A Legit Cultist and a Legit Cursed Girl (With a Hint of Truth)

OLBA

I was walking down a dim underground passage.

I’m currently in my mid-thirties, and if I do say so myself, I’ve kept my physique in top shape. Between my sharp gaze and my gray hair slicked back, I’d say I cut quite the imposing figure.

I came to a halt at the end of the tunnel. Two soldiers stood guard beside a single door.

"Is the daughter of the Baron Kagenou Family in there?" I asked.

"She is, Lord Olba," the soldier replied with a crisp salute before unlocking the door. "Watch yourself, sir. She’s restrained, but she hasn't stopped fighting for a second."

"Hmph. Who do you think you’re talking to?"

"っ! M-my apologies, sir!"

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was a stone dungeon, plain and simple. A lone girl was bolted to the wall with Magic-Sealing Chains.

"Claire Kagenou, I presume."

At the sound of my voice, the girl looked up.

She was a beauty, I’ll give her that. Since she’d been snatched right out of bed, she was still in a thin negligee; the garment did little to hide the swell of her breasts or her youthful thighs. Her silken black hair was cut straight across her back, and she glared at me with the kind of eyes that belonged to a girl who didn't know the meaning of the word 'surrender.'

"I know your face. I've seen it in the Royal Capital," she said. "You're Viscount Olba, aren't you?"

"Oh? I was in the Royal Guard once, but... wait, did you see me at the Bushin Festival?"

"The Bushin Festival, right. I remember seeing Princess Iris cut you down like a pathetic amateur."

She actually let out a little giggle. The nerve of this girl.

"Hmph. Within the strict rules of a match, she’s in a league of her own. But don’t think for a second I’d lose to her in a real fight."

"It wouldn't be any different in a real fight. You're just Viscount Olba—the guy who lost in the first round of the Championship Tournament."

"Keep talking, brat. You have no idea how much of a feat it is just to stand on that final stage." I glared back at her.

"I’ll be standing there in another year."

"A pity. You don't have another year."

The chains binding her rattled.

Suddenly, her face was inches from mine, her teeth snapping shut just barely missing my neck.

Clack.

If I hadn't tilted my head at the last possible microsecond, she would have torn my carotid artery right out of my throat.

"Want to find out which one of us is still breathing a year from now?" she hissed, grinning like a predator.

"I don't need to find out. I already know it won't be you, Claire Kagenou."

I drove my fist into her jaw.

She was slammed back against the stone wall, yet her eyes remained just as fierce as she stared me down. I lowered my hand, feeling a bit annoyed—there hadn't been much resistance behind the blow.

She jumped back to soften the impact?

Claire gave me a fearless smirk. "Something wrong? Was there a fly on my face?"

"Hmph. So you’re not just some girl being swung around by high Magic Power."

"I was taught that Magic Power isn't about how much you have, but how you use it."

"You have a good father."

"I didn't learn a damn thing from that bald old man. My brother taught me everything."

"Your brother...?"

"He's a cheeky brat," she said, her smile turning almost mischievous. "Whenever we fight, I’m always the winner. But I’m always the one learning from his sword. Meanwhile, that boy learns absolutely nothing from mine. That's why I have to bully him every single day."

"Your poor brother. I guess that makes me the hero for saving him from a monster sister like you. But enough idle talk."

I cut the chatter and locked eyes with her.

"Claire Kagenou. Have you been feeling physically off lately? Maybe your Magic Power is becoming difficult to handle, or your control is getting unstable? Do you feel pain when you channel it? Perhaps you've noticed your skin turning black and starting to rot? Any of those symptoms?"

"You went through all the trouble of kidnapping me just to play doctor?" she asked, a smirk playing on her glossy lips.

"I had a daughter once. I’d rather not get any rougher than I have to. It would be best for both of us if you just cooperated."

"Is that a threat? I have a habit of rebelling when people try to squeeze me. Even when it’s completely irrational."

"So you have no intention of answering honestly?"

"Hmm. I wonder what I should do."

We glared at each other in silence for a long moment. It was Claire who finally broke.

"Fine. It’s not like it’s a big deal anyway. You asked about my body and my Magic Power, right? I'm fine now. In fact, if I weren't in these chains, I’d be feeling perfect."

"Now? What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said. It was about a year ago, I think, when those symptoms you mentioned showed up."

"What? You’re saying they were... cured? On their own?"

Impossible. In all my research, I’d never heard of a case where 'that' just fixed itself.

"Yeah, nothing special happened... Oh, wait. My brother asked if he could practice his... Stretch? I didn't really get what he was doing, but after he was done with me, I felt amazing."

"A... 'Stretch'? Never heard of it. But if the symptoms appeared, then there's no doubt. You are, first and foremost, a Compatible."

"Compatible? What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It’s something you have no need to know. You'll be broken soon enough anyway. Though, I think I'll have to investigate that brother of yours, too..."

The second the words left my mouth, an impact exploded across my nose.

"Guh!?"

I stumbled back toward the door, clutching my face as blood started leaking through my fingers. "Claire Kagenou, you...!"

She was supposed to be fully restrained by all four limbs, but for some reason, the chain on her right wrist had come off. Blood was pouring from the limb.

"You scraped the flesh off your hand and dislocated your fingers just to escape...!?"

These weren't ordinary shackles; they were Magic-Sealing Chains. She had used nothing but raw, agonizing physical strength to rip her hand through the metal, crushing her own bones in the process, just to land a punch on me. I was floored by the sheer insanity of it.

"If anything happens to that boy, I will never forgive you!" she screamed. "I'll kill you, and everyone you love! Your family, your friends—I’ll slaughter every last one of them...!"

I didn't let her finish. I put everything I had into a magic-reinforced punch to her stomach. Bound by the Magic-Sealing Chains, she had no way to protect herself.

"You little brat...!" I spat.

Claire collapsed, her blood pooling on the floor in a dark, ugly stain.

"Whatever. This blood will tell me everything..."

I reached for the stain, but the door burst open. A soldier was there, gasping for air.

"Lord Olba! Emergency! We have an intruder!"

"An intruder!? Who?"

"We don't know! They're few in number, but we're no match for them!"

"Tch. I'll handle it. You lot, strengthen the defenses here!"

I clicked my tongue and ran out.