TWFLLYM Ch 48

The Black Agent

Clobellina carried herself with a heavy sense of importance. She acted as if she were about to reveal a secret of life or death.

[Roserikta] "What is it?"

[Clobell] "Listen, we have to fight the black witch now. Don't we?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. That's right."

[Clobell] "Strength is the foundation of any fight. If you only eat greens, your stamina will vanish. So, feed me better...…"

Roserikta fought the urge to stare at the cat's bulging belly.

[Clobell] "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

Roserikta shook her head.

[Roserikta] "It isn’t that you’re wrong. It’s just that your request is very typical of you."

[Clobell] "What does that mean? I detect a sharp edge in your tone."

[Roserikta] "To build strength, you should exercise rather than just eat."

[Clobell] "Don't change the subject. Dieting is everything when it comes to weight."

[Roserikta] "Right. But we were talking about strength, not dieting."

[Clobell] "Oh, for goodness' sake. How can you nag about a diet when we are literally planning to fight a black witch? You are such an inflexible witch. You need to fix your personality."

[Roserikta] "Why are you attacking my character just because I mentioned your weight?"

[Clobell] "How can I not? Have some shame. Have you ever seen a general starve his soldiers on the battlefield?"

A full-blown argument brewed between them, threatening to erupt before they even faced the witch.

Thump!

Fortunately, the noise of Eaton rolling over on the bed cut the argument short.

[Roserikta] "Oh, that startled me."

[Clobell] "Good heavens. Why did he wake up so suddenly?"

She examined him with a grim expression.

[Roserikta] "The Captain’s complexion darkened. He looks worse."

[Clobell] "What? Isn't he sturdy? Knights are usually tough and strong."

[Roserikta] "The shadows under his eyes are deeper. His lips lost their color."

She thought of the wooden boxes stacked in the secret room.

How were those countless bones made? Perhaps those people were like Eaton—victims whose life force was slowly stolen until only bones remained.

[Roserikta] "We can't stay here any longer. I can't do anything for him in this place. There is a limit to the medicine I can brew with these makeshift ingredients."

[Clobell] "You're right. This is the black witch’s territory. We are at a disadvantage here."

[Roserikta] "I must find a way to return."

[Clobell] "Didn't they say we could leave once the carriage is fixed?"

[Roserikta] "I told you, she won't fix it quietly. She will find any excuse to keep the Crown Prince here."

Unfortunately, she had provided one of those excuses herself. Since Eaton was officially 'ill,' it served as a perfect reason to stay.

[Clobell] "Then what do we do?"

[Roserikta] "I'll remove the excuse."

[Clobell] "How?"

She flashed a grin at Clobellina.

[Roserikta] "In the way of a real witch."

She would use a method the black witch could never replicate.

She scooped up Clobellina and slipped out of the bedroom.

In the empty castle, devoid of servants, no one saw the witch moving through the shadows of the night.

---

[Arad] "Your Highness. Please, get some sleep. The hour is late."

Arad spoke with bloodshot eyes. He bit his tongue every time a yawn threatened to escape, and now the salty taste of blood filled his mouth.

[Kalart] "Ah...... were you still there?"

Kalart, who sat perched on the windowsill, lost in thought, glanced back.

Arad nodded vigorously.

[Arad] "Yes, Your Highness. I told you. I will attend to you until the Captain recovers."

[Kalart] "Right. You said Eaton is sick."

[Arad] "He is...... however......"

He paused, tilting his head.

Something felt wrong. Based on his words, Kalart had entirely forgotten that Eaton was ill. It seemed he hadn't even realized Arad had been by his side this whole time.

[Arad] "Are you perhaps feeling unwell too, Your Highness?"

Worry finally overcame him. He didn't know the exact nature of Eaton’s illness, but he knew the symptoms: talking nonsense, seeing things, and losing his mind.

Thinking back, it was a terrifying ailment. No one knew how Eaton caught it, which meant anyone else could be next.

Arad broke into a cold sweat.

What if it were contagious? If the Prince caught it too...…

He didn't even want to imagine it.

[Kalart] "Not particularly."

Kalart dismissed the suspicion with a simple answer, but Arad’s concern lingered.

[Arad] "Then why can't you sleep? It is so late."

[Kalart] "I didn't notice the time. I was thinking."

[Arad] "Forgive my boldness, but may I ask what occupies your mind?"

He adjusted his posture to face Arad directly.

[Kalart] "Hmm. I suppose I can tell you. You likely know more about these things than I do."

[Arad] "Oh, Your Highness. I can't accept such praise. My learning is nothing compared to your wisdom. But if you speak, I will do my best to assist you."

As always, Kalart didn't dodge the point.

[Kalart] "That woman."

[Arad] "Yes, Your Highness. Which lady do you mean?"

[Kalart] "The Countess. Did she look beautiful to you as well?"

[Arad] "Uh...... pardon?"

His jaw dropped. He never expected a woman to be the reason for the Prince’s insomnia.

[Arad] "Your Highness...... uh, so...... you mean the Countess?"

[Kalart] "Just answer. I asked if she was beautiful."

[Arad] "Well...... yes, Your Highness."

He recalled the Countess' beauty from earlier that day. For a moment, his eyes glazed over, and his neck turned red.

[Arad] "I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. I dare say she is more beautiful than anyone I have ever...... No, wait. I am sorry! Please keep this a secret! What am I saying with Lady Elona in mind? I swear upon this sword you gave me, Lady Elona is the most beautiful woman in my eyes."

Kalart didn't bother to point out the clear contradiction in Arad’s panicked words.

[Kalart] "Since you see it too, I suppose she was simply born that way. It isn't just a trick of my eyes."

Calling her 'born that way' felt far from a compliment. It sounded detached.

[Arad] "......Born that way?"

[Kalart] "I mean, it isn't because of my eyes. Actually, I can't even say that. Everything else remains the same."

[Arad] "Uh, um......"

Arad scratched his head, completely lost.

[Kalart] "She is the only exception. I wonder what that means."

[Arad] "I...... don't quite understand, Your Highness."

Kalart wasn't speaking for Arad’s benefit. He was thinking out loud to organize his thoughts.

The first exception was Clobellina.

The fact that he could see a living creature clearly had been a profound shock. Seeing something could actually make him feel good.

He lost track of time just by looking at the cat, and his heart grew endlessly generous.

He wanted to touch her, hold her, and possess her without reason. It was the closest feeling to the 'love' he had read about in books.

That was how he knew he loved the voice. He began to feel the same emotions for Roserikta.

That beautiful, clean, calm, and soft voice was the first to ever sweeten his ears. Similar feelings followed—feelings of wanting to hold her and never let her go.

Because of her, his mood would soar and then crash into a bottomless pit. Those strange and shocking sensations were now a part of him.

Kalart realized this the day his eye symptoms worsened after drinking the tea Roserikta gave him. His feelings for her didn't vanish, just as they hadn't for Clobellina.

He felt a deep sense of relief. When that tearful voice sang a tiny song in his ear, he felt as if his life—which had been floating aimlessly without belonging—finally landed exactly where it should be.

People likely called that love. He didn't care if it wasn't. It could be mindless possessiveness or a male's raw passion; it didn't matter. The important thing was that he had found his place.

But then, an interesting variable appeared. The Countess, who looked beautiful to him just as she did to everyone else.

Roserikta claimed Clobellina was an accident. That was why she fixed it.

The Countess, however, was different. She said she had been waiting for him. Recalling her words, she seemed to know about the abnormality of his eyes beforehand.

[Kalart] "Then that means it wasn't an accident on her end."

How did she know?

Aside from Eaton, no one knew the secret of his eyes. The only people who had known were the late Empress and her physician. Both were dead.

[Kalart] "I need to find out if that woman had ties to the Imperial Family in the past."

[Arad] "Pardon, Your Highness?"

Arad, who had been struggling to follow the monologue, snapped his head up, wondering if he had received an order.

[Kalart] "You must go back to the Imperial Castle. You can't do this work here."

It was an order, but a very strange one.

[Arad] "Going there is no problem...... but weren't you planning to leave as soon as the carriage is fixed? It should be ready to move by tomorrow."

[Kalart] "I will stay a bit longer."

[Arad] "What? No, Your Highness. Why so suddenly......"

He stuttered in his confusion.

[Arad] "That will cause quite a few problems for everyone, and more importantly, there is no reason to stay, is there?"

[Kalart] "There is."

[Arad] "Oh dear. May I ask the reason?"

[Kalart] "I want to watch the Countess more closely."

If it wasn't an accident, he needed to know her intent.

What did she know about his eyes?

Arad, unfortunately, couldn't read between the lines. He only understood that the Prince found the Countess beautiful and wanted to stay behind to watch her.

[Arad] "Uh, Your Highness…... the Countess is a married woman."

Kalart had zero interest in Arad’s misunderstanding.

[Kalart] "I know."

[Arad] "Ah, you know and yet you still want to stay?"

[Kalart] "Why does that matter?"

[Arad] "It...... doesn't matter?"

[Kalart] "It doesn't."

[Arad] "Oh......"

The rejection was so short and blunt that it made Arad feel pitiful.

[Arad] "I...... I understand, Your Highness."

He wiped his brow, feeling a sudden sweat, and stepped back.

[Arad] "When should I leave?"

[Kalart] "The sooner, the better."

Arad’s hand moved faster across his forehead. That sounded like he should leave this very second.

[Arad] "Then I will depart immediately, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Thank you."

It was just past midnight.

Arad bowed and retreated, unable to find any more words.

---

[Countess] "Damn it...... Ugh!"

She clutched the fabric over her chest. Thick, sticky blood soaked through her dress. The color was a dark, murky red—more like concentrated pain than actual blood.

[Countess] "Ha, ha...... that brat......"

She bit her lip hard.

The wound, which had been slowly healing, had torn open again. This was the backlash of a failed curse.

Black magic used life force, giving it terrifying power, but it demanded an equal price. Furthermore, magic that intruded into dreams using a Dark Proxy carried an even heavier penalty.

[Countess] "That dead Versaryl witch cast a protective spell. She must have adored the girl. What is so special about the little thing?"

She ground her teeth against the agony.

[Countess] "This makes things so complicated, doesn't it? Now I have no choice but to risk everything."

Her face twisted into a hideous mask. Cold sweat drenched her pale skin.

[Countess] "Fine...... if it must be done, it will be done."

But that was for later. For now, she had to dull this pain.

[Countess] "I can't stay like this. I need something, fast."

She stood up, her body trembling.

In her current state, she couldn't even ring the bell.

Count Gibero, once young and healthy, had his life force drained ever since he became her Dark Proxy. Now, he spent his days sleeping unless she woke him with the bell.

The Count had very little life left. She had to find the next Proxy quickly.

She had tried to turn the Captain into her Black Agent as an emergency measure, but he failed to meet the requirements.

He was a Baronet in name only; he wasn't a real noble. Status wouldn't matter if he had wealth, but he likely owned nothing but his sword.

The Countess had no intention of taking a beggar as her husband. Soon, Eaton would become a discarded piece.

[Countess] "Before it's too late...... quickly."

Her limbs shook like leaves. It felt like an eternity had passed before she even managed to leave the bedroom.

The Countess headed toward the room where Count Gibero lay sleeping.