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.