Reasons to Protect the Witch's Son

Steady sky-blue eyes. The eyes of the only man in the palace who was on his side.

The large tree like man spoke.

“Please, speak freely.”

“Do you think I’m a monster too?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Who told you that?”

“It’s something I hear often. And why wouldn’t it make sense? The person who gave birth to me wasn’t human.”

Walter’s face distorted. He appeared to be gritting his teeth. A firm voice responded.

“Even so, you are by no means a monster.”

Was he relieved to hear that? He had asked the question, already knowing the answer. Still, the reason he had probably wanted confirmation was because he was still young.

Ash smiled as if he had never been shaken.

“Yes, I know.”

The long hallway then quickly turned into a noisy night street market. The streets were filled with various crafts, such as handicrafts, pottery, wood carvings as well as food. Eight-year-old Ash pulled down his hood and looked around.

It was the king’s birthday. The day when the biggest festival of the year was held. It was an annual event, but this was Ash’s first time outside of the palace.

It was his first time seeing a festival. Even Ash, who was more mature than his peers, was turning his head here and there. Although he didn’t show it, Walter, who was following him, noticed that the child’s eyes were sparkling brightly.

Then Ash’s head suddenly stopped. Walter followed his gaze, curiously trying to see what Ash was looking at.

“Would you like to try it?”

“…uh?”

The child was startled and looked back at him. Walter led Ash to the front of the stall selling snacks.

“Can I get a bag of moon cookies?”

“Yes, just a moment!”

There were many customers and the man was busy baking moon cookies. The pure white dough puffed up giving off a delicious scent. As he was looking at the scene in wonder, then he heard a loud sound. Ash reflexively turned his head and was again mesmerized.

Star like flowers were blooming in the night sky. Brilliant fireworks rose high and exploded, scattering like starlight. The sound of exploding fireworks rang in his ears. Ash was dazed, unable to take his eyes off the sight of the fireworks blooming.

The fireworks display that marked the end of the festival was a show specially put on by the royal wizards, who were unable to be employed without spending excessive amounts of money. For a moment, a crowd gathered at the square where the fireworks were in progress. Ash, who had taken a few steps away from the stall without realizing it, was swept away by the crowd.

He thought he could hear someone calling urgently form behind, but being preoccupied by the fireworks, he couldn’t hear it.

Even though he was bumped into and kept stumbling, he kept moving forward as if possessed. The hood, which had been secured tightly, came undone after bumping into someone. The fireworks brightly lit up the sky, it was beautiful.

As he was looking up at the sky in fascination, a burning pain suddenly appeared on his forehead. He blinked and looked down at what had struck him. There were stones rolling around at his feet.

“It’s the witch’s child! There’s a devil over there!”

Someone pointed at him and shouted. For a moment everyone’s gaze was focused on Ash. The fireworks continued to explode in the background, clearly illuminating his face under the flashing lights. The whispers spread like a contagious disease.

He unconsciously touched his forehead as he looked around. People began picking up rocks one by one. Others among the crowd started to throw whatever they were already holding. A moon cookie struck Ash on the leg and rolled onto the dirt floor. The moon-white cookie was then stained with dirt.

His face that had been filled with excitement, was now cold. Ash closed his eyes. Behind him, Walter approached through the crowd, picking him up and leaving the area.

The stones flying their way were blocked by Walter’s back as they returned straight to the palace. In the midst of all the chaos, the ruined moon cookies Walter had bought ended up in the garbage.

The wound on Ash’s forehead quickly stopped bleeding.

The sound of firecrackers and loud shouts that had been ringing in his ears gradually faded away. The faint sound changed again to the sound of heavy rain. The pouring rain appeared to be dyed blood red. Time had passed by itself. There was a bright red sunset and thick raindrops.

His own voice could be heard through the sound of the rain.

“What did you just say?”

The sky was now dark, and the room was damp.

The chamberlain could be seen bowing in front of him. A mechanical voice emerged from Ash.

“Sir Walter has gone missing.”

It was raining heavily, maybe he had heard it wrong because of the loud rain outside. As if the chamberlain had noticed this, he repeated the same words again. Walter’s voice played in his head.

‘I’ll be back soon.’

Before leaving, that was what Walter had said. The final moments before he left were clear. He had left in a hurry saying there was something he must find out.

And, after several months, all that came back was the news of his disappearance.

The world was submerged in water and within it, faceless voices reached his ears.

‘Tsk, tsk, so stubborn, and in the end…’

“He must have received the witch’s curse.’

The senseless chatter didn’t affect him anymore.

He wanted to know the details behind Walter’s disappearance, but he had no way of finding Walter or any information. Even in the royal palace, there was nothing the abandoned little boy could do.

He had no strength, no power and no one on his side. The boy had to accept reality. The man who had been his first and last ally was no longer by his side.

And like that, the boy was all alone.