The Curse of the First Troll (2)

"Luminix, I cannot save you this time, either."

"...."

It is a vicious curse. To think a curse could alter the very essence of a race. By all rights, she should have died. But the power of Luminix, once known as the Fairy King, rejected death. However, in exchange, Luminix could no longer live the life of a fairy.

The curse of the troll, which forces the body to grow uncontrollably. It twists the flesh into a grotesque form, eventually turning the victim into a troll. A troll that reeks of deep forests and swamps. And going one step further, a monster that only continues to grow—a troll that reverts to its primordial state.

Losing one's original body, left only with a consciousness trapped within a transformed vessel, doomed to suffer from eternal hunger for the rest of one's life.

"I am sorry."

"...."

Because of their unique regenerative abilities, they are nearly immortal. They must spend an eternity in an uncontrollable body, their minds remaining perfectly intact. Death is also impossible. The blood of the primordial troll does not permit death. No matter what form it takes, the body must return to its state. Even if the mind were to shatter, the body would continue its biological functions.

"To think that even by accumulating divinity directly... or borrowing the divinity of others, or using the power of a Saintess, it could not be purified."

The Crown Prince had done his utmost to break this curse. He had tried every attempt possible. He had even gone so far as to use his full strength to kill Luminix. But every time, the only conclusion left was that it was meaningless.

"If not this time, then the next... surely, the next."

Luminix, who had endured for so long, believing only in the words of the Great Prophet, entered the Crown Prince's vision. A pitiful existence. She had now lived longer in this body cursed by the troll than she had lived as a fairy. He wanted to liberate her from this agony, but he had found no viable method. The Crown Prince knew well how this curse would end if he failed.

'Can I not stop it this time, either?'

If there is a next time. If that fails, then the next. If that also fails, then the next, and the next. 'I will never let it end in ruin as you wish.'

The Crown Prince swore it, and in his final field of vision, Luminix, who was gradually growing larger, came into view. Because the covenant was not kept, the Empire would walk the path of destruction.

"I do not give up."

The Crown Prince swore that and drew his sword.

"So that is why memories were not easy to view."

That determination became a memory, and I was able to see it in its entirety. I had grasped the general situation. While I could not be certain, a conclusion bordering on conviction settled in my mind.

'But even if I had purified her, I would have seen this sight, wouldn't I?'

The fury of a fairy who could not overcome the troll's curse. Its form was a catastrophe that indiscriminately unleashed mysteries, regardless of what happened to the body. It was only limited to where I was now because of the current circumstances. In the remaining memories of the Crown Prince, Luminix's mysteries were scattered across the entire Empire.

'How can you stop a fairy who keeps spreading the curse regardless of her body being ruined?'

You cannot kill her even if you try. You can only kill her if you break the curse, but no one can break it. Then the only way was to abandon the Empire. Should I call it a tree of curses? How can one stop a fairy who begins to spread a curse within the Empire, and within the Imperial Palace at that?

'So, one Executioner really does destroy the Empire.'

Muttering that to myself, I did not draw my sword. If she could not be killed, there was no need to use a blade.

"R-run... you must run..."

"Can you speak?"

"Y-your Highness the Crown Prince... my body... it moves on its own... so you must run... take me... somewhere..."

"The Executioner is also something the Empire should embrace, so why would I abandon you?"

I understood Luminix's feelings. This situation was forced from the beginning. *Hoo.* After a short breath, *thud.* I lightly kicked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off the ground and leveled my eyes with Luminix. Just a moment ago, it felt like she was as tall as a single shipping container, but now that I had come to my senses, she was the size of two stacked together.

'Arveda, Teo. Cast a barrier around this area and make sure the people nearby cannot see.'

'Yes!'

'Yes! I, Teo! I shall carry out your command!'

The first thing to do was to ensure no one nearby could see. If I did that, the situation itself would not escalate. Because.

"Do you think you can look down on your master?"

It would end with me.

BOOM!

I grabbed the skin of Luminix's forehead and slammed her straight into the ground. Rowena had long since been evacuated far away by my hand signals, so there was no one who would be harmed even if I rampaged now. With a large cloud of dust, I could see the back of Luminix's head buried in the floor. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was a sight that could only be described as hideously rotten. A scalp that looked as if grotesque internal organs were writhing beneath it entered my vision. She had endured the covenant being fulfilled with this much pain, and in the very end, it hadn't happened? I could understand her rage.

"Even if I understand, why destroy the Empire?"

The reason the Empire was destroyed was very simple. It was because the imperial citizens were annihilated. If the land becomes a place of death, who could live and continue their daily lives?

'Where will the remaining imperial citizens go... Maserin? By any chance?'

Is that how it connects? It devours the Empire in a truly horrific way.

'If she were a transmigrator, she would know even this, yet she still makes this choice.'

The setting is a transmigrator who knows the original work, yet she condones the destruction of the Empire. Being on the receiving end, a sense of unpleasantness rose up.

"Rowena, continue the purification. I am fine, so do not worry."

The message said the target of the rage was limited to me. Therefore, the purification must continue. The method was not particularly difficult. Since Luminix would not die anyway, I would use the power of Sol Bellos to suppress her with all my might, while Rowena completely purified Luminix's curse.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince! I shall help you..."

"Do not come!"

I would not accept support. From Pavan to Arveda, and the two whose names I had not yet been introduced to—no one should interfere in this situation. 'If anyone does and gets cursed, things will get more complicated.'

The reason I could withstand Luminix's curse right now was because of Rowena's divinity. Her divinity permeated me, allowing me to endure the fairy's wrath. Rowena and I were not affected by the curse, but the others would be.

'If that happens, there will be too many variables.'

Therefore, I refused reinforcements.

Gugugugugu.

I could feel Luminix struggling to escape my power. Kkureureureuk. As soon as the earth touched Luminix, it began to rot with an ominous sound. This was the biggest cause of the Empire's destruction. Turning the land she stepped on into a place of death. No one could live on dead land.

"Kieeeugh."

A sound like phlegm rattling in a throat leaked from Luminix's mouth. She was struggling, wanting to escape somehow, but "Keuheuh!" since it was useless, she was just making that sound.

Swoosh.

However, perhaps not having given up, Luminix unleashed her mystery while still buried in the ground. Suddenly, the bright sky temporarily darkened, and aurorae spread like silk beneath it. Swaaaaaa! The starlight falling from the aurorae turned into rain and plummeted downward at high speed. The mystery itself became a spear, pouring entirely onto me. Realizing that the complex method of casting a curse could not do anything to me, she had chosen to simply push me away with raw power. And that method was the one I welcomed the most.

"Thank you."

Power against power. Ignorant and violent. Only who could win with higher firepower. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That was my specialty.

Whoosh.

If Luminix had temporarily turned the world into night, the power of Bellos could turn the world into bright daylight. The sun rises. The sun that will burn away all curses. The sun that will melt even rage and place the world beneath itself swallows the night Luminix created.

Ssssss!

"Kuaaaaaaack!"

I heard Luminix's scream. A sound like someone burying their face in a pillow and shouting. Between those sounds, the smell of burning skin entered my nose. There were no difficulties in the process of subduing Luminix. Even though Luminix had forcibly gone berserk, excluding that itself, it was too easy to endure.

'But for this to become easy, I eventually have to fully recruit the Saintess to the Empire's side.'

And it couldn't just be any divinity. As it is now, the Saintess had to be fully affiliated with the Empire.

'Was it impossible to do this before? Because Mirne would have always become the only Saintess?'

Had the Crown Prince not tried such attempts? Many questions arose, but I decided not to think about them too deeply. I could look into them when my memories returned naturally again, just like now.

'Is the Emperor like this too?'

How long had I been suppressing Luminix like that? Ssssss. Finally, a meaningful change occurred in Luminix's body. As if she were molting, Luminix's skin, which had been rotten and festering, turned stark white and peeled away, and—

"Kuaaaaaaaaaaack!!!"

Soft, fair flesh began to be revealed beneath it. I could feel her physique gradually shrinking as well. Originally, she was so large that, naturally, my hand could not cover the back of her neck, but every time I blinked, I could feel the back of her neck entering my hand. Luminix was shrinking at a very fast speed in real-time. And at the same time.

Messages indicating that the situation had been perfectly resolved appeared one after another. However, rather than paying attention to these right now,

"Luminix, are you alright?"

"...."

Caring for the infinitely shrunken Luminix was the priority. Luminix, who had been the size of two shipping containers stacked vertically, had now shrunk to the size of a palm.

"Do you not even have the strength to speak?"

I could see Luminix closing her eyes, barely breathing. Since it was impossible to wake her up and talk to her right away, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seemed Rowena would have to stay by her side and take care of her for the time being.

"Ha."

The message that the probability of destruction had fallen followed. I felt relieved for some reason, as it had finally dropped below 50%.

'But is it 10% per Executioner?'

Come to think of it, it was actually ambiguous to call it 10%. Should I call it a potential 100%? Even just with Luminix, if she had really done it properly, she would have turned the entire Empire into a place of death. I didn't think the other Executioners would do less, if not more, than that.

'Well, I've cleared one hurdle for now.'

The covenant, which I had wondered how to deal with at first. After resolving one, I had gained some sense of it.

'I will quickly take care of the others as well.'

Since I had dealt with Luminix, the next thing to do was.

'Is it finding the dragon's name?'

It was Arveda's turn.

Time passed quickly, and it had been a week since I resolved Luminix's curse. No major incidents had occurred during that time. Luminix was still fast asleep, and the Empire was continuing to lay down railroads at this very moment.

'I also need to talk to the Executioner who looks like a dwarf, there are too many things to handle.'

Still, since I could breathe a little easier now, the moment I thought about meeting them properly, a message popped up.

"Ha."

A message that delighted me appeared. It had been about 5 days since Mirne ended her imprisonment in the Empire. I thought she would have returned to Maserin and stayed quietly after being released, but to think she would immediately take an interest in the northern part of the Empire again.

If it were in the past, I would have been at a loss as to how to handle it, but now, I had gained some sense of even this. Because.

"Teo."

"Yes! Your Highness the Crown Prince! Teo, your number one staff! I am perfectly prepared to carry out your command!"

"Rest easy."

"Thank you!"

Because there was already an excellent example before my eyes. Your male lead, I will use him as my excellent subordinate.