Chapter 14
“You said you heard a voice, right? What did it say?”
I stepped closer with my eyes wide, and Kaizen flinched, instinctively pulling back.
“W-what… Why are you suddenly getting so close to my face…?”
“Hey. Do I look like a monster? Why are you so jumpy?”
Kaizen quickly composed himself and said primly,
“I’m not used to this kind of proximity. Please be careful.”
“Really? Not used to it? You’re about to get engaged to a princess, aren’t you?”
Well… hasn’t he even kissed anyone before? I muttered quietly, and Kaizen made a strange expression.
His eyebrow twitched as if he’d never heard such a thing before.
“…Who said that? I don’t do engagements.”
“You don’t need to lie to me. Word’s already out that you’re getting engaged to the princess.”
And in the game ending, he even got married. Seeing him smile smugly as if I knew everything, Kaizen waved his hand emphatically, denying it.
“Absolutely not. I have nothing to do with the princess! If you continue to slander me, I won’t stay quiet.”
“Alright, alright. Why are you so angry?”
“Ha…”
Kaizen brushed his flushed face a few times and pressed his lips shut.
A denial phase of falling for him, perhaps.
I shrugged and looked at the skull icon floating above his head.
Before entering the temple, the skull had three bars. But as soon as he drew his sword, it had strangely filled to five bars.
“It must be related to Kaizen dying.”
If that was the mark of a curse, that is.
I recalled the situation and asked again.
“So, what exactly did the voice say?”
This time, Kaizen answered with a serious expression.
“It said that if I died, everything would become easier.”
“Is that all? You seemed a bit strange while holding the sword—did you hear anything then?”
Kaizen furrowed his brow, thinking over my question.
After a moment, he slowly spoke.
“Short memories flashed in my mind, like books opening inside my head. Memories of going to the Demon King’s castle with the princess and countless memories of meeting you before.”
“Wait. You went to the Demon King’s castle with the princess?”
What’s going on?
Kaizen had never gone to the castle with the princess—at least, not since I arrived here.
Could this have been before I came to the Tales World?
I rubbed my chin, lost in thought, when Kaizen answered,
“While looking at those memories, I heard someone’s voice.”
“Was the voice male?”
“No. It was a woman’s voice.”
It was different from the voice I heard from the stone tablet. The mystery only deepened.
“What did she say?”
Kaizen, who had been speaking freely until now, paused. His gaze wandered through the air, as if retracing the situation.
After a short sigh, a low, resonant voice echoed.
“You will lose everything you have. You will live each moment in pain.”
“…?”
“As soon as I heard it, all the strength in my body drained. Looking back now, it’s strange, but at that time I didn’t realize it.”
My hand went to my mouth as I murmured,
“Oh no… it seems you really were cursed…”
Kaizen raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ah, he hadn’t heard the stone tablet’s voice.
I sighed and explained what happened in the temple.
“While you were drawing your sword, I was looking at the stone tablet behind the rock.”
“… You really can’t stay still for even a moment, can you?”
“There was this sparkle, right? I wanted to see if anything was on it, and then suddenly I heard a voice.”
Kaizen, listening quietly, asked seriously,
“You heard a voice too?”
“Yeah. But it was a man’s voice for me. Anyway, the tablet said to restore all the hero’s memories, end the curse, and save the world. Then everyone could return to their original places.”
Recalling the temple scene, I added,
“It seems you were under a brainwashing curse.”
“Ha… ridiculous. Me, falling for a curse.”
Kaizen spoke cynically, almost self-mockingly.
Now that I knew all the circumstances, I finally understood why the skull icon in the temple had filled up. A self-inflicted brainwashing curse—it wasn’t an ordinary evil curse.
I cautiously asked,
“Have you ever held a grudge against anyone?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Do I need to know?”
He looked completely indifferent.
“Well, if your terrible urges aren’t because of you, that’s good. I can break the curse.”
“Eh? You… you’re a magician?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
I smiled slyly.
“I’m far more impressive than that.”
“…?”
Kaizen made a sour face as I bragged.
Since he didn’t know about my cooking effect, I decided to explain it kindly.
“My cooking has a special function. The reason you’re obedient and talking to me now is because of it.”
“…?”
Kaizen’s eyebrow twitched again. Wow… he really talks with his eyebrows, apparently.
I explained calmly.
“You ate the fruit I threw earlier, right? Didn’t notice anything strange? Before eating it, you were holding a sword to my neck.”
Kaizen glanced back and forth between the fruit and my face, letting out a short breath. Realizing something was off, his eyes turned sharp.
“What… did you do to me?”
“Nothing much. I just cast a spell to make you obedient. I won’t harm you, so you don’t need to glare like that.”
Kaizen muttered in relief,
“So you really are a magician…”
Seeing that he wouldn’t touch me even after knowing everything, the obedience effect really was perfect.
“I’m not a magician. Anyway, now that you know everything, agree to this.”
Living together, we need consent. I had at least that much conscience.
Kaizen raised a suspicious brow.
“Consent to what all of a sudden?”
“To me, breaking your curse.”
Kaizen reluctantly nodded, still doubtful.
“Alright… I agree.”
“Good! Now that you’ve agreed, we’re a family from now on.”
“…?”
“First, we need to build a house. You need to eat three meals a day. I won’t leave your side anymore.”
Kaizen looked stunned.
“What does that mean?”
“What does it mean? We’ll build a house and live together. Easier for you to eat my cooking that way.”
“I…! No way!”
Kaizen jumped up from his seat and stepped back. I sighed lightly and spoke gently.
“Even if you dislike it, bear with it. That’s the only way to break your curse.”
“I still don’t want to. How can an unmarried man and woman live in the same house? And I only agreed to stay with you for a month. You can’t just decide this recklessly…”
His refusal without thinking made my blood boil. This isn’t just for my own benefit.
“Then live an endless life, unable to die. You said you remember the previous cycle—how do you know the next cycle won’t be worse?”
“……”
“Do you know how terrible it is not to die? Be thankful when someone offers to help.”
A heavy silence filled the space between us.
After a while, Kaizen asked in a subdued voice,
“Is that your story?”
“Yes. I’ve lived one- or two-month lives 99 times because of you. If you don’t follow me now, you’ll live even longer.”
“……”
Talking calmed him down. I controlled my emotions to avoid spilling all my past grievances.
“So, if you want to live of your own will, follow me. The only way to stop this infinite regression is to break your curse and defeat the Demon King.”
“……”
Kaizen remained silent, confused. I decided to give him time to think.
As raindrops began to fall from the previously clear sky, he finally spoke.
“… I’m sorry. I was thinking only of myself. I will follow you. But let’s think a bit about living together.”
Kaizen settled back into his seat after organizing his thoughts.
Thank goodness.
I worried he’d keep resisting, but he was surprisingly flexible. I asked with a slightly relaxed face.
“You don’t want to die right now, do you?”
Kaizen didn’t answer, just stared at me. The sunlight reflected in his steel-blue eyes, sharp as ever.
Then, he let out a low sigh.
“I won’t die. At least not in front of you.”
