Chapter 9

Rushing out of the town, racing down the animal paths, and penetrating the secluded forest road, a dilapidated house came into view.

"Here it is."

Xeno kicked the front door open roughly and strode in boldly.

"U-Um, I'm intruding."

As Eren said this and entered the Roses family home, he saw an overwhelming number of magic books piled up everywhere. Titles like *Compendium of Magic Eyes*, *The Magic Eye of Unbinding*, *The Possibility of Acquired Magic Eyes*, and more, all books about the black path, specifically about magic eyes.

(What an incredible amount... Are all these Xeno's books?)

At this abnormal scene, Eren couldn't help but catch his breath.

On the other hand, Xeno gently laid Sylphie on the bed and immediately began preparing the medicine. He boiled water in the kitchen and dissolved the powdered medicine into it.

Having continued this for over ten years, his movements were completely efficient.

"---Sylphie, it's your usual medicine. Can you take it?"

"H-Huff... Big... Brother, I'm... sorry... But, today... it was my birthday, so..."

"Yeah, I understand. I'm really happy. Thank you."

Xeno, showing a soft smile he never displayed outside, gently stroked Sylphie's head. After a while, confirming that Sylphie had fallen asleep, Xeno quickly returned to his usual stern expression.

"---Hey, over here."

After leading Eren to the living room, he skillfully removed the floor of the fireplace and opened the entrance to the *secret basement*.

"This is a hidden staircase...!?"

"Shut up. You'll wake Sylphie."

"S-Sorry..."

The two then descended the long spiral staircase.

In the heavy air, Eren hesitantly spoke up.

"Um... Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Is Sylphie's... *curse*, right?"

"...Yeah."

Xeno nodded heavily and began to speak quietly.

"---The *Mark of the Cursed Serpent*. If you're a magician, you've probably heard of it at least once."

"Y-Yeah... The class talked about it, so I at least know the name."

"We... The *Roses* family is a bunch of no-good scoundrels. For over a thousand years, we've greedily pursued the black path, conducting illegal experiments and forbidden research."

He revealed the family's inner workings with a somewhat exasperated look.

"After such a long, ridiculous pursuit, they say they met a great demon called *Megido* deep in a cave. Our glorious ancestors made some kind of pact with that trash and received the *Mark of the Cursed Serpent*. ---The dirty snake pattern that floats on the neck."

Xeno laughed self-deprecatingly and showed his nape.

"Is that the proof of the curse...?"

"Yeah. ---I was born with an exceptionally high aptitude for the black path. I adapted to this curse without any trouble. ...Well, it's a convenient power if you can use it. By letting the *Mark of the Cursed Serpent* consume your lifespan, you can gain immense magical power in return."

After saying this, a shadow fell in the depths of his eyes.

"But... A weak magician like Sylphie can't withstand the burden of the curse. The *Mark of the Cursed Serpent* gradually advances from the starting point on the neck to the eyes and lungs, eroding the cursed person's body. Eventually, it will consume their life."

"..."

Eren was speechless at the cruel reality.

"I've tried everything to prevent that. I visited famous recovery magicians multiple times, gathered medicinal herbs that were supposed to be good for the body, and sought advice from experts on curses. But... The *Mark of the Cursed Serpent* is a vow made a thousand years ago. After maturing over a long time, it has surpassed the level of a mere *curse*. In the end, I learned after wasting years that only a white path user of the *Witch of Remembrance, Reme Grishten* class can unbind it."

Xeno clenched his fist, feeling his own powerlessness.

"Then I searched for a way to meet Reme---and finally found a realistic method. Asking the headmaster of the *Royal* school to introduce me to Reme."

"I see... That's why you wanted the *negotiation rights* back then."

"Yeah, that's right."

"If so, please use my negotiation rights! Then we can save Sylphie, right?"

In response to Eren's suggestion, Xeno shook his head slightly.

"...It's too late..."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen Sylphie's neck? The snake's mouth... was opening... That's the final stage of the curse... She won't last more than a day..."

"Such... Such a thing..."

Eren was frozen by the hopeless declaration.

"But...! If you think about it, we still have one day! Let's go to the headmaster right now! If we explain our situation, he'll surely call that magician Reme immediately!"

"...Reme Grishten disappeared mysteriously a few years ago. No one knows where she is or if she's even alive. Even with the headmaster's power, it's impossible to find her in a day."

A complete deadlock.

A painful silence fell between the two.

"Based on the curse's erosion speed so far, she should have lasted at least another year. But the curse suddenly intensified a month ago---and now it's like this. ...It's a strange story. A scoundrel like me living on while a kind girl like Sylphie suffers... I can't accept that..."

"...Xeno..."

"...Anyway, today is the *last day*. So we have to put everything on this."

After descending the long staircase and reaching the lowest level, Xeno lit a large candlestick.

The next moment---an enormous amount of magical symbols written throughout the basement floated up.

"This is...!?"

"Forbidden magic *Demon King Summoning*---a summoning magic I've spent ten years building, which is guaranteed to fail."

"Wait a minute... The Demon King was supposed to have been destroyed a thousand years ago, right!?"

"The Magic Church says that, but... it's a big lie. That monster hasn't been completely destroyed. It's still hiding somewhere in this world, waiting for the *time of resurrection*."

"..."

There was a sense of truth in the matter-of-fact way he spoke.

"The magic I'm about to activate will definitely fail. With my magic skills, it's impossible to correctly execute the *Demon King Summoning*. But... that's fine. Even if I can't summon the Demon King himself, if I can summon even a fragment of his soul, it will be enough."

"...What do you plan to do with such an incomplete Demon King?"

In response to Eren's question, Xeno asked another question.

"Hey, do you know? There are three main methods to unbind a curse."

"Um, you either counter the source of the curse with a counter spell, break the spell by exploiting a contradiction, or destroy it forcefully with a *Shatter Orb*... right?"

Recalling the incident at the cathedral, Eren accurately answered all three methods.

"...You know a lot. That's correct."

Xeno said this, raising his eyebrows in surprise for a moment.

"But there's actually one more method, a *secret technique* that's almost unknown in the magic world."

"Secret technique... What is it?"

"---*Fighting poison with poison*. In other words, using a higher-level curse to kill a lower-level curse."

He explained in detail.

"To kill the powerful *Mark of the Cursed Serpent*, an even more evil curse is needed. So I'm going to borrow *that abomination* from the Demon King in exchange for my life."

"That abomination...?"

"The abomination in his eye sockets---the *Worst Magic Eye in History*."

"..."

Eren was speechless, not expecting to hear that name here.

"That magic eye is, in a sense, the *strongest and oldest curse*. With its absolute power, it should be able to invalidate the *Cursed Serpent's Pact*."

Xeno bit his thumb lightly and dripped fresh blood onto the center of the room.

At the same time, the *Demon King Summoning* spell activated, and pitch-black miasma overflowed around them.

"Wait a minute! Even if this succeeds and the *Mark of the Cursed Serpent* is unbound... if you die, Sylphie will be sad! Think about it calmly---"

"---Shut up! I've thought about it to death over these ten years!"

Xeno's terrifying roar echoed in the narrow basement.

"Every day, I've agonized to the point of going crazy... But in the end, I don't even know which is the right choice... But... Sylphie is the only family I have. I want her to live and smile no matter what..."

"...To do that, you don't care what happens to your own life?"

"For her, it's not a waste."

Deep affection and a resolve to die.

Feeling Xeno's firm determination, Eren let out a small sigh.

"---I understand. I won't try to stop you anymore. But, can you listen to one last thing I have to say?"

"...What is it?"

"What you're looking for... is probably this, right?"

As he removed a special lens, a clear, crimson wheel of rebirth, the *Worst Magic Eye in History*, the highest-ranking magic eye, appeared in his pitch-black eyes.

"...No way...! Why do you have that...? No, why did you reveal it to me!?"

That eye, a sign of the Demon King's favor, is the *absolute taboo* in the magic world. If the church found out, Eren would be *exterminated* by the *Elimination Squad* composed of A-class and above magicians.

(What could this guy gain by taking such a huge risk...?)

Eren and Sylphie were just acquaintances who happened to meet by chance today. They weren't blood-related or old friends.

Moreover, they had just had a fierce battle a short while ago... They were, in the end, complete strangers. Eren, who might even find him annoying, couldn't understand why he would reveal the secret of his magic eye, risking being eliminated by the church.

"I have no choice. I just want to save Sylphie."

Eren's eyes showed not the slightest hesitation, and it was clear as day that his words were true. Feeling his sincerity and depth, Xeno---abandoning his pointless pride, bowed deeply.

"Eren... I'm asking you, knowing it's shameful. Can you use your magic eye to unbind my sister's curse...?"

"Of course."

Thus, Eren and Xeno headed to Sylphie to unbind the *Mark of the Cursed Serpent*.

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