episode_0244

“Ah, aaaaah…!!”

MacHeart, who dropped the hand mirror he was holding, screamed and fell backward.

Seeing his own appearance in the mirror, which was no longer handsome but rather ordinary, he panicked and ran away, unable to even describe his appearance as normal.

It was quite a shocking sight to see his own face after almost four years.

“W-why… why?! Why on earth….”

MacHeart muttered in confusion as he felt his face with his palm, as if he couldn’t understand what had happened to him.

Since most of the people at the scene seemed to be unable to understand the current situation, I took the opportunity to kindly explain to others how the magic of the ‘Mirror of Truth’ worked.

“I’ve heard that the Mirror of Truth reveals the truth and exposes the original appearance of the subject…”

“Lilith, you say?”

“That’s right, using the power of the saint to discern the demons among humans. The dark magic of demons is ultimately just an act of concealing the truth.”

“Lilith? Who are you talking about right now….”

“However, the fact that Prince MacHeart, who was bathed in the light from the Mirror of Truth, has transformed into this appearance… could it be that this is the real appearance of Prince MacHeart?”

“….!”

MacHeart listened to my words with a visibly startled expression. And the others who were listening to my story also began to nod one by one, gradually starting to understand the current situation.

“Y-yes…. the fact that he turned into this appearance due to the Mirror of Truth, it must be a transformation spell….”

“If it’s a transformation spell, it’s dark magic, right? Dark magic can only be used by the designated mages of the Empire, right?”

“The reason dark magic is prohibited by the country is because it’s the magic used by demons, you fool.”

“Then, could it be that Prince MacHeart really….”

While everyone murmured and worried that speaking out might be considered blasphemy, it was clear to everyone that MacHeart had used dark magic to conceal his true appearance, but still, he was ‘still’ of royal blood.

And in the midst of this chaos, whether there was someone who wanted to ride the MacHeart wave alone, a brave young lady stepped forward in front of the crowd.

“N-no! Prince MacHeart can’t possibly be such an ugly monster!”

Beige hair, twin tails.

She seemed to be one of the girls who came in with MacHeart earlier, but since she wasn’t very memorable, she was probably an extra.

Amidst the murmurs of the nobles and even the palace guards and maids, the brave ‘Twin Tail’ stepped forward and loudly defended MacHeart’s innocence.

“Y-you’re all being deceived! Prince MacHeart can’t possibly be such an ugly man!”

“…I-is that so?”

“But the Mirror of Truth….”

“S-someone must have cursed Prince MacHeart! There’s no way a man with such a hideous face could be a prince….”

“…No, the person over there is indeed Prince MacHeart, Miss Elysse.”

Elysse, who had stepped forward to defend MacHeart, calling out the name of Twin Tail, seemed to not want to admit that MacHeart was such a monster, as she moved to support MacHeart, who seemed reluctant to acknowledge his current appearance.

“S-Seraphine Princess?”

“When I recalled my memories with Prince MacHeart, I sometimes thought there was something strange.”

“Seraphine…? What are you saying now….”

“Surely, in my memories, Prince MacHeart was always a handsome man, whether in the past or now, but for some reason, the Prince in my memories didn’t seem to like his own face very much.”

“What, what are you saying?! No, no! There’s no way this is my real face….”

“Changing not only the appearance but also altering the image in others’ memories, that’s a magic even forbidden to the dark wizards permitted by the Empire, isn’t it, MacHeart?”

“…No, it’s not…. Listen to me, please….”

Serafin, who quickly grasped the situation and concluded that MacHeart had already borrowed the power of the demons, looked at Twin Tail with a perplexed expression as she came out to defend MacHeart.

“Miss Eresha? MacHeart mentioned that he was cursed and turned into that appearance, right?”

“Yes, yes…? Oh, no…. I, I didn’t….”

“So, are you saying such irresponsible words in front of a noble like me?”

“……”

“It’s okay, Miss Eresha. Since you truly believed that MacHeart was cursed, I will help you confirm whether he is truly cursed or not.”

“……Yes?”

Seeing Twin Tail’s surprised reaction to Serafin’s unexpected words, I couldn’t help but think that I would end up doing something regrettable by intervening.

The reason Serafin was referred to as the ‘absolute good’ at the Luminaire Academy was simply because she always acted for the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people.

Making sacrifices in the story to save many lives with the suffering of one player.

Not backing down in the unfavorable power struggle and seizing victory until the end to create happiness for many people as the Empress.

And winning in the power struggle with unfavorable conditions meant that her skill in handling the masses was superior to anyone else, so I quietly mourned for Twin Tail, who was about to become a sacrifice to that superior skill.

“By the way, do you remember the story of the prince cursed by a witch and turned into a frog?”

“……Yes?”

“And that prince could only be freed from the curse by receiving a true love’s kiss. It’s a famous story, you must know it, right, Miss Eresha?”

“……”

“So, I’ll give Miss Eresha a chance too. If you really think MacHeart was cursed, you can release him with a sincere kiss, right? Come on, hurry.”

Dragging Twin Tail, who looked like something was going wrong, to the fallen MacHeart, Serafin said.

It was clear that a delicate flower like Twin Tail, who hadn’t even entered the academy, couldn’t possibly defeat Serafin, a member of the combat department, with force. It was pitiful to see her being dragged step by step like a goat being led to slaughter.

“Come on, Miss Eresha.”

“…Princess?”

“Quickly. You can lift the curse on my brother with your kiss.”

“Y-You, you, it’s wrong….”

“…I said do it, right?”

“……”

Twin Tail, with her neck tightly held by Serafin, forced her face onto MacHeart’s face, who was sitting still on the ground with a hopeful expression.

Even if she actually kissed him, there was no way the curse would be lifted, but the very premise of kissing was quite dreadful to her.

-Thud!

“G-Gah, g-grooaaan…!!”

“……”

“…Ugh, ugh…! Ugh…!!”

…Oh dear, how unfortunate.

It seemed that, unfortunately, MacHeart’s cursed face was not very appealing to Twin Tail.

The pitiful girl eventually pushed away Seraphine’s hand just before her lips could touch MacHeart’s, turning her face away and retching continuously.

Thanks to her, MacHeart’s suit was now stained with Twin Tail’s vomit, but it didn’t seem to elicit any sympathy. After all, that suit would soon become a rag and never be worn again.

“Oh dear, seems like you’re not feeling well, Erishe Yang?”

“Ugh, ugh….”

“Well then, shall we try again? It’s okay to dirty MacHeart’s suit. Once the curse is lifted, MacHeart will forgive you.”

“Oh, no…. I, I….”

“And if by some chance MacHeart changes his mind and decides he wasn’t cursed, I’ll give you one more chance.”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness….”

“If anyone hears, they might think I’m threatening Erishe Yang. Weren’t you trying to kiss MacHeart to lift the curse?”

“Oh, no! That’s not a curse at all! Prince MacHeart has always had a face like a rotten tomato! I don’t want to kiss such a food waste-like face! Please, Princess Seraphine….”

The tumultuous crowd quieted down at Twin Tail’s plea-like confession. Perhaps everyone felt some sympathy for Twin Tail deep down.

“Alright. I thought Erishe Yang could lift our curse, but it seems not.”

…Seraphine’s nonchalant words that didn’t reflect her true feelings were somewhat unsettling.

If Twin Tail had actually kissed MacHeart, she would have quickly moved on to another topic.

‘Looks like Erishe Yang didn’t truly love my brother. Are there any other candidates willing to lift the curse?’ she might have said.

Having subtly manipulated public opinion in this manner, Seraphine gently released Twin Tail’s neck and swiftly fled into the palace after boldly declaring the delisting of MacHeart Coin.

And among those who remained, about 60% were noble youths.

“Are there any other candidates willing to lift our curse?”

-Rumble.

Before Seraphine could finish her sentence, the 60% had already left.

“Oh, by the way, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man. Normally, this wouldn’t be allowed, but when it comes to lifting such a vile curse, exceptions must be made.”

-Rumble.

Three-quarters of the remaining 40% also left, leaving only the key figures aside from the palace guards.

Me, Edan, Cerista, Seraphine, and MacHeart.

Gyettmyojoshegiwot and Agnes were nowhere to be seen. They hadn’t been seen since earlier. Ultimately, things seemed to be going well even without them.

Nevertheless, what was more important now than their whereabouts was MacHeart’s proper punishment. It was already clear that he had used demonic power, as evidenced by the Truth Mirror he had just used, with witnesses from various noble families and palace guards.

Before carrying out immediate punishment on MacHeart for his suspected collusion with demons, forbidden dark magic use, memory manipulation against the royal family, and other crimes, Seraphine, with eyes that seemed to be staring at a condemned man, asked him to speak his final words.

“That woman, she’s a fake saint, she said….”

MacHeart pushed his finger towards Cerista, his voice trembling as he muttered.

Betrayed by the shock of having his completely trusted expectations shattered, he shook his hand nervously, then slowly shifted his gaze towards me, standing next to the pink-haired saint.

“…………Huh?”

And then, his pupils widened as if realizing something.

With an expression that he had never expected in a single moment until now, he slightly raised one corner of his mouth in a mocking smile, showing it to his enlarged pupils.

“No way….”

Eventually, as he realized everything, dangerous words that the guards of the Star Palace should not hear almost popped out of the boy’s mouth, but fortunately, with the help of Edan at the last moment, MacHeart was able to keep silent.

“No way, you’re a saint….”

-Skrrt.

…It was impossible to speak with just a headless torso.