Unnamed Memories - Chapter 9.1

Bubbles of our mind, ones that were remembered when we just woke up but vanished immediately – those were dreams. 

 

Dreams emerged from our memories as fragments, slightly warped that disappeared. In dreams, things we could never wish for appear within our arms reach, yet at the same time, also the memories of the past might visit us to torment.

 

Even asleep, we could never truly rest.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The pleasant aroma of tea filled the office.

 

Razar, who came carrying the documents that needed to be worked on this afternoon, closed his eyes at the scent. The beautiful black hair witch poured tea into a cup and brought it to his master. He was unintentionally fascinated by her graceful movements, but came to his senses when she turned around.

 

“Why are you standing still over there?”

 

“Ah, no, nothing.”

 

Flustered, Razar gathered the documents and gave it to Oscar, who was sitting at the desk. He then provided a brief summary of their contents.

 

After the death of his uncle, the former Prime Minister, Oscar had succeeded his duties as well as a part of what had been under the King’s jurisdiction. All kinds of reports from domestics to foreign affairs, with exception of important ones, were to be read over by Oscar for approval and decision.

 

After handing over the documents, Razar turned to Tinassha.

 

“Did your errands end well?”

 

“Somehow. Many things are difficult to handle, so I couldn’t leave them to my familiar. I’m sorry for being away.”

 

“Not at all! Rather than that, even if you took more time off…”

 

Razar was about to say ‘…it would still be alright’ but then he recalled the misfortune he had experienced due to her absence, and stiffened for an instant. Of course, it was not her fault, so he finished the sentence. She didn’t seem to suspect anything, but his master, who was sitting at an angle where Tinassha couldn’t see, raised his eyebrows for a moment.

 

“Were there any troubles when I was away?”

 

“N-nothing in particular…”

 

“Nothing, nothing.”

 

“That’s great then.”

 

She smiled like a flower in bloom, and Razar felt relieved from the bottom of his heart. Oscar stood up as if seeing through his mind and patted his shoulder when he passed by.

 

“Let’s go to my old man for a bit.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

His master’s eyes were saying ‘Don’t say anything’. Somehow, Razar smiled and nodded. Oscar slightly nodded at his reaction, but he seemed to sense the witch staring at his back. He turned around and looked at her.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Oscar, did you sleep properly?’

 

“I did sleep.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Tinassha tilted her head as if in suspicion, but she seemed to let it go immediately. She went back to the desk to put away the tea.

 

Pressing a hand to his aching stomach, Razar, at that moment, was jealous of his composed master’s nerves from the bottom of his heart.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Tinassha decided to take a detour on the way to the longue and pass through the castle’s courtyard instead, it was simply because the weather was so nice.

 

It was a pleasant afternoon with not-too-strong sunlight filtering through the trees and a gentle wind swaying the grass. The witch walked through the greenery in her sleeveless black dress, her presence striking.

 

Suddenly, she saw a court lady crouching over the stone pond ahead. She was peering into the water with her sleeves rolled up and her arm plunged into the pond; she seemed to be desperately searching for something. Tinassha looked into the pond from behind her.

 

“Did you drop something in there?”

 

“My ring…”

 

The court lady answered in a feminine voice without turning around. It seemed to be very important to her; she sounded like she would burst into tears any moment.

 

Tinassha leaned forward slightly and casually held her hand above the water. She then focused her consciousness  for a bit. A silver ring rose up from under the water as if being sucked up and fell into her palm. Tinassha rolled the wet ring inside her hand to rid it of the water.

 

“Okay, here you go.”

 

She turned to the court lady and presented her the ring. The lady turned around in joy, but once she recognized Tinassha, her face distorted with fear for a moment.

 

Seeing that, the witch smiled wryly.

 

It was normal for her to be feared, not to mention that there was a story about her circulated in Farsas. That story was different from the truth, but those who had grown up listening to it didn’t care.

 

Nevertheless, she didn’t want to dispel the numerous misunderstandings; there couldn’t be anything good coming from being friendly with a witch.

 

Different things were different, that was the reason. There wasn’t much point in trying to erase or change that difference.

 

Therefore, she normally stayed in her tower. To meet only those were prepared.

 

The court lady left in a hurry after saying thanks. On her way out, she passed by a familiar face; he was looking for Tinassha, and rushed over to her place. When the witch recognized who it was, she lightly raised her hand.

 

“Carve, what is it?”

 

“Lady Tinassha, can I ask you something?”

 

“If it’s something I know.”

 

They sat down on a stone bench nearby. Ever since she had officially announced to be a witch, many had wished for her to hold lectures on magic, but just as many had avoided her. Some didn’t want to learn about the abominable magic of a witch, and she accepted their indignant opinion.

 

In the first place, a lot of the magic she used was complicated and unsuitable to be taught to a large number of people. That was why she did answer questions of some people, but preferred listening to lectures rather than giving them.

 

And Carve had brought to her one of such questions.

 

Tinassha looked over the book on magic potion he had brought with him and pointed to the passage in question.

 

“This procedure, you should do it in reverse on the third time. If it’s overridden, it won’t be effective. Then maybe put in some catalyst instead… This and this…”

 

Carve nodded and wrote down her instructions. Tinassha checked and confirmed his notes.

 

“Please let me know if this doesn’t work. I’m sorry; Lucresia probably will know it better.”

 

“No, you’ve helped me a lot. Thank you! Is Miss Lucresia an acquaintance of yours?”

 

“Yes, you could say so. She’s specialized in magic potions and spiritual arts, an eccentric.”

 

“Eccentric… What kind of person is she?”

 

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

 

Tinassha concluded with a serious face. After all, there were many things left unknown and information un-passed in this world.

 

And so, she spent the first day of her return to the castle peacefully while skillfully hiding the existence of another witch.

 

※　※　※　※

 

“Oscar, are you sleeping properly?”

 

Was it the third time he had received that question? Oscar wondered, his head still partly asleep.

 

He was caught by the witch early in the morning, right after he left his chamber. The petite woman looked up at Oscar with a suspicious look.

 

“I’ve been sleeping. I don’t feel particularly sleepy either.”

 

He stroked her soft hair, but his hand suddenly stopped as another scene overlapped with her face.

 

Snow-white skin, dark eyes, and bewitching red lips. But the face, which should have captivated any onlookers if smiling, was looking suspicious with a slight frown. A slight sense of discomfort tickled his memory.

 

“Oscar?”

 

“…No, nothing. I was recalling something, but…”

 

“You’re still half asleep. Anyway, please sleep properly.”

 

“But I have been.”

 

The witch ignored his reply, floated into the air and disappeared.

 

“That was so sudden.”

 

He sighed a small sigh, the residues of his dreams had already gone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When the witch appeared next, it was in front of Razar, who was in the middle of his duty.

 

He had been hiding from her for a few days now, following the order of his master. When he noticed the witch lying in ambush in a corridor, he almost screamed unthinkingly. He hurriedly greeted her as if nothing had happened.

 

“Good morning.”

 

The witch replied while showing him a smiling and vaguely scary face.

 

“I have something I’d like to ask you about.”

 

“Wh-what is it?”

 

Tinassha walked up to the front of Razar and looked up at him with her dark eyes, those powerful eyes that seemed to be able to peer into the depth of humans’ hearts. If she asked him about what had happened during her absence, he probably wouldn’t be able to lie – Razar thought and broke out in a cold sweat. But what she actually asked was something else entirely.

 

“Lately, has Oscar been sleeping properly?

 

“Eh… Probably. He hasn’t been particularly late or anything.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.”

 

Razar, while feeling a bit anti-climax after not having to lie, was curious about why she had asked that question.

 

The witch tilted her head with an ‘hmph’, and asked another question.

 

“Has he recently got a lover?”

 

“Ha?! Who?”

 

“Oscar.”

 

“…He doesn’t”

 

What did she really want to ask, he wondered. Razar spent the most of the time with Oscar, but he couldn’t think of any changes about him lately. He didn’t seem to be sleep-deprived. As for the women he might have touched, no one came to mind except for the one in front of him right now, who he usually teased. The one who was currently standing with a finger on her chin and a pensive look on her face.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“No, just… There really is no one?”

 

“No one. Are you jealous?”

 

“Sleep-talk only when you’re sleeping, please.”

 

She raised one eyebrow and retorted. It would be difficult… Razar recalled what Lucresia had said.

 

Tinassha seemed to be still pondering something, but she suddenly shrugged as if giving up and smiled wryly.

 

“Please let me know if you notice anything.”

 

The witch said and disappeared into the air. Razar wondered if he should have said something about the other witch.

 

The decision he came to regret it a bit later.