Extra Story 4: Trapped in a Dark Whisper

The view of endlessly rolling hills of a quiet vineyard continues gently.

The County of Welfeus was my great-grandmother’s family home.

As a princess, I was sent to the Countess Welfeus at the age of fourteen as an apprentice. Two years have passed since then and I am now sixteen years old. My coming-of-age celebration had passed.

But complaining about it still doesn’t change the way they treat me.

It has been decided that next year when I turn seventeen, I will be married to the Count of Welfeus.

In Elementia, it is the custom for high-ranking noblemen to keep their betrothed at hand early on, but I know that in my case, it’s a hassle.

Life here was boring.

Very boring.

My fiancé, Sean, was three years older than me, and was an unremarkable childhood friend.

He liked me, and I knew that from an early age.

But there are many other nobles who would want a princess. This is because they want strong magic in their bloodline.

And if I can’t marry the one I love, it’s the same with anyone else, so it doesn’t matter who I marry. So it didn’t matter if it was Sean or anyone else.

If it were true, I could have gazed at that person much longer and much closer. It’s very…regrettable to be shoved into a place like this.

I’m so full of regret.

It’s regrettable.

Regrettable.

Something black is bubbling up so much that I wonder where it’s coming from.

I can’t forgive you for stealing from me…

A pale, beautiful voice, not mine, whispers in my ear, over and over again…

That voice is going to hunt me down.

Are you frustrated?

You must be upset by what was taken from you.

It’s burned into my eyes. That beautiful light purple rose I had wanted so badly…that girl had been given that beautiful light purple rose…

An unpleasant scene

This is unforgivable.

I had never seen him smile before.

Yet he was certainly smiling…

I don’t know what they called me, but I called out.

It answers.

I’m going crazy…

Many of those with royal blood flowing through their bodies have premature deaths due to the ‘stagnation of magical power’, which is said to be the curse of the royal family.

The twin brother and sister gods who created this world called Orgent are said to be a brother god called Noyer and a sister god called Zecheyer, both of whom are beautiful gods with silvery white hair and light purple eyes. It’s just like that person.

According to the lore that remains in the royal family, the elder brother god loved another, and the younger sister god became jealous and tried to swallow the elder brother with the whole world.

However, the sister god was defeated in battle and escaped to the north, where she released a curse upon the brother god.

In the west, the elder brother-god was said to have fallen asleep in the western land by making a person of flesh and blood, who became the ancestors of Elementia, from a part of his own body.

Such stories were not important. What was there to fear?

That person is mine.

I hate that it was taken from me.

It’s so regrettable.

Yes, at last…I must have been trapped…

***

“What are these papers, Princess?”

“The Count of Welfeus will also be sending materials for the soup kitchen hosted by the Grand Temple at the end of the year, along with gifts for underprivileged children. Put this in it for me. I’ve been donating to that place ever since I’ve been in the castle.”

“So, may I check inside?”

“Yes, I don’t mind, it’s a handkerchief I made out of cotton cloth and embroidered on it.”

“You’ve been embroidering on cotton?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that the less fortunate children of the common people don’t use silk handkerchiefs, but I’ve been embroidering silk little by little all these years just to show them a few beautiful things.”

“It’s a wonderful spirit of compassion, I see. I understand.”

The butler reverently accepted the package and left the room.

I snickered with a huff and a laugh. Embroidery with silk thread on a cotton handkerchief is a laughingstock.

For the common people, embroidering a cotton handkerchief with cotton colored thread would be enough.

However, silk is good.

If you want to place a curse with thread, silk is the way to go. I had secretly taken an old forbidden book of curses from the from the library of the royal detached palace, copied it, and brought it to the County of Welfeus.

On my right middle finger is a ring that was personally fitted by my father when I left the castle.

This ring had the power to control magic and prevented me from using strong magic power. And this ring cannot be removed by myself. It could only be removed by my father. How abominable.

Those of the royal family have stronger magic power than other nobles. But they have been sealed from using it.

It’s true that you don’t need strong magical powers to live here.

But I couldn’t help but feel compelled to take revenge on that girl.

If only that girl had not appeared…I’m not going to be able to just watch that person by her side.

The girl’s name is Fiaragent Lana Tizar.

Daughter of the Marquis of Tizar.

Even her age is just a one year difference from mine…

And all because she has ‘purification eyes’…

I have royal blood in my veins, and I am more beautiful than her.

Moreover, no matter how strong her magical powers, the heresy…with a commoner’s hair color. How hateful.

I carefully stabbed the curse on that name, stitch by stitch…I hate her.

The royal family learns the ancient language from childhood.

To the average person, it’s just something like a pattern. If you break it up a bit, you won’t even know what it is. I’m going to stick it into 10 handkerchiefs like pieces.

Even with a small amount of magic, if you spend a lot of time to stack it on top of each other, it will become a strong curse.

And if you use the ancient language, it can be very powerful.

I made a bundle of ten handkerchiefs each with a bunch of embroidered sticks, embroidered in similar colors, and made 20 bundles of doubled handkerchiefs, with the essential items stored at the bottom.

Even if you can find it, you won’t understand it…

The course would be activated once she unwrapped the package and cut the strings of that bundle of handkerchiefs.

In my dazed thoughts, I spent my time thinking only of getting that person away from that girl.

“Ufufu, fufufufu, Ahahahaha…”

I couldn’t help but look forward to when the curse would go into effect.

***

On New Year’s Eve in the Royal Capital, the temple hosts a cookout in the main square of the royal capital. It starts in the morning and there is a day-long bazaar. Donations from the nobles to the temple are delivered, and the sorted donations are delivered to an orphanage where children who have no parents can grow up.

Every year, the event attracts a large number of people. The proceeds are used to pay for the operation of the support facilities.

People from all walks of life go out to help.

Many of the donations are delivered to the abbey nearest to the Royal City Square, where the monks and nuns sort through the various donations that have arrived since two months before the New Year.

The packages from the Count of Welfeus also arrived there and were sorted by the monks in the last month.

The loads were unpacked and checked against the inventory.They would unpack one load in groups of four.

“What do you want us to do with these handkerchiefs? We have 300 of them, but we want you to distribute them to the children’s homes. Each children’s home has roughly thirty children in it.”

There are six children’s homes in the royal capital, so we can make a backup and give out 50 to each location.

“I understand.”

And so it was sorted, without being untied, into the luggage of a children’s home somewhere.

***

During the week between New Year’s Eve and the first of the year, the magic division was on duty during the holidays.

I was on duty during last year’s New Year’s Eve, so I don’t have to go out this year.

So I went out to help with the bazaar and soup kitchen in the Royal City Square.

It was quite fun to hand out and sell soup and food from the soup kitchen in the midst of a crowd of people. Helena and Judy each went back to the territory for the New Year’s Eve break. The countryside is nice.

They invited me to come visit them in the territory, but I refused, saying that I had promised Zak that we would go see the New Year’s Eve event at the temple after I finished helping with the New Year’s Eve bazaar.

In the temple, for only two days after New Year’s Eve, the main entrance to the temple is decorated with magical stones of lights.

I was someone who used to ‘light things up’ at New Year’s events even in my previous life.

The mysterious blue lights of the magical stones are used in uncanny ways, and it’s beautiful like a castle in a fairy tale. However, I heard that it’s very difficult to display and collect them.

Because there is not electricity in this country, the priests would fill the magic stones with magic power before New Year’s Eve. They use disposable magical stones every year because they don’t want to waste them.

On the way back from helping with the bazaar, I asked Filgred to pick me up in his inconspicuous carriage to a nearby alley a little off the beaten path when it was time to finish. It should be over around 6pm.

Zak seemed to have been called to the temple and said he’d be back in the evening.

And the bazaar and cookout would be over by about 4pm, and then we would clean up and would be walking back to the alley where Filgred was waiting for us.

Suddenly I get chills, as if bad things are coming.

It’s a viciousness that flies at me. It was a sensation I had never felt before.

A string of ancient words flew through the air at great speed, covered in miasma. It was like that.

Rather than thinking about something, I reach out and try to extinguish the miasma.

But before the miasma reached me, the guardian jewelry I was given repelled the curse.

It was…an overwhelming force.

The power to repel all the malice directed at me back to the person who directed it…instead of thinking about something and moving.

“Ehh—?”

Just like that, a huge, distorted mass of miasma disappeared somewhere without leaving any trace of it, making me wonder if it was just a dream.

“Fii! Are you okay!?”

“What’s that…Zak?”

Suddenly, a blue magic circle appeared at my feet, and a robed Zak appeared in front of me.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Well…that?”

I felt Zak kneel in front of me, grabbing my arms and letting his magic pass through me.

“Yeah, it looks okay.”

Zak’s harsh expression loosened and I was embraced.

“Master! Lady!”

Filgred came running around the corner of the alley.

“Something now…it was a terrible miasma!”

With a serious look on his face, Filgred said to Zak.

“It’s okay. Fii is safe.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The expression on their faces was kind of subtle as they looked at each other, so I was very worried.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Did Zak finish his temple work?”

“…I threw it away.”

“Eh!?”

“It’s okay. I was almost done anyway—and I sent word.”

Zak and I were going to ride in the carriage that Filgred using, and we were going to continue to the temple. I was still in my helper’s clothes, but I couldn’t see them because I was wearing a winter robe on top, so I figured it wouldn’t matter.

Well, because of the ‘miasma’ thing, Zak told me to spend today at the mansion, but I wanted to see the New Year’s Eve ‘light up’ event, and I didn’t want to go back to the mansion in a delicate mood like that.

“Do you have any idea what that was earlier, Zak?”

I asked him in the carriage.

“…Yes, that was an ancient curse.”

“Um, is there someone else who wants to hurt me?”

That was an intense malice. That much I could understand.

“It’s not your fault. It was probably something to do with me. I’m sorry.”

Zak’s sharpness made it seem like maybe he knew who had sent it. And that’s what Zak did not want to say.

He had me wear a protective trinket because he feared something like that would happen.

“Yeah? Why are you apologizing? Zak has always been very protective of me. I mean, you didn’t take any chances and came right away today. That’s really sweet. Thank you. I’ve been so happy to be with Zak.”

Then I took Zak’s hand, sitting across from me, and laced it with mine.

Then, slowly, I sent my magic through my fingertips.

I felt like this was a better way to convey my feelings than telling him something with my mouth…

Then we enjoyed the blue shining world of the temple and then returned to the mansion.

At the exit, the priest was handing out sugar candies in a paper bag to those who came to the temple for an audience and prayed for peace. It is said that if you eat these sweets, you will be in good health for another year. When I put one in my mouth, it was slightly sweet and smelled like a nice flower.

I put one in Zak’s mouth as well. I picked up the confectionery with my fingertips and pointed it toward Zak, and he bent down and opened his mouth.

“Fufu”

Still, there was one thing that bothered me.

“I could sense Zak’s power from the light of the magic stones in the temple, though?”

“…That old man came to me and asked me to fill the magic stone with magic power in bulk. It’s unthinkable that he would come to me on the same day…and ask me to install them while he was at it.”

I guess the old man is the high priest. I’m sure Zak could do it without a hitch…Good idea.

A chuckle escaped me. Zak looked at me with a slightly embarrassed look.

“It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

We walked from the temple to the carriage stop.

As usual, we were walking hand in hand.

***

At the beginning of the year, a request was brought to the Great Temple from the royal family.

They asked if I could give them one of the “Saint’s Eyes”.

There is a pretty decent price to pay for it.

This magic tool is very expensive and is also a confidential item.

It has been recorded where and how many of them are located, and their locations can be identified by the Dairoku .

The Great Temple does indeed hold several of the ‘Saint’s Eyes.’

But if you are a royal, it’s quicker to get them from the Magic Division.

It was a strange story, but the High Priest didn’t ask any questions.

I did it flexibly without asking.

It was because the Duke of Valmonter had asked me to do so.

“If a request comes from the royal family, please accept it without asking why.”

And then, I was asked to do so.

It is said that when the king received the magical tools delivered privately by the priests of the Great Temple in person, he opened the wrappings he was presented with and was astonished.

It is said that the cloth in which the magic tools were wrapped was decorated with fine patterns of flowers, birds and ivy.

***

It was at dusk at the end of the year when a horrible scream was heard from the Count of Welfeus’ house. A terrifying scream, which could not be considered a human voice, echoed throughout the house.

“Ggag—! Ga-gasp! Gugaaaah!”

A beastly cry echoed from the room of the royal princess.

When the startled servant opened the door of the room, he saw the princess rolling around on the floor

A black fire crawled around the left half of her face as if clinging to her. An indelible dusky fire that made an ugly humming noise.

The Count and his son, Sean, were immediately called out because of the obviously unusual appearance, but all the household members who tried to approach were pushed away by the rampaging princess.

“Stay away! Don’t get too close!”

The princess tugged at her beautiful platinum blonde hair and began spewing bubbles from her mouth.

Then she spun around, whites of her eyes showing, and collapsed to the floor.

“A Priest! Someone call for a priest!”

At the sound of the Count’s voice, someone sent out a carriage to the temple branch of the estate.

The Count gulped down at fallen princess as he picked her up in his arms.

Half of her face was burned black.

“A-Ahh!!”

One of the servants gave a small cry and held his mouth.

He couldn’t bear to see the left half of the Princess’ beautiful face looking that cruel.

After that, even with the priest’s healing, the black burns did not heal.

“This is an ancient curse. It’s probably a curse that was also returned…”

“A curse that returned…”

“It’s rare, but…”

“But nothing!”

He couldn’t let them all say it. The Count acknowledged of the consequences of the princess’ visit to the territory, but he still wanted her to be the betrothed of his legitimate son.

After that, he immediately contacted the royal family and asked for a favor directly from the royal family.

At a later date, the black miasma disappeared from the princess’s body whenever she held the magic tool that the royal family had delivered to her—the ‘Saint’s Eyes’

I’m sure you’d be able to find out more about this in the future. It’s not just a matter of time before you’d be able to find out.

One thing that helped was that her fiancé, Sean, did not avoid the princess in such a state. It seems that he was with her the whole time.

After her seventeenth birthday passed as planned, the princess had a small ceremony at the Count of Welfeus’ estate, and never came back to the royal capital again.

Even in later years, she always wore the ‘Saint’s Eyes’ without taking it off of her skin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T/N: Well, I guess all I can say is that you get what you give. Plus we got a peek into the mythology of Elementia. More of it should be fleshed out in future chapters!

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