"Rumble——"
The unicorn carriage set off on its own, tearing through the fractured material plane and cutting straight across the spirit realm.
Under any other circumstances, Faust would have pressed his face to the window to drink in the scenery of the spirit realm passing by outside. But at this moment he sat frozen in his seat, not moving an inch.
Because right now, within Faust's field of view, the small inspection spell he used to examine the Paths had activated on its own, revealing a property he had never seen before.
[A Night of Illusions]
[A dream of illusions born from the deepest yearning and longing, from an unwillingness to let go of the past and a heart that longs for love.]
[Dear child, may you hold happiness in your hands and weave with your own fingers the beautiful dream you cherish most. So long as it is for the sake of your love, there are no forbidden things.]
[But remember: the illusion you build grows more solid as midnight draws near, yet before the break of dawn it will shatter like a bubble and vanish.]
[The Eternal Feminine draws us ever upward.]
This had just been sent to him by Cinderella. There was a great deal to take in, and Faust's mind nearly failed to keep up.
Setting aside the question of how Cinderella had seen through his intention to probe at the Witch's traits without him ever saying a word about it...
Well, she was a [Witch] who could make wishes come true. Even if she knew, that wasn't so strange.
But this Witch trait, [A Night of Illusions], was far too peculiar.
"Is this... Cinderella's own summary of her mysterious properties? Or is it..."
Faust furrowed his brow deeply, rubbing his chin in thought.
Then, suddenly, the excited voice of his Fae rang out in his mind:
[Faust, you've pulled off something incredible.]
Mephisto, as Faust's contracted Fae, could also see the latter's inspection spell. The excitement in their voice was impossible to conceal:
[This may be the first detailed record of a Witch's trait in all of recorded history. Before this, even I... well, despite countless attempts, I never once obtained any useful information.]
Faust said in surprise, "Really? Not even once?"
He had first learned about [Witches] from Mephisto, so it was only natural to assume that Mephisto had conducted considerable research on the subject, simply too wary of the Wheel of Fate to speak of it openly.
After all, as a primordial Fae, Mephisto's seniority was almost absurdly vast; the entire span of human civilization occupied only a tiny fraction of their existence.
Mephisto had endless time to observe and contemplate. Faust had assumed they would at least know something of the traits belonging to Witches of the past.
[This is precisely why I say the Witch is the highest-tier of all fated constitutions, and the Witch's Feast is a fate script that transcends everything else entirely.As for the origin of a Witch's power: unless the Witch herself speaks of it, it is absolutely impossible to know. In a sense, I suppose I owe you one, having now seen a Witch's trait with my own eyes.]
Faust nodded. "So then, what have you deduced from it?"
From [A Night of Illusions], Faust himself could only gather that this ability was nothing short of miraculous. The limitations were considerable: it could only function as support within the domain of romance, and it would cease to work after dawn.
But even so, this was wish-fulfillment! Wish-fulfillment!
Against an effect this overwhelming, such limitations were utterly trivial.
[I have some theories... but never mind, a single example really isn't enough to draw any meaningful conclusions. It would be so much better if there were more data.]
Faust: "Even if you say that..."
[It would be SO much better if there were more data!]
Playing coy, are we!
Faust nearly laughed out of frustration. Since growing familiar with Mephisto, they had become increasingly abstract in behavior.
He could only shake his head, brush aside the strands of hair Viviana had pressed against his cheek, and carefully lay the sleeping girl's head on his lap.
...
Over the following days, Viviana seemed to have developed quite the taste for it. In her daily life she remained the same haughty, ice-cold flower on a high peak, but whenever Faust had a moment free, she would put on the [Cinderella] mask and go on evening dates with the prince through the nighttime streets of the city.
That routine was broken by the news that an envoy from the Second Empire had arrived in the royal capital.
That evening, true to his word, Faust went in person to the station to receive them.
Since this was not an official diplomatic exchange, and given that the visitors were Imperial royalty from the Second Empire, regarded by many as "traitors to humanity" and "dragon worshippers," it could not be announced publicly.
The Imperial delegation had come disguised as ordinary travelers, so Faust concealed his own identity as well. In the past, going unrecognized had been something of a challenge for the prince, but with Cinderella's help, it was no more than a snap of the fingers.
"Hmmm——"
The train rumbled and began to slow, finally coming to a stop at the center of the arcade street.
The doors opened, and passengers streamed out of the carriages in waves, luggage in hand. Taking in the arcade street, which had been deliberately decorated to look whimsical and dreamlike, they could not help but exclaim:
"So this is Aurum?"
"It actually looks the part. The place is clean, at least. I had half-expected some backwater town."
"I heard you can buy goods from the Kingdom of Wintertide here?"
"Forget Wintertide, they even carry wares from Mistwood!"
"..."
The crowd flowed in and out, a lively, jostling stream of people.
Amid the noise, Viviana leaned close to Faust and said quietly, "Your Highness, the Imperial delegation will likely wait until all the other passengers have left before emerging."
"That's fine, a little longer won't hurt," Faust replied, glancing at the clock. "That said, even now I still don't know which Imperial princess is coming. They've kept it remarkably well hidden."
Time passed, minute by minute. The train's full load of passengers disembarked quickly; most began browsing the shops along the arcade bridge right where they stood, while others boarded carriages and departed.
At last, when Faust looked over, he found that of all the carriages, only one still had anyone inside.
It was a small group of three or four people. They were dressed in the most ordinary traveler's clothes, or perhaps pilgrim's attire. Among them, one figure stood out despite being hooded, their bearing unmistakably distinguished.
This person leaned on one hand propped beneath their chin, idly twisting the ends of their hair with the other, gazing out the window at the crowd below with an air of supreme boredom.
When their gaze met Faust's, the prince of Aurum thought he glimpsed a pair of lapis-colored eyes.
Extraordinarily beautiful and unusual eyes. It was as though blazing fire had been submerged in water and blended into a color of breathtaking, luminous splendor.
The figure paused for just a moment, then waved to Faust with unmistakable warmth.
"That must be the princess, then."
Faust stepped into the carriage at once and made his way to the Second Empire's delegation.
The Imperial princess rose to her feet. "Prince of Aurum. I recognized you at a glance."
Faust said with some surprise, "Oh? I didn't expect to be so well known. Even a distinguished princess has heard of me?"
The princess nodded. "Because Lord Ren told me about you. She said that the most handsome person in any crowd would be you."
The dragon of the Second Empire knows me?
[That was me who said it.]
Well, obviously.
After the formal greeting, the Imperial princess lowered her hood and extended her hand:
"You may already know who I am, but allow me to introduce myself regardless. I am Seraphina Radiance, Imperial princess of the Second Empire, follower of the Dragon... and a Defier of Fate."