Adelheid had been a princess too. Her country had flourished thanks to the powerful magic its royal family possessed for generations. Known as the crown jewel of her long and storied bloodline, she’d had many serving at her feet.
“Adelheid, you are the epitome of beauty. Your lovely hair, the color of lilacs, and those bold, mesmerizing eyes are peerless in this realm.”
“Your magic is the pinnacle of power itself. I’ve never before witnessed magic that is both so strong and pure.”
“Should you become my consort, my country will prosper for eternity. So, please, Adelheid, I beg of you to marry me!”
Kings and princes from every country in the world bowed their heads as they sought her hand. But they all bored her. No matter how much they kissed the tips of her shoes or lavished her with expensive gifts, her heart remained unmoved. Because anything a man could give her, she could acquire in one way or another through her own magic.
I’ve had more than enough of all that, thank you very much. A fair face no longer surprises me, and I tire of status and fame.
With a huff, Claudia leaped over a large tree branch and ambled deeper into the forest.
More importantly, I’d like to do all the things I couldn’t in my old life. For example, getting a big dog!
Her heart danced merrily as she contemplated her dreams now.
A gorgeous, intelligent dog would be nice. Sleeping with it would be like resting on a fluffy cloud. Oh, I can just imagine how warm and wonderful it would feel... Do fenrirs live in this forest?
She saw traces of monsters here and there on her walk. Perhaps she might stumble upon a fenrir if she took the time to search for one.
It’s fantastic to live as I please so far away from the royal capital. Well, now... It seems I have company. Will I have my wish granted so soon?
When Claudia heard footsteps, she directed her attention to the direction from which they came. She wondered if it was a large, four-legged monster. Was it a carnivore? Or a huge pack of monsters? Whatever the case, she would look it over and claim it if it was fit to be her pet. Just as these thoughts ran through her head, a gigantic creature flew out from within the woods.
It was a gryphon. The eagle-headed monster with a lion’s body raced straight at her. Though the creature wasn’t the dog she’d been hoping for, its ability to fly could prove convenient.
Resolved that she would have it, she raised her hand to bring the monster under her command.
At that instant, the gryphon let out a shriek and bounded over Claudia’s head, rushing past her. She was caught by surprise for a moment, but she quickly focused her attention deeper into the forest from whence it fled. She could sense the presence of something different from a monster.
Hmmm...
Her lips curled into a smile. A beat later, her small feet pointed in that direction, and she began striding briskly, her steps sure.
Gryphons are strong, territorial monsters. Curious, then, to see it so utterly intent on escape that it didn’t even bother with me or anything else for that matter.
She headed deeper into the woods, light rustling sounds coming from her feet as she stepped on fallen leaves. The presence became more and more distinct the closer she drew to it. Rampant bloodlust thickened the atmosphere.
The disturbance of magic makes it seem less like a living thing and more like a harbinger of disaster, hmm?
Something was definitely up ahead. She reached the shore of a small lake just as these thoughts flashed through her mind. The air should have been clean in a place like this. Instead, she found it permeated with stagnant magical energy.
And it unmistakably radiated from the person Claudia discovered.
A raven-haired boy crouching on the ground.
He looked to be around nine years old. He panted roughly while supporting his seemingly heavy upper body with one hand planted on the ground. Drops of sweat trickled down his forehead and plopped on the ground.
That magic...
A black haze shrouded him. It raged like countless snakes coiling relentlessly, emitting a sinister thirst for blood. Claudia took a step toward the boy. He flinched in response, his thin shoulders shaking.
“Don’t! Don’t come any closer.”
Yet unchanged by the events of adolescence, his voice rang out high, but a hint of spirit imbued it, which made her cheeks tingle with nerves. The eyes that glared at her were black like obsidian.
“I said...s-stay away...”
Several dead gryphons lay scattered around him. Normally, one of these monsters was powerful enough to destroy a town or two. Defeating even a single gryphon was no easy feat.
“You killed them, yes?”
He remained silent.
The black haze wafting in the air seeped out from near his heart. Like chains restraining a dog, a few of the snakelike wisps entwined his neck.
I see now.
Claudia stared intently at the face of the boy who continued to glare at her. I see now, she thought again.
His short, black hair would gleam beautifully if groomed properly. Though he was young, his almond-shaped eyes, framed by double eyelids, were clear and striking. A well-defined nose and thin lips rounded off his features. With such a refined face, he was bound to grow up into a handsome young man. Still, his eyes captured her attention the most.
They’re so dark that it feels as if I’m being swallowed up. I can see unyielding determination dwelling in them alongside insight and dignity.
The boy spoke, his voice hoarse. “Take another step and I’ll kill you too.”
“How...marbelous.” Her six-year-old mouth stumbled over words sometimes.
“Huh?”
Claudia smiled softly. Joy surged through her. “What a lubbly pup I’ve stumbled into!”
His eyes widened in shock, and the black, hazy snakes curling around his neck warped effortlessly and grew in size.
“Ngh! Ahhh...!”
He pressed both hands against the left side of his chest, but the river of haze flowing from him only turned into a fiercer torrent of more of the inky stuff. Immediately after, it surged forth and rushed straight toward Claudia, like a gaping, hungry maw.
“Sh-Shit! Hurry up and get away from here!”
She held up her palm toward the haze. “Erase.”
With a whap, she blasted the amalgamation of snakes away. Its fangs never would have reached her. All it managed to do was make the hem of her white dress slightly rise with the torrent’s momentum before she ended it.
“What the...?” He exhaled sharply. Then with a grimace, he promptly collapsed on the ground, still pushing down on his chest.
“I’m amazed you managed to surbibe in that situation. Good job.”
She surmised the thing trying to kill him was the solid magic implanted into his heart.
“A slave contwact... Didn’t your mastuh teach you you’d die if you twied to run away?”
“Ngh— Haaa...”
The boy gave ragged breaths as he pressed his forehead into the ground. He was clearly in pain. He writhed uncontrollably and ground his molars together, yet he didn’t scream or complain even once. On the contrary, he desperately pulled himself up, and when he raised his head, his glare bored into Claudia.
The black haze twisting around his body was intent on wringing every last bit of life from him. The fact that he could maintain such a fierce expression despite his certain agony impressed her. Unconcerned, she traipsed over to the boy and sat on her haunches in front of him.
How very unusual. A slave contract that binds the target with magic and forces them to obey until death... I’m surprised to learn there are people even in this era who employ such curses.
The magic of a slave contract places powerful restrictions. The boy must have exchanged something with his master to agree to it. But he violated it and escaped, resulting in the “punishment.”
“That’s not evewything, though, is it? Don’t tell me you twied to tear the contwact off by force?”
“Shut...up...”
“You dolt. All that does is incwease your pain before you inebitably die anyway.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut the hell up...!”
Despite his pretty face, his speech was quite coarse. Claudia frowned, then suddenly noticed his strained movements.
“Unbeliebable. Are you resisting even now in an attempt to tear off the contwact?”
The boy didn’t reply. His silence spoke volumes. Even without it, she would have sensed the magic he possessed rioting violently inside him.
“It’s pointwess doing so, you know. The only thing you accompwish is incweasing your torment until the moment of death. If you simply didn’t incite the bwack snakes, they would have remained docile.”
“So what? You think I care?” Even as he continued glaring at Claudia, the boy mustered all his strength to speak using his terribly raspy voice. “I don’t plan on staying that bastard’s slave until I die. It doesn’t matter how long my escape lasts, a second, an instant, as long as I can get away.”
She recognized that a powerful strength rested in his hands as he pressed down on his heart.
“I couldn’t choose how to live my life... So if I was going to lose it anyway, I wanted to at least choose the way it ended.”
Claudia clasped her hands behind her back and chuckled. “You truly are lubbly. Awthough a wee bit foolish.”
“What...are you...”
She gave a self-assured grin at the displeased boy in front of her. “Since your life has come to this, I have a proposal for you.”
She chanted a spell in her mind and produced a dagger in her hand.
“Choose a way to live, not a trivial way to end.”
Then she thrust it into the left side of her own chest.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled.
Claudia kept her eyes on the dagger, making sure the magical blade reached her heart. When the tip touched it, she felt magical energy gush out and pulled out the weapon swiftly. The boy grimaced reflexively at the sight of the oozing red blood. However, this wasn’t mere blood.
“The blood...is glowing...?”
Tinged in gold, her blood coated the short sword’s blade. Her fingers touched his chin and forced his head up. Looking down on the haze coiled around his neck, she held the dagger point against the left side of his chest.