The Cursed One (5): A Week's Time

A week. Honestly, part of me wanted to rip that idiot's bones from his flesh right then and there, but if I did, the woman following him would probably die alongside him. So, this was his last chance.

"Eek, sis. That was scary."

"Hm? Scary?"

"Yeah. I've never seen you look that angry before. And that silver, terrifying energy you conjured in your hand—it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was so horrifying just to look at, anyone short of a top-tier powerhouse would've passed out on the spot."

"Hmmm... was it that bad?"

The Hero nodded slightly and continued.

"Even I, who's seen it up close so many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠times by your side, felt that way. So those guys... especially that woman... well, no need to explain how they must've felt."

For all that, she managed to stand her ground without fainting...

Hm... Was the fear of that idiot dying even greater than the terror of death itself? Enough to overcome her primal instincts?

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue briefly.

"It's a shame for such a promising girl to waste her life beside an idiot like that."

"Don't say it like that. He's your lifesaver, isn't he?"

"But don't you think the same?"

At my words, the Hero gave an awkward smile but nodded.

"He did have the gall to try his tricks on you, sis. Honestly, I wanted to beat him to death myself..."

The Hero shook his head faintly.

"But for some reason, seeing that woman made me think of my daughter."

Hmm. So the Hero was overlapping himself and his daughter with that idiot and the woman.

Well, I can see it. They're about the same age.

That's probably why he indirectly stopped me from killing the idiot.

"So, if he really doesn't apologize... will you kill him?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

I've given him plenty of chances, and I've held back as much as I could. If he still acts like a fool after all that, there's no reason to tolerate him anymore. I'm getting sick of it.

"Besides, all I promised was to lift the curse."

I didn't say anything about what I'd do to him after the curse was gone.

Once the immortality curse is lifted, I can do whatever I want with him.

"That's terrifying."

"What can I say? Not obliterating his soul the moment he insulted the Life Goddess is already generous."

I sipped from the steaming cup. The bitter taste of coffee. The coffee I made with my powers tasted just like the ones I remembered.

The Hero always asked why I drank something so bitter, but this stuff strangely tugs at my nostalgia. Homesickness, maybe? I don't know.

Sometimes, I think about my original world. Even after all these years, the memories never fade—they stay crystal clear.

Because of that, every now and then... I even feel like going back.

"Well, that's not possible."

"What's not?"

"Nothing, forget it."

I shouldn't casually talk about another world.

And so, I waited out that week for the idiot's fate to be decided. I had no idea what choice he'd make.

A week later.

"I... I'm truly sorry..."

Surprisingly, the idiot was bowing his head in apology before my statue in the Life Temple.

Is it sincere? Or just fake remorse?

I peeked into his heart just to be sure, and astonishingly, it brimmed with genuine desperation.

But why now? This guy wandered the world for decades without apologizing— what magic did they use? That woman?

The Hero and I could only stare in disbelief at the idiot groveling before me.

"Th-this should be enough, right? It's a sincere apology, so the old man doesn't have to die, right?"

I nodded slightly at the woman's frantic words.

"Y-yes..."

She lit up with joy at my response. But her face was deathly pale, her condition clearly poor. And the bandages wrapped here and there—new since last week...

Did she self-harm? Use her own life as leverage to convince him?

Even staking her life, she turned around the heart of this fool who'd been unchanged for decades... Does that mean she's that important to him?

"G-good... Now the old man won't die..."

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed limply. Probably from the tension releasing all at once in relief.

"You idiot! After all that stubbornness!"

The idiot hurriedly scooped her up, bit his thumb to draw blood, and dripped it into her mouth.

Her body began filling with life force—his life force, transferred through the blood.

Like a vampire.

"Hoo... After being so stubborn..."

"Who do you think it was for?"

She must've pushed herself too hard trying to convince him.

The idiot sighed softly and spoke.

"What am I worth..."

"Exactly."

No matter that he's a lifesaver, what's so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠great about a guy like this? Tsk tsk. Well, if she likes him, that's her choice. She won't listen to anyone else.

"If someone hadn't been so stubbornly pigheaded, she wouldn't have collapsed like this."

As I grumbled, the idiot opened his mouth as if to retort, then closed it without a word.

Yeah. Silence is golden sometimes. He'd just earned forgiveness—better not open his mouth and risk punishment again.

"Fine. You apologized as promised, so I'll lift the immortality curse."

"Finally...!"

His face filled with overwhelming gratitude. Tsk. If he'd apologized sooner, none of this would've happened.

I gathered my mana and erased the mark I'd etched into his soul. At the same time, I removed the other traces and the spell that let him freely absorb life force.

Now he could die like anyone else... Time for a little mischief to cap it off.

Not anything grand. Just an idea sparked by him feeding her his blood earlier.

"Now you have a body that can die, but after abusing life force so freely all this time, your flesh is no longer human."

He stared at me in confusion.

"And because you've earned the ire of various gods, that torment has twisted into the weakness of your new non-human race. Hmm. First time I've seen a case like this."

Of course, it's a lie. It's not changing randomly—I'm reshaping it as I please.

"Wh-what...?"

"A race that absorbs or shares life force through blood. Weak to sunlight, running water, and such. Many vulnerabilities, but with enough life force, you can extend your lifespan indefinitely."

"Extend my... lifespan...?"

"Mm. And it seems you can regain youth with life force too—a rather intriguing new race has been born. You're still not to my liking, but the birth of new life is worth celebrating."

His expression shifted through complex emotions before he gave up and asked just one thing.

"Can I... face death?"

"Of course. The immortality curse is lifted, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so death won't ignore your soul anymore."

Though what happens after you reach the underworld is none of my business!

Vampire. Known to many as bloodsuckers, they call themselves Sanguinus, a demihuman race. They absorb life force by drinking blood and use it as their vital essence.

Once mistaken for demons, their origins trace back astonishingly far—to the era of the first Hero, an unnamed champion.

In that time, the second prince of a kingdom called Acad grew arrogant under the king's favor. Believing his nation's power supreme, he thought even gods should bow to state authority.

That hubris led to the fall of Acad, dubbed the first empire—but that's a story for another time.

……

Thus, the undying prince finally became mortal, but his reckless abuse of the gods' gift of life twisted his body into a non-human race.

Some interpret this as the Life Goddess making an example of mighty Acad to solidify divine authority, after its growing power challenged temples—including her own Life Temple.

Afterward, Arcadia, Acad's successor, enshrined the Beast God as national deity and produced high priestesses from the royal family across generations, showing reverence to the gods.

Thus, temples and royalty agreed not to encroach on each other's domains.