"Kill me. Please."
Silvia’s plea was the cry of a soul whose pure desire for freedom had been trampled by a curse.
It was only natural for her to feel that way.
The only thing I could do for her now was release her from this agony.
I reached for the self-defense dagger I’d tossed carelessly onto the bedside table when I returned. I pulled it from its sheath.
The silver blade caught the light, gleaming with an eerie, lethal luster.
The cold radiance of death.
"Thank you, Albert-kun... Urgh, please... quickly!"
"I will, Silvia. Let’s do this while your heart is still your own."
I swung the blade.
The edge bit into skin—
Blood began to well from the index finger of my right hand.
"...Huh? Albert-kun?"
"I'm not killing you; I'm killing the curse. There’s a way to save you without taking your life. I'm going to bind you to me with a 'Blood Covenant.'"
"A Blood... Covenant...?"
"I don't have time to explain the details, but you can beat this. The cost is that you'll become my kin and owe me absolute obedience. Are you willing?"
Silvia gave a weak, faint smile.
"...That's... not a price at all. I told you, didn't I? I’d do anything for you, Albert-kun."
She let out a breath and continued.
"Please. Make me Albert-kun's."
"Understood."
I didn't have absolute proof that the Blood Covenant would work against the Will-Reaping Curse, but I was reasonably confident.
According to the lore of the original game, the Will-Reaping Curse fell under the category of contract magic. It was a specific contract that stripped the target of their will, a technique exclusive to the Osterreich royalty.
However, contract magic had a fundamental rule: a single target could only be under one contract at a time. If a second contract was applied, the weaker of the two would be overwritten and nullified.
In short, I just needed a contract magic powerful enough to blast the Will-Reaping Curse aside.
That was the Blood Covenant.
It was a contract spell, but as Ancient Magic, its power was nothing short of a cheat.
Even if her curse was a royal secret, this should be more than enough to hijack the connection.
It was a gamble—but it was the only one I had.
"By my noble blood, I command thee. Thou, Silvia, shalt become the kin of Albert von Kronstadt and obey my every whim. My power shall dwell within thee, and thy power shall become mine. Take heed: the dissolution of this covenant shall be paid for only with the loss of thy life."
Just as it had with Luna, the blood on my fingertip began to glow with a dark heat.
I moved my hand toward the exhausted Silvia.
Her clothes were disheveled, buttons undone, leaving her chest exposed.
As I pressed my finger against her skin, the sudden heat made her flinch. Her temporary composure shattered, and a seductive cry escaped her lips.
"Ahhh!"
"It's going to hurt. Bear with it."
"Y-yeah..."
Silvia bit her lip to stifle her moans. As she whimpered, I began to write the name 'Albert von Kronstadt' across her neck.
"Nn... haa... ah..."
She was holding back her voice much better than Luna had. I wondered if that was a testament to her training as an operative.
I finished the final character.
"It’s done."
"Am I... already Albert-kun's kin...?"
"One last step. Declare your intent. Silvia, do you wish to become my kin?"
"Yes... I do. Regardless of any curse... that's all I've ever wanted."
The blood script I had written hissed as it seared into her skin, sinking deep into her flesh.
"Kh—!"
The agony was likely just as intense as it had been for Luna, but Silvia refused to scream.
Her body, which had been arched in pain, suddenly went limp against the mattress.
"Haa... haa... haa... Is it... over?"
"Yeah. The ritual is complete. The Blood Covenant is sealed between us."
"I see. So now I—gh! Ah!"
"Silvia! What's wrong?"
She suddenly clutched her head, writhing in pain.
Then, a long, thin, soul-like vapor began to manifest from her mouth. It looked like it was being constricted by glowing red chains.
Was this—the Will-Reaping Curse?
At the tip of the soul-vapor, three hole-like apertures formed a face twisted in agony.
『I hate you... I hate you... To think my sacrifice would be stolen by the Blood Star King! You Absolute King Who Swallowed the World... the one who shattered the Holy Sword Emilfon! I will never forgive you!』
The 'mouth' of the spirit tore open as it lunged at me.
"Just shut up and vanish!"
I put my mana into the dagger and swung, cleaving through the pitch-black curse in a single stroke.
『Uvooooooooooaaaaaaagh!』
The curse let out a final shriek as its form destabilized.
By the time the sound died out, the entity had crumbled into dust.
Everything was over.
Silence returned to the room. Silvia, utterly spent, had closed her eyes. The sound of her soft, rhythmic breathing filled the space.
She was completely hogging my bed, but...
Well, what was I supposed to do?
Sleeping next to her was out of the question. I quietly slipped out of the room and collapsed onto the sofa in the living area.
In any case, it was finally over. Truly over.
There would eventually be a final showdown with her mother, but for today, the immediate crisis was resolved.
Still, a knot of unease remained in my chest.
It was those parting words from the Will-Reaping Curse. It spoke as if it knew Verdict.
It mentioned something about him shattering the Holy Sword Emilfon.
A Holy Sword was the ultimate weapon of a Hero. In the original game, the Hero Leon took on the Demon King in the final battle while wielding one. I knew the name well.
In the game, the Holy Sword was called Excalibur.
It definitely wasn't 'Emilfon.'
Was there more than one Holy Sword? The game had never mentioned anything other than Excalibur.
And then there was the title: 'The Absolute King Who Swallowed the World.' Verdict called himself a king, sure, but what did he actually rule? I had never really stopped to think about it.
Questions swirled through my mind, but the weight of exhaustion and sleep was becoming impossible to ignore. My thoughts were too hazy to maintain any focus.
I needed to look into this, eventually.
But not today.
I’d done enough. I deserved a little rest... The moment I let my guard down, my consciousness plummeted into the dark, silent depths of sleep.