That Line
The sound of the storm echoed through the walls of the great hall at night.
Even with the heavy doors closed, the wind howled and the windows rattled without pause.
The flickering flames of the candelabras cast anxious shadows across the faces gathered there, creating an atmosphere like a meeting of ghosts.
Those present were the residents of the mansion, along with the invited guests, Ale and Salvia.
The servants glanced at one another nervously, and the tear-stained Bartley and Ratchet clung close together. Moriarty sat beside them, his expression drained of all spirit, more a broken human being than a lord.
"… Now then."
The one who broke the silence was Ale.
He rose, surveying the room, and spoke calmly.
"We’ve heard talk of this Noirden curse… Now tell us clearly what it is."
Head Butler Hanneen stepped forward, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He bit his lip several times, searching for the right words, but in the end he turned toward Moriarty.
"Master… may I?"
Moriarty closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh that blended into the roar of the storm. Then his sunken voice filled the hall.
"I shall speak… In my Noirden territory, there is a legend passed down since ancient times. Every hundred years, a person blessed with holy power must be offered as a sacrifice to a demon. It is so well-known here that it’s become a children’s tale."
The hall fell silent.
"It sounds absurd, I know."
The count let out a weak, bitter laugh.
"I thought so too. The heads of this family for generations dismissed it as superstition. We even conducted investigations. And the conclusion was simple, there is no such demon. But…"
His fists trembled atop his knees.
"The moment the hundred-year deadline passed last month, strange events began to occur throughout the domain. Livestock died overnight, blood welled up from the wells, and those who entered the forest never returned, only to be found the next day as mangled corpses. The people were terrified… and they began saying it was because I failed to fulfill the duty."
The storm pounded even harder, shaking the mansion.
One of the maids gave a small scream and was comforted by another.
"More and more fell victim after that… and I struggled with the choice."
His voice was heavy.
"But even then… I could not accept something so foolish. To sacrifice a person…"
Then, beside him, Lady Ratchet spoke quietly with her head lowered.
"… The people’s fear only grew. Offering a sacrifice was the only path left… That is what I told him."
Moriarty nodded in bitter resignation.
"… Yes. My wife convinced me. To calm the domain, I thought the best I could do was choose an orphan from far away, someone with no ties here… and I set my eyes on a holy child raised by a saint. We believed a true Saintess could not be caught as a sacrifice without revealing her power."
A wave of shock swept the hall.
The lord’s intentions were far too cruel. Salvia slowly stood up.
"So~ that means~"
Her voice was sleepy as always, but her eyes gleamed sharply.
"You planned to keep this from us, but with Jack-sama’s death, you could no longer ignore the legend, correct~?"
Moriarty couldn’t answer; he only bowed his head.
Ale listened in silence.
This was no time to shout. As disgusting as it was to hear they intended to sacrifice a child, at least it meant they wouldn’t be trying to buy any of his kids now.
Not that he'd ever sell his people for that kind of thing. He might sell children to earn money, but he still had a shred of decency.
He’d thought he’d chosen a noble house with no bad rumors attached… clearly, his background check needed tightening. He’d have to be more careful in the future.
"The bandits who attacked you earlier—I was the one who arranged them."
Hearing that, Ale exhaled slowly and replied in a quiet voice.
"I understand the situation. But for now, protecting everyone here takes priority. This attempt may have failed, but I’ll still be reporting this to the Holy Nation. And the bandits. Expect harsh consequences."
"Y-yes…"
Following Ale’s words, Salvia also spoke.
"But please don’t worry, everyone~"
She smiled gently, though her voice carried a firm resonance.
"This is not a demon’s curse at all~ When I heard Jack-sama’s scream earlier, I sensed an extremely strong mana~"
At that single statement, the room froze.
The unseen fear gripping the hall tightened further, but now in a different shape.
Not a curse.
Then it was human.
Ale stood and looked over every person gathered.
The lord, his wife, the son, the daughter, the head butler, the servants…
All of them stared back in fear.
And among them, without a doubt—
Ale summarized Salvia’s words:
"In other words, the culprit is among us…! It’s that line, huh…!?"
"””””””!!?!””””””"
The moment those words fell, everyone except Salvia froze in shock. Even Ale himself looked startled, as if thinking, Wait, seriously? The culprit is actually here?
Outside, the storm shook the mansion violently, the thunderous pounding on the windows echoing like the building itself was groaning.
What do you think about this chapter?
