Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Crown Prince Johannes was one of the few who knew the true nature of The Curse of Astaroth.
He was the second male lead and main villain of the original story, the very person who drove the novel's ending to tragedy.
When a cursed person died, the curse transferred to another. No one could rest assured simply because they were born human.
Due to the curse's characteristic of being passed down through the imperial bloodline, Johannes, who was originally supposed to receive the curse, had an absolute chance of becoming the next sacrifice.
'So Aslan is like a ticking time bomb to the Crown Prince. He can only feel safe by restraining him and keeping him in his grasp.'
The novel <The Curse of Astaroth> ends with the male lead, defeated in his fight against the Crown Prince, ultimately resurrecting the demon.
He offered himself as a sacrifice, bringing about the end of humanity.
Aslan's reason for choosing that was clear.
To avoid being captured by the Crown Prince and living like a living corpse for the rest of his life. To inflict the same pain on those who despised him.
Vivian was jolted out of her thoughts by hushed whispers nearby.
"There's a cave here."
"The Magic Tool is reacting. The target is inside."
"No matter what, we mustn't kill him. Remember... Ugh!"Krrrng!""
Before Vivian could stop him, Aslan leaped out of the cave. He immediately plunged his massive claws into the assassin's heart.
The previous conversation had confirmed that the assassins were working for the Crown Prince.
Wherever Aslan attacked, horrifying death cries echoed. Numerous assassins fell like leaves, losing their lives.
'But there are too many. If I don't step in...'
He had a large wound on his side. It was so severe that his intestines would have been severed if it had gone any deeper.
Moreover, for some reason, he was fighting with his back to the cave entrance.
It would be better to move freely in a wide space, but he was acting as if he wouldn't let anyone inside.
Sure enough, small wounds began to appear on Aslan's body.
The assassins changed their tactics, repeatedly making shallow stabs and retreating. They also began to use ranged attacks with bows.
"The inside of the cave is suspicious!"
"They must be hiding something. Break through!"
Hearing their words, Aslan roared as if enraged. His golden eyes began to turn red.
'It's dangerous. If he stays like that, he'll eventually never be able to return to being human.'
He mustn't be consumed by the curse. The moment Aslan loses his ego and the demon Astaroth is completely resurrected, the world will be destroyed.
Vivian, who had been anxiously biting her lip, finally gripped her two daggers tightly. Then, she plunged a dagger into the neck of an assassin who was aiming for Aslan's back.
"Kuaaak!"
"Snap out of it, you, you, you mutt! Do you want to die here?!"
She absolutely couldn't reveal the true identity of the Black Lion.
She refused to become a target of the Crown Prince for noticing the imperial family's secret, or a target of Aslan.
But Vivian wasn't the only one who realized the slip-up with the word "mutt." The assassins pointed at Vivian.
"Mutt? Who's a mutt?"
"She seems like a crazy woman."
"Yeah, anything with four legs, fluffy fur, and is cute is a mutt! You animal abusers!"
Vivian regretted shouting it out.
Of course, Aslan had four legs and fluffy fur.
But he was covered in blood rather than being cute, and, crucially, lions were felines...
'Hmm, I guess I have to kill them all to erase this dark history.'
As an intellectual who had received a modern education, she felt ashamed.
So, she decided to kill all the witnesses first, and then, if Aslan ever questioned her later, she would deny it ever happened. What could he do without witnesses?
She dodged the enemy's attacks like flowing water, stabbing her sword into their vital points in one swift motion.
Aslan, whose eyes had returned to their original gold color after Vivian's mutt remark, also resumed his attacks.
But no matter how much they killed in the pouring rain, it didn't end.
'Damn Crown Prince, he sent so many!'
Her stamina was reaching its limit from the intense movements. Her breathing was also becoming increasingly rough.
Aslan's situation was no different from Vivian's. Blood was seeping through the bandage she had wrapped around him. It was clear that the wound had opened up even more.
At this rate, the only remaining outcome was a dog's death.
Having made a decision, she backed away into the cave.
"Haha, so you're running away after all?!"
"Chase her! Deal with the woman who's interfering first!"
The heavy rain and landslide turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Vivian had discovered a huge crack while investigating the cave earlier.
A precarious crack that would collapse easily with just a small impact.
'Yeah, come on in.'
Unaware of Vivian's intentions, Aslan thrashed about to stop the assassins chasing her. But he also had assassins attached to him.
Aslan's eyes, desperately hunting the enemy, gradually turned red. It was the moment the assassins who were blocking him sensed something strange.
Rumble!
The cave collapsed in the blink of an eye. Vivian, as well as the assassins who had chased her inside, were all buried alive.
Deathly silence. A silence that wouldn't break no matter how long they waited.
The sound of rocks rolling down due to the aftermath of the collapse echoed through the silence.
But that was all. No sign of life could be felt inside the collapsed cave.
"Krrr...!""
Aslan, who had been staring blankly at the debris of the cave, finally turned his gaze to the assassins.
The Black Lion's pupils dilated as if they would burst. His murderous eyes were slit like those of a reptile. It was evidence that his demonization was progressing.
The frightened assassins staggered backward.
Just as a terrible massacre was about to begin, a few rocks rolled down from the side of the cave.
Vivian, looking exhausted, brushed off the dirt as she emerged from a narrow gap.
"Ah, I almost died for real this time."
"Damn it, it was a plan!"
"Did you think I wouldn't prepare an escape route? I'll decide where I die. And it's not now."
The assassins, who had been stunned by her sudden appearance, quickly exchanged glances.
Most of their allies were unable to fight, but the target and the woman still seemed fine. In particular, the woman was even playing with a dagger in her hand like a toy, smiling nonchalantly.
"We'll see."
The assassins, who muttered almost inaudibly, quickly retreated. Their departure was as sudden as their appearance.
Vivian thought it was fortunate.
Unfortunately, she didn't even have the strength to bluff anymore.
"Keueok! Cough, cough, heuk!"
A pain that was on a different level from her previous attacks came. Her entire lungs began to constrict as if they had been crushed by a truck.
In fact, she hadn't taken Consumption seriously until now. She had been complacent, thinking that she still had plenty of time until the year her doctor had mentioned, so it was okay to overdo it for now.
But now she knew. That the end was really approaching for her.
"Haa."
Cold rain poured down on her face as she lay helplessly. She didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Vivian quietly closed her eyes.
Aslan was a mindless beast, so she thought he would definitely chase after the assassins, but he was still circling around her.
She heard heavy footsteps approaching.
"I've been preparing myself since I found out I had Consumption, but I didn't want to die so lonely."
"……."
Amidst all her senses blurring, she felt like a large, warm hand was caressing her face.
To feel the cold raindrops as if they were a human's touch.
"Now it's really, the end..."
Not yet, Lady.
Beyond her fading consciousness, she felt like someone whispered that.
＊ ＊ ＊
"The Lady's trail ended here?"
"Yes, it seems she went into the forest."
Five days had passed since Aslan received the will of his nominal fiancée, Vivian Eleonora.
It had also been exactly five days since he began to be attacked by the Crown Prince's faction.
The Eleonora Dukedom was a prestigious military family counted among the most renowned in the continent's history. Its importance was mentioned several times in history.
In the age of despair when everything was being destroyed by the great demon Astaroth, there was a companion beside the nameless hero who finally drew his sword.
She helped the hero succeed in subduing Astaroth, and was recognized for her military achievements at that time, obtaining territory closest to the capital after the founding of the nation.
She was also promised that the name 'Eleonora' would be forever remembered in the continent's history.
'The daughter of such a family has disappeared suspiciously, and my name is mentioned in her will, so it's a perfect topic to latch onto.'
So he had to find that woman no matter what.
As Aslan mounted his horse, his subordinate knight widened his eyes.
"Your Highness, surely you're not thinking of going into the forest yourself?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Don't you know? It's dangerous!"
The place where the woman's trail ended was the southern forest of the empire. And this time of year, the south was in the rainy season.
Just a few hours before Aslan arrived, a major landslide had occurred due to a sudden downpour. Going into the mountains now was tantamount to suicide.
'The Lady has finally done it.'
Aslan frowned. He wondered if she was really planning to die, but he shook his head.
'Vivian Eleonora of Eleonora greets Grand Duke.'
Three years ago, the first day he met her as his fiancée.
He vividly remembered her unwavering demeanor as she paid her respects, even though she had been pushed out of the running for Crown Princess and had become the fiancée of a mere prince.
Deep, blue eyes like the sea stared up at him. Even Aslan couldn't read the emotions contained within them.
He thought that such composure was honestly surprising.
There were times when he thought that if it hadn't been for the Empress throwing her at him as a favor, he might have had even a sliver of goodwill towards her.
'I'm thinking all sorts of things now.'
Aslan chuckled.
She wasn't a woman who would really die. She was born so fiercely that she couldn't be the type to take her own life.
Hadn't she always acted as if she was determined to outsmart him? This incident was just an extension of that.
"I'll go alone. You guys wait below the mountain."
"But Your Highness!"
The knights who were about to protest immediately lowered their heads at Aslan's gaze.
Whenever they met his gaze, they felt a suffocating pressure and fear as if they were facing a huge beast.
A sensation as if they were facing a transcendent being they could never defy.
Aslan turned his horse and entered the forest, leaving them behind.
While searching for Vivian Eleonora's trail, he encountered assassins sent by Crown Prince Johannes.
At first, he didn't take it seriously. This much had always happened, so he thought he could just kill them all as usual.
He briefly thought that if he smelled of death, it would be easier to intimidate the Lady when he found her.
"Keuk……!"
Just as Aslan, who had been leisurely warming up, was about to swing his greatsword, his heart suddenly constricted.
A sensation that was as familiar as it was despairing, as if it was a part of his body.
A terrible feeling that he had never forgotten, even in his dreams, from the moment he was born and had memories until this very moment.
Jet-black fur was growing on the back of his hand as he looked down. The manifestation of the curse had begun.
"Kuaaaaaak!"
A scream resembling death echoed sadly in the black forest.
