MILND 80

Chapter 80

Orb playfully winked one eye and continued speaking.

“If it doesn’t end with ‘And they all lived happily ever after’, then I don’t want it. I want to read a story where bad people are punished and those who worked hard are rewarded. I wish you were like that too, Teacher.”

It wasn’t a line based on pure imagination—it was far too much like her.

She didn’t like stories without happy endings.

To forget reality, she desperately searched for works infused with happy illusions.

And I was nothing like the protagonists of the novels she loved.

I wasn’t lovely, smart, or beautiful. Yet, still, she…

“I won’t read a story where you don’t end up happy, Teacher.”

Once again, I rubbed my face with my hands.

I didn’t want her to see this expression of mine.

It was as unpleasant as reciting a clumsy poem.

…

After a long silence had passed and I had sorted out my emotions, I looked back at Orb.

She tossed the branch she was holding into the sea and pointed at the sandy shore.

“Shall we walk a bit more then?”

I didn’t answer and simply followed her steps.

No matter how far we went, the scenery stayed the same.

The sea stretched endlessly, and the sun—brighter than in reality—remained unmoving in the sky.

Humming a tune as she walked, Orb suddenly opened her mouth, as if she had just remembered something.

“Ah, the fairy child Nata is on the water’s surface. Time in the outside world shouldn’t have changed much, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Then what about Rohan?”

The image of Nata and Rohan diving into the lake at the same time came to mind.

Orb groaned a little before replying.

“He’s in this world. Just before I brought you here, he followed. Honestly, I didn’t invite him, and no one can enter this place without an invitation—so who knows what trick he used…”

“So, are we on our way to find Rohan now?”

“That’s right. To banish him, I need to meet him directly. To send you both back to the surface, we have to move together.”

So that’s why it didn’t seem like we were just wandering aimlessly.

It looked like the direction we were walking in was where Rohan was.

“Now all your questions are cleared up, right? It’s been so long since I had a conversation with a human that I ended up talking too much.”

“Fine. Just send me back already.”

“Hmph, ordinary humans usually beg to stay longer here. This reaction really wounds my pride. The king’s name will be shamed at this rate…”

I didn’t understand why she was so hung up on such things, but it seemed she really wanted to offer me something in return.

I was about to say there was no need when Orb snapped her fingers, saying she had a good idea.

“Give me a ‘correct answer.’”

“A correct answer?”

“Yes. Ask me anything you want to know, and I’ll tell you. Haven’t you heard the tale of how the Fairy King is wise?”

I shook my head in denial, and she pouted, looking dejected.

I had heard of a fairy kingdom, but this was the first time I learned there was even a Fairy King.

“I don’t have any more questions. As long as Nata and Rohan are safe, that’s enough for me.”

“That much, of course, I’ll take care of. But this is a special gift. I can tell you any truth. The map of the treasure bestowed by the Sun God, the hidden tomb of the Wolf King, the myths beyond the horizon… anything, but only one.”

A fairy offering a reward in the form of something like a treasure map—it was straight out of a fairy tale.

But the ending to these things is always predictable.

Either you get greedy and suffer, or you answer honestly and are rewarded. One of the two.

Fairy tale or reality—it didn’t matter. In a world where fairies existed, who was I to argue?

But truthfully, I had nothing I wanted.

I live comfortably in a noble household, my relationships are stable, and I have no urge to travel…

No matter how I looked at it, life was already satisfactory.

Even if I forced myself, I couldn’t think of a question worth asking Orb.

“…Still nothing.”

“Mm, that’s troublesome. If I send you back like this, it’ll tarnish my name.”

It’s not like anyone even knows your name—what’s there to tarnish?

I nearly let the words slip but held my tongue.

After all, she was still a king. I couldn’t be rude.

“Really nothing? Haven’t you ever once thought, living in this world, ‘How could something so magical happen?’”

For a question, her example was oddly specific.

Almost as if she guessed I’d had such an experience…

You need more time to reflect, it seems.

Suddenly, the memory of Mikhail during the evaluation meeting flashed across my mind.

I remembered thinking that the change in him had been nothing short of magical.

I had forgotten about it since nothing much had happened afterward.

“…Didn’t you say you don’t read people’s thoughts?”

“This is different. It’s for your gift, so it’s a good use.”

Orb smiled slyly again.

“Alright then. That’ll be my question. Did Mikhail change so suddenly because of magic?”

“No, it’s a curse. A curse passed down through the Leighton family.”

The answer was so unexpected that I frowned.

A curse on Mikhail? I had lived with him for over half a year and never once heard of such a thing.

“Words filled with emotion become incantations that can oppress the soul. The head of House Leighton has always wielded this power of domination, whether in large or small measure.”

“That doesn’t sound like a curse.”

“Because of its side effects, it’s called a curse. The ruler’s power takes a toll on the body the more it’s used. In your student’s words…”

Orb raised a finger, her face alight with curiosity, and continued.

“Northern dukes are destined to fall into madness, Teacher.”

“We’re not in the North.”

“It’s just an expression!”

She burst into loud laughter.

I couldn’t see what was so funny, so I waited for her to go on.

“This curse grants humans power beyond their limits while forcing restraint. But if they indulge in it, they lose their sanity.”

“So the more it’s used, the more their mind breaks?”

“Exactly. The curse takes away one’s humanity as the price of power. The stronger the power, the faster the soul corrodes.”

It was hard to dismiss as a lie when there were precedents.

Mikhail’s father, the former duke. Even as sickness ate away at him, he was known as a tyrant who terrorized his house.

If it really was a curse passed down through generations, then his cruelty could be explained.

Not excused—but explained.

“The best way is not to use it, but that’s impossible for humans. It’s a power tied to emotions. To remain sane while possessing as much power as the current duke, one would have to become an emotionless puppet.”

“…But Mikhail has always stayed sane.”

“That’s what’s strange. Humans can’t normally endure such impulses. Yet somehow he resists. Most succumb before adulthood.”

And yet, Mikhail was a benevolent ruler.

A noble admired by his people rather than feared—rare in this age.

Could his kindness really be a mask to hide his madness?

No… that can’t be it.

It was baseless, but I never once suspected Mikhail of putting on an act.

All I had seen of him so far was genuine.

Is it because of strong willpower? No, that can’t fully explain it…

Questions I couldn’t answer piled up in my mind, and before I knew it, I asked Orb another.

“Is there a way to break this curse?”

“…Curious, are you?”

If there was a way to cast the curse, then surely there had to be a way to lift it.

I nodded, and she replied mischievously.

“Well, the thing is…”

But the method she revealed far exceeded my darkest expectations.

It wasn’t so much breaking the curse as destroying Mikhail’s sanity.

“…I’d rather face the curse head-on than do something like that.”

The filth of her words left my tone sharp and rough.

But Orb only laughed unconcerned.

“You would, yes. But what about the one afflicted?”

After saying such outrageous things, she just shrugged casually.

“Whether you accept it or not, that’s the truth. Whether you tell him is up to you.”

I had no intention of telling him.

How could I tell my foster son to give up his humanity in the name of saving it?

Unable to comprehend such an answer, another question slipped out.

“Why would something like that break the curse? What even is this curse? If it’s been passed down for generations, then someone must have cast it long ago—”