The Devilish Duke Can’t Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

Curse and Seal

“Sorry. But now I’m a little surprised. No one ever oppresses me in the Luave family. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I see…… Yes, it must still be very surprising. So can you spare some time later? I’ll contact you when you’re not busy.”

Lena was half-relieved of Albert’s tone that seemed to be considerate of her. Come to think of it, his hair was a very similar color to her own. The tip of her nose wrinkled because she thought that the face of the person her mother loved was like that.

Her mother said she would have watched the fireworks on New Year’s Celebration night and danced a waltz with this person. This person must have bought the expensive sweets with a lot of sugar. How much did she love this man, she even thought of going far away with his child in her body.

When her father, whom her mother loved, asked with such anxious eyes, it was difficult for her to refuse the request. Of course, she also wanted to meet her maternal grandmother.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you, Lena. Thank you.”

Albert again buried his face in the handkerchief and his shoulders shook, and Alice, who was looking at him pitifully, patted him on the shoulder. Then she turned her head to Lena.

“I am so glad Miss Lena is able to meet your family. But please don’t tell Luave about this yet. Viscount Ruban’s life may be in jeopardy. Can you promise me that?”

Lena hesitated for a moment. She thought that Kahel had no reason to object to her meeting her father. But Alice once again earnestly begged,

“I’m not saying it’s going to be a secret forever. Viscount Ruban is preparing materials to register Miss Lena as his child. When ready, the Viscount will first make a formal request to the Luave. Until then, please keep it a secret.”

Lena nodded her head tremblingly because Albert’s eyes were so desperate.

“All right. I will do that.”

“Thank you, Miss Lena. Even if Miss Lena may be unfamiliar with the father you have just met, but you will soon be listed in Viscounty Ruban’s family register, so it’s better to prepare your mind a little bit by then.”

Alice and Viscount Ruban did not force Lena to do anything. Their tone of voice was soft, and the suggestions they offered were not difficult to accept. Lena lowered her head slightly as she thought she must have been too wary of Alice. Lena went back to the parlor, where she enjoyed the tea party to the end, and then she went home.

* * *

“Thank you, Duke.”

At the entrance to the Sage’s village, where there are no surviving monsters, Hersh greeted Kahel on behalf of the villagers. The corpses of the monsters piled up in front of the village were all burned out with the magical flames Kahel had created, and the area around the village was quiet as before it had been subjected to a terrible attack.

She later discovered that part of the magic stone in the warehouse had been stolen, but she thought it was fortunate that no one was seriously injured. The only difference from usual was the uneven surface of the earth, as if there had been an earthquake.

“You don’t have to. After all, I was going to get paid from Dashar. This is, after all, a fair ‘deal’.”

“From Dashar, you’re going to get paid?”

Hersh looked at Dashar with worried eyes. But Dashar was not at all agitated.

“When do we start doing it? It will take about an hour.”

“I have to go back to Logos soon, so I want to start right away if you’re okay with it.”

Dashar’s eyes were shining with silver. It was only then that Hersh realized that Dashar had offered to lift a curse on Kahel in return. Alcantura said softly as he looked at Dashar as he entered the house with Kahel.

“I’m worried about whether I can trust the Duke.”

She seemed to know what he meant without even asking why. Perhaps everyone in the village is of the same opinion. It’s been less than half a day since they were startled to see Kahel tearing the monsters apart with the big monster’s hands.

Not only his body transformation, but also the magical power he exuded was too strong. If he had an evil heart, it was clear that no one in this world could stop him.

But there was no other way.

“Whatever it is, there is no denying that we were helped by him. And Dashar agreed to give him a price commensurate with it. Now we have no choice but to trust Dashar and the Duke.”

Even if they didn’t believe it, it was impossible for them to face Kahel. Hersh looked back at the villagers, removing her gaze from the door that Dashar had entered.

“As of today, we should conduct research to further strengthen the defenses of the village. Because if that stupid prince becomes king, he will persecute us even more.”

People nodded their heads with a firm face, recalling Ragdrill, which had been forgotten for a moment by Kahel’s appearance.

* * *

“There are a lot of interesting things.”

“Interesting things?”

Dashar, who entered the hut with Kahel, tilted his head, looking at the objects Kahel was sneaking around with.

“What are you excited about?”

“I’ve never seen these things before. What is that kettle-like thing?”

“Uh…… A kettle.”

“Hmm? Ordinary kettles have a longer snout and shiny silver body?”

“Those are silver teapots used by the Duke’s family, and that’s…… It’s an iron kettle that we use for multiple purposes.”

“Oh, I see. So what is that? Is it an ancient artifact?”

“It’s a soup bowl that my mother and I use.”

“What? But did you lose your teeth and have incontinence?”

“Still, we all can use them.”

“Ah…… Right. Hmm…….”

Dashar felt as if he was teaching an adult baby. He couldn’t believe the man in front of him was Kahel Luave.

“Uh, anyway, since you’re busy…….”

“Oh, that’s right. Then…… What should I do?”

“Your Excellency, please sit comfortably. You may have a little headache during the week. But if it hurts too much, just tell me.”

“Alright.”

Dashar sat across from Kahel, breathing quietly, and staring at the cursed spell that wrapped around Kahel’s body. He doesn’t know who casted it, but it really was a curse with long-standing obsession and evil grudges. Who the hell cast such a spell on this Kahel Luave?

While Dashar’s eyes gleamed with silver, a small ringing rang in Kahel’s ear. But other than that, he didn’t feel anything, so he felt a little anxious.

“It’s terribly casted.”

Dashar said as if his teeth were shaking.

“It’s not a usual curse.”

“Who did it?”

“If I had known that, would I still be like this? At least I would have grabbed them and tore them apart.”

After being cursed, his father found and caught all sorts of people who could put such a curse on him. But no one, no group, was responsible for the curse on Kahel. However, there were a few places that the Luave family could not touch. The most suspicious of them, of course, was Duchy Santella. Of course, if only there were physical evidence, Kahel would have no hesitation in tearing them apart.

“It’s not just one person. Several people…… perhaps…… It may be a curse that has been handed down over the years.”

“Is…… Is there anything in it that has anything to do with the Santella family?”

“There are some doubts, but it’s not clear.”

Kahel closed his eyes with a familiar resignation. The ringing still sounded like noise in his ears. The area around his temples seemed to be in aching pain.

“Of the three curses, the strongest curse must be the devilish curse, right?”

“No. The curse that caused the body transformation when using magical powers is the strongest. The process of transforming an intact body to resemble a monster and returning it to a human body is usually not a great curse. Of course, your magic is so strong, so there are things like that.”

In fact, that was the part that Dashar was puzzled about. He thought, why did they focus their energy on that curse needlessly? Originally, this curse was intended to turn the cursed person into a monster. Curses to the extent of transforming the body inevitably require magic power, so it was only related to magic.

Then why did they try to make Kahel in the form of a monster? Were they envious of his appearance, famous for his beauty? However, the body transformation was not permanent. If he doesn’t use magic, he will be restored to his original state.

As the process progressed, wrinkles formed between Kahel’s forehead. But Kahel did not groan even with a throbbing headache. After about an hour like that, Dashar’s eyes returned to their original blue-grey color. Sweat was glistening on his small, white face.

“I did as much as I could. Also, I can’t lift more than 70%. The underlying ancient curse is so powerful.”

“Good work.”

Kahel tried to get up after observing for a moment that the headache and ringing, which had disappeared, would not start again. It was Dashar who caught him.

“Excuse me, well…….”

“Well? Do you have anything to say?”

“Uh…… The maid who was by your side.”

At those words, Kahel’s eyes suddenly became sharp.

“Lena? What’s wrong with Lena?”

“Ah, the name was Lena. Anyway, that person…… Why are you keeping her by your side?”

“That would be none of your business.”

“Of course it is not. Yes, but…… Hmm…… maybe…… Did you know something about her and put her by your side?”

Kahel, who wondered if Dashar was in love with Lena, then realized that the direction of the question was strange.

“What exactly are you talking about?”

“Did she, by any chance, have a strong magical power like Your Excellency?”

“No. She is a very ordinary human being.”

“How can it be possible?”

“It seems like your words keep going around in vain. Say what you want to say.”

Dashar hesitated and finally opened his mouth.

“Actually, she has a stronger seal than your curse.”

“What…… ?”

“It is a seal so strong that it cannot be measured. I can’t even touch it. I do not know who placed that much of a seal, nor can I predict how strong the power of such a powerful seal will be. So that’s why I’m asking.”

“No way…….”

This time, Kahel was the one who shook his head. Who would put a seal on Lena, who was born in Kerouac and raised as a maid? No, there was no reason to put a seal in the first place.

“She is just an ordinary kid. It’s just that since last year, she has been serving as my close maid.”

“Is there really nothing different from others?”