Only after they had cleanly stripped the fish, leaving nothing but the head and bones, did the three cats begin grooming themselves, licking their paws with highly satisfied expressions. The one with teacup-sized eyes threw a sidelong glance at Isaac and arrogantly tilted its nose up.

「We made a special exception and accepted your tribute out of respect for your sincerity. As a half-blood living in the human lands, this is an honor you would struggle to achieve even once in your lifetime, so you should be deeply moved and grateful.」

“Right, right. So why haven’t such esteemed personages crossed over to the Land of the Dark Moon? Why are you still here?”

Isaac asked with a soft chuckle. At his words, the cats stopped grooming and stared intently at him. Their gazes were so unblinkingly intense that Isaac looked back and forth between the three pairs of eyes in confusion.

「We need the box.」

The cat with eyes the size of towers opened its mouth.

“Huh? The box?”

「We need the tinderbox. To store those in.」

The cat’s gaze drifted over Isaac’s shoulder. Isaac also turned his head and looked at the flint and steel sitting on the table. The dark stone and the rusted piece of metal.

“Does it just need to be any suitable box? I can find you one. That’s not hard at all…..”

「No, no.」

「It has to be the tinderbox that flint originally came in.」

「It absolutely must be that specific tinderbox.」

The cats each chimed in one by one. Picking up the stone and steel, Isaac looked at them with a deeply bewildered expression.

“Why?”

「Because it is our treasure.」

The cat’s voice echoed with unusual clarity.

Isaac looked down at the flint and steel in his hand. They were terribly common items, the kind you could find anywhere. Worn and old.

「It belonged to us in the first place. It was a deeply precious treasure passed down through our family for generations. But that cunning Amnemika tricked us and stole it away. Now that Amnemika is dead, the treasure should have returned to us, but the soldier who killed her took it.」

Isaac remembered the fairy tale his mother had told him about the witch’s treasure. Filled with a bizarre sense of déjà vu, he asked:

“And where is this tinderbox now?”

「In the King’s treasure vault.」

The legendary vault said to be overflowing with gold, jewels, and all the world’s most wondrous and mystical artifacts.

The cat repeated:

「Bring it to us. We need it.」

“Bring it to you…..?”

‘If it were that easy, why would those precious treasures still be sitting in there?’ Isaac clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“If you can talk to me like this, why don’t you just go get it yourselves?”

「No, no. The King’s treasure vault is inside the royal palace. What if we sneak into a place swarming with royals, get caught, and have our blood sucked dry?」

“Blood?! Why would they suck your blood? It’s not like the royals are vampires.”

「They’re cursed by a witch. If they drink the fresh blood of a witch, they can be temporarily freed from the curse for a single nig,」

「Quiet, Youngest!!!」

One of the other cats quickly clamped its front paws over the blabbing cat’s mouth, but it was a second too late.

“…… Aha…… is that so…..?”

‘I see. I can understand why they’d want to keep that a secret.’ If that fact ever became public knowledge, the royal family would hunt down witches with even more frenzied, bloodthirsty desperation.

The moment Isaac muttered this dryly, the cat’s body began to rapidly swell. Within seconds, it had grown far larger than the tiger he had seen earlier. Growing so massive that it practically filled the entire room, the beast bared its razor-sharp teeth and growled.

「If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll eat you alive! I’ll curse you with a horrifying hex…..!」

“I won’t say a word. I won’t say a word. I don’t exactly want to see something that gruesome either.”

Isaac waved his hands dismissively. ‘A witch having their blood sucked dry by a royal?’ Just the thought of it was horrifying. The beast eyed Isaac suspiciously, scrutinizing him up and down before slowly shrinking back down. Isaac watched in mild fascination as it swiftly returned to the size of a normal cat.

“But still, if you guys can use magic like that, can’t you just use magic to steal the tinderbox?”

「No. Magic doesn’t work inside that treasure vault. Furthermore, no witch can enter it. Our hands are tied.」

“Hmm…… Well, that’s a shame.”

Isaac looked down at the dejected, drooping cat and offered a carefree word of sympathy, like a man watching a fire burn across a river. In the very next second, the cat next to it suddenly spoke up.

「But you can enter. Because even though you’re half-witch, you’re also half-human.」

“Huh?”

「Exactly. Furthermore, you’ve got guts for a witch’s spawn, working right inside the royal palace.」

「And our treasure is in the royal palace.」

「Therefore, you are the absolute perfect candidate to retrieve our treasure.」

The cats fed off each other perfectly, practically finishing each other’s sentences. Ignoring Isaac’s dumbfounded stare, the cats immediately resumed their 「Bring it to us~, bring it to us~」

 chorus.

“……. Excuse me. I hate to break it to you,”

Isaac rubbed his temples, his brows furrowed tightly, as those yowls were about to give him a headache.

“That vault is not a place just anyone can waltz into. Lowly grunts like me don’t even get to see the door. I’m telling you, it’s a place you might get to see if you achieve some unimaginably massive feat for the kingdom.”

「Then just achieve a feat.」

Even when explained clearly and logically, these cats – who clearly knew nothing of how the human world worked – simply refused to listen, acting as if the solution were the easiest thing in the world. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Isaac.

“Forget it. My goal in life is to live quietly and peacefully. I’m not doing it. I don’t have the confidence to pull it off anyway. So go find someone else.”

Isaac delivered a firm rejection, then trudged toward his bed. The cats immediately hooked their claws into the hem of his pants, dangling from his legs and yowling noisily as he walked.

「Bring it to us! Bring it to us, I say!」

“Why should I?”

The moment Isaac asked, the yowling stopped dead. Looking down at the three cats dangling heavily from his pant legs, staring up at him with pleading eyes, Isaac let out a sigh.

“I feel bad for your situation, but I also have goals for my own life——”

「We’ll grant your wishes.」

It was the cat with the largest eyes that spoke. Detaching itself from Isaac, it hopped up onto the bed, sat down, and looked at him.

「Every new moon, we will grant you three wishes. We will lend you that flint. If you strike it once, this one——」 it pointed to the cat with teacup-sized eyes 「——will come. If you strike it twice, this one——」 it pointed to the cat with millwheel-sized eyes 「—will come. And if you strike it three times, I will come. We are bound to grant the wishes of whoever holds the flint. We will grant your wishes, so in return, you bring us the tinderbox.」

The cat rolled its tower-sized eyes as it spoke. The other two cats hopped up beside it, staring at Isaac.

Their gazes were reverent and solemn, exactly as if they were forging a sacred pact. ‘What an incredibly bizarre dream I’m having,’ Isaac thought, looking down at the flint and steel he was still holding in his hand.

“If I strike this, you’ll grant my wishes…..?”

Isaac muttered to himself, absentmindedly striking the steel against the flint. Even though he had struck it lightly, without much force, a small spark flew.

In that instant.

The shadow of the first cat swelled massively. As the shadow engulfed the entire room, Isaac realized it wasn’t just a shadow—the cat itself had transformed into a beast so enormous it could no longer simply be called a tiger. He knew this because a massive eye was glaring down at him from the ceiling.

「I shall grant your first wish. What is it that you desire?」

A low voice, sounding as though it were rumbling up from deep beneath the earth, vibrated through the room.

Staring at the beast right in front of his nose, Isaac swallowed dryly. Even though he knew this was a dream, his heart was hammering. ‘It’s fine. It’s just a dream. There’s nothing to be scared of.’

“A wish…… um…… let’s see……”

「What is it that you desire?」

The beast shoved its massive head right up against Isaac’s face. Faced with the growling, impatient beast practically breathing on him, Isaac’s mind went blank. He had never really thought about a ‘wish’ before. Something he desired. If he had to name something he desired……

“A…… A pretty——”

「What do you desire?!」

“A single night with the fairest beauty in all the land…..?!”

The words tumbled out of his mouth in a panic. It was a knee-jerk reaction triggered by the fleeting memory of drinking with his colleagues just a few days prior.

Only after he blurted it out did he belatedly think of a pretty wife, a pretty house, or pretty chickens. Realizing that that was the first wish his subconscious had spat out in a moment of panic, Isaac blushed furiously. ‘I guess I really am just a sleazy guy deep down.’

Deciding it was probably best to just ask for a different wish, Isaac raised his head, only to realize the massive beast had already vanished.

“Huh?? Wait, where did it go so fas……”

「And the second?」

“What?”

「The second wish. You have to strike it twice.」

The cat sitting on the right side of the bed pointed a paw at the flint in Isaac’s hand. Still looking around in confusion, wondering where the massive beast had disappeared to, Isaac absentmindedly struck the flint twice. *Clack. Clack.*

As a small spark flew, the cat on the right swelled massively. It looked slightly larger than the previous one. At the very least, its eyes were undoubtedly much bigger. They were practically the size of millwheels.

「What is it that you desire?」

Once again, a rumbling voice echoing from beneath the earth washed over Isaac. Staring blankly into the massive eyes glaring at him from a tilted, enormous head, Isaac suddenly let out a dry chuckle.

‘If this is a dream…… well, it doesn’t seem like a nightmare, so this is pretty fun.’ Yeah, it was just a dream, so why the hell not?

“Uh…… right. I’m hungry, so…… a spectacularly luxurious banquet.”

Isaac spoke boldly as he sat down on his rickety wooden chair. The moment the words left his lips, everything around him completely transformed.

A massive, lavish dining table appeared before him, completely covered in every extravagant delicacy imaginable. There were foods he had always wanted to eat but couldn’t afford, alongside incredibly appetizing dishes he had never even seen or heard of before. Fragrant wines. Fruit liquors. Cakes and iced desserts that looked like they would melt the second they touched his tongue.

It wasn’t just the food. Isaac’s room had completely transformed to match the table, looking so luxurious it could easily belong to a royal. The rickety old bed and the chipped wardrobe were gone, replaced by heavy, beautiful furniture and soft, vibrantly colored carpets. Even the wooden chair Isaac was sitting on had become a plush, silk-upholstered armchair.

“…… Holy……”

What on earth was happening? He felt like he had been dropped into a completely different world.

Staring blankly at the scene before him, Isaac met the eyes of the beast standing next to the table, which was looking at him as if to say, ‘Well? How is it?’

「Please, eat,」 the beast said with feigned politeness.

Only then did Isaac nod, murmuring an “Uh, right,” as his eyes drifted back to the food. The fragrant, mouthwatering scents stimulated his empty stomach. Deeply lamenting the fact that this magnificent feast was nothing more than a dream, Isaac happily grabbed a roasted turkey leg.

‘Who cares if it’s a dream? It’s a damn good dream. I just hope I don’t wake up until I’ve eaten it all.’ With that thought, Isaac began devouring the dishes lined up on the table. Marveling at the fact that he could actually taste the food in his dream – and that it tasted absolutely divine – he suddenly snapped his head up.

“Wait a minute…… Does this mean you guys are actually going to bring the most beautiful person in the kingdom here?”

「What about the third? You must make your third wish,」 the last remaining cat said, completely ignoring Isaac’s question.

Caught off guard, Isaac struck the flint three times. That cat, too, transformed into a massive beast. With its head nearly brushing the ceiling, the beast rolled its tower-sized eyes and looked down at Isaac.

「What is it that you desire?」

“Uh……”

Isaac hesitated, his mind drawing a blank. Rather than thinking of a new wish, the thought he’d had just a moment ago: ‘Am I really going to spend the night with the fairest beauty in all the land?’ refused to leave his head.

Even if it was just a dream, what was he supposed to do if they actually dropped a breathtaking beauty into his room? Was he even allowed to have a dream this good? Actually, since it was just a dream, he’d probably wake up the exact second she arrived…… But then again, he was currently eating this feast just fine. There was no law saying the beauty couldn’t stick around. And if the dream progressed, and one thing led to another, and things got slightly impure……

Isaac’s heart suddenly began to pound rapidly. Even though he lived a relatively modest and chaste life compared to the other guards, he was still a young man with desires. Watching Isaac suddenly blush and act all shy, the beast looked at him as if it had never seen anything so ridiculous in its life and pressed him again:「I asked, what do you desire?!」Unable to quickly think of a decent wish, Isaac mumbled vaguely.

‘What, what should I ask for? Right, if a beauty is gracing me with her presence, I should at least offer her some jewels or flowers.’

Not thinking too deeply about it, Isaac stammered, “Then, something that would make her happy——”

At that exact moment.

The window burst open.

A violently fierce wind swept into the room.

The unseasonal, typhoon-like gale sent everything in the room fluttering and rattling. Isaac shielded his face with his arms and shrank back.

Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the wind died down into total stillness. Everything in the room settled back into its original place, exactly as if nothing had happened. And there, in the center of it all, Isaac saw something that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

A massive beast was standing in the middle of the room.

It was the pitch-black beast with eyes the size of teacups—the one that had appeared and vanished when Isaac struck the flint the first time. And right now, it was carrying a person on its back.

“——”

‘They actually brought her.’ Isaac realized this instinctively.

The beauty seemed to have lost consciousness—though, considering the late hour, it wouldn’t be strange if she had simply been asleep when she was taken. She lay slumped over the beast’s back. Her face was mostly hidden by the beast’s long, dark fur, but Isaac could clearly see her disheveled hair glowing brilliantly like spun gold.

It was the most beautiful hair he had ever seen in his life. For the owner of such hair to be anything less than breathtakingly beautiful seemed entirely impossible. Pressing a hand against his wildly hammering heart, Isaac unknowingly shot up from his chair and approached the beast and the beauty.

Perhaps sensing his approach, the beauty seemed to stir faintly. Even though the small movement ceased almost immediately, Isaac realized she wasn’t fully asleep. She was conscious.

‘Is she scared? Of course she is. Being dragged out of bed by a giant beast in the middle of the night—she must be terrified.’ Feeling deeply apologetic and sympathetic, Isaac spoke to her gently.

“Beautiful lady, please do not be afraid. As for who I am……”

Isaac was just about to deliver a manly, dignified introduction, assuring her that he was a respectable young man serving in the Royal Guard and would never do anything to harm her, when the beauty suddenly slid limply off the beast’s back and tumbled onto the carpet.

“Hey! Are you okay?!”

Isaac rushed to her side, startled, and dropped to his knees beside her. Sprawled face-down on the floor, the beauty seemed to be in pain, breathing heavily and occasionally trembling with faint, shallow spasms.

“Hey you, are you hurt some……”

As Isaac gathered the beauty into his arms, he froze mid-sentence.

She was wearing nothing but a thin, sheer robe, which was completely soaked – as if she had just been pulled from a lake – and clinging tightly to her skin. Realizing she was likely completely naked beneath the single layer of fabric, the perfect contours of her body on full display, Isaac blushed furiously and quickly averted his eyes…… But.

“……”

‘Wait. Something feels wrong here. What’s wrong is……’

Isaac frowned in confusion, then quickly turned back. In that exact second, the beauty reached out and grabbed his wrist. A flicker of surprise crossed Isaac’s face as his gaze fell to her hand.

He was shocked.

He was shocked by the terrifying strength of the grip crushing his wrist. He was shocked that the hand was unexpectedly large—larger, in fact, than his own. But more than anything, he was shocked because the hand was dripping wet with a reddish liquid.

Now that he looked closer, it wasn’t just the hand. The beauty’s entire body was glistening with that same reddish liquid.

‘What is this…..? This thin, red water that smells like copper…..’

“…… Sweat…… mixed with blood…..?”

The moment Isaac muttered those words.

The ‘beauty’ clutching Isaac’s arm slowly lifted their head. Disheveled golden hair clung to a sweat-drenched face. Through the gaps in that hair, Isaac saw a pair of eyes that seemed to be drifting somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness.

And the instant he locked eyes with those terrifyingly deep blue pupils…

“——.”

Isaac’s heart stopped.

He knew this person.

It was the one person Isaac never, ever wanted to meet in a private setting like this—no, the one person he should never have crossed paths with in his entire life——.

Prince Kyan.