Chapter 32 Omen
"What... should I do now?" I found myself in a rather awkward situation. "Woo... woo..." I realized that my sister, Aria, was still worried about me. "Damn it, this won't do." There was a reason why I endured Isollette's beating to ease her concerns about me. In a 'System Trial' that would occur at some point in the future, all those who 'worried' about me would be 'cursed'. So, I went to great lengths to make Isollette resent me... But now, a new variable had emerged.
I quietly stared at the variable right in front of me, then closed my eyes and made a decision..
I gaze at... quietly this new variable right in front of me, closed my eyes, and made a decision.
"... Cough, cough."
"...!" I dispersed the starlight magic surrounding my body and deliberately made a sound. Aria, who was tremblingly flipping through some documents, widened her eyes, then quickly closed the documents and stood up.
"Hmm? Lady Aria?"
"... Shh, be quiet." Aria whispered softly to Cardia, who had gotten up upon hearing the noise, and tiptoed towards the door of the room where I was. "Wow ah!!"
"Ugh ah!!" The next moment, she fling open the door and lunged towards me.
"What, what are you doing...?"
"You, you...! Didn't I tell you!! Don't come near our room!!"
"Ha ah... Really." As she pounced on me, grabbing my collar and yelling, Cardia behind her was hold tightly a pillow, trembling with fear. I glanced at Cardia, then said to Aria, who was gripping my collar, with a wronged look.
"Come on, seriously... Since we used the medicine, we have to test it, right?"
"Please, just stop talking. Please."
"Do you know how much I spent on those medicines? 3000 gold coins! 3000 gold coins! Are we just going to waste them like this?"
"Enough, please."
"This is the highest - grade stuff. It's definitely going to make you feel... "
"Stop... Please, don't do this... Brother..." I treated my sister in the same way I did with Pelosh and Isollette, praying that she would turn and leave this time too. However, Aria suddenly started to cry.
"Brother... You weren't like this before... Why are you doing this...?" Facing her sudden reaction, I almost hugged her like I did when I was a child. But the moment my hand was about to touch her back, I suddenly came to my senses and slowly lowered my hand.
"Didn't you hate this kind of thing the most when you were a kid? Don't you remember?"
"... Not really."
"I remember it clearly... You said, 'If anyone dares to do this, I'll break their legs'."
"I said, I don't remember." Although I indeed remember I said that, I deliberately denied it to pretend not to know. Seeing this, Aria immediately grabbed my shoulders and shook me.
"Are you cursed? Or being threatened? If not... "
"Enough."
"...!" Aria's words were getting more and more dangerous. I quickly pushed her away, interrupted her, and then stared at her coldly, saying, "Who do you think you are, daring to tell me what to do?"
"But, but... "
"Fine, then consider the 3000 gold coins wasted. Is that okay?"
"..."
"And as I said just now, if you keep pushing your luck... "
"I will definitely find the truth."
"... What?" It seemed that it would be difficult to dispel her concerns today. Just as I was about to end the conversation and go back to my room, Aria suddenly said in a firm tone.
"The reason why brother has become like this... I will definitely find it out." I looked at her extremely serious expression and used the information detection skill to check her profile.
[Name: Aria Rahn Starlight]
[Ability: Strength 4 / Magic Power 7.2 / Intelligence 7 / Spiritual Power 8.5]
[Special Matters: Star Gaze]
[Personality Tendency: Guardian]
[Goodness Value: 95]
When I saw her high goodness value, I was momentarily speechless and silently turned around to walk towards my room.
'... This is bad.' My sister, who couldn't forget my childhood appearance, had now become a new threat. There were many events to face and many enemies to deal with in the future... And these threats actually came from my family. It was driving me crazy.
- Plop
I barely managed to steady my tottering mental state. After returning to my room, I slumped weakly onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
[Gain 300 Evil Points!(Death flag)]
"... Sigh." I closed the disturbing system window in front of me. As usual, I wanted to immerse myself in thought, but finally gave up. Somehow, the self - talk and self - rationalization that usually came naturally were starting to disappear. Now, I just wanted to stop thinking for a while and have a good rest. I didn't want to think about the system, the Demon King, the Sun God, or anything. I just wanted to have a day off...
"Meow."
"... Ah." Suddenly, a familiar cat meow came to my ears. Understanding the meaning of that sound, I barely grasp my dissipating consciousness, turned my head with a smile.
- Lick, lick
At the same time, that ever - present existence, the black cat doll, started licking my cheek.
"Meow..." Then, the doll rolled over onto its back, exposed its belly, and looked at me expectantly.
"What's going on? It didn't move at all a few days ago... It's quite active today."
"Meow, meow... Hmm, meow..." Looking at the doll acting coquettishly, I felt infinitely grateful. It allowed me to forget everything for a while and take a break. I gently pressed its belly. It seemed that I would have to play with this cat doll all night.
.....
"Master... It's time for breakfast."
"Ah, is it?" I had been so focused on the cat doll's reactions that I lost track of time. Before I knew it, morning had arrived. When Kanika came to call me for breakfast, I did regret not getting more sleep. But when I saw the cat doll curl up again and stop moving, that thought vanished.
'... Anyway, the work ended at 4 am. Instead of not sleeping well, it's better to do something else.' Instead of sleeping for three hours and spending the day groggy, it was better to play with my cat doll, which could increase my mental state by 0.3. Thinking this way, I stuffed the limp cat doll into my bag, then opened the door to go have breakfast.
"... This is rye bread with butter. Please enjoy it." For some reason, Kanika blushed as she placed the food in front of me, then quickly ran towards my room.
"Um, Kanika."
"Yes, what is it?" I called out to her and started to ask a question that had been on my mind.
"Have you had frequent stomachaches recently?"
"Ah... Well, it seems so." She immediately broke out in a cold sweat and avoided my gaze as she answered. I looked at her reaction, slightly furrowed my brows, and asked, "That... Could it be related to that black cat toy?"
"Ah?"
"No, actually, I like to touch the doll's belly... Every time I do, you seem to have a stomachache the next day."
"Well... Is that so."
"Come to think of it, this doll is controlled by your black magic, right? Since that's the case, there must be some connection..."
"No, it's not."
"Hmm?" Worried that my actions might have hurt her, I carefully asked about the cat and her stomachaches. But Kanika firmly interrupted me.
"That cat doll has nothing to do with me."
"But your black magic..."
"... Other than black magic, I have no connection with you. So please don't worry... No, please be at ease." After saying these words, Kanika bowed slightly to me, then turned and walked towards the door.
"... Ah, right!"
".....?" I was looking at her in confusion when I suddenly remembered something that I had completely forgotten because I was playing with the cat. I quickly stood up from my seat and said, "It's not time for breakfast now. We have to find Cardia quickly."
"Hmm? What's wrong with Cardia... Ah!" Kanika was initially confused, but soon understood what I meant. Her face lit up, and she walked out of the room with me towards Cardia's room. Finally, it was time to lift Kanika's curse.
.....
"... What is this? What kind of black tea is this?"
"That, that is... For the senior maids..."
"... You guys actually want to enjoy this expensive black tea all by yourselves?"
"... What's wrong now?" I deliberately picked a fight, yelling at a maid outside the door, to draw Aria out of the room. Then I winked at Kanika, signaling her to slip into the room.
"I'm, I'm sorry... Acting Family Head... It's all my fault..."
"Stop!! Wasn't it father who allowed the servants to enjoy black tea at will!? What's wrong with you!?" Just as the maid was sobbing and wiping up the black tea I had spilled, and Aria was questioning why I was making such a big fuss, Kanika quietly slipped out of the room.
[Gain 100 Evil Points!(Secret Action)]
Only then did I stop getting angry, close the malicious value window that popped up in front of me, and walked out of the corridor.
"Kanika, did you see that maid I just scolded?"
"... Yes, I did."
"That girl was the maid who protected the Starlight family until the very end in the last round, right?"
"That's right."
"Then, promote her and give her a raise. Of course... within your authority."
"I understand." After apologizing to the maid who had spilled the black tea, I carefully asked Kanika, "So, what's the result?"
"... You can see for yourself." Kanika looked around, then a black aura condensed in her hand.
"... Oh?" Seeing this, I couldn't help but show a delighted expression. Perhaps some people would think it was an exaggeration to be so excited just because a black aura was released, but the power of this aura was far more astonishing than imagined. If Kanika clenched her fist while releasing this aura, not only this mansion, but all the light around would be sucked into the aura, bringing complete darkness. The key point was that this magic was not the primary black magic that Kanika had to use because of the curse, but ntermediate black magic with a certain degree of power. In other words, her curse had been neutralized to a much greater extent than expected.
"... It seems to have recovered better than expected?"
"Yes, the effect of that 'Potential Elixir' was better than we thought. Although it was only a brief contact, the curse has been alleviated to this extent."
"However, Cardia's abilities haven't fully awakened yet... Even if we continue the contact, there probably won't be much effect. But it should be easier in the future." Seeing me looking relieved, Kanika, who had been silent for a while, suddenly said with a serious expression, "Master, from now on, you don't have to give me your life force anymore."
"Don't be silly." I firmly interrupted her and said seriously, "Although the curse has been partially neutralized, your life force is still being constantly eroded by the self - destruction curse."
"But if you keep giving me your life force, Master, you will..."
"I will recover quickly. I've bought a recovery skill with the 'System'. But it's different for you. You can't recover, can you?"
"...Then once a month, at least?"
"Once every three days."
"That's too much."
"This is about your life."
Just like that, Kanika and I argued for a while. When we passed an antique - looking room, we both stopped in our tracks and silently looked at the nameplate next to it.
[Abraham Rahn Starlight]
"Anyway, we should meet him before we leave, right?"
"..." Looking at that nameplate, I had a bitter expression. Kanika stood quietly by the door and said, "I'll stay here and watch if Lady Aria comes. So, go and say hello first and then come back."
"... Thank you, Kanika." I thanked Kanika softly, then carefully pushed open the door and walked in.
"... Father." Entering the room, I saw my father lying in bed with his eyes closed. I looked at him, took a deep breath, and then said slowly, "To make a long story short." I didn't want to play the emotional drama anymore, so I tried to suppress my emotions and said briefly, "...After defeating the Demon King, I will definitely come back here." After this short farewell, I walked out of the room. Kanika raised an eyebrow and asked, "...You came back earlier than expected?"
"I'm tired of the emotional drama."
"I see. Lady Aria is coming soon. I was just about to call you. What are you going to do?" As I walked out of the room and heard the news that Aria was looking for me, I immediately closed my eyes and quickened my pace, saying, "Let's get out of here quickly."
"...Okay." Just like that, I walked straight to the exit of the mansion and got on the carriage that Kanika had prepared and was waiting for by the roadside.
"Master, Lady Aria is coming out."
"...Let the carriage start moving." With a jolt, the carriage began to move. Leaning back on the seat, I tried my best to ignore my sister's anxious cries of my name and threw a question at Kanika beside me.
"Kanika, can you please use ordinary magic instead of black magic?"
"...What?"
"Since we can still hear Aria's crying, it seems this carriage doesn't have sound - proof magic... Although it's a bit troublesome, can you cast a sound - proof magic?"
"Master..." Aria's cries were so heart - rending that I had to make this bold request to Kanika. But for some reason, Kanika's face suddenly turned pale.
"Crying?"
".....?" I was puzzled by her reaction. While I was still in a daze, Kanika grabbed my hand and said with a worried look, "Lady Aria opened the door, came out, took a look at us, and then immediately went back. Now, except for the sound of the carriage bumping, we can't hear anything."
Hearing these words, I froze for a moment, then carefully asked Kanika, "That, Kanika. Is there any black magic that can temporarily erase or empty a period of memory?"
"Why do you ask... "
"Just... If I can temporarily turn off my brain, will I be able to return to normal?" As I said this, I covered my ears with both hands and muttered in a low voice.
"No, cast a sleeping magic on me. But can I control my dreams at will? No, no... As long as I can't hear this crying. I feel like I'm going crazy."
"Master...?"
"Kanika...What's wrong with me...?" I was panicking and trembling because of this terrifying experience that I had never had before. Suddenly, I felt my mind clear for a moment, showing a dazed expression, and then a faint smile appeared on my face.
"Ah, it's stopped. The sound has stopped."
"...."
"What magic did you cast? Did I faint and wake up just now? Or is this a dream? Is that it? Are you treating me with an illusion now?"
"Master..."
"Thank you, Kanika. I really can't do without you... Haha... Ahaha..." I shook hands with Kanika, holding her hand. Soon, I noticed a sad expression on her face, so I tilted my head and asked, "Kanika? What's wrong?"
"How long have you been holding on in that mental state?"
"Mental state? I'm fine. Look at me, my spiritual power is 9.3. So I won't be affected by ordinary mental abnormalities... Even if it's a serious mental abnormality, as long as it lasts for more than a few minutes, it will heal automatically. Amazing, right? Just like now, I'm becoming clear - headed right away..."
"... Master, you don't look clear - headed at all right now." Kanika said firmly. The cheerful expression I had been trying to maintain instantly collapsed. I silently put away my smile and muttered dejectedly, "Sorry... Even with a high spiritual power value, it seems I'm reaching my limit..."
Kanika lowered her head deeply and started murmuring, "I'm sorry...It's all my fault...If I were more capable..."
Just like that, Kanika's self - reproachful murmurs echoed inside and outside the carriage for a long time.
"It seems... I have to secretly receive psychological treatment... I have to find a suitable place..."
- Flap! Flap!!
"Wow!!!" Suddenly, a familiar white owl flew in through the carriage window and started flapping its wings vigorously.
"...Coo!" Soon, the owl spat out a letter, dropped it on my lap, then flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing at the other end of the sky. Kanika and I looked at this scene and simultaneously murmured, "It's from Serena."
"...It's Miss Serena." With those words, silence filled the carriage. I gently opened the letter on my lap, then frowned and muttered in a low voice, "...Has this girl gone crazy after remembering the last round?"
"Hmm?"
"Read it for yourself." A moment later, with a helpless expression, I handed the letter to Kanika and said in a low voice, "Although I don't know what it is... There's one more thing to worry about... Sigh... She caused such a commotion in the last round and fooled me around. How am I going to deceive her this time..."
"...What is this?"
"Hmm?" When I saw Kanika tilting her head, looking utterly puzzled as she inquired about the contents of the letter, I scratched my head, a bit flustered, and replied, "Well... Her handwriting is outrageously messy, almost like a scribble. But somehow, I can still make out the words... barely!"
Yet, as I took a second, more scrutinizing look at the letter, my mouth dropped wide open, and I froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.
"Could this be some sort of secret code between you and Miss Serena, Master? I just can't make heads or tails of it..." Kanika mused aloud, her brow furrowed in confusion.
That's when I realized that the letter was written in a foreign language, with the following lines:
- I'll come to find you soon.
Ps. I love you. (Probably?)
[Serena Luna Moonlight]
With a scowl on my face, I continued to glare intently at the letter, as if trying to bore a hole through it with my eyes. Finally, I heaved a deep sigh and muttered under my breath, "...This lousy game is really a piece of trash."
At this point, it's almost become a norm. If no new variables or unexpected twists show up, I'd actually feel a bit disappointed, like something's missing from this chaotic, topsy - turvy world I'm stuck in.