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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Black Butterfly Disease
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A week.
A whole week had already passed since I possessed this body.
“Heeeyu…”
Having finally succeeded in merging my soul with this body and now able to move properly, I let out a long sigh, looking down at my tiny hands.
To think that I, the mightiest dragon once called a calamity, would be possessing the body of a child like this!
How in the world did this happen? No matter how I wracked my brain, no answer came to me.
‘Should I go see the Sage?’
I thought of the Great Sage who had fearlessly invaded my lair fifty years ago, only to be beaten up and chased away. I thought I might get some answers if I met that fool.
‘But I can’t go in this body.’
I was still wobbly just walking.
‘I’ll have to grow a little more.’
With that thought, I turned toward the mirror.
Reflected in it was a child with long, flowing blonde hair that reached her waist and sparkling light green eyes.
That was me.
“Looks just like that Hero bastard. Dammit.”
The face was so similar to the Hero’s that you could tell she was his daughter from three hundred meters away. It looked like I would get angry every time I saw the mirror until I got used to it.
‘But…’
There was a silver lining. With a face so identical, no one would ever imagine that the soul within had changed.
‘That Hero bastard didn’t know either.’
No, it wasn’t so much that he didn’t know…
‘He seemed to have no interest in this body.’
Even on the day I came back to life,
—You’re not dead.
He had left the funeral home after leaving just that one cold remark.
Since then, the Hero hadn’t come to see me. Wasn’t he worried about a body that had come back from the dead? It was truly strange.
‘Aren’t humans supposed to be obsessed with this thing called family?’
The way the Hero behaved was very different from my understanding of a ‘human family.’ He treated his own daughter worse than a stranger.
“Well, dat’s not what’s important wight now.”
The most important thing for me right now was to get revenge on the Hero.
“What am I gonna do…?”
My pondering didn’t last long.
I am the calamity of the world, the great Black Dragon, and now, the youngest daughter of the Hero, the strongest Sword Master in history.
Nothing could stand in my way.
Therefore,
“I’m gonna become da head of da family and wipe dem out!”
When I take the position of family head, I’ll say it. ‘In truth, I am the very Black Dragon you sealed!’
What kind of expression will the Hero make? Wouldn’t even that cold-hearted Hero bastard be shocked and collapse?
“Awooo!”
It’s sooo good just thinking about it!
Die, Hero!
Down with the Hero!
“Fwist, let’s examine dis body.”
In my days as a dragon, I had inscribed my magic onto my soul. That was the only way I could use magic comfortably even when polymorphed.
So, I wasn’t too worried after entering this body. After all, all my magic was inscribed on my soul.
But strangely, I hadn’t been able to use any proper magic for the past week.
It felt as if my magic was blocked by a massive dam.
If I examined it, I would probably find some answers.
With that thought, I sat cross-legged and slowly closed my eyes.
*Flash!*
[Daphne Akion]
[Daphne Akion]
It seems this body’s name is Daphne.
I read the text that unfolded next.
[Daphne Akion]Stamina: 10 Charm: 300Strength: 1 Mana: 0Disposition: [Trash][Hellion][Imp][Brat]
[Daphne Akion]
Stamina: 10 Charm: 300
Strength: 1 Mana: 0
Disposition: [Trash][Hellion][Imp][Brat]
“…”
Is this really the disposition of a five-year-old? It’s like all the bad things were gathered in one place.
No, no. More importantly, what’s with the stamina and strength? What is this? Is she even alive?
And on top of that,
“…Mana is 0?”
Unbelievable.
“Didn’t dey say I was da youngest daughter of da Hero’s family?”
But to be in such a mess.
This can’t be right.
‘Could it be…’
Suddenly, I remembered that I had opened my eyes in this body at a funeral home.
I also recalled the maids always saying ‘Poor thing’ whenever they looked at me. At the same time…
“Cough!”
My chest tickled, and soon, a cough began to pour out like I was retching.
“Cough! Cough!”
And with it, dark red blood splattered down.
Blood? Bloooood?
In disbelief, I stared down at my ruined clothes, my mouth agape. All the while, the coughing continued.
“Aaaah!”
“My Lady!”
Just then, the servants who entered the room screamed and ran over.
“A physician! Call a physician!”
One of them, moving with perfect coordination, hugged me tightly.
“My Lady, you mustn’t. You can’t cough. It will put more strain on your lungs.”
I don’t want to either, human.
But what can I do when the coughs just come out?
“Cough! Hack!”
“You mustn’t!”
I told you I don’t want to!
Right now, I had no idea why this body was in this state.
As I barely held onto my fading consciousness, I overheard the humans’ conversation.
“As I thought… Even though the Lady has come back to life, it’s clear that disease hasn’t been cured.”
That disease?
“The poor Lady… What are we to do, it’s so pitiful…”
Ah, this is strange.
“Such a beautiful young lady…”
Me?
“To be terminally ill…”
“…”
Human.
What did you just say?
Terminally ill?!
***
I am the great calamity that conquered the continent, the Black Dragon.
And this body I’ve possessed is the youngest daughter of the Hero, the strongest Sword Master.
I thought that by combining my magic, honed over hundreds of years, with the bloodline of this body, I could become a transcendent being even stronger than when I was a calamity, perhaps even strong enough to reach the heavens.
I vowed to become a transcendent being, bring down this damn Hero’s family, and trample on all the bastards who criticized me!
And yet…
“Terminally ill. What is da meaning of dis!”
Oh, the injustice!
I thrashed about, rolling around on the bed.
[Daphne Akion]Stamina: 10 Charm: 300Strength: 1 Mana: 0Disposition: [Trash][Hellion][Imp][Brat]
[Daphne Akion]
Stamina: 10 Charm: 300
Strength: 1 Mana: 0
Disposition: [Trash][Hellion][Imp][Brat]
It seems this damn information came up because this body is terminally ill.
Garbage stamina, even worse strength and mana, and only the charm is maxed out, this damn body! And it has a rotten disposition to boot!
Feeling the back of my neck stiffen, I tilted my head back. I saw them still looking at me with worried faces.
The twins, Ann and Anna. They are this body’s personal maids.
Light brown hair and brown eyes, an oval face, and unremarkable features—they had the ordinary appearance you could find anywhere. The only unique thing was that they were identical.
Ann was the one with smooth skin.
Anna was the one with a mole under her lip.
It was a bit difficult to tell them apart by just one mole, but since they were always together attending to me, I figured there was no need to distinguish them.
After looking around, they seemed to be the only humans by my side in this mansion, so I thought I could probably trust them.
“Hey, you.”
So I spoke to Ann and Anna.
“What kind of sicknyess do I have?”
I still didn’t know the name of my illness. I had just regained consciousness after collapsing while vomiting blood.
So I asked, but for some reason, Ann and Anna looked flustered.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“Hurry up and tell me! What kind of sicknyess is it!”
At my repeated shouts, they fidgeted nervously before cautiously opening their mouths, glancing around.
“W-Well, my Lady… You always hated even mentioning the name of the illness…”
“That’s right. Are you going to throw a vase at us again if we tell you? We won’t fall for it a second time.”
Ann’s shoulders slumped in tension, while Anna huffed and turned her head away. This part clearly showed the difference in their personalities.
Whatever the case, it seemed the original Daphne had tormented them quite a bit. That’s why they were worried I would get angry the moment I asked.
I shook my head.
“It’s okay now. And dere’s nothin’ to throw beside me. So tell me. What is da name of my sicknyess!”
“That is…”
Anna hesitated before speaking slowly.
“It’s the Black Butterfly Disease.”
“Black Butterfly?”
Hearing the name of the disease, I crossed my arms, tucked my chin, and closed my eyes.
Then, from my memory, I summoned the book I had stolen from the mages after destroying the Western Magic Tower in the past, the .
*Black Butterfly Disease*
*The cause of onset is unclear. The most prominent theory is that it is a curse of black magic. Patients afflicted with this disease develop black butterfly-shaped spots on their bodies and die when all four wings turn completely black. There is currently no cure.*
*Black Butterfly Disease*
*The cause of onset is unclear. The most prominent theory is that it is a curse of black magic. Patients afflicted with this disease develop black butterfly-shaped spots on their bodies and die when all four wings turn completely black. There is currently no cure.*
‘Dammit.’
A disease with no cure. I groaned and put a hand to my forehead.
“Do I have spots on my body too?”
At my question, Ann glanced at Anna before pointing to the center of my chest.
I lifted my clothes slightly and looked down at my solar plexus. There, I saw the shape of a butterfly with one half of a wing completely blackened.
“Hmm.”
I frowned.
“I know dat you die when all four of dese wings turn black, so why did I die so early?”
“D-Die…?”
Ann’s face turned pale. I shrugged.
“Tell me. Why did I die?”
Ann and Anna tilted their heads at the same time. Their eyes darted around as if trying to recall the past.
“I’m sure something happened then…”
“I can’t remember it well. All I know is that your body’s condition suddenly worsened, my Lady.”
They can’t remember? And her body suddenly got worse?
Something was strange.
‘Did someone kill this body?’
When I entered this body, it was definitely dead.
If someone killed this body and then erased the memories of those around her…
‘A Black Mage.’
It’s highly likely those scum were behind this.
‘It seems this body was a target for a Black Mage.’
A curse, and even an assassination.
It’s practically a gift set.
“Has it been announced outside dat I’ve come back to life?”
“Ah, no. Other people probably don’t know.”
“Was it kept secret on purpose?”
Ann gasped and glanced around nervously. Instead, Anna, who had a composed expression, answered.
“He ordered us to keep it quiet for now, since you might pass away again.”
“Who?”
“His Excellency.”
“Dat damn bastard.”
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.
Of course, it was fortunate that the Hero bastard hadn’t announced this body’s life or death to the outside world, so I wouldn’t have to worry about assassination for the time being.
But weren’t the Hero’s motives impure? Telling them not to reveal I’m alive because I might die at any moment? I felt like smacking that mouth of his.
I have to get stronger.
I’ll get stronger and beat them all up.
I took a deep breath.
“Anyway, dat’s enough. Now dat I know everything, I just have to find a solution.”
And I curled my fingers into a fist.
“I will survive.”
To get revenge on the Hero,
and to reclaim the name of the great Black Dragon, Seluseu!
“I’ll live, no matter what!”
These words were not an empty cry.
Because I knew how to break the curse of the Black Butterfly Disease.
