So it really is harder for you to use magic now.
I need a lot more power now to use spirit magic.
This seems like a good opportunity to update my configurations.
When should our wedding be?
Once we enter a marital agreement,
you'll be granted the privileges of the Farsas royal family...
What's with that look?
W-Well, I don't know about marriage...
Did you say something?
Ow!
I'd be happy just being your mistress.
I don't plan on keeping you hidden away.
What's out in the open and what's hidden away is a matter of perspective.
~ Blank Slate Children ~
I see.
The new year festival is held in the eastern temple?
Yeah.
It's custom to go on horseback to present myself to the public as well.
That'll require quite a lot of bodyguards.
What is it, Litola?
We have visitors at the tower.
It's closed off, isn't it?
That may be so,
however, the visitors are five boys, all under ten years old.
From their conversation, it seems they live in the Farsas castle city.
Open it up already, wimp!
Look, I mean...
Don't be chicken, Saye.
Hey!
What did you come all this way for?
Where'd you come from?!
What do you want with the witch?
Well...
Saye said that up in the north, it rains ice instead of water.
He must be lying.
There's no way that's true.
So we told him to go ask the witch.
Hail...
Wait, no, snow?
Yeah, snow!
Have you heard of it, missy?
Just to be clear, is that the reason you came here?
Yep.
You came all this way without any adults?
What if you ran into demonic spirits or bandits?
Still...
His Majesty got stronger by going on all sorts of adventures...
That man's influence, huh?
Listen closely.
His Majesty is strong from all the training he did before going on any adventures.
Now that you get it, why don't I take you kids back home?
Wait... are you the witch?
Who knows?
Putting up the surveillance spell won't be as bad as actually monitoring that day.
I'll end up perceiving everything that happens within the spell's range.
Sounds rough on you.
Oh, right, remember those kids who visited the tower?
I swear, they fear nothing, like someone I know.
Why don't you want to get married?
What's this all of a sudden?
Am I the reason?
Do you remember how I said you have magical power?
Oh, right, I forgot to ask you for the details.
Actually, you possess a great deal of magic.
I believe it must have been sealed away with a powerful spell when you were a child.
If I give birth to your child, there's no doubt they'll be a powerful mage.
If it's a girl, then there's a good chance that right from birth...
She'll be a witch...
What if it's a boy?
He'd inherit quite a lot of magic.
But as long as he wields Akashia, he can't cast spells.
You must have inherited Akashia at a young age for the same reason.
You mean my father knew I had magic power?
I imagine it was your mother, or someone close to her, who sealed away your magic.
I see.
Do you think being born with such strong magic is a bad thing?
I can't say that it's a good thing...
Especially for a member of royalty.
I have magic too, don't I?
Not to mention you were in line to be queen yourself.
Don't reject the very notion of power.
Your power has saved plenty of people, has it not?
It's also taken countless lives.
The same goes for me.
That comes with my decision to fight.
We can teach our child about their power, about the value of lives, little by little.
Don't deny them that from the start.
Give our child a chance to be born.
Let it be defined.
My command summons and controls thee.
O lightning, appear before me and obey my will.
What's the matter?!
Someone was watching us.
They got away.
I'm not talking about you, of course.
Saye, come out here.
Did my lecture not get through to you?
I'm sorry.
Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness.
I was just curious.
The other four of you, come out as well.
Let's go back together.
How did you know, missy?
I'm the lookout.
I can tell when someone's nearby.
Your Majesty, take cover from the rain!
I'm fine.
I call for transformation.
Fall down without changing form.
Let frozen breath bring about change.
Hey, look!
Didn't I tell you?
So this is what snow is like.
The world has so much to offer when I'm with you.
Missy!
Are you okay?
It was just a bit stressful.
I can walk just fine.
Let me pamper you.
Going back to our discussion about marriage...
Yeah.
Let me think about it for a little longer...
Until our contract ends.
Sure.
I tried asking my father.
About my mother.
He said I should do what I want, since he got married for selfish reasons as well.
I see.
Well, I'm glad she gave birth to me.
It means I get to be here now.
I feel the same way.
How did she look?
She seemed the same as always.
However, her spell seemed a bit different.
Leonora The Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned
Perhaps she gave in to a man?
How reckless, right after she almost died.
Very well.
Let's kill her if we find an opening.
Once this little game's reached a good stopping point.
As you wish.
Your Majesty.
We've received details on the Gandona Founding Day celebrations in two weeks.
I'd rather not go.
That's not possible.
Well, I am worried about trouble brewing in Yarda out east.
Guess I'll have to go.
Of course you will.
I'll have Tinasha with me, so I won't need too many bodyguards.
Oh, maybe we should bring Pamyra or Sylvia.
You need someone to help dress you, don't you?
Why would I need someone to dress me?
I can do it myself.
You're not putting on a formal dress alone.
I knew it.
No public appearance.
I'm just going to protect you.
But...
Lady Tinasha, doesn't everyone think you're His Majesty's fiancée?
That's right.
I forgot that was our story.
What do I do?
I'm sure it's fine if you don't make an appearance.
Just tell me where you're going to be.
S-Sorry.
Oh yeah, didn't you say you'd been to Gandona before?
Yes.
I was asked to help exterminate a demon.
I see.
If something feels wrong, just shout my name.
Got it.
What about you?
I'll be on-site.
Somewhere you can see me.
Gandona Founding Day Celebration
How about a drink?
No thanks.
You know I don't drink, Travis.
Travis Higher Demon
Long time no see.
You've grown into a fine woman.
Is it because you found a man?
The total opposite.
I've matured because I was injured.
So much power, yet you managed to injure yourself.
Humans sure are fragile.
That strange human is your lover, huh?
If he was a woman, I'd want him for myself.
What a shame.
Don't be so creepy.
So? What are you doing here?
Up to your old tricks?
I'm a duke in this country now.
And I've got my eye on a girl.
I feel sorry for her.
You sure have gone soft.
I bet I could kill you now.
Why don't you try?
Oh, now that's the feistiness I remember.
I'll leave you alone.
If I cause trouble, someone won't be—
Travis!
Hitting on women again?
What if it turns into a diplomatic problem?
She's a member of the Gandona royal family.
Aurelia Gandona Royalty
I'm acting as her guardian.
I apologize for his behavior.
My name is Aurelia Canao Naysha Faurecia.
I'm Tinasha As Meyer Ur Aeterna Tuldarr.
Hey, she's the fiancée to the king of Farsas!
We're old acquaintances.
Wait, you two are engaged?
Publicly, at least.
Fascinating.
I'd love to see you two have a child.
I wouldn't, which is why I'm on the fence about marriage.
Do you not like children?
What?
No, that's not it.
She's a witch, after all.
I bet she's scared her child will be one, too.
I may not know how hard witches like you have it,
but I imagine bearing a child must come with both hardship and joy.
Instead of choosing not to give birth due to such fears,
I believe your child would rather be born, to share in both the good and the bad.
I apologize for saying too much.
What an exceptional girl.
She was born with a strange power that she never asked for.
Really?
I've said something awful.
She's not so weak as to be hurt by that.
More importantly, how does it feel to be lectured by a girl four hundred years younger?
It hits hard.
It seems the princess of Yarda went missing before she reached the Gandona border.
Sounds like a serious problem.
There's been internal strife in the royal court,
and some of them are even preparing for war.
Any others in the royal family?
I think she has an older brother.
If you think it might escalate, I can send a familiar to scout things out.
Well...
Let's wait until it looks like it'll draw out longer.
As you wish.
What? That's dangerou—
I saw you talking with a man during the ceremony.
You were watching?
I heard he's a duke here, but he had a strange aura.
Is he human?
I don't think most humans could see through that.
That man is the highest ranked of all demons.
He's what you would call the demon king.
He's the demon I mentioned earlier, who I was asked to exterminate in Gandona.
That's one hell of a tale.
It looked like you two got along pretty well.
He has no interest in witches.
Actually, he seemed more attracted to you,
so don't you go near him.
What's that all about?
Listening to you is going to give me a headache.
What's going on?
An outbreak of demons?
I'm so sorry for disturbing you!
Hey!
Don't come out dressed like that!
This is...
Do you have a death wish?
That idiot!
Ring, bind her!
Why are you here?
I was commanded by my master.
And who's your master?
No one at all.
Then perish here!
What in the world?!
Are you trying to pick a fight?
Travis!
What are you doing out here?
I was going after the man.
He dared to try and kill Aurelia.
What utter disrespect.
Is she safe?
I put up a barrier and I have servants watching her.
I will say, that's one skimpy getup.
H-He's going to be so mad!
The prime minister of Gandona was killed, along with other casualties.
It seems Lady Tinasha was suspected at one point.
That's what you get for behaving rashly.
If you're going to run off, at least finish the job.
I thought I could do it.
But I have a good idea of who it was now.
What, did you see someone you recognized?
No, I mean the culprit pulling the strings.
If you know who it is, be clear about it.
Leonora.
The Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned.
A witch?!
If she's the mastermind, then it's clear why you and Aurelia were targets.
Why's that?
I don't know her.
I heard that Leonora was treated cruelly by Travis in the past.
I happen to have faced her in battle once.
Maybe I shouldn't have said all those nasty things to her.
In other words, the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned
holds a personal grudge against you two.
Travis tells me that she's in Yarda right now, in good favor with the prince.
What's the meaning of this?
I thought witches didn't want to meddle with nations or wars.
Ostensibly, yes.
But Leonora loves lurking in the shadows, building and destroying nations.
She's got an unusually large number of servants for a witch.
It'd be easy for her to get royalty and nobility to do her bidding.
I even hear she encased an entire castle in amber once.
The Amber Castle?
So it really did exist...
That was before my time, though.
Why are there so many ludicrous tales surrounding you witches?
Probably since our lifespans are many times longer than yours.
Okay, I'll be off to kill her, then.
Not happening.
Just assume you're not allowed to go off on your own anymore.
Yarda is probably the biggest victim in all of this.
The internal strife is a sign that
the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned is making arrangements.
The question is, will she target Farsas or Gandona afterwards?
In that case, why don't we contact the forces opposing the prince?
I see.
Perhaps that princess who went missing might know something.
~ Castle of Sand ~