Chapter 4 – Encounter with a Demon (Part 6)

In her previous life, it was known that the duke and duchess had died, but in fact, they were still alive.

“Since being cursed, he has been living in the basement. Other servants don’t know, but Mollek and Nisroch do.”

“……Is there a way to break the curse?”

If there was, she wanted to help. But Fernan shook his head with a sad smile.

“There is no way. We don’t even know what kind of curse it is.”

To break a curse, one needed to know what kind of curse it was. Only then could a solution be found.

But they didn’t even know what kind of curse it was….

“Until a few months ago, we could communicate actively. Now it’s almost impossible….”

Fernan finished with a bitter expression.

Seeing him look so lonely, Ellerdin couldn’t help but hug him tightly.

She gently stroked the back of his head. She wanted to comfort him.

“Thank you for telling me such a painful memory. Thank you for enduring the loneliness all this time.”

Fernan raised his arms to hug her back. He had never told anyone about this past before.

He felt glad he had told Ellerdin. Instead of being scared by the curse, she was comforting him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Ellerdin tightened her arms around Fernan. If he asked for help, she was ready to spend day and night finding a way to break the curse.

But Fernan’s answer was a refusal.

“It’s my parents’ matter. I will handle it. Please focus on your own well-being.”

He was indirectly saying he didn’t want to cause her any harm.

“But… if you have some time occasionally, please talk to my father.”

However, driven by a small hope that she might be able to break the curse, he added one more thing.

Feeling embarrassed by his own words, Fernan smiled awkwardly.

Ellerdin felt relieved that Fernan had said this.

“I will try to break both your curse and your father’s. This is purely my intention, so please don’t feel burdened.”

Ellerdin said with a serious expression.

“Thank you.”

Fernan smiled faintly.

“But as I said earlier, for now, please focus on developing the estate rather than the curse. For the day my father returns.”

Strangely, Ellerdin had a feeling that she could really break all these curses.

***

Fernan silently scanned the documents on his desk.

There were countless things to consider for the development of the estate.

“Sigh… it’s difficult.”

Fernan leaned back deeply.

“Master, why are you looking at documents when you can’t see? Anyone would think you can see. Hahaha!”

Mollek laughed, thinking it was a funny joke.

“…I can actually see.”

Fernan looked at Mollek incredulously.

“What?”

Mollek was startled and opened his eyes wide.

“Don’t lie!”

“No, I can really see.”

“Then read this!”

Mollek held up the document Fernan was reading.

“…It says they are requesting a signature for bringing in materials.”

“Oh my.”

Mollek, astonished, grabbed another document and held it up to Fernan’s face.

“Can you see this too?”

“…If you hold it that close, I can’t see anything. But I can tell it’s a piece of paper you scribbled on.”

Mollek was so shocked he couldn’t speak and trembled. He could confidently say this was the first time he had been this surprised in his demon life.

“Ellerdin healed me.”

Fernan said proudly.

“Madam did?”

Mollek asked just as Ellerdin cautiously opened the door and entered.

Mollek was vigorously rubbing the paper on Fernan’s face.

“…Were you busy?”

Ellerdin asked, bewildered. Mollek jumped up and ran to her.

“Madam, you are amazing!”

Mollek said with sparkling eyes, sticking close to her.

“What?”

Ellerdin was startled and took a step back. Fernan sighed and stood up, grabbing Mollek by the back of his neck.

But Mollek, undeterred, shouted,

“You made the master’s eyes see! Madam, you must be a saint! Oh, wait, if you’re a saint, that’s even more amazing! Anyway, madam, you are incredible!”

Ellerdin, not understanding why he was praising her so much, laughed awkwardly.

After the noisy commotion settled down and Ellerdin was alone with Fernan, she spoke.

“Fernan, can I see your father now?”

That was the reason she had come. To break the curse, she needed to know his father’s condition. And more importantly, she wanted to know why he had called out to her.

“Of course.”

Fernan nodded.

“Follow me slowly down here.”

Fernan held a candle and extended his hand from beyond the open iron door.

Ellerdin carefully took his hand and slowly stepped down the stairs. Even with only one small candle lit, the dark basement stairs seemed bright because Fernan was with her.

“Please bear with the discomfort for a bit. We can’t use magic here.”

Ellerdin nodded slightly and carefully descended the stairs.

‘…We’re not lost, are we?’

Ellerdin, feeling uneasy, grabbed Fernan’s arm. It felt like they had been walking for over an hour. Despite descending for a long time, they were still on the stairs.

Fortunately, they seemed to be almost there, as she saw a dimly flickering light below.

When they finally reached the bottom, they entered an empty space. The area was vast, with a cracked, ash-colored statue standing in the center.

Under the statue, a large man was kneeling.

Ellerdin immediately knew he was Fernan’s father, who had called out to her.

“Hello, I’m Ellerdin.”

Ellerdin held her skirt and greeted him.

The man glanced at her with indifferent eyes and then turned his head. It was a rather bland reaction for someone who had called her.

Fernan scratched his cheek at the sight.

“He can’t communicate right now.”

His father, Kaiden, could communicate when possible, but when he couldn’t, he just sat there silently.

Fernan placed a hand on her shoulder, suggesting they leave.

“I’d like to talk to him. I finally got to see him.”

Ellerdin cautiously approached Kaiden. He glanced at her once as she approached, then turned his head back to the statue.

‘…A statue?’

Ellerdin looked up, puzzled.

The statue was of a woman, almost gray in color from dust, rather than white.

Despite the cracks, it had an elegant and majestic atmosphere.

The strange thing was that the statue had a half-broken horn on its head.

Kaiden reached out and began to caress the statue endlessly.

Ellerdin approached him with a harmless smile.

“Hello, Father. I’m Ellerdin, who came here a few months ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you until now.”

“…….”

He didn’t respond, still staring at the statue. It seemed more like his mind was solely focused on the statue rather than deliberately ignoring her.

‘Was it something he liked in the past?’

Ellerdin watched Kaiden and the statue. The parts he touched were clean and shiny without a speck of dust.

She thought it might be better not to touch the topic of the statue, as it seemed to be something he cherished deeply even in his almost absent state.

Ellerdin began talking about various topics other than the statue.

A conversation where one spoke and the other ignored only ended when Kaiden finally turned his head away from the statue.

“Thank you for listening. I’ll come back later.”

Ellerdin said as she tried to stand.

“Oh….”

Her legs wouldn’t move. Ellerdin, flustered, wriggled her body. But it felt like her legs had lost strength, and she couldn’t stand easily.

Noticing her condition, Fernan approached and lifted her.

Ellerdin, her face turning red, began to explain.

“It’s usually not this bad… I’ve been exercising lately… really… I’m sorry for causing trouble again.”

It seemed the long descent of the stairs and kneeling for a long time to talk to Kaiden had taken a toll on her.

They now had to climb those stairs again. But it was impossible for him to carry her up all the way.

“I can stand on my own now. Please put me down.”

At her words, Fernan smiled and said it was fine.

“No. I actually like being close to you.”

They were halfway up the stairs when he spoke.

“Thank you for being kind to my father.”

His voice was filled with gratitude.

Ellerdin looked up at him silently. Fernan was staring straight ahead, climbing the stairs.

He looked down at her. His face, with a faint smile, showed a mix of apology and gratitude.

Feeling a small joy in being able to help him, she nodded silently.

Meanwhile, Fernan was moved by Ellerdin’s actions. He remembered the days he had tried countless times to talk to his father to bring back his consciousness.

Talking continuously to someone who didn’t respond was extremely tiring.

Yet, seeing Ellerdin trying so hard made him realize that he hadn’t even attempted to talk to his father recently, using the excuse that it wasn’t the fundamental way to break the curse.

Seeing her efforts, he couldn’t just stand by.

‘Let’s slowly find a way to break the curse again.’

Fernan clenched his fist tightly.