“And what we saw the lady doing that night was probably an act of reflecting the curse.”

That was difficult even for Seiden to understand immediately.

“Reflecting it, how?”

When Seiden asked seriously, Bellota’s eyes sank sadly.

“The reflection act makes the lady’s murderous urge turn inward.”

Inward?

“The lady will end up harming herself.”

After finishing her words, Bellota’s face collapsed in despair. The bruised and crushed wounds weren’t injuries from magic or curses. They were traces of Lady Margaret’s self-harm from feeling the terrible murderous urge.

Seiden also ground his molars as he recalled Lady Margaret’s heavily bleeding hands.

“Blue spots had appeared under the lady’s eyes. That means the murderous curse has already conquered half of its host.”

Bellota looked at Seiden with desperate eyes and spoke, almost pleading.

“We must save the lady right now.”

Seiden also understood everything Bellota was saying. However……

“We might lose that person.”

If they revealed everything to Lady Margaret without obtaining clear evidence, they might ruin everything. If the person holding the Demon God Book noticed this and went into hiding forever, the method to break Bellota’s curse would disappear along with them.

But Bellota nodded toward Seiden as if it didn’t matter. It was a choice expected of her. Seiden couldn’t help but follow her will.

That evening, Seiden once again headed to Lady Margaret’s mansion with Yevar, who was disguised as a poor priest. Since they couldn’t be noticed by others, Seiden too was wearing a ragged hood.

Lady Margaret let Yevar and Seiden into the mansion without suspicion.

“Priest Nihan! I thought you would have gone to Mulnir by now!”

The mansion was quiet with only Lady Margaret and the butler. She must have sent away all but the minimum necessary servants after being cursed. Even those would have been made to leave the mansion during nights when the curse manifested.

Seiden saw Lady Margaret’s face with clear blue spots under her eyes, just as Bellota had said. Even excluding that, the lady was so haggard she looked like she might collapse at any moment. Moreover, her arms and neck were tightly wrapped in white bandages.

“On my way to Mulnir, I remembered something urgent I needed to tell you, Sister.”

As Yevar faithfully acted as Priest Nihan while clasping his hands, Lady Margaret’s face became puzzled.

“To me? What is it? And this person beside you……”

“This is Priest Theo who will accompany me to Mulnir……”

While Yevar was trying hard to make up words, Seiden threw off his hood and revealed his face before Yevar could finish speaking. At this, not only Yevar, who until then had thought this was just another plan being executed, but also Lady Margaret’s eyes widened as she recognized Seiden’s face.

“Sir Seiden Blackwood……?”

As Lady Margaret muttered in confusion, Yevar grabbed Seiden’s arm in shock. However, Seiden coldly shook off that hand and walked up to the lady, speaking in a firm voice.

“My lady, you must listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

“H-How…… no, why is Sir at my mansion……”

“The person who cursed you is the one who showed you the book containing the method to remove the curse.”

At Seiden’s statement that came out of nowhere, Yevar grabbed the back of his neck and stepped backward. Lady Margaret also stopped breathing and trembled her lips in surprise.

“What are you saying…… H-How did you know I was cursed……”

“The magic you are performing now is not a method to break the curse. It’s dark magic. It will rather put you in danger. Like those wounds on your arms and neck.”

As Seiden pressed Lady Margaret without giving her time to breathe, the lady’s face, which was already pitifully haggard, turned pale.

The fact that Seiden, the Holy Knight Commander, appeared with Priest Nihan whom she had met at the lake was shocking enough, but Seiden knew about her curse. Not only that, but he even knew about the magic she was performing to cleanse the curse. That alone was enough to make her faint, but what did he mean that it would rather put her in danger? Lady Margaret felt like she might faint right there from the situation she couldn’t understand at all.

“How on earth did you know that. Sir……? No…… no.”

Lady Margaret shook her head with a confused face.

“Th-That’s not true. Please leave.”

“My lady.”

“I’ll call the guards!”

When Lady Margaret shouted sharply, Seiden swallowed a small sigh and parted his heavy lips.

“……The holy relic.”

As those quiet but clear words flowed from Seiden’s lips, Lady Margaret’s shoulders, which had been rising and falling in agitation, froze.

“You must have it.”

Seiden continued speaking while looking straight into Lady Margaret’s eyes, which were filled with bewilderment.

Though it wasn’t that he didn’t feel sorry for Lady Margaret who found herself in this sudden situation, if Bellota was right, there was no time to wait for the lady to calm down. Even at this moment, the vicious curse would be eating away at Lady Margaret’s soul. Seiden, Bellota, and Yevar knew that what was happening to Lady Margaret had repeated at least twice before.

80 years ago, the grandson of Valroc, a famous alchemist and mage, was cursed, and then the Demon God Book containing methods to break all curses appeared before Valroc. Again 45 years ago, the Alkeria family was also invaded by a curse they couldn’t tell others about, and someone possessing the Demon God Book appeared before them. And Seiden knew what the Alkeria family had lost in return.

If, as they suspected, the perpetrator of the incidents 80 years ago and 45 years ago was the same person who cursed Lady Margaret, it wasn’t difficult to guess what they were after. Lady Margaret must have another holy relic. That person had cursed Lady Margaret and shown her the Demon God Book to deceive her in order to steal the holy relic.

“You…… what exactly……”

Lady Margaret’s wavering eyes, with nowhere to rest, proved that all these suspicions were true.

“That person is after the holy relic you possess. That’s why they cursed you and approached you pretending to tell you how to break the curse.”

“That…… that’s impossible…… That person……”

Then Yevar, who had been fuming as if he’d been hit hard on the back of his head, cut in as if he couldn’t lose.

“This has happened before. Those who were cursed like you eventually had their holy relics stolen and self-destructed.”

Lady Margaret’s confused eyes turned toward Yevar.

“You’re not really a priest, are you……? I trusted you……”

When Lady Margaret asked dejectedly, Yevar slightly avoided her gaze and played dumb. Seiden pushed Yevar aside and drew the lady’s attention back.

“Can you tell us the function of the holy relic you possess?”

What Seiden wanted to know was the function of Lady Margaret’s holy relic. If he could find that out, he could guess what that person was planning. Just like how they had moved the full moon to put Bellota in danger, he needed to know what they would use to attack next.

“I…… I……”

However, Lady Margaret could only roll her confused eyes, still unable to decide whom to trust. Yevar seized the opportunity to jump in and press the lady.

“My lady, this is important. Or perhaps, have you told anyone else about the holy relic besides that person?”

Seiden noticed that Yevar was convinced that the person with the Demon God Book wasn’t working alone. It was a reasonable question. Someone might have heard about the holy relic’s existence from Lady Margaret and told that person about it. They needed any information they could get.

However, Lady Margaret faintly shook her head.

“No one knows about the holy relic’s existence. Not even Van……”

Van was Lady Margaret’s butler.

“My lady!”

At that moment, Butler Van, who had heard the commotion, opened the reception room door and rushed in to stand in front of Lady Margaret. Seiden’s gaze turned toward the man.

“Who are you people! Leave immediately!”

Van’s sharp gaze was also directed at Seiden. But a moment later, he seemed to recognize Seiden and frowned.

“Holy Knight Commander? Why are you……”

Seiden stared at Van’s face, which had turned bright red with fever. Though Seiden had also suspected the butler who had served Lady Margaret for a long time and was present at the scene, he had already been verified by Yevar.

When Yevar visited Lady Margaret’s mansion, he had deliberately spilled tea on Van and touched his entire body, but found no evidence. If Van was connected to the Demon God Book, Yevar should have at least felt that energy.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but my lady is struggling, so please leave! If you don’t leave, I’ll call for help!”

Ignoring Van’s words, Seiden spoke to Lady Margaret, who was still confused behind him.

“If you believe my words, I swear I will find a way to solve your curse somehow.”

At those words, not only Lady Margaret but also Van’s angry breathing stopped.