10. Breaking the Spells
AFTER we finished talking, Prince Harold returned to the ballroom. Daniel watched him go, then turned to look at both Ed and me.
“Princess Annabel and Royal Magician Edoile…may I have a moment?”
“Of course.” I nodded.
That’s why I’d asked Daniel to join us.
Just like how I’d wanted to speak to him, I’d also predicted that he would want to talk to me.
Daniel looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then beckoned me closer.
“What you said about them switching places…are you sure about that?”
“That’s what we think, but we don’t have any proof. But after examining her, Ed is confident that Elena is currently under the influence of several spells.”
I turned to look at Ed. He nodded slightly. “I’m certain of it,” he said.
“It took quite some time to identify the spells…they’re very complex…but I believe she’s under an Illusion, a Silencing spell, and others. And the spells need to be recast at regular periods to prevent them from wearing off.”
“I see…is it possible that Elena has cast the spells upon herself?”
“No, I believe the spells were cast upon her by someone else. She didn’t do it to herself.”
“Then…what about Princess Karina?”
“I haven’t been able to analyze Princess Karina, so I cannot say. All I can say is that there are strong signs Princess Karina is behind this.”
“I wonder if that’s true…”
Daniel fell silent then, gazing somberly at the ground. I cleared my throat hesitantly.
“Prince Daniel, could you tell me more about this ‘Witch of the South’ you mentioned this afternoon?”
“The Witch of the South…”
Daniel lifted his head. Gazing at me, he frowned wryly.
“I don’t even know who the Witch of the South is myself.”
“You don’t? But you said she can change her appearance.”
I raised an eyebrow at Daniel.
If he knew her from a dream, then shouldn’t he know who she really is?
“To be honest, all I know is that I dreamed of a woman called ‘the Witch of the South,’ who could change her appearance. But I don’t know who the witch is.”
“Then, ‘the Witch of the South’ is just what you call her?”
“No, no. You two told me that was what she was called.”
“‘You two?’”
“Yes, you and Royal Magician Edoile.”
“Ed and I told you that?” I was shocked.
What Daniel was saying was very unexpected.
I completely thought that Daniel’s dreams were just fragmented memories of the old world. The one we’d both lived in.
But I’d never once mentioned the words “Witch of the South” in the old timeline; of that, I was sure. And I was positive Ed hadn’t, either. So the world of Daniel’s dreams had to be completely different from the world I had come from.
“Yes. The first time I met the Witch of the South, she looked like Karina. But then she changed into someone else entirely.”
“And it wasn’t Elena?”
“No. At least from what I’ve seen in my dreams, she’s never looked like Elena.”
“I see…”
What could it all mean?
Someone assuming Karina’s form had happened in whatever world was tied to Daniel’s dreams. But apparently, the Witch’s true identity wasn’t Elena at all…
Daniel watched me as I mulled it over. Then he closed his eyes as if thinking hard, pressing his palm to his forehead as he did.
“The Witch of the South…the woman I met for the first time, in the form of Karina… It’s like my memories are covered by fog… I’m not even sure what I saw for real anymore. I think you call it…Mesmerizing magic? Anyway, it made me stop caring about anything. Made me want to pledge my life to her…”
“Mesmerizing magic…”
Mesmerizing magic was something many researchers had worked on over the years. But in the end, the research was abandoned. It was a kind of magic that involved casting a hallucinogenic effect to control people’s feelings and memories.
I wasn’t sure if it really was Mesmerizing magic based off what Daniel said, but it seemed clear that it was some sort of memory-disrupting magic.
“Is that why you set up your country’s Magical Research Laboratory and started researching defensive magic? To defend against the Witch of the South?”
“…….”
Daniel was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yes, exactly,” he said. “The Witch of the South emerged and changed the entire world. I lost everything I’d been building in the blink of an eye.”
Daniel’s voice was suddenly very quiet and small. His ice-blue eyes shimmered with emotion.
Thinking back to when I first met Karina in the Sunruta Kingdom…Daniel had been wearing protective magical bracelets. And now, too, he was wearing cufflinks and a ring with magical protection properties. This seemed to be some sort of personal self-defense system.
“What happened to the Witch of the South after that?”
“I don’t know.” Daniel smiled sadly. “I’ve no way of knowing.”
His expression was so filled with pain, I knew I couldn’t press him any further. It was clear that Daniel had suffered terribly. What did he lose…in that other world that I don’t know?
Then Daniel sighed and turned to Ed. “Edoile…my magical researchers tell me that as long as I keep myself equipped with protective talismans, I’ll be protected from harm. Is that true?”
“Yes. If someone tries to harm you, the talismans will block the magic. However, if you’re attacked by someone with greater magical power than that of your talismans, they’ll be canceled out and will cease to be effective.”
“Is there any way to tell if something like that is happening?”
“Well…” Ed thought hard before speaking slowly again. “When the magical power contained within the Magic Crystals of your protective items expires trying to protect you, the crystals themselves will break.”
“I see. I’ll bear that in mind.” Daniel rubbed the ring on his right hand, which contained a large Magic Crystal. Silently, he gazed down at it. “If I… If I should…”
“Yes?”
Daniel swallowed, a stricken expression on his face.
“If I should ever try to hurt Princess Annabel, I want you to swear you’ll stop me, Edoile.”
Daniel lifted his head and looked straight into Ed’s eyes, a desperate plea glinting in his own.
Ed frowned a little, as if not fully understanding. But Daniel kept staring at him until finally, he nodded and agreed.