“Sir, this… this is not a simple matter.”

“Should I swear in blood right here?”

Seiden cut through Bellota’s weak denial with a firm question. Bellota shook her head.

“Please be rational…”

“One year.”

Seiden cut her off again.

“If I can’t find it within a year, then I will follow the saintess’s words.”

His voice remained quiet and cold, but there was an unusual desperation at the end. As if their places were reversed, Seiden was pleading with her. If there was someone who should be pleading and clinging in this relationship, it was definitely Bellota. But why.

Bellota looked at Seiden with trembling eyes, unable to utter words of refusal.

“And I won’t interfere with this matter again. As the saintess wishes…”

As Seiden continued in a stern voice, thinking of such a day seemed to infuriate him; he paused for a moment and bit his molar. After calmly taking a breath, Seiden spoke in a calm voice.

“I will turn a blind eye as if nothing happened.”

Bellota remained silent, looking at him. She knew, without needing to hear any oaths, that everything Seiden said was sincere. He was truly making an unbreakable promise to her. Her blood boiled hotly, then suddenly felt as cold as ice.

Seiden’s indifference. Yes, that was what she wanted. Not to trouble him further and bear everything alone… As if nothing had happened.

“So please listen to me this time.”

Seiden looked at Bellota intently, refusing to move without hearing her agreement. Even as Bellota looked into Seiden’s eyes, she thought of the next full moon. And the one after that. And then…

How much longer must she repeat this hell? Perhaps it would be better if the other person was not Seiden. Perhaps it would be better if it were someone she would see once and never again. But…

“…”

One year is not long. It was not such a lengthy time. So, for the time being… just for a brief moment…

Finally, when Bellota slowly nodded, Seiden’s gaze softened significantly. He knew Bellota was holding back tears while gripping the edge of the blanket but refrained from offering words of comfort. He resisted the urge to comfort her and simply embraced her fragile shoulders, remaining silent for a long time.

Until Bellota’s crumbled heart found its way back to its sturdy place.

* * *

After safely passing another full moon, Seiden headed straight for Hellers Tower as expected.

The mages immediately guided Seiden to the top of Hellers Tower upon hearing he had brought another new monster so soon after bringing the precious reknil. Even if they pretended otherwise, they were eagerly waiting for Seiden.

As Seiden expected, the leader of Hellers was at the top of the tower, and the only way to reach him was through a gate they opened. Crossing the gate, Seiden finally faced the master of Hellers Tower, who was as infamous as the tower itself.

“You are the famous Knight Commander of Kanbremes. I am Yevar Ramdel, the master of this tower.”

Seiden was surprised to find Yevar’s appearance to be as young as he was, since he was expecting the master to be an old, sly man due to his title. Despite his youth, the power contained within him to have built such a tower was undoubtedly formidable.

Facing the man with light green hair, who was smiling pleasantly despite the ominous rumors surrounding him, Seiden got straight to the point.

“I am looking for a way to break a damn curse. Can you help me with that?”

Yevar smiled faintly at his blunt request. Of course, he had already heard that this famous knight was seeking a cure for some curse.

It was an interesting situation indeed. A Knight Commander seeking help from a persecuted mage to find a cure for a curse, even willing to fulfill unreasonable demands for rare monsters, showed how desperate he must be to break the curse.

“Dare I say, I am one who has reached depths of curses that no other living being on this continent has.”

Seiden listened quietly to Yevar’s self-praise with an indifferent look. He was tired of mages always speaking in circles.

“You must have come all this way because it’s a matter of desperation. First off, can you tell me what kind of curse it is?”

Seiden hesitated, torn between revealing such a significant weakness to these cunning mages and the fact that they were his last resort. Eventually, he spoke.

“It’s a curse that leads one to death if they do not periodically engage in s*xual intercourse.”

Yevar momentarily widened his eyes, forgetting to maintain his smile. It was a type of curse he hadn’t expected.

A curse that leads to death if they do not periodically engage in s*xual intercourse? Who could that be? Surely not the man before him? After a brief speculation, Yevar frowned, dismissing the thought.

Even though they were holy knights, they were allowed to marry. If they were afflicted by such a curse, they simply had to have s*x regularly. There was no need to seek out mages shunned even by the Mage Tower.

“Periodically, you say. Do you know how long this curse has been in effect?”

Seiden looked at him and bluntly said, 

“A hundred years.”

Yevar’s face froze with a smile still on it. A hundred years?

“Then, is there a condition for the manifestation of this curse?”

Seiden didn’t answer directly, but Yevar understood the silence as affirmation. His expression turned serious.

“Do you know the solution?”

Seiden pressed him impatiently, annoyed at having to reveal too much information. Yevar maintained a serious demeanor for a moment before speaking.

“It must be an ancient curse.”

Seiden showed no particular reaction; the cathedral had already deduced as much. An ancient curse that could only be lifted with the power of a demon god. Now, with the fall of demon gods, it was a powerful curse that was difficult to find a cure for.

“If the curse manifests periodically and has lasted so long, ordinary dark magic wouldn’t suffice. It would require magic that only high-ranking demons could perform.”

High-ranking demons. That was an obvious deduction. Seiden had interrogated the pope and priests persistently and learned that this damn curse had persisted for nearly a hundred years.

A hundred years ago, there was a war with demons that would go down in the history of the Runhardt Empire. Humans won, but the defeated demons cursed the position of the saintess with their last strength—a powerful curse meant to last a hundred years.

Such deep resentment had not been resolved by the cathedral, even after a century.

“What I want to know is how to break this damn curse. Is there a way?”

“If there’s a way to cast any powerful curse, then there must also be a way to break it.”

Seiden’s patience thinned at another evasive answer.

“Just tell me. I don’t care how much it costs.”

Despite Seiden’s threatening urgency, Yevar smiled unfazed.

“We also do not know of a way to solve this curse. I’m fairly certain no one on this continent does. So looking elsewhere won’t get you the answers you seek.”

If Yevar hadn’t continued, their hideout would have been in chaos under Seiden’s wrath.

“However, there is one precious secret we can share.”

That precious secret held Seiden’s patience a bit longer.

“It’s not exactly the solution but could lead to finding one. Well, if you search… you will surely find out. Hmm, but whether you can find it or not, we cannot guarantee.”

Seiden’s patience finally snapped.

“If you don’t tell me now and keep talking nonsense, I’ll show you how quickly this stinking tower can crumble in seconds.”

“Calm down.”

“Speak, now.”

At Seiden’s limit of patience and with his eyes flashing coldly, Yevar finally revealed his thoughts.

“There’s a price. Not gold. What we want from you isn’t gold.”

Seiden’s eyebrows slowly rose. He had anticipated that obtaining what they wanted would cost more than mere gold.

“Provide us with materials. We want rare materials like now.”

Yevar’s eyes sparkled as he made the detestable demand.

“Once won’t be enough. Let’s say one year. For one year, if you provide us with the materials we ask for, then we will cooperate with you thereafter.”

Seiden looked at Yevar sharply. Typical of mages, proposing petty and weak conditions. They dared to use the continent’s Swordmaster and the cathedral’s Knight Commander as their errand boy.

They knew well of Seiden Blackwood’s capabilities and planned to use him to obtain rare materials they couldn’t get with their own power.

“If you accept my proposal, I too will cooperate in finding a way to lift that curse.”  

When Yevar snapped his fingers together with a click, a contract appeared out of thin air with a puff. It floated up and Seiden read the contract that had flown in front of him. Yevar, with an expressionless face, watched Seiden and continued speaking calmly.  

“We rush headlong into anything related to magic. Because of that, we are branded as the rabid dogs of Hellers living in the slums. However, we are also dignified humans with convictions. No matter what, we keep our promises.”  

Seiden read through the contract with an expression that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking. For a moment, an oppressive silence filled the room, cluttered with all sorts of magical artifacts and emanating a strange aura.  

“……”  

Even after reading the final period on the contract, Seiden remained lost in thought for a while. After some time, he seemed to have made up his mind and turned around.  

Yevar quickly raised his eyebrows and checked the direction Seiden’s feet were pointing. It seemed he was not going to make the contract, as he was facing the still-open gate.