Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 7
How long has it been since I last greeted such a refreshing morning?
“Good morning, Giselle. Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, my lady. I tossed and turned a bit, but I am well.”
Giselle offered a small smile and dipped her head.
This was a coded language shared between the two of us.
I was asking her if Deyan and his subordinate had caused any trouble last night, and Giselle was replying that there had been a slight disturbance, but nothing worth fretting over.
“Is that so? Shall we have some tea together later?”
“Yes, my lady. I will look forward to it.”
This meant I intended to go down and check on the two men myself.
“The weather is lovely, so I brought a gown in a brighter shade today.”
“What do you think of these pearls for your earrings?”
“They are all wonderful. You girls truly have impeccable taste.”
“You flatter us, my lady.”
I happily finished dressing while sharing light, pleasant banter with my innocent, giggling maids.
After breakfast, I went for a stroll with Giselle.
By the time I finished handling a few matters regarding the management of the manor, the morning had already slipped away.
“Oh, right!”
As I was settling down to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea, I clapped my hands together as the thought suddenly struck me.
“I had something else to do, didn’t I?”
I had completely forgotten about the existence of Deyan and the hostage.
Of course, I had been forgetting them on purpose.
“I wonder if they’ve eaten anything. I’m quite worried.”
I spoke in a tone that carried absolutely no trace of worry, cupping one cheek and letting out a deep sigh.
“I don’t know if he has a sweet tooth.”
I then began packing the fruits, desserts, and light refreshments prepared for tea time into a large picnic basket.
I also made sure not to forget a colorful picnic blanket and a single lantern.
“Hmm-hmm~”
On the way to the prison, a hum naturally escaped my lips as I walked with a light, buoyant step.
‘I hope he has a weak will, but how will it turn out?’
I wanted to obtain the Immortal’s blood and summon a Demon as quickly as possible.
‘This time, it will absolutely be a success.’
Humming a cheerful tune, I stepped down the stairs of the prison one by one.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Cough…… hack, my lady!”
From deep within the prison, the pitiful sound of someone banging on the iron bars grated on my ears.
‘He has an excellent sense of rhythm.’
It happened to form a perfect ensemble with the melody I was humming.
“Did you have a peaceful night?”
I asked with a bright smile, though no answer was needed.
Deyan Boislav Nemanic was curled up in the corner of the cell, covering his ears.
An expression of utter exhaustion was written clearly across his face, while his subordinate hung from the iron bars like wet laundry, coughing violently.
“Why……! Why are you, cough, only coming now!”
“Because it’s entirely up to my whim, isn’t it?”
I retorted to his resentment with a smiling face. Utterly at a loss for words, Holdin could only gape silently.
In the meantime, Giselle spread out the blanket near the iron bars and began setting out the food.
I picked up the sweetest treat among them and slid it smoothly through the bars.
“Please, eat. I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets, so I prepared a variety.”
“Do not, cough, eat it, my lord. Who knows if the food is poisoned?”
“It seems Glay Holdin is in need of a refreshing drink. Here.”
Pouring.
As I poured the chilled fruit juice filled with ice into a cup, a crisp, refreshing sound filled the damp cell.
I set the cup down right in front of Holdin, who was staring fixedly at the beverage with desperate eyes, and then poured the same drink for myself, taking a sip right before his eyes.
Only then did Holdin frantically gulp down the liquid.
“Did it ever cross your mind that I might have rubbed poison on the rim of the cup?”
“Pfft! Cough, hack!”
“Oh dear. It was just a joke.”
When I spoke so lightly, Holdin glared at me with wide, furious eyes.
I did not bother to avoid his gaze.
“I heard you were looking for me quite desperately last night.”
I wondered what kind of bizarre scheme he had concocted inside that head of his.
I was already feeling quite amused.
Holdin, who had been giving me a dubious look, suddenly thrust the empty cup toward me.
“Yes. I didn’t expect you to stubbornly ignore all that ruckus. May I have another glass?”
“As much as you like. There is cold-brewed tea as well.”
“Thank you.”
While he offered a quick nod of gratitude and thoroughly quenched his parched throat, Deyan approached the iron bars.
Naturally, the reason he stepped forward was not for the food.
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No? Not at all.”
“A Demon will demand a price far more terrible and immense than you can possibly imagine.”
“Is that so?”
Answering drily, I took a sip of my tea and pushed a small plate toward him.
“Eat up. This is the dessert our chef is most confident in.”
“I am not just saying this to empty air.”
“Save those words. Just say what you actually want to say.”
“…….”
“The only reason you kept throwing a tantrum and looking for me all night must be to propose something else, right? I’m listening.”
When I called him out on it, Deyan quickly shut his mouth. He then cast a subtle glance toward Holdin.
Following his gaze, my eyes met Holdin’s.
“The person who summoned the Demon that placed the Curse on His Grace was my father.”
Holdin began his explanation without any preamble.
“I will keep it brief. In exchange for summoning the Demon, we offered a human heart. The owner of that heart was the previous Count Nemanic—His Grace’s paternal uncle.”
‘A heart?’
The heavy words firmly embedded themselves in my mind.
“Ah, please do not misunderstand. It was all carried out according to the previous Count’s own will.”
Holdin added that the only one who had been excluded from the decision-making process at the time was Deyan.
‘Just what kind of entity did they call forth to warrant such a price?’
The discrepancy between a whole human heart and thirteen drops of blood was far too extreme.
For now, I remained quiet and waited for him to continue.
“In the Nemanic family, they have sacrificed one male child generation after generation to create an Immortal.”
“Using a heart as a sacrifice, did they call upon a Demon to bestow the power of immortality?”
“Yes. To be precise, he received an extraordinary regenerative ability that is nearly indistinguishable from immortality. In return, it was accompanied by a horrific Murderous Impulse and a Burning Pain.”
To be nearly indistinguishable from immortality meant he could not defy the flow of time. In short, he would still die of old age.
‘So he isn’t a true immortal.’
“Immediately after receiving the power of immortality, His Grace killed everyone present at the scene, including my father.”
“…….”
“Even after that incident, whenever he suffers an injury, he loses the ability to distinguish friend from foe and slaughters everyone in his vicinity. The Murderous Impulse is directly proportional to the severity of the wound, and once the impulse subsides, his body is racked with the agony of being burned alive.”
I stole a glance at Deyan.
With his head hanging low like a condemned criminal, he was silently fiddling with the tips of his fingers.
Right where his fingernails had completely fallen out.
‘It’s a curse because it’s a power he never wanted?’
That was far too naive a calculation. In the end, hadn’t he preserved his life and consolidated his power up to this point using that very strength?
I felt a bit sorry for Deyan, but I found myself wishing I could possess even a fraction of that power.
“And your reason for revealing the truth so readily is?”
“I would like to propose a deal.”
“A deal? How bold of you.”
Did they truly understand the reality of their current situation?
I wiped the smile from my face and questioned him, but Holdin’s expression remained unchanged.
“Please allow us to meet the Demon that you intend to summon, my lady.”
Instead, he merely stated his demand in a deadpan, serious voice.
‘They’ve already summoned a Demon before, yet they specifically want to meet another one?’
The son of the man who had summoned a Demon, and the Demon who had killed that son’s father.
It wouldn’t be strange if they were sworn enemies, so for what purpose were these two sticking together?
And why were they seeking a different Demon?
“What is your objective?”
“I consider it my life’s mission to break His Grace’s Curse.”
“Because it was a deed committed by your father, Sir Holdin?”
“Yes.”
“But he killed your father.”
“That was not His Grace’s own will. And frankly speaking……”
Holdin paused for a moment, his face suddenly contorting. It was not the expression of someone remembering a revered father.
“I believe he got exactly what he deserved.”
Just what on earth had he gone through?
However, my own circumstances were far too urgent to sit around listening to someone else’s tragic backstory.
“You may view it as an act of filial impiety, and I do not care. It’s just that not everyone in this world is blessed with a good father like Grand Duke Hubert.”
“……That is true enough.”
I flashed a sweet smile and pushed another plate containing dessert toward him as well.
“Ah, thank you.”
Unlike Deyan, Holdin accepted it without any hesitation and began stuffing it into his mouth. It seemed he had been quite famished.
‘Did I forget to tell them to feed him?’
Now that I thought about it, I believed I had only ordered them to keep a close watch.
‘Well, I’m feeding him now, so it doesn’t matter.’
I lightly brushed the matter aside and continued to listen to the deal Holdin was proposing.
“I will aid you, my lady, so that you may successfully summon your Demon.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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