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Volume 4 Chapter 96

We walked through the royal capital of Vestier, guided by the deer beastman.

This man seemed to be in charge at the checkpoint.

Even though it was still noontime, there were not many people out and about.

A lot of shops were closed, so even if it was the capital, it felt pretty lonely.

「Is it always like this here?」

「No, it’s usually much livelier… The truth is, a Majin attacked this country around a month ago」
「A Majin?」
According to the deer beastman’s story, a Majin suddenly came to the place where the national army was training, and annihilated the troops.
The king of this country and the ten strongest beastmen in the country, known as the Beast King’s Soldiers, managed to fight off the Majin, but when the Majin retreated, it put a curse on the beast king, and because of that, he was unable to get out of bed.

「Many members of the National Armed Forces were killed as a result of the Majin’s attack. And those who survived were severely hurt and are currently receiving medical care」
「Oh, so that’s the reason..」
There is no television or newspapers in this world.
In other words, there is little information about other countries unless it is passed on from person to person.
The kings of each nation had their own personal information network, so they could gather information about the other countries; however, that information also had time lags, and they didn’t reach the public’s ears.
Many beastmen were killed by the Majin, and I didn’t have the faintest idea.
It made me aware of how many things that were happening that I didn’t notice or know about, and that instilled a sense of dread in me.
If I just said this incident happened in the country of the beastmen and doesn’t concern me, then that would be the end of it.
However, what if this occurs in the kingdom of Glendale now?

My precious family will be in danger, and I won’t even notice it.
Well, my family is all together at the Ifurus Academy of Magic now, and Sage Luano is also with them.
Besides, I’ve given all my family members protective bracelets, so even if the Majin who invaded this country invades Glendale, I don’t think anyone will get hurt.
Just as I hypothesized the possibility of that situation, I thought I should consider how to gather information in real-time, even if I was in another country.
I asked the deer beastman about another thing that had been bothering me.
「You told me that the Majin attacked about a month ago, but where has the Majin been since then?」
「We do not know. I heard the king’s attack left him with a gaping hole in his stomach, but…he was not able to finish him off. We do not know if he might have recovered and will attack this place any moment, so as a precaution, all the citizens are basically staying indoors.」
I see. That’s why there are so few people on the capital’s main street.

I thought the Majin that attacked this country was the same Majin that attacked us, but apparently, that’s not the case.
The Majin that I captured didn’t have a hole in its stomach.
In that case, it would mean that there are two Majin near this country.
Compared to humans, the physical abilities of beastmen are exceptionally high.
Furthermore, even when they battled him as a group, the so-called strongest among them were unable to defeat the Majin, and he could be hiding nearby.
…I think it’s a good idea to be a little vigilant.
I secretly released mana and activated several magic spells.
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We reached the royal palace after walking for a while.
Contrary to the elegant royal palace of the kingdom of Alheim, this country’s palace was rustic, and its structure was highly practical.
We parted with the deer beastman here.
The deer beastman in charge of the capital’s inspection couldn’t help us because there was a separate examination to enter the royal palace.
「Who are you?」
We were stopped by the wolf beastman gatekeeper.
We couldn’t say we were here to sightsee because we came to the royal palace on purpose.
I glanced at Merdie, who was behind me.
「Yeah, I’ll be the one to negotiate from here on」
Merdie went before me.
「Hm? Eh, t, this scent!!」
The wolf beastman was shocked at something.
Eh, did I stink?
While I was thinking so, Merdie removed her hood.
「Merdie-sama!」
The wolf beastman kneeled down in front of Meldy.
I was relieved.
Apparently, I wasn’t stinky.
Wait, the gatekeeper’s reaction—so Merdie is really part of the royal family, huh?
「I heard that Father collapsed due to the curse, so I returned. May I enter the palace?」
「Of course!」
…yeah.
Merdie really is a princess.
That’s because the one who got cursed was the king, right? By calling him father, that would mean she was definitely his daughter.
Unknowingly, I made the princess of another country wear a maid uniform and made her serve…
Sorry, Merdie.
And to everyone in Vestier.
With these thoughts, I followed the wolf beastman and Merdie to a room guarded by a lot of soldiers.
The wolf beastman informed the guards about Merdie’s return, and all of them knelt before her.
We entered the room after.
A remarkably huge beastman was sleeping on a bed surrounded by beastmen who appeared to be doctors.
「Father!」
Merdie ran towards the beastman.
「Father, I came back. It’s Merdie, do you understand?」
Tears overflowed from Merdie’s eyes.
I took a step back from Merdie and assessed the sleeping beastman’s condition.
A black pattern had emerged in his entire body.
Maybe it’s the Black Death Curse.
The Black Death Curse was a type of curse that resulted in death. It began as a little black pattern that progressively grew larger until it covered the entire body.
As the black pattern spread, the whole body would experience intense pain that’s similar to being pierced with nails.
Then, after about one month, the whole body would become pitch black, ending in death.
By the way, death by the Black Death Curse also depended on the aptitude, but it was also possible to fall into darkness and become a demon or a Majin.
This curse also forms a bond with the caster, so the only way to break it was to defeat the caster, or else he revoked the curse.
「Merdie, is it?」
We could hear a weak voice.
The sleeping beastman seemed to have woken up.
「Father!」
「…Haha, I did not want you, only you, to see me in this weak state.」
「That doesn’t matter, now.」
「Nevertheless, it’s good that you returned home. I was ashamed that I got a curse cast on me, so I could not bring myself to inform you…Sorry.」
Red Letter Birds would take about two days to fly between Glendale and Vestier.
However, the Letter Bird came to Merdie today. In short, even though the curse had progressed to this point, this beastman did not want to inform Merdie two days prior.
「However, it was not good that my body became weak. I really wanted to see you one last time no matter what. Honestly, I thought I would not make it.」
「Don’t say it’s the end. Haruto even brought me here.」
Merdie turned her head to me after saying that.
「Let me introduce myself. I am Haruto Elnor.」
「Human, is it… What’s your relationship with Merdie?」
He stared at me with a glint in his eye that was unbelievable for someone supposedly weakened by the curse.
I, is this the feeling one gets when asking a father for the hand of his daughter? I’m a little scared.
「We’re classmates in the academy of magic.」
I did my best to stay calm, then I answered him.
「S, so Merdie entered the academy of magic. In that case, you are her friend, then.」
Somehow, that beastman seemed to be relieved.
And he also emphasized the word ‘friend’.
Would he get mad if he were to know that I made Merdie wear a maid outfit and let her serve at my mansion?
「—Gaahhh!」
Suddenly, the beastman, who was lying down, screamed in pain.
The black pattern slightly spread throughout his entire body.
「Your Majesty! Please hold on!」
「It’s no use. The curse’s progression cannot be stopped.」
「Hey, hurry up and get some painkillers!」
All the surrounding doctors began to panic.
However, even if he was given painkillers, the Black Death Curse’s pain would not go away, and healing and restorative magic would be ineffective.
The king of the beastmen endured the pain for a few minutes, and he somehow withstood it, but if the patterns spread further two more times, he would end up dead.
「Haruto, I’ll do anything. So…. please help my Father.」
Merdie’s tears spilled as she begged me.
I also wanted to help him if I could.
However, Black Death Curse cannot be cured by normal means.
—Yeah, by normal means.
If possible, or rather, it was a magic that I would never want to use normally, but I know a magic spell that could dispel any curse, except the [Fixed Status] curse cast on me by the Evil God.
「Merdie, you did say anything, right?」
I confirmed Merdie’s thoughts.
Merdie listened to my words with a slightly puzzled expression, but she still nodded.