Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
Gulp.
Queit instinctively swallowed dry saliva.
It may be different if the person in front of him was a simple mage, but the one in front of him was a warlock.
He knew that warlocks could see things he couldn’t see.
In addition, didn’t they have the power to raise the dead?
The words ‘death is not the end’ weren’t a simple threat.
“… If we think that the organization doesn’t suit us, can we leave?”
“If You’re confident You can keep Your mouths shut Your entire lives.”
“So we can leave?”
“That’s right. I can’t just willy-nilly kill a person who says that the organization doesn’t suit them and they want to leave, You know?”
Lucion lightly giggled as if he told a joke.
But Queit’s complexion turned slightly pale.
He fought warlocks before, so he knew how powerful and strange they were.
He abruptly recalled them melting into the darkness more than him, an assassin, and his windpipe being quietly squished.
“… Hamel-nim.”
Rather than looking at the paper, that would soon become a contract being quickly filled up, Queit spoke up.
“Please speak.”
Lucion put almost all his attention into writing without any letters standing out, so his handwriting wouldn’t be recognized.
Before speaking up, Queit put his fingers to his mouth and made a little whistle sound.
It was a signal to step back.
Though they couldn’t be seen in the room, his subordinates were clearly putting their ears to the door.
Hearing his subordinates retreat, Queit at last spoke up.
“It may sound strange perhaps, but…”
Lucion didn’t glance at Queit, who trailed off.
Queit’s gaze turned towards Hyum.
“I’m no different from Hamel-nim’s shadow, please don’t pay me any mind.”
Receiving the gaze, Hyum spoke with an expressionless face.
He couldn’t forcibly send her away, so Queit softly spoke out:
“When a person dies, they go to the side of God of Light. That’s what I believed in until I met a crazy warlock.”
Lucion, who wondered what was Queit talking about to cut off like this, smirked at the words that sounded like a confession.
“Yes, there are such things.”
“… Yes?”
“Weren’t You perhaps asking if the grudges of the people You killed may stick to Your body?”
“… That’s correct.”
Queit smiled awkwardly and replied.
However, his face twisted gradually, while Lucion spoke with laughter.
“So I said ‘there are such things’.”
— Ah! It’s about the curse Russell talked about before, right?
Lucion’s shadow wriggled.
[Yeah. That’s right.]
Latta laughed, pleased, by Russell’s answer.
— Hihihi. Latta remembers everything. Latta is clever.
“Really…?”
Queit’s expression froze, while Lucion pointed at his neck.
“You have a mark of a curse here. Did You perhaps recently kill a warlock?”
“Indeed. At first, we didn’t want to touch it, but we needed money, so it couldn’t be helped.”
Queit’s face gradually twisted.
It was because he remembered the warlock from not a long time ago, who died with a mad smile while pointing at him.
Perhaps because warlocks were enemies of the world, or because they could curse you, everyone avoided executing or killing them.
However, they were starving, so with a reward so big, they couldn’t help but mess with them and that led to this.
“Can… nothing be done?”
“Which group’s warlock did you kill?”
At Lucion’s question, Queit urgently shut his mouth.
As an assassin, he must absolutely never speak about what he did, because it was divulging mission details.
“I know. I understand what it means for assassins to divulge their missions. However, if You don’t tell me, I can’t tell You anything either.”
He didn’t reach an ability yet where he could say proudly ‘I’ll release the curse’, so Lucion took a step back first.
[It’s not like the curse can only be released by killing a warlock. There are also times when a warlock casts a curse for the price of their life.]
Knowing that Lucion would be curious, Russell explained.
[First, the quickest method is to break the curse engraved in Queit’s head. But if you do it wrongly, you may break his mind, too. The effect is good, but the risk is equally large.]
Lucion listened to Russell’s words, while observing the hesitating for a while Queit.
[Second method is to cover a curse with another curse. This is impossible for you right now, so we will skip it. The third method is to instill Darkness into Queit’s head for a period of time to disperse the curse. It will take the longest time, but it’s the safest method.]
Russell raised one finger.
[And the last one I mentioned a moment ago. The method you and most people know about, kill the bastard who put on the curse. Of course, it’s impossible in the current situation.]
[That magic is really complicated every time I hear about it.]
Bethel, who quietly listened, frowned.
How many ways there could be?
“Is it serious?”
Queit, who tried to open his mouth a few times, at last spoke.
“It’s serious. Enough that You should consider giving up assassin work.”
Lucion slightly changed what Russell told him and spoke.
“… It was the imperial family.”
Queit said in a whisper.
It seemed he was really afraid of the curse.
‘The imperial family and a warlock?’
Lucion immediately guessed what it was about.
“Was it perhaps related to killing the warlocks involved with Count Roberio?”
Queit barely nodded.
‘Looks like it was a warlock of the Hand of Void involved with Roberio. Things are becoming strangely entangled.’
Lucion thought it was really fascinating.
[That’s the best method. We couldn’t catch the tail of a warlock, but what won’t the imperial family do to annoy a warlock?]
Russell crossed his arms.
He was also a warlock, but he knew how deep their obsession and desire for revenge went.
It wasn’t just bad luck if you got caught.
It was more comfortable to think that just one person like Queit got cursed or sick.
[If an enormous entity like the imperial family moves, there will be a lot of noise… Pity. If I knew in advance, I would go to kill them.]
Bethel stroked the hilt of her sword, smacking her lips.
‘Well, it’s an excuse for the assassins to be tied up to the organization until it stabilizes.’
Aside from the two people’s opinions, Lucion was really satisfied with the current situation.
Wouldn’t he be able to forcibly tie a leash around Queit’s neck?
‘That curse was probably put by a warlock belonging to the Hand of Void… But it would be regrettable to use it up right now.’
Lucion wanted to increase the number of people who hated the Hand of Void.
Then they would help him break the Hand of Void.
“Excellent.”
Even though positive words came out of Lucion’s mouth, Queit didn’t say anything.
It seemed he thought there would naturally be some kind of condition.
“Right now, there are two methods to release that curse. One is fast, but the risk is very high. The other is slow, but safe. Which one will You choose?”
Lucion asked with a voice that was neither fast nor slow.
Hearing a very simple question, Queit almost fell into thought without realizing.
“Are You… Not going to talk about the price?”
“The price is that You will become my fellow organization member. Just working hard to carry out the missions is enough.”
Those words surprised Queit so much that he couldn’t relax at all.
He checked Lucion’s eyes for a moment before he said with a low voice.
“The fortuneteller… said that I’d meet a great man soon.”
[What…?]
Russell opened his eyes wide at the abrupt words.
[Mm…]
Bethel’s lips curved up high.
She saw Queit held some unknown ceremony before going to deal with the Viscount Kokolen, so she was certain.
He was a superstitious person.
It was rare, but she saw similar people when she was a knight.
It wasn’t strange, as those people, who were close to death, each had something like a chronic disease.
“I was told that I must make sure not to let go of the Person who will change my life.”
[Kya. I don’t know who it is, but they’re really skilled.]
Russell could clap his hands in admiration at any moment.
“Then You can’t betray me and the organization even more, right? Because as the fortuneteller said, I can change Your life.”
Lucion’s mask was dyed yellow.
It sounded like a joke, but for Queit, it felt strangely like a threat.
It seemed that the warlock in front of him really could do more than just change his life.
“Lenteal, what time is it?”
“Twenty minutes after four in the afternoon.”
Hyum took a clock out of her pocket and checked.
“Are You busy…?”
Queit asked.
Lucion nodded.
Anthony may come to his room to serve him dinner soon.
“Yes. I’ll be in big trouble if I get caught.”
‘Is he being chased by priests?’
Queit stealthily looked up.
“So which one will you choose?”
Lucion urged Queit, and he stopped his short thinking.
“The latter. If You’re okay with it, we can cleanly deal with Hamel-nim’s problem.”
“Impossible. He is very strong.”
It’s Anthony.
“You will die.”
After checking the time, Lucion tapped the paper with an urgent mind.
“… Understood.”
Queit grabbed a pen and thought:
How freaking strong are the priests chasing him?
***
Knock, knock.
Lucion flinched at the knocking on the door.
He just got back from dropping Hyum off in his room.
‘Why so soon?’
Before he burst out complaining, Lucion urgently said:
“One moment.”
After taking off his clothes and roughly shoving them under a blanket, he hastily put on the prettily organized clothes.
[I — I’ll go out.]
Bethel instantly left the room.
— Quick, quick!
Latta was madly running around Lucion.
“It’s really distracting, don’t run, Latta!”
— Ah, got it!
As he told her not to run, Latta started to spin in place.
— Quick, quick!
[Puhahaha!]
Seeing the two being such a mess, Russell grabbed his stomach and started laughing.
“… Haa.”
Lucion barely put on the clothes and sighed.
He used Shadow Movement for mid and short distances, and he ran until he gathered enough Darkness to use Shadow Movement.
Doing it a few times, it was not easier than physical training.
“Come in, Anthony.”
Soon, Lucion called Anthony with a calmer voice.
“Excuse my rudeness, Young Master.”
Anthony bowed.
“Young Master.”
Once he rose, he noticed something strange and called out to Lucion.
“Speak.”
“Where were You wandering?”
It was faint, but he could smell several scents on Lucion.
“Don’t you know better than me?”
Lucion tried to avoid Anthony’s investigation, that was stealthily closing in, by feigning innocence
“You’re also sweaty.”
“I was working out in my room.”
“Your clothes are also rumpled.”
“Well, I guess things like that can happen?”
“Excuse me.”
Anthony quickly organized Lucion’s clothes, fixing the buttons Lucion had buttoned incorrectly, smoothing out the wrinkles and pulling out the clothes that he had tucked into his pants.
Russell, who was watching Anthony’s movements like he was possessed, belatedly opened his mouth.
[It’s a really neat and clean skill. No wonder he is a butler.]
— Uh, uh. Hyum is good, but Anthony is better.
Latta, with her butt pressed down on the floor, watched Anthony’s movements.
“So what happened? You’ve come faster than usual.”
“You have to meet a physician today.”
At the word physician, Lucion let out a sigh.
“It’s that time already?”
Because of Lucion’s divine power allergy, there naturally was always a physician stationed in Cronia.
As they searched for a physician who could live only in Cronia, had a heavy mouth, had good skills and didn’t hate Lucion, he lost count how many times they had changed.
“Yes. It’s already that day.”
But the physician Anthony spoke of was a doctor and a psychiatrist.
“Do I still need to meet him?”
Lucion quietly spoke out.
He said that ‘I won’t need to eat the medicine I stopped taking only a month ago, right?’, but now he was really fine.
‘… Well, I can’t say I’m completely fine.’
“It’s Lord’s order. I apologize, Young Master.”
Anthony bowed.
“It’s nothing. That’s all?”
“No.”
Anthony suddenly rummaged through his pockets and took out a prettily wrapped gift box.
Russell reacted immediately.
[Tella sent it!]
Not a long time ago, in the letter sent to Lucion, Tella wrote that she is thankful for the help Lucion gave to the Luteon family and that she would send a gift.
“It’s a gift sent by Young Lady Tella Luteon.”
A warm smile appeared on Anthony’s face.
*~*~*
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