“Did my gift make her even more beautiful?”
Drop. Drop.
“She spends every day in agony, doesn't she?”
Drop. Drop. Drop. Drop.
“Kukukukukuku.”
Magic Insects spilled from the Mage's mouth every time he spoke.
“The ‘gifted woman’ Alicia... kuhihi.”
The sight was more nauseating the longer I looked.
“Just imagining her falling into ruin from a single crack... kukukuku.”
The insects that hit the floor squirmed into a massive, writhing heap at his feet.
“I simply couldn't stay away. Yes, yes, yes.”
“...So it was you.”
“Indeed it was. But I suppose the Margrave himself is un—”
The Mage’s face was flushed with excitement, but I didn't let him finish.
CRASH!
The sound of the floorboards shattering echoed through the room.
I channeled magic into the soles of my feet and closed the distance in a heartbeat. Without a word, I thrust my blade directly into that grinning mouth as it spewed more insects.
“Fugh?!”
I didn't feel the blade pierce his cervical vertebrae. At the last possible second, he’d jerked his head aside.
Tch. Close.
His cheek was pinned to the wall, his head forced sideways and locked in place. I leaned in and roared into the Mage’s ear.
“Hey! Every single day! Day after day after day!”
Day in and day out.
“You’re the bastard who’s been flooding my house with these things?!”
He had no idea how much of a goddamn nuisance he'd been. Even after I cleared the Magic Insects off Alicia, they still swarmed my windows. Outside, they clung to the walls like stinkbugs. Inside the house, they scuttled around every corner like cockroaches.
“I was sick and tired of it!”
Alicia couldn't see them, but they were vivid to me. On the days when one would drop from the ceiling into my coffee—or worse, the days I finished the cup without noticing only to find a Magic Insect at the bottom—it ruined my entire mood for the rest of the day. It wasn't that they could actually hurt me; it was the principle of the thing.
When I said I’d track down the source of the curse and kill them, I hadn’t been exaggerating. I’d fully intended to execute whoever it was the moment I found them.
“Wh-what... what are you talking about...?”
The Mage trembled, blindsided by my sudden explosion of rage.
“You are a genuine, goddamn, bothersome piece of shit.”
“Gu... gugi... it hurts... pull the sword out...”
“And you’ve got disgusting taste to boot.”
Getting off on the idea of a gifted woman falling into ruin? He was a complete freak.
I would never allow him to direct those kinds of emotions toward my Alicia.
I’d kill him.
“Oh, right. Let me tell you something.”
“Agiii! Gugigi!”
I ground the thrust-in blade deeper as I spoke.
“Alicia’s already recovered and is energetically helping out with the work at my place. Because she’s a gifted woman, she’s better at the job than I am. The staff likes her more, too. She’s living life with a smile on her face.”
The Mage’s eyes bulged as he glared at me.
“It’s the exact opposite of what you imagined. Disappointing, isn't it?”
“AAAAAAAAAAH! Gugigigigi—Kamigirimushi!”
His cheek tore open as he forced the words out. Breaking free of the restraint, the Mage unhinged his jaw. An insect with razor-sharp mandibles slithered out and snapped the sword pinned to the wall in two with a single bite.
So that was it. That was the magic that took the Adventurer’s arm.
This freak was likely a Mage specializing in curses; most mages wouldn't even be able to see a curse clearly. That was probably why the man’s arm had been severed before he even knew what was happening. There was a spell called Wind Blade in the Wind-attribute category that could cause a similar phenomenon, but that would be visible to anyone with decent kinetic vision. There was no way the Adventurers in the Brave Territory would have missed it.
“Gu... kuhi... hi? A smile?” the Mage muttered, swaying on his feet. The tear in his mouth was already being healed by a cluster of Magic Insects acting like a scab. “Lady Alicia? Even after I sent her so much of my devotion...?”
“There's no way I'd let something that foul get near her.”
I’d blocked them the moment she arrived at House Brave. Between that and Onyx’s lingering presence, they’d never reach her again. Even if they did, I’d just crush them.
“They won’t reach her anymore. Give it up.”
“That's a lie!”
“It's the truth.”
When I stated it flatly, the Mage became visibly distraught.
“Her heart should be in pieces! It should be beautiful! I poured so much into them so she’d hate everything! I gathered it all up... at the Academy!”
The more he talked, the more insane he sounded. But there was a silver lining: it looked like this guy was the only one responsible for the Magic Insects.
“I don't believe you! Fine! I'll just go see for myself! I'll go to the mansion right now and deliver my feelings in person!”
Following the Mage’s scream, the insect extending from his mouth spread its massive jaws to cut me in half.
“Like I'd let you go.”
“Obororo?!”
I caught the mandibles that had just snapped steel with one hand and dragged the bug out of the Mage’s throat.
“Look, the fact that I can clearly see this disgusting bug and grab it like this should tell you everything you need to know, shouldn't it?”
“Why won't it cut?! It cuts through iron!”
I was talking about the fact that I could physically crush and dispel any curse directed at Alicia the moment I saw it, but the Mage was too far gone to understand.
I crushed the insect in my grip.
“Until you realize why, it doesn't matter how many curses you throw at us. I'll smash every last one of them.”
Not that he’d be throwing any more.
I was done. I didn't have time to waste on a guy like this. I looked at him the same way I looked at enemy soldiers on a battlefield.
“Hii...”
Time to end this.
“First, this is for my Adventurer.”
I picked up the sword from the floor and took the Mage's right arm. A scream tore through the room, but I didn't care.
“Next, for flooding my home with those damn bugs.”
I moved fast, severing his limbs before the Magic Insects could stick to me. The Mage slumped onto the chair like a discarded doll.
“You're crazy! You're insane! How can you... AAAAAAAH!”
He thrashed his stumps and screamed. I didn't deny it. It was an undeniable fact.
“Tell me who sent you and I'll let you live.”
“I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Ignite! House Ignite!”
I see. So it was House Ignite, one of the Ducal families.
“Thanks. And finally... this is for harassing Alicia.”
“Eh—”
I took his head.
The tiny spark of hope in the Mage's eyes was instantly drowned in despair. With a heavy thud, his head hit the floor and rolled until it faced me. His lips twitched.
—I'll curse you... I'll curse you... I'll curse you...
The words were barely a whisper.
“I'm already cursed.”
I gave him a mocking smile as the light finally died in his eyes. The other thugs whose wrists I’d cut earlier had already bled out. Well, I had the information I needed.
“Is it finished, Young Master?”
I was standing in a pool of blood when Sebas appeared behind me.
“It's done. Clean this up.”
“As you wish.”
I hadn't been this brutal since I avenged my father. Part of it was an intentional tactic to extract information, but...
When did it start?
When did I stop feeling anything at all?
I suppose it’s a product of my environment. I understand that, but by any normal standard, I’m clearly broken. Sometimes I’m not even sure which version of me is the real one.
You could call it madness, and you wouldn't be wrong.