and getting ahold of her

bone.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

Burning pain wrecked her concentration. Tinasha panicked. The net kept

twining around her body; she writhed as terrible agony devoured her.

Travis jeered, "What, over so soon? How dull. My loss for getting my

hopes up. Should I make your little crush pay for the rest?"

With pain bleaching her mind, Tinasha only barely managed to hear

Travis.

Anything was preferable to that.

"Ah…"

Energy emanated out from all over her body, powerful magic without a

spell. It burned up the net, which vanished.

Wounded all over, Tinasha glared at Travis, her abyssal eyes glinting

murderously. "I won't let you get anywhere near him."

"…That's a good expression. I can't say I don't enjoy it. But you'll die

with all that blood rushing to your head, you know," he taunted.

"I will rip you apart!" Tinasha cried, cloaking her right arm in magic and

leaping at him.

The power around her hand turned into a giant black sickle, which she

used to slash at him.

However, Travis evaded the scythe hurtling toward him by dodging

neatly to the side.

The sickle scattered into pieces.

Launching herself higher and teleporting away, Tinasha began an

incantation.

The sight of her racing through the sky on her bloodied limbs was

abnormally beautiful.

Kumu, who had been tracking Delilah's communications, soon identified a

building in the city as her partner's location. Oscar flashed a derisive smile

when he heard that report. "So it was that shady cult, huh? Got it. Head

straight there and arrest the whole lot of them. Don't let a single one

escape."

Meredina bowed upon receiving that order and left the room. Kumu

watched her go, then frowned. "Your Majesty… I can sense powerful waves

of magic coming from the north."

"How far north?" questioned Oscar.

"About halfway between the capital and the village of Tennett… It's…as

intense as a forbidden curse," Kumu answered.

"What did you say?"

The cult situation shouldn't have involved anyone capable of something

like that. Oscar fell into grim contemplation.

"…Where is Tinasha?" he asked after a pause.

"I do not know…," admitted Kumu.

"I'm going to go take a look. Can you handle the rest?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Kumu, and Oscar dashed from the room. He

checked to make sure Akashia was belted on.

Perhaps she was in the lounge with the other three mages from earlier.

He ran headlong down the corridor, praying she was there.

"Let my breath be the definition! My words shall form life!"

As Tinasha verbalized the spell, hundreds of vines appeared from within

her arms.

Each one was as sharp as a pike and lanced straight for Travis, who

snapped his fingers and cast a barrier. The vines stuck against the shield one

after another, then stopped. Once every vine was caught, Travis smashed it

apart, barrier and all.

"Your attacks have been getting sloppy," he commented.

Tinasha didn't answer. She teleported to a new location and began a

different spell.

The demon king eyed her coldly. "So this is all you have…"

The instability of the human psyche was at times intriguing and, at

others, irritating to him. It was fascinating how people could call upon

strength beyond their limits for the sake of another, but they inevitably grew

too hotheaded to heed warnings. It was rapidly driving down Travis's

interest in his opponent.

Tinasha's waves of destruction surged before him. However, he canceled

them out with a light wave of his hand. "I'm so bored. Soon I'll be totally

disillusioned with you."

A massive spell took shape within his hands, brimming with more than

enough power to wipe out a single person.

Yet in the distance, he saw Tinasha—who should have been resigned to

her defeat—smiling bitterly.

She stretched out a bloodied hand to Travis.

"…Culminate."

With that word as the final thing wrung from her, a gigantic cage

materialized in midair.

It was crafted of a colossal, finely woven spell. As it locked Travis up, it

glimmered brighter and brighter by the second.

Shocked, the demon king stared at the magic enveloping him. "You

little… A double incantation?"

"I bet you didn't think I'd try one after you said all that. I used your

argument against you. I divided it into seven charms and doubled them,

creating one spell configuration," Tinasha explained while panting.

Travis laughed out loud, highly amused, even as white radiance pressed

down on him. "So that fit of rage was all an act? You've gotten quite a

personality over the years."

"I couldn't win unless I tricked you," Tinasha admitted, lifting her hand

up and intensifying the spell. The luminous cage turned into a gigantic

sphere, a formidable feat of magic that outdid even the forbidden curse that

decimated Ynureid.

Even as Tinasha spoke to Travis, her hands continued to work at her

spell. "I owe you a debt. I don't want to kill you."

The demon king had nearly destroyed her, but she was only here now

because of him. Tinasha hoped this could end with a draw.

Unfortunately, Travis didn't reply, no matter how long she waited. She

vacillated over what to do.

There was little time to keep waiting. Tinasha came to a decision and

mobilized the last of the magic needed to complete the spell.

The force of her will traveled through the air.

Then there was a sharp pop, like something rupturing.

"What…?" she muttered wonderingly. The spell wasn't complete. The

magic carrying her will had gotten shot down in midair.

Tinasha looked down at herself. Her lithe form was battered all over, and

there was a hole the size of a child's head through her abdomen.

The moment felt interminably long. Eviscerated organs and severed

flesh fell to the earth with a spray of blood. Tinasha tried to cry out, but her

mouth filled with blood.

The light sphere encasing Travis lost its spell caster's magic and

disappeared. Wide-eyed as she beheld Travis floating there, Tinasha knew

she had lost.

She slumped over. The magic that was supporting her dissipated.

I don't want to die yet…

Tinasha reached out, grasping after someone.

But then she dropped slowly to the ground like a broken doll.

Travis smiled as he watched her plummet. "You're on the right track, but

you're just not good enough. You're still just a tiger cub—can't even wield

your own magic well."

He stretched lightly, then thought for a moment.

A devious smirk on his lips, he teleported away to pursue the thought

that had struck him.

After rushing to the lounge, Oscar was aghast to learn Tinasha wasn't there.

"She's not? Why? Did she go back to Tuldarr?"

"All she said was that she was heading out for a bit…," Doan said

evasively, which probably meant Tinasha had left in resentment over what

transpired with Delilah. But he didn't think she'd go back to Tuldarr over

that. She'd want to be alone until she calmed down.

"…Don't tell me she went to the northern plains?" Oscar guessed.

Then the air behind him warped. The red-haired spirit girl tumbled in.

Once she saw Oscar, she shouted, "Save her! Lady Tinasha is going to be

killed!"

"What?" Oscar responded, startled. She was the Witch Killer Queen;

who could kill her?

With that thought in the back of his mind, Oscar immediately held out a

hand to Mila. "Take me to her!"

The spirit took his hand. His vision swerved, and his surroundings

changed.

They teleported to a deserted prairie, one Oscar recognized as the place

he had guessed. From his position in the middle of the vast moor, he saw a

woman collapsed on the ground…and a man kneeling next to her, who

turned around upon sensing their arrival.

Oscar didn't know the man, who had a face as stunning as a work of art.

However, it wasn't the man who shocked the young king. It was the

unconscious woman covered in blood lying at the stranger's feet. Her white

dress was cruelly torn in many places, and there was not a trace of her

sweet beauty. She appeared like one would be after having been crushed

underfoot. Oscar couldn't make sense of this, but he set off at a run before

he knew what was happening. Unsheathing Akashia, he raced over.

Travis's lips quirked up in a shallow grin. "The husband is here already."

Ignoring whatever that meant, Oscar loosed a horizontal slash with

Akashia. The blade moved too fast to be seen and should have decapitated

the man, but it only caught through empty air.

Travis teleported a dozen paces behind and shook his head. "You

shouldn't wave that thing around, it's dangerous."

"What did you do to her?" demanded Oscar, his voice infused with

bloodcurdling authority.

An ordinary person's knees would have buckled under the force of it,

but Travis replied coolly, "Oh, nothing much. I just toyed with her. No big

deal, right?"

He spoke of it like they had only played a children's game, yet there was

unmistakable malice bleeding into his tone. Oscar's blood boiled to hear the

way he spoke. Keeping his eyes fixed on the stranger, he said to Mila

behind him, "Heal Tinasha. If it looks like she can be moved, get her out of

here."

"A-all right," Mila agreed.

The way the man spoke, it sounded as though Tinasha still lived. Mila

flew to her master's side, and Oscar stepped in front of both to guard them.

Red-hot rage tinged the edges of his vision. His innards burning with

fury, Oscar adjusted his grip on Akashia. "Don't think you're walking away

alive, you inhuman thing."

"Oh? You can tell I'm not human? Not bad. Very interesting," the

stranger replied.

"Enough joking around," Oscar snapped. He exhaled briefly, held his

breath, and then raced forward like lightning. As Akashia swooped down on

him, the man irritably clicked his tongue. He raised a glowing white hand—

but an invisible defensive barrier repelled the rays from it just before they

could make contact with Oscar's arm.

The stranger's beautiful face twisted in astonishment as the blade

loomed closer. "Her barrier? Really?"

Akashia threatened to cut him in two while he complained.

Just before it could, however, the stranger teleported away again.

Standing in midair out of the sword's reach, he stared down coldly at Oscar.

"Don't get carried away and do not underestimate me. I'll burn you up until

there's not a cinder left," he spat, the words foretelling death and his tone

enough to make a weaker man faint.

Undaunted, Oscar stared up at his opponent. Just as he was about to drop

some choice words of his own, Tinasha's hoarse voice floated over to him.

"…I won't let you kill him."

"Tinasha!" Oscar cried, turning back to see her sitting up with Mila's

support, her face sickly pale. She glared at Travis with dark eyes filled with

heroic determination. "I won't let you lay a finger on him…no matter what

I have to give in return."

Powerful magic pooled in her bloodstained frame. It was enough might

to swallow the entire grassland and completely decimate it.

Her gaze made it apparent she was prepared to trade her life for this.

Travis let out a dry laugh when he caught sight of the blazing orbs. "How

stupid are you? All this for someone who won't even look at you?

Ridiculous…"

His retort sounded more pitying than scornful.

Still, the look in Tinasha's eyes didn't change. Travis glanced at her,

then at Oscar, still emanating bloodlust. Exasperation crossed his pretty

face…and then, suddenly, he shrugged. "I'm tired. I'll play with you

another time."

That was all he stated before vanishing. Oscar's eyebrows shot up at his

foe's abrupt departure. "Who the hell is that guy? What even is he?"

"He's the highest-ranking demon… I wouldn't have been surprised if

he'd killed us all," Tinasha admitted weakly. Oscar sheathed Akashia and

flew to her side. Her visage was still ghastly, and she was still drenched in

blood. Curiously, Oscar didn't find any injuries on her skin.

Turning to Mila, he asked, "Did you heal her wounds?"

"It was more like…they were all closed up by the time I got to her," the

spirit replied.

"Travis must have mended them. He's good at that sort of thing… I

couldn't have healed the hole in my stomach up this perfectly," said

Tinasha.

"The hole in your stomach?" repeated Oscar, the unsettling remark

making him go check and see that, sure enough, there was virtually no

fabric between her chest and her lower abdomen. While Tinasha's body

seemed fine, the damage to her garments suggested something had torn

clean through her midsection. Her slender legs were completely bare as

well, and she was smeared nearly all over in blood and mud. The scene

gave the impression that she had been cruelly violated, and an indescribable

resentment filled Oscar.

"…Does that man know you're a spirit sorcerer?" asked Oscar.

"What? I think he knows," she responded, and Oscar felt like he'd

swallowed something bitter. He had only faced off against that man for a

few moments, but he seemed the type to harass those he took an interest in.

If he knew Tinasha was a spirit sorcerer, he might attempt to purposely

diminish her magic.

Should Tinasha lose her chastity, it could have dire ramifications for her

coronation. He took off his jacket and covered her thin body with it. As he

picked her up, he caught a strong whiff of blood.

"For now, let's go back to the castle. Can we go directly into your

room?" he inquired.

No one else could see Tinasha in this state. Mila opened a transportation

array, and Oscar stepped into it with Tinasha in his arms. As he carried her,

she looked up at him suspiciously. "Oscar… You'll get blood on your

clothes…"

"So what? Anyway, I'll marry you if what just happened has ruined your

ability to become queen."

"What?! Wh-why?!"

"I'll negotiate with Tuldarr. We might get into a dispute over it, but you

won't need to leave."

Tinasha's room in Farsas was dim, with cloths draped over the windows

because it had been vacant for over a month. While that was a coincidence,

it proved very convenient. Oscar brought the wounded woman over to the

bed and sat her down there, while Mila dashed into the bathroom. Tinasha

was the only one who seemed to be unawares, and she protested, "What?

Why would you need to do that? I'm the one who lost, so why would you

get involved?"

"I wasn't careful and let you go off alone. If you've lost your chastity,

I'm prepared to take responsibility," he explained.

"But I haven't lost it! Stop saying such frightening things!" Tinasha

shrieked at the top of her lungs, then she swayed woozily from the blood

loss.

Oscar wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders. "Really? You

don't have to lie to me."

"Yes, really… All I lost were my organs. It appears he's made me new

ones."

"It's true!" called Mila from the bath.

Oscar breathed an instinctive sigh of relief, and Tinasha turned an

indignant gaze on him. "Anyway, you have that mistress, so stop spouting

nonsense like that."

"Mistress? Oh, you mean that woman," Oscar said. He'd already

completely forgotten about Delilah.

His reaction made Tinasha frown and turn aside huffily. "I'll thank you

for what you did and report later about what happened, so why don't you

run on back to her? I don't want to deal with any more of her tasteless

comments."

"…Lady Tinasha, the bath is ready. Let's wash off this blood. It has his

magic in it, so it'll turn to poison if we don't cleanse it fast," called Mila.

"Th-that wouldn't be good… I'm coming," Tinasha replied, attempting

to stand. Unfortunately, her legs had no strength, and she nearly fell flat on

her face.

Oscar caught her and lifted her up in his arms. "You're a mess. How

could I leave you here?"

"I can do it myself!"

"As for that woman, she's been arrested. She was never a royal mistress

or anything like that."

"What?" Tinasha balked, eyes wide. Oscar carried her into the bath and

set her down inside the tub, filled with the hot water Mila drew.

The spirit girl flung several white cloths at Oscar and said blithely,

"Lady Tinasha, you've lost so much magic and blood that you can't move

very well, can you? Let him undress you. Fast."

"I'm not a child, and I can undress on my own…," Tinasha insisted

petulantly.

"Aren't both of you forgetting something?" Oscar asked.

The inhuman spirit didn't think anything of a man touching her master,

and Tinasha was sulking over the idea of anyone treating her like a kid.

However, she really couldn't move—she screamed when she tried to lift an

arm.

Oscar passed Tinasha a cloth. "Cover up your front. I'll be quick in

rinsing all this off."

"I—I hurt all over… The backlash from getting my organs restored is

awful…," Tinasha muttered dispiritedly as Oscar reached around to remove

her dress, which barely resembled an article of clothing anymore.

The sight of her skin stained with blood everywhere was awful. Oscar

ladled up some water and poured it across Tinasha's back. Soon the thick

smell of blood permeated the room.

He scrubbed at caked-on bits and started checking to make sure there

were no wounds underneath. "Does it hurt anywhere? If you have any open

cuts left, close them up before the water stings them."

"I—I told you I can do it myself! And anyway, what's this about her

getting arrested? Did you two have a lovers' spat?"

"Of course not. This whole time, I was just letting her run free to see

what she did. It was already fishy that she knew about my curse," Oscar

explained as he moved Tinasha's hair out of the way to pour water over her

bloodied nape and arms.

Her jaw dropped. "Did you play along because you were suspicious?"

she pressed.

"That's a roundabout way of putting it, but yes. It was probably the same

group that plotted your poisoning. Sadly, I caught everyone except the

actual perpetrator, just like the first time."

"Urgh," Tinasha groaned, pursing her lips as she recalled how she got

into it with Delilah not knowing any of that. "In that case, you should have

told me sooner… If I'd known, I would have…"

"Not broken any windows?"

"I didn't break any this time!" she shouted. It was the castle itself

Tinasha had nearly blown up, but she had stopped herself. No, all the young

woman did was cry about it. When she remembered how she had sobbed

like a child, she buried her face in the cloth she was holding. "I-I'm so

embarrassed… I want to just disappear…"

"What's gotten into you now? Also, you're definitely feeling shame for

the wrong thing," Oscar muttered, throwing water all over the naked form

she had so defenselessly revealed to him. Tinasha fussed and wriggled at

the sensation. Oscar splashed her with such force that she shrieked slightly.

"Anyway, what happened with that demon person? Explain that," Oscar

said.

"Oh…," Tinasha replied, an awkward look crossing her face as she

reluctantly told him about the capricious demon king.

Oscar listened silently but pinched her cheeks when he learned that this

made the second time she was defeated and brought to the verge of death.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she yelped.

"Don't associate with him anymore!"

"He's the one who came to me! I don't know why!" she shouted. That

much was likely true. Oscar only had sparred with Travis for a short while,

but he could tell this demon king was a slippery one.

"You really are a huge pain to look after. A damn handful and then

some…," he whispered. He'd left Tinasha alone for one moment, and she'd

almost died. She got herself into so much trouble that he couldn't take his

eyes off her. It made no sense.

Her back was at last clean and white again, and Oscar softly rubbed the

faint traces of lacerations on the smooth skin there. His fingers were rough,

and Tinasha jolted, then glared reproachfully at him over her shoulder. "You

don't need to… You can leave me alone. Besides, even if I really had lost

my chastity, that wouldn't be any reason for me to become your wife."

"…"

The temperature in the warm bathroom dropped a few degrees. "Oops,"

Mila murmured as she drew more water.

But Tinasha hadn't noticed, scrubbing the blood off her knees as Mila

rinsed them off.

In a chilly tone, Oscar said, "There wouldn't be any reason? Then what

would suffice, dummy?"

"I-I suppose if my country were on the verge of destruction, then…

maybe…"

"Oh? So you want your country destroyed. You've got some nerve."

"I never said that, did I?! What's with you? Honestly!" Tinasha shrieked.

Oscar pulled her hair back tight in a ponytail, causing her to let out a

very feline cry of "Mrrk!"

"In any case, if that man ever comes around again, you get out of there

right away. And call for me sooner! I told you I'd come and save you!"

Reflexively, Tinasha ducked her head. A moment later, she jerked her

sulky face to the side again. "Thank you very much for your concern. But

I'll settle my affairs myself. You rescued me this time, but you could have

messed up and gotten yourself killed, too. Ultimately, you and I have

nothing to do with each other…so please leave me alone."

This was her attempt to push Oscar away and draw a line between them,

though it sounded like a small child pretending to be tough.

She bit her lip. Her downcast eyes blurred with tears.

Oscar didn't respond. Nervously, Tinasha looked up at him—and froze.

Anger was clearly visible in his gaze, but it wasn't the usual cold sort.

Blazing emotions raged in his eyes. She almost apologized instinctively but

stubbornly held it in.

After glaring at her for a short while, Oscar suddenly broke eye contact

and spat out, "If that's how you feel, then do what you want."

He turned his back on her and left the bath.

In the quiet tub, Tinasha heaved a deep sigh.

Once again, she looked down at her stomach. It was thanks to Oscar and

Mila's rigorous scrubbing that her body was clean and pale again.

Mila laughed as she replaced the water in the bathtub. "Lady Tinasha,

why did you have to go and say that?"

"Say what?"

"If he says he's going to save you, why not just go along with it and let

him? And if you want to marry him, he's already stated his willingness to

negotiate with Tuldarr."

"But…he'd only end up at a disadvantage in that case. We can't."

If not for Tinasha, there would be no reason for Oscar to battle a demon

king or marry someone he didn't even like. She had no intentions of placing

such a burden on him. She had come to save him, not add more stress.

Tears stung her eyes as she hugged both knees tight to her chest. Mila

grimaced to see her master with such a hangdog look. "In that case, I think

you should just tell him that. Aren't you already familiar with how bad it

feels to have your offer of help rejected?"

"..."

"Besides, it's not like he gave his aid halfheartedly. That Akashia

swordsman… Earlier, he told me to take you and run. Normally, he

wouldn't provoke someone who beat you up. He could have died," Mila

said.

"What?" Tinasha exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with shock.

Mila handed her a new cloth. "I don't understand either of you humans.

You can only live for such a short period of time, and yet you get in your

own way."

"Get in my own way…," Tinasha murmured.

Ultimately, she didn't know how she should act around Oscar. While

he'd said he wanted to save her, she didn't feel confident enough to

presume upon that kindness.

Tinasha had reminded herself many times that his kindness didn't mean

anything more. No longer was she a child blessed with unconditional love.

She didn't want to rely on anyone and grow weak. If she had to let go of his

hand someday, she was apprehensive of the very act of taking it in the first

place.

Tinasha closed her eyes, then recalled what he had said to her so long

ago. "You can do it." She'd believed in those words and had gained

confidence in herself.

"I'm still all right. I can be strong."

Slowly, she exhaled, her mind returning to order.

Tinasha had done that thousands of times when she was queen.

She needed to stand on her own. If she couldn't, then she was unfit to

rule. That had ever been the case.

Suddenly, however, the emotions she had so precisely controlled dripped

out like water. "But that night, I wasn't by myself…"

When things were the hardest they had ever been, he was right there

with her. She was not alone in the slightest.

Tinasha's throat grew tight. She buried her face in her knees, and a

strong wave of drowsiness swept over her—recoil from her serious injuries

finally catching up.

All she wished to do now was let go and sleep. Thinking about this was

overwhelming.

She didn't want to be alone in her dreams, though…

Wet eyelashes fluttered softly.

By the end of the day, all the upper-echelon members of the cult that sent

Delilah into the castle were arrested. Relieved, their neighbors gossiped

avidly about what that shady-looking bunch could have done to get hauled

off to the castle.

After Kumu and Als brought him that report posthaste, Oscar did

nothing to hide his irritation at what the investigation uncovered. "So in the

end, the mage who gave Claris the poison wasn't among those

apprehended?"

"According to Delilah, she also received orders directly from the same

man."

Upon organizing the findings, the cult's objectives were revealed to be

twofold.

The first was to obtain a mysterious orb said to be inside the Farsas

treasure vault.

The second was to kill Tinasha or have her removed from Farsas.

Oscar puzzled over how those two objectives could be related. "Should I

go take a look at this mysterious orb or whatever it is? Seems like the sort

of thing one shouldn't touch."

"I'm not sure… Security is tight around the treasure vault. It's been that

way since the break-in forty years ago," answered Als.

"Forty years ago, huh? A thief got away without stealing anything?"

asked Oscar.

"What was stolen was never determined," Als clarified.

"Sounds like it's high time to put things down there in order, then,"

decided Oscar, scribbling his signature on a document and handing it to

Kumu.

Als continued with his report. "Delilah and Claris's contact and the cult

founder's opinions clashed a little in regards to Princess Tinasha, it seems.

The cult wanted her dead or to destroy her curse-breaking spell, while the

man only wanted her kept away from Farsas. Many people heard him say

she couldn't be killed anyway."

"This part of it makes even less sense. What does it matter whether she's

in Farsas?" Oscar remarked.

"Maybe it's because they were backing Delilah, but Tinasha's presence

would have thrown a wrench in that," Als suggested.

"I thought so, which is why I made sure to show Delilah so much favor.

Well, Tinasha did tear her to shreds, so I guess she got in the way

regardless," Oscar remarked breezily.

Als felt deeply relieved he hadn't been present for that.

Resting his chin on his hands, Oscar's eyes narrowed. "Considering all

the time it took, the one man we were looking for escaped, huh? It's very

aggravating how we always seem a step behind."

"I'll increase security for people in the castle," Als promised.

After Kumu and Als left the study, Oscar rubbed his shoulders. "…I'm

still so on edge."

His unsettled mood from the day before hadn't quieted at all. He

suspected that was partly due to a certain disobedient woman.

The mere recollection of her stubbornness upset him. He wished she

would lean on him at least a little during her stay here. Both of them were

guilty of trying to do everything on their own, but he wanted her to concede

a little ground if that pigheadedness meant her nearly dying.

Lazar, on the other hand, hadn't said a word about the restless mood

Oscar had been emanating all day.

He wanted to ask if Oscar had managed to reconcile with Tinasha, but

he had a feeling if he did, the king would only vent his anger at him. Lazar

realized that while his lord was often annoyed with her, the two of them

were still slowly growing closer. This only made Lazar, who was well

aware of both of their positions, more anxious.

Still, if he asked Oscar about it, he was likely to hear I don't feel

anything for her, in response.

For now, Lazar prayed that was true. If Oscar fell for her completely but

had to let go of her in the end, that would end up causing him the most pain.

Suppressing his emotions as he picked up a sheaf of documents, Lazar

looked up at the sound of a knock on the study door.

Standing on the other side was the beautiful mage at the center of this

whole thing. Her long black hair was tied up in two ponytails, and she

appeared fidgety and embarrassed.

Oscar was clearly displeased as he said, "What is it? Come in."

"Okay…," Tinasha answered, shutting the door behind her and walking

over to stand in front of his desk. As she hesitated, she stared right at Oscar.

Sensing her gaze, he looked over with his head resting on one hand.

Nervously, the young woman began. "I'm incredibly sorry about

yesterday. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you after you saved me."

"It's fine," Oscar stated curtly, swallowing what he really wanted to say,

which was It doesn't have anything to do with me anyway, right?

Voicing that thought would only lead the pair into another childish

dispute. At the very least, Oscar wished to maintain some decorum, whether

she did or not.

Tinasha went on haltingly. "Also… I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away."

Her dark eyes wavered, gleaming with an alluring light. Oscar narrowed

his eyes against it.

Determinedly, she went on. "Um, whenever you're free is fine, but…

would you teach me swordplay?"

Her request was so unexpected that Lazar almost dropped his pile of

documents.

As for Oscar, his chin slipped from his hand.

Tinasha flushed as she observed their reactions. "U-um…did I say

something weird?"

"No…," Oscar replied, scratching his head as he gestured at her to come

closer. She did, circling the desk until she was standing next to him.

Still seated, Oscar turned to face her. After trying to decide how best to

respond, he smiled wryly. "All right. I'm also going to get out of shape

doing nothing but paperwork all the time, so it's perfect. I should be done in

another hour, so go prepare and wait for me."

"Thank you!" Tinasha cried, breaking into a broad smile now that he'd

agreed. It looked like flowers blooming across her face. She rushed out of

the room, making no effort to hide her childlike happiness.

As he watched her go, he muttered, "Unbelievable… She's so

defenseless. Full of surprises, that one."

Lazar's eyes widened to hear the fondness lacing Oscar's words.

In accordance with his promise to her, Oscar picked up the pace on his

work. His irritation from earlier was all but gone, replaced with a

mysteriously happy mood.