The Reincarnated Prince And His Rune Dominion

Chapter 06 – Forbidden Fruit

“So, my Prince… how are you?” she asked, with a warm smile that somehow felt just as dangerous.

Victor fell silent, his mind racing.

“Have I ever seen her before? Her face doesn’t match any memory… and someone like her, I would never forget,” Victor thought.

Still confused, Victor furrowed his brows and asked,

“So… who are you, really?”

She chuckled softly, amused by my reaction, then bowed her head gracefully.

“My Prince… let me introduce myself again,” she said, placing her soft hand on her chest.

“My name is Veyra, and most people… well, they call me Witch.”

Even after hearing her name, Victor remained puzzled. His eyebrows rose automatically,

“So… beautiful witch, what brings you here?”

Hearing such words from a six-year-old boy made her chuckle again, her eyes glittering with amusement. She stepped closer, close enough that the moonlight touched her shimmering black cloak.

“Nothing too important,” she said with a mischievous smile, as if she knew something.

“I only came to fulfill your wish.”

“Fulfill… my wish?” muttered Victor, still not understanding.

She nodded slowly, her black eyes never leaving Victor.

“Yes. Fulfill your wish.”

Victor frowned, still confused.

“Which wish…?”

‘I’m sure I have many wishes… from advancing this world’s technology, to flying into space. But… which one does she mean?’

Victor thought hard, his expression full of confusion.

But suddenly, he froze.

A memory from his past life surfaced, a whisper almost forgotten.

A frustration that had lingered since his reincarnation into this world, because he thought… that he would never be able to reach it again.

With a serious face, he muttered,

“Without Gifted…?”

Those words slipped from my mouth.

The witch chuckled softly, looking pleased.

“Smart…” she said, her smile widening slightly.

Hearing her confirmation, a spark of hope grew in Victor’s chest.

“So… so… how can I become someone, without Gifted?” Victor asked, stammering with excitement.

His project was instantly abandoned without a second thought and he almost dropped himself into the nearest chair, impatiently waiting for her answer.

The witch smiled mysteriously.

“Not me… but this.”

Out of nowhere, she pulled out a pure white apple and slowly placed it on the table in front of me.

Victor leaned closer, curious.

“What is tha—”

But Victor froze. His words stopped as realization dawned.

The witch chuckled at Victor’s expression.

“Yes… forbidden fruit.”

As Victor realized it, his body trembled. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead, his face turned pale.

“Isn’t this… poison?” he whispered.

“The one people use to commit suicide?”

The witch chuckled, her voice soft like velvet.

“No, my Prince. If you eat it whole, yes, you will collapse… then die. Especially if you are a Gifted.”

The witch stepped closer, soundless, her black cloak trailing like a shadow.

“But…” she continued, her tone turning playful, almost conspiratorial,

“If you eat it little by little… that is where the true miracle lies.”

The witch placed a finger on the apple.

“Each bite can strengthen the mana in your body. Slowly. Gradually. Safely, if you’re careful.”

Then she leaned closer, her breath brushing against my ear as she whispered,

“So… you know what this means.”

My body trembled.

“Then why is it called forbidden fruit?” Victor asked, half curious, half uneasy.

The witch stepped back, her tone turning teasing.

“The Church, of course. You know who gives the ‘Gifted’, don’t you?”

The witch twirled her short black hair between her fingers, her eyes never leaving me.

“But if you eat this,” she continued while gently placing the apple on the table,

“Your Gifted will be nullified.”

Her smile remained, dangerous and full of secrets.

Victor fell silent, the witch’s words echoing in his head.

The room was silent, only the sound of wind from the open window. His eyes glanced at the night sky, the stars twinkling, as if giving answers from afar.

‘Am I really going to do this?’ Victor thought.

Time passed. Victor did not know how long.

But slowly, fear began to fade, replaced by a familiar fire, something he had not felt since his previous life.

“Yes… maybe, this really can be done in this world,” he thought, the gears in his mind beginning to turn.

A project he had once abandoned in his old life began to take shape again in his memory.

Victor returned his gaze to the apple.

And for the first time that night… Victor reached out his hand.

“So… how much can I eat per bite?” he asked, lifting the apple with both hands.

The witch tapped her chin, tilting her head as if in thought.

“Hmm… As I recall… my friend once said… if you really want to be free from the ‘Gifted’ status, you have to eat about 1/24 of this fruit. Every week… yes, like that, she said.”

A drop of cold sweat slid down Victor’s back.

“As she recalls…? She said…?”

Victor muttered to himself, almost in disbelief.

Victor stared at the apple. His hands still held it, but now the fruit felt much heavier.

‘Damn… she’s not even sure. Am I just an experiment?’

The thought flashed like lightning.

Yet…

‘Even so, I know I have no other choice. This is the only path… The only possibility for me to free myself from the shackles of the ‘Gifted’ that limits everything.’ Victor thought.

Victor stared at the apple, its pale skin faintly glowing under the moonlight.

“So… this is the price to pay,” he muttered.

Not with burning spirit,

But with heavy calmness, acceptance of what must be done.

“So… how do I measure 1/24 of an apple?” Victor asked, staring blankly at the fruit in his hands.

The witch smiled lazily, her voice drifting like smoke.

“I don’t know. Just ask your servant.”

She stretched her body, slow and casual, as if just waking from a nap.

“My task is only to deliver it. And now… it’s done.”

Then, without another word, she turned and walked into the darkness, her cloak slowly fading into the shadows like a dream dissolving.

Victor just sat frozen.

The forbidden fruit felt cold in my palm, cold like the moonlight.

But suddenly, she stopped.

With a light motion, a small pouch landed on the table with a soft sound.

“This is my investment for you,” she said, her voice soft, almost playful.

“I think, you’ll need it more than I do.”

Then, without a single word more, she vanished into the thick night shadows.

Gone as quickly as she came, leaving behind a faint trace of magic… and a silent question hanging in the air.

Still confused, Victor reached for the pouch and slowly opened it.

As soon as he saw its contents, my breath caught.

There was a cold, light sensation, difficult to describe, something that should not belong to an object so small.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

“A… Spatial Pouch?” he whispered, staring at the object as if it might disappear at any moment from his grasp.

“Such a rare item… and she just left it behind like that?” muttered Victor, glancing toward the dark hallway the witch had gone through.

After a while, with no sign of her presence, Victor finally returned to his work and froze.

“My exo-armor…!!” he shouted quickly, then immediately rushed to his workbench.

In a hurry but still meticulous, Victor began repairing the important parts of his exo-armor.

“There must be no mistakes. Not this time,” muttered Victor, staring at his exo-armor with a serious face.