“I drank it.”
“Look! You might drink involuntarily!!”
“Stop yelling. It hurts my ears.”
“You’re the one making me yell, Argen!” Nadol snatched the cup from Argen’s hand roughly and shouted.
“You worry too much, goat.”
“Please… just care for yourself half as much as I worry about you.”Nadol pressed his forehead as if a headache were coming on. He knew that no matter how much he talked, Argen wouldn’t stop sucking until the curse had completely left Valen’s body.
Argen seemed infinitely gentle, as if she’d grant any reckless request… but that was just talk from those who didn’t know her. Argen was stubborn. Once she made up her mind, she possessed a tenacious determination to see it through. Even her parents, the former King and Queen, couldn’t withstand Argen’s stubbornness—how could the Elders possibly dissuade her?
If the curse must be removed via the mouth, then rather…
“I will do it.”
“Do what?”
Nadol shed his fur-turtle shell, his eyes gleaming with resolve. It was far better for him to suffer than for Argen to be endangered. Only then could he face the late King without shame when buried in the Eternal Lands. He exhaled deeply, then seized Valen’s arm. Argen immediately grabbed Nadol’s arm in turn.
“Argen?”
Argen shook her head, as if to dissuade him. “You, goat, cannot do this.”
Nadol’s eyes wavered.
‘Is she worried about me?’
Far from being hurt by the firm refusal, it felt like a warm fire was rising in the centre of his chest. Finn had sulked, saying things like Argen was giving Valen special treatment, but that was just ignorance talking. Look at this. She cares so deeply for the Elders, what kind of insolent thing did you say, Finn…
Argen had been thinking it was better for her own body to be harmed than for Nadol to be in danger. Tears welled up in the goat’s long, horizontal pupils.If my lord values her vassal, then as a vassal, there is no reason not to sacrifice my life! Nadol took a deep breath, swallowing his tears and snot.
“No! Don’t worry about me! Even if I end up buried in the Eternal Lands after sucking out No Name No.38’s poison, I will save this creature!”
For Lord Argen!!
Just as Nadol, like a warrior prepared for death, was about to press his mouth to Valen’s hand, Argen’s hand shot out and slapped Nadol’s forehead.
“Let go! I’m fine!”
“Goat, your snout is too long for this.”
“……Huh?”
Nadol slowly raised his upper body, a dumbstruck look on his face. Argen’s hand came out and blocked Nadal’s forehead.
“Suck on this.”
Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp.
Instead of pursing his lips to suck, his long tongue shot out and simply rubbed up and down the palm.
Damn it!!
The protruding, sideways-split structure of his mouth made suction impossible.Come to think of it, even when drinking wine, Nadol either had to gulp it down with his mouth wide open or slurp it up with a long straw. It reminded him of how Finn would always chuckle, “Lord Argen! Nadol is either a savage beast or a regressed infant beast cub!”
“……”
He’d thought Argen was trying to stop him out of concern… but it turned out she was trying to dissuade him from forcing himself to do something he couldn’t manage. Nadol’s pupils, now hollowed out, took on a faded hue.
‘No… this is a different kind of concern and affection.’
But before his gratitude toward Argen could fully settle, another thought suddenly surfaced. Didn’t that mean she’d been thinking about Nadol more deeply than Nadol himself?
“If I can’t do it, then have Finn do it!”
“Finn’s teeth are too sharp.”
“……He’d probably bite it up on purpose. Ah! What about Zephyr?”
“……”
Argen stared silently at Nadol. There were things in this world that needed no words to convey their meaning. Zephyr was the sort who’d swallow eleven curses for every ten he inhaled. Even as he died, he’d say, “Haha! Please sing at my funeral, Argen!”
“Goat. What’s popular in music these days?”
“We don’t sing celebratory songs at funerals.”
“……Did you peek inside my head?”
“Because I caught the funeral bouquet.” In my imagination. Nadol tapped his head lightly.
The room fell silent.
“I’ll find another demon to inhale the curse. There must be someone specialised in that sort of thing.”
“Enough. This happened because of me. I’ll take responsibility.”
“Lord Argen!”
“I don’t want to argue with you. Leave now.” Nadol was deeply shocked by Argen’s dismissal.
Moreover, instead of calling him affectionately, like ‘Goat,’ she used the cold, impersonal ‘you.’ He couldn’t believe it. Nadol’s hands trembled violently.If he lingered any longer, Argen might draw a line with an utterly cold expression, saying, “You’re getting tiresome.”
He already knew he couldn’t break her stubbornness. Nadol exhaled a deep sigh.“…I’m sorry for overstepping. Please let me be by your side when you extract the curse yourself. Please understand my concern, even just a little.”
“Alright.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Spit it out! Spit it out now!”
“Zepher, don’t just stand there! Cloth! Bring cloth! Scrub it, scrub it!”
Twice a day. Chaos erupted in Valen’s bedroom.
Every time Argen sucked the curse out with her mouth, Zephyr and Nadol made a fuss, scrubbing her mouth and tongue. Once, the brush plunged deep into Argen’s throat, forcing up even the meat chunk she’d eaten for dinner.
Nadol held her mouth open wide, inspecting every corner. Only after seeing her teeth gleaming clean, free of any trace of the curse, did he wipe away his cold sweat with a sigh. “You worked hard again today.”
Argen’s lips were puffed up as if she’d eaten something spicy. She wiped the snot dripping down her nose with her sleeve. “I’ve realised something today, you know.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
“It’s agonising.”
Lightning struck over the heads of the two Elders. The Electors had been convening the council for nearly a month, and Argen, overwhelmed by work, couldn’t even get two hours of restful sleep a day. Despite the gruelling schedule, Argen, who never showed signs of hardship, had just uttered ‘It’s agonising’ for the first time.
“No, no way… Did you swallow a curse?”
“No.”
“Even if it’s not a curse, it must be exhausting. You have to go to the council chamber at dawn and listen to the Electors’ unreasonable demands…”
“That’s not why.”
“Please tell us. If there’s anything we can do to help, we will.”
Argen seemed hesitant, then shifted her gaze. Her eyes fell on the scattered brushes and cloths on the floor, and the warm vomit.
Nadol, catching the implication, flared up and shouted. “No! You must endure, even if it’s a little painful!”
“You said you’d do anything.”
“But, but this is too much!!”
Nadol threw himself down, as if begging to have his own horns pulled out. In the end, Argen had to endure the agony of vomiting until Valen’s right arm regained its original colour.
The crimson moon hung low over the mountain ridge. Dragging the deep blue sky upward, it would blanket the world in the blink of an eye. Argen pressed her palms firmly against her eyes, then released them. Weariness had suddenly overwhelmed her.
She considered opening the window to let in some cool air, but decided against it. Valen’s body was shivering, though it wasn’t cold enough to cause chills. Besides, Valen was human—or perhaps it was innate—but his body tended to run hot. When they touched, his warmth transferred through the skin.
“Goat, tell me. I’ve removed all the curses, so why won’t he open his eyes?”
Nadol entered carrying thick blankets in both arms. He pushed the door shut with his foot and immediately spread the blankets over Valen’s body. The blankets featured a striking pattern of vibrant roses.
“Human bodies and minds are fragile, unlike demons. They’re a race that gets spooked just by the fact that wedding guests wear white.”
“Oh?”
“That guy… I don’t know for sure, but… he must have had a lot on his mind.”