It is darkest under the lamp; the answer was right under his nose.

Isaac stared blankly at the cats lying side-by-side on their bellies next to the shade of the tree he was sitting under. One had its eyes half-closed in sleep, one was rolling around in the grass, and one was licking the back of Isaac’s hand.

“You knew?”

「We knew.」

“You knew? About the Witch of Roberni?”

「Of course. We’re fellow witches.」

Isaac blinked his eyes, staring at the brats answering so nonchalantly.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

「You didn’t ask?」

“…….”

Isaac’s blinking eyes narrowed. At the same time, the cat that had been licking his hand seemed to sense something and pinned its whiskers back.

“Aiyaa, these brats, these pretty brats, what am I going to do with these pretty brats??”

The cat whose whiskers were grabbed hissed, Haaack, and kicked its hind legs in a temper. A long scratch appeared on the back of his hand, and drops of blood welled up like corn kernels. 

「I told you that if you carelessly touched my beauty, you’d pay a heavy price?!」

The one who kicked opened its eyes wide and glared at him. “Ouch,” as Isaac shook his hand, another one raised its head, and licked the back of his hand.

“So, who is it, this Witch of Roberni? What kind of person—well, not a person, but—is she?”

「A bad bitch.」

“…….”

The answer came back extremely concise, and Isaac fell silent for a moment.

To be fair, witches are fundamentally wicked and evil beings. Sometimes they help humans, but basically, the vast majority commit evil deeds. So that statement wasn’t exactly wrong……

「Her roots were rotten from a young age.」

「I knew it from the moment she turned Eleonora’s precious hellhound into a whole roast and fed it to her.」

「And what about when she skinned Hetisha, whom everyone praised, and burned the pelt.」

The three of them started chattering away.

「But now she’s banished from the Land of the Dark Moon and can never return, so even if we cross over to the Land of the Dark Moon, we won’t run into her.」

One of them said. Isaac raised an eyebrow.

“What did she do to get banished?”

The three of them looked at Isaac simultaneously. As those huge eyes all turned to him at once, Isaac unwittingly felt overwhelmed by the sheer force and shut his mouth. The three of them spoke.

「She did something she shouldn’t have.」

“What’s that?”

「She bought her own life with the lives of other witches.」

Isaac closed his mouth. The eyes of the three were gleaming unusually.

The Witch of Roberni—Alikisha—was a witch born with innately immense magical power. Her nature was so cruel and wicked that there was no room for criticism of her as a ‘witch’. She was vicious even to other witches, drawing resentment among her own kind, but because she was so overwhelmingly powerful, no one dared to cross her.

She greatly enjoyed tormenting humans and throwing them into misery, freely coming and going between the human world and the Land of Dark Moon. However, about a hundred years ago, when witch hunts were at their peak, she was caught in a trap set by an unprecedentedly strong human wizard and fell into a life-threatening crisis. At that time, in exchange for her own life, she sold out the information of witches hiding in the human world, causing countless witches to lose their lives.

Because of that incident, Alikisha was banished from the Land of Dark Moon, and she came to live solely in the human world.

“And then…… she ended up joining hands with Roberni?”

Isaac asked back, scratching the bridge of his nose.

In its own way, it was a practical and wise choice. Was Roberni not the dark power of the human world? However, the cats snorted.

「As if.」

「You think our noble kin would trade with lowly humans?」

「Someone as prideful as Alikisha wouldn’t directly deal with humans she considers insects.」

「If they were at least a high-ranking wizard, they might barely qualify to be our familiar, so she 

might make a contract with them.」

“…… Aigoo, you pretty little things…….”

Isaac tried to grab their whiskers again, but this time all three swiftly dodged, so he failed.

Isaac sighed inwardly, recalling the crest he had seen last night. The crest that was revealed for a brief moment as the corpse crumbled and vanished was undeniably the unique crest of the Wizard Guild Master. Sure enough, the connection was now made.

Roberni to the Guild Master, and the Guild Master to the witch.

“……They say the Guild Master always stays holed up in his private laboratory in the Royal Palace and never comes out, but to think he met the witch. Don’t they meet regularly if they make a contract?”

No matter how outstanding a wizard he was, if he made contact with a witch inside the Royal Research Institute where other wizards gathered, it couldn’t have remained this devoid of rumors. When Isaac muttered, the cats rolled their eyes.

「Why would they meet separately when they are always together?」

“Always together?”

「They use the same body.」

Isaac blinked. The cats also blinked back.

「I guess this kid doesn’t know.」

「Why doesn’t he know what anyone would know if they’re a witch?」

「It must be because our Manbang is a half-blood. Tsk, tsk.」

The cats, chattering among themselves, only spoke after swiftly dodging Isaac’s hand that tried to grab their whiskers again.

「Alikisha has no body.」

As the witches who died gruesome deaths because of her betrayal were dying, they cursed her. Because curses attach to the physical flesh, to escape the witches’ curse, Alikisha hid her body deep where no one could find it. The curse is still searching for her body.

「…… So she possesses another’s body, using it as a vessel to live.」

Looking at the cat rubbing its face with its front paw after saying something so horrifyingly nonchalant, Isaac lost his words.

Inside the Guild Master’s body.

「That won’t be easy for her either. A human body is far too weak to be used as a vessel for a witch’s soul, so it can’t be used for long.」

「She’ll probably have to change the body she’s using now soon. I saw it yesterday, and the breath exhaled when using magic through that corpse smelled fishy.」

「It seems the inside of the human body she’s currently occupying is almost entirely rotted.」

「Has she found a new body to enter? There are plenty of greedy humans, so it won’t be hard, but the annoying part is having to sync it frequently,」 the cats chattered calmly, as if discussing changing clothes.

Witches tempt humans with desires. And the one who falls for that temptation to fulfill their desires must pay a price. Even knowing how fatal that price is, there are always plenty of people who succumb to the temptation in front of them and make a contract. Especially if they have a desire strong enough to summon a witch.

“……Have you guys ever met that Witch of Roberni?”

「Of course. We hate meeting her, though.」

「Can’t be helped. Witches must attend the Grand Assembly right before the Great New Moon.」

「We have to see her face at least once every seven years. We hate meeting her, though.」

The Witches’ Grand Assembly. Isaac nodded, recalling what his mother had told him when he was very young.

Any witch living in the human world was obligated to attend. The gathering of witches that took place from midnight on the eve of the Great New Moon, which comes once every seven years. A banquet where they gather at the location of the strongest witch in the human world, eating human flesh and drinking blood until dawn.

“Is the Witch of Roberni the strongest witch remaining in the human world right now?”

「We are much more noble!」

「We are the great and holy three siblings of the prestigious Gregoroborius family!」

Isaac’s question made the cats flare up.

“…… So, who is the strongest?”

「Her.」

「That wicked thing is stronger.」

Every word of their chattering was dripping with deep dissatisfaction that they hated to admit it. Yeah, I bet she is, Isaac clicked his tongue.

「Ugh, I hate seeing her. But we have to see her again this year.」

「Once we cross over to the Land of Dark Moon, we won’t have to see her again.」

「Let’s cross over quickly.」

「Let’s go quickly.」

「So give us the flint quickly.」

Give it to us, give it to us, give it to us, the cats chorused their meows in unison. It was so loud he thought he’d go deaf.

Isaac pushed away the snout of a cat that was still licking the back of his hand.

“I’d love to if I could……. Ah, stop licking, it hurts.”

「Hurts? Why does it hurt? You don’t even have a wound there?」

“Because a cat’s tongue is rough. Do you know how delicate my skin is!”

Isaac quickly grabbed the cat’s tongue with his fingers. The cat, caught off guard, frantically pulled its head back and hissed, “Haaackkk.”

Just as they said, the wounds had already healed completely. Last night, Isaac returned home with a body full of injuries and tatters, collapsing onto the bed and immediately losing consciousness. During that time, the cats must have licked his wounds clean, so when he woke up in the late afternoon, both the sword slashes and the burn marks had vanished without a trace.…… Instead, they must have licked so fervently that his skin felt raw, as if rubbed by sandpaper.  

Because the wounds healed too cleanly, fearing others might grow suspicious, he deliberately wrapped bandages around his limbs, but thanks to that, Isaac was back to being completely whole. Since it was a new moon night, his physical condition was already good, and he felt no fatigue at all—perfectly healthy.  

……. Though they sometimes say unpleasant things, they can also be endearing. Isaac watched the cat licking his fingertip again and chuckled.  

「This guy has a rich flavor. Salty, savory, and fatty.」

The cat licking his fingertip murmured softly. The cat beside it, using its front paws to wash its face, nodded in agreement.  

「Sometimes there are humans with an especially delicious taste. You know, they say this guy’s father was really tasty. That’s why Kali originally planned to catch and eat that man, but somehow got led around by the nose, ended up giving birth to this guy, and now they live together.」  

「Exactly, exactly. That’s right—good ingredients make good dishes. As they say, you reap what you sow; if the parents are delicious, the child will be delicious too.」

“……, Huh……?”  

Isaac stood dumbfounded, mouth agape, blinking in confusion. What was this? It seemed he had just overheard a dark secret about his parents……. But wait, more than that, what is with the drool forming at the mouths of the three cats staring intently at him as he said that?

“Your gaze is very sketchy right now……?”

「Slurp, slurp, slurp, nom nom…….」

“…… They say cat meat is good for neuralgia…….”

As Isaac narrowed his eyes and glared back at them, the brats flinched and immediately puffed up, opening their eyes wide in anger, “Haccckkk!!!”

These insolent brats, I can’t let them be. Isaac, sitting in the grass, kicked at them, but of course, it didn’t hit the nimble trio. With the three of them hissing and taking a step back just out of reach, Isaac lay flat on his back exactly as he was.

The sky was turning red. The sun was setting over the western mountains. The moonless night was approaching.

The Prince must not have woken up yet. Actually, recalling his complexion earlier, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to wake up for three days and nights.

Obeying the Prince’s order to come out in the afternoon, Isaac had woken up late, eaten lunch, and arrived at the Blue Shadow Palace. He had relieved the sentry guarding the bedroom door with a dark complexion, and it was already past three in the afternoon. After the sentry, leaving behind a pathetic look, hastily scurried away, Isaac had to stand there alone for a long time.

It was the day of the New Moon. A day when lingering around the Prince’s line of sight could get him killed if he was unlucky. On this day, no one wanted to come near the Prince’s bedroom. It was so bad that even Natasha, who had brought the afternoon tea tray according to the set schedule, was trembling as she asked, ‘Prince Kyan, is he awake……?’

‘I think he’s still sleeping. There’s no sign of movement.’

‘Right……, ……still, I should leave the water kettle…….’

Natasha muttered with a pale face and stood in front of the bedroom door. But even then, seeing her hesitate, unable to muster the courage to go in, Isaac said, ‘Shall I take it in and come back?’ She beamed and handed the tray to him.

Yeah, no matter how deeply asleep he was, entering the cage of a bare-handed beast wouldn’t put one’s mind at ease. Isaac carefully opened the bedroom door without a sound and entered. The dark room with thick curtains drawn was impossibly silent.

Craning his neck slightly to peer at the bed from a distance, the Prince was there.

There wasn’t the slightest movement. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. For a moment, his heart plummeted, wondering if he was dead; the Prince had his eyes closed without a single twitch. He seemed more unconscious than asleep. Staring at him frozen for a while, Isaac eventually quieted his footsteps, approached the bed, and set the tray down on the side table.

As he swapped the water kettle and glass, he glanced at the bed, seeing the Prince’s face completely drained of blood, looking deathly pale.

‘…….’

Isaac clicked his tongue inwardly. Seeing his physical condition deteriorate this drastically every new moon right before his eyes didn’t make him feel good. Isaac, too, felt his body become heavy and exhausted during the new moon, but it was incomparable to this.

It would have been better if he hadn’t received the curse. It wasn’t even a curse he received because of his own fault to begin with.

It’s truly cruel, Isaac thought as he sighed inwardly. He definitely didn’t make any sound, but as if he had heard him breathe, the Prince suddenly opened his eyes.

‘——.’

He was startled. He had been staring blankly at the Prince’s face, and when he suddenly opened his eyes, Isaac stopped breathing and froze.

Perhaps his vision wasn’t clear, as the Prince’s gaze, blinking slowly, wandered around the ceiling. With his eyes clouded, it seemed he hadn’t fully regained consciousness. In those clouded eyes that blinked a couple of times, only the pupils rolled to the side. Roll. It felt like he could hear the sound of a vivid blue marble rolling.

Their eyes met. It felt like cold water had been poured over his heart. There was no warmth of a human being felt from it.

Isaac remained frozen and looked back at him quietly. The Prince, who had fixed his gaze on Isaac, blinked his eyes once, twice. Then,

‘You…….’

The Prince spat out. The voice flowing from his bone-dry lips was also bone-dry, sounding as if it were leaking out by roughly scraping his throat.

‘Yes, Your Highness.’

Isaac answered. The Prince blinked again, staring intently at Isaac. The strength seemed to fade from his eyes, which he seemed to be forcing open. As if finding peace, his eyelids fluttered shut again.

‘Right, you’re there.’

‘Yes. I am. Do you need anything?’

Isaac asked, but the Prince’s words ended there. Closing his eyes again, the Prince didn’t open them anymore, falling into a sleep as if he had lost consciousness again.

Even after that, Isaac didn’t move from his spot for a while, staring blankly at the Prince before quietly, very quietly leaving the bedroom.

After that, nothing happened. Isaac, whose evening shift approached along with break time, had his dinner substituted with quiche and tea packed by Natasha, and had come out to the outer courtyard.

Seeing that there was no sound from the sentry he had briefly left his post to during break time, it seemed the Prince had still not woken up. Today, he was practically submerged in sleep all day. According to Natasha, this was generally the case on the day of the new moon. She said it was an instinct to preserve his body in advance, as his energy would be severely drained all through the night of the new moon.

“……It would be nice if he could just sleep soundly through the night without waking up.”

Isaac mumbled to himself. So that he wouldn’t have to feel that terrible pain, so that he wouldn’t wake up from his sleep until the night of the new moon was over.

「He can’t. It hurts.」

「If it were you, could you sleep well while being poked with iron skewers?」

「No, it’ll hurt way more than that.」

The cats, understanding his words perfectly, chattered again. Hearing those words made him feel sorry and sad again, so Isaac let out a quiet sigh. It was the same feeling he had earlier when he stood by the bed looking down at the Prince for a long time.

“I’d gladly give my blood if it would help…….”

「Hey, hey, Manbang is saying Manbang things again.」

「Oh boy, there’s no medicine for that.」

Hearing the cats put their heads together and chatter, Isaac grabbed their tails, shook them gently, and stood up from his seat. Looking up at the darkening sky, he dusted the dry grass off his clothes.

“I should head back in soon,” Isaac said. The cats also got up and trotted around Isaac’s feet.

The sun was setting; it was the new moon, their night. Looking down at the brats who were excited and chattering away, Isaac’s physical condition was lighter and better than ever, but his heart was incredibly heavy, and he let out a long sigh.

“Alright……, as for the wish I’ll make this new moon…….”