Episode 3. The Noble Paladin

Countless soldiers had perished. Where the demon had passed, only scorch marks remained, and children who had lost their parents cried without end. Ten long years had passed since Heliod first joined the war. During that time, Heliod had risen to the rank of Commander of the Knights and survived the ashes where flames once raged.

Though he was hailed as a noble hero of this era, the man who brought victory to the empire, Heliod felt no joy. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still see the comrades who had suffered and died, and the dozens of villages that had been reduced to smoldering ruins.

“Commander… Are you really not going to attend the banquet?”

Deputy Commander Keron, dressed sharply in his uniform, asked with a furrowed brow. Heliod, who had been adjusting the cuff buttons of his black uniform since arriving in the capital, nodded.

“I don’t wish to partake in music or drink until after the memorial service.”

“But Your Majesty wouldn’t mind, and you’ve worked so hard, Commander. You don’t have to—”

“Keron.”

Heliod’s neatly groomed brow furrowed slightly.

“My decision is final. I’m fine, so you should go and enjoy the banquet.”

“…Understood.”

Though disappointed, Keron saluted Heliod with precise movements before slowly leaving the room. Heliod watched him go, then sighed, rubbing at the tie that seemed to choke him.

‘The demon’s curse hasn’t activated since that day.’

Aside from the black mark on his lower back, the curse hadn’t shown any signs of manifesting. Occasionally, touching the mark would cause his body to heat up, but even that had become so familiar that it no longer affected him. He felt as though he might soon be able to dispel it with his aura…

Heliod hesitated before surrounding himself with his aura. The familiar warmth enveloped him, and his breathing quickly grew labored. He bit his lip, almost collapsing forward, but managed to catch himself on a table, gasping for breath.

“Not… yet.”

Whenever he attempted to directly remove the curse, a powerful backlash would strike him. Heliod squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sensation of his now erect member. For the sake of the memorial service taking place in a few hours, he had to suppress these impure desires.

As he leaned on the table, focusing on his breathing to regain his composure, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

‘My body… isn’t calming down.’

Heliod blinked rapidly, his eyes filled with unease. Normally, his arousal would subside after several minutes, but now his erection remained stubbornly rigid. Worse yet, the heat that tingled through his body only grew more intense as time passed.

“Ugh…”

Without realizing it, Heliod’s hand moved toward the front of his pants, but he quickly clenched his fist, horrified at himself. Stumbling, he pressed his back against the wall.

“Hngh.”

His body was on fire. A faint, persistent sensation teased his skin, as if someone were lightly licking him. This was eerily similar to the time he had been poisoned with an aphrodisiac by an assassination attempt right after becoming the Commander of the Knights. Rubbing his fevered forehead, Heliod stumbled forward.

He had discreetly consulted with the High Priest about the strange affliction upon arriving in the capital, and they had been secretly analyzing the curse. A priest, skilled in healing and curse removal, had been stationed at the palace by the High Priest’s orders. Perhaps if he reached them, they could find a solution.

Determined to ignore the desperate cravings of his body, Heliod left the room. As he hurried down the corridor,

“Ah.”

He collided with a woman. Heliod instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her and then froze when he saw her face.

Her pink hair swayed gently at her waist, and her golden eyes burned brightly. Her delicate and exquisite features were unforgettable. Yes, he knew this woman.

‘Luisha Arpen.’

The woman he had briefly locked eyes with during the procession of the Holy Knights earlier today. Though it was only a fleeting moment, Heliod had thought she was more beautiful than any work of art he had ever seen.

And now he knew. The moment he collided with Luisha, the moment the demon’s curse would activate, as it had threatened, had come.

 

“The curse will strike when you least desire it, and with a sacrifice you least expect!”

 

With the memorial service just hours away and standing before the first person he had ever found truly beautiful, Heliod and Luisha were soon drawn into the demon’s cursed dream.

And so began another night of sinful ecstasy.

❖ ❖ ❖

“…Mmm?”

A warm sensation on my face made my eyes sting as I slowly woke up. I rubbed my eyes and looked around, recognizing a familiar face.

“My goodness, Lady Luisha!”

Jenny, with a worried expression, rushed over to me.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright? Is there anything unusual?”

“Jenny? This place is…”

I glanced around and noticed the luxurious butterfly-patterned curtains, the soft feather pillows, and the thick comforter. It dawned on me—I was home.

As I tilted my head in confusion and started to get up, Jenny jumped in alarm.

“My lady! Please, lie back down!”

“No, I’m fine. But…”

I glanced around the room. The bright sunlight streaming in told me it was still morning.

Could it be that an entire night really passed while I was in that dream?

As the memories of what happened in the dream flashed through my mind, I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me.

 

‘Ah… Lady Arpen… Ah, it’s too much…’

‘You enjoy this, don’t you? It seems our knight is quite the pervert.’

‘Hnnngh!’

 

And then, more memories came rushing back.

 

‘Did you know you could suck here, Sir Knight?’

‘W-What are you saying? Stop, take your hands off… Ahhn?!’

‘Haha. That’s the loudest moan I’ve heard from you so far.’

 

The vivid recollections of the dream made my face burn.

Memories of the dream flashed through my mind, making my face flush with embarrassment. I had ended up doing things I never would have imagined, including… well, something I’d never even done before. I fanned my face to cool down and tried to ask Jenny as nonchalantly as possible.

“What happened to me? And what about Sir Vus?”

Jenny’s face hardened, and she let out a heavy sigh, her eyes welling up with tears.

“After you collapsed, one of the other servants found you and called for a priest from the palace. But all the priest did was say you were just sleeping, and they didn’t take any action.”

Jenny’s freckled cheeks scrunched up in frustration as large tears rolled down her face.

“Can you believe that? Sir Vus looked so worried, checking everything over! And yet they treated you like you were faking it!”

“Hmm.”

“I was so angry, I yelled at them, and they just kicked me out! So I had no choice but to return to the duchy with the Madam.”

I nodded, stroking my chin thoughtfully. It seemed the priests in the palace were aware of Heliod’s curse. It made sense, given that Heliod was the leader of the Holy Knights. It would have been strange if they didn’t know. He must have sought their help to understand the curse as soon as he arrived in the capital.

‘Could it be that they’ve already broken the curse?’

I frowned slightly at the thought. Already? No… that wouldn’t be any fun.

“My lady…?”

“Huh, what?”

Jenny wiped away her tears and grabbed my hand.

“What happened in the palace hallway? How did you end up collapsing alongside Sir Vus?”

“Oh, that…”

I rolled my eyes, searching for an explanation. Telling her that I had been trapped in a dream due to a demon’s curse and helped the knight with… well, it was absurd. And besides, Heliod and I had agreed to keep it a secret.

After thinking for a moment, I smiled brightly and answered.

“Who knows? Maybe we were both just exhausted. I honestly don’t remember much.”

“What? But—”

“Really, all I recall is almost bumping into Sir Vus and exchanging a few words. He’d probably say the same thing.”

“But, still…”

“Luisha!”

Before Jenny could continue, the door swung open, and my father, Henon Arpen, a large, bear-like man, rushed into the room. He ran to me with tears in his eyes.

“I came running as soon as I heard you were awake. How are you feeling? Any pain? Do you feel unwell in any way?”

“No, no. I’m fine. Really, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, my dear! You’ve never fainted before… what on earth happened?!”

Tears streamed continuously from my father’s rugged face. He was so desperate to embrace me that I had to gently push him away as I quickly reassured him.

“I’m really fine. It was just a bit of sleep!”

“How can that be?! That Vus fellow woke up long ago and sent a letter!”

“What? Sir Vus is already awake?”

“Yes! I don’t understand why you were still asleep so much longer… The priest said you’d wake by morning, so I waited patiently, but I was about to storm the temple!”

Maybe it’s just because I have a habit of sleeping in late. I forced a nervous smile and avoided my father’s gaze, then suddenly remembered the letter and asked urgently.

“The letter! Father, you didn’t open it, did you?”

“I read the ones addressed to me. You’ve got one too.”

“Please give it to me!”

As my father, flustered, fumbled to leave the room in search of the letter, he nearly collided with my mother, who entered gracefully. Chetina Arpen, the true power behind the Arpen duchy and our family’s emotional anchor. Her luxurious blonde hair cascaded down her back as she gracefully fanned herself, handing me a piece of paper.

“Luisha, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine. Is this…?”

“It’s a letter from Sir Vus.”

Without hesitation, I broke the seal and opened the letter. As I started reading, my parents began to bicker as usual.

“Honey, I was just about to go get that!”

“If you’d moved with that bulk of yours, it would’ve taken all day. I’ve told you, you should lose some weight.”

“It’s all muscle! Not an ounce of fat! Look at this bicep!”

“Ugh, you smell like sweat. Keep it away from me.”

“Dear!”

Why do they have to argue right now? I sighed deeply and refocused on the letter.