Jared Murphy, a resident at the Alway Ducal Family Villa, was enjoying tea with Hannelore Alway, the mistress of the mansion, and Rio, a princess from the Dragon Kingdom. Suddenly, Almeida, Jared’s master, detected a familiar surge of magic approaching the villa. Losing her usual composure, she abruptly stood up from her chair.
“What’s wrong, Almeida?”
“I’m terribly sorry, but I just remembered an important errand. May I leave the mansion in your care?”
“Of course! I will protect us all!” Rio declared with a determined puff of her chest. Almeida smiled, ruffling Rio’s hair and then bowed to Hannelore, her pink hair swaying.
“My Lady, I apologize, but I have an urgent matter to attend to and must leave the mansion for a short while.”
“Yes, please take all the time you need.”
“Thank you. The mansion’s barrier is stable, and with Rio-chan here as a force, I can rest assured. I will return as soon as possible, but please, if anything happens, escape immediately.”
If she were to be honest, Almeida felt uneasy about leaving the villa with the young Rio, even if she was a dragon. She hesitated slightly, as both her beloved disciple, to whom she had entrusted the protection of the mansion, and the two heirs of Waalthe, who were developing into powerful individuals, were not present.
For Almeida, who had no family of her own, the people residing in this mansion were precious family. However, she could not ignore the familiar magic she was sensing. With a lingering sense of reluctance, she bowed and left the villa, her youthful appearance belying her true age.
“Thank goodness you came, Almeida.”
“…It was you, wasn’t it, Rasmus.”
Standing there was her former master, whom she could never forget.
“I never imagined you would appear before me, and with a boy afflicted by a curse.”
“You noticed quickly. As expected of Almeida. Then you understand why I’ve risked appearing before you. Please, help him.”
“This child… I heard about him, but you’ve turned him into a demon, haven’t you?”
“I had no choice. That’s all I can say for now. Please, help Drew.”
Almeida had no choice but to nod at her former master, who knelt before her with the boy in his arms. Since she couldn’t possibly bring them into the mansion where Hannelore and the others resided, she escorted them to one of the safe houses she maintained in the capital. Placing Drew on a simple bed, she quickly examined him. Removing his clothes revealed blackened, bruise-like areas on his body.
“It looks like quite some time has passed…”
“Yes. Before coming to you, I consulted every curse technician I knew, but it was all in vain. Not only that, but my attempts may have even accelerated the curse’s progression.”
“I see you are quite a skilled practitioner. You’re on par with me, or perhaps even more formidable. Who is this curse technician?”
“I don’t know the details. I never imagined Leonard Gallagher’s daughter would be such a powerful user… I was careless. No, I underestimated her.”
“—Leonard Gallagher? Could it be… the Leonard Gallagher who commands the mages of this kingdom?”
Almeida stopped, her tone shifting. Rasmus realized his slip of the tongue. He had agreed to cooperate to keep his secret, but thinking of how Drew had been treated, it all seemed foolish. He resigned himself, knowing that eventually, the other party would reveal his existence to someone.
“Yes, the Leonard Gallagher you speak of is correct.”
“Rasmus… What are you doing now? If you don’t promise to tell me everything, I won’t treat this child.”
“I’ll tell you everything, so please… save him, save Drew.”
“You promised?”
“I have enough discretion to keep my promises. Please, I’m counting on you.”
In lieu of a verbal reply, Almeida channeled her magic into the suffering boy. The methods for treating curses were practically nonexistent in the modern era. Curses themselves were rare occurrences, often contracted from dungeons or cursed artifacts. While there were those who called themselves curse technicians, most were far inferior to Almeida. Some mages specialized in dispelling curses, and it was likely to one of them that Rasmus had turned.
*I understand why you can’t show your face, but I still wish you had come sooner.*
Almeida inwardly cursed. The curse plaguing Drew was that powerful. She had never witnessed such potent curse magic in modern times.
“Will Drew be alright?”
“Yes—I will save him. I will use my own curse to offset his. Honestly, this is the first dispelling I’ve done in a long time, but I still have my pride as a curse technician.”
“That’s reassuring. You’ve always been that way. I wonder if Wahash is still the same?”
“He’s as he always was. The Wahash you know so well.”
“Then… Wahash is probably still trying to kill me.”
The boy, aware that his life was being targeted, smiled gleefully.
“Yes. That’s why I created Waalthe and gathered so many soldiers. To ensure I kill you.”
“Heh heh, that makes me happy. He truly hasn’t changed from those days. Time brings changes, but finding things that remain the same reminds me of the past.”
“You haven’t changed either, Rasmus… it’s a shame.”
While Rasmus smiled, Almeida’s expression was filled with sadness. Apart from the exhaustion from the curse dispelling, the distortion of her face into one of sorrow was not her imagination.
“Almeida Stein—how have you changed throughout these long years? I was happy to learn you took on disciples and were loved and cherished as family, yet here you are, before me.”
“Because you asked for help.”
“Yes. I’m grateful for that. But you could have refused. I didn’t force you, but you could have shown your will to refuse. At least, the Almeida of the past would have done so, and I have my reasons for being rejected, so I cannot complain.”
“Perhaps. But—I have changed. Meeting Jared, I was reborn.”
At Almeida’s words, Rasmus smiled, seemingly pleased, and took a towel to wipe Drew’s sweaty forehead.
“That’s good. You should change. Forget about me now, and take a different path than Wahash. I want you to find happiness, to love someone and be loved by someone—my former fiancée, Almeida Stein.”
