Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Boo-ooo, the sound of the hunting horn, driving the prey, echoed all around.
But what they were driving wasn't just prey. The sound of countless hooves approached from nearby.
"Damn it."
Aslan's teeth ground together.
He was desperately suppressing the curse raging within him, but there was a limit. Even when he barely managed to find a place without people, the horn sound relentlessly followed.
"Johannes, you son of a bitch...!"
He never imagined that he would expose the existence of the curse himself.
He had thoroughly prepared for the anti-magic power within the forest. But the sword of the First Emperor, who defeated the demons, the most sacred relic that should have been in the Tomb of the First Emperor, had touched him.
Even if the forest was open, only direct descendants of the imperial family could enter the Tomb of the First Emperor.
"Kuh, uh, Kuaaaa!"
The wildly rampaging demonic energy crushed and clawed at his insides. The more he suppressed it, the more intense and terrible the pain became.
Aslan, breathless, fell off his horse. Crimson blood flowed from under his chin.
There was a fork in the road before him.
One direction led deeper into the forest, and the other led to the Tomb of the First Emperor.
No one but direct descendants of the imperial family could enter, but it was a sacred place with an even stronger anti-magic effect.
A land where he didn't know how long he would wander as a Demon Hand.
'I promised to go anywhere with you today.'
Her face, smiling brightly, knowing nothing.
Eyelashes sparkling dazzlingly in the sunlight. Cheeks flushed like ripe fruit and alluringly curved red lips.
'To become a proud fiancé to you...'
The sound of countless hooves following the horn echoed nearby. His tightly closed teeth trembled.
The loving feelings for one person had vanished.
Self-loathing, pain, hatred, the desire for destruction. All sorts of negative emotions permeated his body through his veins.
Aslan moved towards the Tomb of the First Emperor.
With each step, his skin burned black. The one who had been walking proudly on two feet was now crawling on the ground on all fours.
"Krrr."
Golden eyes shining brightly in the pitch-black darkness.
Where Aslan had been, a huge Demon Hand stood.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hyah!"
Vivian kicked the horse's flanks, looking around.
The sun was setting in the west. It had already been an hour since she had been wandering through the forest.
'I can't see Aslan. He's not at the meeting place, and people say they haven't seen him...'
In the original story, Aslan transforms into the Black Lion in front of his followers. It was an inescapable situation.
Aslan had to miserably destroy the forces he had created himself in order to hide the curse he had taken on.
'Am I too late?'
The fact that no one in the hunting grounds had seen Aslan worried her. Was everything already over?
"Whoa, whoa!"
She pulled on the reins, lost in thought. A fork in the road appeared before her.
One road had countless hoofprints. On the other hand, the other road was clean, without even a trace of an ant passing by.
It was Vivian's first time entering this forest, but she could tell intuitively.
'Tomb of the First Emperor...!'
Her body moved before her mind could realize it. She turned the reins and ran.
A rough forest path with no trace of people continued for a while. Then, a building like an ancient ruin appeared.
'If Aslan is inside, if he has already transformed into a Demon Hand and has no reason...'
She didn't know what would happen inside. Vivian drew her sword.
She took a deep breath and opened the tightly closed door. It was the moment she took a step.
"Krrr!"
"Ahhk...!"
Something jumped out of the darkness and pounced on Vivian. Unable to overcome the force, she fell, and sharp teeth immediately reached her neck.
'Am I going to die like this after all!'
Vivian closed her eyes tightly.
One second passed. Ten seconds passed, and it seemed like a minute had passed.
The rough breathing on her neck and the strong weight pressing down on her chest were still there. But no matter how long she waited, the expected pain did not come.
"..."
Vivian slowly opened her eyes. Clear golden eyes gleamed right in front of her.
Aslan, transformed into the Black Lion, was there.
Her body stiffened with tension. He was now a Demon Hand without reason. He was not in a state to see his fiancé or anything like that.
"Krrr."
But why? Aslan, who had met her eyes, flinched and stepped back. Not only that, but he even lay obediently at Vivian's feet.
Of course, it didn't make much difference whether he sat or stood because he was so huge.
'He was about to attack me as if he would kill me right away, so why?'
Vivian pondered the reason.
Meat tastes better when it's aged than freshly butchered. Aslan wouldn't be unaware of that...
'Damn it, is it a dry-aged steak ending after all!'
Her life was in danger if she didn't run away immediately. It was the moment Vivian quickly got up.
"Hek, hek."
Aslan lay down and slyly exposed his belly.
"Whine."
He even showed something similar to coquetry (?) while twisting his body while lying down.
It wasn't clear whether it was coquetry or a threat because the ruins he collided with were shattered and turned to dust.
'Why did he suddenly become so docile?'
Come to think of it, Vivian in the original story had a hobby of taming wild beasts. She wondered how she could tame animals that couldn't even communicate, but it seemed to be a natural ability.
No wonder, she thought that Vivian was the only one who was pathetically wielding a sword in a world where everyone was talented. She had to have at least this kind of special ability!
"Oh, how cute. Do you mean you don't want me to leave?"
As if answering her question, Aslan rubbed his cheek against Vivian's palm.
She glanced outside.
The sun was already setting. The sun sets especially quickly in the mountains, so wandering outside now was no different from suicide.
"Shall we go inside? It's a little cold, cough, cough."
"Krrr."
It was the moment Vivian covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Aslan, with his eyes wide open, stuck close to her side. The scorching heat, like an underfloor heating system, was conveyed to her.
"Originally, you shouldn't come in here, but my fiancé disappeared in the mountains."
Vivian, who was walking inside, decided to add an excuse just in case.
At this point, Aslan had experience contacting Iris, the original female lead.
There was no noticeable progress between them yet, but you never knew.
She had to consider the possibility that Aslan was already imprinted on her and had consciousness even in the Demon Hand state.
"I was supposed to meet my fiancé nearby. I lost my way while looking for him and came to a place like this, but I'm glad you're here. The atmosphere here seems a little scary."
"Krrr."
"Ah, are you comforting me?"
Aslan tapped Vivian's palm with his snout and then snuggled into her arms as if acting cute.
The stimulation on her soft skin was ticklish, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Stop, stooop!"
Aslan's golden eyes, looking at her, curved alluringly.
Vivian was newly amazed.
It was cute that a huge Black Lion, so big that you had to look up even when a person was standing on two feet, was fidgeting in front of a woman who wouldn't even be a mouthful.
'This kind of special ability might be okay.'
Vivian locked the door of the ruins tightly and lit a fire with the flint she had brought. Then, the magnificent interior was revealed at a glance.
The Tomb of the First Emperor was connected by several passages, like a pyramid.
Vivian, impressed by its magnificence, was about to walk inside when...
"Krrk, Krrr...!"
"What's wrong?"
Aslan, who had been following her back, suddenly breathed roughly as if in pain. Not only that, but his pupils also began to be tinged with a eerie red light.
Vivian, flustered, raised her eyes.
The 'Royal Tomb', where the remains of the First Emperor were sealed, was in front of her.
The demon Astaroth must have recognized the Royal Tomb. Blood foam streamed from the mouth of Aslan, who was shaking his head as if in pain.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"Krrr."
"Look at this blood!"
Vivian hugged Aslan, who was panting.
The pain Aslan feels when the demon rampages is beyond imagination.
Because he would lose control of his body forever in an instant, he had always suppressed the struggling demon with the feeling of walking on a tightrope.
Vivian felt sorry for the first time that there was nothing she could do for Aslan.
"Come here. Shh, it's okay."
"Krrk, Keok."
"That's right. Lean on me. It's okay..."
Aslan burrowed into Vivian's arms. He clung to her mindlessly, as if she were the only lifeline in the abyss.
Vivian's body twitched as she hugged him even tighter. Aslan's claws brushed against her thigh.
"Ugh!"
"Krrr."
Aslan, with his eyes wide open, lowered his gaze. The black hunting clothes she was wearing were torn to shreds by sharp claws.
Her pure white thighs were revealed through the gaps. A red wound was clear.
Regret was evident in the eyes of the Demon Hand looking at it. Aslan hesitated and stepped back, avoiding Vivian's touch.
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"..."
Aslan didn't answer. Instead, he stared at her as if pleading for something.
As if telling her not to come near him. As if telling her to ignore him and run away as she was.
A beast as big as a house was afraid of touching her, a tiny woman, and was stepping aside.
Vivian, who was puzzled, soon realized Aslan's gaze. His eyes were fixed on the wound on her thigh.
