episode_0013

“So in the end, there was no information obtained?”

A tall man with dull blond hair muttered as if spitting out a slur. The man’s name was Venere Spine. He was the King’s bodyguard. Also, the man with long purple hair who was talking to him was Zangadine Girhis, the commander of the knights of the Kingdom of Karsten.

“That’s Gavinas. I didn’t expect you to get information from me after a day or two of torture.”

“Even if you know, you still want to expect it. Especially since the investigation has no results.”

He was a man worthy of being called the leader of the martial arts aristocracy. I have often entrusted him with my back on the battlefield. Is there anyone else who is so dependable that the phrase “a doll carved from a rock” fits him so well? You have to consider it impossible to get information from him through torture. In the worst case scenario, you may have to rely on the power of drugs, prepared to have your information murky.

“Still, I can’t believe it. Gavinas’ right arm was attached? I saw that arm fly away with my own eyes.”

“It’s surprising, but it’s true. I saw it with my own eyes. However… the condition wasn’t normal. It was like…”

Rather than reattaching the severed arm, it seemed like a new arm had grown. Beneath frowned at the words. He didn’t reattach the severed arm, but rather grew a new one? Reattaching a severed arm was a miracle that a healing magician with incredible skill could succeed in doing immediately after the arm was severed. Even if only the skin and flesh were reattached, it is common knowledge that the body, which is not affected by magic, would reject it. And on top of that, he grew a new arm? That’s…

“It’s impossible for humans. Gabinas proudly said that it was a miracle received through the great blessing of the god of death. But even if that’s true, does the god of death have such power?”

“Isn’t it ridiculous to judge God by human standards? Even if we are inspectors, it’s not like we can’t use bows or spears at all, so God must be similar. Even a God who encourages corruption and despair can’t fix humans.”

But what does that mean in the end? Regardless of whether it was a human or a god who healed Gavinas’ arm, what is important is the current purpose of the Shinigami Cult and the location of its remnants. Whether Gavinas’s targeting of the First Prince was a simple revenge for some reason, or an action with a specific goal. Also, the locations and gathering places of remnants with similar goals are currently important information to them.

Of course, both men had a vague feeling that it wasn’t going to be a simple revenge. If they had managed to hide their weapons inside the banquet hall, there would have been an easier and simpler way to deal with the prince. Was it really necessary to use a curse that borrowed the power of the Grim Reaper?

The thought that it was to emphasize to the nobles and royalty that the Shinigami religion was still alive and well passed their mind, but for some reason it didn’t seem like such a simple matter. They were the best swordsmen in the kingdom, so they felt it. A sense beyond their intuition, honed through countless battlefields, was sending them a warning. However, the fact that they couldn’t figure out the exact reason was frustrating.

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For a moment I wanted to compliment myself on not screaming.

The terrible pain I felt on my face brought back to me the realization that I was now awake, that I had slept so well, and that the things I vaguely remembered were not a dream.

My jaw clenches in pain, and I feel my nails digging into my palms because I clench my fists so tightly, but I barely feel any pain there. My body is in good shape, but it’s limp and hard to move, like cotton soaked in water.

As I sat up, something fell from my chest. I turned my head and saw that it was a book. I wondered if I had fainted while reading a book or if I had really fainted, but I think I have a rough idea why I was sleeping.

Even though I tried to force my mouth open and speak, I couldn’t believe I could have a normal conversation. I thought I could somehow manage a few short words. I don’t know how long I lay there, but when I came to, I felt so hungry that I roughly rang the bell to call the maid.

And soon after, a group of maids came and started setting up the table and dishes in front of me, and at the same time, Yugram came in. Did she already expect me to eat as soon as I got up? I wanted to say something, but my mouth wouldn’t open, so I just sat down on the chair, and Yugram came next to me and cast healing magic on my hand.

“I limited the menu because I thought it might be inconvenient to eat. Is that okay?”

Rather than limiting the menu, it seems like it’s all the same menu?

All that was on my table was soup. To be exact, there was soup with or without small pieces of garnish, and there were other soups that were not soups, but in any case, they were all soups. You could say it was patient food, and they probably prepared it like this because they thought I wouldn’t be able to move my mouth properly.

I shook my head slightly and brought a nearby bowl and picked up a spoon. I somehow managed to get the spoon to my mouth, but it was hard to open my mouth, so I just gave up and drank the whole bowl. As I drank one or two bowls, I felt that the texture was different, and I knew that they were all different dishes, but I couldn’t figure out what they tasted like. I just mechanically emptied the bowl to satisfy my hunger.

Not only did I empty all the dishes I had set up, but I also threw a few more bowls into my body, and somehow I felt a bit more strength. I sighed deeply and hit my right cheek hard, then came to my senses and spoke to Yugram.

“From now on…what will happen to me?”

I had a vague feeling that I was no longer of any use as a member of the royal family.

Yugram said that it was a curse that humans could not break. However, just as I am alive now, the progress of the curse is currently being suppressed to the maximum. This alone is probably close to a miracle.

If they learn that the royal family has such power and means? Naturally, the Shinigami Cult will target Karsten even more, and it is not hard to imagine what they will do in other countries. For the sake of the country, the existence of Liliane must be erased.

In that sense, I, who was probably being trained to be a high-ranking official in the country, am no longer of any use. Of course, I understand that since I have kept him alive, he won’t kick me out right away. But Yugram, who must have read something in my face, began to tell me the answer I wanted.

“As the princess thinks, the princess’s existence will no longer be revealed to the public. She will be officially announced as already dead, and the royal family members who will be in charge of the princess are said to have a time limit of one or two years to die.”

Was that why you bit the maid? It was only natural that I was announced dead. If I had a limited time to live…

“After 2 years… I’ll be kicked out…?”

“..It’s just that I won’t be able to serve you in the palace, but it doesn’t mean that the King or Queen will abandon the princess. I will follow you, and I will support you in whatever you want.”

I forced the corners of my lips, which didn’t move very well, to move and smiled.

I’m glad I’m alive. I can’t believe I can see Yugram expressing his emotions like this.

Yes. My parents would never abandon me. No matter what, they love all their children so much. I never assumed that would happen in the first place, and I guess you could say that Yugram was worrying about me for nothing.

But what takes precedence over that love is ultimately my duty as a direct member of the royal family. It is reasonable for a royal family to think of the safety and glory of the country as their top priority, and I naturally agree with that.

That is why it is extremely dangerous for a country to control dangerous elements within the royal family. In extreme cases, what if the worst happens, such as my curse suddenly going out of control and infecting others? Of course, if that happens, it has to happen outside the royal family.

The human mind is so unfathomable. Before I was cursed, I had no complaints about living as a member of the royal family. Of course, the high-level education and the training in swordsmanship and self-defense were incredibly difficult and I didn’t want to do them. However, I thought it was ‘natural’ and I had no qualms about being used as a consumable for the kingdom when I grew up. I honestly don’t know if this was the spirit of noblesse oblige or just being liberated, but either way, that’s how I was. I had pride and confidence in being a member of the royal family, and I thought that developing the kingdom was my top priority.

But now that I can no longer live as a royal, I start to think, “What if this happens?” and enjoy my future life. After all, being a royal is my duty and right, and I could say it was my whole life, but now that it’s gone, it’s natural to feel empty.

I smiled without showing off, thinking of a plan that came to mind. It was something that would never happen in the first place, and it was something that Yugram would have opposed before anyone else. But what did Yugram just say? He said that I could do whatever I wanted.

Feeling slightly better, I got up from my seat and moved my body around. It felt like the anesthetic effect of something Yugram had dealt with had completely disappeared and I was almost back to normal, but perhaps because of the pain from the curse, my body wasn’t moving properly.

“First of all… get used to this situation…”

If you can at least speak and move properly, what else can you do?