It was a truly spectacular sight.

In a spacious, brilliantly lit hall, there was a massive, luxurious table piled so high with food that the legs looked ready to snap. The dishes, seemingly fresh out of the oven and wafting warm steam, all looked incredibly appetizing. Isaac stared at the table, completely mesmerized.

‘Please, go ahead and eat.’

As Isaac stood there simply staring and salivating, the middle-aged servant standing beside him smiled benevolently and spoke.

‘Pardon? ……May I really eat this?’

Startled, Isaac asked in return. The servant smiled even more kindly and nodded. ‘But of course. This food is all for you, Sir Guard.’

Hearing those words, a sudden wave of hunger washed over Isaac, and he immediately started with the stew right in front of him. Such a clean yet rich taste—surely there could be no other stew as delicious as this in the entire world.

The servant, who cleared the empty plate from in front of Isaac as soon as he finished it in a flash, pulled the next dish over and placed it before him. Isaac gave a small bow of gratitude and tackled the next dish. It was a quiche*. Filled with mushrooms and nuts, the quiche was impossibly savory and flavorful.

Once again promptly clearing the empty plate, the servant brought over the next dish: an incredibly thick and massive steak. As his knife cut into the lightly seared meat, the juices oozed out abundantly; it was truly the best steak of his life.

Eating the very last piece of that massive steak, Isaac felt incredibly happy and satisfied. The taste was excellent, his stomach was feeling perfectly full, and now, a light dessert to cleanse his palate would make it flawless.

‘Um, then I’ll have dessert now…….’

Isaac said to the servant clearing the empty plate. At that, the servant gave that same gentle smile and replied.

‘Of course, dessert is also prepared, but there are still many main dishes remaining before that.’

‘Pardon? ……Main dishes? Many of them?’

Keeping the smile on his face, Isaac blinked his eyes in confusion. Was a main course supposed to have that many dishes? Come to think of it, everything he had eaten so far was quite heavy and voluminous.

Meanwhile, an empanada stuffed with minced vegetables and three types of meat, accompanied by cooked greens, appeared before Isaac.

‘Excuse me, I’m quite full so I’d like to stop eating…….’

‘You must eat.’

The servant was smiling as softly as ever. Isaac went ‘Huh?’ and blinked his eyes, but since it was food they had gone out of their way to serve, he chewed and swallowed it down. Of course, the empanada was delicious too. It was far more superb than any empanada Isaac had ever eaten in his life.

Anyway, since it tasted good, he forced himself to finish it despite being full, leaving his stomach distended like a swollen mountain.

‘Phew……, that was a good mea—…….’

However, while Isaac was patting his stomach and offering his thanks, a new dish appeared in the place of the swiftly vanished empty plate. A whole roasted turkey.

‘Please, enjoy.’

‘……., ……., ……No, this is a bit too much…….’

Erasing his smile, Isaac spoke to the servant, who was still smiling warmly, but the servant didn’t bat an eyelash.

‘You must eat.’

‘……, Why?’

‘It is His Highness the Prince’s strict order.’

Isaac stared blankly at the servant with his mouth hanging open. With an endlessly soft expression, the servant pointed toward the expansive table. The table where luxurious, brilliant dishes were lined up without end.

‘These are all things you must consume, Sir Guard. You cannot finish your meal until you have eaten everything.’

“Where is there such a rul—” Isaac started to protest, but the servant, smiling profoundly, firmly cut him off.

‘Even now, the chef is continuously preparing more dishes for you. He is an outstanding chef who has never once grown tired or taken a single break.’

‘……, I c-can’t eat it. I can’t eat that much. I can’t eat anymore. If I eat any more, I’ll di—,’

Even as he spoke, Isaac stared with wide eyes at the dishes suddenly multiplying more and more on the table. Every single one was incredibly heavy and rich. Even something meant to be a light soup was a thick, greasy meat stew.

‘Now, please hurry and eat before it gets cold.’

Whether Isaac’s face turned deathly pale or not, the servant smiled gently and pushed the dishes in front of him. Even as Isaac resisted, crying out that he couldn’t eat anymore, that his stomach would burst and he would die, the dishes forced their way into his mouth on their own accord.

Every single bite was peerlessly delicious. And there was enough of it to kill him.

* * *

“I can’t eat anymore…… I really can’t…… hic, please spare me……”

Isaac had been sobbing for some time now. At first, he had only been faking it, hoping they might show some mercy if he looked pitiful. But as he wept, he found his own plight so pathetic: ‘How did I end up subjected to force-feeding torture?’ that real tears actually welled in his eyes. As he sniffled, a sound began to drift into his ears.

「Look at him. He doesn’t even dream, yet he’s tasting such a desperate tragedy.」

「By the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like something he wants. It’s either something someone else wants from him, or something that’s bound to happen in the future.」

「Whichever it is, I just wish he’d wake up already…」

That grumbling, chattering murmur was incredibly familiar.

Opening his eyes with a sniffle, Isaac blinked his damp eyelids. His vision, blurred with tears, cleared after a few blinks.

The mountain of dishes that had been crushing him was gone. Instead, soft, golden sunlight filtered through the curtains, shimmering quietly along the fabric.

“……”

「……」

The first things to catch his eye were three silver birdcages hanging by the window next to the bed. Inside each of them sat a cat.

“…… What are you guys doing in,”

‘—there?’ He couldn’t even finish the question because his voice was utterly hoarse. Clutching his raspy throat, which sounded like that of a 99 year-old, Isaac blinked.

‘Wait. What just happened was a dream. And this is my room—the one assigned to me in the Heilen annex. It looks like early afternoon. But why am I lying in bed at this hour……’

“——.”

The moment he tossed and turned to piece his memory together, a silent gasp escaped his lips. “Argh.” The lower half of his body felt as if it were splitting wide open. Even though his lower body felt numb and paralyzed, a throbbing wave of pain—one that made him think, ‘I’m dead,’ surged through him, and his memories suddenly flashed vividly back to life.

‘……Right. That was what happened.’

For a moment, Isaac forgot the pain and stared blankly into space. It can’t be a dream. There is no way this is a dream when it literally feels like my body has been split in two.

The sensation of pressing skin, hot breath brushing against his ear, the stifling heat, and the relentless friction that had heated up his insides—everything rushed back with searing clarity. He vaguely remembered seeing dawn break outside the window, but exactly when he had lost consciousness remained a blur. Nor did he know how he had ended up back here. He had definitely been at the Lord’s manor……

「You were carried back wrapped in a blanket.」

One of the cats in the cages muttered grumpily. Isaac flinched.

「The handsome guy rolled you up like a straw mat in a blanket, plopped you right in front of him, and rode back on his horse.」

「Left the Lord’s manor in broad daylight, right in front of everyone, and came back to the annex in broad daylight.」

「The Lord and his daughter looked absolutely mortified. Their faces were white as sheets.」

「No wonder. They were standing outside the door all night, pacing anxiously and hearing every single sound.」

「My, oh my. You two were truly shameless. Why on earth did you make them listen to such scandalous, pounding noises right where a sheltered young lady was standing side by side with her father?」

The more he heard, the more humiliating it became. Isaac clutched his head, buried his face in the mattress, and let out a long, agonizing groan. “Ugggh……” The mental shock was so severe it nearly made him forget his physical agony.

He could easily picture it. Considering the Prince’s usual behavior, though Isaac had been too disoriented and out of it to remember anything beyond what was happening directly to his own body, that the Prince was not someone who cared about what others thought. In all likelihood, the Prince wouldn’t have given a damn whether someone called from outside, cleared their throat, or even opened the door. He would have freely gone about his business. And he would have done the exact same thing when leaving the Lord’s manor and returning to the annex.

Since the Prince’s personality was already infamous, it probably wasn’t anything new for rumors, but it was likely the first time the people of Heilen had witnessed it firsthand. They must have been utterly shocked…… ‘And my social standing has officially hit rock bottom and shattered into pieces.’

「Social standing? What’s that? Did Manbang-ie ever have anything like that?」

「He must mean the stage right before ‘a body already past saving.’」

Isaac, curling up beneath the birdcages as the cats kept chattering away, eventually raised his head. ‘Well, they do have a point.’ One of Isaac’s greatest strengths was his remarkably fast physical and mental recovery.

“Is Ellie okay? She’s fine, right?”

「The moment she parted with you last night, she bolted a hundred leagues away. What is there to worry about?」

「To be fair, those succubus are absolutely unmatched when it comes to fleeing. They’re so quick to read the room; the second they sense danger, they bolt without looking back.」

「She’ll probably never show her face around Heilen again.」

Hearing the cats’ words, Isaac breathed a sigh of relief. Once he took his mind off his own situation, the first thing he recalled was the image of the trembling, terrified succubi. She hadn’t exactly been exposed as a non-human, but since she was a witch, and because he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Prince had cast a chilling look at her, she had been weighing on his mind.

“Right…… I feel a bit bad that she had to run like that after helping me.”

「Well, that kind of thing is just a daily occurrence in a witch’s life.」

「If you feel so bad, just share some of your vitality with her the next time you cross paths.」

「She’d absolutely love it. She might even suck you dry. Hey, won’t you give us some, too?」As they spoke, staring intently at Isaac, drool began to pool in the cats’ mouths. These little rascals……

“Where on earth would I have extra vitality to share with you guys? I’m already so short on it that I have to collect it bit by bit from people!”

「Even though you gorged yourself to bursting yesterday?!」

「You looked like you wouldn’t need to feed for another hundred years!」

The moment Isaac glared at them, the cats flared up and snapped back in unison…… But since they already had huge eyes, when they flared them in anger, Isaac was completely overwhelmed by their intensity. But their words triggered another memory he had forgotten.

For the first time in his life, he had consumed someone else’s vitality.

That bizarre sensation, which he had never experienced during his time living solely as a human, came back to him along with the memory of an ecstatically sweet taste flowing into his body. Just recalling it made him feel lightheaded, as if a sweet, rich aroma was still reverberating deep within him.

“…… I had no idea it would taste that good.”

The common word ‘delicious’ felt utterly inadequate. As Isaac stared blankly into the air, lost in the memory of that indescribable flavor, the cats exchanged glances, tilted their heads, and asked:

「Was it really that good? That handsome guy’s vitality? We thought it would taste incredibly bitter.」

“Does the taste differ from person to person?”

「Of course it does. Even blood tastes different, so why would vitality taste the same?」

「It varies by age, gender, diet, and personality. That handsome guy has everything going for him, but because of his terrible personality, we were sure his vitality would taste like bitter poison. What a shock. Or maybe Manbang-ie just has bizarre taste buds,」the cats chattered from their suspended cages.

After staring into space for a moment longer, Isaac slowly shook his head.

“There’s no way a taste like that exists anywhere else.”

Absolutely nowhere.

The vitality that had trickled into him, drop by drop, through their intertwined bodies. That breathtakingly sweet sensation filling him from the inside out. It was so perfect that Isaac could confidently declare nothing else could ever surpass it.

The cats stared at Isaac, giving him major side-eye.

「Well, you won’t be able to walk for a few days, but at least you got a good meal out of it, so you can’t really complain.」

“Why wouldn’t I be able to walk for a few days?”

「Can you?」

At the cat’s skeptical question, Isaac tried to sit up in confusion, only to be violently reminded of the throbbing, agonizing ache below his waist. The sudden movement squeezed a sharp gasp from his throat. It felt as though his insides were still stretched wide open, and the entrance that had been breached was raw and burning.

「Though, I suppose Manbang-ie is built a bit different.」

「Seriously. How are you even alive after taking something that huge inside you?」

「Right? That’s easily on par with a mid-to-high-tier demon, isn’t it?」

「Given that demons have much larger physical builds than humans, that handsome guy is definitely abnormal.」

「I honestly thought our Manbang-ie was going to die yesterday.」

The cats stared intently at him, their eyes practically screaming, ‘How on earth did you survive that?’ With three pairs of wide, round eyes boring into him simultaneously, Isaac shrank back in spite of himself and stammered.

“Well…… I mean…… he did loosen me up a bit beforehand…… and, uh, warmed up my body in his own way……”

‘What on earth am I saying in front of these guys…… No, wait. They’re magical beasts who are at least several hundred years old.’ Isaac rambled incoherently, his mind spinning as fast as his tongue.

「Well, that’s true. That handsome guy did work you over pretty thoroughly with his fingers before shoving his own in.」

「That was so unlike him. Yesterday, up until Manbang-i was dragged into his room, his mood was absolutely scraping rock bottom.」

「He must have found him incredibly delicious. He always did have a taste for Manbang-ie. Even yesterday, he was biting, licking, and sucking him all over—and look how he didn’t let him go all night, even after the kid passed out.」

Isaac had been mostly filtering out the cats’ relentless chattering from their cages, but suddenly, something caught his attention.

“…… Did you guys watch the whole thing?”

「「「We did.」」」

The three of them answered cheerfully in perfect unison.

「Watched all night.」, 「Saw everything.」 ,「Saw every single detail.」 They each chimed in one after another. Isaac clutched his head again and collapsed face-first onto the mattress. A long, muffled groan “Urghhh……” escaped into his pillow.

「No matter how we looked at it, we figured our Manbang-ie’s privates would be incredibly worn out, torn up, and shredded, so we wanted to lick it better for you. But that handsome guy suddenly grabbed us by the scruff of our necks and shoved us into these birdcages.」

“The handsome guy is evil! The handsome guy is evil!” As the cats chanted in unison, Isaac stared at them with sheer horror in his eyes. ‘Lick…… whut?!’

「So we couldn’t heal you.」

「Which is why you’re probably in a lot of pain.」

「Still, look on the bright side—you survived.」

「He’s built for it, absolutely built for it!」 Isaac covered his ears to block out the voices of the chattering rascals. Meanwhile, given how intensely it throbbed and ached, he couldn’t help but worry that he might actually be severely injured.

Isaac was normally quite good at tolerating pain, and even now, if he pushed himself, he could probably force himself up. However…… the lower half of his body truly felt as limp and heavy as if it were paralyzed, throbbing with a dull ache.

“……”

Isaac slowly slipped his hand down beneath the sheets. Did I get hurt that badly? He carefully felt around. Checking the area from his inner thighs to deeper inside, it felt somewhat alright, yet also incredibly tender and stinging. Then, very gently, he reached toward the opening of his backside.

“Ah,”

A sharp, burning sensation flared instantly, making him wince. It felt considerably swollen. Did it tear or get chafed? ……Since he couldn’t see, it was difficult to tell by touch alone.

He needed to know how badly he was injured so he could either apply ointment or ask for treatment. Just as Isaac was breaking into a cold sweat, carefully checking himself down there,

*Click.* The door opened.

Without warning, the door directly opposite the bed swung open, and the Prince stepped inside. Their eyes locked instantly.

“……”

Isaac froze on the spot, his hand still tucked between his thighs. The Prince paused mid-stride, staring blankly at the frozen Isaac, before calmly closing the door and walking inside as if nothing were amiss.

“I had no idea you would find last night’s session insufficient.”

Flinching under the Prince’s cool, nonchalant gaze, Isaac frantically shook his head.

“—It wasn’t! It wasn’t insufficient at all!”

After staring intently at Isaac’s dead-serious expression, the Prince sat down on the sofa by the window. For a split second, the corners of the Prince’s mouth seemed to twitch upward in a smirk, making Isaac blink. However, the backlight made it hard to be sure.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ve already examined you. It’s quite swollen, but the injuries are just minor chafing. You’ll be fine with some occasional ointment.”

“……, Yes, thank you.”

Isaac felt like dying of embarrassment all over again at the phrase ‘already examined you,’ but he desperately forced the thought out of his head. Just focus on the bottom line—that he’s not badly hurt. Otherwise, the mental shock will be too great for him to ever stand up again.

Feeling the Prince’s gaze lingering on him, Isaac tried to quickly pull himself out of bed…… but his body refused to cooperate.

Which was the lesser evil: lying sprawled out on the bed in front of a high-born royal, or strutting around stark naked in front of him to gather his clothes? Isaac agonized over the choice, but the Prince didn’t seem to care either way. He simply watched Isaac for a moment before dropping a brief remark.

“You seem relatively fine. You passed out so quickly without holding out much, so I assumed you hadn’t been able to absorb much vitality.”

‘Not holding out much? I’m pretty sure I was mostly conscious until dawn……’ Isaac was about to protest, but stopped as he suddenly realized his body felt incredibly light. Although his inner thighs were aching and throbbing like hell, his physical condition was excellent. In fact, he felt more refreshed and energized than ever before!

“I actually think I absorbed plenty of vitality…… Are you alright, Prince Kyan?”

Realizing his slip of the tongue a second too late, Isaac quickly looked up at the Prince. The fact that he was so brimming with energy meant he had drained an equal amount of the Prince’s strength. Since he had essentially fed continuously all night, a normal human would have been left completely depleted, if not half-dead.

Yet, the Prince sitting before him looked perfectly fine. In fact, he looked even better than usual. Or rather, did he actually look in a good mood? His expression was as indifferent as ever, but the air around him felt strangely warm and relaxed. It was a rare sight indeed.

“Did you even get a proper meal?”

The Prince looked back at Isaac with a skeptical eye, and Isaac tilted his head in confusion. 

‘That’s weird. I’m certain I took in an immense amount……’

「I told you, that guy isn’t human. Look at him, perfectly fine even after having his vitality drained like that all night.」

「Beyond fine—his face is practically glowing with health.」

「Is he some kind of bottomless well, or what?」

“……I fed more than enough…… I suppose Prince Kyan simply possesses an incredibly vast vessel.”

Isaac muttered, keeping his voice low beneath the chattering cats. It seemed the Prince’s inhuman nature extended even to things like this. He couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing……

“I won’t need to gather vitality from other people anymore…… Assuming you’re willing to provide it, of course…… I mean, not that I’m demanding it from you……”

Realizing his words made it sound as though he was taking the Prince’s vitality for granted, Isaac had quickly tried to backpedal. But his clumsy excuse only made things feel embarrassing in a completely different way, throwing him back into a flustered ramble. His face began to burn hot once more.

Watching Isaac’s flustered display in silence, the Prince spoke coolly.

“There is no need to act so much like a human.”

“……?”

“Aren’t witches supposed to be accustomed to this? Giving and receiving power through intercourse, and enjoying the pleasure of it. Trying to act pure and innocent is just laughable.”

Isaac fell silent. He stared quietly at the Prince for a moment, then slowly lowered his gaze.

“If that’s what you believe, then I can’t help it…… but I am truly embarrassed. Even having this conversation with you right now is me pushing past my limits.”

Isaac muttered weakly, scratching the back of his neck.

‘Acting pure and innocent?’ He hadn’t even dreamed of it. Having lived a rough life surrounded by men, he had been subjected to plenty of crude jokes and awkward situations. Isaac was normally the type who could banter back to the dirtiest of talk without batting an eye. But having actually experienced such a terrifyingly intense physical encounter for the first time in his life—and with the person he actually liked—feeling shy and embarrassed was simply unavoidable. Even he was surprised by how flustered he was.

“Even if I am half-witch, I’ve spent my entire life living as a human.”

Isaac let out a quiet sigh. He felt a bit dejected, but there was nothing he could do. To the Prince, he was probably nothing more than a witch.

Comforting himself with that thought, Isaac raised his head, only to freeze. The Prince was staring at him. But his expression was somehow bizarre. It was a complex mix—partially frowning, partially glaring, as if something hadn’t quite gone the way he expected.

The Prince’s lips parted slightly as if he were about to speak, but he closed them again in silence. It was such an uncharacteristic hesitation that Isaac could only blink at him in confusion.

Finally, the Prince commanded,

“In that case, do not engage in any witch-like behavior unless I permit it. No matter what it is, and no matter where.”

Isaac nodded readily.

“Yes.”

“With anyone. Ever.”

“Yes.”

Watching Isaac agree so readily, the Prince gave a slight nod. The faint tension in his furrowed brow finally melted away.

The Prince seemed to drift into thought. Isaac watched him for a moment, silhouetted against the bright window, before lowering his gaze back to his own hands.

It seemed he truly had shared his body with that man last night. Even more than his vivid memories, the bruises and hickeys covering his skin, or the dull ache in his thighs, what made him realize this truth with absolute clarity was the unfamiliar, astonishing energy swelling deep within him.

So this is what it feels like to absorb another’s vitality. It felt as though a warm, heavy tide of water filled his body, swelling to the brim. What an incredible, overflowing sensation of sheer life.

“How long will I be able to see her?”

Isaac blurted out the question unconsciously. The Prince, who had been lost in thought, cast a sharp glance at him.

“With this much energy, I might be able to see her for quite a long time—the Witch of Roberni.”

Isaac sat up straight, meeting the Prince’s eyes. Where are they, and what are they doing? With time running incredibly short, how long and how clearly he could view them was a critical factor.

The Prince stared quietly at Isaac for a moment before shifting his gaze to the birdcages. One of the cats, which had been lazily licking its paw, felt his gaze and looked up to meet his eyes.

“If you run out of strength and lose consciousness while spying on that witch, is there a way to replenish your vitality after the fact so you can wake up sooner?”

「Meow? Though you’d spill far more than you actually swallow, it would still replenish you.」

「Even if he’s unconscious, if you keep pouring it in, won’t he swallow at least half of it even if the rest spills?」

“…… Is what they’re saying.”

Translating the cats’ words under the Prince’s demanding gaze, Isaac felt a sudden chill run down his spine, as if he had just spoken words he absolutely shouldn’t have. Why did he feel so cold? He had a terrible feeling that he wouldn’t even be able to lose consciousness in peace from now on.

With a much more relaxed expression, the Prince gestured with his chin, prompting him to find the witch’s location. Isaac slumped his shoulders, let out a heavy sigh, and leaned his back against the headboard. “I’ll only take a brief look. Not so thoroughly that I pass out……” he muttered under his breath before closing his eyes.

Where was he——or rather, she?

* * *

*Quiche: is a savory tart made with a pastry crust filled with eggs, cream or milk, cheese, and often ingredients such as bacon, ham, spinach, mushrooms, or onions. One of the most famous versions is Quiche Lorraine.

*The cats call Isaac “Manbang-ie”. So in Korean, adding the suffix “ie” (이) is a way of addressing someone affectionately, usually someone younger or to make a name sound cuter. It’s like the cats see Isaac as their little baby that they constantly dote on. Cute!