Chapter 9: Childhood(5)

The Curse of Misfortune.

According to the original story, it’s a type of magic created by the last princess of a fallen kingdom, imbued with deep resentment to curse her betraying lover even after death.

The problem is, as the name “Curse of Misfortune” suggests, its effects are terrifyingly potent.

From the moment the curse takes hold, the victim feels a gradually intensifying sense of exhaustion over the course of a month, growing weaker and sicker.

They suffer from recurring high fevers, as if afflicted by a wasting disease, their body deteriorating from within. Ultimately, they pass away naturally within a year.

It’s a spell fueled purely by the caster’s malice, which is why the empire long ago designated the Curse of Misfortune as forbidden dark magic, banning its dissemination and study.

In the original story, Lia von Elevess paid a steep price to obtain a necklace imbued with the Curse of Misfortune, which she gifted to Stella.

That event marked the beginning of Lia’s connections with dark mages, setting her on the path to ruin.

“…”

But none of that matters right now.

What’s critical is that the inverted black clover mark, symbolizing the Curse of Misfortune, is etched on the back of Lia’s neck.

I don’t know how this happened.

I’ve been by Lia’s side every single moment for the past month, without fail.

…Could it be that one of the assassins placed it on her during the brief moment I was distracted earlier?

That suspicion crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

Lia explicitly mentioned feeling a mysterious exhaustion, a symptom indicating the curse has been active for a month.

So, it couldn’t have been the assassins.

“Lady Lia.”

“Yes?”

“About one or two months ago—before I became your escort knight—did anyone give you an accessory as a gift?”

“One or two months ago… Yeah, there was something.”

“Who gave it to you, and what was it?”

If the accessory was a necklace and I can find out who gave it to her, tracking down the culprit who placed the Curse of Misfortune on Lia would be much easier.

I asked with anticipation, but her response left me deflated.

“Well… there were a lot. I told you my birthday was in April, right? This year was my tenth birthday, so Father and Mother threw a huge party. Tons of guests came, and I got so many gifts. I probably received dozens of accessories alone on my birthday.”

“…Oh.”

Dozens of accessories?

That means everyone who attended her birthday party and gave her an accessory is a suspect.

No, wait. It’s not just those who directly gifted accessories.

With so many gifts pouring in that day, slipping a small necklace among them would’ve been easy.

So, it’s more accurate to consider everyone who visited the Elevess mansion that day as a suspect.

How many people would that be?

For the grand birthday party of a wealthy count’s daughter, there were likely at least a hundred guests, if not more.

Investigating and tracking down all those people… it’s not impossible, but it’ll be incredibly difficult.

Grind. I couldn’t help but clench my teeth.

Lia noticed my expression and spoke up.

“Cain, you look serious… What’s wrong?”

“…It’s just…”

Should I tell her about this or keep it to myself?

Struggling with the decision, I tightened my grip on the arm holding Lia.

“For now, let’s head back. I’ll explain when we get to the mansion.”

“Oh, okay. But, Cain, my legs feel weak, and I can’t walk…”

“I’ll carry you.”

Carefully supporting Lia, I knelt on one knee, letting her climb onto my back.

As I waited with my back turned, I felt a light weight press against me, and her pale arms wrapped around my neck.

I hooked my arms under her hips and stood up briskly.

“I might accidentally touch you while moving, but it’s not intentional, so please understand, Lady Lia.”

“O-Okay… Got it. I’m counting on you, Cain.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Carrying Lia on my back, it took over an hour to return to the mansion.

And so, it’s now 8:00 PM.

Lia, exhausted, fell asleep before even eating dinner.

After confirming she was safely asleep, I returned to my room and slumped at my desk.

I reached down, pulling out the secret notebook I kept hidden in the deepest part of the storage space, where it wouldn’t be easily found unless someone was looking for it.

This was where I’d recorded all the information from the original story.

I flipped it open and found the section on the Curse of Misfortune, reading it carefully.

[Curse of Misfortune]

[A dark magic spell that afflicts Stella, caused by the ‘Princess’s Pendant’ gifted by the villainess Lia von Elevess in the original story.]

[In the original, the crown prince, smitten with Stella, retrieves the ‘Dragon’s Tear,’ a panacea from the imperial treasury, easily curing her.]

[Note: What is the ‘Dragon’s Tear’? A single tear shed by the sea tyrant, the Submerged Dragon, only when it loses its human companion. Obtainable perhaps once every hundred years, its value is immense.]

[According to the story, it’s essentially priceless, but in monetary terms, it’s likely worth around 10,000 pounds—or more? However, money alone can’t buy it, as countless wealthy old men seek this panacea.]

[Note 2: As punishment for taking the Dragon’s Tear without permission, the crown prince was grounded.]

“What? Grounded? That’s ridiculous.”

In this world, where one penny is about 3,500 won, 10,000 pounds is roughly 80 billion won.

And the punishment for using a panacea worth 80 billion won without permission is just grounding?

No wonder people talk about silver spoons.

I tsked at the crown prince, whom I haven’t even met, and returned to reality, letting out a heavy sigh.

…The Curse of Misfortune.

In the original story, it was just a plot device for Stella and the crown prince to bond, quickly resolved thanks to him.

But looking at it now, it’s a truly terrifying spell.

It kills within a year, and the cure costs 80 billion won.

This isn’t something Lia’s or my pocket money can cover.

Even if we had the money, the biggest issue is that it’s not readily available.

It’s a panacea, after all—wealthy old men must be desperate to get their hands on it.

If it’s on the market, it wouldn’t be surprising if the price doubled to 160 billion or more.

In this world or any other, a “panacea” that cures all ailments is worth that much.

“Hmm…”

Obviously, I don’t have 160 billion—or 20,000 pounds.

My father’s annual income is just under 10,000 pounds, so there’s no way I’d have that kind of money.

And Lia’s situation is likely similar.

No matter how wealthy her count family is, they wouldn’t entrust a ten-year-old with 20,000 pounds.

“…”

So, what should I do? The answer is simple: find a way that doesn’t require money, one that doesn’t rely on the method used to cure Stella in the original story.

That method is written on the next page of my notebook.

[Scenario 1: If, for some reason, one is afflicted by the Curse of Misfortune?]

[Since I can’t rely on the crown prince’s help to obtain the Dragon’s Tear like Stella did, the best course is to seek out the person mentioned in passing in the original story who knows how to lift the curse.]

[That person is located deep beneath the Reinhardt family’s estate, in the heart of the labyrinth ‘Lyrinthos.’]

[That person is the demon Grace, who has devoted their life to studying dark magic and possesses vast knowledge…]

Knock knock.

An untimely knock interrupted my reading. Who could it be at this hour?

“Yes, come in.”

Curious, I called out, and the door creaked open.

I turned casually and—flinch—froze in surprise.

“C-Cain, you’re still awake?”

Standing nervously at my door was Lia, dressed in adorable pajamas.

I was sure she was asleep—when did she wake up and change into pajamas?

Momentarily distracted by her cute attire, I quickly regained my composure and responded.

“Yes, I’m still awake. What brings you to my room at this hour, Lady Lia…?”

“W-Well… earlier, in the village outskirts…”

“Yes, the outskirts?”

“Those weird masked people… they just appeared, didn’t they?”

She must mean the cult members who wanted to make her a sacrificial offering.

“Yeah, they did. But why?”

“So… I got scared that someone might pop up while I’m sleeping. I thought I’d feel better staying with you.”

“…”

“…Can I stay here for a bit? Is that okay?”

Fidgeting with her fingers, Lia mumbled as if making an excuse, her face flushed as she asked.

I looked at her quietly and nodded readily.

“Sure, if it’ll put your mind at ease, Lady Lia.”

“R-Really? Thanks, Cain!”

Click. Lia closed the door and hurried over with small steps.

Before she got too close, I shut the notebook I was reading, placed another book on top, and spread it open.

“Cain, what were you doing? Reading? Studying history? Oh, I’ve read this book too!”

“…”

She started bombarding me with questions the moment she entered, not looking like someone scared by the afternoon’s events.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

I humored her questions for about ten minutes before casually asking.

“By the way, Lady Lia, just out of curiosity—have you ever visited another noble’s estate?”

“Hmm… I went to one when I was little, but it was before I was five, so I don’t remember much.”

“Do you ever want to visit one? Like, say, the Reinhardt barony where my family lives, known for its beautiful coastline…”

“Yeah, I’d love to! I’m curious about what the Reinhardt estate, where you grew up, is like!”

It was just a probing question, but Lia’s eyes sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically.

Alright, I’ve got her consent. I took both her hands.

“Lady Lia.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Let’s go on a date.”

“…W-What?! A date?!”

Lia’s face turned bright red.