Chapter: 11
“What? She targeted the Young Master?”
“She was carrying an item that was practically a bomb?”
“The Young Master almost exploded?”
“They said she’s not the Young Master anymore. She’s the Young Lady.”
After hearing that Marina had targeted me in the castle, the squad members all came rushing over.
And Chary…
“That XXXing XXX of a XXX who deserves to be XXed with a XX! XXXX! Is that XXX even human?”
I hadn’t known before, but Chary possessed an incredibly colorful vocabulary that not a single decent adult could ever repeat.
No one tried to stop her.
Marina, who had committed countless crimes, was apparently going to be sent to the mines.
They said it would be better for her to get used to it beforehand.
Just what kind of place was this mine if “getting used to it” involved having the hair around your ears and the top of your head ripped out?
Whatever the case, Marina seemed to be in serious trouble.
“Even the Viscount admitted her guilt in the end.”
I watched Marina being dragged away while Chary yanked out fistfuls of her hair.
“This is already her second attempted murder. There’s no hope of reforming her anymore.”
As I turned to head back to my room…
“Where are you going?”
The Vice Captain, who had been discussing Marina’s punishment with the members under his command, looked at me.
“I’m going back to my room.”
“The Captain is waiting for you.”
“…!”
The Captain.
Since arriving at San Miguel Castle, I hadn’t met him even once.
According to Antonio, he stayed in the deepest part of San Miguel.
Only a handful of people with permission even knew where it was, much less had access to it.
“So I’m finally going to meet him.”
With a tense expression, I followed behind the Vice Captain.
But something felt strange.
The farther we walked, the more puzzled I became.
The path he took was nothing like what I had expected.
I’d assumed the “deepest part” was somewhere inside the castle, but it wasn’t.
We continued walking long after passing the abandoned garden where Marina had attacked me.
Then we headed toward the towers on the castle’s outskirts.
There were clock towers, watchtowers, and beacon towers used during emergencies.
The Vice Captain headed toward the most isolated tower among them.
It had no windows—just a spiral staircase winding endlessly upward. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a decorative structure.
“The Captain lives in a place like this? There isn’t even a room…”
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Screech!
A bird-type monster flew into the tower.
It was a gigantic creature at least three meters tall.
Its beak was lined with sharp, mane-like fangs, and its claws were as thick as spears.
The monster shot straight toward me like an arrow.
“I’m going to get hit…!”
In terror, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
Then—
“There is nothing to worry about.”
Instead of pain, I heard the Vice Captain’s calm voice above me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
“Ah…”
The enormous monster that had blocked my view only moments ago had already turned to dust from its feet upward and was scattering into the air.
The Vice Captain looked back at me.
“Within the Captain’s field of vision, nothing can harm us.”
The Captain’s field of vision?
Startled, I looked up.
It was a pitch-black night.
The outline of a man standing with the full moon behind him shimmered beneath the moonlight.
Like primordial darkness itself, he made everything around him freeze.
Yes.
That man.
Aslan.
The Vice Captain placed a hand over his chest and bowed deeply.
“I greet the Captain.”
At last, we met again.
“I thought the inside looked smaller than the outside… so there was a hidden room.”
When the Vice Captain felt along the wall, a hidden passage appeared.
We followed it into the room.
Red curtains dominated the chamber.
Once the Captain sat down, the Vice Captain began reporting everything that had happened.
“The Lord has sent his niece, who attacked the Young Lady, to the mines. Within the next few days, he plans to request from Escarotte that the Captain inherit the lordship.”
Quietly listening, I flinched.
“The Captain is personally becoming the lord?”
Wasn’t there an issue with his status?
Wasn’t that why they had installed the Viscount as nothing more than a puppet lord?
My gaze drifted to a document lying on the table.
When I read it, I froze.
…I hereby bequeath all of the property and rights listed above to Aslan.
Augusto Calendar, March 25
Stephan San Miguel
“He completely stripped the Viscount of everything!”
Not just his wealth—even his title had been taken.
I had wondered how they managed to make him sign such a thing, but I soon shook my head.
“Something unbelievable must have happened down in the underground prison.”
Even in the game, Irregulars would occasionally be judged as excessively brutal, to the point where parts of the story had to be revised.
I didn’t feel particularly sorry for the Viscount.
He had threatened children and ultimately tried to murder them with an explosive device.
What part of someone like that deserved pity?
“More importantly, the Captain is someone who clearly rewards and punishes people.”
Merciless toward enemies.
Willing to give allies opportunities to grow.
In other words, he was the ideal boss—someone who protected his people and even gave them work.
“So I really need to make a good impression…”
But the Captain didn’t seem interested in me at all.
Even after finishing his report, the Vice Captain cast me an awkward glance.
Now that I’d become the Captain’s adopted daughter, he had probably intended for us to formally greet each other.
Instead, the Captain kept reading paperwork.
After a long silence, the Vice Captain reluctantly spoke.
“…Captain, do you have anything you’d like to say to Lady Yustea?”
Without looking up from the documents, the Captain answered,
“Participate in the selection for the Crown Prince’s attendant and go to Escarotte’s main castle. If you arrange a private meeting between the Duke and me, you will be rewarded.”
“…”
“…”
That was it.
I’d already noticed during our journey to San Miguel Castle, but the Captain truly only spoke when absolutely necessary.
The Vice Captain swallowed a sigh.
“That’s the essence of the mission.”
“…O-Okay.”
When I blinked and answered, the Vice Captain looked slightly embarrassed.
“This is an important mission upon which the fate of the Irregulars depends. If you succeed, you’ll likely be able to care for your mother for the rest of your life without ever needing to work again.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Very good. Then shall we go?”
The Vice Captain looked at the Captain with eyes that practically cursed him before speaking to me.
“Hmm… the Vice Captain really is a pitiful middle manager getting squeezed from both above and below.”
He only seemed cold because he constantly had to keep himself under control.
Feeling sorry for him, I stood up.
“It’s disappointing, but if I force myself on the Captain now, I’ll only make things worse.”
Planning to do better next time, I gave the Captain a deep bow.
“I’ll work hard from now on… huh?”
As I raised my head after bowing, I froze.
Something strange caught my eye on the Captain’s wrist as he turned another page.
The Vice Captain looked puzzled.
“Young Lady?”
“…Captain, do you sleep well?”
“…What?”
“Does your body go numb? Does even a gentle breeze hurt? Your eyes… I’d like to look at your eyes more closely.”
As I reached out, the Vice Captain hurriedly stepped in front of me.
“You cannot touch the Captain.”
“I’m sorry. But I have to confirm something.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“You’re cursed!”
“…!”
The Vice Captain stiffened.
Even the Captain, whose attention had been fixed on the paperwork until then, finally looked at me.
With a serious face, I said,
“I recognize that mark. It’s the mark of a curse. It starts in the heart and spreads throughout the body. The fact that it’s already reached your wrist means it’s in a very serious stage…”
As I spoke, I stopped.
The Vice Captain had gone rigid.
But it wasn’t because he was shocked by the situation.
It was closer to the expression of someone wondering how I knew.
And the Captain…
“You have useful eyes.”
He already knew he was cursed.
But he was this calm?
No…
With a body suffering from that curse, he had still annihilated an entire noble house in the capital and even destroyed a forbidden magic formation by sending in his hawk?
People called the Irregulars’ elite squad monsters.
But I disagreed.
The one who had truly surpassed the limits of humanity…
…was the Captain himself.
“That’s the Curse of the Dark Realm, isn’t it? An ancient spell activated using one hundred Heavenly Demon corpses, one hundred human corpses, and the caster’s own life as the catalyst.”
It sealed away the victim’s mana.
Even breathing became unbearable agony.
At night, ghostly energy prevented them from sleeping altogether.
The Vice Captain shut his eyes tightly.
Since I’d recognized the curse, he knew there was no point hiding it anymore.
“It began three years ago. Since then, we’ve searched everywhere for a method to break it and finally found a clue.”
The Vice Captain walked over to a drawer and took something out.
It was wrapped in cloth.
And I recognized it.
When I first joined the Irregulars, the Captain, Antonio, and I had visited the marketplace together.
The Captain and Antonio had returned carrying that very same wrapped bundle.
“So that’s what they found—a clue to breaking the curse.”
“It’s the Bright Spirit Stone. According to an ancient text, it’s the only object capable of lifting the Curse of the Dark Realm. But in the end, we never discovered how to use it. Damn it…”
“…”
“Which is why we must enter Escarotte as quickly as possible. The magicians there might know—”
“…I know.”
Silence filled the room.
Then—
“Whaaat?!”
The Vice Captain stared at me as though his eyes were about to pop out.
His mouth opened and closed before he finally managed to speak.
“H-How…?”
Though “speak” was generous.
The usually rational Vice Captain sounded just like Antonio.
He was that shocked.
“Because I saw it in the game.”
Of course, I couldn’t actually say that.
So I darted my eyes around before answering,
“I was the eldest daughter of House Andres, remember? I had access to the secret library… um… House Andres has existed since the Empire was founded, so there were all kinds of ancient books…”
“I see…!”
Apparently my excuse worked.
The Vice Captain looked overjoyed.
“What do we need to do?”
“The Bright Spirit Stone can’t be used because it’s sealed by a barrier. I know how to remove the barrier, so leave that to me. And…”
I looked at the Captain.
“The Captain needs to prepare himself before we break the curse.”
“What kind of preparation? Just tell us.”
I raised one finger.
“Plenty of rest. A balanced diet. And every meal must include Bright Spirit Grass.”
He needed to build up his strength before lifting the curse.
And the Bright Spirit Grass would prepare his body to accept the Bright Spirit Stone.
The Vice Captain suddenly flinched.
“…”
“…?”
Frowning, he looked at the Captain.
The Captain simply resumed reading his paperwork.
Tilting my head, I asked,
“What?”
“The Captain isn’t normally difficult to serve. Having lived with death at his side, he learns everything quickly and isn’t picky about food or where he sleeps.”
Why was he suddenly giving such a long explanation?
“However, everyone has something they instinctively find difficult to accept. Just as I can’t stand insects. Surely you have something like that too, Young Lady.”
“I catch bugs just fine.”
“For some people, it’s heights. For others, being locked inside a room. For some, it’s death.”
“…?”
“And for the Captain…”
He paused.
“…it’s Bright Spirit Grass.”
In other words…
The Captain was a picky eater.
A few days later.
Looking at the tray Antonio had brought down from the tower, I let out a groan.
“He really isn’t eating it.”
Only the Bright Spirit Grass remained untouched.
The Captain absolutely refused to eat it.
Even the Vice Captain, who had defended the Captain with such a lengthy explanation the last time, now looked like he was about to collapse from stress.
No…
Perhaps he already had.
The clean, disciplined face everyone described as pure and ascetic was now completely twisted.
“Did you at least try persuading him?”
“I did.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him, ‘The Vice Captain says, “Do you have a death wish?”‘”
“…And then?”
“He told the Vice Captain to come up to the tower.”
Antonio received a solid kick to the calf from the Vice Captain.
I sighed.
“Getting his body used to the Bright Spirit Grass isn’t absolutely required.”
But without it, breaking the curse would cause unimaginable pain.
An ordinary person would probably die of shock.
The Captain likely didn’t care about pain, which was why he refused to eat it.
But from the Vice Captain’s perspective—and mine—we couldn’t help worrying.
“The Bright Spirit Grass must taste absolutely horrible.”
Bright Spirit Grass was a mysterious medicinal herb nourished by the mana in the air.
Like rose thorns or monkshood poison, it had evolved a defense mechanism.
Anyone who ate it would experience the worst taste imaginable.
“But we can’t just let him keep refusing…”
As I muttered to myself, the Vice Captain—who had been twisting Antonio’s neck in irritation—looked toward me.
I spoke.
“What if I stay by the Captain’s side and personally prepare his meals?”
“That would be troublesome. Antonio can—”
The Vice Captain stopped mid-sentence.
I simply smiled kindly.
Neither of us believed Antonio possessed the awareness needed to figure out the Captain’s food preferences while serving his meals.
Antonio only had two opinions about food.
“It’s freaking delicious!”
“It’s freaking disgusting…”
And the Vice Captain was far too busy to look after every one of the Captain’s meals.
Even now, he barely had time to sleep because he was handling the Captain’s succession to the lordship.
“Well… wouldn’t it be better if I did it?”
“…I’m sorry to trouble you, but I sincerely ask for your help.”
It wasn’t a bad arrangement for me either.
If I became close to the Captain through this, maybe even after my role as the Young Lady ended, I could continue working as his personal cook.
“I’ll give it my all.”
I clenched my fist with determination.
Deep within the Irregulars’ headquarters stood the Spiral Tower.
Wearing a robe, Captain Aslan sat quietly with his eyes closed.
Between the loosely fastened robes, his muscular body was visible.
The curse markings spreading all the way to his wrists looked like chains wrapped around him.
Vice Captain Lorenzo spoke in a low voice.
“This has become too dangerous.”
The unbearable pain must have been ravaging his body.
Each step would feel like walking across sharpened blades.
Every breath would feel like red-hot iron skewering his lungs.
The fact that he had survived until now was nothing short of miraculous.
“Even the medicinal incense no longer works. You can’t even sleep anymore, so why do you continue to be so stubborn?”
At his words, one of the four figures inside the magic mirrors sneered.
[So now you’ll have to accept treatment from that Andres girl. Eat food with who-knows-what inside it, and use a Bright Spirit Stone that may or may not actually break the curse.]
“She is not a child who would harm the Captain.”
The Vice Captain answered coldly.
The figure only laughed.
[Remarkable little girl. Just what did she do to earn Lorenzo Wirth’s trust to that extent?]
“Caesar!”
The Vice Captain shouted.
Reflected in the mirrors were every member of the Irregulars’ elite squad except Antonio.
The monsters gathered beneath Aslan.
Today was one of their regular meetings.
The main topic, naturally, was Yustea.
Elite member Caesar’s handsome face twisted into a scowl.
[If you don’t want to witness an even bigger disaster, stop entertaining stupid ideas.]
[He’s not wrong. Since when have we trusted people?]
Another elite member agreed, and the others joined in.
[The Captain’s life is at stake. I agree we should be much more cautious. Haha…]
[What a cheerful atmosphere. So… does anyone have a better solution?]
As soon as the last speaker finished, silence fell over the room.
For years, the Irregulars had searched every corner of the continent.
Yet they had found no answer.
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
A soft voice came from outside.
“It’s Yustea. I’ve brought your meal.”
One of the elite members spoke.
[If there’s an ancient book describing the curse-breaking method, we should obtain it ourselves… Captain?]
The speaker suddenly stopped.
The Captain had personally opened the door.
[…!]
[…?!]
Even the Vice Captain widened his eyes at the Captain’s casual behavior.
The Captain asked,
“Is it braised short ribs?”
“No.”
“…”
He quietly fell silent.
