Chapter 137: Cracked Levee

The problem was, given the situation, even the Marquis hadn’t completely subdued the opponent without taking some damage himself.

“Cough.”

Blood spilled.

Seizing the opportunity, the demon rose. Even as the Empire’s third Hero coughed up blood, he noticed this and threw a dagger.

Perhaps due to the hemoptysis, his fingertips faltered, and the dagger barely missed the creature’s face.

‘If his condition had been better, that would have hit for sure.’

The demon seemed to sense this as well, its face paling as it stumbled backward before fleeing.

This was the one the Marquis tried to capture even in that state. They absolutely couldn’t let it get away.

With grim determination, the knight drew his sword, ready to chase after the demon when….

“Cough, cough! Cough-urrgh! Keh-heck, keck!!”

“M-Marquis!”

He might be angry. From the Marquis’s perspective, he’d rather they chase the demon than worry about his well-being.

But the Marquis’s health came first.

Prepared for a severe scolding later, the knight sheathed his drawn sword and rushed to Deon Hart’s side.

***

Demon-nim sacrificed himself. The way he told me to go while spitting up blood…

After all that, I couldn’t possibly insist. Ben retreated as instructed, biting his lip hard.

‘I need to treat him….’

Instead of being helpful, he’d become a burden.

That strong of a signal was a first. Not just a simple cough-up, but a signal of significant blood loss from external injuries.

Was that why? Maybe he’d panicked. When he came to, he’d somehow managed to succeed in his repeated escape attempts.

When he met Demon-nim, he was overjoyed at the prospect of finally being able to examine his injuries directly, but….

“Cough, cough! Cough-urrgh! Keh-heck, keck!!”

“M-Marquis!”

He felt the Imperial knight, who had been about to chase after him, turn back to Demon-nim at the sound of his violent coughing.

His heart heavy, Ben slowed his pace. No one was following. He stopped in his tracks and murmured, his voice low.

“Demon-nim… so he was nobility after all.”

He had expected his status to be more than insignificant.

“And his Human Realm identity is still active.”

Was it for his role as an operative? Since he left under the pretense of carrying out the Demon King’s mission, the Demon King must have known as well.

Even on a rough guess, this was important and confidential information. Even if he were to die for learning this, he’d have no complaints.

So, let’s stop thinking here. Ben consciously shut down his brain’s attempts at further calculation and analysis.

‘In the end, I learned this because of my mistake.’

He’d had no desire to dig into his information, and even now, having learned a part of it, that hadn’t changed.

So….

‘I don’t know anything.’

Ben chose to cleanly forget it.

***

Rumors spread.

“Honorary Marquis Deon Hart was ambushed by a demon while subjugating magical beasts.

Because of internal injuries sustained during the attack, he missed capturing it when it was practically in his grasp.”

This changed after Deon Hart was examined by the court physician personally dispatched by the Emperor.

“Honorary Marquis Deon Hart was ambushed by a demon while subjugating magical beasts.

Despite this, he almost caught it without injury, but missed due to the Demon King’s curse.”

The reactions of those who heard the rumors varied.

Some argued that the title of ‘Hero’ was unfitting for someone so weakened by a curse that he missed capturing a demon he had nearly subdued, and that the title should be revoked. Others argued that revoking the title was wrong considering the curse was obtained while recovering the Hero’s corpse, and that he should merely step down from the front lines and recuperate.

Some said that with the situation requiring every available person to face the Demon Realm, they should assign him less critical tasks like subjugating magical beasts. Others countered that it was a waste to sideline such a skilled individual who could withstand a demon’s ambush without injury and even subdue them, and that he should continue as before.

Apart from these arguments, there were also those who sighed in relief and patted their chests in reassurance.

“So, he’s not a vampire, it seems.”

“At the very least, he doesn’t seem to be on the Demon Realm’s side.”

“That’s right. If he were on the Demon Realm’s side, he wouldn’t have bothered trying to subdue the demon at the risk of injury. Instead, he would have killed the witnessing knight and smuggled the demon away.”

“That’s a relief.”

There’s no need to worry about Honorary Marquis Deon Hart anymore.

Thus, the rumors of Deon Hart being a vampire, which had been a topic among some nobles, gradually subsided as it was somewhat resolved.

And along with the rumors, the Emperor, upon hearing this news, leaned back in his chair and let out a light chuckle.

“Vampire… for the nobles of this Empire to believe such nonsense, it’s absurd.”

“…….”

“More importantly, a demon, you say.”

I should summon Deon Hart soon.

***

Recently, the Emperor’s hallucinations had worsened.

Having ordered someone to summon Deon Hart, the Emperor continued processing paperwork until the intensifying hallucinations caused him to quietly rub his temples. Moments later, he reached for a dagger….

“Your Majesty.”

“…What is it, General?”

“You were aiming for your wrist, not the back of your hand.”

“…….”

A cackling voice echoed in his ears.

The visions that had obscured his sight cleared, and he belatedly noticed the position of the dagger aimed at his wrist, and Nemesius, who had disregarded protocol to stop him by grabbing his wrist holding the dagger.

“…In this state, even maintaining my sanity is difficult.”

“The injury on your hand is significant enough.”

“I know that.”

Clang.

The Emperor obediently dropped the dagger. He watched Nemesius pick it up and secure it, preparing for any contingency, before leaning back as if to relax.

After a long while of tilting his head back and covering his eyes with the back of his hand, the Emperor muttered.

“Something’s not right….”

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

“The hallucinations. I sense a blatant, unfamiliar malice, not the familiar wickedness born from my imagination. Every time it happens, the surroundings turn cold….”

He mustered his reason, which had been eroded by war, hallucinations, and fatigue. He reorganized his muddled brain and forced himself to think.

The Emperor was definitely someone whose mental fortitude was well-trained. Even amidst the various distractions hindering his thoughts, he skillfully identified the judgment he needed to make.

“…Quietly summon a sorcerer.”

Not the royal physician, but a sorcerer.

Nemesius, momentarily taken aback, quickly bowed his head as if nothing had happened.

“Understood.”

The sorcerer arrived quickly.

Having apparently received an explanation on the way, she trembled but steadfastly followed Nemesius. Upon seeing the Emperor, her face paled. This intensified as she approached him, until she finally stopped and retched.

“Ugh…!”

“How dare you.”

“Enough.”

The Emperor stopped Nemesius, who was about to draw his sword, and slowly turned his gaze to the sorcerer.

“As expected, it seems I’ve been cursed?”

“Y-yes… you have been cursed… but….”

“It must be a particularly nasty curse to make you nauseous.”

“N-no…! The curse itself is manageable for me!”

“Then?”

It wasn’t the curse’s potency that made her retch.

Then what was the cause?

The sorcerer, meeting his questioning golden gaze, quickly lowered her head to avoid eye contact and stammered.

“It’s… the karma and resentment Your Majesty carries are too immense….”

“Ah, so my past deeds are visible to you. Are they that foul?”

“How you’ve managed to maintain your sanity… I almost want to ask.”

“Impudent.”

Nemesius finally drew his sword.

“Enough, General. She’s not wrong, is she?”

The Emperor chuckled, uncrossing his legs and leaning casually against the armrest.

A relaxed posture to ease the tension of his opponent.

Nemesius, understanding the Emperor’s intention, also sheathed his sword and took a step back. In the now somewhat relaxed atmosphere, the Emperor slowly spoke.

“Anyway, it is true that I’m cursed… Is a counter-trace possible?”

“Counter-tracing is inherently difficult. How can one trace back something that leaves no trace and can only be seen by the afflicted and those with special eyes?”

“I see. I was curious who it was, a shame.”

His voice was detached and calm.

The sorcerer, gauging the atmosphere, cautiously asked.

“Aren’t you… angry…?”

“Well… more than half the world must dislike and hate me, so it would be strange if none of them knew sorcery. And seeking revenge is even more foolish. I was merely curious who was foolish enough to curse the ruler of a nation facing the Demon Realm in this time of crisis.”

“Ah, the curse has been attached for quite some time… so you didn’t know, it seems.”

“Hmm?”

This was unexpected.

“How long has it been?”

“It seems to be over a year… but the effects have only started manifesting recently. You must have been suppressing it with your mental strength.”

“Mental strength, huh… I have been feeling quite tired lately, and my hallucinations have worsened because of it.”

“Hallucinations as well… Considering the karma and resentment, it’s more surprising you can still see straight… How have you endured until now?”

The Emperor simply smiled pleasantly.

In any case, his mental fortitude had been acknowledged.

‘With this, one of the qualities of a ruler is fulfilled.’

Meanwhile, the sorcerer took out a yellow piece of paper from her belongings and began writing something with her blood-soaked finger.

“The karma and resentment attached to you due to your past actions are beyond my ability to deal with….”

“That’s not what I expect either.”

“I see. In any case, the curse attached to you can be removed. Currently, my preparations are insufficient, so temporarily suppressing its power is the best I can do. If you summon me again in three days, I will come fully prepared to remove the evil spirit.”

Evil spirit?

The Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly at the word that appeared for the first time since meeting the sorcerer.

The curse was the type that attached an evil spirit?

“I thought the curse was the type that would steal my life… so it merely attaches an evil spirit.”

“A curse that deals ‘killing blows’ requires the caster’s most precious thing and the requester’s most precious thing as a price. Usually, it’s the caster’s own life or the life of a loved one like family or a lover. Since it directly takes the target’s life, the scales must be balanced. Therefore, that type of curse….”

“Is rarely used. However, if a ‘direct’ method is the issue, indirect methods must also exist?”

“Yes, the evil spirit attached to you is an example of that indirect method.”

More yellow paper with red writing piled up.

Seemingly unfazed by the pain, the sorcerer bit her fingertip again to draw blood whenever it stopped, continuing to make the talisman.

Since unauthorized individuals couldn’t carry weapons before the Emperor, that was the only way to draw blood….

“Nemesius, offer her a dagger.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, it’s almost done, so you don’t have to.”

“How dare I refuse His Majesty’s kindness….”

“Enough, General. Let’s continue the story we were discussing earlier. It seems the explanation wasn’t finished.”

The Emperor tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers, pacifying Nemesius with a chuckle.

Nemesius was amusing in his own way. He was told to practice concealing his expressions, yet he blatantly showed his displeasure at being ordered to offer a dagger. And then he seemed offended when the sorcerer refused….

He glanced at the sorcerer. She seemed to have finished making the talismans, gathering the scattered paper as she continued her interrupted explanation.

“The evil spirit attached to you is the type that shakes the mind and slowly drains life force. It’s a common method used against someone you truly wish to die.”

“Intriguing.”

“It’s a regrettable and vicious method that uses the dead to harm the living. For now, I’ll temporarily burn this talisman to suppress the evil spirit’s energy.”

Uses the dead to harm the living, huh…. One could think of it that way.

The Emperor waved his hand, signaling her to proceed as she saw fit, and rested his chin on his hand.

Listening to that explanation, he understood how he had endured for so long.

What could the malice of a weakling who didn’t even have the courage to harm him directly by using the dead do to him? It was simply laughable.

He quietly watched the sorcerer’s actions when a voice came from outside.

“Your Majesty, Honorary Marquis Deon Hart has arrived.”