'Is this really true...?'
Brentian couldn't believe what Chloe was muttering.
He never imagined that he would hear such words from Chloe, whom he had no doubt believed was a Kavala novice.
Brentian looked down at Chloe in confusion.
She didn't look like she was acting, struggling, or sweating profusely.
He remembered Granada's words, advising him not to reject Chloe because of her origins.
Looking down at Chloe, who was crying and saying that she would not leave Ronheim even while groaning and losing consciousness, Brentian felt a sudden surge of emotion, whether shame or regret.
“...When you open your eyes, I can’t help but ask about that message.”
Brentian looked at Chloe again, his eyes still filled with stubbornness and suspicion, but they were much more gentle than before.
“Then let me hear your voice...”
Mainz rushed to Callius, who was preparing to leave for the western mountains to find a sacrifice, and spoke urgently.
“The lady has collapsed again!”
It had happened so many times before, but Callius felt his heart sink just as it had when he first heard the report of Chloe's collapse.
Mainz quickly added, watching Callius' expression harden.
“Viscount Creep summoned the doctor promptly, and her condition is now stable, and she is asleep.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Callius let out a heavy sigh.
But Mainz still had a distorted expression on his face, as if that wasn't the issue at the moment.
“Fortunately, the lady is stable, but Viscount Creep...”
“Why Brentian?”
“He's having a really bad fight with the doctor. I think you should go see him.”
It was a strange thing.
Why would Brentian fight the doctor?
“Let’s go.”
As Mainz had said, Brentian was raging at the doctor in the hallway outside the Marquis's bedroom.
“How can you say there is no problem with this?”
"In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with her body! Can't you say there's something without a problem?"
“Even someone who doesn’t know anything can tell that this patient is seriously ill. What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Madam just has a weak constitution...!”
"Isn't that why I brought you from so far away to strengthen her weak body? Why does she only get worse by the day? Isn't it time you proved your worth?"
Brentian glared at the doctor, as if he were frustrated.
The thin, small-built outsider doctor looked quite aggrieved.
He was cowering in fear when Brentian, a northerner a head taller than him, especially a Ronheimite called a barbarian, became violently angry.
Callius couldn't understand why Brentian was so angry.
He couldn't understand why Chloe was complaining of being sick all day when she couldn't stand the cold, and he seemed to suspect that she was faking it.
But why is he suddenly fighting with the doctor like that?
'If someone saw him, they'd think he was really worried.'
Anyway, it seemed like he had to stop Brentian before the doctor ran away.
Ronheim, which had been treating illnesses with divine power since ancient times, had no doctors, so he was brought in with great difficulty from outside.
“Brentian.”
When Callius called Brentian, Brentian, who had finally noticed Callius's presence, coughed loudly.
He seemed embarrassed to have shown his excitement because of Chloe.
“Follow me.”
Callius gestured for him to come into his bedroom.
“Why are you suddenly doing that?”
“What are you talking about?”
As Callius stared at Brentian, Brentian avoided his gaze and grumbled.
"No, did I say something wrong? How can you be okay when people are falling down like that? That idiot."
“I think you’re worried.”
At those words, Brentian jumped up and denied it.
"No, that's not it. Oh, no! Of course, I'm worried. If the Princess makes a mistake here, who knows what will happen to Arrental..."
Brentian, who was usually rambling on and on, tried to speak calmly.
“...More than anything, there is something I need to hear from the Princess.”
“What should you hear?”
Brentian's eyes sank.
He calmed down his grumbling voice and reported with more weight.
"I happened to see, Your Majesty, a message sent by Empress Kavala to the Princess. It was sent by magic, so it quickly dispersed and left no evidence, but I clearly remember the contents."
“What was it about?”
“They said they would send wizards to set up a moving magic circle at the location of the gold mine.”
Brentian studied Callius's expression.
"It was a story that was hard to believe from the start. Isn't it absurd that a non-Magician would suddenly appear in Ronheim one day?"
His voice grew louder and louder.
Rather than anger, his voice was a mixture of frustration, confusion, and worry.
If you make the wrong choice and fall into a trap, you could put all of Ronheim's people in danger.
Callius was the biggest pillar that carried Ronheim, but that didn't mean he was the only one responsible.
Although not of equal weight, Brentian also shouldered the responsibility of making careful and correct choices for Ronheim.
“Are you still sure that the Princess is not in league with Kavala?”
“...”
Callius also couldn't figure out how Kavala could set up a teleportation circle at the location Chloe had mentioned.
Is it just a coincidence?
Or maybe Chloe knew something?
He don't know.
He doesn't know, but nevertheless.
“I trust Chloe.”
Callius looked straight at Brentian.
“Just as I believe myself.”
Brentian was speechless.
What more can I say when he says that he trusts Chloe as much as he trusts himself?
“...You won’t regret it, right?”
"Yes."
Callius was firm.
His firmness reassured Brentian.
Callius must have seen and felt things in Chloe that he himself could not see or feel.
"All right."
Brentian's voice trailed off.
Callius patted his shoulder.
"Still, I have to ask Chloe about the Kavala's message. But to do that, I have to save Chloe first."
Callius secretly told Brentian a story he had never told anyone before, not even Chloe herself.
“She is dying because of the curse.”
Brentian's eyes widened.
“A curse?”
As his voice grew louder, Callius put a finger to his lips and made him lower his voice.
“So, it wasn’t that the doctor was a quack, but that it was because of a curse...?”
"Yes. It's probably a Kavala curse. Chloe doesn't know about it."
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Although he asked in surprise, Brentian already knew the answer.
Curses feed on anxiety and fear, and grow in strength.
If many people find out about the curse, no matter how quietly it is kept, it is more likely to harm the person who is cursed.
Curses should be kept as unknown as possible. That was common sense.
“So you told me to prepare a sacrifice. Have you found a way to do it?”
"Maybe."
Brentian nodded, as if he finally understood.
But then, the door leading to the couple's shared bedroom slid open.
Although it was a small sound, the two people who were sensitive to sounds looked at the place where the sound came from and froze.
“Am I cursed...?”
There was Chloe, standing precariously, her face looking as if she might collapse at any moment.
I was wandering around for a while, floating like a ghost in a hazy state of mind.
But then a loud noise kept coming from somewhere.
I felt myself gradually coming to my senses.
It seemed like someone was fighting with the doctor in the hallway.
‘What’s going on...’
Then I dozed off again.
At the border between reality and dreams, where it was difficult to tell what was real and what was a dream, a welcome voice was heard this time.
'Callius...?'
His low, soothing voice could be heard from somewhere.
A joyful heart woke me up.
It seemed like Callius was talking to someone behind the door.
'It's not a dream.'
I opened my eyes with difficulty.
I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but two voices were clearly buzzing outside the door.
But there was one word that struck me with surprising precision.
Curse.
Kavala.
At that moment, a thought struck me hard.
I got up without even knowing how I got up and opened the door.
“Am I cursed...?”
Callius was looking at me with a surprised face.
I staggered towards him and grabbed him.
“Is my sickness due to a curse?”
“Chloe. That’s...”
His confused eyes were shaking.
I gained confidence.
“It was all because of the curse.”
My eyes became hot.
Callius said urgently.
“Everything will be alright. I will find a way to break the curse...!”
I looked up at him, fidgeting and trying to reassure him, and smiled.
"Thank god."
"Yes...?"
“What is that...”
Callius and Brentian were looking at me in confusion.
I laughed, feeling an uncontrollable sense of relief. The laughter just kept coming out, and I couldn't stop.
“It’s not that my body can’t adapt to Ronheim, it’s just that I’m cursed.”
Tears of relief streamed down my cheeks. It was so strange to be crying while laughing. But I couldn't stop myself from doing either.
“If it’s because of the curse, then I don’t have to leave Ronheim.”
I asked, wiping away my flowing tears.
“But why are your expressions like that, you two?”
Brentian couldn't believe what Chloe was muttering.
He never imagined that he would hear such words from Chloe, whom he had no doubt believed was a Kavala novice.
Brentian looked down at Chloe in confusion.
She didn't look like she was acting, struggling, or sweating profusely.
He remembered Granada's words, advising him not to reject Chloe because of her origins.
Looking down at Chloe, who was crying and saying that she would not leave Ronheim even while groaning and losing consciousness, Brentian felt a sudden surge of emotion, whether shame or regret.
“...When you open your eyes, I can’t help but ask about that message.”
Brentian looked at Chloe again, his eyes still filled with stubbornness and suspicion, but they were much more gentle than before.
“Then let me hear your voice...”
***
Mainz rushed to Callius, who was preparing to leave for the western mountains to find a sacrifice, and spoke urgently.
“The lady has collapsed again!”
It had happened so many times before, but Callius felt his heart sink just as it had when he first heard the report of Chloe's collapse.
Mainz quickly added, watching Callius' expression harden.
“Viscount Creep summoned the doctor promptly, and her condition is now stable, and she is asleep.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Callius let out a heavy sigh.
But Mainz still had a distorted expression on his face, as if that wasn't the issue at the moment.
“Fortunately, the lady is stable, but Viscount Creep...”
“Why Brentian?”
“He's having a really bad fight with the doctor. I think you should go see him.”
It was a strange thing.
Why would Brentian fight the doctor?
“Let’s go.”
***
As Mainz had said, Brentian was raging at the doctor in the hallway outside the Marquis's bedroom.
“How can you say there is no problem with this?”
"In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with her body! Can't you say there's something without a problem?"
“Even someone who doesn’t know anything can tell that this patient is seriously ill. What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Madam just has a weak constitution...!”
"Isn't that why I brought you from so far away to strengthen her weak body? Why does she only get worse by the day? Isn't it time you proved your worth?"
Brentian glared at the doctor, as if he were frustrated.
The thin, small-built outsider doctor looked quite aggrieved.
He was cowering in fear when Brentian, a northerner a head taller than him, especially a Ronheimite called a barbarian, became violently angry.
Callius couldn't understand why Brentian was so angry.
He couldn't understand why Chloe was complaining of being sick all day when she couldn't stand the cold, and he seemed to suspect that she was faking it.
But why is he suddenly fighting with the doctor like that?
'If someone saw him, they'd think he was really worried.'
Anyway, it seemed like he had to stop Brentian before the doctor ran away.
Ronheim, which had been treating illnesses with divine power since ancient times, had no doctors, so he was brought in with great difficulty from outside.
“Brentian.”
When Callius called Brentian, Brentian, who had finally noticed Callius's presence, coughed loudly.
He seemed embarrassed to have shown his excitement because of Chloe.
“Follow me.”
Callius gestured for him to come into his bedroom.
“Why are you suddenly doing that?”
“What are you talking about?”
As Callius stared at Brentian, Brentian avoided his gaze and grumbled.
"No, did I say something wrong? How can you be okay when people are falling down like that? That idiot."
“I think you’re worried.”
At those words, Brentian jumped up and denied it.
"No, that's not it. Oh, no! Of course, I'm worried. If the Princess makes a mistake here, who knows what will happen to Arrental..."
Brentian, who was usually rambling on and on, tried to speak calmly.
“...More than anything, there is something I need to hear from the Princess.”
“What should you hear?”
Brentian's eyes sank.
He calmed down his grumbling voice and reported with more weight.
"I happened to see, Your Majesty, a message sent by Empress Kavala to the Princess. It was sent by magic, so it quickly dispersed and left no evidence, but I clearly remember the contents."
“What was it about?”
“They said they would send wizards to set up a moving magic circle at the location of the gold mine.”
Brentian studied Callius's expression.
"It was a story that was hard to believe from the start. Isn't it absurd that a non-Magician would suddenly appear in Ronheim one day?"
His voice grew louder and louder.
Rather than anger, his voice was a mixture of frustration, confusion, and worry.
If you make the wrong choice and fall into a trap, you could put all of Ronheim's people in danger.
Callius was the biggest pillar that carried Ronheim, but that didn't mean he was the only one responsible.
Although not of equal weight, Brentian also shouldered the responsibility of making careful and correct choices for Ronheim.
“Are you still sure that the Princess is not in league with Kavala?”
“...”
Callius also couldn't figure out how Kavala could set up a teleportation circle at the location Chloe had mentioned.
Is it just a coincidence?
Or maybe Chloe knew something?
He don't know.
He doesn't know, but nevertheless.
“I trust Chloe.”
Callius looked straight at Brentian.
“Just as I believe myself.”
Brentian was speechless.
What more can I say when he says that he trusts Chloe as much as he trusts himself?
“...You won’t regret it, right?”
"Yes."
Callius was firm.
His firmness reassured Brentian.
Callius must have seen and felt things in Chloe that he himself could not see or feel.
"All right."
Brentian's voice trailed off.
Callius patted his shoulder.
"Still, I have to ask Chloe about the Kavala's message. But to do that, I have to save Chloe first."
Callius secretly told Brentian a story he had never told anyone before, not even Chloe herself.
“She is dying because of the curse.”
Brentian's eyes widened.
“A curse?”
As his voice grew louder, Callius put a finger to his lips and made him lower his voice.
“So, it wasn’t that the doctor was a quack, but that it was because of a curse...?”
"Yes. It's probably a Kavala curse. Chloe doesn't know about it."
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Although he asked in surprise, Brentian already knew the answer.
Curses feed on anxiety and fear, and grow in strength.
If many people find out about the curse, no matter how quietly it is kept, it is more likely to harm the person who is cursed.
Curses should be kept as unknown as possible. That was common sense.
“So you told me to prepare a sacrifice. Have you found a way to do it?”
"Maybe."
Brentian nodded, as if he finally understood.
But then, the door leading to the couple's shared bedroom slid open.
Although it was a small sound, the two people who were sensitive to sounds looked at the place where the sound came from and froze.
“Am I cursed...?”
There was Chloe, standing precariously, her face looking as if she might collapse at any moment.
***
I was wandering around for a while, floating like a ghost in a hazy state of mind.
But then a loud noise kept coming from somewhere.
I felt myself gradually coming to my senses.
It seemed like someone was fighting with the doctor in the hallway.
‘What’s going on...’
Then I dozed off again.
At the border between reality and dreams, where it was difficult to tell what was real and what was a dream, a welcome voice was heard this time.
'Callius...?'
His low, soothing voice could be heard from somewhere.
A joyful heart woke me up.
It seemed like Callius was talking to someone behind the door.
'It's not a dream.'
I opened my eyes with difficulty.
I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but two voices were clearly buzzing outside the door.
But there was one word that struck me with surprising precision.
Curse.
Kavala.
At that moment, a thought struck me hard.
I got up without even knowing how I got up and opened the door.
“Am I cursed...?”
Callius was looking at me with a surprised face.
I staggered towards him and grabbed him.
“Is my sickness due to a curse?”
“Chloe. That’s...”
His confused eyes were shaking.
I gained confidence.
“It was all because of the curse.”
My eyes became hot.
Callius said urgently.
“Everything will be alright. I will find a way to break the curse...!”
I looked up at him, fidgeting and trying to reassure him, and smiled.
"Thank god."
"Yes...?"
“What is that...”
Callius and Brentian were looking at me in confusion.
I laughed, feeling an uncontrollable sense of relief. The laughter just kept coming out, and I couldn't stop.
“It’s not that my body can’t adapt to Ronheim, it’s just that I’m cursed.”
Tears of relief streamed down my cheeks. It was so strange to be crying while laughing. But I couldn't stop myself from doing either.
“If it’s because of the curse, then I don’t have to leave Ronheim.”
I asked, wiping away my flowing tears.
“But why are your expressions like that, you two?”
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