Isaac patted his bulging stomach. It felt like the food in his stomach wasn’t digesting at all and was just sloshing around completely intact. He figured he should run a lap around the area later. No, lunch time is coming up soon, couldn’t I just hide somewhere until then… As Isaac cast a furtive glance out the window to the reception room,

He saw the Prince, who was just walking up to the window. Their eyes met perfectly.

“…….”

Feeling like he had been caught red-handed trying to commit a crime, Isaac froze. Thinking about it, all he was planning to do was skip one meal; what’s so wrong about that…… he thought, but his shoulders shrank defensively anyway.

He saw the Prince, who had been staring blankly down at Isaac, slowly crook his finger. Isaac stood up without delay and started walking. It seemed the Lord was about to leave. Under the guise of an escort, Isaac had slipped out to take a breather while the Lord, who had brought his daughter, wife, and a whole retinue of servants, packed the reception room tightly like diced radishes.

When he hurried up to the reception room, sure enough, the servants were pouring out in a group. Slipping in among them, Isaac went to stand by the wall next to the Prince, who was standing by the window. Just in time, intercepting the Prince’s gaze, the Lord stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his beautifully dressed daughter’s shoulders to offer his farewells.

“Then, I shall have all the literature you requested moved to you by tomorrow. I will provide not only the literature in the library but also those in my personal collection, so please review them at your leisure. Since our family has a very long history, there are quite a few ancient texts passed down from our ancestors that aren’t in the library. If it’s literature regarding myths or legends, there is likely no region that has passed down as rich a collection as our Heilen.”

The Lord firmly instructed an elderly servant standing behind him, “Understood? See to it that there isn’t a single shred of negligence,” before looking back at the Prince.

“I sincerely hope you spend an incredibly peaceful and joyous time while you stay in Heilen. Since you’ve traveled a long way, you must be tired; please rest comfortably today. I shall take my leave now, and return to formally greet you later. Since you have come to my territory, even if it is not me, I must send my family to pay our respects.”

Laughing heartily, the Lord patted his daughter’s shoulder, and the daughter smiled softly, bowing her head in greeting.

Looking at her again, she was a beauty who seemed both like a true beauty and not. She wasn’t strikingly pretty if you picked apart her features, but looking at the Lord’s daughter, who gave off the overall impression of a glamorous beauty, Isaac felt a sudden gaze and turned his eyes behind her.

The maid standing behind the Lord’s daughter was looking at Isaac. It was the girl named Elie. When she made eye contact with Isaac, she blinked, and her smiling face was cute and lively. ‘It’s hard to believe a girl with such a lovely smile is dating four men at the same time…… Actually, knowing about that eye-smile, I’d fall for it too……’ Isaac instinctively smiled back at her and thought to himself.

Right then. The Lord’s daughter glanced at Isaac, and soon after, the Lord also glanced at him. Just as Isaac, confused as to why these people were suddenly looking at him, blinked and turned his gaze, he saw that the Prince was looking at Isaac.

With a perfectly expressionless face, staring fixedly without looking away for a single second.

“…….”

‘What did I do wrong?’ Looking at Isaac, who was blinking in bewilderment, the Lord and the other people seemed to share similar thoughts. It was unclear what it was, but seeing the Prince stare at him so intensely, it seemed this guy had committed a grave sin that he himself was unaware of.

Perhaps thinking he should only briefly observe this suspicious exchange, the Lord bowed deeply to the Prince once more.

“Then, we shall take our leave now. Please, rest comfortably…….”

And yet, the Prince still did not spare a single glance at the Lord. He merely shifted his gaze from Isaac to cast a fleeting glance at the daughter and the maid once each.

Soon, the Lord’s party exited the reception room, and the bustling room quickly quieted down. The only sound was the clatter of the villa servants clearing the empty teacups and plates. In the midst of that, Isaac didn’t move a single finger, only blinking very slowly.

The Prince was watching him. Staring intently, it was impossible to know what he was thinking. But for some reason, the gaze didn’t feel entirely pleasant… It must be a misunderstanding. There’s no reason for that.

Right, that must be it. His gaze just happens to be directed this way. Isaac concluded in his mind. Still, unable to completely shake off the uncomfortable feeling, he subtly opened his mouth to say anything.

“This is my first time in Heilen, but as the rumors say, it seems like a wonderful place. The air is clear, the weather is nice, and the people are kind.”

The Prince stared blankly at Isaac before nodding.

“I will have to examine them myself to be sure, but it seems there are quite a few texts I haven’t seen before.”

“Is that so?”

Not only did he smoothly follow the change in topic, but his tone was also as indifferent as usual. It seemed there really was nothing to worry about. Just as Isaac was sweeping a hand over his chest in relief,

“It’s a quite decent place, except for the fact that they serve a stew so tasteless you’d stop eating to bury it in the ground.”

“…….”

When did he see that? He definitely hadn’t been by the window earlier.

Isaac dropped his gaze for a moment from the eyes staring piercingly at him, but the sudden thought that at this rate, he would either die of a gastrointestinal disorder or a ruptured stomach made him gather his courage and raise his head.

“Your Highness, about life force…… you know, they say eating a lot doesn’t necessarily improve it.”

“And skipping meals continuously because your mouth hurts, looking like a starved wretch who hasn’t had a drop of gruel, maintains that life force of yours?”

An unexpected rebuttal came back. It was tossed out casually, but coming from someone who seemed like he wouldn’t care whether anyone starved or not, it was so incredibly surprising that Isaac blinked, wondering what he had just heard.

“Uhm…… but, at this rate, obesity and arteriosclerosis, along with all sorts of adult diseases, will inevitably follow, which will actually decrease my health, stamina, and life force. My blood will get murky too, so the taste of the blood will drop.”

Blabbering whatever came to mind in his fluster, Isaac saw the Prince briefly raise his eyebrow at the mention of the ‘taste of blood’ and thought, This is it.

“Therefore, I believe that eating only standard portions of a desirable, nutritionally balanced diet is best for everyone involved—”

……. That sentence couldn’t be finished. Before he could even append the polite ending, the Prince beckoned with his finger. Why am I so terrified whenever that man calls me closer…… Isaac took one, two slow steps forward, and the Prince’s gesturing only stopped when Isaac had drawn right up next to him, with no more distance left to take another step.

With a burning pain, the sensation of his wrist being bitten into was felt vividly. Gripping Isaac’s flinching hand, the Prince drank his blood. The way he swallowed the blood, as if slowly lapping it up, truly looked like someone savoring a delicacy. Not eating out of hunger, but eating purely to enjoy the taste.

Compared to the violent suction of blood from his neck, it was a much more bearable sensation, but the feeling of blood slowly yet steadily leaking from his wrist was just as unfamiliar. It felt as if something was subtly tickling the very bottom of his life force. As if gently stimulating something deep beneath it,

“——.”

At that moment, the Prince suddenly lifted his eyes and looked at Isaac. The second he met those piercing blue eyes, Isaac’s heart dropped, as if he had been caught having a dirty thought—though he didn’t know why. Isaac flinched and reflexively snatched his wrist back. The Prince seemed to frown slightly, but obediently let go of his hand. Even as he did, he never took his eyes off Isaac.

“It’s rich and delicious.”

The Prince slowly licked the blood from his lips as he spoke.

“The clean taste wasn’t bad either, but this rich taste is fine too.”

“…… Does the blood taste different?”

‘They say milk tastes different depending on what grass a cow eats, so it wouldn’t be strange if the taste of blood changed depending on the food eaten. After all, there’s green-tea-fed pork and wine-fed beef……’ Isaac thought, before feeling inexplicably bitter about the comparison.

Raising his bleeding wrist to inspect it, Isaac thought, ‘It’s not that deep of a wound, so if I just leave it without treating it, it should stop bleeding soon,’ just as the Prince asked, “Where are the cats?”

“They must be playing somewhere.”

“Call them and have them lick it.”

“They aren’t exactly the type to come when called.”

Isaac replied nonchalantly. Wondering ‘Is my blood really that tasty?’, he subtly licked his own wrist, but the blood just tasted metallic, and it only made the wound sting unnecessarily. ‘What kind of taste is he getting out of this?’ As Isaac smacked his lips, the Prince, who had been watching him, stood up from the sofa. He picked up the half-empty wine bottle from the table, walked over to the window and tapped the bottle with his fingernail. Before the clinking sound of glass could ring out more than twice, the three cats were already sitting on the windowsill, appearing as suddenly as ghosts. ‘Is that for us? You’re going to give that to us, right?’ Looking up with eyes sparkling brightly, they looked ready to throw a massive tantrum if they weren’t given the wine.

The Prince, who had been looking down indifferently at the cats, flicked his gaze toward Isaac. The cats instantly lunged at Isaac, who had been licking his own wrist.

「Oh my, our Manbang is hurt!」

「Come here, we need to heal this right up.」

「Of course, of course, we can’t let a single precious drop of blood go to waste.」

The cats swarmed happily, latching onto his wrist and licking it so fiercely it felt like they might bite his whole hand off. But in less than a few seconds, the moment the wound vanished cleanly, the cats flew right back under the wine bottle. The Prince poured the wine onto an empty saucer. *Lap-lap-lap-lap,* the cats excitedly buried their noses in the saucer.

“…… Thank you.”

“Somehow it feels like I actually received help……” Isaac muttered, but the Prince simply sat in the chair by the window without replying. Still, gratitude was gratitude, and what needed to be said had to be said.

“Um, about the food…”

“Your pronunciation has become quite clear. Does it still hurt a lot when you eat?”

“……It throbs, but it’s bearable.”

Isaac, who was just about to speak, paused for a moment at the Prince’s sudden question before answering. It was incredibly unfamiliar and strange for him to ask something like this. The Prince met Isaac’s peculiar gaze with an expressionless face and said:

“I will tell them to adjust the portions. However, skipping meals is forbidden.”

An amnesty was granted.

Isaac’s expression brightened as he bowed deeply, “Thank you.”

If he had eaten lunch on top of everything else, his stomach would have surely torn open.eeling relieved, Isaac also resolved never to even pretend to skip a meal in front of this person again. …… But he isn’t the type to care about a mere escort’s meals, so why the sudden interest……  Just as he was wondering this, a small cloth pouch lying beneath the sofa caught Isaac’s eye as he bowed deeply.

“……? What’s this……”

Wondering if the Prince had dropped something, he picked it up and saw it was a perfume sachet. The sweet fragrance wafting from it was the exact same scent that had drifted by when the Lord’s daughter walked past earlier.

“It seems the Lord’s daughter dropped this.”

Isaac answered the Prince, whose eyes were asking what it was. Hearing the answer, the Prince turned his gaze out the window as if uninterested.

Seeing that a perfume sachet meant to be tied to a waistband had fallen perfectly intact without a snapped cord, she had probably left it behind on purpose. It was a not-uncommon excuse to come visiting again later.

“She was a beautiful lady. She seemed to have a good temperament, too.”

Isaac muttered, sniffing the scent of the sachet. Then, sensing the Prince’s gaze flicker toward him, he raised his head. The Prince expressionlessly held out his hand. Staring blankly at the empty hand for a moment, Isaac quickly approached and handed him the sachet.

“Is she your type?”

The Prince asked in a casual tone, tossing the sachet up lightly and catching it.

“Pardon? Well, if I had to say, I’m drawn to a more glamorous and distinct appearance. For example,”

For example, Isaac paused with his mouth still open. An example of someone with a glamorous and distinct appearance immediately came to mind, but…… it’s better not to give that example. Isaac forced his eyes away from the person standing right in front of him.

“I mean, well…… I also like beauties with a modest and pleasant aura.”

If someone is beautiful to my eyes, they’re beautiful, what’s there to differentiate, Isaac mumbled. Right then, the Prince threw the sachet out the window. Watching the sachet fly far away and disappear from sight, Isaac let out a short “Ah,” at which the Prince spoke.

“Do not covet what is out of your league, witch.”

“……, ……Yes.”

Isaac gave a brief reply and fell silent. The indifferent voice seemed to press down on his shoulders with exceptional coldness. As a slightly depressed Isaac stood there blankly, the Prince closed his eyes while sitting on the sofa. It was his usual expressionless face, but somehow, he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Isaac’s gaze slowly dropped from the barely-there crease between the Prince’s brows down to his face. The reason his complexion didn’t look very good was that the New Moon was approaching. The closer they got to the New Moon, the more the Prince became as bleak and sharp as a honed blade.

Still, it was better than before. It was something the servants who had served him for a long time in the Blue Shadow Palace whispered about in amazement. That lately, even when the New Moon was near, he didn’t exude that suffocating, terrifying aura like he used to. That timing coincided with the period when the Prince began drinking Isaac’s blood.

‘Right, it’s a good thing, isn’t it.’ Isaac thought as he sighed. Of course, every New Moon was painful, scary, and depressing, but on the other hand, if sacrificing this one body saved many people from fear, it was somewhat comforting in its own way. Besides.

“…….”

He was a man who had always lived on the battlefield. Not just in the borderlands, but before going to the borderlands, and even after returning to the capital. If he could quench his bone-dry throat with even a single sip in the midst of that battlefield, then gladly.

It was actually for the best that they had left the capital to rest in Heilen for a while. Furthermore, for Isaac himself, leaving the Blue Shadow Palace and staying in Heilen for a time wasn’t disagreeable.

Not only was he uncomfortable with the uneasy glares people gave him simply because he worked at the Blue Shadow Palace, but continuing to stay and work there with the tragedy of that day still vividly fresh in his memory was heavily weighing down a corner of his heart. Every time he walked down the corridors of the Blue Shadow Palace, every time he walked through a door, every time he ran into someone, he was forced to recall the memories of the familiar people who were now dead. He breathed a sigh of relief that he could at least be away from that place until the memories faded, even if just a little.

Isaac casually perched on a large stone decorative pedestal nearby and looked at the Prince. Sitting by the window with his eyes closed as if taking a nap, the Prince’s hair rustled softly in the wind. It looked like fine golden threads swaying…… It would be so nice if I could stroke it just once.

「Hey, don’t, don’t. You’ll get your wrist cut off doing that.」

「Can’t you see he’s in a bad mood right now, practically reeking of killing intent?」

Having finished licking up all the wine, the cats were now perched in a row on the backrest of the sofa, vigorously grooming their front paws. He had told those punks so many times not to read people’s faces, yet they never listened to a word he said……

“You guys can see things like that too?”

「You can’t?」

「Haizz, what are we going to do with our Manbang. He can’t suck life force, he can’t read auras… How is he supposed to survive in this harsh world. It’s like leaving a child by the water.」

「This is why we have to take care of him.」

He was too tired to even argue with the things they chattered happily amongst themselves anymore. “Whatever,” Isaac clicked his tongue and asked.

“Why is Prince Kyan’s mood ruined?”

「How are we supposed to know? He was in a good mood sucking blood just a moment ago, then suddenly his mood flipped.」

「But his mood really has been swinging wildly lately. Did something happen to him?」

「Well, maybe he’s getting frustrated because Manbang acts so dense all the time?」, 「Sounds plausible, makes sense,」 the cats excitedly chattered amongst themselves again.

‘I was a fool to ask these punks,’ Isaac glared at them with deadpan eyes before turning his head away. Right then, he locked eyes with the Prince.

The person who, just a moment ago, had his eyes closed as if taking a nap, was now watching Isaac while keeping his head leaned back against the sofa.

“I apologize. It must be noisy…… You punks, get out now.”

「Wow, we healed your wound and now you’re kicking us out?」

「Ungrateful!」

“You punks, did you come to heal my wound? You came to drink wine.”

「We healed it anyway! We healed it!」

「Did you give us the wine?! That handsome guy gave it to us!」

Isaac thought he should grab them by the scruff of their necks and throw them out the window, but there was no way those punks would let themselves get caught by Isaac today either. The sight of them retreating behind the sofa where the Prince sat, popping their heads out to yowl at him, was incredibly infuriating.

But right then, the Prince, who dropped his gaze as if annoyed to look at the cats, seemed to lean his body slightly. The slow hand that had definitely seemed to move languidly was suddenly gripping one of the cats by the scruff of its neck.

“…….”

「…….」

Not only Isaac, but the cat itself blinked blankly as if bewitched by a ghost. A second too late, it thrashed its whole body and yowled loudly, but the moment the Prince lifted it right in front of his face and peered at it, it instantly went quiet. Then, it slowly turned its head to look at Isaac and whined as if pleading for help. Even knowing how much of a little monster it was, its voice was so pitiful it tugged at Isaac’s heartstrings.

“To bring them all the way here, it seems you cherish them quite a bit.”

“No…… it’s not like I brought them myself……”

Even if I tie them to a doorknob with a leash, they wander around like ghosts…… Isaac approached the Prince, bowed respectfully, and held out his hand. Staring at Isaac for a moment, the Prince obediently dropped the cat onto his palm. Patting the punk that immediately burrowed into his arms and started whining, Isaac sighed.

“That’s why I really coveted that silver birdcage. Is there any chance you could rent it to me……”

As soon as he said it, the punk in his arms, who had been crying so pitifully just seconds ago, instantly hissed and puffed up its fur. You fickle little punk, Isaac lightly tapped the bridge of its nose with his fingernail. It was then. The Prince, who had been watching them, casually muttered.

“I believe there were chains meant for binding magical beasts in the vault.”

“Pardon? In the vault? Such a rare and valuable item?”

“Yes. I believe they were in the vault located underground in the inner main palace.”

“I should have them brought over next time,” the Prince said casually. In front of him, Isaac clamped his mouth shut. A sudden thought had just crossed his mind.

“By any chance…… is that the vault where they say a mountain of marvelous and rare treasures is piled up…..?”

“Treasures? Well. There are some peculiar things in there.”

“The one His Majesty placed deep within the innermost palace with impenetrable guards…? Are you speaking of the treasure vault where one might barely receive a single treasure from inside only after establishing great merit?”

“There is triple security set up, yes. It seems he occasionally grants items from within it when he needs to bestow a great reward upon his subjects.”

The Prince, who spoke as nonchalantly as if discussing a barn full of straw, suddenly looked at Isaac. Isaac, with his eyes wide open, wasn’t moving a muscle, just staring piercingly at the Prince.

“I heard His Majesty cherishes the treasures inside immensely…… is it really okay for you to just take things out like that? If His Majesty finds out later and becomes deeply enraged…”

“He told me to take whatever I need, whenever I need it.”

Isaac lost his words again and stared fixedly at the Prince.

His heart began to pound. Not only was he suddenly hearing news about the treasure vault he had temporarily forgotten about, but to think there was a path leading to the treasure vault so close by. A path to the treasure vault——.

“You seem quite interested. This is the first time I’ve seen you show such interest in something.”

Just then, the Prince muttered low. His blue eyes narrowed faintly. In that instant, Isaac suddenly flinched as if doused in cold water. It felt like his instincts were blaring a warning alarm. That he shouldn’t reveal his hand so carelessly.

“Come to think of it, you said you wanted to establish merit and receive a reward before. Is there something in that vault you want to possess?”

The Prince asked. He asked as if it were nothing, but his gaze was meticulously observing Isaac. Isaac felt a cold chill run down his spine from the tension. He didn’t know why, but the feeling that he absolutely must not speak about the tinderbox hit him like absolute certainty. It was a path to the treasure vault, yes, but one wrong step and it would be the path to the afterlife.

“Rather than having something specific I want to possess, I heard there are so many marvelous treasures, so I just wanted to see it for myself at least once.”

Isaac answered vaguely. The Prince stared blankly at Isaac. Those deep blue eyes felt as if they were peering straight through into his core, but Isaac forced himself to meet his gaze calmly. His heart was pounding with a different feeling than before, but he forcibly suppressed it.

How much time had passed? The Prince, whose thoughts were entirely unreadable, finally opened his mouth.

“If you produce a worthwhile result, I wouldn’t mind letting you inside.”

“——.”

“I could even give you a few items from within it.”

Suddenly, his ears perked wide open.

It’s the path to the afterlife. One wrong step and it’s the afterlife. An incredibly dangerous path.

Nevertheless, realistically speaking, it was practically the only path Isaac had to enter the treasure vault.

The tinderbox.

The beginning of everything, and the thing that would bring everything to an end. The only path to obtaining it.

“I will do my absolute best.”

Isaac bowed respectfully. The Prince stared quietly at Isaac but said nothing. He merely fell into thought for a while. After doing so,

“If you want to be useful, focus on building up your life force first.”

The Prince said.

“You aren’t entirely useless, but you aren’t exceptionally useful either, not yet. If I had to say what makes you useful……

“

The Prince held out his hand. Isaac, who had his ears perked up to hear the criteria for ‘useful’, obediently placed his hand on top of it.

Pulling Isaac’s hand closer, the Prince pressed his lips to the back of it. Just as Isaac flinched involuntarily at the momentary sensation of breath and lips touching his skin, the Prince, who had paused there for a second as if taking in a scent, bit down on the back of his hand.

Sting. A small scratch, just enough for a drop of blood to slowly form, was made. Without licking or sucking, the Prince merely inhaled quietly, taking in the scent.

That brief, still silence.

The tense air, indistinguishable from anxiety, was broken when the Prince, having stayed still for a while, licked the drop of blood.

“The taste is useful. Yes, quite.”

“…… That’s a relief.”

Muttering like a sigh, Isaac caught the Prince glancing up and continued.

“Since you’re going to drink it anyway, it’s better that it’s tasty rather than tasteless. I’m glad you’re enjoying it…… Half of that is a lie, but half of it is sincere.”

Isaac added gloomily. Watching Isaac’s shoulders slump, the Prince suddenly let out a short breath. That breath, akin to a laugh, was probably closer to disbelief, and the Prince’s expression wasn’t exactly a smiling one either, but Isaac, looking at the Prince, suddenly felt his heart ease.

He felt a sense of ‘whatever happens, happens.’

Right, regardless of what it is, it’s something that provides no small amount of help to this person, so that’s enough. He was even glad. More than half sincerely.

Isaac simply let out a small smile. Letting go of Isaac’s hand and leaning back against the sofa, the Prince watched him silently. Isaac was surprised to realize that he had grown so accustomed to that expressionless face—whose thoughts were entirely unreadable—that he even found it comfortable.

「That handsome guy seems to be in a good mood again, see, didn’t I tell you his mood is swinging wildly lately, what’s up with him,」 he felt like he could hear the cats chattering from somewhere, but Isaac let it go out the other ear and cast his gaze out the window. The clear, bright weather of Heilen filled the outside world.