After hearing Idel’s words, the crazy dog chuckled softly and glared at her.
“Someone like you?”
“Yeah, someone like me.”
“How amusing.”
Was it an unsatisfactory answer? The grip, which had slackened as if to back off, tightened again.
Idel’s expression crumpled as her elbow began to ache like it was going to be crushed.
Thanks to the crazy dog who wouldn’t listen, her anger flared up uncontrollably, reminding her of her past life, when she had suppressed her fiery emotions to endure icy situations.
Idel opened her eyes narrowly, showing her true age.
‘I’ve had enough of this.’
Should she headbutt him again? Her head might break along with his, but so be it. As long as she could make him suffer.
Just as she was about to tilt her head, swept up in her emotions and forgetting the need to return to the duke’s mansion, a large, cold hand enveloped Idel’s forehead, restraining her movement.
And at the same time, a lazy voice came from above.
“It’s pathetic to see an adult intervening in a child’s fight, but I think you both should call it quits.”
Looking up, Idel saw a tall, thin man with gray hair and pale skin.
His deep green eyes were filled with unmistakable fatigue.
‘Judging from the way he talks like a guardian, this person seems to be the black mage, but why does he look so worn out?’
But why does he look like that? It was as if someone had kept him from sleeping and made him work.
As Idel was scrutinizing the black mage with suspicious eyes, the guy who was pinned underneath him started to squirm around. What’s up with him now?
Not liking the wriggling movement, Idel quickly turned her gaze.
In response, the crazy dog, who had been vigorously wiping blood with his sleeve, raised his eyebrows fiercely.
A disgruntled voice burst out of his mouth.
“What are you looking at? Move.”
“Hey, you’re quite bold… Ow!”
Idel, who’d been knocked to the ground by the inconsiderate move, chuckled in disbelief.
Flames flickered in her blue eyes amidst the disheveled red hair.
‘This bastard…’
As she glared at the crazy dog, who was tilting his chin in a challenging manner, a hand was extended towards her, accompanied by a short sigh.
The man, sensing a second round between Idel and his disciple, acted first.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?”
“…Yes.”
“And your forehead… and… I’ll take care of your injuries, but I’d like you to stop looking like you’re about to punch someone. Sigmund, stop trying to provoke her too.”
So that guy’s name is Sigmund.
Quickly memorizing the crazy dog’s name, Idel inwardly chuckled. It was quite a decent name, unlike its owner.
Sigmund, sensing the meaning behind Idel’s laughter, tilted his head and twisted his lips into a sneer.
With his chin raised and a condescending gaze, his expression conveyed a clear message: “Get lost.”
“Hey, are you both going to continue?”
The man scolded them, likening their behavior to that of territorial animals, and then pressed his fingertips against his brow.
An unexpectedly weary tone emerged from his voice.
“Let’s go to the shop first. After all, we can’t treat you here… And I need to consult with the customer.”
“As if that puny thing is a customer.”
Clicking his tongue and propping up his leg in a disrespectful manner, Sigmund was met with a flick to the forehead by the man.
The common sense that one should not judge a person by their outward appearance was a given.
After pouring out his lecture until Sigmund uttered an acknowledgment, the man turned his body and fixed his gaze intently on Idel.
Despite the exhaustion evident on his face, his gaze was quite sharp.
“…Yeah, now that I’m face-to-face with you, I can roughly guess the reason why you’ve been rummaging around the raven’s nest to find me.”
This time, Idel’s eyes widened at the words spat out by the black mage.
His words implied that he had noticed something about her.
“Anyway, follow me, both of you.”
With a casual remark, he proceeded to leave the alley.
The alley’s narrowness caused the shoulders of the two following him to bump into each other.
“Hey, are you hogging the alley all to yourself?”
Sigmund’s dislike for the other party was evident, and he immediately picked a fight, but no further confrontation occurred.
Idel, having seen hope in the black mage’s words, remained tight-lipped.
Silently pressing her small hand against her heart, Idel followed behind the man without a word.
‘…What’s this.’
Sigmund, having read the distinct change in Idel’s expression and demeanor compared to when they were brawling, let out a brief murmur and turned his head.
He knew it was pointless to argue with someone in such a state.
Meanwhile, with Sigmund’s docility, Idel followed the dark mage peacefully, narrowing her eyes at the strange familiarity.
They’d been wandering around for so long that some places looked familiar.
‘Wait a moment.’
After two alleys, the right turn next to the red barrel man on the left side.
‘This… isn’t this the way out of the raven’s nest? It’s the path near the entrance with the double raven marks.’
Surely he wouldn’t just send her out like this, would he?
As Idel rolled her eyes with both suspicion and caution, the black mage turned his body halfway in front of a doll shop.
“Come on in. Welcome to my shop.”
As soon as the black mage finished speaking, a muttered curse escaped from Idel’s lips.
“Is this some kind of dog training?”
(TL/N: It’s often used in a more sarcastic or humorous way to imply that someone is being treated like a dog or is acting like one. In this context, Idel seems to be using it to express frustration or annoyance at the other person’s behavior, implying that she’s being treated like a dog or acting in a way that’s not worthy of respect.)
“What?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
It was just that the effort and time she had poured into the void came to mind.
Idel clenched her fist and quietly swallowed the backtalk. Her gaze slowly scanned the shop that the black mage had led her to.
A shabby signboard and windows covered in dust.
The shop the black mage guided them to was the same one where Idel had first entered after passing the twin raven marks.
Ah, so that old man from before was just a decoy, huh?
“Hey, move quickly.”
“…I’m going in now.”
After hearing Sigmund’s voice, Idel snapped out of her reverie and went up the stairs into the shop.
The man, who had been silent earlier, chuckled as he stood up from his seat upon Idel’s arrival.
“Haha! You’re here again, miss!”
“…Yes, it’s nice to see you again, I suppose.”
The man, who roughly stubbed out the cigarette in his mouth, patted Idel on the shoulder and apologized.
“Hehe. Sorry about earlier. Well, I’m just an employee too, you know~”
“Yeah, well, of course you are. Are you leaving now?”
“The owner’s here, so I’m off. Alright then, take care, Miss, and you too, Sigmund.”
Sigmund, with an annoyed gesture, closed the door as soon as the man left. He then changed the sign hanging on the window to “Closed” and drew the curtains.
“Hmm….”
“Here. Take this medicine. Please sit on the chair over there and apply the medicine to your forehead.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
Idel watched the two, who seemed to be a bit busy, as she applied the medicine.
Not particularly tidy by nature, the black mage lit a candle and roughly shoved the scattered dolls into a corner.
He poured a bit of water into the pot, emitting strange smoke and simply moved it to the side shelf without disposing of its contents.
As thoughts of whether this was acceptable crossed her mind, the black mage sat down heavily at the now somewhat clean desk and let out a long sigh.
In that short moment, the man seemed to age by half a year.
“Well…. I’m quite exhausted, but there’s work to be done. Shall we finish the story we started in the alley?”
“Before we get into that, may I ask one thing? You seem too willing to help for someone known as the doll master. Do you know who I am? Is that why you’re helping me so willingly, or are you unexpectedly weak toward children?”
“Um, I think it’s a bit late to be suspicious now… Let’s just move on, um, what should I say….”
He muttered softly, pressing his temples regularly.
“You’re just like any other customer. You’ll keep coming back here until your problem is solved. That’s the issue. The locals have already started giving us dirty looks. The majority are keeping quiet to avoid upsetting me or Sigmund, but if this continues, it will be dangerous.”
In other words, he had chosen to quickly provide Idel with what she wanted and send her on her way, rather than wait for her to be dealt with by the people of the raven’s nest.
Understanding the situation, Idel nodded.
In fact, contrary to what the black mage said, Idel couldn’t frequently come here, but there was no need to change the interpretation, as it was more favorable to her.
Instead, Idel decided to reaffirm the intuition she felt in the alley.
“Did you notice?”
“First things first, let’s exchange names. I’m called Vilred. As you know, I’m the owner of this cursed doll shop, and I know a bit about curses. You can call me Doll Master if you like.”
“Oh, my name. Just call me ‘Del.’”
As Idel shook Vilred’s outstretched hand lightly, she heard a rumbling sound from Sigmund, who was bandaging his wound.
He seemed to have caught on to the fact that ‘Del’ was a pseudonym.
“To answer your question, yes. As soon as I saw you, I knew. You’ve been cursed, right? We’ll have to confirm it to be sure, but it seems to be a mental curse.”
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s really been bugging me.”
“Well, that’s what curses are made for.”
“Can it be removed?”
So interesting~ thank you for translating!