“Anyway, Nox, one could say that I am your teacher, not only in magic but in life itself.”
Jenny’s endless chatter, the ‘information expert,’ continued unabated.
“To consider Jenny my teacher in life, I would need a bit more courage.”
Nox seemed to know how to handle her and engaged in the conversation smoothly.
“What do you say? I even taught you how to behave like a noble. Wasn’t that helpful?”
In general, the advice was to behave elegantly and courteously, with a touch of sarcasm and a certain haughtiness at opportune moments.
“Yes, it was quite helpful.”
Seeing Nox’s smile, a smile that he only showed to someone he felt comfortable with, Nana felt a distinct pang of jealousy.
Jenny, on the other hand, quickly approached Nana and took her hand, spinning the young girl.
“Calm down, sweet princess! You have no reason to be jealous. I’m more like a second mother to him.”
“Nana is not jealous of Jenny…”
“Wow, she’s a fierce rival! Despite the obvious, such a lovely young lady feeling jealousy so clearly!”
With these words, Jenny hugged Nana as the dance ended. Despite Nox’s and Jenny’s proximity, Nana learned that Jenny was not an enemy. So she chose to stop dwelling on it.
“However, it’s been quite a while. I heard you left Galaxia a month ago.”
“I came back in the conventional way, as I’m with Nana.”
“Oh, I understand. I had forgotten.”
Jenny continued chatting with Nox while keeping her arm around Nana’s shoulders.
“Thanks to that, I was able to gather new information for you.”
“Really?”
Nox brightened immediately.
Jenny indicated a bench to sit on, carefully positioning Nana next to Nox.
Her escorting skills were impeccable, proving that she truly taught Nox aristocratic manners. And Nana began to change her opinion of her.
Once seated on the bench with Nana between them, Jenny suddenly adopted a serious expression.
“I have news about the curse you’re suffering from. It seems that its origin dates back to the remnants of the Demon King.”
“Demon King?”
Nox tilted his head at the term that seemed straight out of a fairy tale.
“Yes. In reality, he was a powerful being that the first King of Akol defeated. Once upon a time in this land, there was a beast king, capable of controlling all beings, regardless of their race.”
“The most powerful mutated individual? … Ah, I remember hearing something similar at the Galaxia guild,” Nox recalled what Dolk mentioned during the story about the first King being an adventurer.
“Oh, someone who still remembers that story is in Galaxia? Well, let’s leave that for now. Although the first King succeeded in defeating the Demon King, he did not die without a trace. In a desperate act, he cast a curse on the King in exchange for his life.”
With exaggerated gestures, Jenny narrated as if she were in a theatrical production.
“Is that what caused the dishonor curse?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Demon King’s suicidal curse, which even the skillful King could not undo. Over time, children with black hair began to be born among those of royal blood, although it seemed that the curse had disappeared.”
In summary, it is revealed that although not necessarily twins, the dishonor curse is not limited to twins but manifests in those descendants of the King’s split with the curse in one of them. This would explain the belief that “one of the twins is cursed.”
“What happened to those who carried the curse until now?”
None of them lived to adulthood due to their fragile health.
Children born with black hair and red eyes likely were not exposed much in their respective families due to their physical weakness.
“In general, their tendency to have fragile health suggests that the dishonor curse probably involves the vitality of the affected person. It seems that the Demon King tried to eradicate the bloodline of the first King.”
Nox concluded that the potential victims of the dishonor curse, who had emerged over the years, likely led discreet lives and passed away without drawing attention, explaining the lack of available information about them.
However, Jenny seemed quite unconcerned about these details and leaned forward excitedly.
“So you are the first known case of a person with the curse who has reached adulthood! Congratulations on achieving this! Although I know it’s a bit late, I wish you a happy birthday!”
With those words, a small birthday cake appeared from the magic compartment.
Jenny took out a knife and skillfully divided it into three parts, distributing plates and forks to Nox and Nana, and then serving the slices with the knife’s edge.
“Thank you.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Excited, Nox began to enjoy the cake. Nana watched him closely before tasting a strawberry. Then, she tilted her head.
“Nox-sama, you have been quite healthy so far, haven’t you?”
“Yes, more or less. I’ve had malnutrition and poisoning, but never a cold. Although every time Lano got a cold, they unfairly blamed it on the dishonor curse.”
“Could it be that the curse is weakening?”
The idea of an early resolution crossed Nana’s mind.
“I have no way of knowing, as there are no precedents in this case. I’m not the type to make baseless hypotheses,” Jenny shrugged.
She then grabbed the cake with her hands and took a big bite.
“Director! Did you bring food into the building again?!”
“Haha!”
“Oh no, I’ve been caught!” stammered Jenny, feeling uneasy and nervous.
“If the director does something like this, users would lose confidence in us!”
“Today is a special occasion, I’ll clean everything properly, so please turn a blind eye.”
“…Fine, but don’t let it happen again, okay?”
After seeing a child Jenny was caring for, the staff finally calmed their anger.
“The director, you say?”
“Yes.”
Each politely cut their piece of cake, and Nox nodded in response to Nana’s question as they ate.
Jenny, the ‘information expert,’ whose real name was Jenny Bibla, came from a long line of the family that had been in charge of the Royal Library since the time of the first King.
