* * *
Even if it didn’t have full consciousness, it was undoubtedly a powerful curse.
Curses always exist for a reason.
And Raizen’s curse… perhaps it was cleverer than I thought, adapting to serve its purpose in a more cunning way.
‘I stopped the tragedy it originally planned. So it lay low, gathering strength in silence.’
Now, it was striking back.
“…Ha, haha.”
So all this time, the reason Raizen seemed at peace wasn’t because of my power—it was because his curse had been lying in wait, biding its time.
No… no, my power must have had some effect.
That’s why the curse held back. Right?
‘I have to be useful.’
Raizen treats me kindly, looks after me… because I’m useful to him.
But if he realizes that my power isn’t actually helping suppress his curse—
‘I’ll be discarded.’
My teeth clenched hard enough to ache.
[Are you watching?]
I sent a message to Noah. No response.
‘The Ancient Gods… did they not know about this?’
There’s no way.
They’re actual gods.
They wouldn’t have possessed me just to remove Raizen’s curse if they weren’t deeply invested in this.
But… they didn’t know?
‘Maybe the quest didn’t include it.’
After all, quests seemed to be created after discussions among multiple Ancient Gods.
But if it were Noah—if it were the Noah I knew—he would’ve given me even the tiniest hint.
‘Do you really trust Noah? To him, you’re just a tool to lift the curse.’
Thoughts I had buried deep down resurfaced, piercing through me.
‘I know…’
I know Noah is keeping things from me.
I know that what he really wants from me is to break Raizen’s curse, nothing more.
“Hahaha! So you’re just a tool—to Raizen, to Noah. Oh, and to the Duke and Duchess too! They treat you well because of your divine power, don’t they? Unlike how they treated Sean in the novel!”
…I know.
Sean was only briefly mentioned in the ‘Raizen: Bonus Chapter’, but whenever I read his death scene, I always wondered.
Raizen had killed him too easily.
The Duke and Duchess took Sean in to protect their late friend’s child.
That means they must have cared about him to some extent.
So if Raizen knew that… how did he get rid of Sean so effortlessly?
The Raizen I know would’ve staged it as an accident.
That way, no one would suspect a thing, and he could eliminate Sean without leaving behind any loose ends.
But in the extra story, Raizen simply walked into Sean’s room and slit his throat.
That alone told me how much Sean had gotten under his skin.
‘At first, they probably took good care of him.’
And that made Raizen feel like his parents’ love had been stolen away.
But as time passed, the Duke and Duchess’ attention must have faded.
Because unlike me, the Sean in the novel… had no divine power.
“…Ah.”
I want to die.
It’s always like this.
My efforts amount to nothing.
Because I keep trying to change things that can’t be changed.
My mother.
My father.
My brother.
Just because I got reincarnated into another world, why did I think anything would be different?
“Are you giving up?”
“…?”
Raizen?
No… a deeper voice, clearer pronunciation.
“Hyung?”
I snapped my head toward the voice.
But there was nothing there—only darkness.
‘Did I imagine it?’
It had to be.
There was no way my brother was here.
But… it was too vivid.
It sounded like he was standing right next to me.
He asked me.
‘Are you giving up?’
“…No. No, I’m not.”
The fog in my mind cleared, the drowning sensation lifting.
‘Focus on what’s in front of you.’
The damage was done.
Now, I had to fix it.
I didn’t know what to do, but I knew what had to be done.
I stretched my hands forward slightly, guiding the power pooled near my heart.
A shimmering blue light, interwoven with silver, flowed outward.
As the light passed through, the lingering darkness crumbled, dissolving into nothing.
‘It worked!’
I had to keep going.
Drive back the darkness and find anyone—anything.
I took a step forward.
“I hate this! I’m terrified! Everyone who was serving the young master disappeared—what if the same happens to me?!”
“So, what? Are you just gonna quit? They even promised to raise our pay. Just close your eyes and do it. Nothing’s actually going to happen.”
“T-Then you do it! If you’re so eager, why don’t you volunteer instead?!”
“Hey, when did I ever say I wanted to?!”
“What are we supposed to do?! What if it is a curse?! Didn’t the late Duchess say it? That the young master was cursed! That he was possessed by a demon!!”
‘I’m sick of this.’
Raizen thought to himself.
Did they still believe that words like those could hurt him?
Those insults had long since been worn down, repeated over and over again until they lost their sting.
They didn’t faze him anymore.
After all, he knew the truth—he was cursed.
And if that fact ever got out, people would only fear him. He understood that all too well.
Leaving the chattering maids behind, Raizen started walking in the opposite direction.
Their voices were sharp and clear, yet the scenery of the ducal estate felt strangely faded—like an old, yellowed book.
‘For something that’s supposed to be my ten-year-old memory, there are flaws.’
Just moments ago, he had been inside the banquet hall, where the New Year’s celebration was taking place.
Then, without warning, his vision had darkened, only to brighten again—and suddenly, he found himself in the ducal estate’s corridor.
Hearing the maids’ conversation immediately brought back his memories from when he was ten.
After all, the words they spoke were exactly the same as what he had heard four years ago.
That was enough for him to realize—this was all part of the curse.
But something felt off.
The memory hadn’t been perfectly reconstructed, and if this was meant to torment him, it was far too weak.
‘It doesn’t even compare to the nightmares that have haunted me for years.’
Raizen’s lips curled into a smirk.
‘Its power has weakened.’
So Sean’s power was the right answer.
‘But still…’
Right now, he was trapped.
Which meant he needed to find a way out.
Without hesitation, Raizen strode back to his room and locked the door behind him.
Then, ignoring the light seeping through the window, he fixed his gaze on the one spot in the room that remained unusually dark.
“Come out.”
At his words, the darkness stirred.
A writhing black mass shot up from the shadows—noticeably smaller than before.
[Ki ki ki, hellooo, Raizen~!]
“You seem to be doing well,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The black mass shuddered at his mocking tone.
[That’s right! And it’s all thanks to you! Heeheehee!]
It cackled uncontrollably, spinning wildly in the air.
‘Did it completely lose its mind after getting hit with divine power?’
[Amazing, amazing! I never thought things would turn out this way! Ahhh! Who would’ve expected an exception? And for that exception to grow this much?! Those cowardly ■■■ bastards! Cowards! Cowards!]
…It really had lost its mind.
But Raizen couldn’t afford to dismiss its ramblings so easily.
There was something off about the way certain words became distorted, as if someone was deliberately preventing him from hearing them.
He was curious—desperately so—about the meaning behind those words.
But he already knew it wouldn’t tell him, no matter how many times he asked.
So then, what could he do right now?
Lost in thought, Raizen suddenly realized something.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever faced that thing and remained this calm.’
The black mass had always been pure terror to him.
Whenever it appeared, it felt as if his heart were a lake struck by a massive shockwave, bringing every buried fear and horror back to the surface.
Even the emotions he had locked away so tightly that even he had forgotten about them.
It always felt as though the darkness would consume him entirely, erasing his existence forever.
He had struggled endlessly just to suppress that fear.
But this time… was different.
“Enough nonsense. Why did you bring me here?”
Raizen crossed his arms, and at his sharp tone, the writhing mass suddenly froze in place.
[Let’s make a bet!]
“A bet?”
[Will he come looking for you or not?]
Raizen’s brow furrowed.
“And if I win?”
[I’ll let you go!]
“…What?”
[But if I win, you stay here. Forever!]
“Hah…”
What utter nonsense.
It had dragged him here against his will, and now he had to win a bet just to leave?
And even if he did win, what would he really gain from it?
[What’s wrong? Don’t like it? But Raizen, aren’t you curious? Whether he will really come looking for you?]
Raizen’s lips pressed together at the pointed remark.
[Heehee, I knew it! I know everything, Raizen. I know what you want.]
“You must have tried to pull something on Sean too.”
[Ki hi hi, you never let anything slide, do you? But Raizen, think about it. Do you really think I could’ve done anything to him?]
It was an indirect way of saying that its power hadn’t worked on Sean.
Raizen immediately understood the implication.
“I need proof.”
[Hmm? Don’t tell me… you don’t trust his power? Or maybe… you don’t trust him?]
The creature’s words hit exactly where it hurt.
Just as he had expected.
* * *
