Chapter 52

The woman wound her arms around his neck, leaning her slender body against him. “Oscar…,” she said, her voice as hot as tears. While stupefied by the sudden warm body in his lap, Oscar was more stunned that this woman knew his name. He used one hand to peel her away and glared at her. “Who are you? Why do you know my name?” Her dark eyes grew wide for a second. A vague light flashed across that unfathomable abyss. She looked hurt—like a lost child, someone who was searching for a distant home. Yet after she gave a long, slow blink, that glint disappeared entirely. Oscar frowned at the subtle change but thought that maybe his eyes had played a trick on him. The woman pulled back, withdrawing from Oscar’s grasp, and gave a slightly lonely smile. “…You’re the one who inherited the royal sword of Farsas, aren’t you?” “Oh, I see,” Oscar said, glancing down at the weapon by his waist. Ordinarily, the king of Farsas was the only one in the whole land to wear Akashia. Oscar was an exception because he had inherited the royal sword prior to becoming king, but he didn’t hide that fact. Spotting the blade was enough to know he was the crown prince. “It really…is you,” the woman said, sighing. Oscar looked at her, and she stared back, gaze unwavering. Her eyes were as unpredictable as the night. Emotion had risen to the top of those inky pools. Her feelings were as plain as a child’s—but incredibly charged. No woman had ever stared at Oscar like this before. Her gaze was so much more earnest and overwhelming. Feeling that if he kept looking into her eyes, the heat there would spread to him, too, Oscar let out a breath he had instinctively been holding. Casually, he averted his gaze and asked, “So what are you doing here? What kind of person lives under a castle?” “Oh… I fell asleep. I’m a mage, so I used magic…,” she answered. “You need magic to go to sleep? Things sure are weird in the Magic Empire,” he commented. “It’s a type of spell that can control your internal body clock while time passes. Men can’t use it safely, however, so not many people have put it into practice…” “I’m not sure I follow, but I understand that you used a spell,” Oscar stated frankly, and the woman blushed happily. The expression made her look much younger than she was. Placing her hands on the bed, she crawled over to Oscar and looked up at him with that beautiful face of hers. “If you’re here, does that mean it’s currently the year 527 in Farsas time?” “No, it’s 526,” he replied. “Huh? One year early?” she remarked. “What’s one year early? I think it’s 653 by Tuldarr reckoning. Are you all right?” “Oh, I-I’m fine,” she answered, pressing her hands to her flushed cheeks. After falling into thought for a while, she asked nervously, “Um, are you married to someone else…?” “I’m not married. What do you mean ‘to someone else’? How much do you know?” Oscar had been permitted this deep into the castle in order to break his curse, yet if this woman was making inquiries like that, then she must have already known about his situation. Did she consider herself a suitable bride for him? The prince suddenly felt on guard, and in response to his questions, the woman flushed even more intensely. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… That was rude of me.” “Don’t worry about it,” Oscar said dismissively. He thought all her blushing was cute. However, it didn’t seem like her query had anything to do with his curse. Despite his misgivings, he was reluctant to point that out right to her face. The woman shuffled down the bed until she was next to him, then put her feet on the grass. She tried to stand but immediately fell back and flopped into a sitting position. Taken aback, Oscar helped her sit up. “What are you doing? Are you okay?” “I haven’t walked in so long… Still, my muscles haven’t atrophied, so I should be okay,” she explained, giving him an awkward smile as she curled in on herself. Oscar returned Akashia to its sheath, then reached out and picked her up. She was so unnaturally light it was as if her body had wings. “Where do you wish to go? Actually, I never got your name.” The woman’s dark eyes widened, and then she flashed him a pleased smile. “My name is Tinasha. It’s nice to meet you.” Her smile was as bright and vivid as a flower—and contagious, as Oscar broke into a grin, too. When Oscar emerged from the room with the woman in his arms, the crimson-haired girl let out an elated shout. “Lady Tinasha! You woke up? Are you feeling well?” “Yes, thanks to you. I’m very grateful, Mila,” replied Tinasha. Mila grinned in satisfaction after Tinasha acknowledged her efforts, then vanished. It was so sudden that Oscar frowned. “What in the world is she? She’s not human, right?” “That’s one of my spirits. She serves me… But she’s more like a friend,” Tinasha said, stretching out a hand. The small dragon flew over to it. She picked it up and placed it on Oscar’s shoulder. “This little one’s name is Nark, and it’ll do what you say. You’re its master.” “I am? Really?” “Yes, really. It likes you, doesn’t it?” Tinasha pointed out. “I’ve never seen a dragon that’s fond of people,” Oscar remarked. Tinasha burst out laughing. The sound was like tinkling bells, ringing in Oscar’s ears pleasantly. Oscar carried Tinasha down the long corridor, and they approached the door where he had separated from the others. When he reached the other side, the three men waiting there were shocked to see Tinasha. Calste in particular stared at her in disbelief. Oscar was confused by the king’s behavior. “I found a dragon and her inside… Does this mean I can take her back to Farsas as my bride?” “What?!” cried not Calste but the woman in Oscar’s arms. She pressed both hands to her pink cheeks and stared up at him. “H-how did things get to that point all of a sudden?” “The curse…,” he started to explain, but she cut him off. “Oh!” Tinasha cried in a tone of understanding. Then she muttered in relief, “It really is a good thing you came…” While Oscar still didn’t understand what she meant, he returned his gaze to Calste. The king’s look of shock finally morphed into a grimace. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. She is meant to be the next queen of our country.” “WHAT?!” Tinasha yelped in astonishment once more. “Why would it come to that? After all, I’m…” “I know who you are, which is precisely why I’m asking. For the past hundreds of years, we have not had a king or queen who can summon the mystical spirits. That’s how much the royal family’s magic has weakened,” Calste explained. “A ruler does not need to have magic,” Tinasha stated crisply, her voice cool, resolute, and clearly resonant. Oscar looked at her in surprise to see that her dark eyes had narrowed a fraction and lit up with a firm, majestic glint. The gaze of a leader. Even among royalty, not many had such eyes—imbued with the power to conquer others. Oscar was impressed. Tinasha nudged him to let her down. He did, while continuing to help her stay upright. She took two or three stumbling steps before straightening her posture and fixing her gaze on Calste. “There is no absolute need for a ruler to be a powerful mage. Even if one person has a great amount of power, the reach of that might is limited. Isn’t there something even more important for the country?” “Regardless of what that may be, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s necessary for a country to have enough power to protect itself. You are the one who our nation needs right now,” Calste responded. “Too much strength will give rise to alarm,” Tinasha countered. It didn’t look like either side was going to concede. Tinasha noticed how bewildered the three Farsasians were and looked up at Oscar apologetically. “I’m sorry. I need to speak to him for a moment, so could you wait outside?” “All right, but…” “I promise I’ll do something about your curse,” she assured, grinning at the prince confidently. Oscar nodded, though still unsure of what was happening. The three Farsasians returned to the hall where they had first met with Calste and exchanged confused looks over how things had escalated. Lazar asked the most obvious question: “Who in the world is that woman, Your Highness?” “I don’t know, either. She was sleeping in a room beyond the barrier, so I brought her back,” Oscar answered. “You should have asked her who she was! What do you think you were doing?!” exclaimed Lazar. “Didn’t Calste say she was the next queen? And I did get her name. It’s Tinasha,” Oscar said. “Then she bears the same name as the Witch Killer Queen,” Doan added. Oscar recalled what he could of the mainland’s history. “From the time when Tuldarr was at war with Tayiri? So that was her name.” “Yes, I believe so. Evidently, that queen was also very beautiful,” answered Doan. Lazar looked between the other two, unable to follow the flow of conversation. “Wait, what? What witch? What queen?” “You need to study your history,” Oscar chided. “I did… Hey! Ow, ow, ow!” Lazar cried as Oscar ground his fists into Lazar’s temples. Sighing, Doan launched into an explanation. “Four hundred years ago, Tuldarr and Tayiri went to war, right? Because Tuldarr was accepting persecuted mage refugees from Tayiri.” “I kind of vaguely recall that…,” Lazar muttered doubtfully. Oscar shoved him. “Any way you look at it, that was a turning point in history, wasn’t it? That was when Tuldarr started opening up to other nations.” “Urgh… I’m sorry,” Lazar moaned, hanging his head. Doan ignored him and went on. “Then Tayiri backed out of the conflict before it was clear which side would win. That was because an assassin was sent after the queen of Tuldarr—a witch, at that. The queen managed to turn the tables and slew the witch instead, but during their struggle, the witch let it slip that she was the lover of King Gaweid of Tayiri. To this day, we don’t know how much of that is true, but if King Gaweid truly ordered the witch after Tuldarr’s queen…” “…Then that would be a huge scandal for him,” finished Lazar. “Yes. Under internal pressure, King Gaweid was compelled to withdraw his forces and abdicate. After that, Tayiri gave its tacit consent of mage refugees emigrating to Tuldarr. Tinasha was the name of Tuldarr’s queen at the time, if I remember correctly,” Doan concluded. “So that’s why she was called the Witch Killer Queen. It’s certainly quite the story,” remarked Lazar. “It is. Curiously, that Tinasha also abdicated the throne soon after. Things were getting problematic for her in Tuldarr. Folks were saying that if she had enough strength to kill a witch, then she might very well be one herself. She was responsible for many progressive reforms, like opening up the country to diplomatic relations, which made her a target of the Traditionalists. And there was what had transpired with Tayiri as well. Thus, her relinquishing her queenship made both sides even, in a way,” said Doan. “That’s so unreasonable that she would be forced to abdicate after everything she did…,” Lazar mused in wonder. Oscar grimaced. “She was ahead of her time. It happens a lot.” “That Tinasha is a famous ruler among mages. It’s not hard to conceive that the woman you found was named after her,” Doan reasoned, shrugging to indicate that the story was over. Seeming appeased, Lazar looked at the ceiling and murmured, “Still, that woman truly is quite beautiful.” “I thought Calste would let me have her. Rude,” Oscar muttered. “Don’t steal the next queen of Tuldarr! It would be a diplomatic nightmare!” cried Lazar. “Regardless, it seems I won’t be leaving empty-handed,” Oscar commented, glancing up at his shoulder. The dragon sitting there gave a little chirp. His attendants stared at the small creature questioningly. “I did want to ask you what that is. It’s a dragon, right—? And a live one,” said Doan. “Yep. Tinasha told me I’m its master. It was a lot bigger when we first met, so I guess it can change its size,” Oscar explained. Lazar just sighed. “It does sound like she’s going to do something about the curse, so our mission looks to be complete,” remarked Doan, internally quite relieved that they didn’t have to go see a witch now. Heedless of Doan’s alleviation, his lord gave an offhand answer. “I wonder how she’ll solve it. Maybe she’ll marry me.” “I just told you not to steal her!” wailed Lazar. “There’s no need to shriek…,” Oscar grumbled. Just then, the door opened, and Calste and Tinasha walked in. Calste wore a prim, unruffled expression. It cut a sharp contrast to Tinasha, who was sourly glowering. When she saw Oscar, she looked uncomfortable as she admitted, “I’m now going to be coronated in half a year.” “And until then, you may do as you like. You might enjoy wandering around outside after so long. I’ll have rooms prepared for you here in the palace,” Calste asserted, his tone amiable and warm. Tinasha turned a cold gaze on him. “First, I’m going to break his curse. If I don’t, there was no point in him coming here.” “You’re free to do so. However, please do keep your position in mind. If possible, I’d like for you to wed my son, after all,” Calste said. “That’s outside my realm of responsibility,” she declared succinctly. Noticing the tension between the two of them, Doan and Lazar exchanged glances. Tinasha’s irritation was written all over her beautiful face, but her gaze softened when it fell upon Oscar. He saw that her conversation looked to be over for the moment, and he got up to beckon her over. “So what should I do?” “I have quite a few things to get ready, and I need catalysts for the analysis… It would help me so much if you could stay nearby,” she answered. “How long will it take?” “I-I’m going to do my best, but…to make absolutely sure, I think it’ll take half a year. If I were starting the analysis from scratch, I wouldn’t be able to give such an estimate, but I have at least glimpsed the answer.” “What answer?” Oscar asked. Instead of telling him, Tinasha flashed a vague smile. There were parts Oscar hadn’t understood, but he gleaned that she could likely break the curse in six months’ time. Compared to the fifteen years others had spent at the task, it was a trifle. Oscar broke into a grin at this woman who had appeared before him. “Then you should come to Farsas until you’re coronated. Mages can use teleportation to go between Tuldarr and Farsas, right?” “Wait, would that be all right? Really?” Tinasha asked, sounding excited. “We’re the ones asking you to break the curse,” Oscar said. Tinasha gave him a thrilled smile. It was so innocent it made her look like a young girl; she was adorable. When Oscar glanced at Calste, the king of Tuldarr pasted on a smile. “Please take good care of her.” Sensing something strained in his voice, Oscar winced as he bowed. Evidently detecting the same thing, Tinasha eyed the king distastefully. Although the details were a bit complicated, the prince had found what he’d sought in coming to Tuldarr. None yet knew that this was the beginning of a story that would affect the fate Oscar himself remained unaware of. “Is this all you brought?” Oscar blurted out when he came to the rooms allotted to Tinasha once they returned to Farsas. The young woman’s belongings totaled a dozen ancient spell books and a bundle of magic implements, all packed into one wooden trunk. She possessed almost no attire or jewelry. Oscar stared at this person Calste had designated the future queen of Tuldarr. “If there’s anything you need, just say so. We can have clothes made for you.” “Thank you… Hmm? Clothes?” Tinasha said, blinking her long eyelashes several times. The closest thing she had to an attendant was the mystical spirit girl. Tinasha evidently decided Oscar must be joking and grinned at him. “I don’t have that many things, so I’m fine.” That came as a disappointment to the prince; he had been thinking about what dresses might look good on her. Still, he intended to respect her wishes. He walked over to the trunk and helped her remove a large stone slab from it. “I can’t believe you’re going to be queen. If you’re royalty, then I need to change how I’ve been treating you.” “What? It’s fine. That’d just set me on edge, so act as you have been,” Tinasha replied. “Even so, you’re the next queen, so those around you are going to act respectfully in your presence.” “I’m used to people treating me that way, but you’re different, Your Highness.” “…I see,” Oscar responded after a lengthy pause. By nature, he didn’t like getting called Your Highness. For him, someone who would be king someday, it was an unwelcome reminder of the fact that he was still considered green and inexperienced. He raked back his dark-brown, almost black hair. “In that case, call me by my name, too. That’s easier.” In terms of status, they were equals, so there should have been no issue with that. When Oscar made his somewhat childish request, Tinasha looked up at him. Her dark eyes grew wide, like a surprised kitten. “Do you say that…because there’s a chance that you’d marry me?!” “How could there be? Why did you make it about that?” That possibility might have existed for a moment in the underground room where they had met, but it vanished into thin air once Tinasha had been named the next queen of Tuldarr. The woman slumped down dejectedly, cut down by Oscar’s immediate reply. “I thought maybe there was some small chance, but I guess it’s hopeless…” “That’s jumping way too far ahead from just asking you to call me by name… I’m getting scared, so knock it off,” Oscar said. Hearing her guess his name on their first encounter had already left him startled. To have a woman of such unreal beauty speak his name gave the prince the sensation of ripples moving through his body, even now. While he was recalling that sensation, Tinasha broke out in a bittersweet grin. She gazed at Oscar with eyes that looked like windows at night, and her lips moved. “Oscar.” Her voice was clear and resonant. The word, though only a whisper, was imbued with an irrepressible heat. It spoke of multitudes that he knew nothing of. His name in Tinasha’s mouth was dizzying, but Oscar focused on maintaining his calm as he nodded. “That’s fine. Do whatever’s easiest. And we’re not getting married.” “Don’t emphasize that! You only had to say it once. I understand!” Tinasha cried. “Incidentally, are you related by blood to the Tuldarr royal family?” inquired Oscar, abruptly changing the subject. Tinasha looked to the prince with reproach. “Oh, honestly… No, I’m not. I was never married, after all. I feel strange about being called a princess, but I think Calste wanted to fetter me somewhat, so I compromised on that point. It’s much better than getting named the crown prince’s fiancée outright or something.” Judging by Tinasha’s tone, she was sincere. The way Oscar had seen it, Calste wanted to have her marry his son, but he didn’t want to offend her by insisting too much on that. Instead, he assigned her a royal status to keep her in check, but at the moment, she didn’t seem bothered by that development. As might be expected from someone who agreed to become queen, Tinasha was quite resolute. As Oscar set the stone slab on a shelf, he said, “I requested you to break my curse, but you can just think of it as having some fun before your coronation and spend your time as you like.” “Thank you. Although, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on taking the throne,” she answered. “What even are you anyway? Why were you in that room?” Oscar asked. The order of his questions was a bit backward, but he couldn’t help it—he really couldn’t get a handle on who Tinasha was based on what she had told him so far. Tinasha looked a bit bemused to hear that, but then she floated up into the air and flew over to him. Oscar was very surprised, and she smiled. “I was there because of my own selfishness.” “Selfishness? You were under the castle,” he retorted. “Yes, which is how accommodating they were of me,” she responded with a lovely smile. Oscar was unable to tell if Tinasha was being sincere. Suddenly, the woman’s brows creased as if she were resisting some pain. She stared at Oscar through narrowed eyes. “…Can I touch you?” Her voice was faint, and her dark gaze appeared to be watching something distant, not unlike when the pair had first met. She looked so sad that Oscar nodded after a pause. Tinasha lowered herself a little and wound her arms around his neck and leaned against him as she had back on the bed in the forest room. She seemed so forlorn, and Oscar gently accepted her weight in his arms. “When I was young, someone did a lot of things for me that I…can’t ever repay. Yet I wished to do something in return, even if only a little. Although that person isn’t here anymore…I still wanted to see them again,” she said, her voice wavering emotionally. Oscar gave up on listening to any more and just nodded. After abdicating the throne of Tuldarr, Tinasha had thought she was done with everything she needed to do. Even though she wouldn’t be around, there were those who carried on her ideals. They would lead. Those five years when she focused solely on being queen, cutting all ties with the past, had passed by in a flash. And once they were over, she thought back on the man. He who gave her his life and his love. The few weeks they spent together was the most vivid period of time in Tinasha’s life up until then…and it was also the happiest she had ever been. Merely recalling it moved her to tears. Tinasha thought she would live out the rest of her life with that memory locked away in her heart, but one day a man appeared before her. He said “I’m curious about the woman who killed a witch” and soundly defeated her as though it were effortless. Even though she had the twelve mystical spirits, Tinasha lost the fight. For that person, forcing Tinasha to yield was just one way of staving off boredom. He had healed her when she was at death’s door, then his fickle interest shifted to asking her about her past. Reluctantly, she told him everything. “Then you should go after him,” the one who bested her stated. Tinasha couldn’t deny that she wished to see Oscar again. Hadn’t he said they were married in the future? If it was true they would meet in four hundred years, then there was still a chance. She still had time. Even if Tinasha didn’t remember, and he didn’t, either, even if there was no longer any evidence in the world that they ever lived together, even if there was no guarantee she could live by his side the same as before, she wanted to at least do something to repay him. Seeing Oscar one final time would be enough. And so after a long sleep, she was born into the world again. Along with fearsome power that could rival a witch’s. “Four centuries truly is a long time. Magic research has progressed considerably. It’s enough to make me feel like a relic,” Tinasha admitted. “The fundamental laws remain unaltered, so there’s not much difference even if the spells have changed,” Mila pointed out. Tinasha and Mila were sitting at a table in Tinasha’s quarters in Farsas Castle, having tea. Tinasha made a wry face at that. “But I have to study up a little, although, I suppose I’ll pick it up fast.” “You’re so dedicated, Lady Tinasha.” “I like studying,” she said, setting her teacup to the side and flipping through a spell book. The heavy tome was not one she had brought, but a volume borrowed from the Farsas library. Tinasha narrowed her eyes as she scanned the pages. The text outlined theories only a handful of people had known during her reign as queen. The spirit girl grinned at Tinasha as she asked, “Do you want to get married to the swordsman of Akashia, Lady Tinasha? If the king of Tuldarr is getting in your way, I can go kill him.” “You can’t just go slaying people. You’re still a spirit of Tuldarr. As for Oscar… Putting aside wedding him, I’m just happy I was able to see him,” replied Tinasha. “You’re too indifferent!” scolded Mila. “Really?” Tinasha asked. Despite the spirit’s words, she was satisfied with how things were. She was purely content to be of use to Oscar. Tinasha picked up some old papers on the table. These were the notes she had taken as a girl when she extracted Oscar’s blood to look at the curse and blessing spells placed on him. “I guess I really was the one who broke the curse once…” “I don’t understand it, either, and that story about him returning to the past still sounds super-fishy to me. Is the Akashia swordsman really the same person?” questioned Mila suspiciously. “I only half believed it, too… But there can be no mistaking it, even though he doesn’t have his memories. When he saved me, he told me he had altered the past, so that must have affected the course of history,” Tinasha explained. When Oscar had saved the young Tinasha, he knew she was going to be used as a catalyst in a forbidden ritual that night. Originally, she would have had to face the violence inflicted on her alone. Oscar’s interference undoubtedly changed many things from that point on. At the very least, there were no signs that Tinasha could marry him at present, and if she became queen of Tuldarr, then it would be impossible for her to become the bride of another country’s king. History had certainly changed when it came to her circumstances. Feeling dejected, though she wasn’t fully aware of it, Tinasha put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. “I’m still suspicious of that magical orb… Travis seemed to know something about it.” “Don’t invoke his name. He’s dangerous,” warned Mila, making a face. “Sorry,” Tinasha apologized meekly. In any case, it was true you could go back in time. Tinasha had sealed away that magical orb deep in the Tuldarr treasure vault, and if what past Oscar had said was correct, there may be another one in the Farsas treasure vault. Tinasha eyed the mass of intricate, delicate—almost beautiful—spell configurations drawn in the book. If her previous self worked through this from scratch, that meant her magical skills were far more exceptional than Tinasha’s now. Why had the other Tinasha encountered Oscar after four hundred years? How did she come to possess skills that were beyond human understanding? That story, the tale of the king and the fifth witch, was one that no one knew anymore—it no longer existed.