Ch. 18 The Witch and The Prince (7)
by Afuhfuihgs
Chapter 18 – The Witch and The Prince (7)
“Leo?”
The moment his trembling hand reached for Josie’s neck—
Leo’s body, like a puppet with its strings cut, lost its balance and collapsed.
Josie tried to catch him, but her frail body couldn’t support the weight of a man larger than most adults. All she could do was use vines to gently lay him down so he wouldn’t get hurt.
“AHHHH!!!”
“Where does it hurt? Stay with me!”
A magic circle appeared near Leo’s heart, spewing out mana.
The crimson mana swirling violently was undoubtedly her mother’s power.
Her mother, who had repeatedly promised to respect her decisions, couldn’t have lied.
If Estelle had wanted to kill Leo, she would’ve stabbed him through the heart with a broomstick instead of going through the trouble of planting a curse.
So why this curse?
And why now?
Josie’s resentment toward her mother was fleeting. She couldn’t let this curse take Leo’s life.
She still hadn’t heard his answer.
From Leo’s reaction, it was clear he knew many truths.
If she missed this chance… this sorrow, these emotions, would have nowhere to go.
“Cough…!”
“Leo, hang in there! I’ll save you!”
She had learned about curses and how to break them from her mother, but nothing came to mind when she needed it most.
‘Interfering with someone else’s curse or magic is dangerous unless there’s a significant difference in skill. You could die. If you’re cursed, always use the appropriate method to break it.’
The only thing she could think of was the reckless method of interfering with the magic circle to disrupt the curse.
Even if she drained all her mana, it wouldn’t be enough. But she had no time to think of another way, no flash of inspiration.
There was no more time to waste. The moment she made her decision, she gathered her mana without hesitation.
“Ugh…!”
As she channeled her mana into the magic circle, the shockwave traveled back through the mana flow.
The crimson mana, as if refusing to be interrupted, surged through Josie’s body.
It was too much for Josie, who was neither a mage nor a witch.
As the magic circle grew larger, Josie’s eyes began to grow painful.
If she interfered any further, she might die, just as her mother had warned.
Blood spilled from Leo’s mouth, and tears of blood streamed from Josie’s eyes.
If this continued, they would both die.
Was there no other way?
She examined the magic circle, which had grown large enough to cover Leo’s body.
A conditional curse.
From the shape of the magic circle, she could tell it was a curse that activated under certain conditions.
What had Leo done?
He had been terrified, like a child caught doing something wrong.
His breathing had grown ragged, and he couldn’t stop sweating.
There had been no sign of the curse until then.
So, what had happened next?
After their first handshake, Leo had avoided contact, but just then he had reached out.
“…!”
Leo had tried to… me.
If those large hands had grabbed her neck and squeezed… she wouldn’t have been able to resist and would have collapsed.
The happy memories they had shared now felt like lies, but she didn’t let go of the magic circle.
Instead, she opened her eyes wider, hoping for a miracle.
She wanted to save the person who had tried to kill her.
Maybe her mother was right.
Even if she saved Leo, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t try again.
But she didn’t want to give up.
“I can’t let you die like this… I need to hear everything from your own mouth…!!!”
But how…?
Her mana was nearly depleted, and her head felt like it might explode.
‘Now, close your eyes. Feel the mana around you.’
‘Mana?’
‘Don’t overthink it. You’ll feel something tickling you. That’s mana.’
‘Now, you’ll feel that same tickling sensation in your heart.’
‘It feels weird….’
‘Imagine it. Picture yourself grabbing it.’
The day she first learned dark magic.
The moment she had grasped the mana floating around her came to mind.
Back then, she had felt the same sensation of crimson mana enveloping her body.
What if…?
She grabbed the surging mana inside her.
The crimson mana, which she thought would rage even more, began to move obediently under Josie’s will.
The tickling sensation she had felt when she first sensed mana enveloped her.
It was warm, gentle, and kind… so much so that she almost felt as if her mother was helping her.
‘I’m your disobedient daughter, but please help me.’
The irony of a daughter stopping a curse her mother had planted to protect her.
She’d get scolded, wouldn’t she? Definitely.
But… she was past the age of worrying about getting scolded by her mother.
Now, she felt she could interfere with the curse.
“This place…”
A white, empty space.
Leo had no interest in the endless, ceilingless expanse.
Even though he was alone, he felt no fear or desire to escape. Instead, he felt at peace.
He had wanted to run away.
The memory of trying to kill Josie made him grimace… but now, it didn’t matter.
It seemed he was the one who had died, not Josie.
It was too empty to be heaven, too bright to be hell, but it was at the very least peaceful.
Click, click.
It seemed he wasn’t alone in this vast space. As he idly thought about how wasteful it was for one person to occupy such a large area, the sound of light footsteps approached.
What if they demanded payment?
All he had now was his body.
Click, click.
The footsteps stopped right beside him.
Even if they tried to kick him out, he was determined to stay lying here.
“You’re still sleeping, even here?”
A familiar voice made him open his eyes.
The witch with ruby-like eyes and pink hair crouched over him, looking down.
“The witch…?”
For a moment, he wondered why she was here, then remembered the rumors that those cursed by witches found no peace even in death.
Perhaps she was here to exact revenge for his attempt on Josie’s life.
“Is this hell?”
“Hell? Why would you think that?”
“Because… a witch wouldn’t be in heaven.”
“A decent guess, but wrong. And it’s not heaven either. Heaven wouldn’t have such a fancy house, would it?”
The witch sat in mid-air, and a chair appeared. With a wave of her hand, a teacup materialized, and the blank white space gradually transformed into the witch’s home.
“How long are you going to lie on the floor?”
The witch pointed to a chair, but he had no desire to sit.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“You sound like you want to die. Weren’t you blabbering about wanting to live earlier?”
He hadn’t been blabbering, but he couldn’t deny that he had strongly wanted to live in front of the witch.
“I tried to kill Josie.”
“I know. That’s why I planted that thing in your heart. It was about to explode.”
The witch poked at Leo’s chest.
The moment he had decided to grab Josie’s neck and break it, the pain in his heart had made him lose consciousness.
Of course, knowing what could happen to her daughter at the hands of an enemy.
If it was about to explode… Did that mean he was still alive?
He couldn’t trust the witch’s words.
If she had wanted him dead, he would have been dead long ago.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. This is your mind. I’m just here because I’m curious about you.”
Her knowing smile irritated him.
“If this is my mind, then please leave. I…”
“You’re Leo Patrick Florence, the third prince, right? Trying to run away again? Well, you’ve always been a troublemaker. But if you run away again this time, it’ll be straight to heaven or hell.”
The witch’s words struck a nerve.
His past, which he had never spoken of, was being laid bare. He felt a wave of shame, as if he had been stripped naked.
“What? Are you going to do the same thing you did to Josie?”
He stood up, glaring threateningly, but the witch only laughed, gesturing as if inviting him to try.
“How do you know about my past?”
“This is your mind. I know some things even if I don’t want to.”
“Are all witches like this?”
“I’m just special.”
Like he had learned from Josie’s stories, this witch was different from the ones in tales. There was something about her that couldn’t be explained by just calling her special.
“So… have you satisfied your curiosity by invading my mind?”
If the witch had learned anything from his past, it would be information that would interest her.
Not just the Holy Kingdom’s secrets, but also the location of witches captured by the Heresy Inquisitors.
“I was just curious why Josie is so desperate to save you.”
The witch snapped her fingers, and a screen showing Josie appeared.
Josie, trying to save Leo by interfering with the magic circle, was on the verge of collapse from mana depletion but refused to give up.
“I never asked to be saved. Just kill me. You can do it, can’t you?”
“I’m a witch. I don’t like granting requests.”
Hehe. Her laugh was unmistakably witch-like.
“What… should I do? I’m the one who destroyed Josie’s village! And then I…”
“You’re afraid Josie will learn the truth, aren’t you?”
Leo was afraid.
If Josie saved him, he wouldn’t be able to face her. Nothing could be more miserable.
He no longer even thought of joining the Heresy Inquisitors. His spirit was broken. The line between justice and evil he used to believe had blurred… He didn’t know what to live for anymore… He just wanted to die.
Wouldn’t everyone be happier if he died?
No one would mourn his death.
If he lived to face Josie, he would only become more wretched.
“Honestly, I don’t care if you live or die. I don’t even understand why Josie is trying so hard to save you.”
“I’m just respecting her decision. I promised. She’s working so hard. As her mother, I can give her one gift, right?”
“Don’t make Josie regret saving you. This is your last chance.”
The witch extended her hand, and crimson mana seeped into the screen.
On the other side, Josie’s expression seemed to ease.
“Get your mind straight, you foolish prince. Our princess is more stubborn than you think. I’ve already given up. You should too.”
A blinding light enveloped Leo.
Lucent
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