episode_0079

Since Yugram and Lilianne, that is, Leah, left the palace, Yugram had been in regular contact with the palace. For Leah, it was family, and for Yugram, it was to report to the queen, who was his master, about Leah’s life and any unusual events, as well as to fulfill his duties as a member of the royal family.

If it’s a duty, then it would naturally be about the Shinigami Cult these days. Even in the entire Kingdom of Karsten, Yugram, who was quite powerful, or perhaps the most powerful force, didn’t know about the Shinigami Cult, so there was no discussion.

Yugram was looking over this report with a serious face, relying on a very small light in the darkness. This report, which was sent by collating the reports from each agency to the central government, clearly showed that the Shinigami cult was running rampant throughout the country, no, the entire continent, including other countries, although the circumstances and degree were different.

In fact, it could be said that it was natural since Yugram and Leah had already been entangled with the Shinigami twice, but the contents of the report were ‘only’ not that much.

In the case of Frundia, it is said that even a direct royal family member with the right of succession was kidnapped alive. Of course, if you think about what happened to the royal family after that, it was a huge incident. It was the same as assassination.

It is said that the royal family of Frundia has a small amount of magical power and cannot use magic, but it is a country that is famous for having many capable vassals, and that is true. It is not thought that those who protect such a royal family are incompetent.

Is the power of the Shinigami religion that strong? So strong that they can easily break through the royal guard and achieve what they want?

Or is there a traitor within? No, it is probably safe to say that there is one. Yugram thought of Gabinas. Yes… Even the fiercest general who fought against the Shinsengumi more fervently than anyone else and proved his bravery betrayed them. Wouldn’t it be strange to think that there is none?

If you look at it that way, it could be said that in some ways, the princess who is in the academy rather than the palace is much safer. Wouldn’t it be more fatal to be attacked by a trusted ally than by someone you don’t know whether they are friend or foe?

Yugram stretched out his arm to look at the next report, but perhaps he touched the wrong one, and the stack of reports on the desk fell to the floor in a flurry. Yugram, who had been quietly watching it, got up from his seat and slowly picked up the reports one by one.

Yugram clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times. His trembling hands felt weak. This kind of thing often happened in the early morning when Leah was sleeping, but even Yugram didn’t know exactly why it happened.

The deduction was not difficult. After all, there was nothing else that could have affected his body. He thought it was because of the relic that was in place as a mask on Leah’s face.

‘..Come to think of it, I’m already in the 4th grade.’

Yugram took his eyes off the report and walked to the window. The Academy was very quiet as darkness fell, and only the sound of some unknown insects chirping could be heard.

When Yugram first predicted Leah’s lifespan, he thought she would die before she turned 17, at most 6 years. Leah hasn’t had her birthday yet, but she will soon be 15. So, looking at it that way, Leah doesn’t have much life left.

‘Of course… except for the curse, the princess is very healthy and doesn’t have any particular ailments. Medically, there are no problems, but…’

Then why did Yugram think Princess Leia had a limited lifespan? The reason was, of course, the curse.

The holy relic is what is holding back the curse that is eating away at Leah’s body. However, it was Leah and Yugram’s magical power that was maintaining the holy relic. Rather, it is amazing that it has not gone wild for five years.

Should I tell the princess or queen now? Yugram had been worrying about this since last year. He was the only one who knew about Leah’s lifespan.

Of course, it was not unheard of for a god of death to suppress a curse with a holy relic, and since it was something that was difficult to judge with human knowledge, Yugram was sure that his calculations were wrong. There was also a clear possibility that Leah could live her entire life like this without any problems.

But… what if Leah dies sooner than expected? What if this candle of life has already almost burned out?

This was also a fact that only Yugram knew, but if Leah dies, Yugram will die too. The opposite is also true, of course. Then, in the worst case scenario, if the curse runs wild and Leah dies… Leah will disappear without leaving a corpse behind, and even he who reports her death to the Karsten Royal Palace will die.

The palace must have sent someone to find out what had happened to him since he hadn’t been reporting regularly, but… well, is such an ending really forgivable?

‘Before that… I should at least let you see the King and Queen once more…’

If there is even a slight possibility, then you should act with that in mind. From the very beginning, on the day Leah was cursed… Even if he didn’t know it himself, he should have at least told the queen about the lifespan. But why didn’t he do that? Yugram’s mind became complicated.

Thinking rationally, he should report it immediately. Leah didn’t have much time left, and it wouldn’t be strange if she died soon… and if Leah died, Yugram would die too. However, Yugram’s hand didn’t move.

‘..Why me?’

What are you afraid of? Leah dying? Your own death? Or is it that you have kept the truth about Leah’s lifespan a secret from your master, the queen?

Yugram was troubled. It was a trouble that was neither deduction nor doubt. Since it was a question with an already determined answer, he couldn’t make a proper decision. If you think about Yugram in his usual state, it was something that could never happen. Yugram got up from the window and approached the bed where Leah was sleeping.

Leah was fast asleep. When Leah first experienced the curse, she had trouble sleeping properly and sometimes woke up screaming. She still vividly remembers her whole body drenched in cold sweat, her eyes bloodshot, and gasping for breath.

Since Yugram had watched Leah’s suffering more closely than anyone else, it was only natural that he felt a small sense of relief at the sight of Leah sleeping peacefully. Yugram’s eyes turned to Leah’s face. Her bloodless skin glowed even in the darkness.

As Yugram slowly watched that small face, he was able to sense the true emotions he had not known about.

Although he did not know the exact reason or basis for this, he was afraid of losing the princess.

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“Surprisingly, the recovery has been quite good?”

Cosette looked around the shopping district and said in surprise. I nodded slightly in agreement. It was hard to believe that the shopping district had been restored so cleanly that it was only half a year since the chaos had occurred. Sometimes, there were completely different stores than before.

For various reasons, they decided to withdraw, or in a really bad case, the owner got involved and died. I thought it wasn’t a particularly good topic. I followed Cosette and walked slowly. There was a place I had to go first.

Cosette and I opened the door to a shop. A familiar smell greeted us. The smell of rich oil and smoke. I remembered the first time I came into this shop at the Academy. Even then, it was just Cosette and I.

I walked into the store, which didn’t look much different than before, and sat down. Soon after, a man with a beard still as handsome as before brought me a glass of a drink I hadn’t even ordered. The man smiled at us.

“Long time no see, miss.”

“Yes. It was more than half a year ago. Wasn’t there any damage here?”

“I guess because this is the innermost part.. it was relatively safe even in the chaos. The guests helped me out a bit too.”

When we ate here, there were actually more adults than students, so the lower-class nobles who were causing trouble didn’t come here, and they probably didn’t pick a fight with the customers who weren’t even students. In any case, it was fortunate for us.

“By the way, you came to our store as soon as the shopping district opened. What should I say?”

“Does that mean your meat is that delicious?”

Cosette said with a grin, and the old man patted his belly and laughed heartily.

“This is truly an honor. Just wait a moment.”

The old man who had disappeared into the store with a smile brought sausages with a suckling pig barbecue. It was a dish we always eat here. We were familiar with butchering the pig and putting meat in our mouths. The explosive taste of the concentrated fat filled our mouths.

“Ilana’s hometown food was pretty tasty too, but I like this one better.”

Cosette was shredding the pig at a frightening pace, and she was also stuffing sausages into her mouth. It seemed like she liked this kind of strong flavor. Of course, regardless of whether it was her taste or not, the amount of food she ate seemed to be similar, but she just nodded.

I liked the nice texture of the crispy crust and the mustard-spicy sauce. It’s a sauce you can sometimes find elsewhere, but this one was a little more delicious.

After leaving the pork with only the bones hanging out, I went to the counter with Cosette, and the old man waved me over.

“Let’s just go today. Since you rate our restaurant’s food so highly, I should repay you.”

“Oh.. This is it. If this keeps up, I can’t help but keep coming!”

Cosette clapped her hands and laughed, and the old man laughed along. It may not have been a lot of money for a nobleman like Cosette, but it made her feel better that the old man was providing us with a service. Cosette and I nodded briefly to the old man and left the store.

“Okay, princess. Then shall we go to the new store?”

Cosette grabbed my hand, full of enthusiasm. Naturally, it seemed like she wanted to eat more, and I, pretending to be helpless, followed her.