Count Python.
One of the shadowy figures who supported Loki while moving through the gray areas.
But whether he is truly a villain is difficult to say with certainty.
Loki was a villain, but supporting Loki does not necessarily mean that Count Python is the same kind of person.
He is, at most, gray.
Not a clean person, yet not someone you can clearly call vile either.
Just like me.
And I don’t know what kind of end Count Python meets. I didn’t play the game seriously enough to pay attention to every minor extra like that.
How would I know what happened to such an unlikeable trash character?
“Oh, when it’s just the two of us, we don’t have to keep acting.”
“I see.”
“Your facial acting is seriously impressive.”
That’s strange… Why am I so bad at controlling my expression today?
“Anyway, to the main point. Sir Lanius is rushing us, so I’ll keep it brief.”
“Yes.”
“You’re targeting the Great Sage right now, aren’t you?”
“If you’re asking that, then…”
“I’ve been digging into him as well. If it’s possible to share information, that would be nice. What do you think?”
“That’s not a bad idea. However…”
Whether I should trust the person standing before me or not….I can’t help but hesitate.
I don’t know his objective yet. Why is he looking for the Great Sage? Could it be that he plans to join Under Chain?
Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange even if he did.
Wasn’t he someone who stuck together with Loki?
There’s no such thing as trust between us. Our first impression of each other wasn’t good, and everything about him is suspicious.
“You’ll have to tell me why you’re interested in the Great Sage.”
“Are you suspecting me?”
“To be blunt, yes.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Honestly, what am I supposed to trust? How could I trust you? We’re not exactly in a relationship where we could get along.”
“Well, that’s not wrong.”
Count Python said jokingly.
“Are we still not there yet? You said you’d keep it short, but it’s only getting longer.”
“Oh, my apologies, Sir Lanius. Let’s continue this conversation another time. It seems we have quite a lot to discuss between us, so for now I suppose I should step back.”
“Good. Then follow me, Johan Damus. His Majesty is looking for you.”
“Ah, yes……”
This is exhausting. Mentally exhausting.
Having to deal with a sly snake-like man and a simple violent old man at the same time makes me feel completely drained.
“…Huh?”
Wait…who did he say was looking for me just now?
***
To think I’d get dragged back into this damned banquet hall again.
“Sit. As you already know, I’m a busy man, so be grateful that I’m making time for you even if it’s only during a meal.”
“…Of course.”
He’s the one who summoned me, and yet he’s acting like he’s doing me a favor… Haah. I just have to endure it. Someone like me, who has neither power nor authority, can hardly complain to the Emperor.
“Ahem.”
The chair I was sitting in for the first time in a while.
I could still feel the marks left by blades. Does he have no intention of replacing this chair?
Or was it replaced once, only to end up like this again?
Either way, it’s terrifying.
“Drink.”
“Ah…ah, ah… That’s too much… Th-Thank you, Your Majesty…”
The wine glass was filled again.
And it’s the same liquor he poured that day.
Even though I already tasted the real thing in the conference hall, receiving this drink in the banquet hall still makes my hands tremble.
“For the peace of the Empire.”
“…For the peace of the Empire.”
Once the toast has been made, there’s no refusing the drink.
I squeezed my eyes shut and gulped it down.
“…Whew.”
“How is it?”
“May I speak honestly?”
“It’s just an opinion about the drink. You may be as honest as you like.”
“It’s the worst taste imaginable.”
“Hahaha! Right?”
My stomach churned.
No, it wasn’t just nausea. It felt like my insides were burning.
Just as I thought…something had been mixed into the drink.
But unlike last time, it wasn’t poison. The taste hadn’t changed.
The flavor and aroma were exactly the same. The exquisite liquor said to be made by elves was still perfect.
And yet, it felt awful.
“Do you know what was in that drink?”
Feeling my stomach twisting in real time, I answered.
“A curse.”
“That’s right. A curse. A tangible curse refined through dark magic.”
So that’s why my insides were twisting.
That insane Emperor had offered me wine infused with a curse this time.
The moment I drank it, cold sweat broke out, my stomach twisted, and all the strength drained from my body.
Is he trying to weaken me?
“I’ll give it to you as a gift. An imperial gift.”
“…Your grace is immeasurable.”
I almost ground my teeth but somehow managed to keep a smile as I replied.
Just what kind of grudge does this man have against me?
Of all things, being cursed by the emperor…. this is a first in my life.
More importantly, where did he even get something like this?
“Well, of course. It’s a grace so great that bowing that light head of yours a few times wouldn’t nearly be enough.”
“…….”
The Emperor smiled faintly.
I really want to kill him.
It’s frustrating beyond words that I don’t have the ability to do it.
“Well then, take that wine with you and withdraw. Ah, and you can leave those documents behind. I’ll take care of them.”
“This is…”
While sweating profusely, I turned my head.
An official document to mobilize the Guillotine Knights.
I had come to the Imperial Palace in the first place to get approval for this document.
Of course, I never expected to actually meet the Emperor himself.
To be honest, I had naïvely assumed that if I said I wanted His Majesty’s approval for a proposed operation, some mid-level official would take care of it.
After all, the Emperor is unbelievably busy.
But to think it would be resolved personally and without him even hearing the details…
Things were settled surprisingly quickly.
“It must be about the Great Sage. I will entrust that matter to you, so handle it with everything you’ve got.”
Compared to how badly he botched raising his brats, it seems he himself is quite competent at his job.
Then again, it’s probably because he’s so capable that he managed to keep the Empire alive this long when it should have collapsed ages ago.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
When I bowed my head, the Emperor waved his hand as if annoyed.
It was a signal telling me to leave.
The moment I stood up from my seat—
“Don’t forget to take it with you.”
“……”
Abraham placed the cursed wine I had just drunk into my hand.
Abraham smiled again. I swear, all the imperial members seem to have something wrong with their personalities.
“I told you, didn’t I? That it’s a grace so great that even bowing that light head of yours over and over wouldn’t be enough.”
“O-Of course.”
“It also happens to be exactly what you need right now, so keep that in mind.”
“……Yes.”
At the cold gaze, I quickly lowered my eyes and bowed my head.
This wasn’t just a simple joke.
I only realized that now.
In that case, the claim that this wine would be that valuable to me probably wasn’t a joke either.
A plan to prepare for the Great Sage.
Cursed wine.
Something I need.
“……”
The Great Sage Faust deals with dark magic and curses, along with chains.
I examined the bottle of wine in my hand closely.
Inside the bottle, it felt as if ghostlike things were swirling around.
It was wine brewed with dark magic.
“Your Majesty.”
“Granted.”
“Yes.”
The Emperor really is a monster.
The answer came back before I even asked the question.
Those yellow eyes looked as if they could see straight through my mind.
“Then, excuse me.”
I opened the bottle of wine that had been bestowed upon me.
Something like the cries of ghosts seeped out through the narrow opening of the bottle.
The eerie sight made me hesitate for a moment, but urged on by the Emperor’s gaze watching me, I brought the bottle to my lips.
Gulp! Gulp!
One shot.
I chugged the whole thing straight from the bottle.
Even standing before the Emperor, I felt no hesitation whatsoever.
After all, I had just received permission.
“Cough!”
After pouring every last drop from the bottle into my mouth,
I collapsed onto the floor, clutching my mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.
My insides were twisting. No….not just my insides; it felt as though my vision itself was twisting.
For someone like me, who had stepped into the highest realms of illusion magic, distorted vision meant that something seriously wrong was happening.
I wanted to vomit out the turbulent energy churning inside me.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
“……”
Even while lying face-down on the floor, I could tell.
I could feel Emperor Abraham looking down at me with an expressionless face. The boredom contained in those yellow eyes felt as though he were measuring me.
Haha, have I finally grown eyes on the back of my head or something? It feels way too vivid…
“Huff…”
For a while, I endured the pain caused by both the silent pressure coming from the Emperor and the curse embedded in the wine.
Eventually, when I was finally able to catch my breath, I realized that my entire body was drenched in sweat.
It seemed quite some time had passed.
“…Then I will take my leave.”
“I shall also grant you permission to crawl away on all fours, unsightly as it may be.”
With that, Abraham rose from his seat and left first.
His words sounded as though he were mocking me, but under the current circumstances, I could only be grateful.
“Since this is a grace granted by my will, I will not take issue with you neglecting any form of etiquette within the Imperial Palace today.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your grace is immeasurable.”
Amid the twisting sensation in my gut, I watched the Emperor leave.
The urge to vomit had subsided, but I still couldn’t properly control my body.
Isn’t it incredible?
I may get pushed around a lot in life, but even so, I’m still a high-ranking knight capable of producing proper sword energy.
And yet here I am, barely able to hold myself upright because of a single curse.
“For a moment… I suppose being in pain is better than dying.”
The reason Abraham gave me that wine was insurance, meant for my meeting with the Great Sage.
The Great Sage Faust was the pinnacle and master of the dark mages.
“…But is this really just for a moment?”
If things had gone wrong, he would have placed a curse of death on me.
Of course, the best outcome would be not getting cursed in the first place, but building immunity like this isn’t a bad idea either.
A curse powerful enough to bring even a high-ranking knight like me crawling on the floor. It’s not something you’d easily run into elsewhere, nor something you could obtain.
In that sense, it truly was a bestowed gift. The reason I deliberately downed it all in one go right here was to experience its effects to the fullest.
“But still, I didn’t expect it to hurt this much…!”
It was just far more unbearable than I had prepared myself for.
Ha… and that Emperor bastard, looking at me like he was proud at the end!
I wasn’t that prepared!
Ha! What an idiot!
“Seriously, you damn idiot…”
Why the hell did I even chug that in one shot…?
***
It seemed the curse would continue to swirl inside my body for quite some time.
It felt like I had the flu.
Cold sweat covered my entire body, and my arms and legs ached.
My stomach twisted, and my vision spun.
If Helena used her holy power, the curse would disappear in an instant. But if I did that, I wouldn’t develop any resistance.
For a while, it was going to be a real hell.
“Ugh…”
Just thinking about returning home right now made everything feel hopeless.
How am I supposed to make it all the way back like this?
Who should I ask for help?
I quietly looked around.
“From bad to worse.”
The attendants standing nearby.
They were the same ones who had been helping Abraham with his meal, yet they stood frozen in place like wooden dolls, showing no sign of moving.
Had Abraham said something to them while I was rolling on the floor? Even though I was in this miserable state, they were acting as if I didn’t exist.
However, it didn’t seem like they truly couldn’t see me. They kept glancing my way and then quickly looking away again.
Looks like they’re nervous.
“Fine. I’m going, I’m going.”
No point making innocent people uncomfortable. I should just move.
Abraham had given me permission to crawl away on all fours, but I still had my dignity as a person. Even if it was hard, I’d walk out properly on two feet.
The curse was tormenting me, but I wasn’t someone who’d be shaken by something like this.
Just as I left the banquet hall and was walking down the corridor—
“Johan, are you drunk?”
“D-Drunk? Me? Your Highness?”
“Your tongue is completely twisted. Just how much did you drink? Goodness, you can’t even walk properly.”
Lobelia caught my staggering body and slung my arm over her shoulder.
No, it’s not that I’m drunk. It’s because of the curse… or is it?
Now that I think about it, before the curse even took effect, I had chugged the entire bottle of wine in one go.
I didn’t even know how strong elven liquor was, and I still did something like that. So the dizziness in my head right now might not be just from the curse.
Even though I possess strength comparable to a high-ranking knight, being cursed makes it hard to benefit from that right now.
…Come to think of it, maybe the wine was originally made for that exact purpose.
Now that I think about it, that makes sense.
Why else would someone make such insane liquor? For superhumans like Abraham, even getting drunk is difficult.
“Johan, are you alright? You’re sweating so much… and you feel like you have a fever too. What on earth happened?”
“It’s a long st—”
“Ah, never mind. Looking at your condition right now, even if you explained it, I probably wouldn’t understand.”
Damn it, my tongue keeps twisting…
Even though my mind was relatively clear, my body shook like a drunkard’s, trembling like a quivering leaf.
“Johan, pull yourself together. What would people say if they saw you like this?”
“Th-They’re people I won’t see again anyway…”
“You never know. You might even end up living in the Imperial Palace….”
Lobelia was throwing a curse at me far worse than the one I had just swallowed.
How could she say something so terrible to me?!
“Ahem! For now, let’s go somewhere out of people’s sight. You can explain the details later, so just quietly follow me.”
And so, once again, I was invited to Lobelia’s room.
…But out of all the possible destinations, why here of all places?
I don’t know. My head is spinning.
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