The Role of Grand Duchess - Chapter 12

“……”

Black mage Cantus was lost in thought. He, too, was curious. How had he managed to break free from the curse, even a little?

There were only two ways to undo the Berserker’s Curse: either the caster who cast the curse died, or the cursed person, having lost all emotion, felt love.

The latter was fundamentally impossible. How could someone without emotions feel the emotion of love? What did that woman have, anyway?

“Indeed, it’s worth studying.”

“Isn’t it? Bring me that wench, too. Handle her gently, without a scratch.”

“Understood. All is as the demon Baal wills.”

“As Baal wills. And as I will.”

A wicked smile spread across Pamela Empress’s face, which was vividly beautiful and unlined for her age.

As the black mage’s aura, which had been hovering in the air, disappeared, Empress Pamela, still smiling, murmured quietly.

“I need to make a nice iron mask to cover up that terrible burn. Something wonderful that fits my son’s puppet perfectly.”

Caelus was dumbfounded when he arrived at the huge mansion, guided by Count Roang, and got out of the carriage. Eileen was just as surprised.

“This is my house?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…….”

It was an extremely large and luxurious mansion. Even compared to the mansions of the nobles he had passed, its majesty was enormous. But Count Roang’s face was calm, as if it were only natural.

“You are the only Grand Duke in the Empire, after all. It has to be at least this grand.”

“Was I quite rich?”

“Why do you say such obvious things? I explained it all to you before, but you don’t remember, do you? Yes, I know.”

Come to think of it, he had vaguely heard talk of preparing a place to live in the Imperial City after the war, and of the late Emperor’s inheritance. At the time, as always, he would have just heard it and let it go.

But now, every moment was vividly remembered. Those moments when his mind and mouth were not his own.

Caelus’s face noticeably hardened. The expression that filled his face was quite complicated. But from Count Roang’s point of view, it was a gratifying change. Thanks to this, a bright smile did not leave his face.

“I have a lot to tell you. Let’s go inside first.”

“Let’s.”

Caelus moved his feet. He held Eileen’s hand tightly, her expression just as surprised as his.

Seeing his lord taking care of his wife in the midst of all this, Count Roang’s eyes sparkled, and he was about to follow behind him when he stopped. It was because of the dark pattern clearly revealed on the back of Caelus’s neck.

“…….”

So that’s it.

He had only heard about it, but this was the first time he had actually seen the mark of the black magic curse.

Judging from Caelus’s actions, he had speculated that it was a type of curse that castrated human emotions, but he had not been able to find out its existence by any means. So, instead of breaking the curse, he had aimed to eliminate the curse by identifying and killing the caster.

He was extremely pleased with the changed lord, now that it was revealed. And perhaps the reason for the change was…

A small smile appeared on Count Roang’s face, then disappeared in an instant. He couldn’t let his guard down yet; it was too early to be happy.

Hadn’t there already been an attack? Even inside the Imperial Palace, which should be the safest place in the Empire.

So, he had to hurry the war. After all, the best defense was offense.

“Contact the Master of the Magic Tower immediately. Tell him that a clue has been revealed, so he should come here right away.”

Empress Pamela did not know, but the Master of the White Magic Tower had already entered the Imperial City in time for Caelus’s return.

“Yes.”

A knight answered and immediately turned and ran. Count Roang followed Caelus with an indifferent expression and stood in front of him.

“Now, tell me.”

“First, I will escort the Grand Duchess to a safe place.”

“……Alright.”

Count Roang led them to the basement.

“The residence is on the second floor, but please stay here for now. It is a safe room that the Magic Tower has put special effort into creating.”

“Magic Tower?”

“You may not know it, Your Highness, but there are more people who follow you than you think.”

With those enigmatic words, Count Roang opened a large iron door. He led Eileen to a sofa in a well-organized bedroom-like space and smiled gently.

“Please rest here, Grand Duchess. We have something to talk about.”

“Yes.”

Eileen nodded obediently. Whatever else, Count Roang’s loyalty to Grand Duke Caelus was genuine. So, this mansion and this space would all be safe, as he said.

She was confused, but she could believe that much.

“Wait a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, I will.”

Caelus looked at Eileen’s pale face, who smiled faintly as if to tell him not to worry, then turned and went outside. As soon as he came back up to the first floor, a chilling voice rang out.

“Tell me everything, without missing a single detail.”

“Yes, I was going to do that anyway. Things are moving faster than we expected, but it’s time for you to know everything, Your Highness.”

We, huh.

“Are you saying you’re not alone?”

“That’s right. Those who followed the late Emperor have been waiting for you in the shadows. We are…”

Count Roang paused for a moment and sighed softly. In fact, he had intended to tell the Grand Duke only after he had completely lifted the curse. These were truths that were of no use when he was in a state where his emotions were castrated and he had no reaction to anything.

But Count Roang had decided to trust Caelus, who had changed since Eileen’s appearance.

“We believe that the late Emperor was murdered. The culprit is, of course, those who now occupy the late Emperor’s throne, and we have been working tirelessly for the past 20 years to gather evidence and return you to your rightful place.”

“So?”

“Well, we’ve achieved results. But before we harvest the fruits, there is one thing you need to know. It is about the curse on you.”

“Curse? On me?”

“Yes. That’s why you don’t have any memories of the late Emperor and Empress, your parents. And you haven’t felt all the emotions that humans should feel…”

Caelus listened silently to Count Roang’s long explanation that followed.

The conclusion of the story was ultimately this: punish those behind everything and reclaim the stolen throne.

“Yes. Certainly… If it were me a while ago, I wouldn’t have thought anything and would have just told you to take care of everything.”

“You would have been the same even if you had become Emperor while still consumed by the curse.”

“I see.”

These were all understandable words. The past self would certainly have been like that.

“But for some reason, the curse on you has weakened. I think it’s probably…”

But Count Roang’s words could not continue. Suddenly, the outside became noisy.

“Intruders!”

At someone’s cry, Count Roang and Caelus moved like lightning.

An intrusion into this hidden place? Had someone been following them?

Count Roang’s face hardened terribly. There was only one person who would do this.

The battle was as fierce and intense as the commotion outside. They were difficult enemies who indiscriminately used black magic and the unique techniques of assassins. But the knights who had survived for decades in the north with the barbarians were not to be underestimated. Moreover, their movements in response to black magic were strangely familiar. It was as if they had been trained in advance. Because of this, the enemies were even more confused.

And the demon of the battlefield, Grand Duke Caelus, jumped into the fight.

A berserker who overwhelmed everyone with tremendous force.

Under his sword, the enemies were mercilessly slaughtered.

The sound of metal clashing and fabric tearing filled the front yard of the newly built mansion.

But fortunately, it did not reach Eileen’s ears, who was alone in the basement.

“Hoo…”

Eileen, who was alone, clasped her still trembling hands together. She had lived her whole life in the north, where war never ceased, but she had always relied on the shadow of her father or the army led by Grand Duke Caelus.

This was the first time she had directly felt the fear of death.

She was scared, but on the other hand, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

Caelus. You have lived your whole life in this anxiety and fear.

I’m trembling at just this much, but how did you, as a child, endure it?

Her heart swelled endlessly. So, she was sad, but on the other hand, she was overwhelmed.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with transparent tears and shone moistly. Jewel-like teardrops fell, wetting the carpet.

“Please, please… May he find peace…”

“Indeed, is it because she is a woman with such a heart that the curse has reacted?”

A voice that sounded like scraping metal suddenly echoed in the air. Surprised, Eileen turned her head towards the direction of the sound, and at that very moment, a flash of light flickered before her eyes. It was black magic.

Black mage Cantus, who quickly snatched Eileen’s body as she lost consciousness and collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut, turned around leisurely.

“I’ve secured one…”

His words ended on a somewhat bitter note. He was worried because he knew that the situation outside was not good.

Why did those who had only been stuck in the north know how to deal with black mages? Because of this, things were going strangely. This was definitely a suspicious part. It seemed that there was something that he, Pamela Empress, did not know about the knights of the north.

But this was not the time to argue, so he had to promise himself for the future.

For their great cause, they needed Grand Duke Caelus, the strongest man in the Empire, no matter what.

He turned his back without regret. Anyway, he had secured one. And…

“If necessary, she could also be valuable as a hostage.”

He didn’t want to believe it, but hadn’t he seen with his own eyes that the seal that had been layered and layered on top of the curse was already tattered? The cause was probably this woman. So, the Grand Duke would definitely come to save this woman on his own.

And if a situation arose where his life was threatened, she would certainly be his lifeline.

Cantus, who had quickly finished his calculations, carried Eileen, who was unconscious as if dead, on his shoulder like a bundle. Soon, his figure became blurred.

***

In front of the mansion, there were only two enemies left standing on the ground. As the battlefield was being cleared, Caelus put his greatsword, soaked in blood, back into its scabbard.

“Capture them alive and find out who’s behind them.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Count Roang, who already knew who was behind them, readily agreed because it was much better to have a witness in order to ask for their crimes.

But at that moment, Caelus’s eyes shook violently. A familiar but very faint aura passed through his senses. And also, the familiar chilling darkness.

“Eileen…!”

“Yes? What did you just say… Your Highness!”

Before he could even stop him, Caelus’s figure shot out like a ray of light. Surprised, Count Roang urgently shouted to several knights.

“Follow His Highness!”

“Yes!”

Caelus’s solo action meant only two things: either the leader of the enemy army had appeared on the battlefield, or an extremely strong warrior with a more ferocious aura than anyone else had appeared.

“Damn it.”

What the hell is it?

Count Roang cursed at the sudden situation.

Meanwhile, Caelus ran through the forest like the wind. The distance between him and the knights following behind him grew further and further, but he didn’t care. The familiar sensations he had felt in an instant. One was definitely Eileen, and the other was…

“Black mageeee-!”

The roar of a demon shook the dark forest. Black mage Cantus, who was escaping by simultaneously using stealth magic and flying magic, felt a chill run down his spine.

“Damn it.”

As he spat out a curse and pulled up as much magic power as he could, Cantus’s flying speed increased. But it was only natural that Caelus, who was running like an angry hellhound behind him, was even faster.

Cantus sensed that he would soon be caught if he continued like this.

He had to make a decision.

In the end, Cantus released his stealth magic and stopped in his place. As he held Eileen’s body, which he had been carrying, forward as a shield, Caelus’s figure, which had been rushing in with a terrifying momentum, stopped abruptly in its place. As the dust that had risen fiercely and filled the space between them slowly subsided, the figure of the dark shadow carrying Eileen completely filled Caelus’s retina.

“How dare you…”

“Stop. Don’t come any closer. If you want to save this woman, throw away that sword first.”

Clang-!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp piece of metal was thrown to the floor, creating a keen noise. Cantus created magic like a sharp blade and smiled bitterly as he brought it to Eileen’s limp neck.

“To throw away your sword without even thinking. You’re not like the emotionless demon of the battlefield.”

“Shut up. I will kill you, I swear.”

Rage blazed in his watery blue eyes. His massive body trembled, unable to overcome his emotions. Who could look at him and call him a cursed human being devoid of emotion?

But that was all. Because of Eileen, who was caught in Cantus’s grasp, Caelus couldn’t do anything rash. Wasn’t it funny?

“Indeed, the emotion of love makes humans utterly useless. Don’t you think?”

Caelus’s watery blue eyes sank deeply at Cantus’s mocking murmur.