Heilen was located just over a day’s ride by horse southwest of the capital.

‘A day by horse’ was the standard speed when dispatching an official messenger; depending on the situation, it could take less or more time. If there was an urgent delivery, a messenger could make it in half a day, but when a person of noble status traveled for leisure or recuperation, they usually took their time, extending the journey by a day or two.

Therefore, even if a messenger had ridden through the night to deliver the news to Heilen that ‘His Highness the Prince is departing for the Heilen Villa today,’ it would have been considered incredibly abrupt. Absolutely no one could have imagined that the Prince’s party would come storming into Heilen on the afternoon of that very same day.

Naturally, Isaac hadn’t imagined it either.

No matter how much the Prince insisted that servants and packing were unnecessary, a royal could not travel to a villa entirely alone. While drastically less than what others might take, even after trimming and cutting the retinue down to the absolute bare minimum, a half-dozen servants were assigned to follow. But the Prince did not wait for them.

Having not even hinted at the plan a month or two in advance, the Prince had brought it up and departed for Heilen less than a day later, causing minor uproars throughout the palace. The servants of the Blue Shadow Palace, who had to serve their master right away, were thrown into chaos, and several government offices expressed their dismay at the inevitable backlog and disruptions his sudden absence would cause. Yet, on the other hand, given the current atmosphere of dread and terror surrounding him, there were many high-ranking officials who secretly rejoiced at the Prince moving to Heilen, so no one voiced any opposition, quietly accepting the decision.

The servants argued that if he intended to stay in Heilen until the heat of the season passed, there was a massive amount to prepare. But the Prince, true to his word, left the palace early the very next morning. Dressed lighter than someone going on a simple day trip, he mounted his horse barehanded and headed for Heilen. The servants were left to pack as quickly as possible and follow behind him within a day or two.

Thus, the Prince departed for the villa with an unprecedentedly light attire and a sparse group—just four or five guards to escort him, and Isaac.

“…….”

‘Why am I riding a horse all alone out here……’ Isaac had been harboring this thought for a while now.

Just 20 minutes ago, he could have sworn he saw the faint tail of the Prince’s horse far off in the distance, but now, even that was gone. The other guards who were supposed to be following behind had completely vanished from his sight long ago.

The Prince’s steed was a masterpiece, even among the horses of Freia, a region famed for its magnificent mounts. When such a horse ran at full tilt, no ordinary horse could possibly catch up. If Isaac hadn’t managed to borrow an exceptional steed from the royal stables thanks to the Prince’s advance party, he wouldn’t have even been able to see the tail of the Prince’s horse earlier; he would have been back there gasping for air alongside the other guards.

‘I’ve never been told I’m a bad rider anywhere I go, though.’ Isaac didn’t stop his horse, even as he brought his water skin to his parched, burning throat. No matter how far he had fallen behind, he couldn’t just slow his pace entirely. He had to close the distance somehow and chase after him.

Even though his physical condition wasn’t terrible with the New Moon still some ways off, riding relentlessly since morning had exhausted his entire body. It was even worse because he hadn’t been able to eat anything, having exerted all his energy trying to catch up to the Prince.

“The scenewy suwe is spectacuwaw, though……” (“The scenery sure is spectacular, though……”)

Isaac muttered without realizing it, his tongue throbbing in his mouth. They said the landscape in Heilen was stunning, and indeed, the closer they got, the richer the nature became.

Beyond the vast plains, mountains tinted yellowish-brown with deepening autumn stood in the distance, and a solitary dirt road stretched endlessly forward without a single house in sight. The long, continuous mountain range, though not particularly high, had white snow capping its peaks here and there.

The wide-open view of nature was undeniably rare and magnificent, but……

“It wu’da bin nice if dewe was some shade twees awong da woad.” (“It would have been nice if there were some shade trees along the road.”)

Isaac grumbled weakly.

There was nowhere to escape the sun on this endlessly long, solitary road. Even if the mornings and evenings were chilly now that the days were growing colder, the midday sun was incredibly punishing.

Having ridden under the unforgiving, shade-less sun for hours, Isaac desperately wanted to rest, even for just a moment, but he spurred his horse on, swallowing his dry breaths. The horse ran, exhaling rough, heavy pants.

‘You’re ruthless. Truly ruthless.’

It was something a colleague in the Royal Guard had told him once. Once a year, the Royal Guard held a physical training competition, pitting the squads against each other. The original intent was lighthearted, friendly competition to build camaraderie, but that morning, a colleague had been badly injured due to a foul by the opposing team, turning the atmosphere vicious. As everyone bloodthirstily vowed to win even if it killed them, Isaac alone remained quiet. Lacking any innate competitive spirit, Isaac was the type to only do things to a reasonable degree, not really caring whether he won or lost. Yet that day, in the long-distance run that served as the final event of the competition, the last man standing was Isaac.

He ran until his breath caught in his throat, until his dry, cracked throat practically bled, but in the end, Isaac outlasted everyone. And then he collapsed right there, nearly needing to be carried out on a stretcher.

The memory of that day, when his colleagues evaluated him, saying, ‘We thought you were just a quiet, moderate guy, but it turns out there’s no one more stubbornly toxic than you’, suddenly came back to him.

It was hot, difficult, and exhausting. His body felt like dead weight.

The Prince was already so far ahead he couldn’t even see him, and catching up to him was impossible. A voice in his head reasoned that if he couldn’t catch up anyway, there was no need to run himself half to death like this; he could just take it easy. Yet Isaac did not loosen the reins.

The gap between him and the Prince was likely widening, but he wanted to close that distance, even just a little.

He didn’t want to leave him alone.

He wanted to be by his side. He didn’t know since when he started thinking this way, but he had felt like this for a while. Being near him was terrifying and nerve-wracking, yet still, he wanted to stay by his side.

“…….”

What kind of sentimental nonsense is this.

Whether he was there or not, that man wouldn’t care in the slightest. In fact, he might find it annoying. That was far more likely. Look at how he left the Blue Shadow Palace and rode off entirely alone, not looking back even once. Furthermore, wasn’t Isaac a witch—a being he detested more than a thorn in his eye? If Isaac hovered around him, it might only displease him more.

“”Stiww…… I shou’d go. I hafta go.” (“Still…… I should go. I have to go.”)

“If we wide togedda, we can convewse, an’ da wong jouwney won’t be bowin’. How nice wou’d dat be, dough he pwobabwy weft fiwst ’cause he didn’t want dat,” (“If we ride together, we can converse, and the long journey won’t be boring. How nice would that be, though he probably left first because he didn’t want that,”) Isaac grumbled with his continuously slurred pronunciation and spurred his horse once again.

Just then, the endless solitary road finally ended, and he entered a forest path. It wasn’t dense enough to be called a deep forest, and it didn’t give off a chillingly thick vibe, but the canopy overhead provided shade, and a small stream flowed to the right of the path, making him feel instantly refreshed.

Escaping the relentless, blazing sun, his dazed mind seemed to return slightly. Only then did the rough breathing of his horse catch his attention. Sweat was dripping from its back. He felt a pang of guilt. I’m enduring this out of sheer stubbornness, but what sin did this guy commit?

He decided he should at least wet his throat at the stream and take a short break. The distance between him and the Prince would widen again in the meantime, but he couldn’t deny a sip of water to the beast that was unable to speak for itself just to close a gap that he couldn’t even manage anyway.

As Isaac loosened the reins and looked around for a suitable place to stop, he noticed a large bird flapping its wings and taking off from the bushes in the distance.

That rare, pure white bird of prey looked incredibly similar to the hawk the Prince kept, he thought as he watched it. A fierce and highly intelligent hawk that the Prince had raised since his days in the borderlands, allowing no one but its master to touch it. Such a massive bird, completely white without a single speck of discoloration, and twice the size of a normal hawk, couldn’t possibly be common. Why is that thing here… Just as he thought that, he saw something moving right below where the bird had flown from. As expected, it was that familiar white mane……

“…… Huh.”

Passing through the bushes and confirming the identity of the slowly moving white shape, Isaac blinked. It was the Prince’s horse. Without a doubt, the unparalleled steed—which couldn’t just be found anywhere—was drinking water from the stream. Meanwhile, Isaac’s exhausted horse, perhaps thirsty as well, clattered over to the stream on its own accord now that the reins were loose. The Prince’s horse briefly glanced over, but quickly returned to drinking, completely unfazed.

“Why are you here alone…….”

…… That can’t be right.

Confirming it was indeed the Prince’s horse, Isaac looked around in confusion and spotted the Prince sitting in the shade of a tree behind it. Having seemingly just sent the hawk off somewhere, the Prince lowered his gaze from the sky and looked at Isaac.

“PWINCE KYAN!” (“PRINCE KYAN!”)

Isaac called out without realizing it. The corners of his eyes and mouth naturally curving into a loose smile were due to the sheer, unexpected joy of this encounter. He had thought the Prince would be so far ahead he couldn’t possibly catch up, so he never expected to run into him so suddenly here.

“I fought ya wou’d be much fuwthew ahead.” (“I thought you would be much further ahead.”)

Isaac stopped his horse only when he was a few steps away from the Prince, and only then did he realize the Prince was staring intently at him.

The Prince was looking at Isaac’s face with a strange gaze. The slightly crinkled eyes, the curved corners of the mouth, the slightly raised cheeks—he slowly swept his eyes over them as if taking them all in. Almost as if he were seeing someone with such a face for the very first time.

“……, ……?”

The smile slowly faded from Isaac’s face. Instead, he tilted his head in confusion and looked at the Prince.

“You’re faster than I thought.”

The Prince muttered, sounding genuinely surprised. He surely hadn’t expected to see Isaac here either. However, judging by the chicken bones and vegetable scraps discarded beside him, it was clear the Prince had rested here for quite some time. Only after he had eaten his fill and rested enough time had Isaac finally caught up.

“Yaes…… dough it’ww pwobabwy be hawd ta catch up again.” (“Yes…… though it will probably be hard to catch up again.”)

If we part ways here, I suppose I will only see you again in Heilen, Isaac sighed. Still, seeing his face like this in the middle of the journey made him feel a bit relieved. Perhaps his throat was quite dry; seeing his horse continuously drinking from the stream, Isaac sat next to a small puddle beside it, soaked his feet in the cold water, and looked back at the Prince.

“Dat hawk seemed ta be wunnin’ an ewwand somewhewe. I saw somethin’ tied ta its ankwe.” (“That hawk seemed to be running an errand somewhere. I saw something tied to its ankle.”)

Isaac asked curiously, but the Prince simply stared at Isaac and didn’t answer. Right. Why would he tell me where he’s sending military dispatches. What is an untrustworthy witch going to do with that information anyway. Just as Isaac brushed it off and was about to turn his head back around,

“The borderlands.”

The Prince answered shortly. Isaac looked at him blankly. The borderlands were the harsh, desolate lands where the Prince had been stationed until last year. Though the Prince had slain the strongest and worst of the demonic beasts, it was still a place constantly guarded by rough, ferocious soldiers due to the never-ending attacks from lesser monsters and barbarians.

‘Why there?’ Isaac swallowed the question he was about to ask. He figured it wasn’t his place to pry that far. Isaac merely gave a small nod, and the Prince, watching him, only faintly raised his eyebrow. Right, you have some tact at least, his lips seemed to silently mutter.

“Awe ya feewin’ awwight?” (“Are you feeling alright?”)

Isaac completely changed the subject, asking something that had been lightly bothering him since earlier. The New Moon was approaching. He had looked it yesterday, but even when departing the Blue Shadow Palace this morning, the Prince’s mood hadn’t seemed great. He asked out of concern, thinking the Prince’s condition couldn’t be good enough for a long, grueling ride, but the Prince flashed a look of utter disbelief.

“I don’t think you are the one who should be asking that.”

“Pawdon? ……Ah.” (“Pardon? ……Ah.”)

Following the Prince’s gaze, Isaac looked at his own reflection in the puddle and slowly rubbed his face, discovering a haggard, rough-looking young man staring back at him. He hadn’t eaten properly since the day before yesterday, and on top of that, he had been riding like a madman since dawn today; his complexion definitely looked like that of a dying patient.

“I jutht didn’t hab much of an abbetyte, tho I thkipped a few mealth… I am fine.” (“I just didn’t have much of an appetite, so I skipped a few meals…… I am fine.”)

“You’re starving when you need to build up more stamina?”

“Yaes, jutht putting anything in my mouth maketh it thting.”) (“Yes, just putting anything in my mouth makes it sting.”

‘It is because you crushed my tongue, my Prince,’ the nuance was surely conveyed. The Prince shut his mouth and only looked at Isaac. Of course, there wasn’t the slightest hint of apology in his eyes, but having clicked his tongue once, he didn’t press the matter further.

Isaac, feeling a bit vindicated internally but with no intention of actually blaming him, let out a small chuckle. The Prince’s gaze, staring at his mouth as if asking ‘Why are you laughing?’, felt piercing, so Isaac quickly erased his smile.

“Come to think of it, in Heilen,”

Isaac quickly brought up a random topic to shift the conversation, but paused briefly. The Prince’s decision to go to Heilen had been incredibly sudden, and the departure equally so. Amidst that minor chaos, the most palpable atmosphere was one of relief. Relief that the Prince – the source of their formless terror – was leaving. Isaac suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth and quietly swallowed his breath.

“…… I heard that witches live in Heilen.”

It was a folktale passed down since ancient times. Heilen’s roads were well-paved now, making it easy to travel to, but in the past, it was surrounded by high mountains and wide rivers, making contact with the outside world difficult, allowing its lush nature to remain untouched. Perhaps because of this, fairy tales and oral legends about fairies and magical beasts had been passed down there more than anywhere else.

But in recent times, Heilen was known as a region with many beautiful women, and it was said as a joke that if a male outsider entered, he would be bewitched by the women of Heilen, leading to the saying that ‘witches live there.’

“The women of Heilen mutht be very attractive. One of my colleagueth vithited Heilen while traveling in the past, and he often talked over drinkth about how he thtill couldn’t forget a woman he briefly thhared affectionth with there. That’th why we all promithed to take leave and go play in Heilen together later…….” (“The women of Heilen must be very attractive. One of my colleagues visited Heilen while traveling in the past, and he often talked over drinks about how he still couldn’t forget a woman he briefly shared affections with there. That’s why we all promised to take leave and go play in Heilen together later…….”)

Isaac stopped mid-sentence. The Prince was looking at Isaac with a peculiar look in his eyes. His expression was blank, but somehow it felt like he was mocking him, finding it bizarre, and also questioning him all at once.

“You seem quite interested in women for a virgin. Interested in women, yet still a virgin…….”

The Prince mumbled two sentences that meant the same thing but felt subtly different. And the second sentence deeply wounded Isaac.

“I-It’th not like I hab a problem or anything…… Why did you thuddenly decithe to go to Heilen, Printh Kyan…..? Thuddenly… thuddenly like that…” (“I-It’s not like I have a problem or anything…… Why did you suddenly decide to go to Heilen, Prince Kyan…..?”)

‘No good. I’m just losing the banter battle by talking.’ Isaac quickly changed the subject again. He didn’t know why that expressionless face suddenly seemed a bit satisfied, as if he had deliberately been petty.

“There is a lot of literature regarding witches preserved in Heilen. There should be a fair amount of materials that cannot be found in the capital.”

The Prince replied. As expected, Isaac nodded in understanding, but the Prince added calmly: “Besides, if I empty my seat for a while, the atmosphere within the palace will settle down faster.”

Isaac shut his mouth.

The Prince knew. The atmosphere of the royal palace, frozen in terror because of him. There was no way a man as brilliant and sharp as him wouldn’t know.

Yet, looking at the Prince, who didn’t seem to care in the slightest, acting as if it meant nothing to him, Isaac silently lowered his gaze.

“That expression.”

Suddenly, the Prince spoke out of nowhere, and Isaac raised his head in surprise. The Prince was looking at Isaac. It was that searching gaze again. As if he was looking at something uncomfortable that he couldn’t quite comprehend.

“Pawdon?” (“Pardon?”)

As Isaac mumbled in confusion and rubbed his face in response, the Prince fell silent, as if lost in thought, and that silence stretched on. At the end of it,

“Nothing.”

The Prince lightly waved his hand and said no more. It felt as if he had failed to find a clear answer to whatever it was. Just like facing a puzzle without any clues, a faint crease appeared briefly between his expressionless brows.

“Where do you suppose that witch is right now?”

Isaac suddenly thought of the ones who were the root cause of this whole situation. Since then, the witch and the wizard had completely disappeared without a trace. The fact that time was passing without any incidents was even more anxiety-inducing. No, to be precise, it was anxiety-inducing because he knew it wasn’t truly ‘without incidents’.

“Until rethently, thhe wath near Ulfain.” (“Until recently, she was near Ulfain.”)

The Prince stated calmly. Isaac’s expression darkened heavily.

There had been news secretly delivered to the Wizard Guild last night. In the Ulfain region, west of the capital, the mummified corpse of a man had been discovered. Along with the corpse, found in a hunter’s cabin in the mountain foothills on the outskirts, were several highly toxic herbs and what appeared to be bloodstains drawn on the floor like a magic circle.

Anyone with knowledge of magic would immediately guess that forbidden black magic had taken place. And if they knew a bit more, they would know it was impossible for an average-level wizard to pull off.

Only upon hearing that did Isaac understand how the wizard, who had handed over his entire body and soul to the witch, even if the witch’s consciousness was thin that day, had been able to roam so vividly last full moon.

Even after making a pact to hand everything over to the witch, the wizard had apparently wanted to maintain his fading consciousness for even a little longer. Going so far as to suck the life force of a human using a forbidden secret art.

He could no longer be considered human in any sense of the word.

“If you were going to do that, you thouldn’t have made the pact in the firtht plathe……” (“If you were going to do that, you shouldn’t have made the pact in the first place……”)

Isaac muttered bitterly to himself before stopping. No. Please let that not be the case. Isaac prayed his assumption was wrong. That the wizard wasn’t somewhere out there continuously devouring people like that.

Isaac clenched his teeth without realizing it. He didn’t even notice the taste of blood seeping out again from his crushed tongue.

Just then.

“When will that atrocious pronunciation finally clear up?”

*Thud.* Suddenly, a hand gripped Isaac’s jaw. Above the rough hand forcing his tightly shut mouth open, he saw the Prince’s blue eyes.

“It thould clear up very thoon.”

“If I endure the pain and thpeak thlowly, word by word, it doethn’t thound that bad,” (“If I endure the pain and speak slowly, word by word, it doesn’t sound that bad,”) the slightly un-slurred pronunciation proved, but the Prince did not release his grip on Isaac’s jaw. The Prince cast his gaze into Isaac’s open mouth. Looking at the mangled tongue, he let go of Isaac’s jaw with a somewhat annoyed look.

“Do not step out of line pointlessly again.”

“……. I will try my best to do tho if possible.”

Meaning ‘I might not be able to,’ a nuance the Prince surely caught. The Prince glared intently at him, but Isaac feigned ignorance and subtly averted his gaze. Oh dear, am I going to get struck by lightning again, he worried inwardly, but surprisingly, the Prince said nothing more. Instead, he looked up at the sun beginning to tilt overhead and stood up from his spot, a clear sign he was ready to depart.

Isaac followed suit and stood up. Looking back, his horse, having quenched its thirst satisfactorily, was raising its head from the stream and licking its lips.

“Now, ‘om here. Let’s get going again.” (“Now, come here. Let’s get going again.”)

As Isaac grabbed the reins and led the horse away from the stream, the Prince, who was just about to mount his own horse, cast a glance at him.

“Weren’t you stopping to rest?”

“Yes, I thought about it…… but awen’t you leaving now?” (“Yes, I thought about it…… but aren’t you leaving now?”)

“You won’t be able to catch up anyway, there’s no need to force yourself to stand.”

The Prince spoke indifferently and lightly vaulted onto his horse. Isaac scratched his head for a moment before mounting his horse as well. The Prince, holding his reins, threw a sidelong glance at Isaac, who was insisting on accompanying him.

“The dithtance will likely widen again thoon anyway, but wouldn’t it be nice to go together for a little while?” (“The distance will likely widen again soon anyway, but wouldn’t it be nice to go together for a little while?”)

“Why.”

“Because I want to be with you.”

Because he was struggling to speak clearly and distinctly, his tongue throbbed, making him frown. And in his distraction, Isaac blurted it out without thinking. And right after answering so, ‘Heh?’ he froze.

After answering, for some reason, he felt a thud, as if a heavy stone had dropped in his chest. It felt like a truth he hadn’t even realized himself had popped out completely by accident.

Huh? ……Heh?

Isaac, frozen and blinking for a moment, rubbed his face in utter bewilderment. Raising his gaze, the Prince was looking at Isaac expressionlessly, but truly as if he were looking at something incredibly bizarre.

“No, it doesn’t mean anything special.”

Isaac hastily spoke up to make excuses, but couldn’t think of anything to add after that. On the other hand, the thought that the Prince might think he was blatantly trying to flatter him made him even more flustered.

“I really meant it exactly as it sounds without any other meaning…….”

Isaac grew even more panicked. By now, the Prince’s gaze should have indifferently swept past him, yet the Prince was silently watching Isaac. As if waiting to hear what he would say next.

“……. I apologize. Pleawe go ahead.” (“……. I apologize. Please go ahead.)

Isaac mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as if to hide his flushed face. The Prince looked at Isaac for a moment longer, but turned his gaze away without saying anything.

The Prince lightly spurred his horse with the reins, and the steed carrying its master darted off as swiftly as an arrow. It effortlessly leaped over the bushes that occasionally blocked the rugged path along the stream, and watching the back of the horse rapidly disappearing beyond his field of vision in an instant, Isaac let out his tense shoulders only after the sound of hooves was completely out of earshot.

“He really just left…….”

Thoughts of ‘Thank goodness’ and ‘What a shame’ crossed his mind simultaneously. Along with them, Isaac quietly pounded his chest. It had been thumping loudly and wildly for a while now.

Placing his hand on his chest, Isaac, who had been standing blankly in place for a moment, slowly shook his head and let out a sigh. ‘No. It feels like I’m going to pull up something I don’t want to realize if I think about it any further. If I do, I think it will become truly terrifying and sad.’

“Letz go, letz go.”

Isaac patted his horse a couple of times and lightly kicked its flanks. The horse let out a short snort and bolted forward. In the cheerfully bouncing saddle, Isaac looked up at the sun passing overhead.

It seemed they were about halfway to Heilen. At this rate, they would arrive by late evening. The Prince will probably arrive much faster. It’s usually a place that takes a full day’s ride, so we really must have ridden recklessly.

Soon, he left the forest path and entered the road that continued through the middle of the wide plains. And then,

“…… Ah.”

Far ahead, he saw the white rump of a horse. And its swishing tail.

Isaac’s heart suddenly leapt. He spurred his horse even harder, increasing its speed. Even after riding like that for a long time, the distance didn’t shrink, but it didn’t grow either. Far ahead, the Prince was keeping that distance, leading the way.

Though from Isaac’s perspective, he had to ride like his life depended on it just to maintain that distance, the Prince must have been taking it leisurely in his own way, riding slowly.

For some reason, that made him happy—even though the distance hadn’t shrunk, the reassuring feeling that the Prince was constantly in his line of sight made Isaac smile. There was no way the sound of that laughter could reach him, but far ahead, the Prince briefly looked back. But that was all; he didn’t deliberately wait, nor did he ride any faster, he just kept riding at that pace, and Isaac chased after him.