Chapter 14: BWCGD

Kalian didn't even give her a chance to answer before he immediately started walking.

Since she couldn't exactly shake off his hand, Evelyn followed after him with a bewildered expression.

Then a question suddenly crossed her mind.

'I thought he hated physical contact with anyone...'

Ever since they had met again, how many times had his hand touched hers?

She already knew that healing power restored both the body and mind.

She had even heard that some people, after experiencing the overwhelmingly addictive sense of peace it brought, became obsessively attached to touching their healer.

But that didn't seem to fit the man before her.

'Though I suppose it could explain why he's always in such a bad mood.'

Just then—

"Pleasure to meet you, my lady."

Someone greeted her warmly and stepped in front of her.

The handsome man with gray eyes, a black leather eyepatch over one eye, and brown hair tied back was someone she recognized immediately.

Benjamin Uriel.

In her previous life, when she had never managed to find a place in the Grand Duke's castle and had been shunned by everyone, he was the one person who had supported her until the very end without being swayed by public opinion.

As she sank into those brief memories, their eyes met.

Benjamin smiled brightly and bowed politely.

"My name is Benjamin Uriel, aide to His Grace the Grand Duke. It is truly an honor to finally meet Your Highness, the future Grand Duchess."

"It's nice to meet you too, Sir Benjamin. I look forward to working with you."

"The pleasure is mine. Though..."

Benjamin stared blankly at Evelyn as though he had been enchanted.

"You're far more beautiful than I imagined. For a moment, I truly thought the Great High Priestess herself had descended. It almost looked as though light was shining behind you..."

Not knowing how to respond, Evelyn looked embarrassed.

Realizing he had behaved improperly, Benjamin quickly regained his composure and politely held out his hand.

"Then, would you allow me to escort you?"

"Yes, please."

Evelyn's left hand, which Kalian had been holding, naturally moved into Benjamin's.

One of Kalian's eyebrows twitched in displeasure, but by then the two had already walked ahead.

"Was your journey here comfortable? I hope the carriage wasn't too inconvenient."

Benjamin's cheerful chatter continued endlessly, just like the seemingly endless road ahead.

By the time the conversation reached the story of how Kalian had beaten a top-grade mutated monster to death with his bare hands at the age of ten, Evelyn unconsciously laughed.

"You're still the same."

"...Me?"

Realizing her mistake, Evelyn hurriedly covered it up.

"Oh, I was just worried about whether I'll be suitable to become the Grand Duchess."

"There's no need to worry. The butler who manages the castle and the head maid will always be by your side to assist you."

Though it doesn't really matter.

She was nothing more than a substitute Saintess—an outsider with a purpose.

As long as she didn't interfere with her own future, she didn't care what others thought of her.

Even so, Evelyn found herself liking Benjamin very much.

It would have been natural for him to resent an illegitimate daughter of a count suddenly taking the position of future Grand Duchess, yet he supported her without hesitation.

'That must mean he trusts and is deeply loyal to his lord.'

She decided she should maintain a good relationship with him from now on.

Just then, Benjamin gradually slowed his pace.

"The building beside the magic tool shop at the end of this road is our destination. I'll wait outside."

Following the direction of his finger, she saw a shabby building tucked away in a corner.

'There's a clinic in a place like that?'

Filled with doubt, she entered with Kalian.

The chilly air unique to an abandoned building and the musty smell of dust tickled her nose.

Watching him nervously, Evelyn slowly turned her gaze toward the darkness inside, black as the mouth of a demon.

"There's... nothing here."

At that moment, Kalian, still covering her hand with his own, snapped his fingers.

Whoosh.

Black smoke suddenly flowed from his fingertips and quickly surrounded the two of them.

* * *

Clang! Clang!

Before long, the smoke surrounding them like a curtain completely disappeared, and the loud sound of hammering violently struck their ears.

"I thought we were going to a clinic!"

Startled, Evelyn grabbed his arm and looked around.

Kalian wrapped an arm around her back as if to reassure her.

"There's no need to be afraid. This isn't just an ordinary forge."

Fwoosh!

An intense heat, like the entrance to hell itself, and the smell of sulfur rushed in from every direction.

They were supposed to be visiting a doctor, yet they had suddenly arrived at a forge.

And since they had teleported here, it clearly meant outsiders couldn't freely enter this place.

The thought that she wouldn't be able to leave without Kalian made her uneasy.

Although he calmly reassured her, Evelyn remained on guard.

Just then—

"Haha! Long time no see! Since you never showed your face, I thought you'd finally died."

Standing before an enormous furnace, a short man with a long reddish beard hammered a glowing red sword as he greeted them.

"I came to have my demon sword repaired. If possible, strengthen it as well. Here are the mana crystals."

Kalian casually tossed the enormous scabbard, which looked heavy enough to require both hands to lift, along with a velvet pouch toward the man.

Thud!

"What a brute."

After barely catching them, the man looked inside the velvet pouch, smiled in satisfaction, and drew the sword.

"My, you're completely addicted. The blade's chipped too."

The sword was breathtakingly beautiful.

Its sharp tip looked elegant rather than dull, while a faint purple aura surrounded it with an almost mesmerizing mystery.

More importantly... when is he going to examine me?

As Evelyn hesitated to interrupt them, the man's harsh remarks continued.

"Keep this up and you'll destroy the demon sword that's been passed down through your family for generations with your own hands."

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he struck the glowing metal on the anvil.

Bang!

A moment later, everyone's attention shifted to Evelyn after Kalian spoke.

"Matthias. She's the woman who's going to become the Grand Duchess. She doesn't seem well. Take a look at her."

The man's sharp eyes turned toward Evelyn, who had hidden herself behind Kalian.

"I thought so."

He stared at her for a long moment before stroking his red beard and laughing loudly.

"I was wondering why you brought someone so noble to such a shabby place..."

His laughter abruptly vanished.

A strange light appeared in his eyes.

"You don't have long to live."

"...What?"

After dropping those chilling words, Matthias rose from his chair.

"It's terrible. That stench is unbearable."

He walked right up to Evelyn until he was standing before her and stared at her as though looking straight through her.

"It's a curse filled with resentment. The fact that you've survived this long is a miracle. Even I can't do anything about something like this."

"H-How can I..."

"Have you recently been... intimate with someone?"

"...Intimate?"

"A grown lady shouldn't be so innocent. I'm asking whether you've done more than simply touch skin."

Yes.

She didn't know what that had to do with the curse, but the only thing she could think of was what she had done with Kalian while he had been in his berserk state.

Blushing furiously, Evelyn nodded.

Matthias glanced at Kalian and clicked his tongue.

"Good. If it weren't for that contact, you'd already be a living corpse. Your neck must be hurting. Sit down first, tall young lady."

Speaking solemnly, Matthias suddenly grabbed Evelyn's wrist.

Contact with Kalian... stopped me from dying?

Completely confused, she quietly let him examine her.

Matthias studied her wrist for a long time before suddenly turning her around and placing his hand on the middle of her back.

A cool energy, like refreshing water flowing through her body, spread inside her.

The next instant, an overwhelming wave of nausea swept through all her internal organs.

"Ugh..."

What is this?

It felt similar to when Kalian had held her ankle the previous night, yet it was clearly different.

Instinctively feeling an intense sense of rejection, Evelyn hurriedly covered her mouth and gagged.

"Mana Reflux Syndrome."

Matthias immediately removed his hand from her back and spoke as though delivering a diagnosis.

"The curse accumulated inside your body is forcing your mana to flow in reverse, slowly causing your internal organs to rot away. In your current condition, you won't survive more than a year. Honestly, it wouldn't be strange if you died tomorrow."

"If it's an illness... is there an antidote?"

Without saying a word, Matthias slowly shook his head.

"Wh-What should I do..."

Evelyn's face turned deathly pale.

Although she had already known from her previous life that she had been cursed, hearing someone else confirm it made tears gather in her eyes and her heart sink.

'He even said I could die at any moment...'

Despair wrapped around her like a swamp pulling at her feet.

She let out a shaky breath, still unable to recover from the shock.

Watching her with pity, Matthias shrugged.

"Of course, that doesn't mean there's no way to save you."

"What is it?"

Evelyn asked desperately.

Matthias glanced at her with an unreadable expression.

"Darkness cannot overcome light. But just before dawn, darkness is always at its deepest."

What is that supposed to mean?

As Evelyn pondered his cryptic words, Matthias slowly shifted his gaze toward the Grand Duke leaning against a pillar.

"Just as the dawn after enduring the night is the most beautiful, the light within you and the darkness within him must properly become one."

The deepest darkness...

Was he talking about Kalian, who released the power of the evil god inside him and radiated an overwhelming aura of darkness?

If so... how?

Just as she was about to ask—

A lazy chuckle came from behind her.

"So that's how dwarves talk—always going in circles."

Kalian had already approached.

He gently gripped her shoulder.

Then, leaning close to the pale-faced Evelyn, he whispered,

"Smile. It seems we're each other's cure."