Get Your Act Together, Idiot Prince
“Leo?”
The hand that had been trembling violently reached toward Joshua’s neck—then stopped. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Leo’s body lost balance and collapsed. She tried to catch him, but her own frail frame was far too weak to support someone larger than a grown man. All she could do was stretch out tree branches to lay him down gently without injury.
“Uwaaaaaagh!”
“Where does it hurt? Wake up!”
Conditional Curse
Dark crimson mana surges near the heart
Planted by Estelle • Triggers on lethal intent toward Joshua
The magic circle that had appeared near Leo’s heart poured out power. The dark crimson mana roiling violently could only belong to her mother, Estelle. The mother who had told her again and again that she would respect her wishes could not have lied. If Estelle had truly wanted Leo dead, she would have driven her broom straight through his heart instead of bothering with something as elaborate as a curse.
So why this curse? And why now, of all times?
She felt a flicker of resentment toward her mother, but there was no time for that. She could not let the curse claim Leo’s life. She still hadn’t received her answer. From the way he had reacted, he clearly knew many truths. If she let this chance slip… this sorrow, these feelings, would have nowhere to go.
“Kuhuk…!”
“Leo, just hold on a little longer! I’ll save you!”
She was sure her mother had taught her the principles of curses and how to break them. Yet in this critical moment, nothing came clearly to mind.
‘Interfering with another person’s curse or magic is forbidden unless your skill gap is overwhelming. You could die. If you’re cursed, you must use the proper dispelling method.’
The only reckless idea that surfaced was to inject her own mana into the circle and twist the curse itself. Even if she wrung out every drop of her power, she would be no match. But there was no time to search for another solution, no flash of inspiration.
She could not afford to hesitate any longer. The moment her resolve hardened, she gathered her mana without pause.
“Nngh…!”
The instant she poured mana into the circle, the backlash traveled back along the flow. As though refusing to be interrupted, the dark crimson power rode the current upward and rampaged through Joshua’s entire body. It was far too much for someone who was neither mage nor witch to endure.
As the magic circle swelled larger and larger, Joshua’s eyes began to drift shut. If she kept interfering, she really might die—just as her mother had warned.
Blood spilled from Leo’s lips at the same moment bloody tears slid from the corners of Joshua’s eyes. If this continued, both of them would die. Was there truly no way?
She studied the magic circle that had grown large enough to cover Leo’s whole body. A conditional curse. From its shape she could deduce that it activated only once certain conditions were fulfilled.
What had Leo done? He had looked terrified, like a child caught in a mistake. The closer she drew, the rougher his breathing became and the more uncontrollable his sweat. Until that point there had been no sign of the curse. Then what came next?
After they had first held hands, Leo—who had avoided all contact—had reached out to her.
“…!”
Leo had tried to… If those thick hands closed around her neck and squeezed, she would crumble without even a chance to resist.
The happy days they had spent living together and laughing now felt like lies, yet she did not pull her hand from the circle. Instead she forced her heavy eyelids wider and prayed for a miracle.
To save the very person who had tried to kill her. Her mother might have been right. Even if she saved Leo now, there was no guarantee the same thing would not happen again.
Still, she did not want to give up.
“I can’t let you die like this… Because I’m going to hear everything straight from your own mouth…!”
But how?
Her head spun as her mana ran dry.
‘All right, close your eyes. Feel the mana around you.’
‘Mana?’
‘You don’t need to overthink it. You’ll feel something ticklish. That is mana.’
‘Now, you’ll sense that same ticklish energy inside your own heart.’
‘It feels strange…’
‘Imagine yourself grasping it in your hand.’
The day she first learned black magic. The moment she had seized the mana drifting in the air came back to her. Even then she had felt this same sensation of dark crimson power wrapping around her body.
Perhaps… just maybe…
She caught hold of her mother’s rampaging mana inside her. The dark crimson force, which she expected to thrash even harder, instead began to move obediently at Joshua’s will. The same ticklish feeling she had experienced when she first sensed mana now enveloped her. It was warm, gentle, almost cozy… so much so that she wondered whether her mother was helping her from somewhere nearby.
‘I’m a hopeless daughter who never listens, but please help me.’
The daughter blocking a curse planted to protect her—Estelle would surely scold her. She would definitely get an earful.
Still… she had long since outgrown the age of fearing a scolding. Right now, she felt she could interfere with the curse.
“This place is…”
A pure white space containing nothing at all. Leo felt little interest in the endless expanse whose ceiling he could not even see. Even though he had been left utterly alone, he felt neither fear nor any urge to flee—only comfort.
Because he had wanted to run away.
The memory of trying to kill Joshua rose up and he frowned… but then he told himself none of it mattered anymore, lay down on the floor, and closed his eyes.
It seemed the one who had died was not Joshua, but himself. There was nothing here that suggested heaven, and it was too bright to be hell, yet it felt comfortable.
Click. Click.
There was apparently someone else in this place besides him. While he was thinking the trivial thought that such a vast space was wasted on one person, light female footsteps approached from far away.
What if she demanded rent? All he had to offer was his own body.
Click. Click.
The footsteps stopped only when they reached beside his head. Even if she ordered him to leave, he was confident he could simply lie here and refuse.
“You sleep even in a place like this?”
At the voice he had heard far too often lately, his eyes flew open.
A witch with strawberry-pink hair and ruby eyes shining between the strands crouched over him, looking down.
“Witch…?”
The question of why lasted only a moment before he recalled the rumor that those cursed by a witch could find no peace even in death. Perhaps she had come to take revenge for his attempt on Joshua’s life.
“Is this hell?”
“Hell? Why would you think that?”
“Well… a witch wouldn’t be in heaven, would she?”
“A decent guess, but wrong. And it’s not heaven either. There’s no way heaven would have such a lovely house, right?”
The witch stood, then sat on empty air; a chair appeared beneath her. With a casual wave a teacup materialized, and the blank white space gradually transformed into the witch’s home.
“How long do you plan to lie on the floor?”
She pointed at the chair, but he had no desire to sit.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“You say that like you’re eager to die. Weren’t you singing about how badly you wanted to live before?”
He had never sung, but since the desire to live had burned so strongly whenever he faced her, he could not deny it.
“I tried to kill Joshua.”
“I know. That’s why I placed that little something in your heart. It’s right on the verge of exploding, by the way.”
The witch rose and poked at the spot over his heart. The moment he had resolved to seize Joshua’s neck and snap it, the pain from his chest had knocked him unconscious.
Of course. Knowing what might happen to her daughter at the hands of a man who was practically an enemy. If it was truly about to explode… did that mean he was still alive?
He could not trust the witch’s words. If she truly wished him dead, he would have died long ago.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. This is a space inside your own heart. I only dropped by because there was something I wanted to ask you.”
Her smile, as if she already knew everything, ignited his irritation.
“If this is inside my heart, then get out right now. I—”
“You’re Leo Patrick Florencia, the third prince, aren’t you? Planning to run away again? Well, you always were a troublemaker who caused one disaster after another. If you run this time, it really will be heaven or hell.”
His most painful secrets spilled from the witch’s lips. Having his unspoken past dragged into the light filled him with the shame of being stripped naked.
“Why? Trying to do the same thing you did to Joshua?”
Even as he stood and glared at her threateningly, she laughed and offered her own neck in invitation. She was unmistakably a witch.
“How do you know my past?”
“Because this is inside your heart. I learn things even when I don’t want to.”
“Are all witches like this?”
“I may be a bit special.”
Just as he had realized while listening to Joshua’s stories, this witch was nothing like the ones in the rumors. There was something about her that could not be explained by the word “special.”
“So… after seeing my past, have your questions been answered?”
Any information obtainable from his past would surely be tempting to a witch—the secrets of the Holy Kingdom, the locations of witches the Heresy Inquisitors had captured rather than killed, and more.
“I was simply curious why Joshua was fighting so desperately to save you.”
When the witch snapped her fingers, a screen appeared showing Joshua’s figure. Even though her mana was nearly exhausted and the situation was critical, she refused to give up as she continued interfering with the magic circle.
“I never asked to be saved. Just kill me. You can do that, can’t you?”
“I’m a witch. When someone begs me for something, I lose all desire to do it.”
Her bright “Ehehe” laugh was pure witch.
“What am I supposed to do…? I’m the one who massacred Joshua’s village! And on top of that, I—”
“You’re afraid she’ll learn the truth, aren’t you?”
Leo was terrified. If Joshua saved him, he would never be able to meet her eyes again. He could not sink any lower than that. His spirit was so broken that he no longer even wanted to join the Heresy Inquisitors. The line between justice and evil had grown hazy. He no longer knew what he should live for. All he wanted was to die.
Wouldn’t everyone be happier if he died here? No one would mourn his death. If he survived and had to face Joshua, he would only become more miserable.
“As for me, I don’t particularly care whether you live or die. Honestly, I don’t understand why Joshua is trying to save you either.”
“I’m simply respecting her decision. I made a promise. She’s working this hard—as her mother, isn’t it all right to give her at least one small reward?”
“Don’t make Joshua regret saving you. This is your last chance.”
When the witch stretched out her hand, dark crimson mana flowed into the screen. Beyond it, Joshua’s expression grew visibly more at ease.
“Get your thoughts in order, you idiot prince. Our princess is far more stubborn than you think. Even I gave up—so you should stop resisting too.”
A blindingly bright light wrapped around Leo.