My Will Did Not Mean This

Crown Prince Johannes was one of the few people who knew the true nature of the curse. He was the sub-male protagonist and main villain of the original work, and was also the one who drove the novel’s ending into tragedy. When the person under the curse dies, it passes on to another person. He could not be reassured that he was born safely as a human. Due to the nature of the curse that runs through the royal family’s lineage, there was an absolute probability that the next sacrifice would be Johannes, who had originally been cursed.

 

‘So Aslan is like a time bomb to the crown prince. Only by arresting him and taking him into my hands can I feel at ease.’

 

The novel <The Curse of Astaroth> ended with the male protagonist losing a fight with the crown prince and eventually resurrecting the devil. He brought about the end of humanity by sacrificing himself. The reason Aslan chose it was clear. n order not to be captured by the crown prince and live like a living corpse for the rest of his life. To bring the same pain as himself to those who despised him. When Vivian woke up from her thoughts, she heard a muffled whisper nearby.

 

“There’s a cave here.”

 

“The magic tool reacts. The target is here.”

 

“No matter what happens, you must not kill it. Just keep in mind… Ahh!”

 

“Crrr!”

 

Aslan ran out of the cave without Vivian having time to stop him. Then he sunk his huge claws straight into the assassin’s heart. This was because the conversation just now made it clear that the assassin was the crown prince’s person. Wherever Aslan attacked, a terrible death rang out. Many assassins fell to their deaths in droves.

 

‘But there are too many. If I don’t step forward…’

 

He had a large wound on his side. The wound was so serious that if he had gone a little deeper, his internal organs would have been severed. Moreover, for some reason, he was fighting with his back to the cave entrance. He would rather be able to move freely in a wide area, but he was acting like he wasn’t going to let anyone in. Sure enough, small wounds began to increase on Aslan’s body. The assassins changed their tactics and repeated shallow stabs and escapes. Long-distance attacks using bows also began.

 

“The inside of the cave is suspicious!”

 

“It’s clear they’re hiding something. Break through!”

 

Aslan heard their conversation and roared in anger. His golden eyes began to turn red.

 

‘Dangerous. If that condition continues, eventually you will not be able to return to being human.’

 

He must not be swallowed up by the curse. The moment Aslan loses his ego and his demon Astaroth is fully resurrected, the world would be destroyed. Vivian, who was chewing her lips nervously, eventually adjusted her grip on the two daggers. Then he plunged his sword into the neck of the assassin who was aiming for Aslan.

 

“Aaaah!”

 

“Come to your senses, you dog! Do you want to die here?!”

 

She could never tell what the Black Lion’s true identity was. Being a target of the crown prince and Aslan just because he discovered the secrets of the royal family were both off limits. But she wasn’t the only one who missed the word ‘dog’. The assassins pointed their fingers at Vivian.

 

“Dog? Who is the dog?”

 

“She seems like a crazy woman.”

 

“Yes, anything that’s four-legged, furry, and cute is a doggie! You animal abusers!”

 

Vivian regretted it. Of course, Aslan had four legs and fur. However, beyond being cute, the lion was covered in blood all over its body, and most importantly, the lion was a cat… 

 

‘Hmm, I guess I’ll have to kill them all to get rid of the dark history.’

 

As an intellectual with a modern education, she felt ashamed. So, she decided to kill all the witnesses and then, if Aslan questioned her later, insist that she never said anything like that. There were no witnesses, so what could he do? She effortlessly dodged the enemy’s attacks and stabbed her sword into a vital spot. Aslan, whose eyes had returned to their original golden color after Vivian’s dumb remark, also resumed his attack. But no matter how many times she killed and killed in the pouring rain, it never ended.

 

‘Damn the crown prince, you sent too much!’

 

She was moving so hard that her physical strength was reaching its limit. Breathing also became increasingly rough. Aslan’s situation was not much different from Vivian’s. His blood was seeping through the bandages she had wrapped around her. It was clear that his wounds had opened wider. If this continues, the only ending left was dog death.

 

Something made her mind up and she backed into the cave.

 

“Haha, are you running away as expected?!”

 

“Follow me! Take care of the woman who is interfering with our work first!”

 

Heavy rain and landslides actually became a disaster. Vivian discovered a huge crack while examining the cave earlier. A narrow crack that could collapse without even a small impact.

 

‘Okay, come in.’

 

Aslan, unaware of Vivian’s true intentions, went on a rampage to stop the assassins chasing her. But he had an assassin attached to him as well. Aslan’s eyes slowly turned red as he desperately hunted down his enemies. It was at that moment that the assassins who were blocking him sensed something strange.

 

Rumble!

 

The cave collapsed in the blink of an eye. Not only Vivian but also the assassins who followed her were all buried. Dead-like silence. A silence that won’t be broken no matter how long you wait. In the aftermath of the collapse, the sound of falling rocks filled the silence. But that was all. There was no sign of human presence inside the collapsed cave.

 

“Krrrrr…!”

 

Aslan, who was staring blankly at the remains of the cave, eventually turned his gaze towards the assassins. The black lion’s pupils dilated as if they were about to explode. The murderous pupils were slit long like the pupils of a reptile. It was evidence that demonization was in progress. The frightened assassins hesitated and took a step back. Just as the terrible massacre was about to begin, several rocks tumbled down from the side of the cave. Vivian, looking very tired, got out of the narrow gap and shook off the dirt.

 

“Oh, I really almost died this time.”

 

“Damn, was it an operation!”

 

“Are you afraid I haven’t prepared an escape hole? I decide where I will die. And that’s not the case now.”

 

The assassins, who had been taken aback by her sudden appearance, quickly exchanged glances. Most of their troops were unable to fight, but the target and the woman still seemed fine. In particular, the woman smiled leisurely and even played with her dagger like a toy in her hand.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

The assassins muttered inaudibly and quickly retreated. His departure was as sudden as his appearance. Vivian felt fortunate for that. Unfortunately, she didn’t even have the strength left to bluff anymore.

 

“Gagg! Coff, coff, coff!”

 

The pain was on a different level than any previous seizures. The entire lung area began to tighten as if it had been run over by a truck. In fact, she had never thought seriously about lung disease until now. Since there was still a long time left until the one year that her doctor said, she seemed confident that it would be okay to overdo it just yet. But now she knew. She knew that the end was really coming for her.

 

“Ha.”

 

Cold rain poured down on her face as she lay helplessly. She didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger. Vivian quietly closed her eyes. Since Aslan was an unreasoning beast, she thought he would definitely chase after the assassin, but he was still hovering near her.

 

The sound of heavy footsteps was heard.

 

“I was mentally prepared from the moment I found out I had lung disease, but I didn’t want to die so lonely.”

 

“…”

 

As all her senses faded, it felt like a large, warm hand was caressing her face. She couldn’t believe the cold rain felt like a human touch.

 

“It’s really over now…”

 

Not yet, princess. Beyond her fading consciousness, she felt as if someone had whispered that.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

“The princess’s journey ended here?”

 

“Yes, I think she went into the forest.”

 

Five days have passed since Aslan received the will of his fiancee, Vivian Eleonora. It had been exactly five days since he started being attacked by the Crown Prince faction. The Duke of Eleonora was one of the most prestigious warrior families in the history of the continent. Its importance was so great that it was mentioned several times in history. In an age of despair when everything was being destroyed by the great evil Astaroth, the nameless hero who finally drew his sword had a friend by his side. She helped the hero successfully subdue Astaroth, and in recognition of her military achievements, she was given a fiefdom closest to the capital after the founding of the nation. She was also promised that her name ‘Eleonora’ would be remembered forever in the history of the continent.

 

‘The daughter of that family has suddenly disappeared and my name is mentioned in the will, so it would be perfect material to bite.’

 

So he had to find that woman somehow. As Aslan mounted his horse, the knight under him eyes widened.

 

“Your Highness, are you really planning to go into the forest yourself?”

 

“Is there a problem?”

 

“Don’t you know? It’s dangerous!”

 

The place where the woman’s tracks stopped was a forest in the southern part of the empire. And it was the rainy season in the south at this time. It was said that just a few hours before Aslan arrived, a sudden heavy rain caused a large landslide. Entering the mountain now was tantamount to suicide.

 

‘The princess did it without fail.’

 

Aslan furrowed his brows. He wondered if he really wanted to die, but then shook his head.

 

‘Vivian of Eleonora sends greetings to His Majesty the Archduke.’

 

Three years ago, the day he first met her as his fiancé. Even though she was pushed out as a strong candidate for crown princess and became the fiancée of a prince, her image of unwavering courtesy was vivid in his memory. Her eyes, as deep as the deep sea, look up at him. Even Aslan could not read the emotions contained within. Such bravery, he honestly thought, was amazing. There were times when he thought that the Empress might have had even a glimmer of her favor had it not been for her generous gift.

 

‘Now you’re thinking about all sorts of things.’

 

Aslan laughed.

 

She was not really a woman to die for. She was born to be so poisonous that she took her own life. Didn’t she always act like she was trying to harm herself? This incident was just an extension of that.

 

“I will go alone. You are to wait at the bottom of the mountain.”

 

“But Your Highness!”

 

The knights who were about to protest immediately lowered their heads with a look from Aslan. When they met his gaze, a suffocating pressure and fear came over them, as if they were facing a huge beast. A sense of encountering a transcendent being that she could never disobey. Aslan turned his horse around and rode into the forest, leaving them behind. While searching for traces of Vivian Eleonora, he encountered an assassin sent by Crown Prince Johannes.

 

He didn’t think it was a big deal at first. Since this has always been the case, it was just a matter of killing them all and getting rid of them as usual. It occurred to him for a moment that if he smelled of death, it would be easy to scare her when he discovered her.

 

“Tsk…!”

 

At the very moment Aslan, who had slowly relaxed, swung his great sword, his heart tightened. A feeling he was familiar with, but felt hopeless every time. A terrible feeling that he had never forgotten, not even in his dreams, from the moment his birth memory existed until this very moment. When he looked down, jet-black hair was sprouting on the back of his hand. The curse has begun to manifest itself.

 

“Kaaaaaaak!”

 

A death-like scream echoed sadly through the black forest.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: