The Unknown

"It hasn't disappeared completely," Lucrezia sighed, standing behind

Tinasha in the spacious bath paved with white stone.

Tinasha was sitting on a low stool as she washed her hair, and on her

back was a light-brown mark roughly the size of a child's handprint. After

her magic had recovered and she woke up, the two witches had purged the

traces of alkakia left on her skin. But even after they'd finished treating

Tinasha's whole body, there was one mark that refused to heal.

Lucrezia frowned at the singular blemish marring Tinasha's milky white

skin. "I'll concoct a magic serum later to make it fade in color."

"I really don't mind. It's not a spot anyone will see, after all. Thank

you," Tinasha replied.

"You need to take proper care of it! Although…I suppose this will teach

the man who sees it a good lesson," Lucrezia mused.

"Why would anyone look there? I can't even see it myself."

"..." Lucrezia let out a little sigh. Turning back, she sank into the

deep tub.

They weren't in the bathroom attached to Tinasha's chambers but rather

the sizable Farsas Castle baths. Steam drifted up to the high ceilings of the

expansive room built of ceramic and alabaster. The soaking tub was big

enough to swim in.

Typically, only royalty could use these baths; the two witches were the

only ones present.

Lucrezia amused herself by making bubbles foam up in the water as she

gazed at Tinasha, who was still absorbed in combing out her long black

tresses in the shower area. Lucrezia said to her idly, "I've stuck with you

this long, and you still manage to shock me."

The Witch of the Azure Moon's red lips quirked up as she laughed and

replied, "I appreciate it."

After her bath, Lucrezia immediately returned to her home in the forest.

Tinasha bid farewell to her friend and teleported to her bedroom, where

she began to dry her long hair in front of the vanity mirror. Pamyra noticed

she was back and came in to help her.

"Lady Tinasha, His Majesty would like to see you once you're done

getting ready," she said.

"All right," answered Tinasha, still reeling slightly with sleepiness.

Oscar had come to see her after she'd woken from her coma, but

Lucrezia had shouted, "She needs rest!" and chased him out of the room.

This would be their first chance since the attack on the castle to really talk.

"What do you want to wear? Lady Lucrezia left quite a few outfits,"

Pamyra remarked.

"I'd be asking for trouble if I wore anything that pervert picked out,"

retorted Tinasha. Pamyra gave a weak smile, and the witch sighed. If

Lucrezia had sent over clothing, it was undoubtedly for the purpose of

irritating Tinasha. Indeed, everything she'd picked had to be on the

revealing side.

Pamyra selected a white silk gown for her lady and took pains to dress

her up to match it. She combed Tinasha's long jet-black locks out carefully,

then placed a white silk flower in her hair next to her left ear. The witch's

cheeks and lips were a little pale, so Pamyra applied some light makeup to

give Tinasha some color. Still feeling sluggish and languid, the witch let her

do as she pleased.

Once she was ready, Tinasha teleported to outside the study door. She

knocked on it and went inside.

Oscar was inside, but so were Chief Mage Kumu and several of the

magistrates. They were all taken aback by the beautiful sight of her in her

white gown. The king's eyebrows rose a fraction. "What are you doing? I

would've come to you if you'd just waited."

"I teleported here, so it was no trouble. Am I intruding?"

"Not at all," answered Oscar, gesturing her over. She came over to him,

and he pulled her onto his lap. He checked along her exposed ivory skin to

see if it was healed, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

As the magistrates observed the king treat the witch as delicately as a

fragile object, they exchanged glances with one another. They weren't sure

if they should leave the room or not. With an awkward look on his face,

Kumu herded everyone out. Once Oscar and Tinasha were left alone, she

gave him a put-out look. "I knew I'd be intruding."

"It's fine. More importantly, I'm going to have you take that off later."

"Why?" she retorted.

"I want to make sure you're all healed."

"I'm all healed!" Tinasha cried, balling her hands into fists and screwing

them up against his temples.

The attack didn't seem to cause Oscar any pain; he was calm as he

persisted, "It won't hurt anything, so just let me do it."

"It'll hurt my mood," the witch shot back, evading his grasp and floating

up into the air.

Her response to Oscar's antics was no different than normal, which left

him feeling suspicious. He hadn't thought he needed to confirm a certain

point with her, but it turned out that he did.

"What am I to you?"

The classic question. Tinasha frowned and answered flatly, "We have a

contract."

Oscar collapsed onto his desk.

Part of him had expected that, but a wave of exhaustion still swept over

him upon his hearing it for real. It went a little past fatigue; helpless

laughter bubbled up inside him.

Tinasha cast a strange look at the man slumped over on his desk and

giggling to himself. She floated downward and ran her fingers through his

hair. "And you're important to me."

"Oh yeah?" Oscar asked, laughing even harder.

Tinasha scowled slightly. Was some aftereffect of the poison making

him loopy? The entire time she'd known him, she had never been able to

tell what would set him off and make him chuckle.

"What is it…?" she asked warily.

"Nothing, it's just…I'd like you to maybe give everything a little more

thought. Okay?" Oscar responded, wiping away tears and sighing with

amusement as he looked up at her. The witch cocked her head in confusion.

Now that he mentioned it, there did seem to be something she needed to

think about. It had seemed so important at the time, but with all the chaos

and being in a coma for three days, she'd forgotten about it. As she left

Oscar to his work and exited the study, she sorted through her memories,

trying to think of what it could be.

When the witch dropped in on the lounge, she found the usual gang of

mages was present, as were Als and Meredina.

Pamyra was there, too. Evidently, she'd invited Als and Meredina

because they wanted to see Tinasha. Everyone gave the witch a warm

welcome when she entered, which embarrassed her. She sank into a chair

and took a sip from a cup of tea Pamyra had made for her. The first topic of

discussion was the poison that had caused all the trouble.

Tinasha drew a circle in the air with her finger. "I caught a lucky break

and was able to create a blood serum for alkakia… So I've asked Lucrezia

to handle the analysis. If all goes well, I think we'll be able to mass-produce

the serum. However, there are still only minutes between alkakia poisoning

and death, so it'll be tricky to administer in other cases."

"Still, it makes a world of difference to actually have some sort of cure,"

insisted Kav, who specialized in potions. He looked very excited. While

alkakia was difficult to obtain, the more significant trouble had been the

lack of an antidote. Once the serum's existence became public, the deadly

substance should fall out of use.

Suddenly recalling something, Als snapped his fingers. "That reminds

me, who was the mastermind behind all this anyway? They summoned

those demonic spirits, planted Clara in the castle, and gave her the poisoned

needle, didn't they? That's not your average scheme. Do you think some

group is behind it?"

"Someone definitely tampered with my wards to launch the attack. They

made a hole in them that I didn't even notice. Obviously, a mage is

involved, but they must be frighteningly skilled. I don't suppose Clara has

said anything?" Tinasha said.

"Not a word. We can't get her to talk."

The culprit behind the attack on the king had already lost her mind.

Because she didn't have any information to barter for her life, it was only a

matter of time before she was executed. While the king had saved her life

once, in the end, she would die because of him anyway. Tinasha really

wasn't sure how to feel when she thought about that.

Regardless, it was Clara's choices that had gotten her here, and these

were the consequences. Tinasha didn't think Oscar needed to change

anything about his way of doing things. As his protector, Tinasha was the

one at fault for failing to guard him. She couldn't raise the precision on his

barrier so high that it could deflect needles; that would impede his daily

life. Even so, she should never have left his side during an invasion.

Though relieved that things hadn't gone past the point of no return, Tinasha

still felt remorse for her part in how things had transpired.

As everyone offered their opinions on the situation, the conversation

strayed into a casual chat. Tinasha recalled what had just happened in the

study and brought it up.

"…So I have no idea why he was laughing," the witch concluded,

wrapping up her story and looking to the group for answers. Their

expressions proved challenging to read. Doan and some others were

doubled over on the table guffawing, just like Oscar. Pamyra was rubbing at

her temples as if she felt a headache coming on.

Kav muttered, "His Majesty truly is something for laughing at that…"

Scratching at his head, Als asked Tinasha, "So you're really not aware?"

"Aware of what?" she responded.

"..."

All save the witch let out a sigh, realizing that while a cure for alkakia

had been made, there was still no cure for this.

Solemnly, Renart said, "Lady Tinasha, you should do some more serious

thinking, just as His Majesty said."

Her attendant's advice made the witch frown in bewilderment. "But I

don't know what I should be pondering…"

"Consider all the things you've done for His Majesty. Have you gone to

such lengths for past contract holders?" Renart questioned.

Tinasha cocked her head. The faces of many people she had known

before came to mind. "Hmmmmmm. It depended on the situation…I

think…"

"But His Majesty is a unique case, isn't he?"

"Probably… Yes, he is," Tinasha replied, and it sounded somewhat

childish.

While the witch wore an uneasy expression, the others observed her

exchange with Renart bearing looks ranging from concern to amusement.

"Why is he special?" Renart pressed, hoping to get his lady to finally

come to realize what her feelings meant.

"I-I'm not sure… Because I'm attached to him?"

The response immediately took the wind out of everyone's sails. All had

thought Tinasha would get it this time, but now they were back to square

one. At this rate, it would take a hundred years for things to work out.

Renart, however, remained undaunted. "Are you not in love with His

Majesty?"

"…What?"

Silence fell.

No one dared say a thing. The witch at the center of it all was

dumbfounded.

As everyone watched her with bated breath, Tinasha suddenly leaped to

her feet and started shaking Als by the neck—likely because he was sitting

closest to her.

"Am I?!" she cried.

"Don't ask me… And stop strangling me, please," he choked out. While

the witch's grip wasn't firm, it still hurt.

She released her hold on his neck, only to grab his shoulders and rock

the poor man that way. "But we have an age gap of over four hundred

years!"

"I don't think witches need to worry about age gaps…," Als murmured.

Magic began to leak from Tinasha, causing the glass panes to rattle in

the windows. Doan, who was sitting with his back to them, ducked down.

How could she be so clueless after all the time Oscar had spent making

very obvious advances on her and after she'd risked her life for him with no

hesitation?

Without saying it aloud, everyone thought some variation of It seems

that enduring four hundred years robs you of many things.

Discreetly, the mages erected barriers to protect against the growing

storm forming in the lounge with Tinasha as its eye.

"Me? Love him?" the witch muttered to herself in total shock.

A magical wind was starting to whip through the room. Kav hurried to

gather up all the books lying open on the desks and tables. Doan extended

his barrier to envelop Als and Meredina.

The gale grew mightier with each moment. Unfortunately, the source of

the gusts was in such a state of bewilderment that she wasn't aware. She

stood in the center of the storm, staring down at her hands. "I didn't think I

could feel that way about anyone…"

"I think you do, though…," interjected Sylvia hesitantly.

At her wit's end, the witch looked to the others and asked, "Would you

mind if we put this to a vote?"

"I don't know why it's come to that, but go ahead…," replied Sylvia.

"Who thinks I love Oscar?" the witch inquired, sounding almost too

easygoing about it.

All present exchanged glances before sheepishly raising their hands.

The witch's jaw dropped. "Wh-what in the world?!"

Very shortly after, there was a loud shattering sound.

Lucrezia was finally relaxing after arriving home when her friend blew in

like a hurricane. The Witch of the Forbidden Forest arched an eyebrow.

Tinasha's hair was all in disarray, and Lucrezia eyed her dubiously. "Did

something happen?"

"No, nothing major. I'm just going to make us dinner, if that's okay?"

answered Tinasha.

"Sure… But first, brew some tea. And change those clothes," Lucrezia

instructed, pointing to the white gown that was not at all suited to

housework.

Tinasha shrugged, unbothered. Even if she'd had the time to put

something else on, she wasn't in the state of mind to consider that. She

borrowed a short black dress from Lucrezia. However, the two witches'

taste in attire was quite different, and Tinasha's legs were quite exposed in

this outfit. Still, it was easy to move around in, so she decided not to fuss

over it.

Tinasha made dinner, and the pair sat across from each other at the

dining table just like old times. Bit by bit, Lucrezia drew the story of what

had happened out of Tinasha. When the meal was finished, she looked

utterly exasperated. "I can't believe you… You've been incredibly slow to

notice. Maybe the last person."

"Really?"

"Yes," Lucrezia stated bluntly, taking a sip of tea so she wouldn't sigh.

Across the table, Tinasha was moaning with a dismayed look on her

face. Lucrezia rested her chin in her hands, losing heart at how Tinasha

looked exactly as she did when facing a particularly difficult-to-parse spell

configuration.

Ever since Tinasha and Oscar had formed their contract, Lucrezia had

felt like she always had to find some excuse to poke her nose into the

younger witch's business.

Wasn't this visit, then, proof that the situation genuinely rattled Tinasha?

Up until now, she had handled everything with perfect aplomb, solving any

issue all on her own—excepting the century before she started living in her

tower, of course.

Lucrezia eyed her friend, who looked to be on the precipice of diving

into a maze of her own thoughts. She set down her teacup and placed one

red-painted finger at Tinasha's forehead.

"I don't understand how you've thought it over so many times without

knowing for sure. How about you just be honest with yourself? You've

loved him for a very long time now."

"Why?!" Tinasha exclaimed.

"Don't turn that on me. I'm the one who wants to ask you—how is it

that you aren't aware? Oh, I'm so sick of spirit sorcerers. This is what

happens when you're laced up too tight for over four hundred years."

"I don't want to hear that from a pervert like you!" retorted Tinasha.

"You're the only one who's always calling me a pervert!" snapped

Lucrezia.

They sounded like squabbling children.

Tinasha realized she was losing her temper and took some deep breaths.

She slumped over the table, then looked up at Lucrezia just like she had

when she was in her teenager's body. "I guess you might be right…"

"I do think that's what it is," Lucrezia said primly.

"Urgh…," Tinasha moaned, entirely at a loss. She didn't understand a

thing no matter how much thought she gave it. She couldn't get a solid

grasp on it.

Lucrezia told Tinasha to be honest with herself, but Tinasha was afraid

that she would change if she acknowledged those feelings.

Again, her thoughts turned to Oscar. His incredibly arresting eyes

flashed in her mind's eye. Unconsciously, she murmured, "…The only thing

I can do is kill him."

"Why has it come to that?! Are you completely out of your mind?"

Lucrezia shouted, slapping the table at her friend's insane methodology.

Then she sagged down, feeling totally drained.

After finishing his work for the day, Oscar tracked down Pamyra and asked

where Tinasha was. The servant was evasive, only answering, "I think

she'll visit you soon," with a wincing smile.

In any case, the witch didn't appear to be in the castle. Instead, Oscar

received a report that a table in the lounge had split in two, and Tinasha

would be paying for its replacement.

"What does she think she's doing…?"

She'd probably smashed the piece of furniture on some whim, and that

also likely had something to do with why she was out of the castle. Oscar

returned to his room and thought back on the conversation they'd had in his

study as he changed clothes.

Tinasha was so unpredictable and difficult to read that it was highly

entertaining. It was a good thing that Oscar never tired of watching her.

Chuckling to himself, he looked out the window and saw that it was

already pitch-black outside. Witch or not, Tinasha was still recovering, and

Oscar worried over whether she'd return by the day's end.

Thankfully, his concerns were unwarranted, as Tinasha teleported

directly into his bedroom without knocking on the window.

Oscar was taken aback by the odd urgency of her actions, but she either

didn't notice this or paid it no heed as she zoomed over to him in midair and

grabbed him by the shoulders. "Oscar, can I talk to you?!"

"Whoa. What's going on?"

"I thought about it and thought about it but really don't understand.

Earlier, I asked everyone's opinions, and I've decided to go with the

majority vote!" Tinasha stated hurriedly.

"What are you on about?" Oscar demanded. He had no idea what she

was saying. This went beyond her usual esoteric behavior. It was outright

incomprehensible.

Feeling a headache coming on, Oscar set the witch down on the floor

and left her there. He went to sit down on his bed and heaved a fatigued

sigh. "Well?" he asked, prompting her to go on.

"Am I in love with you?!" she exclaimed.

"…Even the way you break down is ridiculous."

Tinasha stared at Oscar, truly at the end of her rope.

She felt like, all day long, she'd astonished and appalled everyone she

spoke to. Was it really that obvious?

He is special to me.

That much was self-evident.

Yet Tinasha didn't feel at all confident about giving a name to that

feeling.

This was an emotion she'd never experienced in all her years.

There was an unquestionable heat in the depths of her body and soul.

It was like a pool of warm water—something flickering like a flame that

would never go out.

Left unable to define it, Tinasha wished desperately to give it a name.

Oscar stared at the witch and beheld the earnest intensity of her gaze. A

rueful smile tugged at his lips. He blinked slowly and then turned it into a

proper grin. "Yes. It's about time you realized it, don't you think?"

He held out a hand to her.

She was looking at him with those clear, beautiful eyes, just as she had

when they first met.

"Come here," he invited, low and gentle, and she took one hesitant step

forward.

Tinasha approached carefully, step by step, until she was in his arms.

There was something both childish and mature about her all at the same

time. Gazing up at her, Oscar brushed the tips of his thumbs along her

cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

Tears, like tiny crystals, spilled from the ebon of Tinasha's eyes.

The warm droplets clung to her long dark eyelashes before dripping onto

Oscar's hands.

Now that he pointed it out, Tinasha realized she was indeed crying.

The warmth in her heart had turned into tears and fell onto his hands.

I've finally found my way here.

It had taken so long, but perhaps it was over now.

Tinasha took Oscar's face between her hands. She stared into his blue

eyes, which were trained right on her.

These were the eyes of the man who was more precious to her than

anything. Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. "I can't comprehend it at

all… But…I'm so glad I met you."

After that, she had no more words.

The witch now knew what the emotion she couldn't name was.

Oscar listened intently, feeling Tinasha's words seep down deep into

him, and tenderly wiped away her tears.

"I'm very honored," he replied, as any ordinary young man would've,

and he broke into a happy smile.

She didn't want to go mad. She'd had enough of madness brought on by

strong emotions.

Love and hate weren't needed. Attachments were pointless.

All she had to do was look at everything as if it were a world very far

away from her. As if she were the only odd creature out. There was no need

to get involved with anyone, she wouldn't get too close, and she'd never

change.

That's the way things had forever been.

However, there was no longer any need to walk through the centuries.

She was at her destination.

When Oscar awoke, it was already past sunup.

This was rare for him, as he was someone who rose with the dawn.

Oscar sat up in bed and looked over to see his witch sleeping peacefully

next to him.

As he softly ruffled her hair, he remembered the mark the poison had

left on her body. He could almost see the look of See what you did? on

Lucrezia's face.

That blemish was a warning for him.

Oscar knew that every time he saw the thing, it would needle at him like

a thorn caught in a wound. Holding on to that pain would be part of his life

with her.

Tinasha must have felt his petting because she blinked her bleary eyes

open. She gazed at him sleepily.

"Morning," he said.

"Mmm…," she groaned, giving a little shake of her head. Her long

eyelashes almost shut again.

Oscar stared as she tried to curl up like a cat. "You really do have a hard

time getting out of bed. I knew it."

Back when they had shared a room in the fortress, Tinasha had been a

late riser, though circumstances had left her completely exhausted. Still, it

was very possible that the witch was actually not a morning person and had

just pretended to be high functioning in front of him up until now.

Tinasha rubbed at her eyes over and over again. Holding a hand up, she

stared at the ceiling, then glanced over to see who was next to her. "Good…

morning…?"

Her voice sounded incredibly drowsy. Oscar couldn't help but burst out

laughing.

His laughter brought her back to full consciousness little by little, until

she finally grasped what was occurring. She brought one hand up to cover

her reddening face.

"What's the matter?" Oscar teased, an evil smirk on his face. When she

saw it, she frowned. The drowsiness faded from her dark orbs, and they

flashed with intelligence again.

She sat up gracefully, tugging the blanket over to conceal herself. With

one hand, she reached out to caress Oscar's cheek while she pressed a kiss

to his lips. Then she pulled back, blinked once, and gave him a smile so

radiant it threatened to melt his soul.

"I love you," she whispered in a clear voice, and Oscar beamed and

clutched her tight.

"It's hard to cast spells…," Tinasha sighed, looking down at the

configuration in her palms. She was back in the lounge where just

yesterday, she'd split a table in two. While she had replaced the piece of

furniture she'd destroyed, the best course of action would've been not to

obliterate anything in the first place. That was why she was taking the

initiative to set up a barrier in the lounge, but she was tripping over a very

predictable obstacle.

The usual group of mages was gathered at the new table. Doan sat

closest to her, and he asked, "Miss Tinasha, what's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing… I've just run into something."

She could draw up the framework of the spell just as before, but she now

needed much more magic to activate it. She might have to adjust the

framework itself.

Tinasha cast a few spells that didn't use spiritual magic and examined

them in her palm. She could use these just as she had before, but if she was

going to adjust her spells, she might as well change them altogether. The

witch wasn't at all averse to creativity or hard work. She'd made great use

of both countless times in the past.

Pulling herself together, Tinasha drew up a new barrier spell. "This

should do for now. I guess I'll fine-tune it up to the fifth sequence later."

"Are you changing the basic configuration of the spell?" asked Pamyra,

also a spirit sorcerer, with some confusion.

The witch nodded. "If I don't rearrange it from the bottom up, I have a

feeling it'll mean trouble later."

"…Got it. So that's what happens now that you're no longer a spirit

sorcerer," remarked the king, who shouldn't have been in the room at all.

"Oscar?!" yelped Tinasha in what was practically a shriek.

Oscar, who had just happened to be passing by with Lazar in tow, took

in everyone's gaze and burst out laughing. "Don't let it get to you. I don't

mind if you can't use magic anymore."

"I can use it just fine! I just need to use a little extra!" she snapped back.

"I'll take full responsibility and protect you for my entire life," he said

without hesitation.

"I am your protector! And don't say all that in front of other people,

dummy!" Tinasha spat back, having lost her temper.

Laughing, Oscar took her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on her

forehead, and she puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. Then, abruptly, the

furrows in her brow cleared away, and she smiled wide with joy.