It felt like she could sink into the soft bed for miles, or maybe that was only
because she was so thoroughly exhausted. Staring up at the ceiling, Tinasha
blinked over and over. She focused her eyes on one of her hands as she
lifted it up into the air.
"I guess this is how it is…"
It had been a long time since she'd injured an eye. When she'd fought
the former highest-ranked demon, it had almost lopped off her leg, and that
had been quite the pain to heal, too. Neither that nor the damage to her eye
had been lethal, but both had been severe enough to impede Tinasha in
battle. Had she been forced to fight alone with only one eye, things
could've gotten dicey.
Putting what-ifs behind her, Tinasha felt like it'd been ages since she
stood at someone's back in a fight.
The last time Tinasha had done anything like that was little more than a
distant memory now.
Without realizing it, a smile came to the witch's lips.
"He really is a strange man…"
Tinasha's contractee was in the middle of dealing with the repercussions
of the battle with Miralys.
"I'm off to chew out my dad," he'd said.
More than anything, the whole incident had been defined by its
mysteries. Miralys had entered the castle as Ettard's relative, a fact that
suggested memory tampering. Now that both Miralys and Ettard were gone,
the truth of just how it came to happen would remain shrouded in darkness.
Just as Tinasha let out a little yawn, there was a knock at the door.
"Tinasha, are you awake?"
"Yes, come in," the witch replied, sitting up as her visitor arrived sooner
than expected.
Oscar entered and quickly approached to thoroughly examine Tinasha's
body. "Looks like you're…healing well?"
"Why was that a question? I told you I'm healing. Do you want to test it
out?"
Tinasha placed a hand over her right eye. Oscar waved to her left eye
and finally seemed relieved after seeing it respond. He sat next to her on the
bed and ruffled her hair. "Sorry about everything. I caused you some
trouble."
"I think we both caused our share of trouble for each other this time.
Miralys wanted to get to me, after all. By the way, what was that orb she
was trying to make off with?" Tinasha asked.
"It's…not a treasure native to Farsas. It's something my mother brought.
I don't know what it could be used for. My dad might know, but he
wouldn't tell me."
"Something your mother brought?" the witch repeated.
That changed things. Tinasha deliberated over whether she should ask
about the one possibility that occurred to her, but Oscar was a formidable
enemy in a different way than Lucrezia was. Chances were high he
wouldn't answer if Tinasha simply asked him. The witch would have to be
careful about how she proceeded before Oscar's contract was broken.
A more pressing matter was what Miralys had said to Tinasha before
she'd died.
Miralys alluded to something about Tinasha being reunited with the
delusion she'd been searching for… If that referred to the person the witch
was constantly seeking, she very well might be close to the end of
everything.
"…Lanak," Tinasha said, speaking a name she hadn't uttered in ages.
Then, she fell into deep thought until she noticed someone staring at her
and frowned. "What?"
"So do you want to give up and marry me?" Oscar pestered.
"I…"
Recalling Oscar's declaration before the battle, she pressed both hands
to her flushed cheeks. The prince really did say the most ludicrous things.
Exceedingly bold—and unbelievably kind. Even knowing she was a
witch, Oscar still lent her a helping hand and tried to protect her as naturally
as he would anyone else. It truly was a strange demeanor, but that's just the
kind of person Oscar was.
Tinasha's heart grew warm—but with an emotion that felt alien to her.
She swallowed the girlish feeling and smiled. "I absolutely will not marry
you. You should give up."
"I refuse. And besides, didn't you say after I climbed the tower again
that you'd grant me a wish as long as it was something you could do right
away?" Oscar pressed.
"Did I say something like that? I think that's better left forgotten…,"
Tinasha replied, turning her head to the side. She wanted to run away before
Oscar had the chance to say anything else. As she turned, he touched her
gently.
"How about this: Just recognize that I like you. That's my wish," stated
Oscar.
"…What?" Tinasha replied, rather dumbfounded.
What a very strange contract holder she had. She didn't understand what
he could gain from such a thing. What would change between them if she
looked at him slightly differently? Nothing, so long as she was a witch.
Tinasha was about to rebuke him for spouting nonsense…but instead,
she smiled faintly. "Fine. From now on, I'll reject your proposals fully
aware of your intentions."
"Listen, you… Well, it's fine. I can wait," Oscar said, seemingly
content.
"Please don't."
Oscar reached out and pulled Tinasha onto his lap. Instead of answering
her with words, he placed a kiss on her left eyelid. Snorting a little, she
leaned into his arms. They were comforting and warm, and she closed her
eyes.
Even if he left himself with only one person to choose, she'd send him
an infinite amount of options until he forgot all about that.
That was what it meant to contract with a witch. It was an unholy
blessing that crept out from the shadows of forgotten history.
For this reason, she would never let the darkness of her past reach him.
She would never let the delusion she sought overtake his own path.
She would one day release him with no sadness in her heart.
This was her vow.
Tinasha looked up and glared at Oscar. "Let me go now. I'm already
sleepy."
"Yeah, I'm beat from today, too. Let's fall asleep together."
"Go away! I'll throw you into your room with teleportation!"
Tinasha floated into the air and escaped from Oscar's arms, but he only
laughed, his blue eyes gazing at her.
Dusk was overtaking the sky. The deep-blue hue was breathtaking.
The master of the royal sword. He who was an unshakable warrior was
also the holder of a contract with a witch.
That was why, someday, once this all came to an end…he'd do her the
favor of killing her.
This is the story of the final year of the Age of Witches.
It is also an epic fairy tale—the unnamed story of the fifth witch and a
royal prince.