Chapter 273: The Cause of the Curse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 273: The Cause of the Curse
"So that's how it was."
It was a bit extreme, but since the estate was in such poor condition, I decided to adopt a fast and effective method: consuming Misiri Spanya and looking directly into her memories.
As it turned out, Misiri Spanya wasn't as wicked as I had thought. In fact, she possessed a level of willpower that was almost worthy of praise.
It’s similar to the Lich’s method.
The Lich makes the dead crave flesh and uses the bait of resurrection to turn them into his minions. The only difference here was that a living person was being urged to consume human flesh.
It wasn't that she had actually become a ghoul or undergone a physical transformation that made it impossible to digest anything other than human remains.
Naturally, even feces would have some nutrients once digestion began. However, just as the body wrings the stomach to vomit when it senses something foul, Misiri Spanya was in that exact state. To her, normal food probably felt like eating filth.
"Hmm."
It’s a slightly easier method than brainwashing. There are so many types of magic designed to limit or twist a target's senses, after all. I suppose this kind of manipulation is also possible.
"Lich."
—Ssssh...
As the sinister, deep green mana core I created at my fingertips floated into the air, a black aura slowly swirled around it, and the Lich’s true form manifested.
:: I am listening, Emperor. ::
"Can you feel the mana nearby? I can."
:: It is a Banshee. ::
"A Banshee?"
That was a term I remembered hearing before. It’s hard to explain precisely, but isn't it basically a female ghost? Or... Banshee’s Veil? No, that’s irrelevant.
"What do you think, as a member of the Necro Species? Is it a powerful monster?"
:: It is a being that cannot even be compared to the Emperor. ::
"Well, I figured. That’s not really what I was asking."
A Banshee belongs to the Necro Species. They’re known for popping out of the dark, letting out horrific screams, and chasing people down. Rather than direct brainwashing, they tend to use methods that disturb the target's emotions and drive them toward death.
"What level would you say it is?"
:: It appears to be in the final preparation stage for the Hollow Breeze. Usually, members of the Necro Species of the 2nd grade or higher take charge of those preparations. This place seems no different. ::
"2nd grade? I didn't know monsters were ranked like that. And I thought you guys didn't use the term 'Necro Species'?"
:: There is no collective term for us. I have simply adopted a word that is easy for the Emperor’s successor to understand. ::
"Impressive."
A 2nd-grade Banshee. It could be said that Misiri Spanya had endured the mana erosion of the Hollow Breeze for a full two years. According to the Lich, the intensity of the mana erosion increases exponentially as the Hollow Breeze approaches.
So, for the first year, it was likely just a persistent voice heard every now and then. From the beginning of this year until now, she had been resisting a form of pseudo-brainwashing that constantly triggered intense impulses.
Certainly.
Misiri Spanya’s own face didn't look to be in great shape. When I saw the corpses scattered on the floor, I thought she had turned into a monster too. But it seems she had been holding out, forcing herself to eat normal food that smelled and tasted disgusting, and only recently had she laid a hand on a human.
She didn't seem to have any intention of harming Rubica or Rubia. As for the family head, Stonen Spanya—who used to be inseparable from her—it seemed he had been severely eroded simply because of his physical proximity to her.
The reason others believed the family head was bedridden was that she couldn't show his monstrous form to anyone else.
—Thud!
Having brought her back out of my body, Misiri Spanya was placed unceremoniously onto the bed. Outside, Rubica was supporting her unconscious father as they made their way out of the Lord’s Castle.
I had assigned guards to them, and since I told them I would check on Misiri Spanya myself, I had plenty of time.
I had only glanced at a tiny portion of Misiri Spanya’s brain, but if it showed such traces of effort, then... well, I suppose I can stop rummaging through her gray matter. I’ll hear the rest from her own mouth.
* * *
"H-Hyah?!"
"Whoops."
Misiri Spanya suddenly woke up naked in bed. Since she had been spat back out after being consumed by Yoo Eon’s ability, her clothes had naturally been removed. Although she was covered by a blanket and nothing was visible, her body felt strangely flushed for some reason.
M-My chastity...!
Even for a primary wife, failing to protect one's chastity was grounds for execution. But for someone like her, a mere concubine? Even if it were rape, she would at least be exiled from the estate.
An unknown young man was sitting beside her bed. He had black hair and a youthful face—no, wait. No matter how handsome he was, how could he commit adultery with a woman who had a husband?
"Y-You scoundrel! How dare you... Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"Misiri Spanya."
"Eek?!"
The young man suddenly stood up from his chair and approached her. The aura he gave off was as steady and imposing as a mountain. He had thick, solid forearms that didn't quite match his face, which still held the traces of a beautiful youth.
—Tap.
Yoo Eon extended his index and middle fingers and tapped the forehead of Misiri Spanya, who was huddled naked under the blanket.
"Do you still hear the voice?"
"T-The voice...?! I cannot speak of—"
It was a story she couldn't tell. Whenever she tried to vent her worries about the voice that had been echoing in her head for some time, she would feel a pain as if her throat were being strangled.
"No, wait...?"
"Is there no pain?"
"H-How is this...?"
Even though she had mentioned the voice in front of another person, the strangling pain she had feared did not come.
"H-How do you know of that...? Who on earth are you...?"
"It seems the dispel worked well. I had to... remove your clothing out of necessity. How about this?"
The nameless youth handed her something. It was something soft and mysterious, wrapped tightly in tough paper.
"A sandwich..."
"Can you eat it?"
Misiri Spanya was shocked for two reasons. First, whenever normal food had come near her before, it had given off a stench so foul she couldn't even breathe. Now, even though it might have cooled down and the scent had faded, she could clearly smell the aroma of the food.
"I-I can eat it..."
It was just a few pieces of meat sandwiched between bread baked with flour from a commoner's house—far below Misiri Spanya’s usual standard of dining. Nevertheless, she began to shove the bread and meat into her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"Ugh, sob...!"
"Eat slowly. You'll get indigestion if you rush."
Only an hour or two had passed—it was still horrifying to think about—but Misiri Spanya herself had just eaten a human. Her stomach should have been full of human remains, yet for some reason, she felt as famished as someone who hadn't eaten in days.
Good thing I took it out.
That was because Yoo Eon had removed the human corpse from Misiri Spanya’s stomach. He didn't want her to have the smell of blood lingering in her mouth after her body had been fixed. This was a tip based on his own experience of eating raw meat like a dog.
"B-But... how...?"
Between sobbing, clutching the blanket to cover herself, and stuffing the crumpled sandwich into her mouth, Misiri Spanya was a busy woman.
With her hands and face occupied, she looked at Yoo Eon and voiced her confusion.
"Misiri Spanya. I want to ask you one thing. Why didn't you release funds to help the people of the estate?"
When Yoo Eon looked into her brain, Misiri Spanya seemed to be resisting the mana erosion and trying her best to minimize the damage.
The Banshee’s mana erosion had caused crop failures in the family’s estate for two years, but it was still a mystery why she had left it neglected.
"T-That is..."
Misiri Spanya hesitated for a long time, her cheeks bulging with food, before she spoke through a flood of tears.
"I... I spent all the money trying to restore the family head's condition... There really was no money left..."
"Ah."
Right, he had caught a glimpse of that. Memories of Misiri Spanya constantly summoning prominent mages to the family, begging for a dispel, and paying them exorbitant sums. The thing wandering mages on the surface loved most was fleecing desperate commoners.
Once invited into the Lord’s Castle, they would demand seven-day banquets with every delicacy imaginable, have maids wait on them at night, and ask for gold and jewels. Once they were satisfied, the mages would examine the family head and attempt a dispel.
Of course, with the source of the mana erosion right beside them, there was no way ordinary mages could break it. It might have seemed to improve for a very brief moment, but as long as Misiri Spanya remained by his side, the problem would never be solved.
She had continued to summon mages to try and heal the family head and herself until the family's fortune was nearly depleted.
While the commoners were starving to death due to crop failures, rumors were bound to spread that a mad concubine in the Lord’s Castle was living in luxury and throwing banquets every day.
"Sir Roden and Lady Rubica were kept in the castle basement because... I didn't know what the voice would make me do if I kept seeing them...!"
"Yes. I understand to some extent."
In any case, Misiri Spanya, the host of the mana erosion, had been cured. Now, he had to find the Banshee that was hiding somewhere and eating away at the estate.
"Misiri Spanya, you did your best to cope."
"T-The people of the estate...! What about them...?"
"They’re probably eating right about now."
She let out a long sigh of relief, but then another thought occurred to her.
"The family head... was he eventually subjugated...?"
The family head, Stonen Spanya, was in a much worse state than Misiri Spanya. He had become a monster that killed any person he saw on sight. Misiri Spanya had even been the one to personally transport the corpses for him to eat.
The only reason she was the only one exempt from his attacks was likely due to the Banshee’s mana. The host of the mana erosion couldn't be allowed to die for the plan to proceed, so the Banshee must have made it so.
"No, the family head is recovering. He’ll likely return to normal soon."
"R-Really?! Are you a great mage...?! How did you know about this place...?"
"Rivier asked for help. I’m not the type to move just because someone asks, but I owe a small debt to the eldest daughter, Rubica."
"My son..."
Misiri Spanya wept uncontrollably, her tears showing no sign of stopping.
"Madam, please get dressed. We are going to find the cause of the curse."
"The cause of the curse?!"
"Yes, a powerful member of the Necro Species. Don't worry, I will protect you. My subordinate will find its location."
As Yoo Eon spoke, the Lich—clearly a powerful member of the Necro Species—appeared behind him, radiating a gloomy, deep green aura.
"Wait...?"
For a brief moment, a very reasonable suspicion crossed her mind.
Isn't THAT the cause of the curse...?