#109
“So… even now, you two didn’t learn about the acceleration from each other, but from that half-demon, right? I know you don’t consider me a collaborator, but I needed the information. I guess you could say my circumstances were rather urgent too…?”
In truth, Sercil’s relationship with the three of them wasn’t particularly deep.
There was certainly camaraderie from being bound by the same curse. However, there was no past of human trust between them. He had received a good impression, but that didn’t mean Sercil could play as meaningful a role in the fight against the half-demons as the other three, so they couldn’t be equals.
But did Sercil belong to them?
Though he had received favor from the Crown Prince and was under his protection in the Crown Prince’s palace, that alone wasn’t enough to say he “belonged.”
Above all, breaking the curse was Sercil’s top priority.
Just as it was for the other three.
So even though the three had noticed Sercil’s actions, they had focused on safely sending him back without driving him away. They too had some understanding of the difference in position between Sercil and themselves.
Of course, they couldn’t understand joining hands with the half-demons. All they understood was that Sercil was in a situation where he couldn’t afford to be choosy.
In any case, Sercil was now openly stating these differences in their positions.
“Let’s say that’s the case. Then what’s your reason for changing your mind now?”
The Archduke asked calmly with a somewhat chilling gaze.
‘I’d better answer this well.’
Sercil rolled his eyes around, then sighed inwardly before speaking.
“Along with the fairy power, memories were also unlocked.”
…Tsk, I was planning to tell His Highness about this first.
If His Highness had heard this, he probably would have found it amusing, wondering if a legendary fairy was manifesting.
“It seems like memories inherited from previous fairies… Among those memories, there was also information about the nullification ability.”
Swallowing his disappointment, Sercil continued.
“Nullification is actually magic that changes the target of a curse. What do you think?”
Since the target changes, the person originally cursed would be freed from the curse.
“If it’s memories, they’d be raw and unprocessed, so the likelihood of them being fake is low.”
Skyle answered.
He didn’t seem particularly surprised.
‘Don’t tell me. Did he already know?’
No, if that were the case, His Highness the Crown Prince and Sir Marcus would have known too. But there was so little reaction that Sercil shrank back a bit. He had thought it was tremendous information.
Still, Marcus couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Nullification was magic that changes the target?”
“According to the fairies’ memories, yes.”
Sercil nodded and said.
“And curses that can’t be broken with a single nullification are curses that even half-demons can’t break.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean.”
“They’re so powerful that unless it’s a fairly strong half-demon, even they can’t break curses they’ve cast themselves. In other words, I was deceived by that half-demon.”
After Ersen had given him one caress and left, Sercil had been out of his mind for a while.
He had liked Ersen.
If His Highness wanted it, he felt like he could even give him his heart.
However, that sensation wasn’t eternal.
As hours passed, bit by bit, Sercil’s reason returned.
Of course, just because his reason returned didn’t mean he wavered in his decision to join hands with Ersen. It simply meant he had the leisure to calmly examine the few memories that had flooded in along with the fairy power.
And through those memories, he discovered several useful pieces of information, and when he had something urgent to ask Ersen about…
The moment he tried to get up, the world began spinning dizzily.
With each breath, the curse accompanied it, and it felt like he would kill people wherever his breath reached. He couldn’t control the “killing intent” that overflowed around him regardless of his will.
Sercil had barely managed to suppress it with his slightly recovered fairy power.
And now.
He couldn’t even see Ersen, whom he needed to meet, and was caught red-handed by these two people, confessing everything.
‘Can’t be helped.’
The half-demons had been enemies before as the sources of curses, but back then breaking the curse was the top priority. But now, dealing with those things had become most important.
In that case, he had to join hands with these people.
‘Then I need to come clean first.’
Anxiety, and the speculation that Ersen might be a monstrous constitution among the half-demons who could influence emotions and memories… Such things combined, leaving him unable to come to his senses for a while.
But now he was free.
Even though nothing had been resolved.
‘…I feel like I’ve found my true nature.’
Was this what awakening as a fairy meant?
While thinking such thoughts, Sercil continued speaking.
“What’s strange is that half-demon called Hascal definitely seemed to have some kind of conviction. As if he really knew a way to completely break my curse. That one thing bothers me.”
“Whatever it is, if there really is such a method, we’ll get answers once we catch Eris.”
“Ah! That’s right. There was that option, wasn’t there?”
He tried responding in a slightly friendly manner, but Skyle didn’t give any particular reaction in return.
He just gestured for him to continue.
“Mm, well, continuing on then. If curses that require multiple uses of nullification are so powerful that even half-demons can’t break them, then in the end, the only person who could break them was His Highness, right?”
“So you decided to join hands with His Highness after learning the truth.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Sercil.”
Skyle let out a quiet laugh.
“You still haven’t said the important thing.”
“…Pardon?”
But I’ve said everything.
After confessing this much, shouldn’t they be somewhat shaken by the new facts and look at Sercil himself a bit differently?
‘That way they’d join hands when dealing with the half-demons, one way or another.’
Even though his fairy power had only been slightly unleashed, Sercil could tell that power far exceeded ordinary limits.
Yet he didn’t dare think of facing Eris and the half-demons alone.
‘I don’t know what His Highness wants to do, but it doesn’t seem like he’d do something together with Eris.’
Do these people have a different position somehow?
While Sercil was puzzling over what information the Archduke wanted, Skyle didn’t wait for him and spoke again.
“If that’s true, it means the curse doesn’t disappear but transfers somewhere else.”
“That’s right.”
“Then what happens to the being who becomes the new target of the curse?”
“…”
Sercil hesitated.
“No, I should ask this first. If our curses transferred somewhere, then, yes, where did they go?”
“Uh… I did think it might be His Highness, but no curse symptoms are appearing in His Highness. No acceleration symptoms either… If there had been, you wouldn’t be so, well, relaxed right now, Your Grace.”
Skyle smiled deeply without saying anything.
“What Sercil says seems right, doesn’t it?”
Marcus asked with an expression as sharp as when he had first arrived here.
Skyle quietly looked at Sercil, then shifted his gaze slightly toward Marcus.
And then.
“We’ll have to find out from now on.”
He answered quietly while opening the door.
Marcus’s face darkened.
‘Find out, my ass. He already looks convinced that His Highness transferred the curse to himself.’
Damn it.
His attention was drawn to the sleeve containing the recording crystal he had used earlier.
“Come in.”
Skyle, who had instantly arranged the office interior so only the bed with Ersen and the sofa were visible, gestured to the two men.
Sercil looked around with a confused expression.
Could this be interpreted as recognition as a collaborator?
‘Hmm. Good. That’s enough for now!’
As long as he could stay by His Highness’s side, he didn’t need to worry much about other things.
Finally satisfied with the not-bad result, Sercil smiled brightly. He was finally going to see His Highness.
‘Now that I’ve received memories too, I can play the fairy role even better! He’ll probably like that, right?’
Of course, that cheerful smile quickly disappeared.
“…Stop it…”
Because he had to see Ersen moaning from nightmares.
* * *
“Why is he like this?”
Marcus couldn’t take his eyes off Ersen, taking a few steps closer to look down at him from beside the bed.
His expression was complicated.
“Your Highness. Your Highness?”
Sercil also approached with a hardened face, carefully shaking his body, but Ersen showed no signs of waking up.
He only groaned in pain while sporadically uttering incomprehensible words.
Though there had been many times when he had lost consciousness in front of them, he had never openly shown suffering, so it was newly shocking.
Then Skyle approached and gently pushed Sercil aside. Pointing to the sofa, he said softly.
“I’ll move him there, so please wait a moment.”
“…?”
He didn’t seem particularly surprised.
Seeing this, Marcus and Sercil realized this wasn’t something that happened just once or twice.
Marcus narrowed his eyes and slowly looked at Ersen and Skyle in turn. He had definitely heard Ersen utter the word “gong” just now.
‘Among the things His Highness might say, is there anything with the character “gong” other than Archduke?’
But Sercil, who was rather obtuse in some areas, failed to sense the strange atmosphere and muttered in confusion.
“…Why is he like this? When I was in the guest room before, he didn’t have nightmares…”
“That’s right. That’s why I’ve been curious too.”
Skyle answered without changing his expression at all.
“Just what kind of nightmares he’s having.”
Then he gently placed his hand on Ersen’s cheek and called to the prince even more plainly and quietly than when Sercil had called him.
“Your Highness.”
One word was enough.
When he shook him lightly, Ersen flinched and very slowly opened his eyes.
Sercil unconsciously froze his face in surprise, and Marcus tilted his head with a subtle expression, muttering.
“He’s awake?”
And he thought.
‘Ah, this.’
He really didn’t like it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
