At the end of his gaze, he saw a pit.
It was a small pit filled with a sticky-looking black liquid.
Even though it wasn’t boiling in a cauldron, bubbles were rising from it, and every time those bubbles grew too large and burst, something like spores drifted gently in the wind, spreading outward.
“That’s a curse. If left alone, the seeds of the curse will spread everywhere like that.”
That’s why it had to be eliminated first.
Even after watching for just a short time, he could see the spores dispersing more than ten times.
“Would you like to try eliminating it?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Since you use the same power as I do, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Saying so, Jebichot used her ability on the edge of the cursed pit.
She curved her hand into a round shape, as if a ball fit perfectly inside it, then twisted her wrist.
Then, the space disconnected from reality and vanished.
“Technically, we say we ‘purify’ it, but in truth, all we’re doing is isolating the space and removing it from the world. Of course, my ability is simpler, but other ability users can also eliminate it in their own ways. For example, Ignis or Daleweaver could burn it with fire or lightning until nothing remains.”
Finishing her explanation, Jebichot tilted her head slightly toward Raymond, signaling him to try.
Raymond mimicked her, curving his hand and looking at the pit.
When he gently twisted his wrist, the pit disappeared from reality just like hers had.
“Yes, just like that. Interesting, isn’t it? Teaching someone knowledge like this is quite fun… What’s that?”
Jebichot had been smiling as she spoke, but suddenly narrowed her eyes at something.
Something had remained in the spot where the curse had disappeared.
Unlike the black pit that absorbed all colors, this was a strange, oily, rainbow-sheened black jelly.
It was the first time she had encountered something like this, and even Jebichot was puzzled.
‘Perhaps it was a mistake, and part of it wasn’t completely erased.’
That was possible for a first attempt.
She thought little of it and moved to deal with the residue.
At that moment, a black tentacle suddenly shot up from the ground and stabbed Jebichot in the side.
“Guh…!”
It was carelessness born from thinking it was all over.
Who would have guessed another demon was hiding underground?
Staggering from the sudden attack, Jebichot still used her ability against the tentacle.
Right now, the aggressive demon was a greater threat than the motionless jelly.
Raymond couldn’t assist her immediately, as he was weakened from using his ability.
He moved to help her—Rip!
Suddenly, the jelly swelled and then spread out like a cloth, covering Raymond.
“Urgh!”
He instinctively tried to push it away using Aries’s ability, which he often used, but the clever jelly split into multiple pieces.
Only some fragments were repelled, while the majority clung to Raymond.
“Hmph…!”
He raised his arm to block it, but since it wasn’t a solid, it slid down and stuck to his face, cutting off his breath.
Even when he tried to tear it off, he couldn’t grab it.
Flustered by the unfamiliar experience, Raymond struggled, and soon, Jebichot—having defeated the demon—approached.
“Get a hold of yourself!”
She seemed to be doing something, but Raymond, suffocating, was growing increasingly faint.
Just as he felt his strength leaving—
— What is it that you desperately desire?
He heard someone whisper.
It must have been an auditory hallucination caused by his fading consciousness, but Raymond’s subconscious immediately responded.
‘Seiana.’
The fear of death made him long for someone to stay by his side.
The only one who came to mind was Seiana.
As if reading his thoughts, the voice in his mind chuckled lowly, amused by such a simple wish.
Then, as if granting it, Seiana appeared before him.
“Huh?”
In the vision, Seiana was inside a carriage, sighing heavily as if something troubled her.
Raymond sat beside her.
‘Seiana.’
He called her name, but she didn’t notice he was there and just looked anxious.
He leaned his head on her shoulder, but his chin passed right through.
‘Am I dead?’
Had he become a ghost?
Raymond felt strange.
Ever since becoming an ability user, the idea of ending his cursed life had crossed his mind now and then—but now that it seemed to have happened, he felt regret.
That feeling was likely because of Seiana.
Because she had eased his loneliness, he was now reluctant to leave the world.
Raymond closed his eyes, resting against Seiana’s body, which he couldn’t touch or feel warmth from.
He didn’t know when she’d disappear, but until then, he just wanted to be by her side.
Clatter-clatter, the carriage moved with a steady sound until it came to a stop.
Seiana’s face visibly tensed.
Raymond, knowing he couldn’t offer real comfort as a ghost, still reached for her hand like he always used to.
Though he couldn’t touch her, he laid his hand over hers.
“Where is this?”
Surprisingly, when the carriage door opened, it revealed the Imperial Palace.
Why had Seiana come here?
The knight who opened the door extended a hand to escort her, and she took it.
Looking at the man’s face, Raymond soon realized he was the Empress’s knight.
That meant the Empress had summoned Seiana.
“Why?”
Why would she call Seiana?
Raymond had a bad feeling.
He stepped off the carriage with Seiana and looked around.
One benefit of being a ghost was that he could roam freely without attracting attention.
[How unfortunate.]
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
Raymond, confused, looked around until he realized it was the knight.
No—his mouth hadn’t moved.
It was simply the knight’s thoughts that Raymond could now read.
[It’s certainly an honorable thing… but the young lady is still just a child.]
From the context, he seemed to be referring to Seiana.
Raymond wanted to know more, but the thoughts ended there.
As expected, the person who had summoned Seiana was the Empress.
Raymond could roughly guess her intentions—and realized he had been a bit complacent.
Aside from being an ability user, Raymond had no real status or support.
To do anything, he needed the power of the Imperial family.
He’d assumed that if he used that power, others might also gain the same information…
‘I didn’t think they’d be interested enough to summon her like this.’
From a son to a monster, and now just a tool to defeat demons—he thought their interest would end there.
After all, they hadn’t written or sent any messages during the three years he secluded himself in pain from their changed affection.
This sudden attention now felt fake—an inconvenience.
‘She probably just got summoned out of curiosity about me, her friend.’
Though part of him thought otherwise, he tried to ignore it.
If what he feared was true, it would be the worst outcome.
At the end of the long corridor was the Empress’s rear garden.
Raymond had often visited it in the past.
The only thing that had changed, he thought, was the arrangement of the flowers.
This time, he heard another set of voices.
[How pitiful.]
[What a shame.]
[She’s still just a young lady.]
[It can’t be helped—such is the heart of a parent.]
They were the voices of the court ladies who were serving nearby.
They were all talking about Seianna’s misfortune.
And then—
[She’s beautiful.]
[That’s not good.]
[If only she had some kind of flaw.]
These were the Empress’s feelings upon seeing Seianna.
[Isn’t she the precious daughter of the Count of Estarote?]
[Her expression makes it obvious she was well-loved.]
[If only there were some issue, I could use that as an excuse to seat her beside Raymond.]
Raymond clenched his teeth at the Empress’s regretful inner thoughts.
The worst possibility he had imagined had now become reality.
It was clear the Empress wanted to ease her guilt for having neglected her young son by giving him what he wanted.
But that wasn’t what Raymond wanted.
If that were truly her intention, she would’ve done it already.
With no need for power, Raymond could control anyone with his special ability.
The reason he didn’t was because he wanted to receive Seianna’s raw, unfiltered emotions—not something artificial or fabricated.
So the Empress’s actions were nothing but a nuisance, and they made him angry.
He desperately wanted to stop her, but as a ghost, there was nothing Raymond could do.
“Young Lady, is there someone you’re discussing marriage with?”
Satisfied that Seianna and Raymond were close, the Empress began slowly getting to her real point.
She was planning to take Seianna for herself even if she had to break off an engagement.
Raymond was angry at the Empress for trying to impose her will, but without realizing it, his gaze shifted to Seianna.
‘Could it be… could that person named Rora be the one she’s talking about?’
Raymond was curious about that person’s identity, so he focused, trying to listen carefully to what Seianna would say.
But all Seianna said was that there wasn’t anyone.
Then he realized—until now, he hadn’t been able to hear Seianna’s inner thoughts.
Raymond felt a mix of regret and relief—relieved that he hadn’t done something wrong to her, and ashamed that he had even considered doing so.
That’s why he wanted to stop the Empress.
But again, there was nothing he could do.
Perhaps because he was dead, even his famed ability didn’t work anymore.
As Raymond struggled, the conversation between the two continued.
Truly, the human heart is fickle—though he cursed the Empress, he couldn’t help but listen closely to the conversation that piqued his interest.