Chapter 10
I moved the handkerchief from his forehead to his cheek.
Even through the wet cloth, I could feel the heat radiating from his face.
“You can’t hide your condition forever. I understand you tried to appear fine at the banquet, but collapsing there would’ve only made things worse.”
Carsiel looked up at me with a rigid expression.
“You couldn’t bear the midday sun for long, could you?”
“If you thought being indoors would make it better, you were mistaken.”
Taking his silence as confirmation, I continued.
“Light and heat are fatal for Your Highness. The banquet hall was filled with chandeliers and candles. Worse yet are the magical stones used to power the decorations. Being near them could make you collapse within minutes.”
“…You know my illness?”
Carsiel asked. His previously calm eyes now gleamed with sharp wariness.
And with good reason—at this point in time, hardly anyone knew about his illness, let alone its name.
Swish—
When I didn’t immediately reply, he reached out and gripped my arm. His hold was unyielding.
“Speak.”
His voice carried a deadly edge, as if it could cut through steel.
“Tell me everything you know.”
In my first life, I never met Carsiel. He died on the battlefield from an unknown illness.
After his death, the imperial family fell under an ancient curse as foretold by prophecy, and nearly half of the empire was devastated. Baltazar, directly affected by the curse, went mad.
Fortunately, I fled the capital with all my wealth just in time, escaping the curse’s reach and settling in the southern region of the continent. There, I expanded my family’s fortune through various means.
If time hadn’t frozen and reversed to begin my second life, I might’ve rebuilt the empire around House Apellemeon.
The first and last time I met Carsiel was during my second life.
I had collapsed in the snow while gathering information about monster hunts.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself covered with someone’s cloak inside a deserted cabin.
I was more annoyed than grateful when I realized the man who stayed up all night tending the fire was the prince.
“I’ve finally found you, Lady Apellemeon.”
“Apellemeon is a name long gone. You should return—many must be worried about you.”
“…Let me help you.”
“Is this all just to ease your guilt? You’ve saved my life, now leave.”
“Tell them you’ve repaid your debt. That your goal is complete, and there’s no guilt left to bear.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what do you want? My forgiveness? For me to acknowledge that what you did was best for the empire? I can’t give you either…”
“I want to go with you.”
“…What?”
“Sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
“I understand. I’ll go back now. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“You asked me earlier what I wanted, didn’t you?”
“I want you to live a real life. To witness the changing seasons, meet new people, feel every emotion possible, and experience all the beauty this world has to offer.”
“I’ll leave the cloak. Yours was too worn out to be of use.”
“If you leave the cloak, you’ll—!”
He disappeared before I could finish.
And yet, his words stayed with me far longer than I expected.
I tried to convince myself it was all an act, but I failed.
No one had offered me such a sincere blessing for my happiness in so long… even if it was born of guilt.
I learned much later that he survived that snowy mountain and continued to search for me.
That cabin had been dimly lit, and the fire was far from the bed—so seeing him this close now was truly the first time.
“Speak, Iris Apellemeon.”
Carsiel’s voice was as cold as ice.
I swallowed hard.
They said the North called him the “Angel of Death”—that anyone who met his gaze on the battlefield would die soon after.
Looking into his sharp eyes now, I could finally understand how those warriors must have felt.
“It’s Hornspine Toxin. It drastically raises body temperature and dries out the body. I’ve seen it before.”
I replied.
“Hornspine… toxin?”
Carsiel furrowed his brow.
“Yes. A bite from a hornspine bat causes instant poisoning.”
“I’ve heard of it. There was an outbreak in the Eastern Continent once.”
He sounded uncertain, as if trying to piece the information together.
“But that doesn’t make sense. Hornspine bats aren’t found in the empire—or anywhere in the western continent. I’ve spent the last two years in the northern region of Kahnab.”
“It doesn’t make sense naturally, no. Hornspine bats can’t survive in cold climates.”
I nodded. In my past life, I’d done extensive research on monsters. Hornspine bats were among the small-class monsters I’d read about, including their symptoms and traits.
“But it’s possible artificially.”
“Artificially?”
“Did you know hornspine bats hatch from eggs? The mother incubates the egg for a year, then leaves. Two months later, the egg hatches on its own. And they’re born fully grown.”
Carsiel’s eyes widened slowly.
“The eggs nearing hatching can survive transport—resistant to cold and movement. That makes smuggling them from the east to the north quite feasible.”
“…The east.”
He muttered softly, as if the puzzle had finally come together, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
“The east—where the March of Rudes, the Empress’s father, resides.”
“I’d heard her son collects rare monsters. I didn’t expect him to weaponize them.”
The murderous air around him faded, and the pressure on my arm eased.
I placed the handkerchief back on his forehead. He instinctively relaxed, half-lidding his eyes.
Ironically, he looked softer now, despite discussing assassination. He seemed more human, like a sculpture coming to life.
“You didn’t suspect this?”
“I had some suspicion. It wasn’t the first time.”
“Not the first time…?”
“Poisoned wine, assassins, ridiculous accidents… There was never solid proof, but I always knew the Empress was behind it. Still…”
He looked up at me, continuing.
“I hoped she’d leave me alone on the battlefield. If I and my unit died, the northern border would collapse, and Tar would attack Rudes next, after Duke Serbe.”
It was a shockingly accurate analysis. In the first life, the curse that destroyed the empire was partly fueled by the expanding war with Tar.
The emperor and empress had tried to hold back Tar using Baltazar and Rudes’s power—and failed miserably. That failure had cost countless lives.
The destruction matched even the worst of the second life’s war with Yulcan.
“Are your soldiers experiencing the same symptoms?”
I asked. He nodded.
“Fifty or sixty of them, my direct command. They can’t fight during the day anymore. That’s one reason I returned—to help them recover. I’ve claimed it’s for reinforcements and temporary truce.”
“What about the physicians?”
“The palace doctors don’t know the illness, so they can’t treat it. His Majesty assumed it’s heatstroke and told me to keep it a secret. Not that I planned to share it anyway.”
“Which means he expects you to recover quietly and return to war.”
I thought of Emperor Aleik IV, who always avoided responsibility.
It made sense now—why his last war ended in such disaster.
“Then…”
Carsiel tilted his head, his voice calm.
“Do you know how to cure it? Or should we all just start writing our wills?”
His tone was unexpectedly casual. Even his gaze had softened, belying the gravity of the topic.
“Be honest. Is there any way to treat this toxin—something that shouldn’t exist in the western continent?”
“When did the symptoms begin?”
“About three months ago.”
“And you’re still able to fight at night?”
“Yes. Even now.”
As I suspected—the poison hadn’t reached his heart yet.
“Then listen closely.”
Carsiel gave a small nod.
“Take Twilight Herb three times a day. It slows the spread of toxins from small monsters.”
I began reciting what I had memorized in my previous life.
“Avoid sunlight and any heat sources—especially anything with magical stones. Keep cold water nearby, and if things get dangerous, dampen a cloth like this and place it on your face.”
“That’s all doable. But… if it only slows the poison, it means it can’t be fully cured?”
“I’m not a doctor, so I can’t offer a complete solution.”
“…So the only answer is prolonging life?”
“Not quite.”
Just as he looked disappointed, I gave him a faint smile.
“It means you need to find the doctor who can cure it.”
