When its mouth opened, a human voice leaked out from there. Geril, seemingly already accustomed to this eerie and unpleasant sight, approached the shadow without even flinching once.

“Is that certain? After all, nothing you people have told me has been working at all!”

Though Geril shouted full of anger, the man just stood firmly without moving at all. Geril gritted his teeth, displeased even by that appearance.

They had been quite a useful group to him. Without their help, he couldn’t have created an explanation for abandoning Bellota by moving the moon with the Demon God stone, nor obtained the magic stone containing the monster to switch at the hunting festival, nor placed a curse on that annoying man.

And it was also these capable dark mages who had achieved the results of obtaining a believable holy relic said to be the rockdragon’s heart and obtaining part of the demon race’s stone that had now vanished without a trace.

Geril thought that making a pact with the nameless group of dark mages who suddenly appeared three years ago, offering to help him become the most supreme being in this empire, was the greatest achievement of his life. However, that thought had been continuously shaken over the past few months.

“That was not our fault.”

At that answer, Geril let out a mocking laugh.

Yes, everything they said was right. The magic stone at the hunting festival, the curse placed on Seiden Blackwood, and now even the rockdragon’s heart. It wasn’t them who had made those great powers useless.

Geril clenched his fist while glaring savagely at the air as if Seiden were there.

“This has nothing to do with Sir Seiden.”

Though Bellota answered that way, she didn’t realize it herself. The way her eyes tightened anxiously whenever Seiden’s name came up. That damn tender voice full of worry and fear that he might suffer some harm because of her.

But Geril was confident he could bind even all those emotions. Because he had the rockdragon’s heart.

Everything had been perfect. Although the picture of him winning at the hunting festival was ruined, he could more than make up for something like that. All plans had proceeded smoothly, and he had finally obtained that great holy relic.

But he hadn’t anticipated that the devout Saintess would dare reject even the oracle. Geril was unbearably angry because his predictions kept going astray. He couldn’t save Bellota in Selento, Seiden didn’t die at the hunting festival, and he couldn’t win the hunting festival.

And now he had even been rejected for marriage. Geril was gradually going mad being unable to catch Bellota who kept slipping from his grasp like a loach. Each time Bellota rejected and refused him, the possessiveness lurking inside him grew uncontrollably larger. Now anything would do. If only he could grab her.

“Tell me that weakness, whatever it is. I don’t care what it costs.”

Then the shadow that had been quietly silent slowly opened its mouth.

“The Saintess is cursed.”

At those words, Geril’s head, which had been immersed in anger, whipped around. Geril frowned, wondering if he had heard wrong.

“……What?”

“The Saintess’s curse manifests when the full moon rises.”

At that steadfast answer, Geril’s face went blank. Cursed? Bellota? That holy saintess? Geril, who had been dumbfounded, soon grew urgent and approached him closely to ask quietly.

“What kind of curse is she under? Tell me, tell me more precisely. Do you even know what you’re talking about? The Saintess is cursed?”

“It’s certain.”

When the shadow answered firmly without wavering, Geril’s breath caught. Geril instinctively knew that the man before him was telling the truth.

“Tell me what kind of curse she’s under. I’ll decide after hearing it.”

“It’s a curse where she must never appear before people. The Saintess hides her cursed body every time the full moon rises.”

“Must never appear before people? Why? Damn it! Speak properly!”

“All we can tell you is that if this curse becomes known, not only the Saintess but also the standing of the Grand Temple and the holy god they serve will all fall to the ground and never recover.”

“What? Damn this! What am I supposed to do with such information……”

Geril, who tried to grab the collar of the intangible shadow in anger, lost his balance and staggered before collapsing completely.

“Ugh……”

Geril vomited everything in his stomach while lying face down, then stood up again staggering with his face flushed red.

“Bellota, what kind of curse……”

Geril’s eyes, which had been glaring at the shadow while panting, froze stiffly as he paused.

“Wait…… Then was it also you who made the full moon rise early when we were in Selento?”

At that sharp observation, the shadow remained silent for a long while. It was a silence that seemed to already know denying would be useless.

Geril looked at the shadow with a face like he’d been hit on the back of the head.

“You, what’s your true identity? What did you want that made you cooperate with me! Are you daring to use me? Huh? Tell me right now!”

“We only fulfill what the Duke demands. If you find us untrustworthy, you may stop cooperating at any time.”

It was a cold tone without even a trace of attachment. Geril gritted his teeth, seemingly frustrated at that resolute attitude. As he said, if this cooperation were cut off at this time, he would be the only one to regret it. But a curse? Bellota…….

“It’s not a strange curse, is it? Like something contagious……”

When Geril asked with suspicious eyes, the shadow answered immediately.

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what is it? A curse that manifests on full moons where she can’t appear before people. Does she turn into a monster every full moon or something?”

That wasn’t a particularly pleasant imagination either, so Geril’s brows furrowed involuntarily. It would be troublesome if his wife turned into a horned monster every full moon.

“Is it a curse that can be resolved?”

The shadow didn’t answer that question, but Geril interpreted that sinister behavior as affirmative. Well, these dark mages who could do anything impossible would surely resolve a mere curse quickly.

Geril knew that though they were cooperating with him now, they were ready to cut him off at any time if things went wrong. That insolent attitude of refusing to share what curse Bellota was under until the end was proof of that. Though it was undeniably vexing, even that felt like a lifeline to him now.

After pondering something deeply for a moment, Geril suddenly frowned and asked.

“The day the moon rose in Selento……”

Geril bit his lip as he suddenly remembered the day of the full moon. Then that day too, Bellota’s curse must have manifested….. Geril had gone up to Bellota’s door that night but regrettably turned back.

“What happened that night?”

Though Geril asked suspiciously, the shadow remained silent as ever. Ha, Geril let out an annoyed snort and clenched his fist.

“You don’t intend to tell me, is that it? Fine. I’ll find out what curse our Saintess is under after she becomes my wife. That’s what you want too, right?”

At those words, the shadow finally spoke again.

“We will help the Duke take the Saintess as your wife.”

It was such a firm and courteous answer that it created an illusion of loyalty. Geril was instantly satisfied and leisurely stroked his chin. Now anything would do. If only he could possess Bellota.

“Good. So let’s summarize. The Saintess is cursed, and that must not be discovered. Ha, yes, of course. Because if it becomes known that the Saintess of the Grand Temple not only can’t break curses but is herself cursed, there would be huge repercussions. Right?”

When Geril finally made a proper deduction, the shadow lowered its breath silently, satisfied.

“Then……”

Geril’s eyes shone sinisterly as understanding dawned. Finally, he had obtained Bellota’s weakness.

“I’ll have to draw her out where she absolutely can’t escape during the full moon.”

Geril’s mind, which had been dissolving mushily in alcohol, became dizzyingly clear in an instant. As dozens of ways to bind Bellota came rushing to mind, a cheerful smile rose to his lips that had been filled with anger all along.

“Ha!”

Satisfied with Geril’s clear deduction, the shadow gradually disappeared from within the reception room.

“Haha!”

Geril no longer paid any attention to the shadow disappearing as it pleased and just burst into loud laughter like someone who had suddenly found something joyful. Walking around the wrecked room laughing like a madman, Geril soon stopped laughing abruptly and glared at the empty air.

“You don’t love me……”

When that pretty face saying such an outrageous thing came to mind again, Geril ground his teeth. After all the ridiculous things he had gone through trying to win even a piece of her heart, how dare she say she doesn’t love him.

He hadn’t wanted to use methods like this either. If possible, he had only wanted to love her beautifully, ecstatically and elegantly, but Bellota herself had ruined all those noble sincere intentions.

“I’ll make you desperate to marry me even if you don’t love me.”

Geril firmly vowed while grinding his teeth.

“You’ll end up kneeling at my feet and begging, Bellota.”

* * *