<Chapter 2>

“Haaah….”

The long exhaled sigh dispersed into the air. Laren, with the robe tightly bundled and deeply pulled down over her head, buried herself into the chair.

Exactly one week had passed since she was afflicted by the curse. That meant it had also been a week since she started draping herself in the robe and coming and going from the grand library.

‘This is suffocating me to death.’

In her haste, she had used a magic experiment as an excuse to conceal her appearance, but she had no idea how long that pretext would hold up. And understandably so—Laren was the type of person whose hands would tremble if she skipped even a single meal. For such a glutton to dismiss all attendants and even refuse meals…

‘The curse of Demonium.’

The devil’s curse. The devil’s mischief.

It was a term utterly fitting for a human who had indulged in greed.

Attempting to acquire a new Qualitas fell under taboo. To realize only after the experiment succeeded that possessing two or more Qualitas would result in a curse… Laren berated herself for her recklessness as she rifled through hundreds of books.

However, beyond the information that it was ‘a curse based on the power of darkness, inflicted when acquiring a new Qualitas,’ she found nothing. The forms of the curse varied for each case, and examples of curses being lifted were hard to come by.

“Khung.”

Laren, who had been staring up at the ceiling, snorted in frustration. If even the grand library had only this much information, how on earth was she supposed to lift the curse?

The Demonium curse Laren had received changed her gender. She had no choice but to seriously contemplate living as a man.

The rough speech that Cesir had pointed out as coarse suited Laren’s boyish appearance quite well. Cold yet boisterous, carefree yet kind…

In truth, the completion of it all was the face. It wouldn’t be strange if she developed narcissism just from looking in the mirror like this.

However, two problems had arisen.

The first was that Ignis, the flame-based Qualitas obtained through the experiment, wouldn’t apply to tools. There was no issue with summoning spells like Fire Arrow, but it failed to manifest at all when infusing mana into tools. In that case, what was the point of acquiring a new Qualitas?

The second was that she couldn’t remain in her male form indefinitely. If she used a certain amount of mana or more, she would revert to her original appearance. In other words, while practicing Ignis-series magic and expending mana lavishly, she would suddenly find herself back in her feminine form. Once her mana recovered, she would return to the male appearance.

‘What am I going to do about this?’

“Um….”

“….”

“Excuse me!”

Startled by the librarian who had approached right up to her, Laren straightened her posture. Good heavens, how lost in thought must she have been? Clearing her throat, Laren adjusted her disheveled robe and looked at the librarian.

“What is it?”

“The library’s operating hours are now….”

‘Has the day already grown dark?’

In the vast grand library, the only people left were the librarian and Laren. She noticed the librarian trembling slightly. It must be frightening to face someone increasingly enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere day by day. Laren wore an apologetic expression, but with her face hidden deep within the robe, it wasn’t visible.

“Please check out the books I’m currently reading.”

“Pardon? Y-yes, yes, yes!”

How many times was he repeating his response? As soon as the conversation ended, the librarian dashed to the counter without even issuing a checkout slip.

‘Well, since I’ve been checking them out every day, maybe he’ll handle it on his own.’

Watching the retreating figure with indifference, Laren let out a listless sigh and rose from her seat.

* * *

For Kan, the butler of the Mercantia household, greeting Laren—who had been commuting to the library from dawn until dusk—had become his daily routine. As closing time passed, he spotted his master emerging as expected, shoulders slumped, and approached her.

“The weather is chilly; please board the carriage quickly.”

“Alright. Was there anything unusual at the ducal residence?”

At Laren’s question, Kan’s movements paused for a moment. Anything unusual, she said. The ducal residence, with Duchess Mercantia away on a trip, had been in an uproar once again today.

[The young lady is skipping meals!]

This was something that absolutely could not—and should not—happen in the Mercantia ducal household. The one they served consumed more food than a hearty man’s single meal and even held tea times frequently.

[Lady Laren dismissed breakfast!]

[Sena, what are you saying? That doesn’t make sense.]

[…Come to think of it, she seemed to skip dinner the day before yesterday as well.]

[What? Send a message to the physician immediately!]

Fasting, fasting of all things! It was akin to the household’s greatest danger signal, so the maids’ fussing grew day by day. Especially Head Maid Cesir, who had recently given Laren a scolding disguised as nagging over the bedroom explosion incident. She must be feeling her blood run dry, wondering if the young lady’s fasting was her fault.

Finishing his recollection, Kan pursed his lips as if troubled. Laren tilted her head in puzzlement at the butler staring into space.

“Kan?”

“Everyone, including Lady Cesir, is beside themselves with worry for you, my lady. I hear you’ve been skipping meals lately as well?”

At Kan’s following words, Laren’s face beneath the robe twisted into a grimace. And for good reason—her fasting wasn’t by choice.

‘I’m suffering to death here too!’

Laren pounded her chest in frustration. With the curse making it improper to reveal her appearance, how could she possibly dine in the dining room? She had been sneaking out of her bedroom at dawn to pilfer fruits from the kitchen or instructing the head chef to handle meals within her chambers.

“Hm hm, how many times do I have to say it? I’m handling it on my own. Tell them it’s because of the magic experiment, so please stop worrying.”

“Understood.”

With a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, Kan escorted Laren as she boarded the carriage. Ascending the steps, Laren leaned back into the cushions as if throwing herself down.

As she sank deeply into the seat, untimely thoughts flooded in, and the atmosphere around the young lady hidden beneath the robe grew subdued, prompting Kan to quiet his presence as well. Leaning against the carriage wall, she gazed out the window where the sunset was enveloping the city.

‘Can I ever return to my original form?’

The probability of a single human possessing two Qualitas was close to zero. Laren had beaten those odds and become a human with two Qualitas: Holy and Ignis.

And as the price of her greed, she had received the curse.

‘…Books alone have their limits.’

The carriage jolted, its cheap frame—procured for discreet travel—shuddering over every small pebble. The shock sent the newspaper resting beside Kan tumbling to the floor, snapping Laren out of her reverie. Kan, apologetic for disturbing her thoughts, swiftly retrieved the paper.

“My apologies, my lady.”

“No, it’s fine. I haven’t had the mind to read the news lately anyway. Anything interesting?”

Kan, clutching the newspaper, paused to consider.

“Well, the Reditern City Academy has been making headlines recently.”

“Reditern City Academy? I thought everything about that place was kept under wraps. To think it’s in the papers?”

Laren’s eyes widened at the unexpected news. Reditern City Academy, located in the heart of Reditern, was the largest comprehensive academy in the Fraikan Empire. Populated mostly by noble offspring, it was a fortress of secrecy, its internal affairs rarely leaking to the public.

“Yes, they say a rare ability user has appeared.”

“A rare ability user, you say?”

“Since news from the academy is hard to come by, it’s become quite the tantalizing gossip. Though it’s just absurd talk of a cursed individual.”

“A curse?!”

The word had barely left Kan’s lips when Laren shot upright, smacking her head against the carriage ceiling and collapsing back into her seat. A sharp sting radiated through her scalp, but that was the least of her concerns.

“Kan, let me see that paper!”

Newspaper, newspaper. Laren snatched it from Kan’s hands with lightning speed, startling him as he watched her with wide eyes. She unfolded it frantically.

The Cursed One!

Last night, a cursed figure scaled the walls of Reditern City Academy. Clad in the academy’s uniform but bearing the face of a beast, the figure effortlessly vaulted over a ten-meter wall and vanished into the academy grounds.

In the darkness of night, precise details of their appearance could not be confirmed, but it was undoubtedly not human. Many citizens who witnessed the event were gripped by horror, and the entire city of Reditern has been plunged into unease.

The Reditern City Academy has stated they are doing their utmost to investigate, but the individual has yet to be found, and there are signs they are attempting to suppress the matter.

Laren raced to her chambers, hyper-aware of any prying eyes, her robe tightly fastened. Naturally, this wasn’t the chamber scorched by her experiments to acquire the Ignis Qualitas but a new one.

“My lady.”

“Aaah!”

Laren leapt at the sudden voice, stumbling backward in a panic. Good heavens, those pointed ears made it even more startling. Clutching her racing heart, she reeled from the unexpected presence.

“You scared me!”

Kana, offering a respectful nod, fixed her with luminous jade-green eyes. What scheme was she hatching now? To Kana, her master’s jumpy reaction to her mere appearance was highly suspicious. She tried to catch a glimpse of Laren’s face with the lamplight, but the tightly wrapped robe revealed only a pair of trembling blue eyes.

“My lady.”

“When it’s just us, call me Laren, I’ve told you.”

“I’d rather not commit insubordination.”

“Fine, what did I expect?”

Kana was an elf rescued from a slave caravan by Laren’s father, the late Duke of Mercantia, before his passing. To Laren, she was a longtime friend and family, but Kana insisted on maintaining her position as a subordinate. Laren pouted in disapproval.

“Don’t tell me you’re here about the chamber explosion? Please, spare me—Cesir’s already chewed my ear off about it.”

She waved her hands dismissively, the robe flapping with each step backward.

The sight must have been amusing, as a faint smile tugged at Kana’s lips.

“I’ve heard you’ve been neglecting your meals lately.”

Even for someone as particular about food as Laren, weren’t these reactions a bit excessive?

And to think their greatest concern wasn’t her hidden face but her skipped meals.

Laren felt a pang of self-reproach at the absurdity of the situation.

“What, me skip meals? Do I look like the type? Why is everyone like this? I’m eating just fine, so don’t worry.”

Kana’s gaze lingered on her master, who spoke with animated confidence, even wagging a finger.

A brief silence fell, and Laren, feeling the weight of the books in her hands, began stacking the ones borrowed from the library on the desk.

“Kana, you didn’t wait here just to talk about that, did you?”

The robe’s hood obstructed her vision, but she could still read Kana’s expression well enough. To others, it might seem impassive, but Laren saw a hint of hesitation. Curious, she tilted her head.

“What’s on your mind all of a sudden? Don’t give me that scary look—just tell me.”

“…When do you plan to make your debut in society?”

A debut in society. The debutante ball. The first step for noble heirs to establish their place by attending a grand ball, typically at the age of seventeen. Laren, now twenty, was three years behind her peers.

Her mother, the Duchess, had postponed it early on, likely due to Laren’s penchant for wreaking havoc around the estate and her relentless pursuit of magical training.

‘A debutante ball… not exactly something to look forward to.’

Kana, however, wanted Laren to solidify her position as the Mercantia heir as soon as possible.

“It can wait a bit longer.”

“You’re unusually resistant when it comes to society.”

“Well, it’s not that I’m against it. Who doesn’t love a bit of fun and leisure?”

Laren shrugged with a crooked smile. Truthfully, she wasn’t opposed to a social debut. Like any other young woman her age, she adored elegant accessories, glittering jewels, and dresses that flowed ethereally with every step.

She enjoyed tea times surrounded by flowers and was curious about attending the social gatherings she’d missed due to her magical pursuits.

It was just that magic held her interest far more. A debut would drastically cut into the time she could dedicate to mastering her mana.