FT: The Phantom Dragon Slayer Chapter 106: The Witch Who Erases Memories, a Promise Beneath the Full Moon (3)

Chapter 106: The Witch Who Erases Memories, a Promise Beneath the Full Moon (3)

The red glow of the lantern mixed with the pale moonlight, filling the room with an eerie, almost magical radiance.

On the bed lay a woman in a thin, white silk gown, unable to move—pinned beneath the piercing gaze and weapon of the man before her.

Her body was soft and elegant, her golden eyes trembling faintly as they looked up at him—radiating both allure and fear.

To anyone else, the scene might have looked like a man about to assault a woman.

But within that tension, Suika slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“...Yes. It’s true. I am one of Zeref’s demons.”

“I knew it…”

At her confession, Ciel’s expression hardened, his mist-forged spear pressing closer to her throat.

But then, Suika’s next words—and what she did next—made him hesitate.

“But even so… I still consider myself human.”

“Empty excuses won’t—what are you…?!”

Suika reached out and grasped the blade of his spear with her bare hand.

....

“I became one of Zeref’s demons… but my heart—my soul—remains human.”

“You…?”

Ciel’s eyes widened as she held the mist spear tightly in her bleeding hand.

Crimson drops fell from her fingertips to the sheets, yet she resisted the weapon’s edge and slowly dragged it from her neck down toward her chest.

Her gown tore open slightly, and what Ciel saw beneath it made him freeze.

Embedded deep in the center of her chest was a crimson book spine.

“...”

“I have no intention of harming you,” she said softly.

“Please… hear my story.”

Her trembling voice carried both desperation and gentleness—enough to make Ciel dispel his weapon.

He had seen something like this before.

A man with the same cursed mark, the same fate.

And because of that memory, he could no longer attack her.

“You’ll tell your story then,” he said, his tone cold but restrained. “But know this—depending on what you say, I might still kill you.”

“That’s fine. Once you’ve heard me out, you may do as you wish.”

Though his suspicion remained, Ciel listened in silence as the faint scent of flower incense filled the room—and the woman cursed by Zeref began her tale.

....

“That’s… everything I can tell you.”

When her story ended, Ciel gazed quietly into her eyes.

The aura of death and malice that had once emanated from her was faint now—almost imperceptible.

Unlike Ranfa, she was suppressing the will of Ethereas with her own consciousness.

Her golden eyes were clear, pure… not the eyes of a monster.

....

She had been a frail girl once, told she would die young.

Her parents, desperate to save her, spent everything they owned searching for a cure.

But no matter what they tried, her illness only worsened—until one day, a wandering wizard happened upon their village.

Despite their poverty, her parents treated the traveler with great kindness. In return, he offered them a single gift: a book.

He told them,

“If you place this within your daughter’s body, she will live.”

And then he vanished.

Desperate, they followed his words and pressed the book to their dying child’s chest—and a miracle occurred.

The girl recovered completely.

But it was the beginning of a curse.

Her skin darkened, her eyes shifted from crimson to gold, and her aura turned ominous.

Even so, her parents continued to love her unconditionally.

Until, one day… they both died—consumed by the cursed energy emanating from their beloved daughter.

After her parents’ deaths, Suika succeeded them as the village chief.

And from that day on, she locked herself away—waging a desperate battle against the demon within her.

She said she could feel it constantly—something else living inside her body.

And so, she called it forth.

Again and again, she summoned that other consciousness and fought it.

At the end of countless battles, she finally overcame the demon—subduing it, claiming its power as her own.

But the price was fear.

Ever since then, she had worn gloves at all times, avoiding touch, avoiding warmth—terrified that even a simple contact with another might bring harm.

That was the story she told me.

....

“I have used my strength to subdue those who threatened this village,” Suika said softly.

“But I have never once harmed an innocent person.”

“…I understand your situation,” I replied.

“What will you do with me now?”

“For the moment,” I said, resting my back against the window frame, “I have no intention of harming you.”

She looked at me with anxious eyes, waiting for judgment.

I held her gaze for a long time before speaking again.

I had no reason to kill her.

The reason I sought out and destroyed Zeref’s demons—the Ethereas—was not out of hatred, but because I didn’t want to see my friend Zeref’s sins deepen any further.

But this case was different.

She had defeated the demon’s will, made its power her own.

And as I looked at her, I couldn’t help but recall Ranfa—and wonder what might have been if he had been able to do the same.

If Ranfa had managed to overcome the demon within him… would things have ended differently?

That thought alone was enough to extinguish my hostility.

Suika adjusted her torn dress, stepped closer, and took my hands in hers.

“Truly… thank you.”

“I’m just a traveler. Please forget about what happened tonight—it was my mistake.”

Her hands trembled as she held mine, tears welling up in her eyes.

I froze, momentarily speechless.

Seeing my reaction, she withdrew her hands and wiped her tears with a faint, embarrassed smile.

“For someone cursed like me… you’re the second person who’s ever touched me and remained unharmed. I’m sorry—I got emotional.”

“The second…?”

“Yes. Long ago, there was a man I once loved. He, too, could touch me without suffering the curse.”

“I see… so he was immune. Where is he now?”

“…He’s gone,” she whispered. “Suicide. He carried a painful past he could never escape… and it consumed him.”

Her words cast a heavy silence over the room.

I looked up at the moon through the window and quietly dismissed her.

The Ethereas, demons born of the Book of Zeref, bring nothing but tragedy.

She, too, must have lived through her share of sorrow already.

I didn’t want to hear another story of despair.

“…You should go back.”

“Yes… I’ve disturbed your rest long enough. Forgive the intrusion.”

“No, it’s fine. In fact…” I said with a faint smile, “…you’ve given me good news.”

“Good news…?”

“It’s nothing. I should rest now. Please, excuse me.”

“Then… goodnight.”

After Suika left, I remained by the window, a small smile forming at my lips.

Ethereas… beings that bring ruin and slaughter to all life they touch.

But this time… I was glad.

Glad that Zeref wasn’t the villain here.

And I knew—Suika had already suffered enough tragedy for a lifetime.

Still, although she had subdued an Ethereas and taken its power, Suika’s heart remained human.

Zeref’s demons granted the desperate wish of a couple who loved their daughter—and for that, and for the fact that no one needed to die without reason, she felt a small measure of relief.

“Is that… the song? Is Suika singing?”

I was lost in thought, leaning against the bedframe, when a clear, gentle voice rang through the house.

A lullaby—soft and faint as the scent of the candle—floated across the room.

It eased the tension in my chest and pulled my eyelids down.

“Sleep….”

How long had it been since I allowed myself to truly drift off like this—when staying up late had been my norm?

I did not resist the heaviness coming over me.

Surrendering to it, I relaxed, inhaled the soothing scent of the candle, listened to the lullaby at my ear—and fell asleep.

....

I found myself inside a mansion of marble stained red with blood.

Stood amid a room of blood-soaked white walls, staring in stunned disbelief at the bodies strewn across the floor.

“Ah… ah—”

“What the—? They called themselves the greatest family!”

“Keh-heh—what with the ‘teens’ and all? Old men’s time is over!”

“Teens… grandpa? If only you’d passed the title on when you had the chance, none of this would have happened!”

“And those so-called guardians—are they idiots? They didn’t even notice the chocolates we gave them were laced with a lethal dose of poison! Complete fools!”

“Don’t say that. Even that enormous elephant—poisoned within ten seconds by a lethal dose—took down eighty percent of our forces before collapsing and dying.”

Before him lay bodies—his comrades, and boy- and girl-figures who looked exactly like them.

Scattered on the floor, among the corpses in black suits, lay the bodies of men he had once considered allies.

The sight struck ○○ with a shock so deep he could not speak.

Among the fallen was the little one he had loved more than anyone—his precious 00.

“A-aah—?! Who’s that? Isn’t that Uncle 000?”

“Huh? What’s with Uncle’s spear? You want to pick a fight with us?”

“You trash! With all our comrades dead, what are you trying to do alone?”

“Stomp him!”

“Kufu… kuhfuhfuhfuhfuh… hahahahahaha—”

Time dragged on.

○○ sank down against a pillar, his body caked with blood and wounds.

Beside him lay the mangled corpses of the boss’s grandchildren and their companions—their shapes barely recognizable as human, bleeding onto the floor.

“With this… 000 is finished too… There’s nowhere left for me… no one. I… who—who will just… kill me…?”

He screamed his agony into the emptiness.

A woman appeared beside him, gathered him into her arms, and spoke softly.

“Even after taking so many lives… you failed to protect them.”

Her voice was so calm, so soothing, it dulled his senses—pulled him into a haze.

As Suika wrapped her arms around him, all the blood that had stained ○○’s body—and the splatters covering the mansion walls—vanished completely.

Holding him close, Suika whispered softly into his ear:

“Forget everything now… and sleep deeply, my beloved child.”

“Ah… yeah… forget… I’ll forget…”

“That’s right. Forget it all, and rest in my arms.”

....

A dense forest under the pale glow of the moon.

There, a young Mirajane sat curled up beneath the stump of an old tree.

From between the shadows, Suika stepped forward toward the lonely girl.

“How pitiful,” she murmured.

“It must be so hard… being all alone.”

Suika knelt in front of the girl and gently lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

But Mirajane’s expression showed no sadness at all.

Instead, she shook her head and replied with a bright smile:

“Mhm~ it’s okay. I’ve got Ciel with me.”

“Ciel?”

“Yeah~! As long as Ciel’s by my side, I can live on, even if it hurts. Even if I’m cursed, he said he’d accept all of me.”

“Are you sure about that? What if it’s a lie? What if he abandons you one day? Let me look a little deeper… into your heart.”

“Don’t… touch me!!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The moment Suika reached out to caress Mirajane’s cheek, a blinding light erupted around her—a searing, holy brilliance that engulfed her entirely.

Suika screamed, her form dissolving into the radiance.

....

“Haah… haah…”

Back in her candlelit room, Suika awoke drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath.

“It’s fine… I don’t need that girl…”

She turned toward the door with a twisted grimace.

And in her golden eyes—there gleamed something far from human.

A purity too clear, mixed with a madness too deep.

....

With the rising sun came the cheerful chirping of birds.

“Haah~ what a good morning~! How long has it been since I slept in like this?”

For someone like Mirajane—always up early for guild work or morning chores—it had been ages since she’d allowed herself to sleep late.

Last night’s rest had been peaceful, almost too peaceful.

Her body felt light, her mind refreshed.

“See? Even a wizard needs a little rest sometimes~.”

Stretching wide, she climbed out of bed and headed for the room’s bath.

As the warm water washed over her, she thought about what to do with Ciel today.

He was the one who had suggested this trip in the first place, and she was genuinely happy—happy to be here, in this beautiful village, and even happier to have two full days left to spend alone with him.

“I want to make the most of it… just the two of us.”

After bathing and getting ready to go out, I hummed a little tune and went to Ciel’s room.

If it were Ciel, he’d be up early, reading and having his morning tea. I wanted to tell him to avoid tea before breakfast — it sits badly on you — but today was our trip, so I decided not to fuss over small things.

“Ciel~ it’s Mirajane. May I come in?”

I knocked on his door and waited for a reply, but no sound came. I knocked again and again, but there was no answer.

“Ciel, are you sleeping?”

“Ciel…?”

Still no response. A strange anxiety and sense of wrongness crept over me, so I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it.

With a soft click the door opened easily.

“Ciel—are you all right? You look unwell—huh?”

I stepped inside and immediately tilted my head in confusion.

The room where Ciel should have been was completely empty. Not only was Ciel gone, but everything—his luggage, the bed, the furniture—everything that had been in the room was gone. It was literally a hollow room.

“What…? I saw Ciel unpack his things here last night… and now even the furniture’s disappeared…?!”

Stunned by Ciel’s sudden absence and the vanished furnishings, I left the room and walked into the mansion’s great hall.

There, at the dining table, Suika sat with a gentle smile as if she’d been expecting me.

“Welcome. Did you sleep well?”

“Lady Suika—have you seen Ciel? His things are gone from the room… and he’s disappeared too….”

“Oh—yes. I removed all his belongings.”

“Huh?”

Suika said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, smiling serenely.

“He is now one of our villagers…and a member of my family.”

“Wait… what do you mean by that?”

“I mean that all his things, anything that carries his scent—those are mine now. So I threw away his old things and moved him to another room.”

“Lady Suika—what are you talking about—?”

“My dear boy will live happily by my side forever. But you? I don’t need you.”

As she spoke, her eyes had gone utterly mad.

Yes—her gaze was so pure, so blindingly white, it shone with a terrifying light…