At the end of his gaze, he saw a pit. It was a small pit filled with viscous-looking black liquid.
It wasn't boiling in a pot, but bubbles were rising, and each time those bubbles grew too large and burst, spore-like things fluttered away on the wind.
"That's the curse. If left alone, the seeds of the curse will spread everywhere like that."
That's why it had to be eliminated first. He had only watched for a moment, but he saw the spores scatter more than ten times.
"Would you like to try eliminating it?"
"Me?"
"Yes. You use the same power as I do, so it shouldn't be difficult."
Violet said that and used his ability on the corner of the curse-filled pit. He curled his hand into a circle, as if a ball that fit perfectly was inside, and then twisted his wrist.
Then, that space was severed from reality and disappeared.
"Actually, I say 'eliminate,' but it's just separating the space and getting rid of it from the world. Of course, my ability is a bit simpler, but other ability users can eliminate it using their own methods. Ignis or Dale Weaver could burn it with fire or lightning until no residue remains."
After speaking, Violet nodded at Raymund as if telling him to try. Raymund curled his hand into a circle like Violet had done and looked at the pit.
And when he lightly twisted his wrist, the pit was separated from reality and disappeared, just as he had done.
"Yes, that's how it's done. Interesting. To teach someone knowledge... what's that?"
Violet, who had been speaking with a smile, suddenly narrowed his eyes at something. Something remained in the place where the curse had disappeared.
Unlike the black pit that absorbed all colors, it was like black jelly with an iridescent oil slick. Violet was puzzled because this was the first time he had seen such a thing.
'Maybe he accidentally didn't eliminate it completely.'
It could happen since it was his first time. He thought so casually and tried to deal with the residue.
At that moment, a black tentacle suddenly sprang from the ground and pierced Violet's side.
"Ugh...!"
It was carelessness caused by thinking it was all over. He never imagined that another demon was hiding in the ground.
Violet staggered from the sudden attack, but he used his ability on the tentacle. The aggressive demon was more threatening than the motionless jelly right now.
Raymund couldn't immediately assist Violet because he was in pain from using his ability. It was only belatedly that he tried to help him...
Splatter!
Suddenly, the jelly rippled greatly, then spread out like a wrapping cloth and covered Raymund.
"Ugh!"
He reflexively tried to push it away using Aries's ability, which he often used, but the jelly cleverly divided itself into several pieces. So only some of it was pushed away and fell far away, and most of the jelly stuck to Raymund.
"Gasp...!"
He raised his arms to block it, but since it wasn't solid, it slipped and stuck to his face, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't grab it to tear it off.
Raymund, who was flustered by this unfamiliar experience, struggled, and Violet, who had already dealt with the demon, approached.
"Snap out of it!"
He seemed to be doing something, but Raymund, who was suffocating, gradually lost consciousness. It was when he felt his strength fading.
-What is it that you desperately desire?
He heard someone whispering. It was a hallucination he heard as his mind became hazy, but Raymund's subconscious immediately gave an answer.
'Seiana.'
He was so afraid of death approaching that he wished someone would be by his side. The first person he thought of was Seiana.
As if reading his thoughts, the voice in his head chuckled lowly, as if saying, "Is that all?" And Seiana appeared before his eyes, just as Raymund had wanted.
'...Huh?'
Seiana in the illusion was in a carriage. Raymund sat next to her as she sighed deeply, as if something was worrying her.
'Seiana.'
Raymund called out, but Seiana didn't even notice he was next to her and only wore a distressed expression. He leaned his head on her shoulder, but his chin passed right through Seiana's shoulder.
'Am I dead?'
Is that why he had become a ghost? Raymund felt strange. Ever since he became an ability user, he had occasionally thought about ending this cursed life. But now that it had actually happened, he felt regretful.
Perhaps the reason he felt this way was because of Seiana. She had eased his loneliness, so he had lingering attachments to the world.
Raymund closed his eyes, leaning against Seiana's body, which he couldn't touch and didn't feel warm. He didn't know when he would disappear, but he wanted to be by her side until then.
Clatter, clatter, the carriage moving with a steady sound came to a stop. Seiana's face was seen to stiffen with tension.
Raymund held Seiana's hand as he always had, even though his comfort as a ghost wouldn't be of any help. In reality, he couldn't touch her, so he was just placing his hand on top of hers.
'Where is this?'
Surprisingly, the place revealed as the carriage door opened was the Imperial Palace. He couldn't understand why Seiana had come to the Imperial Palace. The knight who opened the door reached out her hand as if to escort Seiana, and she took it.
Raymund examined the person's face and soon realized that she was the Empress's knight. That meant the Empress had called Seiana.
'Why?'
Why would she call Seiana? He had a bad feeling. Raymund got out of the carriage with Seiana and walked around, surveying his surroundings.
The good thing about being a ghost was that no one made a fuss even if he wandered around like this.
[How unfortunate.]
Suddenly, he heard a voice. He was bewildered, wondering who had spoken, and then realized that the knight had said it.
No, the knight didn't even move her lips. It was just that her thoughts were being read by Raymund.
[Surely it is a glorious thing, but... isn't she still a young lady?]
Judging from the context, she seemed to be talking about Seiana. He wanted to know more details, but the knight's thoughts stopped there.
What followed was, as expected, a conversation about the Empress calling Seiana.
Raymund roughly guessed the Empress's intentions. And he admitted that he had been a little naive.
Raymund, who had no foundation other than being an ability user, needed the power of the Imperial Family to do anything.
He certainly expected that if he used that power, the same information would go to others...
'I didn't think they would be interested enough to call her out like this.'
He had turned from a son into a monster, a tool to defeat demons, so he judged that their interest would be just that.
In fact, weren't they the ones who hadn't sent a single letter or anything during the three years he had secluded himself, hurt by their changed affection? Giving him attention now felt frankly artificial. It was a nuisance.
'She must have just called her out of curiosity about my friend.'
He tried to ignore the thought that it might not be the case, but he forced himself to ignore it. If what he was thinking was true, it would be the worst.
The place they reached after walking down a long corridor was the Empress's palace garden. Raymund had visited it often in the past as well.
Raymund, who was impressed that the only thing that had changed from then was the flowers that had been planted, heard another voice this time.
[How pitiful.]
[How unfortunate.]
[She's still a young lady.]
[It can't be helped, that's just how parents feel.]
It was the voices of the palace servants who were attending nearby. They were all talking about Seiana's misfortune. And.
[She's pretty.]
[Not good.]
[It would have been better if there was something wrong with her.]
Those were the Empress's feelings upon seeing Seiana.
[I heard she's the Estarotte family's precious daughter?]
[Her expression is good, she definitely looks loved.]
[If she had a problem, I would use that as an excuse to make her sit next to Raymund.]
Raymund gritted his teeth at the Empress's regretful thoughts. The worst-case scenario he had imagined had become a reality.
The Empress clearly wanted to resolve her guilt for turning away from her young son by giving him what he wanted. But that was not what Raymund wanted.
If she had only had such a heart, she would have already done it. Without needing to use her power, Raymund's ability could dominate anyone.
The reason he didn't do that was because he wanted to receive Seiana's raw emotions, not created and fabricated ones.
So this action was just a nuisance and an infuriating act.
He wanted to stop the Empress somehow, but there was nothing Raymund could do as a ghost.
"Does the young lady have anyone she's discussing engagement with?"
The Empress, pleased that Seiana and Raymund were close, slowly began to get to the point.
The Empress had the intention of getting her hands on her, even if it meant breaking off an engagement if she had one.
Raymund was angry at the Empress's attempt to act as she pleased, but he couldn't help but look at Seiana.
'Could it be... that she's having such discussion with someone named 'Ro'?'
He was also curious about that person's identity, so Raymund focused and tried to listen to Seiana's words. But Seiana only answered that there wasn't anyone.
Come to think of it, he realized that he hadn't heard anything but Seiana's inner thoughts so far.
Raymund felt regret and was relieved that he hadn't done anything to make Seiana feel sorry for him. He was also ashamed of the fact that he had tried to do such a thing.
So he wanted to stop the Empress's actions. But there was nothing he could do. Perhaps because he was dead, he couldn't even use his precious ability.
Even as Raymund tried, the conversation between the two continued.
Truly, people's hearts are fickle, and even while cursing the Empress, his ears involuntarily perked up at the conversation he was interested in.
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