“Oh…… that’s the one Prince Kyan keeps.”

Isaac, who had been snapping dry twigs into small pieces, looked up at the sky and suddenly muttered.

He stood up and let out a whistle, and the falcon that had been circling overhead for some time descended like an arrow. Recognizing him from the times he had attended Kyan, the falcon didn’t land directly on Isaac’s forearm, but instead perched on a low tree right next to him. It remained still as Isaac untied the small message bundle bound to its leg. However, the moment he tried to stroke it, it snapped at him with its beak—a clear sign that it wouldn’t tolerate anyone else’s touch but its master’s.

“I think this every time I see you, but you really are a clever one…… Here, take this back to him. I’m making you run an errand but I’ve got nothing to give you. Want some cat meat?”

As Isaac spoke, tying the paper with his written message back onto the falcon’s leg, the bird glanced at the black cat rolling around in the grass as if it understood. Instantly springing to its feet, the cat let out a sharp hiss, “Khekkk!” and bristled its fur.

「Where is there a cat here?!」

「Even if there was, why would you eat cat meat?」

「How could anyone eat something so cute and lovely?」

「Barbarian! Barbarian!」 the three cats hissed in unison.

Meanwhile, the falcon soared high into the air and vanished past the pitch-black night sky. Birds of prey usually have poor night vision, yet it managed to find me, Isaac thought in admiration. He watched it disappear, thinking it might have spotted his campfire, before sitting back down.

He had lit the fire to keep wild beasts away, even while worrying that the light might draw Roberni’s men. But this was for the best. He had been wondering how on earth to send word to Kyan that he was currently in the mountains between Atlan and Kuslo, searching for the Witch of Roberni who seemed to be nearby, but now a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He wondered how long it had been since he last spent a night in the mountains.

Isaac, sitting between exposed tree roots as thick as a human torso, tossed a dry branch into the campfire. The flames flared up with a cozy, crackling sound.

「Ugh, my aching bones. Sleeping out in the mountains at my age, of all things……」

「If you sleep out in the cold when you’re young, your bones will ache when you’re old.」

Watching the three of them draped comfortably over a tree stump, looking as relaxed as if they were wearing fur coats, Isaac, who was wearing nothing but a short-sleeved shirt, huddled closer to the fire.

“Cat fur must be warm……” he muttered.

At this, they hissed again, shouting, 「Where is there a cat here?!」 and 「What use is a hide only the size of a palm anyway?!」

“Tiger pelts are nice too,” Isaac said, staring blankly at them, which only provoked more angry hissing.

「A tiger has to die to leave its pelt!」

「How extravagant, wanting something so precious!」 they scolded.

“My, my, excuse me,” Isaac chuckled, turning back to the campfire.

Still, having them around made things much better.

Because he couldn’t bring the horse into the rugged terrain, he had sent it back at the foot of the mountain and entered the forest alone. Though moving in isolation like this was neither new nor unfamiliar, he couldn’t help the quiet loneliness that crept into his heart. On top of that, he hadn’t even been able to properly dress the arm that was still dripping blood, when suddenly 4 or 5 of Roberni’s men had ambushed him, having tracked him down before he knew it. In that moment, he had genuinely wondered if his life was going to end today.

With one arm useless, he had barely managed to cut down two of them and plunge into the dense forest, successfully shaking them off. But as early night fell pitch-black over the mountains, Isaac had stared blankly up at the sky, feeling utterly lost.

Seeing how quickly they had tracked him here, hordes of Roberni’s men would likely swarm the mountains by tomorrow, combing through every inch of the forest. Descending to a village with civilian houses was out of the question, as it was blindingly obvious that Roberni’s faction would have established a presence there too. Evading them would be hard enough, but if they unleashed hounds, the beasts would catch his scent of blood and close the distance in no time…… Actually, even without hounds, bleeding like this in the deep woods was practically an invitation for wild beasts to attack him tonight.

‘……This isn’t going to be easy……’

When he leaned his back against a boulder, feeling exhausted to his very soul, a sudden rustle came from the bushes behind him. Isaac instantly tensed, gripping his sword as he spun around. And there, standing before him—

『KYANNN—!!』

Three fiercely goofy ‘beasts’ lunged forward with a loud cry.

When he saw the tiny, black beasts sinking their claws into his chest, back, and waist to hang onto him, an overwhelming wave of sheer relief washed over his heart.

『Where do you think you’re going with a body in that condition?!』

『We’re starving! Hurry up and give us your blood!』

They chattered and meowed in cat-speak, vigorously licking his injured arm. Isaac stared blankly down at the three of them…… and by the time he chuckled, his wound was already starting to knit close.

“Well, since I’ve got more mouths to feed, I suppose I should prepare to eat and sleep,” Isaac muttered, pushing himself up with ease.

Since the mountain was teeming with wild animals, it hadn’t been hard to catch a rabbit to satisfy their hunger. Only a short while ago, he had found a secluded spot out of sight, lit a campfire, and finally sat down to rest.

With the fire crackling nicely and his stomach full, Isaac lay down a reasonable distance from the campfire. He had gathered a thick pile of leaves and grass to lie on, and it felt surprisingly comfortable. The faint, earthy scent of dry grass rose around him, soothing his frayed nerves. Not far away, the gentle murmur of a running stream echoed softly.

‘I have to wake up early tomorrow and move before dawn.’ There was no telling how close Roberni’s men had gotten, and more than anything, the realization that he was finally drawing close to the witch’s whereabouts made his heart race with anticipation. He wanted to find them quickly and confirm he had caught up to them.

「So Alikisa is somewhere on this mountain range?」

「How are you going to comb through this vast mountain range to find her?」

Perched on a thick branch arching over Isaac’s head, the cats chattered. In the darkness, their silhouetted shapes looked like three oversized fruits resting on the branch.

“First, I’ll calculate the angle of the mountain ridge reflected in the mirror back then, and search for a position where the ridge appears in that exact shape. I gave it some deep thought earlier, and I think if we cross over this mountain toward the northwest, the ridge should be visible at roughly that angle.”

「How vague, incredibly vague.」

“She seemed to be staying in a fairly luxurious inn, so she must be somewhere in a moderately sized town nestled between the peaks.”

Nested within the valleys of the overlapping mountain ranges were numerous villages of all sizes. They ranged from tiny hamlets of just a few households to surprisingly large settlements boasting several hundred homes, which was quite substantial for a mountain community.

She had to be in one of them—some village where the mountain ridge aligned perfectly with the angle reflected in the mirror.

Navigating these mountains without a map while evading Roberni’s men and hunting for those villages was bound to be a daunting task, but he had no choice. His only real concern was that if it took longer than expected, the witch might relocate in the meantime. However, as long as she was anchored in a human vessel, she wouldn’t be able to travel too far.

‘I only hope I can find her in time.’

Isaac offered a silent prayer, cushioned his head with his arm, and stared up. Through the dense canopy of branches, a round, pale moon was visible. Soon, it would be a full moon again. Flitting between the full moon and the new moon, time was slipping away steadily.

Once the full moon arrives, his body will grow sluggish. Spending that time in the mountains is going to be quite an ordeal…… It would be so wonderful if he could feed on some vital energy then.

Isaac sighed deeply without realizing it. His body felt heavy and loose. It was true what they said about not being able to store absorbed life force for long; despite having drained so much vital energy from Prince Kyan, it seemed to have mostly run dry, leaving his limbs thoroughly exhausted. Then again, given the chaotic day he had survived, it was a miracle he was only this tired.

‘I wonder what he’s doing right now.’

Isaac suddenly thought of the prince. The last image of Kyan remained etched with striking clarity in his mind. As Isaac fled the courtyard, the prince’s face as he watched him from amidst the crowd had been terrifyingly rigid—looking as though something had been violently ripped away from his grasp.

‘Even surrounded by people, the prince had looked utterly isolated.….. I wanted to stay by his side. So he wouldn’t be left looking so entirely alone.’

“I wish I had learned how to enter someone’s dreams when I met Mom…… This tinderbox is utterly useless outside of the dark moon, seriously.”

Isaac murmured quietly, feeling the tinderbox he always carried in his inner pocket. He had barely breathed the words aloud, but those sharp, fox-like cats somehow managed to catch them.

「Useless?! What do you mean, useless?!」

「After you literally just used it to start this campfire?!」

“……, Alright, alright, my mistake. The greatest virtue of a tinderbox is indeed to light fires, of course.”

Isaac quickly apologized as the cats shook the branches overhead, growling and fussing. If the branch snapped and all three of them fell on him at once, it would be a disaster.

In the pitch-black darkness, their black bodies were barely visible, leaving only their wide, luminous eyes gleaming brightly.

「And what would you even do entering someone else’s dream?」

「Whose dream are you trying to enter?」

“Well, obviously……”

Isaac let his voice trail off. The cats’ eyes narrowed into sharp, knowing slits as they stared down at him. Exchanging glances, they murmured among themselves, 「It’s the cornucopia, the cornucopia.」

「Definitely the cornucopia.」

「They say a late-blooming passion is the most terrifying, and now our innocent Manbang-ie has……」 

「Oh my, how scandalous.」 

Isaac could hear every bit of their whispering. These little rascals……

“What on earth do you think I would do in his dream?”

When Isaac glared at them, they lowered their eyes with mock innocence.

「Drain his vital energy, obviously.」

「Suck it right out of him, top to bottom.」

“I would not do that!”

「Well, even if you didn’t, that cornucopia would probably pour it all over you anyway.」

“……”

Isaac suddenly found himself speechless. He had never considered it before, but reflecting on it now, their words didn’t sound entirely off base. Maybe it’s safer not to enter his dreams…… But still……

“I feel like I could speak more freely in a dream.”

Isaac murmured with a sigh. In a dream, he felt he could say whatever was on his mind. It’s just a dream, so what does it matter?

「What is it you want to say so badly?」

“Well…… you know…… that I like him…… or that he shouldn’t hate me so much just because I’m a witch…..”

Listing his wishes one by one made him feel a bit embarrassed, but the thoughts flowed naturally now that he had started. It wasn’t as if he were lying, nor was he wishing for anything forbidden, so what did it matter? It wasn’t even something he couldn’t say to Kyan directly—though, of course, he would never have the courage to say it if he were actually staring into those cool, piercing blue eyes.

「You’ve already said all of that.」

A cat muttered, staring down with narrowed, triangular eyes. Isaac thought for a moment longer before continuing.

“And…… that I hope Prince Kyan finds someone he can truly open his heart to……”

Someone to whom the prince would willingly open his heart. And someone who would gladly stand by his side. He wished there would be someone who could walk alongside Kyan forever.

The cats squinted down at Isaac as he stared quietly at the moon. Rolling their eyes with a troubled expression, one of them asked,

「Other than you?」

It was asked in a thoroughly displeased tone, as if they found every option disagreeable. Isaac stared blankly back at them.

“I’m a witch, remember?”

「……Is this guy incredibly soft-hearted or just an absolute idiot…..!」

「Oh, you clueless, dense fool…!」

「Do you even deserve to call yourself a witch? A witch, my foot! You can’t even take what’s handed to you on a silver platter!」

Finally, one of the cats leaped straight down from the branch onto Isaac’s stomach. Gasping at the sudden, heavy impact, Isaac doubled over, only for a furry tail to smack him right across the cheek. When he grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck to pry it off, it began aggressively nibbling on his fingers, clearly furious.

Isaac let the cat chew on his fingers and clicked his tongue. As he scratched behind its ears, the cat shot him a sharp, sideways glare.

“Of course, if I actually had to see someone else standing by his side with my own eyes, it would break my heart. I’d probably be miserable…… But even so, I don’t want to wish for him to remain entirely alone forever.”

The cat’s dark eyes locked onto Isaac. Gently stroking the creature, Isaac gazed up at the sky. 

“The full moon must be drawing near; I feel my strength draining already…..” he muttered. But then—

「My god, worry about yourself first!」

This time, two cats plummeted down from the tree in rapid succession. One smacked him right on the head, while the other landed squarely on his chest.

Left groaning in pain from the sudden onslaught, Isaac could only offer his limbs. As the three cats, looking thoroughly exasperated with him, began collectively gnawing on his fingers, ankles, and arms.

「Is this guy trying to play a saint or what?」

「Maybe gathering Buddhist relics is his hobby.」

They grumbled while nibbling at him in a sulky, resentful manner. Having no words to argue back, Isaac could only lie still and take it, offering up his whole body for them to ‘torment.’

In truth, Isaac didn’t consider himself particularly soft-hearted or stupid. He had no saintly ambitions, nor did he care about accumulating virtue. He simply wanted to accept his own feelings and thoughts as they were. Even if it made things harder and more painful right now, he believed it would leave him with no regrets later. And so,

“I miss him.”

Even though he knew saying it would only provoke the cats into biting him harder, Isaac murmured the words anyway.

「Why on earth do you like that guy?」

The cat hanging onto his finger asked, rolling its teacup-sized eyes.

「Sure, the cornucopia is handsome. I mean, he’s the greatest beauty in the kingdom, so it’s easy to be enticed. And if his vital energy is delicious too, there’s nothing more you could ask for. But still! You know exactly what a terrible temper he has! Just because you fed on his energy a few times, is that any reason to fall head over heels for him?! Huh?!」

「Exactly! We didn’t raise our Manbang-ie to turn out like this!」

The cats hanging onto his ankles and forearms chimed in without losing a beat.

‘Since when did you all raise me……’ Isaac glared at them, but decided it wasn’t worth the breath to argue. Instead, he quietly turned their words over in his mind.

When had he fallen for Prince Kyan so deeply? When had it happened? He had clearly feared the prince at first, telling himself he should steer clear of him at all costs—and in truth, a part of him still felt that way—yet despite everything, he loved him. He had only recently come to realize this truth.

“…… Does having delicious vital energy really bewitch a person this much?”

Or was it because that, for the first of his life, had been…… Ah no, that wasn’t it. The prince’s life force had been delicious, but the actual act had felt as if he were being split wide open, leaving him so breathless and overwhelmed he thought he might die. Isaac shuddered involuntarily at the memory and shook his head.

He tried to trace back when and why his feelings had shifted so dramatically, but he couldn’t find an answer. The only certainty right now was that he missed him. It had barely been half a day since they parted, yet here he was, longing for a man who likely wasn’t giving him a second thought. Liking someone is truly a melancholy, bittersweet thing.

‘…… But even so, I don’t care.’

Sighing quietly, Isaac closed his eyes, turning away from the moon. Wishing that the waxing moon would quickly turn into a new moon, he gently stroked the small heads of the cats, who continued to chew on him while letting out heavy sighs of their own.