“I had a restless dream.”

Isaac muttered out of the blue, a caramel candy tucked in his cheek. But the only ones listening to him were the three cats at his feet, eagerly licking a clean, empty plate.

Clearly, until just moments ago, a mountain of wild goat meat had been piled high on each of those three plates. Yet in the blink of an eye, not a single trace remained. And yet, despite having gorged themselves, they had the nerve to grumble, 「Goat meat ought to be washed down with wine—what is this plain water?」 and push their water bowls away with their front paws. Watching their spoiled display made Isaac want to grab them by their tails and give them a good shake.

“How can you say that after wolfing down such expensive meat?”

When Isaac spoke, clicking his tongue, the cats instantly rolled their large eyes, casting him a sharp, sidelong glare.

「Of course we can! Why wouldn’t we?」

「Did you really expect us to have pleasant dreams? After locking us in a birdcage for an entire day?」

「And was it just a matter of locking us up? Hanging our cage from the ceiling, right above you, while you spent the whole night doing such shameful things…… Aigoo, my eyes! My ruined eyes!!」

“……”

Isaac suddenly found himself speechless. ‘Ruined eyes, my foot. You stared down at us the whole time with those huge eyes wide open……’

“No, that was by no means intentional, nor was it what I wanted—in fact, I absolutely did not want it…… strictly speaking, I’m the one who feels like I should receive an apology……”

Muttering excuses to the cats, who didn’t even bother to look or reply, Isaac actually felt wronged.

True, he had spent the last two nights in bed with the prince until dawn. Isaac was the type to quickly resign himself to things he realized were unavoidable, and he prided himself on having an easygoing personality that could laugh off most of life’s troubles. So, since it had already come to this, and the prince’s vital energy was indeed ecstatically sweet, and his body hadn’t split in two or suffered any bloody disaster, he figured he might as well yield to his fate.

Even if he was subjected to a violently sized object for a violently long time; even if his body ended up brimming with vital energy afterward, while his lower half felt so sore and aching all day that he thought he might die; and even if, after rolling around in bed from early evening until dawn, he briefly thought, ‘I’d rather die,’ it wasn’t actually enough to kill him. He had no intention of lamenting his plight, blaming himself, or resenting others.

But.

When he was pinned beneath the prince, his lower half impaled by that massive member, his entire body being bitten, licked, and sucked to the point where his consciousness was half-gone; when he was tossing wildly in a daze, crying until his throat went hoarse—and then, his eyes locked directly with the three pairs of eyes staring down intently from the birdcage hanging right above the bed…… no one would ever understand how that felt. They could never understand.

At that moment, he lamented his plight of having involuntarily taken in the cats, blamed himself for being so flustered by the prince stripping his clothes off the moment he entered that he completely forgot the beasts were hanging up there, and resented the prince—the very culprit who had hung them there in the first place, and who, knowing full well they were watching, didn’t bother to move them but instead just left them there.

「Normally, we would’ve waited, thinking you’d wrap it up after a few rounds,」 

「Indeed, indeed, since we are dignified, magnanimous, and generous souls.」

「But what kind of lunatic pours out his vital energy all night long without a break, as if it costs him nothing?」

「Even when you fainted briefly in the middle, no matter how much we meowed to stop him, that cornucopia didn’t pay us the slightest attention.」

“…… I don’t think he used to be this extreme……”

Isaac muttered as if making an excuse. It wasn’t just an excuse, though; it was a genuine, puzzled mutter to himself.

Back in the capital, the prince had never hesitated to satisfy his desires whenever and wherever he pleased. Isaac had actually witnessed the scene a few times. But those acts were strictly a matter of ‘coldly discharging his lust’—he would insert himself immediately without any foreplay or afterplay, thrust for a bit, ejaculate, and turn away at once. He never once caressed his partner’s body or cared to see their reaction.

Yet now…… he had no idea why the prince was acting like this.

「If a normal human had their energy drained to that extent by a witch, they would have shriveled up and died a hundred times over…… That cornucopia is no ordinary vessel.」

「He was walking around perfectly fine, his skin practically glowing.」

「Why is it that the one who absorbed the energy looks more exhausted instead?」

“Uh…… exhausted……”

It wasn’t so much that he was exhausted; rather, his lower half was throbbing with pain. Still, there was some reward to having absorbed all that vitality, even if involuntarily—his physical condition was excellent. He was brimming with stamina.

“In this state, I could easily find where the Witch of Roberni is.”

He was currently waiting to look for the witch in the prince’s presence, but it seemed the prince’s business was running long. And Isaac was taking another day off today to rest, citing a lower body that felt as if it would snap. In truth, it wasn’t quite that bad, so he could have stood guard if he really wanted to, but there was no reason to refuse when the prince told him to rest. He wondered what had gotten into him. He seemed to be in a decent mood today—maybe that’s why.

“…… It looks like he really is going to be busy today.”

Isaac, staring idly out the window, suddenly muttered as he spotted a horse entering the main gate of the detached palace. A horse wearing a band of purple and gold was a sign that it had been sent from the royal palace. However, the rider astride it was wearing the uniform of a forerunner messenger, not a regular courier. This messenger’s job was to give advance notice before an urgent or important official document was sent, informing the recipient to stay put and wait rather than traveling far or leaving their post.

Whatever the matter was, if a forerunner messenger had come, it meant the capital deemed it highly important. That being the case, whoever the recipient was, there was a high probability the prince would have to look into it as well.

Since the main messenger would likely arrive around the afternoon, the prince would probably be tied up with work until then. Depending on the matter, it could drag on until evening or even longer.

It seemed he would have to postpone looking for the witch today.

He briefly contemplated whether he should just look for the Witch of Roberni on his own, but he concluded it was better to wait. If he used his power while alone, he might exhaust all the energy he had saved up, leaving him unable to perform the scrying when the prince actually returned.

“I hope I can find some useful clue as to her whereabouts today……”

Isaac muttered as he shut the atlas spread across the table.

Yesterday, when he had looked for the witch, the only geographical clue he could glean was a mountain ridge reflected in the mirror. The image in the mirror, showing only a slight crest, felt familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it at all.

Hoping something might trigger his memory, he had spread out the atlas and traced the mountain ranges, but the country was vast and filled with mountains. Nothing stood out to him.

“It wasn’t a particularly unique shape either, so perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me……”

Isaac sighed, tapping the atlas with his fingernail. Where could it be? Where is she? As he turned it over in his mind once more, suddenly—

‘———YOU WILL NEVER CATCH ME!’

A sinister, ghostly voice revived in his memory. What he had heard in his dream was the voice of the witch he had heard once before. Along with that voice came that unpleasant sensation, as if something were chasing him, reaching up to his ankles, about to wrap around them at any moment.

“What I desire, what someone else desires of me, or what will happen in the future…… how do I tell those apart?”

It was said that witches do not dream like humans do. What a witch saw while sleeping was one of those three things. If so, which of those had his dream last night been?

A cat paused in licking its paw to glance at Isaac.

「What kind of dream did you have?」

“I was in a dark place…… and something formless and unsettling was chasing me. Then I heard Alikisa’s voice. She said, ‘You will never catch me.’”

「Did that formless thing catch you?」

“Right before—right before it did, I woke up, I think.”

The cats looked at one another. Rolling their eyes this way and that, they stared at Isaac and said, 「The meaning of that dream is crystal clear.」

Isaac tensed, his shoulders stiffening.

“What is it?”

「Alikisa hates you!」

“…… And?”

「And what? That’s all?」 The cats licked their paws again with utter indifference, as if to say exactly that.

“I already know that, you know?”

Momentarily exasperated, Isaac glared and snapped, but the cats paid him no mind, entirely absorbed in grooming themselves. Then, abruptly, one spoke up.

「She must hate you enough to want to harm you.」

「Yeah, yeah. Our Manbang-ie can be pretty irritating sometimes. Not even giving us wine.」

「And trying to lock us up in that awful birdcage.」

They chattered among themselves in their little catty voices. Watching the three of them huddle together, lively as fish in water, and start gossiping about him, Isaac glared at them with cold, squinted eyes before clicking his tongue and backing away.

‘Alikisa hates me——if so, it must be the second type of dream: what she desires. For me to come to some harm.’

「She tried to hide and escape in secret, but because she got drenched in your heart’s blood, your eyes can now see her. She must be anxious.」

「On top of that, you keep getting in her way at every turn alongside that cornucopia.」

「What a dreadful thorn in her side you must be.」

「She must really hate you, really hate you!」The three of them clapped in delight once more. “Yes, she must really hate me,” Isaac muttered as he pushed himself up. At this, the three cats stopped clapping simultaneously and stared at him with wide, innocent eyes.

「Where are you going?」

“Going somewhere I don’t have to look at your ugly faces.”

「Aw, you didn’t have to go to such lengths to be considerate.」

With that, the three of them stretched their limbs fully and came trotting right after him.

“Why are you following me?!”

「We’re not following you. We’re just going our own way.」

“Oh, right. Then go ahead, please.”

Isaac opened the door and stepped aside to let them pass. The three cats stared up at him blankly, let out a deep sigh, and trotted out of the room.

「Yep, Manbang-ie is hopeless. How can anyone be so dim-witted?」

「After everything we’ve been through, how can he still not know us?」

「As if we wouldn’t know where he is just because we go first.」

「The kid is definitely lacking a bit, so clueless about everything.」 Muttering to themselves, the three cats trotted out into the hallway in a single file. 

Standing behind them, Isaac briefly contemplated whether he should just slam the door shut, but he gave up and followed after them. No matter how much his lower half throbbed and ached with every step, staying cooped up in the room made him restless, so he had hoped to take a light stroll nearby. But now, because of those beasts, he didn’t want to end up stuck back in his room, nor did he want to sit around doing nothing. Besides, just as they said, no matter where he went, it wasn’t as if he could escape them anyway.

Filled with resignation, Isaac accepted his fate.

* * *

Though his body had throbbed, stung, and felt numb during his first few steps, it grew accustomed to the movement as he walked. Because his body was overflowing with vital energy, he felt neither tired nor exhausted, save for the dull ache in his lower half. Even though a rather chilly wind was blowing, he did not feel particularly cold.

“I guess even Heilen gets cold when winter approaches. And here I thought it was warm year-round.”

「It’ll probably stay about like this,」 one of the cats replied. 「You can’t even compare it to the capital, where the winter winds cut like knives.」

Come to think of it, the maid who brought food to his room earlier had made quite a fuss about how freezing it was today, calling it real winter weather. In Heilen, this level of chill was winter. Looking at the people walking the streets now, none of them were dressed like Isaac—wearing just a thin outer layer over a short-sleeved shirt. Most were bundled up in thick coats. Those people would freeze to death if they went to the capital.

By now, winter would have already set in back at the capital. People would be gradually preparing to winter through and welcome the end of the year.

“This year is almost over already…… What are you doing?”

Sensing a sudden emptiness at his feet, he looked to his side only to find the cats wandering leisurely beneath a flowering tree inside someone else’s garden. Isaac watched them for a moment before moving on. Not long after he had left the detached palace, the three of them had naturally started trotting along at his side. They would surely catch up again in no time.

Following the single path that cut through the wide lawn of the detached palace, Isaac walked down past fields dotted with running brooks and lovely, scattered houses, eventually reaching a small market alley. The paths were lively yet tranquil—perfect for a mid-afternoon stroll.

Suddenly, a whirlwind swept past. The sound of the wind brushing against his face sounded so much like a short chuckle that Isaac looked back, though there was nothing there. Only a few dry leaves were being swept away by the gust.

「Did you just get slapped on the cheek?」

「This is what happens when we leave you alone for even a second.」

「We can’t even go say hello in peace.」

Before he knew it, the three cats had gathered at his feet again, chattering away in their catty voices.

“…..? What did I do?”

「You got hit and you don’t even realize it. She just slapped you as she passed by.」

The tip of the cat’s nose pointed toward where the wind had already blown far away.

“Was that a witch or a spirit too?”

「She was absolutely thrilled.」

The cat nodded, and Isaac resumed his aimless walk.

“I know a lot of witches and spirits live here, but to think even the wind is like that……”

「Well, the Great New Moon is just around the corner. And the Grand Banquet will be held soon.」

「Normally, most of them sleep or stay still, but this time of year is different. They’re all buzzing with energy and excitement.」

「Even just a moment ago, even the cave sprites, who would normally stay holed up inside and never show their faces, were so excited that they clung to us just to say hello.」

「We look away for just a moment, and our little Manbang-ie goes around getting slapped on the cheek,」 the cats sighed, wrinkling their noses.

Isaac nodded with an “Ah,” and looked up at the sky. In the blue sky fading into late afternoon, a faint moon had already risen. Soon, it would be a full moon. Once the full moon passed, the dark moon would arrive, and after that would be the Grand Banquet of Witches.

It was a banquet held once every 7 years, where all the witches in the human world gathered. A festival of witches held from midnight until dawn on the new moon exactly one month before the Great New Moon. It was the day when all the witches of this world flocked to the place where Alikisa, the Witch of Roberni, resided.

And one month after that would be the Great Dark Moon, when the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat that could take them to the Land of the Dark Moon would arrive.

“Are there still many witches living in the human world?”

「Hardly any compared to the old days.」

「Perhaps just enough to fill the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat now?」

Isaac suddenly recalled a scene from his childhood—the memory of sending his mother away on the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful sailing ship. Its hull was a soft white, looking as though it had been carved from the moon itself, and its sails, glowing faintly as if woven from gathered moonlight, fluttered even in the absence of wind. He remembered staring at it spellbound, so beautiful it seemed as though silver dust might scatter from it at any moment.

Onto that ship, which was about the size of a small cottage, humans – who, in hindsight, must have been witches – small and large beasts, and bizarre, formless creatures continued to board. Even though so many had boarded that the ship should have been overflowing, they kept climbing on and even settled into comfortable spots. Watching them, young Isaac had tilted his head in confusion, thinking over and over how strange it was, how strange.

At the time, he had assumed the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat simply had no carrying capacity limit, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Still, if there were “just enough to fill the boat,” how many did that actually mean? Whether it was a mere handful or an immense crowd, he couldn’t begin to guess.

“Back then, the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat was definitely floating on a lake deep within some mountains…… but I can’t remember how we found our way there.”

「A lake? Was that when the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat came to the Valhallis Mountain Range?」

「If it was a lake, then yes. That was the last time it came to a lake. Two Great New Moons ago.」

As Isaac murmured to himself, the cats caught his words and replied.

“Does the boat dock in a different place each time? Then where is it coming this year?”

「Who knows? It’ll show up somewhere.」

“…… You don’t know where it’s coming?”

「Nope.」

Isaac stared blankly at the cats, who had answered so flippantly. The cats stared right back at him.

“Then how are we supposed to board the ship? Weren’t you planning to return this Great New Moon? You utterly irresponsible cats!”

‘You’ve been singing of nothing but the tinderbox, the tinderbox all day long—was there really no need to hurry?’ When Isaac glared at them, his eyes narrowing, the cats widened their eyes, refusing to be outdone.….. Naturally, he lost in a staring contest based on eye size alone……

「Irresponsible? Us?」

「As if we could ever compare to someone who goes around getting slapped on the cheek by random gusts?!」

Look at these little beasts, meowing as if they’re about to swallow me whole despite being in the wrong.

“Then how are we going to get on the boat?”

「We’ll know when it arrives.」

「The moment it casts anchor in the human world, all witches can instantly feel it.」

「It drops anchor at sunset and sets sail at sunrise, so as long as we get there in between, we can board it.」

The smug way they held their heads high as they replied was quite a sight.

Finding himself without a retort, Isaac silently walked on. He had briefly thought it was a relief that they didn’t need to get their hands on the tinderbox immediately, but……

「Stop muttering and find that tinderbox already.」

「Yes, yes. You need to find it so you can quickly become a pure-blooded witch, board the Crescent Moon–Silver Boat, and go to the Land of the Dark Moon.」

“…… I’m going too?”

「What, you’re not going?」

The voices of all three cats turned menacing in unison. Their eyes glared as if they were ready to devour him. Isaac flinched involuntarily and took a subtle step back. At this, the cats craned their necks even further, pressing closer. 「You have to go, got it?」 「Of course you’re going!」 they growled and meowed in chorus.

“Alright, I get it, so back off a little. You’re getting fur on my clothes.”

Isaac kept moving, gently nudging aside the cats wrapping themselves around his legs, trying his best not to step on them. He wished another witch would pop out from somewhere and keep these beasts busy.

But, the Land of the Dark Moon.

Isaac looked up at the pale moon hanging faintly in the afternoon sky and let out a quiet sigh.

‘What should I do?’ He had been weighing it constantly, but he had yet to reach a conclusion.

Because he had kept putting off the decision until he actually secured the tinderbox. And though obtaining the tinderbox still seemed a distant prospect, time had slipped by, bringing the moment incredibly close.

The Land of the Dark Moon. Part of him wanted to go. If he went there, he would be able to see his mother again, and he could live more freely as a half-blood than he ever could in the human world. Though he had been content enough with the life he had lived so far, there was nothing tying him down to this world. Thus, once he obtained the tinderbox, if these cats kept pestering him, he might easily cast aside any lingering attachments and cross over to the Land of the Dark Moon.….. Or at least, that was how he had felt until recently.

But what if, instead of becoming a pure-blooded witch, he became a pure-blooded human?

If, by borrowing the power of the tinderbox, he ceased to be even a half-witch, perhaps he could blend in among ordinary people and live in peace. Free of any restraint, as a human.

If so, he would no longer have to incur the prince’s hatred.

“…… I think it might be nice to become human and live in the human world.”

Isaac spoke after a moment of thought. His mind was already nearly made up, and the cats fell silent. They stared up at him quietly. Isaac leaned down, gave each of their heads a gentle stroke, and continued walking.

「Don’t lose your heart to him, dummy.」

One of them spoke in a heavy, serious tone. Pausing in his tracks, Isaac turned back to look at them.

「He intends to eradicate every single witch in this world.」

「And to him, you are a witch too.」

The cats spoke one after another. Isaac locked eyes with the three pairs of large eyes in silence. The cats stared back, holding their tongues. After a moment,

“I know. But there are some things in life that don’t go the way you want.”

Isaac replied quietly. Suddenly, the tension drained from his shoulders.

It was something beyond his control. Falling for the prince. And the prince’s hatred of witches.

Isaac knew this well. He knew the prince wished to eliminate every witch in existence. He had long realized that the prince’s relentless search for the Witch of Roberni, the strongest witch in the human world, was for that very reason. Furthermore, the prince, the one who always achieved whatever he set his mind to in the end, would likely make no exceptions for anyone. Not even for a witch who had stayed by his side and aided him all this time.

Though the curse bound to the prince would never be lifted even if every witch in the world vanished, he would still carry out his resolve. Yet even so, Isaac was fine with it.

It was his first time liking someone so clearly, and his first time admitting it. He had never realized that liking someone could be such a wondrous, transformative thing—enough to make the entire world look completely different.

“——Argh!”

Isaac’s thoughts were abruptly shattered by a sharp set of animal teeth biting down hard on his ankle.

「What do you mean, ‘don’t go the way you want’?!」

「It’s barely been any time since you fed on that bastard’s vital energy, and you’re already singing love songs?! Throw those feelings away this instant!」

「What, become a human?! Human or not, absolutely not that bastard! Over my dead body!」

「I oppose this romance!」

The cats clung to his ankles, chewing on them persistently. “Hey! It hurts! It hurts! I’m bleeding!” Isaac cried out, shaking his legs vigorously, but they refused to let go.

Only after he grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and pried them off did they finally retreat. Glaring fiercely, they licked their chops. 「Our Manbang-ie’s blood really is delicious, isn’t it?」, 「Why don’t you talk some more nonsense? I’d love an excuse to sink my teeth into you again.」 They flicked their tongues, narrowing their eyes at Isaac in a distinctly threatening manner. Then, out of nowhere, one of them spoke.

「Loving someone who hates you is a painful thing.」

One of the cats said, blinking its massive eyes.

「Don’t let these feelings linger. Before you know it, rot will fester deep inside your heart, and by the time you realize it, it’ll already be too late.」

Isaac stared back into those wide, intense eyes. The cat continued.

「Just go to the Land of the Dark Moon. That’s what’s best for you.….. You’ve suffered enough, living all alone in this place.」

Isaac parted his lips to speak, but closed them again. He simply didn’t know how to respond. Staring at the cats in silence, Isaac let his weary shoulders droop and resumed walking. His steps were slow and heavy. The cats followed him at a slight distance, but they didn’t utter another word.

Isaac gazed up at the pale afternoon moon and walked aimlessly.

He wasn’t suddenly overwhelmed by sadness or depression. He already knew that loving the prince would be difficult, just as he knew that living in this world was no easy feat. But even if his heart got broken, Isaac knew he could survive quietly and calmly—just as he always had. He wasn’t afraid of that.

His spirits had simply sunk a little. It’s fine to be a bit weak sometimes, he thought. Even if half of me is a witch, the other half is human. Yes, I am half-human, after all.

Isaac let out a deep breath and collected his feelings. No matter what, moping around in self-pity wouldn’t change a thing. He had been away from the palace for quite some time; it was about time to head back.

Just as he resolved to do so and began to turn around—

“……—.”

Isaac paused for a fraction of a second, then seamlessly resumed his stride, continuing in the same direction as if nothing were amiss. ‘This is a bit troublesome,’ he thought.

Somehow, he had wandered into a secluded alleyway. Although the sun was still up, pedestrians had thinned out once he left the market streets behind. And along this deserted path, he could hear the sound of unfamiliar footsteps trailing him.

Two, no, three of them. They weren’t even trying to hide their presence—neither their footsteps nor the sharp hostility that practically pricked his skin.….. Who could it be?