The Witch's Eyes
“By the way, what kind of curse is placed on the Queen?” Rielia asked, taking a bite of her cake.
I was slightly taken aback. At this stage, I wanted to avoid bringing up the keyword 'curse' as much as possible. Well, since our discussion about Carmel's curse had fizzled out last time, it was only natural for her to be curious. Especially since this was Rielia's area of expertise.
Eventually, I would have to ask Rielia to dispel Mistylia. With that in mind, telling her the truth seemed better than lying.
“Mother is... afflicted by a curse that torments her mind. It's a curse that triggers negative emotions at regular intervals.”
“A curse that acts on the human mind... On its own, it doesn't sound particularly powerful. Though, of course, I would have to see it for myself to be sure. Have you identified the medium triggering the curse?”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was wise to be completely honest about this as well, before replying.
“Yes. It's an object called Mistylia.”
“Mistylia... That means 'mistletoe' in the language of the northern tribes. I've heard of it.”
“Oh... you have? Where?”
“In a book on shamanism, of course. I do my own fair share of studying, you know. To break a curse, one must understand it well.”
How unexpected. It might have been my own prejudice, but I had assumed she was completely detached from academic pursuits. Come to think of it, though, it wasn't that surprising. After all, Rielia was capable of tracking down the locations of cursed objects. It was only natural for her to be well-informed on the subject.
“It's a rather traditional method... but it's also a technique where the skill of the caster plays a massive role. I suspect the shaman who cast this curse is someone who has trained in the traditional ways for a very long time.”
“Unfortunately, I have no information on the caster. Judging by the sheer scale of the curse I saw, I only know they must be incredibly powerful...”
I chose not to mention that the one who cast the curse might be Carmel herself. Nothing was certain yet. Rielia blinked her large, sky-blue eyes, staring at me. It was only when I met her puzzled gaze that I realized my slip of the tongue.
“You... saw it? The curse?”
There was no need to panic. In a split second, I calculated my options. I could easily brush it off. My Mana Sight was, by all accounts, an ability that defied common sense. If I claimed it was just a slip of the tongue, Rielia wouldn't press any further. However, I wanted to build a lasting, cooperative relationship with her. If so, it would be best not to leave even the slightest seed of doubt. Besides, revealing my Mana Sight wasn't exactly a critical weakness.
“Yes. I can see it. I don't know why... but at some point, not just curses, but the movement of all mana began to appear before my eyes.”
Someone with a superficial knowledge of magic would have dismissed it, saying, 'That's impossible.' Someone who truly understood the mysteries of magic would have shown scholarly curiosity, asking, 'May I test that?' But Rielia's reaction was neither.
“Could that perhaps be... the Witch's Eyes?”
“The Witch's Eyes...?”
I had never heard of such a thing. Not in the original novel, nor in any of the knowledge I had acquired here.
“Yes. I only caught a glimpse of it, so my memory is a bit hazy... but I'm sure I read somewhere that a witch from the distant past possessed such an ability. Hmm, what was her name again?”
A witch from the distant past... In the long history of the kingdom, there must have been more than one or two mages branded as witches. Yet, I couldn't help but recall the black-haired witch I had seen in my dreams. If it was her name...
“Enekra...?”
“Ah, yes! That was the name. I knew you would know.”
Strange. The pieces of the puzzle were fitting together perfectly. Yet, I still couldn't fathom what the completed picture was supposed to be. The black-haired witch from my dreams was Enekra, the author of the grimoire Carmel used in the original novel—and the Mana Sight I possessed was actually her Witch's Eyes. What on earth did this mean? I couldn't even begin to grasp the outline of the truth.
“Princess Sera? Are you alright?”
Perhaps I had unconsciously let a grim expression slip onto my face, as Rielia was peering at me with deep concern. I quickly masked my thoughts with a smile and spoke.
“Ah, I'm fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment. You mentioned... the Witch's Eyes? Which book did you read that in?”
“I-I'm sorry. It was something I read in passing a long time ago, so I don't remember that much...”
I had hoped for more information, but it couldn't be helped. The tale of Enekra and the Witch's Eyes was likely not well-known within the kingdom. If it were, there was no way Monas wouldn't have known about it. Would my questions be answered if I read the grimoire she wrote, the Book of Enekra?
“But it really is amazing. It's a talent every mage in the kingdom would desperately covet. It's a special ability that even the greatest archmages don't possess. Ah, of course, you won't be a mage in the future, Princess, but our Queen.”
“Indeed. Though I don't know its origin, these eyes have been quite useful to me. It was thanks to this ability that I realized Mother was cursed in the first place.”
There were many things weighing on my mind, but there was no denying the utility of the ability. Rielia hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Um, there is one thing I'd like to ask. If what you just said is true... then you weren't the one who placed the curse on the Queen, right?”
It was a bizarre and rude question. However, having developed a decent tolerance to Rielia's eccentricities, I was able to answer without losing my composure.
“Of course not. If I were the one who cast the curse, why would I ask you to break it?”
“I-I suppose that's true. I'm sorry for asking such a strange thing... For some reason, I just had a feeling... But if you say it wasn't you, Princess, then it wasn't.”
Was it the Saintess's intuition again? But this time, she was completely off the mark. I had absolutely nothing to do with the curse placed on Carmel. In fact, this realization made me feel lighter. It proved that Rielia's intuition wasn't some divine, infallible force that hit the mark every single time. In the end, an intuition was just an intuition. With that thought, I offered her a gentle smile, preventing the atmosphere from turning awkward after her rude question.
Emboldened by my smile, Rielia placed her tightly clenched fists on the table and spoke.
“U-Um... Princess! If it's alright with you... could you let me meet the Queen? Curses that affect the mind must be dealt with quickly. Especially if it concerns your precious mother...”
Arranging a meeting between Rielia and Carmel... It was something that had to happen eventually to lift the curse of Mistylia, but I had no intention of doing so just yet. Rielia's words always felt like an unpredictable, ticking bomb. Introducing her to Carmel before I had fully tamed her carried too much risk. I answered firmly.
“I cannot allow that just yet.”
“W-What is the reason?”
The reason... I recalled the scenario I feared most if Rielia and Carmel were to meet, and spoke.
“Mother is... extremely wicked.”
“W-Wicked... How much?”
“Imagine the most wicked person you can think of, Rielia. It could be someone you've met in real life, or even a character from a story. Have you pictured them?”
“Oh, give me a moment. Um... Yes, I have.”
“She is more than ten times worse than that.”
I didn't know who she had pictured, but Rielia's small mouth fell wide open.
“Heavens... T-That much...? B-But from what I've heard, she didn't seem like that kind of person...”
“No, that is merely the facade she presents to the public. Behind closed doors, she finds fault with her maids every single day, whipping them until her anger is appeased, and indulges in endless luxury and pleasure. Her mind is constantly filled with evil schemes to ruin this kingdom, and she thinks of nothing but executing anyone who displeases her in the slightest. And that includes me, her own daughter.”
Not a single grain of falsehood or fabrication was mixed into my words. These were all deeds Carmel had actually committed, or had been on the verge of committing. Looking at it this way, she truly was a villainess.
“I-Is that the nature of the Queen's curse? How... how terrifying...”
“No, that is her natural personality. Quite apart from the curse.”
“Ah... Oh...”
Rielia looked utterly shell-shocked. Perhaps I had delivered the raw truth a bit too bluntly. If she became too frightened, she might try to avoid the meeting altogether. I softened my expression and spoke with a gentle smile.
“So, I cannot let you meet Mother just yet. If you were to encounter her when she is in a foul mood, she might find some petty excuse to harm you. When the right time comes, I will ask for your help.”
“Ah, I-I see. I understand.”
“And one more thing. Please keep everything we discussed today a secret. The Witch's Eyes, the matters regarding Mother—all of it. I can trust you as a friend, right?”
Sharing a secret. There was no better way to foster a sense of intimacy and solidarity. Rielia looked into my eyes and nodded vigorously.
“Don't worry! If there's one thing I'm confident in, it's my ability to keep a secret!”
Hmm... Honestly, I wasn't entirely convinced of that, but I smiled and nodded along anyway.