“Grand Duke! Grand Duke Callion!”
A servant from the Council entered the Knights' quarters, calling out Callion's name. The knights looked at the servant, wondering what was going on. As if it were quite urgent, the servant ran straight to Callion and spoke.
“Grand Duke Callion! This is a message from Council Chairwoman Vanessa. The priest you requested has arrived.”
“Tsk.”
Callion, who was sparring with knights at the Order's training grounds, clicked his tongue as soon as he heard those words. And he was surprised at himself.
'Why?'
Did he click his tongue in disappointment? He was someone he had been waiting for. Callion lightly tossed the wooden sword he was holding toward Cedric.
"It's dangerous, isn't it!"
"If you can't even handle that much, don't go around calling yourself a knight. I'll be back from the Assembly, so you handle the rest."
“What? There are still ten people left?”
“There must only be ten left. Then I’ll be heading back.”
As Callion waved his hand and turned, he heard Cedric’s resentful grumbling from behind him. Callion walked slowly toward the Knights’ shower room. Normally, he would have washed up and come out in no time, but today, Callion's hands moved slowly, and by the time he finally emerged, it had taken him twice as long as usual.
Nevertheless, Callion slowly finished his preparations and headed to the council.
'Is today the end?'
Ever since he was attacked by a monster in Haldis, the monster's poison remaining in his body had possessed him for a terribly long time and completely. True to the aftereffects of arousing sexual desire, he became aroused by Erna every night. The only saving grace was that Erna was the only one he could have been with.
There are many women in the Grand Duke's castle. If only my body would react to them every time I see them, just as it does to Erna...
Callion bit his lip. Because the mere thought of it was too horrible.
'Is it because I'm releasing everything to one person?'
Every night, he acted so lewdly and promiscuously that he could hardly believe it himself. He licked her neck, sucked her breasts, and wrapped her legs around his waist. That wasn't all. To help her get used to it in advance, he pushed his own into her lower body very slowly and little by little.
Callion admitted it. That Erna's lower body gave him a pleasure so intense it blew away all his senses.
'That's all because of the monster's poison.'
Otherwise, there is no way he would have felt such things for Erna. Still, it was helpful. Thanks to that, the two of them were able to quickly get used to each other's bodies.
Callion felt a mix of emotions. He liked the sensations caused by the poison, but he also disliked them precisely because they were caused by it. After all, weren't they real? Moreover, he was still deep in thought. He felt that if the poison didn't cause any other abnormalities in his body, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just keep harboring them.
The only problem was his sexual desire for Erna; other than that, there were no issues. No, actually, lately, he felt like his body had become lighter.
'Should I just send the Priest back?'
If he does that, Vanessa will cry and ask why he is doing this when she went to such trouble to bring the Priest here.
As he walked slowly, pondering what to do, he heard a voice calling him from a distance.
“Grand Duke!”
Wondering why he had been called, Callion was about to answer when he heard a voice answering from the corridor across the way.
"What's the matter?"
As he looked up in surprise, Erna was standing there with her wizards. At the sight, Callion hid himself behind a pillar and gazed at the spot.
"You left this behind!"
"Oh my, I forgot you said you'd bring this. Thanks."
What the Grand Duke's attendant handed her was a green hair ornament.
"I received it as a gift and thought I was taking good care of it, so I set it aside, but I always end up forgetting things like that."
Erna said that as she stuck the hair ornament into her hair. However, since she wasn't looking in a mirror, it didn't stay in place nicely, so another wizard standing nearby took it off, saying she would fix it for her. Then, other wizards swarmed around, creating a commotion as they tried this and that. They surrounded Erna and stood in the corridor, moving their hands for quite a while, then spoke in a proud voice.
"Ta-da! How is it?"
“I can’t see myself, can I?”
Then, another wizard cast a spell. Soon, a long, oval-shaped area of water appeared beside Erna, and she could see her reflection. Looking at her reflection, Erna smiled brightly and spun around. Wearing the traditional attire of Hessengard rather than the Grand Duke's ceremonial robes today, the hem of her skirt fluttered, tracing a beautiful circle.
"How is it? Is it pretty?"
He knew that the question was being asked of the wizards around him. Nevertheless, Callion nodded and ended up answering.
“...You’re pretty.”
He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. What did I just say? No, more importantly, who were you looking at and what were you thinking?
Callion frantically ran his hands over his face. Yet, despite this, Erna's face—spinning around and smiling just moments ago—remained vivid, as if etched onto his retina. In the meantime, Erna had left with the wizards. However, her brightly smiling face and voice from moments ago still lingered in Callion's mind, swirling around him.
Am I crazy?
Kalion pounded the innocent corridor pillars with his fists. He felt a stinging sensation in his fists, but even that could not completely erase the illusion of Erna.
'This won't work.'
He thinks he underestimated the monster's poison. He thought it only increased his libido, but he never imagined it would affect his emotions like this.
Good heavens, do you think Erna is pretty? That woman who was talking about dried earthworms just yesterday?
It is impossible. No matter how much one touches and sucks on a naked body, there is no way the other person could look beautiful. If that were the case, everyone in the world would have lived their entire lives with the first person they had a relationship with.
Unlike the slow pace he had been walking just moments ago, Callion passed through the corridor and headed toward the council, almost running. A member of the council who was waiting for him escorted Callion directly to the room where Vanessa was.
"I see you have arrived. It is taking longer than I expected, so I was just considering sending another attendant."
"Sorry, I'm late. I had a little something to do on the way."
"Work?"
“It wasn’t anything special. More importantly, the priest...”
Just then, the person sitting on the sofa stood up. A white hood pulled down low so that the face was not visible, and a thick robe covering a body that made it impossible to tell if it was male or female. They were priests, of whom only a few remained on the continent.
Those who possessed a power opposite to magical power performed amazing miracles that magic could not, yet they were people who served God quietly, rarely revealing themselves to the public.
Long ago, as the kingdoms of the continent were at war, they demanded that the priests side with them, but the priests refused all of their requests. Enraged by this, the kingdoms began to massacre them all, fearing that they might survive and become a force for other kingdoms.
At that time, most of the temples were destroyed, and numerous priests died. However, since their divine power was real, a curse fell not only on those who massacred the priests but also on the royal family of that country.
That was already a thousand years ago. None of the kingdoms that had existed on the continent at that time remained. As time passed, a new kingdom emerged on the land where everyone had fallen, but the priests lived in hiding, never revealing themselves to the world again. However, their existence had not been forgotten, as there were those who occasionally went around to help people.
“It must have been hard to find the new priest. Thanks, Vanessa.”
"I am simply grateful that you acknowledge my hard work. I will take my leave now, so please feel free to talk."
Vanessa quickly stepped aside. As soon as she left, Callion hurriedly approached the standing priest and greeted him.
“I am Callion Hessengard, Grand Duke of Hessengard.”
The priest bowed slightly without answering. It was an action closer to courtesy toward a person than to a monarch.
“Two weeks ago, I was wounded by a monster at a lake in the Haldis region. Since then, I have been suffering from the aftereffects of the poison. So, I would like to completely extract the monster's venom from my body. I spoke with healers, and they said it would naturally disappear in about a week. However, strangely enough, I feel like the venom is actually getting stronger.”
Callion recalled the image of Erna he had seen just moments ago. Now that the priest had purified his body and completely eliminated the remaining poison, she would no longer look beautiful to him. At the same time, his desire for her every night would also vanish.
The priest listened quietly to his story and then extended his hand.
“Understood. Please give me your hand here.”
The priest, whose gender could not be distinguished even by his hands and voice, took Callion's hand with both of his own when he extended it.
"What effect did that poison have?"
"Well... it seemed like people's emotions were getting a bit strange. And my senses were getting weird, too. I was becoming obsessed with specific tactile sensations."
Because he could not bring himself to say that Erna looked pretty, that he wanted to touch her body, and that it felt good to touch the soft parts of her body, Callion spoke indirectly about the phenomena he was experiencing as much as possible.
“Judging by what you said, it seems to be quite a potent poison. It is very rare for monster poison to affect emotions...”
“Wouldn’t it be difficult to purify the poison?”
“First, I think I will be able to answer whether it is possible and how long it will take once I check how much has accumulated in your body, Grand Duke.”
“Understood. Then let’s get started.”
As Callion spoke, the priest gripped his hand tighter and began muttering incomprehensible words. Then, a golden light slowly flowed out from between the priest's hood and sleeves, beginning to wrap around Callion's body. There was no pain. There was only a slight tickling sensation, like feathers fluttering.
The sight of golden light flowing from a figure whose face was not even visible was, in a way, sacred, and in another, bizarre.
As the golden light completely enveloped Callion's body, the priest muttered something again.
If wizards borrowed the power of writing, priests were those who borrowed the power of words. At this rare sight, Callion stood still, examining the divine power and hoping the priest would quickly fix his ideal.
A moment later, the priest was visibly agitated.
“What’s wrong? Is it that serious?”
If he was flustered to that extent, the poison inside his body must have been stronger than he had thought. Or perhaps it had accumulated to the point where even a priest would find it difficult to purify.
It was because a great deal of poison had accumulated that he reacted that way toward Erna. Just as he was about to accept his own condition, the priest hesitated and spoke.
“...No.”
A servant from the Council entered the Knights' quarters, calling out Callion's name. The knights looked at the servant, wondering what was going on. As if it were quite urgent, the servant ran straight to Callion and spoke.
“Grand Duke Callion! This is a message from Council Chairwoman Vanessa. The priest you requested has arrived.”
“Tsk.”
Callion, who was sparring with knights at the Order's training grounds, clicked his tongue as soon as he heard those words. And he was surprised at himself.
'Why?'
Did he click his tongue in disappointment? He was someone he had been waiting for. Callion lightly tossed the wooden sword he was holding toward Cedric.
"It's dangerous, isn't it!"
"If you can't even handle that much, don't go around calling yourself a knight. I'll be back from the Assembly, so you handle the rest."
“What? There are still ten people left?”
“There must only be ten left. Then I’ll be heading back.”
As Callion waved his hand and turned, he heard Cedric’s resentful grumbling from behind him. Callion walked slowly toward the Knights’ shower room. Normally, he would have washed up and come out in no time, but today, Callion's hands moved slowly, and by the time he finally emerged, it had taken him twice as long as usual.
Nevertheless, Callion slowly finished his preparations and headed to the council.
'Is today the end?'
Ever since he was attacked by a monster in Haldis, the monster's poison remaining in his body had possessed him for a terribly long time and completely. True to the aftereffects of arousing sexual desire, he became aroused by Erna every night. The only saving grace was that Erna was the only one he could have been with.
There are many women in the Grand Duke's castle. If only my body would react to them every time I see them, just as it does to Erna...
Callion bit his lip. Because the mere thought of it was too horrible.
'Is it because I'm releasing everything to one person?'
Every night, he acted so lewdly and promiscuously that he could hardly believe it himself. He licked her neck, sucked her breasts, and wrapped her legs around his waist. That wasn't all. To help her get used to it in advance, he pushed his own into her lower body very slowly and little by little.
Callion admitted it. That Erna's lower body gave him a pleasure so intense it blew away all his senses.
'That's all because of the monster's poison.'
Otherwise, there is no way he would have felt such things for Erna. Still, it was helpful. Thanks to that, the two of them were able to quickly get used to each other's bodies.
Callion felt a mix of emotions. He liked the sensations caused by the poison, but he also disliked them precisely because they were caused by it. After all, weren't they real? Moreover, he was still deep in thought. He felt that if the poison didn't cause any other abnormalities in his body, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just keep harboring them.
The only problem was his sexual desire for Erna; other than that, there were no issues. No, actually, lately, he felt like his body had become lighter.
'Should I just send the Priest back?'
If he does that, Vanessa will cry and ask why he is doing this when she went to such trouble to bring the Priest here.
As he walked slowly, pondering what to do, he heard a voice calling him from a distance.
“Grand Duke!”
Wondering why he had been called, Callion was about to answer when he heard a voice answering from the corridor across the way.
"What's the matter?"
As he looked up in surprise, Erna was standing there with her wizards. At the sight, Callion hid himself behind a pillar and gazed at the spot.
"You left this behind!"
"Oh my, I forgot you said you'd bring this. Thanks."
What the Grand Duke's attendant handed her was a green hair ornament.
"I received it as a gift and thought I was taking good care of it, so I set it aside, but I always end up forgetting things like that."
Erna said that as she stuck the hair ornament into her hair. However, since she wasn't looking in a mirror, it didn't stay in place nicely, so another wizard standing nearby took it off, saying she would fix it for her. Then, other wizards swarmed around, creating a commotion as they tried this and that. They surrounded Erna and stood in the corridor, moving their hands for quite a while, then spoke in a proud voice.
"Ta-da! How is it?"
“I can’t see myself, can I?”
Then, another wizard cast a spell. Soon, a long, oval-shaped area of water appeared beside Erna, and she could see her reflection. Looking at her reflection, Erna smiled brightly and spun around. Wearing the traditional attire of Hessengard rather than the Grand Duke's ceremonial robes today, the hem of her skirt fluttered, tracing a beautiful circle.
"How is it? Is it pretty?"
He knew that the question was being asked of the wizards around him. Nevertheless, Callion nodded and ended up answering.
“...You’re pretty.”
He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. What did I just say? No, more importantly, who were you looking at and what were you thinking?
Callion frantically ran his hands over his face. Yet, despite this, Erna's face—spinning around and smiling just moments ago—remained vivid, as if etched onto his retina. In the meantime, Erna had left with the wizards. However, her brightly smiling face and voice from moments ago still lingered in Callion's mind, swirling around him.
Am I crazy?
Kalion pounded the innocent corridor pillars with his fists. He felt a stinging sensation in his fists, but even that could not completely erase the illusion of Erna.
'This won't work.'
He thinks he underestimated the monster's poison. He thought it only increased his libido, but he never imagined it would affect his emotions like this.
Good heavens, do you think Erna is pretty? That woman who was talking about dried earthworms just yesterday?
It is impossible. No matter how much one touches and sucks on a naked body, there is no way the other person could look beautiful. If that were the case, everyone in the world would have lived their entire lives with the first person they had a relationship with.
Unlike the slow pace he had been walking just moments ago, Callion passed through the corridor and headed toward the council, almost running. A member of the council who was waiting for him escorted Callion directly to the room where Vanessa was.
"I see you have arrived. It is taking longer than I expected, so I was just considering sending another attendant."
"Sorry, I'm late. I had a little something to do on the way."
"Work?"
“It wasn’t anything special. More importantly, the priest...”
Just then, the person sitting on the sofa stood up. A white hood pulled down low so that the face was not visible, and a thick robe covering a body that made it impossible to tell if it was male or female. They were priests, of whom only a few remained on the continent.
Those who possessed a power opposite to magical power performed amazing miracles that magic could not, yet they were people who served God quietly, rarely revealing themselves to the public.
Long ago, as the kingdoms of the continent were at war, they demanded that the priests side with them, but the priests refused all of their requests. Enraged by this, the kingdoms began to massacre them all, fearing that they might survive and become a force for other kingdoms.
At that time, most of the temples were destroyed, and numerous priests died. However, since their divine power was real, a curse fell not only on those who massacred the priests but also on the royal family of that country.
That was already a thousand years ago. None of the kingdoms that had existed on the continent at that time remained. As time passed, a new kingdom emerged on the land where everyone had fallen, but the priests lived in hiding, never revealing themselves to the world again. However, their existence had not been forgotten, as there were those who occasionally went around to help people.
“It must have been hard to find the new priest. Thanks, Vanessa.”
"I am simply grateful that you acknowledge my hard work. I will take my leave now, so please feel free to talk."
Vanessa quickly stepped aside. As soon as she left, Callion hurriedly approached the standing priest and greeted him.
“I am Callion Hessengard, Grand Duke of Hessengard.”
The priest bowed slightly without answering. It was an action closer to courtesy toward a person than to a monarch.
“Two weeks ago, I was wounded by a monster at a lake in the Haldis region. Since then, I have been suffering from the aftereffects of the poison. So, I would like to completely extract the monster's venom from my body. I spoke with healers, and they said it would naturally disappear in about a week. However, strangely enough, I feel like the venom is actually getting stronger.”
Callion recalled the image of Erna he had seen just moments ago. Now that the priest had purified his body and completely eliminated the remaining poison, she would no longer look beautiful to him. At the same time, his desire for her every night would also vanish.
The priest listened quietly to his story and then extended his hand.
“Understood. Please give me your hand here.”
The priest, whose gender could not be distinguished even by his hands and voice, took Callion's hand with both of his own when he extended it.
"What effect did that poison have?"
"Well... it seemed like people's emotions were getting a bit strange. And my senses were getting weird, too. I was becoming obsessed with specific tactile sensations."
Because he could not bring himself to say that Erna looked pretty, that he wanted to touch her body, and that it felt good to touch the soft parts of her body, Callion spoke indirectly about the phenomena he was experiencing as much as possible.
“Judging by what you said, it seems to be quite a potent poison. It is very rare for monster poison to affect emotions...”
“Wouldn’t it be difficult to purify the poison?”
“First, I think I will be able to answer whether it is possible and how long it will take once I check how much has accumulated in your body, Grand Duke.”
“Understood. Then let’s get started.”
As Callion spoke, the priest gripped his hand tighter and began muttering incomprehensible words. Then, a golden light slowly flowed out from between the priest's hood and sleeves, beginning to wrap around Callion's body. There was no pain. There was only a slight tickling sensation, like feathers fluttering.
The sight of golden light flowing from a figure whose face was not even visible was, in a way, sacred, and in another, bizarre.
As the golden light completely enveloped Callion's body, the priest muttered something again.
If wizards borrowed the power of writing, priests were those who borrowed the power of words. At this rare sight, Callion stood still, examining the divine power and hoping the priest would quickly fix his ideal.
A moment later, the priest was visibly agitated.
“What’s wrong? Is it that serious?”
If he was flustered to that extent, the poison inside his body must have been stronger than he had thought. Or perhaps it had accumulated to the point where even a priest would find it difficult to purify.
'So that’s how it was, after all.'
“...No.”
“What? Are you saying there is no cure?”
The priest shook his head.
“That’s not it...”
The priest spoke in a voice full of conviction.
“The Grand Duke’s body is free from monster poison.”
Comments
Post a Comment