* * *
The moment I saw that green hair, I had a feeling—but I really hoped I was wrong.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t.
Sensing someone’s presence, Jason Odil slowly lifted his head.
His eyes widened in shock.
“Why are you here…! Hic!”
That’s what I should be asking.
‘Should I just leave?’
I hadn’t stepped onto the balcony with any grand intentions.
It was just an impulsive reaction—hearing someone getting scolded like that made me move without thinking.
‘Judging by the situation, he definitely got reprimanded…’
Aside from his slightly flushed face, Jason Odil looked fine.
Well, it’s not like they’d hit him where it would leave a mark—especially during a banquet.
My gaze shifted to his arm, which he had instinctively covered the moment he saw me.
‘He’s startled… and probably terrified of anyone finding out he was hit.’
He was still young—his reaction was unconscious.
He hadn’t even realized his clothes were hiding any visible injuries.
‘So, was that the Baroness of the Odil family who just left?’
The person who did the hitting was gone now, so my objective was technically achieved.
I was about to step off the balcony when—
“Hiccup! Hic…!”
“……”
“Hic! Sniffle…”
‘For crying out loud…’
In the end, I turned back and asked,
“You okay?”
“Hic!”
Tears welled up in Jason Odil’s already misty eyes.
He scrunched up his face, trying desperately to hold them in.
He even bit his lip hard. Watching him struggle like that made my stomach twist in anger.
‘Why does a kid have to go this far just to stop himself from crying?’
Crying is natural for a child.
It’s the adults who are wrong for making them feel like they shouldn’t.
‘Cry? Go ahead! Cry louder! Let the whole damn place hear you! If you really want to make me the villain, then go on and cry your heart out!’
“……”
A voice from my past echoed in my head, making me unconsciously bite the inside of my cheek.
I thought I’d moved on.
But maybe… I just hadn’t faced my memories in a long time.
Or perhaps—now that I was receiving the kind of care I never had as a child—those buried memories were resurfacing on their own.
‘It’s probably both.’
Either way, I didn’t want to leave Jason Odil like this.
I cracked the balcony door open and peeked inside the hall, but there was no sign of Mila.
It wasn’t like her to leave me alone for long, and the drinks weren’t that far away.
‘Did someone hold her up?’
“Hic! Sniffle…”
I considered finding him some water, but that wouldn’t be enough.
I extended my hand toward Jason Odil.
“Let’s go.”
He was still hiccupping, staring at my hand without taking it.
‘Wow, for a kid, he sure has a lot of pride.’
Were all nobles like this?
If I wanted him to move, I needed to give him an excuse—something that wouldn’t hurt his pride.
With a quiet sigh, I spoke.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Jason Odil’s face wasn’t just red from crying—it was too red.
Even the tip of his nose looked like it was burning.
I was fine since I’d layered up, but he was clearly underdressed.
He must’ve only worn a thick coat, thinking he’d stay indoors the whole time.
“I-I’m n-not…! Achoo!”
Not only did he sneeze, but he sniffled hard enough to suck his own snot back in.
When I held out the handkerchief Mila had given me, he hesitated before snatching it—making sure not to touch my hand in the process.
‘Unbelievable.’
What kind of upbringing did he have to be this wary?
He was only ten, at best…
No, maybe because he was so young.
At that age, whatever your parents said was the law.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
No matter what, I couldn’t get genuinely mad at a kid.
I was the adult here. I was the adult…
“Are you coming or not?”
I moved closer to the door and asked again.
The sneezing seemed to have stopped his hiccups.
Jason Odil glanced between me and the door, then shook his head hard.
“I-I can’t.”
Not I won’t—I can’t.
Like someone had ordered him to stay put.
“Are you being punished?”
“No! I-I did something wrong…! No, wait, I mean—yeah. I was stupid, so… it’s my fault…”
“What exactly did you do wrong?”
“Th-that’s…! W-why should I tell you?!”
Damn, that was loud.
My ears are ringing.
Isn’t he cold and exhausted?
How does he still have the energy to yell like that?
“You… Y-you need to leave! I’m not supposed to talk to the likes of you! You’re just a thief who stole my place!”
Too bad that didn’t really bother me.
What did concern me was the fact that his shouting might carry beyond the balcony.
“So, you’re staying?”
“……”
“Suit yourself. I’m heading inside where it’s warm.”
I emphasized warm, and sure enough, his expression wavered.
Without hesitation, I opened the door.
“W-wait!”
His shrill voice rang out, followed by a loud thud.
I turned back to see him sitting on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
‘Called it.’
After standing out here for so long, there was no way he could move properly.
I approached him again and held out my hand.
“You coming?”
Jason Odil gave a small nod.
As irritating as he was, I resisted the urge to make him say it out loud.
‘Don’t tease the kid.’
“Well? You gonna take my hand or not?”
Maybe he was too drained to fight back anymore, because he grabbed my hand without hesitation.
His fingers were freezing from the cold. Just as I was about to help him up—
The balcony door slammed open.
“My dear…!!”
A strong rose-scented perfume hit my nose as an elegant dress fluttered before me.
Jason Odil’s hand slipped from mine far too easily.
“M-Mother!”
“How could you be so thoughtless?! It’s freezing out here! Why didn’t you come inside right away?!”
The Baroness’s voice was quiet—like she was being careful—but I caught every single word.
My fists clenched as I looked up at her.
‘She’s the one who made him stand out here, and now she’s blaming him for it?’
Disgusting.
But there was nothing I could do.
I could only watch as the Baroness dragged Jason Odil away, completely ignoring the way he limped.
He struggled to keep up, then glanced back at me.
Our eyes met.
That was it.
“…Ha.”
What the hell was I even doing?
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and stepped off the balcony.
Just then, I heard the hurried sound of footsteps rushing toward me.
I lifted my head—
“Mila?”
“I’m sorry, young master. You waited long, didn’t you?”
She pressed a glass of something warm into my hand.
“Hmm? Oh, it’s fine.”
I was more curious about why she was late.
The timing was too perfect—almost like she had been watching the whole time.
Was it just like I thought?
Did someone really hold her up…?
My eyes drifted toward the direction she came from.
‘…Raizen.’
Standing at a considerable distance was Raizen.
Unlike before, the Duke of Pantheon was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a few familiar faces from the ‘Directory of Names’ surrounded him.
Raizen was responding to them while staring directly at me.
And then—
“Kyaaahhh!!”
“W-What?! What’s going on?!”
“Waaahhh! Mom!!”
All light vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything.
It wasn’t just a simple blackout.
It was an all-consuming void, as if a colossal darkness had descended.
The screams and voices that filled the air the moment the light disappeared gradually faded.
Even the expected sounds of people stumbling in panic were gone.
‘As if everything had simply ceased to exist.’
Pitch-black darkness.
People, suddenly gone.
I wanted to find some proof that my assumption was wrong.
But instead, I was growing more certain that I was right.
“Fuck…”
That damned curse.
The one that had been lying dormant all this time had finally started moving.
My heart pounded—thump, thump—so violently it felt like it would burst.
I gasped for breath, my chest tightening unbearably.
I struck my chest with my fist, trying to steady myself.
‘Why?’
One question consumed my thoughts.
‘Why did this happen?’
I did everything I could.
I stopped the tragedy that was supposed to happen on Raizen’s birthday, didn’t I?
Could it be… that preventing that tragedy was the reason this happened instead?
But there was no warning, no sign.
‘You never noticed warnings in the first place.’
A voice, emerging from the depths of my mind, whispered as if it were right beside me.
‘Yeah… I never noticed anything.’
The tragedy on his birthday was written in the novel.
That’s how I knew about it.
The quest told me to prevent it.
In the end, I didn’t accomplish anything with my own power.
‘So… it really was because I wasn’t strong enough.’
Special divine power?
What even is that?
The only thing I can do is imbue power into something.
I don’t even know if what I’ve been doing actually purifies Raizen’s curse or just suppresses it temporarily.
“…What the hell do I even know?”
Come to think of it, I barely understood Raizen’s curse at all.
The novel only mentioned that his curse brought him misfortune and manifested as a dark mass that whispered all sorts of negativity—almost like it had a will of its own.
‘A curse with a will of its own…?’
* * *
