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?

Blocking out all other thoughts, he focused entirely on calling her to mind.

Was he still conscious? Even after being handed over to the witch, was he still preying on humans to maintain his sense of self? And was the witch turning a blind eye, sharing the stolen human vitality with him?

Where was she? What was she doing, and where? She, who had been drenched in the blood of his heart.

“——.”

Soon, a familiar sensation washed over him. A heavy *thud,* as if someone had struck his heart. Gradually, his heartbeat accelerated, and before long, it was racing wildly. Behind his closed eyelids, a searing heat flared like a sudden flame.

Even though he had experienced it multiple times and knew exactly what to expect, the suffocating pain never lessened. Clutching his face and curling his body inward, Isaac forced down the groans that threatened to escape his lips.

The pitch-black darkness behind his eyelids began to flicker. Shimmering faintly like a thin film of oil on water, the blurry ripples gradually coalesced into a distinct image.

And then——he saw her.

Long, pale fingers were busy at work. Her hands moved in circular motions as if cradling something round. But between her hands, there was only empty space—or so he thought.

In the center of her slowly moving hands, as if she were stroking an invisible sphere, something was shimmering in the empty space. Within the swirling, smoke-like mass, a faint, whitish shape began to emerge.

It looked like tiny human figures. One, or perhaps two. Though it was too blurry to discern clearly, two miniature silhouettes were moving within the smoke of that circular space. They seemed to be talking, or perhaps walking.

As if peering at someone far away through a crystal ball, a hazy vision shimmered in the empty space between her hands.

But before he could inspect it any closer, her two hands suddenly closed over the space. Instantly, the empty void and the hazy smoke vanished. When she opened her hands again, only a dark, shiny object resembling an iron bead remained. No, it wasn’t a metal bead. What on earth was that thing, which looked strangely squishy?

Isaac – or rather, the witch whose vision Isaac was sharing – inspected the dark, round object in her hand. Soon, she let out a soft, satisfied laugh.

Soon, the round object floated off her palm. It wavered in the air like a puff of black smoke before suddenly vanishing into thin air.

As if nothing had ever been there, only empty space remained.

She eventually stood up. As she turned, her surroundings came into view. 

It looked like an inn room. The layout, complete with simple furniture like a bed and a table, a bathroom, and a living room beyond the door, was fairly ordinary, save for the fact that it was quite luxurious. Except for one thing: a mountain of clothes piled high in the living room through the open doorway.

Countless worn-out, shabby garments were piled in heaps. There were small clothes, large clothes, women’s apparel, men’s garments, and even accessories and shoes mixed in. It looked as if the wardrobes of dozens of people had been thrown into a single, chaotic pile.

The moment he saw that pile, Isaac instinctively knew, even though no one had told him. Those were the remains of the people they had preyed upon. In a spotless room where they couldn’t have stayed for more than a few days, that massive pile of garments was all that remained in place of their corpses.

A shiver ran down his spine. His heart beat heavily. Isaac’s clenched hands tightened in spite of himself. Feeling his chest constrict, he took a deep, steadying breath.

Soon, she turned her head, and the worn-out clothes vanished from his view. She had been softly humming a tune, but suddenly, she stopped mid-song. Her frozen figure was reflected in the mirror hanging on the wall.

The reflection of her – no, that young wizard – came into view. The face that had been happily humming just a moment ago was now dreadfully contorted. Glaring with eyes wide and face twisted in a sudden flare of rage, he suddenly grinned. A grotesque smile stretched the corners of his mouth all the way to his ears.

A chill ran down his spine. That was no longer a human face. 

The wizard had stepped right up to the mirror. At the end of that gaze staring straight into the glass, Isaac had felt as though the entity reflected in the mirror was looking directly at him.

『Have you been spying, you little half-breed?』

Indeed, it hadn’t just been his imagination.

The wizard——ah no, that thing which was now indistinguishable from a witch, had been staring at Isaac from within the mirror. Its sneering smile was bone-chilling.

『Take care of yourself, little one, as things are about to get busy. Don’t even dream of pursuing me. ——BEGONE!』

The wizard had waved his arm as if brushing off a sleeve. *Crack!* Fractures had spread violently across the mirror.

At the same time, Isaac swallowed a sharp groan and clutched his head. It felt as if boiling oil had been splashed directly onto his burning eyes. A shock, like a blunt blow to his brain, reverberated through his entire body. His vision rippled violently, like a stone thrown onto a calm, glassy lake.

He felt intensely nauseous. In an instant, his strength drained away. The wizard was violently forcing Isaac’s consciousness out of that space.

His heart was beating wildly, as if it might burst at any moment. It wouldn’t have been surprising if it simply snapped and stopped right then and there. His eyes burned so intensely he feared they might have already turned to black ash. 

But—no, not yet. Not yet. Just a little more. A little longer.

Isaac had forced his eyes wide, glaring back at the mage. His vision, which had been as blurry as violently churned water kicked up with sediment, gradually began to settle. Once again, he could see the wizard and his surroundings.

The wizard peering into the mirror opened his eyes wide. Soon, his features contorted hideously, and his eyes began to glisten before turning pitch black. The darkness bled even into the whites of his eyes, leaving his eyeballs shining like polished beads of black glass.

A creature that was neither human nor witch glared at Isaac, baring its teeth.

『You’ve preyed on a few people yourself, I see. Where did you gorge on so much vitality?』

“——.”

『You will never catch me… You will never catch me… You cannot!』

The eerie voice, which had been low and mumbling like a chanted spell, suddenly boomed like a clap of thunder. From his wide, gaping mouth, a pitch-black, smoke-like substance billowed out, completely blanketing the mirror. And then, with a sharp crack—the mirror finally shattered, scattering into countless shards.

And then,

“——!”

A colossal shock, as if his brain were being violently crushed, struck his mind.

An immense force, several times stronger than anything he had felt before, convulsed his entire body, and in that instant, Isaac blacked out.

His consciousness returned quickly after that brief moment of darkness, but the fleeting connection had already been severed.

On his bed, where the yellow sunlight filtered in, Isaac stared down at his trembling hands, gasping for breath. His body, shoulders heaving, slowly collapsed back onto the mattress.

Leaving him with only barely enough strength to hold onto the last threads of consciousness, his eyes fluttered closed.

He felt as though he had exhausted every last drop of his energy. His vision grew hazy. Where was that place?

The window reflected in the mirror they had looked into. Outside, only a mountain ridge was visible. The gently sloping ridge was an incredibly common, ordinary sight that could be found anywhere.

Yet, that ordinary scenery felt strangely familiar. Where had he seen it? When? In his childhood? A few years ago? Or perhaps in a picture book? ‘

He had to remember. He absolutely had to remember.

“Stop.”

Just then, a voice cut sharply through the chaotic mess of his mind, ringing in his ears.

“I believe I told you that you only need to do as you are told. Stop thinking. Close your eyes, and focus only on taking in the vitality.”

It was a cool, low voice, one that seemed capable of instantly soothing his burning eyes and racing heart.….. A voice that brought him peace.

It was just as Isaac let the tension drain from his shoulders. He felt something touch his lips. Soon, a warm tongue parted his deeply pressed lips and slipped inside.

Familiar. It was a tongue that had touched his hundreds, thousands of times before.

Instinctively, Isaac wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, just as he had done when he bit that tongue once before. Soon, he felt the energy transferring through the tip of his tongue. The vitality, which had initially felt like it was transferring drop by drop, quickly swelled into a thick stream.

Only then did Isaac realize how starved he was. The reservoir he had filled was completely empty. He must have drained it all while searching for the Witch of Roberni.

It was sweet. Sweet and fragrant.

Had they said the taste of vitality differed from person to person? He was certain that no taste could ever be better than this. Isaac let out a languid breath.

Isaac swallowed the sweet, fragrant essence. Every time their intertwined tongues moved, every time he licked his tongue, the vitality replenishing his body brought an incomparably rich, satisfying sensation.

Just then, the Prince let out a low, rough breath. As if driven by a sudden, surging impulse, he bit Isaac’s lip before abruptly pulling away.

Their lips parted. With the Prince standing directly before him, Isaac felt as though he had been abruptly dragged back to reality.

“I-I’m sorry…… Thank you.”

For a moment, Isaac was confused about how to express his gratitude in this kind of situation, but realizing his hunger had been reasonably satisfied, he decided to err on the side of thankfulness.

The Prince stared down quietly at Isaac. His deep, cool blue eyes lingered on Isaac’s lips. What should I do… Just as he was staring at his lips as if weighing something, he looked up.

「Where was Alikisa?」

「What was she doing?」

The cats in the birdcages hanging overhead began to clamor.

Diverting his eyes from the Prince, who had just been about to reach out his hand, Isaac looked at the cats and spoke. “Ah, right.”

“She was in an inn somewhere with a view of a mountain range. I feel like I’ve seen that ridge before, but I can’t seem to remember……”

Isaac frowned and tapped his temples. It was on the tip of his tongue, making it all the more frustrating that he couldn’t grasp it. The Prince, who had been watching Isaac with a somewhat displeased look, silently withdrew his hand. He then gave Isaac a look that urged him to keep talking.

“She was cradling something round…… like a ball made of compressed air.”

「A ball of compressed air?」

“Yeah. It was a hazy, smoke-like sphere about this big, and it looked like something was moving inside. Maybe one or two human figures.”

As Isaac gestured to show the size, the cats tilted their heads. The Prince also fell into thought.

“When she compressed it, it became a dark, soft-looking…… shiny, round mass, like a polished iron bead.”

「Meow?」

“It floated in the air and then suddenly vanished.”

When Isaac paused and looked up at the cages, the cats blinked and looked at each other.

「She compressed the time of a space.」

「What was she trying to show?」

「Whom was she trying to show it to?」

Listening to the chattering cats, the Prince, who seemed to have realized something, raised an eyebrow. The only one left in the dark, staring blankly at them, was Isaac.

「She took a piece of time from a certain space and compressed it. It’s like a video recording device that replays events that happened at a specific time and place.」

「If you had studied even a little magic, you’d know what it is, but since Manbang-ie is Manbang-ie, of course you wouldn’t,」one of the cats said. True to its words, this was the first Isaac had ever heard of such a thing.

「Usually, people use it as evidence when they want to reveal a certain truth to someone else.」

「Since it vanished, she must have sent it to someone.」

「But making one requires an immense amount of mana, so people rarely do it. You have to expend as much energy as you would get from consuming dozens of humans.」

Suddenly, the dozens of garments piled outside the room flashed through Isaac’s mind. That was likely the number of people sacrificed for its creation. Swallowing the cold dread rising in his chest, Isaac gritted his teeth.

「What did she want to show? Whom did she want to show it to?」The cats were tilting their heads in curiosity. Isaac’s eyes met those of the Prince, who sat silently below them.

Now was not the time to lose himself in his thoughts. Quickly pushing his dark realizations aside, Isaac relayed the cats’ words to the Prince. “They say it’s like a video recording device.” The Prince nodded, showing no surprise, as if he had already known.

“I’ve seen one before. A wizard who was involved in a secret pact among rebel lords defected to our side. As proof of his loyalty and a gift, he sent us a sphere that perfectly replayed their secret meeting.”

Speaking casually, he stroked his chin and fell into thought. Isaac also fell silent and lowered his head.

What was that witch trying to show, and to whom? An anxious ripple suddenly stirred in his chest.

“We will find out soon enough.”

The Prince spoke decisively. He was a man who refused to waste time agonizing over things when there weren’t enough clues to reach an answer. Isaac found himself agreeing and nodded.

Though he felt somewhat unsettled, this was as far as they could go for now. If anything, it only reinforced his resolve that they had to find that witch before it was too late.

“Was your energy sufficient? It seemed like you watched for quite a long time.”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you sharing so much of yours……”

Isaac bowed his head. This was the first time he had spied for so long, and the first time he had maintained this much strength afterward. The fact that he was able to hold his ground even when the witch tried to drive him out was proof enough. What a difference having ample energy makes. Isaac couldn’t help but marvel.

The Prince nodded in agreement.

“So, if I supply you with vitality from late evening until dawn, you can view this much without too much strain.”

“……, ……Yes, presumably.”

Hearing the Prince murmur to himself, Isaac felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of doubt and anxiety. When the Prince added, “I see. That will make things simpler then,” his unease only deepened.

“If we can track her location daily, finding her hiding place won’t be difficult at all.”

Murmuring in a tone that made it unclear whether he was talking to himself or to Isaac, the Prince looked at him. Isaac had a feeling he knew exactly what the Prince was thinking, but preferred not to confirm it. Just as he was stammering, “Uh…… excuse me……”, a knock sounded at the door.

The person who opened the door and entered was Heilen’s chief chamberlain. With an extremely troubled expression, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and bowed deeply.

“Your Highness, a message has arrived from the Central Registry in the capital asking if you have approved the document sent yesterday morning. They say it is an urgent matter…… and this is already their fourth inquiry.”

For their usually calm and highly competent chamberlain to look that flustered, the capital must have been pressuring him relentlessly. ‘He’s not the type of person to procrastinate on his duties to the point of being hounded like this……’ Isaac thought, casting a puzzled, sidelong glance at the Prince.

The Prince checked his watch and stood up without complaint. ‘It seemed he was finally going to work. Then I should get up quickly and go run escort duty,’ Isaac was thinking, when—

“You’ll finally start being of some use now.”

Stopping on his way out of the room, the Prince looked back at Isaac.

“You may rest for the afternoon. We will begin early this evening so that we can fully replenish your vitality.”

“Yes…..? Uh…… wait……”

Before the startled Isaac could say a single word of protest, the Prince left his stammering guard behind and stepped out. The door clicked shut, leaving a completely dazed Isaac all alone in the room. Along with three cats.

「’Be of some use’!」

「Are you a tinderbox?」

「Are you getting a tinderbox as a reward?!」

The suddenly excited cats broke into a wild uproar, making a massive fuss. Their cages swung violently, clattering against one another.

“Uh…… yeah, I suppose if you look at it that way, it’s a good sign, but……”

Isaac murmured blankly, his voice sounding half-dissociated.

Collapsing back onto the bed, Isaac stared up at the cats who were practically dancing with joy, wondering why on earth his future suddenly felt so dark and bleak.

* * *

It was pitch black; nothing could be seen. Wrapped in the cold, desolate air, it grew colder and colder. He rubbed his arms, but the chill refused to fade.

His eyes must have adjusted to the darkness over time. Looking around at the dimly visible surroundings, he saw something wet and unpleasant lurking there. He couldn’t tell what it was, dissolved as it was in the gloom, but it was something he didn’t even want to touch.

‘…… cannot……’

Just then, he thought he heard a sound. A dismal, low murmur drifted closer, then faded away, weeping from a distance, then whispering right beside him. Though a few intelligible words seemed mixed in with the incomprehensible, spell-like tongue, he couldn’t quite catch them.

It was sickening.

It was freezing and deeply unsettling. He wanted to escape this place immediately.

He took a step forward. Yet, for some reason, even though he was definitely moving his legs and taking steps, his surroundings did not change in the slightest. The empty void remained fixed around him, as did the things lurking within it.

Then, suddenly.

‘…… cannot……, ……never will……, …… you won’t be able to.’

Out of the gloomy muttering, discernible words began to pop out one by one. Simultaneously, the things lurking in the dark began to wriggle and stir slowly.

Creeping, crawling, they slowly slithered toward him.

It was repulsive. He did not want to touch them. He quickened his pace, but it was useless. No matter how much he sped up, his position remained unchanged, while those loathsome things kept drawing closer.

‘I have to get away. I can’t let them catch me.’

Anxiety clawed at his chest. He was practically running now. Yet, that repulsive presence relentlessly closed the distance, and the dismal murmurs grew increasingly coherent.

Finally, just as the black, writhing mass reached his ankles, the sound suddenly erupted into a terrifying, snarling roar. The voice shrieked, deafeningly loud:

———YOU WILL NEVER CATCH ME!