Argen turned, her white robes fluttering behind her. Startled the Elders followed her, calling out to her, but no sound reached her ears. Only the thought of saving Valen filled her mind, overwhelmingly.
It’s not too late.
If I sever it before the curse penetrates his body. Fortunately, Valen was where Argen’s magic lingered. This meant there was a sufficient medium to traverse space.
Argen closed her eyes and concentrated her magic. White petals flew in, enveloping her body. Before her physical form could move, she channeled her magic first, with the urgency of putting out a fire. Using the object closest to Valen that belonged to Argen…
Something unexpected was felt. It was the torn skirt hem she had ripped off to wipe Valen’s sweat. Why did he keep something practically worthless? The question dug in, but there was no time to think deeply.
Valen, barely saved, had not regained consciousness for ten days. What kind of dream was he having…?
“Aren’t you angry, Argen?” Finn asked, sounding exasperated.
“What reason would I have to be angry?”
His expression twisted in disappointment. It made his heart ache even more, precisely because he cared for her.
“Plenty! You should be furious at the Electors who tear into you, claiming they’re right! You should be furious at that bastard who betrayed Lord Argen!”
“Betrayal? Such feelings don’t suit the bond between me and No Name Number 38. You mustn’t forget he was dragged here against his will.”
“But! At first, it was a bit… Yes, I admit it wasn’t good, but we built affection living together, didn’t we?”
“He must have missed his homeland too. He has family left there, a life to live.”
“Why are you always taking that bastard’s side, Argen?”
Finn spoke in a highly irritable tone, then kicked a stone at his feet. The stone flew higher than the force applied would suggest, rolled for a while, then splashed into the pond.
“I’m not taking sides. I’m stating facts.”
“But it’s true you’re especially lenient with that bastard. You let him get away with everything… You give him special treatment.”
Argen looked back at Finn as if puzzled. It seemed to ask, ‘Me?’ It was true she paid more attention to Valen than others, but she hadn’t given him special treatment. She just checked on him often and listened to what he had to say.
“Do you realise that Lord Argen is becoming strange because of that guy? As someone who should be assisting Lord Argen, I cannot accept this. I’ll look for other human scum, so let’s just get rid of that bastard.”
“Finn. Watch your words.”
“Lord Argen!”
“I will not abandon that man.”
“Even if I say I don’t want him?”
“Your opinion matters not to this Lord’s decision.”
Finn seemed flustered by Argen’s response, about to add something, but quickly shut his mouth. His face twisted in wounded pride as he gnawed on his lower lip, then strode off rapidly. Argen stared blankly at Finn’s retreating back.
“He really acts like a child. Don’t worry too much about it. He’ll snap out of it in a few days. ” Nadol stretched his arms overhead as he spoke.
The pressure from the Electors, day and night, had left him unable to sleep properly for over a week. If he could just find a place to lay his head, even the middle of a battlefield would be enough for deep, restful sleep.
But he couldn’t afford to whine about being tired. Compared to the burden Argen carried, his own lack of sleep was nothing.
Argen bore the brunt of the pressure from the Electors, and she also had to tend to the territories ravaged by humans. Not only that, Valen’s reckless escape attempt had brought the Demon King’s Castle to the brink of collapse. Repairing it required Argen’s strength, and on top of that, she was solely responsible for nursing Valen back to health.
The fact that he had touched the late King’s relics was known only to Argen and the Elders. Argen had strictly enforced secrecy.
This was where Finn, who had an affection deficit specifically towards Argen, began to feel resentful. He was furious enough over the betrayal, yet here she was shielding him, afraid he might be reprimanded. The talk of special treatment wasn’t an exaggeration. Though Argen seemed completely unaware.
Nadol hummed thoughtfully, studying Argen’s face. She was the type who never showed signs of hardship, so even if asked if she was tired, she’d only repeat, “I’m fine.” Nadol sat down with his back to Argen.
“Hop on my back. I want to be your legs, Argen.”
But no matter how long he waited, only the chill air touched him; he felt none of Argen’s feather-light weight. Puzzled, Nadol turned his head slightly. She stood there blankly, staring down at his back.
“Argen?”
“It’s fine.”
“No, why…?”
Argen walked past Nadol, and Nadol stood frozen in shock for a long moment.
As soon as Argen returned to the Demon King’s Castle, she checked on Valen’s condition. Even though the Elders changed his clothes three times a day, they quickly became soaked with sweat. His sharply defined lips parted slightly as he exhaled ragged breaths, and his eyes—always fierce and unyielding—were now closed without the slightest opening.
Occasionally, he would furrow his brow as if tormented by a terrible nightmare. Each time, placing a hand over his eyes would briefly ease the grimace.
His bangs were damp with cold sweat, yet his lips were parched and dry. From the tip of his right hand to below his elbow, the flesh was rotten, charred black like burnt ash. It was the curse. She had moved as fast as possible, but she hadn’t been able to completely block the curse’s transfer.
Argen felt heavy-hearted, as if everything were her fault.
The calluses left on Valen’s palm were like a medal of honour that a lazy person could never possess. Even without seeing it with her own eyes, she could tell how harshly Valen had pushed himself to master swordsmanship. If she couldn’t completely remove the curse, Valen might never be able to hold a sword in his right hand again.
She poured all her energy into casting purification magic daily, but the improvement was minimal. The curse on the relic was certain death; there was no purification method to begin with. Argen was forcing treatment against all odds.
Nadol, the Demon King’s Castle’s sole physician, wiped the sweat trickling down Argen’s chin. “Being cursed and only losing one arm is already a miracle.”
“When he wakes and realises he can no longer hold a sword, wouldn’t life itself become hell? Some lives are more agonising than death.”
“I’m worried Lord Argen might collapse trying to save No Name.”
“I am unshaken.”
“…Catch your breath before speaking.”
The light flowing from beneath her palm extended toward Valen’s right hand. But an intangible barrier fiercely repelled the light’s intrusion. The two forces collided, sparking with a crackling sound like sparks flying, and soon the light scattered with a dull thud.
The recoil pushed Argen’s upper body backward. Nadol instinctively placed his hand on her back. “It seems the curse placed directly by the late King is too powerful to lift with magic alone.”
Argen narrowed her eyes and stared down at Valen’s arm for a long moment.‘I suppose that’s all for today.’
It was while Nadol was tidying up the area, Argen suddenly bowed her head and pressed her lips to Valen’s arm. More precisely, she was sucking the cursed area clean with her mouth.
“Lord Argen!!” Startled, Nadol flung what he held in his hand and grabbed her shoulders.
With a rough grip, he pressed her cheeks open and pulled everything inside out. A viscous black liquid dripped out.
Nadol, now pale with shock, pressed her neck downward. It was a sacrilegious act born from his determination to prevent even a single drop from entering her. He shoved a clean, unused cloth into her mouth, stuffing it all in, and finally scraped her tongue harshly.
“Do you want to see me die of a heart attack?!” Nadol forced her mouth open wide, pulling her tongue and lips taut, causing Argen’s lips to swell puffily.
“This seems to be the only way.”
“What if you get cursed too, Lord Argen?! That guy got it in his arm, but you’re sucking it towards your esophagus!”
“As long as you don’t swallow it, it’s fine.”
“Test by drinking this!”
Nadol held out a cup of water. Argen confidently took it as if it were no trouble at all, gulping it down smoothly. She emptied it completely, not leaving a single drop, then let out a refreshing sigh, ‘Huuu…’. Then, with an ‘Oh no,’ he looked up.