Chương 315: Older Than Dirt

Velpa left me to my own devices, as she wasn't supposed to show herself in front of the young lord. He apparently liked her too much, so it would be dangerous if this happened… This left me by myself, however. I fearlessly knocked on the door, and upon hearing a small voice telling me to enter, I pushed open the door. Revealing a room that was rather mundane, and a young teenager who also looked perfectly average.

Hyotrask's son apparently looked a lot more like his mother than his father, and I was able to confirm it firsthand. The youth had dark blue skin, no horns, and a long tail that split into two toward the end… It was actually a sort of pincer, only quite thin, as attached on a typical kind of demon tail–Completely black and not much thicker than a finger.

The young lord was actually a junior, so his name was Hyotrask Devilblood as well, but it didn't matter, as I was in the role of a maid, so I wouldn't be calling him by name anyway.

"Greetings, Young Lord. I am Leomi. I was recently hired by your father, and I will be your caretaker from now on""Oh… Mmh… Nice to meet you, Miss Leomi…" Just as Velpa had told me, he seems to be a bit awkward around new people. That was to be expected. Not only did proximity kill people near him little by little, but because of this, he had experienced an abnormal growth spurt that had fast-forwarded his childhood and pretty much thrown him straight into the struggles of being a teenager.

Velpa had also told me that his mind had caught up quite well with his body, but while that may be correct, it doesn't mean that it didn't have any sort of impact. He remains a bit behind in some areas due to this. I stepped closer and knelt down to him at eye level. He was already quite short, but he was also sitting on the ground, his back against his bed as he read a book about… Monster ecology? Someone has some unusual interests for someone his age…

More importantly, getting closer also allowed me to take a closer look at the source of his near-indiscriminate drain ability… I had been able to tell from quite a distance, even with the walls of this portion of the manor being made to prevent anyone from sensing anything… This boy's 'unfortunate ability' was a curse, and not the typical one at that… I'm only able to sense it because of my ability to detect nourishment. I doubt a curse slinger would be able to notice this thing…

"Young Lord… Is there anything you would like to do? Perhaps you would like to play a game?" Junior was hesitant. It was the dominant emotion emanating from him at the moment. He was hesitant because he was afraid that I would vanish from his life, like all the previous maids he had come to like as if they were his older sister or his mother, but I suppose that the 'Charm' ability of the 'Gynoid Form' gave me an edge in this regard, as he agreed to play a game with me. Also… He is a boy in his teenage years.

I doubt he has it in him to pass up the chance to spend some time with a pretty woman. He went and pulled a board game I had never heard of from under his bed, and we began playing as I gave a death stare at the curse inside of him. The reason why I am confident no curse slinger would be capable of detecting this thing is very simple… It's a Living Curse.

My extreme senses for curses of all kinds, combined with Nara's greater analytical ability, meant that this entity was quickly stripped of all of its mystery under my gaze. Big Sis, it is indeed a living curse, and it has settled itself deeply inside of this demon boy. The reason why others believe it to be an innate ability of some kind is that it somehow managed to take the spot an innate ability would normally occupy…

It is hard to explain with words, but basically, it is in the right spot to be an innate ability and has perfected its disguise over time. Even an expert curse slinger wouldn't be able to realise that this is a Living Curse. They would assume that it is an innate ability with a curse-like attribute at best In any case, this being's innate curse ability is quite powerful. What it is showing whilst hitching a ride inside of this demon boy is only a small fraction of its true power.

This thing could drain everything much faster, and from much further away if it really wanted to… Or rather… … Mmh… I don't know what led it to bind itself to this boy, but the Living Curse might not be an actual innate ability, but it has taken on some aspects of it to go undetected I suppose you could say that it currently acts like an innate ability with a dire drawback… The correct term for such innate abilities is usually 'Aspect', by the way.

So this future snack is currently posing as an aspect that the boy has had since birth I see… Also, why hasn't it tried to say anything yet? Is it unable to? It does seem to have earned itself some restraints from diving too deeply into its disguise, but I think it isn't saying anything because it is hoping that you didn't notice it I am staring right at this motherfucker. I believe it is really hoping that you just happen to be staring in its direction How ridiculous… I cleared my… My mind throat, I guess.

Hey, can you hear me, Living Curse? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. There was no response. I know you're here, and I know what your innate curse ability is. Stop pretending that you don't exist. … Huh… Hello? Here you are. Did you really think I didn't know you were there, buddy? One must have hope–What do you want from me? I can feel that you are a Living Curse too, but… What manner of hybrid are you?! I am the one asking the questions here, get it?

Tell me how you ended up in this situation. I am curious, and this board game will take a while to finish. I felt the Living Curse hesitate, but there was nothing it could do, certainly not against me, and he could feel it. Alright… Alright… I am Conduit. An ancient Living Curse! I have been around longer than most of the countries this boy learns about in his books! As for how I ended up stuck inside of this young demon's body… Well, please don't get mad, but it's a long story. Just talk.

The Living Curse cleared a throat he did not have, and began telling his story, most definitely making things sound grander than they really were… I was manifested when two curse slingers went all out against one another. The shock of their spells slamming into one another caused the ambient energy to turn into curse energy. This is how I was born, and at the start, my innate curse ability was out of control. I was draining everything from all that they had to offer.

It was great for the newborn me as I was growing exceptionally fast, but my ignorance got me the attention of people who could erase my existence with a flick of their wrist… I managed to learn how to control my innate curse and went on the low. … I was deathly scared of making waves again as I had nearly died the previous time, so I did my best to remain sneaky, making sure to remain completely inconsequential… However, I ran into some issues and had to run and hug the leg of someone stronger than me.

And who was this person? I probed him as he turned silent, seemingly recollecting his memories, and I felt him become… Embarrassed? Aherm… It was… It was the monster queen. Ignoring the fact that he was obviously in love with the monster queen, this was indeed proof that this guy was ancient beyond belief. There hasn't been any monster monarch in well over one thousand years at minimum… Monster monarchs aren't always threats to all life as often portrayed in children's stories.

Most monster monarchs are just as intelligent and sapient as a human, if not more so. As such, they won't actually engage in an all-out war at all if possible… I have no clue about other continents, as I don't even know for sure if they even exist, but here, we unfortunately have a bad history with intelligent monsters. So if a monster king or queen showed up, it would probably be war instantly. Well, maybe the continental alliance would somehow find a way to ally with the monster monarch.

Those guys are oddly effective at making friends. The Living Curse continued speaking, explaining a bunch of things, and admitting to being the cause of several disasters throughout history–Indeed, after the fall of the monster queen, it seemed that he decided to push his desire for anonymity to the back of his priorities. Probably enraged that the queen he loved was killed… Though he never admitted to having such feelings. Anyway…

After I destroyed this kingdom by using the effective method of killing every inhabitant of it, I was caught by a curse slinger, but at that point, I was pretty powerful, so even though he won, he could only seal me away at the cost of his life. Aren't I pretty cool? Stop fishing for compliments. Urgh… Anyway, I remained sealed for a long time, until a man on the verge of death somehow stumbled upon me.

He was coughing up blood like crazy, and I could feel that his own bones and muscles struggled not to snap under the faintest of movements… I honestly have no idea how he made it to me. I was underground at this point, but it doesn't matter… He was a master of contracts, arrays, and seals! He said that he had been looking for me specifically and offered me a contract. The terms were quite simple: We would form a symbiotic relationship.

I would nest within his body and allow him to use my innate curse ability for himself… Naturally, being that this was my only shot at getting out of the seal, I accepted. Thanks to my ability, he was able to combat the strange illness that constantly ate away at him. Wait a minute, a constantly sickly man draining others of all their worth to sustain himself…? If I remember correctly, he was called Volthaim, The Ailing, by others! Damn, you're the accomplice of one of the most prolific mass murderers in history.

Volthaim wasn't as recognisable as Lataniel the Suneater, nor was he a legend like the Revenger of Noktronne, but he was nonetheless well known for the disturbing lengths he went to in an attempt to preserve his own life. As I have now learned, his main weapon wasn't any innate ability or a supreme spell, but a contract he made with a Living Curse.

However, it was clear that the curse's ability could only help him slow the inevitable, which is why he turned to more and more abject actions and rituals in a desperate attempt to cure himself. No one knows whether it would have been possible for him to achieve, as he was struck down amidst one of his many massacres. Luckily, no one seemed to know that his drain ability was actually thanks to me, so when he was slain by that winged fellow, I seeped into an artefact he always kept on his person!

I was quite scared that his belongings would be scrutinised, so I really buried myself deeply into the item, but… Well… I couldn't get out afterwards. More time passed, and I eventually ended up in the hands of this guy's father, until his wife shoved her newborn inside of it, giving me my only opportunity to get out of the item. Huh, so you're telling me that you ended up here purely by coincidence? You never intended to dwell inside someone? Of course! Besides, I never signed any contract with this demon boy.

He can't use my abilities at all, and because of this, I have been acting more like a proper curse… You see, the reason why those he loves get drained faster and from further away is merely because of our lack of proper contact. My ability is always on and is being affected by his psyche, but since I am a curse, the effect he has on me is negative. In short, I am stuck inside of him until he dies, and there is nothing I can do other than view the world around him. I can't even communicate with him! I see…

If you can't control your own ability, then I'll do it for you, alright? What?

"Oh, it would seem that you won, Young Lord" The demon smiled.

"Are you sure you've never played before? You did super well, Miss Leomi! Can we play another game?"

"Of course, Young Lord" With the influence I have over the curse inside of you, I will be the first maid to be unaffected by your so-called 'innate ability'. Heheheh, that's how I'll get close to my target…