The Scent of Poison
The long, long rainy season finally came to an end, and the full heat of summer began in earnest.
After Blair’s visit, Odeliana’s condition improved rapidly. The frequency of seizures and hyperventilation born from extreme anxiety gradually decreased, until they eventually disappeared completely.
Blair’s firm promise to take responsibility had played a part. She didn’t trust him, but knowing there was someone she could lean on in her current state of unease brought her a measure of comfort.
“There’s only one week left until Mathias returns.”
“Which is why you’ve been in such a good mood lately. What would you have done if he hadn’t passed?”
“That was never going to happen, even if he died and came back to life.”
It was Mathias, after all. There was no way a high-class beast wearing a human hide would fail such a trivial test. Besides, with Adolf serving as the examiner, she felt far more at ease even if the other candidates were from wealthy families.
‘I wonder if Mathias knows about the Beast’s Curse.’
Thinking of Mathias naturally led her thoughts to the curse.
‘One child was born with crippled legs, and the other… appears healthy but carries a curse upon her heart. The child with the weak heart… will grow along with her body until her heart eventually bursts and kills her.’
It had definitely been called a curse.
In her previous life, the sudden worsening of Orldette’s chronic illness and her departure for recuperation abroad must have been the curse taking effect. The timing of Joslyn’s ascension to the throne and Orldette’s departure for treatment had overlapped perfectly. In other words, Orldette’s heart condition would manifest at age twenty-six—which was now less than four years away.
‘But on the other hand… if she survives the next four years safely, Orldette will surely die.’
It meant she would die on her own without any intervention. She would waste away, desperately clinging to a heart that could burst at any moment… and wither.
That beauty she had once boasted about would lose its vitality, and no one would spare a glance for a woman already marked for death. Even someone as fearless as her would ultimately be powerless before death.
“Malena, have you ever heard of the Beast’s Curse?”
“The Beast’s Curse? Hmm… I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
In truth, there was barely any information on the Beast’s Curse, let alone on beasts themselves.
The common knowledge regarding beasts was that there were so many different types it was impossible to classify them all by species. They generally resembled ordinary animals but possessed distinct characteristics that clearly marked them as beasts. They were ranked according to their intelligence and size.
Most beasts lived within their designated habitats. The ones that occasionally attacked human settlements were usually individuals that had lost territorial battles and wandered off in search of new homes. Over ninety percent of cases involving beasts reaching villages and attacking people involved low-class beasts, so information had accumulated primarily around them. Even then, such incidents were rare.
Beasts certainly existed, but they were not creatures one encountered easily in daily life. Unless someone specialized in beast subjugation and went on expeditions, the average person only knew of their existence in theory.
Historically, there had been large-scale explorations of beast habitats, but even now, humanity had not fully conquered the vast territories. The land humans had claimed from beasts was merely the tip of the iceberg, and both the beasts and their domains remained shrouded in mystery.
Even within the Kingdom of Leveln, there remained a vast region known as the “Land of Eternal Frost.” For hundreds of years, expeditions had been attempted, yet not a single person had ever returned alive.
“I don’t know much about curses, but I do have one acquaintance who went mad after obsessing over beasts.”
“Tell me more.”
“He specialized exclusively in beast subjugation. According to him, he had encountered all kinds of beasts. He believed that what we currently know about beasts is only a tiny fraction of the truth. He even claimed that beasts wearing human hides, which are only spoken of in legends, really exist.”
“Did he say he met a beast wearing a human hide?”
“Yes. He described it as a man with completely white skin. He said the creature used a very peculiar ability. He claimed to have witnessed a bizarre sight where a new beast was born from the corpse of someone killed by its hand.”
“A beast creating another beast?”
“Of course, no one believed him. I didn’t either.”
“…It’s not exactly a credible story.”
Most people would dismiss such talk as the ramblings of a madman.
“I understand there are quite a few ancient texts regarding beasts in human hides. The problem is that almost all of them are stored in the royal archives. Still, the fact that records have been passed down to later generations makes me think that beasts wearing human skin might truly exist. The man also said that the higher the rank of a beast, the closer its form is to a perfect human.”
“Could the ability he mentioned be the Beast’s Curse?”
“He never referred to it as a curse. I’ve never heard of beasts placing curses on people either.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know. He became so obsessed with beast research that he’s been wandering around like someone cursed with wanderlust for a long time. He’s not the type to settle in one place, so I haven’t heard any news of him at all.”
“…What a shame. I had questions I wanted to ask him.”
“About the Beast’s Curse? Why the sudden interest?”
“…Just curious. Anyway, do you know anything about the Chingene tribe?”
It had been a question asked without much expectation, but the answer that came back was unexpected.
“Yes, they are a people living in the Padania Duchy of the eastern continent. In the Padanian language, they are also called the Okulo tribe. They are described as a mysterious race skilled in astrology and shamanism, even capable of prophesying disasters.”
“Then they must know a lot about curses as well.”
“Since curses are a form of shamanism, they probably know more than ordinary people.”
“Is there any way to meet them?”
“It won’t be easy unless you go directly to the Padania Duchy. They are a minority even within the duchy, so their numbers are small. They do occasionally cross over here aboard trading ships… but I’ll have my colleagues look into it as much as possible.”
If there was another way to break the curse, perhaps her legs could be healed. If she could escape being a cripple—if only her legs could be fixed—she could live a far better life than now.
‘Once I gain some stability after becoming independent… I’ll have no choice but to visit the Padania Duchy and make direct inquiries about the Chingene tribe.’
If she had held real power as the duke’s daughter of the Gruisevald family, she could have selected a few servants and sent them to the Padania Duchy. The fact that a powerless princess was this helpless made her sigh involuntarily. If only her body had been healthy, she could have crossed over to the Padania Duchy herself without relying on anyone else.
“It’s time for you to sleep now.”
Malena immediately began preparing the bed. She spread out fresh bedding, placed a herb pouch with a scent good for deep sleep under the pillow, and lit the candlestick. After even lighting an aromatic candle, she rose from her spot.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
After she left, it wasn’t long before the sound of rain accompanied the damp scent of wet earth. Odeliana crawled across the floor to the window and clicked her tongue in annoyance at the sight of the rain that had begun pouring once again.
“I thought it was finally clearing up, but it’s pouring miserably again.”
The silver lining was that it seemed to be a brief shower that would soon pass. The raindrops were incredibly fierce and thick, even accompanied by lightning. As she watched the rain-soaked outside while listening to the majestic thunder that shook the earth, something happened.
‘What is that?’
A somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar scent reached Odeliana’s nose. It was a faint smell that an ordinary person wouldn’t even notice. Between the damp, earthy scent and the sleep-inducing aroma of the herb candle, a subtly unpleasant odor spread. It carried a slightly sour edge and the smell of burning.
Odeliana had experienced this type of scent before. However, it had been so long that it took her a moment to identify it.
‘…This is!’
Odeliana quickly pulled up her sleeve and covered her nose and mouth. Then she crawled back to the bed, retrieved the dagger she had hidden beneath it.
A familiar scent she had smelled somewhere before. It was the fragrance of a poisonous herb that paralyzed the limbs.