“Is that Simone? She’s not a ghost, is she?”
It was a voice filled with shock, bewilderment, and a strange sense of relief. Simone stopped walking and turned to the direction from which the voice had come.
Abel and his group, Jace, and even Marquis Barrington were approaching with surprised faces.
They strode briskly toward Simone but stopped when they saw the pitiful sight of people sprawled on the floor.
“These, these people...”
Abel and his party trembled. The Grand Duke and his wife, Anna, and others whom he had spoken to several times were lying there with swollen, red faces.
The body was covered in blood and was covered in wounds to the point where it was difficult to find a single healthy spot.
“Why.”
Abel's pupils shook with anger. Why? Who? Why? At that moment, someone quickly jumped out from behind Abel and fell in front of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Illeston.
“Ah, Father! Mother!”
Jace started shaking them and crying, shedding tears of disbelief.
Marquis Barrington, who had been watching this with a blank expression, asked in a trembling voice.
“What is this... What is going on!”
“Simone, what on earth happened?”
“Simone, could it be you...”
At Orkan's cautious words, Abel struck Orkan in the stomach with his fist.
“Orkan, shut up. You know Simone wouldn’t do that, right?”
“...Sorry. I’m sorry, Simone.”
Orkan quickly apologized and looked away. However, if he wanted to be suspicious, he could easily be suspicious of Simone.
Simone was alone, climbing the stairs where everyone else was dead.
“Nonsense! This kid just got here and was just checking out the situation!”
Only after Geneon shouted loudly did Simone open her mouth.
“...I don’t know. Like Geneon said, I just got there and was just assessing the situation.”
Familiar people came in, and confirmed that only Jace survived, and they started talking to Simone about this and that, but strangely, no sound reached her ears.
The sound just passed by like the wind passing by.
Their gazes and sounds all passed right past Simone's ears and eyes. Instead, something else struck her mind.
The faces of these people, like family members who died miserably.
'I'll kill you.'
Hatred for the unidentified culprit rose.
Her stomach was boiling and her heart was pounding, but she was strangely calm.
But she knows that this is not because it has been quenched.
Will things get better if Simone screams, run around, and vent her anger?
'No. Not at all.'
Right now, the priority is to resolve this situation rather than to be angry.
“...Ugh!”
The Marquis of Barrington had a sour look on his face the whole time, and eventually, he started vomiting and ran out of the mansion.
Orkan sighed.
‘Why did that person have to come at a time like this...’
Abel and his party stopped by the castle to report to Louis about their past journey and discuss the Occult Society, then went to El's house to check on Simone's condition.
However, upon hearing that Simone had already left, he came here to join Jace, who was staying in the capital to fill out the academy admission documents, and Marquis Barrington, who was helping him.
But when they came back, this was the situation.
Simone turned around to watch the group still examining the dead Grand Duke couple and their servants.
“If you’re going to be there, protect Master Jace. If not, follow me.”
There is no time.
“Check the instructions and lift the curse.”
And if there is even a single glimmer of hope to save them, they must hold on to it.
“...Bianchi, follow me. Orkan, you take care of Jayce and Barrington.”
“Understood. I don’t think Prince Jace will be able to calm down for a while, so I will take him outside the mansion with Marquis Barrington and follow him.”
“Yes. Bianchi, let’s go!”
"Uh!"
Abel and Bianchi followed her as she quickly climbed the stairs.
Simone, who had heard their conversation, entered the hallway and asked Geneon.
“Geneon, there’s no such thing as magic to erase memories?”
“Yes. I can’t do it now, but if I learn, I’ll be able to do it in ten years.”
Ah, so you're saying that you can't do it right now? As Simone let out a small breath, Geneon looked up at her.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Simone's eyelids became heavy.
“I thought it might be a difficult memory for Jace to bear.”
How could he bear the grief and shock of witnessing the brutal death of his parents?
Geneon frowned.
“Aren’t he the successor to a cursed family? Even though he may be immature, he has to bear these memories. Don’t worry about others and worry about yourself.”
Do you know how pale his face is and how pitifully he's crying right now?
Signs of the end began to appear all over the world. People were dying and an ominous atmosphere was in the air. The souls of those who had suffered a terrible death were filled with resentment and were flowing away.
It was a voice filled with shock, bewilderment, and a strange sense of relief. Simone stopped walking and turned to the direction from which the voice had come.
Abel and his group, Jace, and even Marquis Barrington were approaching with surprised faces.
They strode briskly toward Simone but stopped when they saw the pitiful sight of people sprawled on the floor.
“These, these people...”
Abel and his party trembled. The Grand Duke and his wife, Anna, and others whom he had spoken to several times were lying there with swollen, red faces.
The body was covered in blood and was covered in wounds to the point where it was difficult to find a single healthy spot.
“Why.”
Abel's pupils shook with anger. Why? Who? Why? At that moment, someone quickly jumped out from behind Abel and fell in front of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Illeston.
“Ah, Father! Mother!”
Jace started shaking them and crying, shedding tears of disbelief.
Marquis Barrington, who had been watching this with a blank expression, asked in a trembling voice.
“What is this... What is going on!”
“Simone, what on earth happened?”
“Simone, could it be you...”
At Orkan's cautious words, Abel struck Orkan in the stomach with his fist.
“Orkan, shut up. You know Simone wouldn’t do that, right?”
“...Sorry. I’m sorry, Simone.”
Orkan quickly apologized and looked away. However, if he wanted to be suspicious, he could easily be suspicious of Simone.
Simone was alone, climbing the stairs where everyone else was dead.
“Nonsense! This kid just got here and was just checking out the situation!”
Only after Geneon shouted loudly did Simone open her mouth.
“...I don’t know. Like Geneon said, I just got there and was just assessing the situation.”
Familiar people came in, and confirmed that only Jace survived, and they started talking to Simone about this and that, but strangely, no sound reached her ears.
The sound just passed by like the wind passing by.
Their gazes and sounds all passed right past Simone's ears and eyes. Instead, something else struck her mind.
The faces of these people, like family members who died miserably.
'I'll kill you.'
Hatred for the unidentified culprit rose.
Her stomach was boiling and her heart was pounding, but she was strangely calm.
But she knows that this is not because it has been quenched.
Will things get better if Simone screams, run around, and vent her anger?
'No. Not at all.'
Right now, the priority is to resolve this situation rather than to be angry.
“...Ugh!”
The Marquis of Barrington had a sour look on his face the whole time, and eventually, he started vomiting and ran out of the mansion.
Orkan sighed.
‘Why did that person have to come at a time like this...’
Abel and his party stopped by the castle to report to Louis about their past journey and discuss the Occult Society, then went to El's house to check on Simone's condition.
However, upon hearing that Simone had already left, he came here to join Jace, who was staying in the capital to fill out the academy admission documents, and Marquis Barrington, who was helping him.
But when they came back, this was the situation.
Simone turned around to watch the group still examining the dead Grand Duke couple and their servants.
“If you’re going to be there, protect Master Jace. If not, follow me.”
There is no time.
“Check the instructions and lift the curse.”
And if there is even a single glimmer of hope to save them, they must hold on to it.
“...Bianchi, follow me. Orkan, you take care of Jayce and Barrington.”
“Understood. I don’t think Prince Jace will be able to calm down for a while, so I will take him outside the mansion with Marquis Barrington and follow him.”
“Yes. Bianchi, let’s go!”
"Uh!"
Abel and Bianchi followed her as she quickly climbed the stairs.
Simone, who had heard their conversation, entered the hallway and asked Geneon.
“Geneon, there’s no such thing as magic to erase memories?”
“Yes. I can’t do it now, but if I learn, I’ll be able to do it in ten years.”
Ah, so you're saying that you can't do it right now? As Simone let out a small breath, Geneon looked up at her.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Simone's eyelids became heavy.
“I thought it might be a difficult memory for Jace to bear.”
How could he bear the grief and shock of witnessing the brutal death of his parents?
Geneon frowned.
“Aren’t he the successor to a cursed family? Even though he may be immature, he has to bear these memories. Don’t worry about others and worry about yourself.”
Do you know how pale his face is and how pitifully he's crying right now?
***
Signs of the end began to appear all over the world. People were dying and an ominous atmosphere was in the air. The souls of those who had suffered a terrible death were filled with resentment and were flowing away.
Flowing. Flowing again...
“But you know, Simone.”
Simone, who was flipping through the instructions in the silence of the room, turned her head at Bianchi's trembling voice.
“Will this be of any use? I should check the manual...”
Bang!
Simone immediately closed the manual and threw it aside at her words. Bianchi and Abel's shoulders slumped as the thick, large manual fell with a loud noise.
“I thought I was doing something useless anyway.”
A guidebook she's probably read hundreds of times.
If nothing comes to mind, she won't learn anything new by reading the manual herself.
In the first place, all the instructions in this guide were written with the premise that if you don't follow them, you'll die, so it's impossible to understand the true nature of the curse just by saying 'People died.'
Simone jumped up and headed for the door.
“Get up. Let’s go.”
“Huh? Huh huh...”
The two quickly got up and followed Simone.
'Simone...'
Abel and Bianchi exchanged glances.
It was a completely different look from Simone, who always did her work reluctantly but half-annoyedly.
But it's not that they don't understand this. Rather...
“Okay, let’s hurry. Whoever that crazy bastard is, I won’t leave him alone.”
“How dare you. You have to touch what you have to touch. I will tear him all down!”
Abel and Bianchi were like her too.
It's not their first time experiencing the death of someone close to them, but that doesn't mean the anger they feel has subsided.
Of course, they want to end the situation quickly.
“No one dies beautifully.”
Abel gritted his teeth as he watched Simone walk ahead.
The signs of the end began in the eastern country of Luan.
As humans and non-humans gather in one space, the blood of the dead pools like a vast lake, and the blood swells their bodies and kills the living.
Loyal retainers are stationed everywhere to serve the King, and when the nobles of Luan notice this, their cars float all at once and they try to escape, but fail.
The soul will flow and flow towards the King of the Underworld.
The next place Simone and her party headed was the Grand Duke's study.
A man who fought against the curse until the end. It was because Simone was worried that there might be traces of the curse or a message left by the Grand Duke in his room.
A job that involved searching and investigating a well-organized room. A colleague who was good at this happened to be here. Bianchi pushed Simone and Abel aside and strode inside.
“You open all the drawers in this study. Leave the rest to me!”
His usual cheerful and playful demeanor was gone. Bianchi gave instructions to Abel and Simone and began to search the area quickly.
Abel nodded and pushed Simone's back towards the desk.
“Simone, you search the Grand Duke's desk. I’ll open the drawers of the bookshelf.”
Instead of answering him, Simone walked towards the desk and began to carefully examine it.
If Grand Duke Illeston had noticed the signs of the curse and tried to leave something for Simone, he would likely have left it on the desk.
Even if he couldn't put it in a visible place on his desk because he was being chased by something intelligent, he would have hidden the message somewhere Simone could find it.
...She thought so.
'No matter how much I look, I can't find it?'
Was there really no time to leave a message?
Simone's complexion hardened a little more.
"Hmm?"
As Simone searched through every drawer in her desk, Geneon tilted his head at the locked safe at the very bottom.
“Simone, there’s something fishy over there. I sense a strong magical force coming from there.”
“Safe? Bianchi, can you open this safe for me?”
"What?"
At Simone's words, Bianchi, who had been lifting the desk, approached and clicked the lock on the safe a few times before opening it without much effort.
As the safe creaked open, Bianchi, Geneon, and Simone simultaneously exclaimed.
“This is...”
What was inside was a magic stone. It was a very small, blue-green magic stone with infinitely deep energy.
"Ah..."
Simone's expression turned gloomy.
“Magic Stone? What kind of magic stone are you talking about?”
“This is the magic stone that will contain the souls that were lost here.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking about size, shape, and nature.”
“Hmm? Uh... Something small and pretty enough to carry around, and uh... Something expensive that sparkles like a jewel?”
“....”
It was just a joke. Grand Duke Illestone really did prepare a small and pretty magic stone for Simone. He even made it into a necklace so that she could carry it around easily.
Simone gripped the magic stone tightly.
She feels so fucking sick to her stomach.
“It seems to be yours. It is a very appropriate magic stone. The timing is good. In situations like these, a vessel to contain the soul is needed.”
As Geneon was talking to Simone to comfort her, Bianchi, who was about to return to his seat, looked out the window, flinched, and called out to them urgently.
“Ah, Abel! Simone! Th-that!”
Abel immediately ran towards where the two were, and Simone turned her head out the window and stopped.
“That’s...”
Soon they looked outside with eyes filled with astonishment.
Blurry figures gathered everywhere, in the garden, outside the entrance, and on the street corner.
Ghosts and people were mixed together.
'...No. That's it.'
Blurry figures began to crawl into the mansion, then began chopping the bodies of the wandering servants in half with their broken necks.
Simone took a deep breath without realizing it.
The blood flowing out of the severed body gushes out and creates another strange shape, and the body that has become a corpse moves again just as it was cut up.
It was a sight that was completely incomprehensible to their mind.
Simone lifted her head and looked up at the sky to cool her dizzy head for a moment, then stopped moving again.
“What is that?”
Abel frowned at the sight of the same thing as Simone and pointed to the group of black figures.
Simone's pupils shook. That was... An object that Simone, no, Seo Hyun-jung knew all too well. But it couldn't possibly be here.
"Automobile...?"
Originally, a car that you would expect to see in the world was flying in the sky.
***
“But you know, Simone.”
Simone, who was flipping through the instructions in the silence of the room, turned her head at Bianchi's trembling voice.
“Will this be of any use? I should check the manual...”
Bang!
Simone immediately closed the manual and threw it aside at her words. Bianchi and Abel's shoulders slumped as the thick, large manual fell with a loud noise.
“I thought I was doing something useless anyway.”
A guidebook she's probably read hundreds of times.
If nothing comes to mind, she won't learn anything new by reading the manual herself.
In the first place, all the instructions in this guide were written with the premise that if you don't follow them, you'll die, so it's impossible to understand the true nature of the curse just by saying 'People died.'
Simone jumped up and headed for the door.
“Get up. Let’s go.”
“Huh? Huh huh...”
The two quickly got up and followed Simone.
'Simone...'
Abel and Bianchi exchanged glances.
It was a completely different look from Simone, who always did her work reluctantly but half-annoyedly.
But it's not that they don't understand this. Rather...
“Okay, let’s hurry. Whoever that crazy bastard is, I won’t leave him alone.”
“How dare you. You have to touch what you have to touch. I will tear him all down!”
Abel and Bianchi were like her too.
It's not their first time experiencing the death of someone close to them, but that doesn't mean the anger they feel has subsided.
Of course, they want to end the situation quickly.
“No one dies beautifully.”
Abel gritted his teeth as he watched Simone walk ahead.
***
The signs of the end began in the eastern country of Luan.
As humans and non-humans gather in one space, the blood of the dead pools like a vast lake, and the blood swells their bodies and kills the living.
Loyal retainers are stationed everywhere to serve the King, and when the nobles of Luan notice this, their cars float all at once and they try to escape, but fail.
The soul will flow and flow towards the King of the Underworld.
***
The next place Simone and her party headed was the Grand Duke's study.
A man who fought against the curse until the end. It was because Simone was worried that there might be traces of the curse or a message left by the Grand Duke in his room.
A job that involved searching and investigating a well-organized room. A colleague who was good at this happened to be here. Bianchi pushed Simone and Abel aside and strode inside.
“You open all the drawers in this study. Leave the rest to me!”
His usual cheerful and playful demeanor was gone. Bianchi gave instructions to Abel and Simone and began to search the area quickly.
Abel nodded and pushed Simone's back towards the desk.
“Simone, you search the Grand Duke's desk. I’ll open the drawers of the bookshelf.”
Instead of answering him, Simone walked towards the desk and began to carefully examine it.
If Grand Duke Illeston had noticed the signs of the curse and tried to leave something for Simone, he would likely have left it on the desk.
Even if he couldn't put it in a visible place on his desk because he was being chased by something intelligent, he would have hidden the message somewhere Simone could find it.
...She thought so.
'No matter how much I look, I can't find it?'
Was there really no time to leave a message?
Simone's complexion hardened a little more.
"Hmm?"
As Simone searched through every drawer in her desk, Geneon tilted his head at the locked safe at the very bottom.
“Simone, there’s something fishy over there. I sense a strong magical force coming from there.”
“Safe? Bianchi, can you open this safe for me?”
"What?"
At Simone's words, Bianchi, who had been lifting the desk, approached and clicked the lock on the safe a few times before opening it without much effort.
As the safe creaked open, Bianchi, Geneon, and Simone simultaneously exclaimed.
“This is...”
What was inside was a magic stone. It was a very small, blue-green magic stone with infinitely deep energy.
"Ah..."
Simone's expression turned gloomy.
“Magic Stone? What kind of magic stone are you talking about?”
“This is the magic stone that will contain the souls that were lost here.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking about size, shape, and nature.”
“Hmm? Uh... Something small and pretty enough to carry around, and uh... Something expensive that sparkles like a jewel?”
“....”
It was just a joke. Grand Duke Illestone really did prepare a small and pretty magic stone for Simone. He even made it into a necklace so that she could carry it around easily.
Simone gripped the magic stone tightly.
She feels so fucking sick to her stomach.
“It seems to be yours. It is a very appropriate magic stone. The timing is good. In situations like these, a vessel to contain the soul is needed.”
As Geneon was talking to Simone to comfort her, Bianchi, who was about to return to his seat, looked out the window, flinched, and called out to them urgently.
“Ah, Abel! Simone! Th-that!”
Abel immediately ran towards where the two were, and Simone turned her head out the window and stopped.
“That’s...”
Soon they looked outside with eyes filled with astonishment.
Blurry figures gathered everywhere, in the garden, outside the entrance, and on the street corner.
Ghosts and people were mixed together.
'...No. That's it.'
Blurry figures began to crawl into the mansion, then began chopping the bodies of the wandering servants in half with their broken necks.
Simone took a deep breath without realizing it.
The blood flowing out of the severed body gushes out and creates another strange shape, and the body that has become a corpse moves again just as it was cut up.
It was a sight that was completely incomprehensible to their mind.
Simone lifted her head and looked up at the sky to cool her dizzy head for a moment, then stopped moving again.
“What is that?”
Abel frowned at the sight of the same thing as Simone and pointed to the group of black figures.
Simone's pupils shook. That was... An object that Simone, no, Seo Hyun-jung knew all too well. But it couldn't possibly be here.
"Automobile...?"
Originally, a car that you would expect to see in the world was flying in the sky.
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