Chapter 4
Crown Prince Johannes was one of the few who knew the true nature of the curse.
He was the sub male lead and the main antagonist of the original novel, the very person who led the story to its tragic end.
When the cursed person dies, the curse transfers to another. Being born safely as a human didn’t guarantee peace of mind.
Due to the hereditary nature of the curse in the royal bloodline, the next likely target was inevitably Johannes—the one who was originally meant to bear the curse.
‘That’s why Aslan sees the Crown Prince as a ticking time bomb. He won’t be at ease until he’s restrained and within his grasp.’
The novel The Curse of Astaroth ends with the male lead losing to the Crown Prince and eventually resurrecting the demon.
He offers himself as a sacrifice, bringing about the end of humanity.
Aslan’s reason for doing so was clear:
So he wouldn’t live like a lifeless shell under the Crown Prince’s control for the rest of his life—and to inflict the same pain he had suffered on those who despised him.
When Vivian came to her senses, she heard hushed whispers very close by.
“There’s a cave here.”
“The magic device is reacting. The target must be inside.”
“Whatever happens, don’t kill them. Remember that—ugh!”
“Grrr!”
Before Vivian could stop him, Aslan leapt out of the cave. His massive claws pierced straight through the assassin’s heart.
From their conversation, it was clear the assassins had been sent by the Crown Prince.
Wherever Aslan charged, horrifying screams followed. Assassins fell like flies, their lives ending in droves.
‘But there are too many. If I don’t intervene…’
He was already seriously wounded on his side. A little deeper, and the injury would’ve been fatal.
Strangely, he was fighting with his back to the cave entrance.
It would’ve made more sense to fight in a wider, open area. But it was as if he was determined to keep anyone from getting inside.
As expected, Aslan’s body began to show more and more cuts.
The assassins changed tactics, striking lightly and retreating repeatedly. Then, they began ranged attacks with arrows.
“There’s something suspicious inside the cave!”
“They must be hiding something. Break through!”
At their words, Aslan let out a furious roar. His golden eyes started to turn red.
‘This is bad. If he stays like that, he’ll lose his humanity.’
He mustn’t be consumed by the curse. If Aslan lost his sense of self and the demon Astaroth fully awakened, the world would be doomed.
Vivian anxiously bit her lip. Finally, she gripped her two daggers tightly and stabbed one assassin in the throat just as he was aiming for Aslan’s back.
“Gaaah!”
“Snap out of it, you stupid mutt! You wanna die here?!”
She couldn’t reveal the black lion’s true identity.
She refused to become a target of either the Crown Prince or Aslan by revealing she knew the royal family’s secret.
But she wasn’t the only one startled by her own words. The assassins pointed at her.
“Mutt? Who’s a mutt?”
“She’s completely insane.”
“Yeah, anything with four legs, fluffy fur, and cuteness must be a mutt! You animal abusers!”
Vivian instantly regretted yelling that.
Sure, Aslan had four legs and was fluffy.
But he was covered in blood, and more importantly, lions were felines, not dogs…
‘Ugh, guess I’ll have to kill everyone to erase this dark moment.’
As an educated, modern woman, she felt deeply embarrassed.
She decided she’d kill all the witnesses, and if Aslan ever brought it up, she’d just deny everything. What could he do with no proof?
With smooth, fluid movements, she dodged the enemy attacks and precisely struck their vital points.
After Vivian’s outburst, Aslan’s eyes returned to their original golden color, and he resumed fighting.
But no matter how many they killed in the pouring rain, it never ended.
‘Damn that Crown Prince. He sent a whole army!’
Her body was hitting its limits. Her breathing grew heavier.
Aslan wasn’t faring any better. Blood soaked through the bandages she had wrapped around him—his wound had clearly reopened.
At this rate, they’d die meaningless deaths.
With determination in her eyes, Vivian began backing into the cave.
“Ha! Running away, are you?!”
“After her! Deal with the woman first!”
Ironically, the torrential rain and landslides worked in her favor. Earlier, while exploring the cave, Vivian had found a massive crack.
A dangerously unstable crack that would collapse with the slightest force.
‘Good. Come in.’
Unaware of her plan, Aslan frantically tried to block the assassins from chasing her. But he, too, was tied up with enemies.
As he desperately fought, Aslan’s eyes began turning red again. One of the assassins noticed something was off.
RUMBLE!
The cave collapsed in an instant. Vivian, along with the assassins chasing her, was buried under the rubble.
Utter silence. Not even a whisper broke the stillness.
A few boulders tumbled from the collapse’s aftershock, echoing in the quiet.
But that was all. No trace of life could be felt from within the ruins.
“Grrr…”
Aslan stared blankly at the cave remains, then slowly turned toward the remaining assassins.
The pupils of the black lion expanded to the point of bursting. His eyes slit like a reptile’s, glowing with murderous intent—a sign the demon transformation had begun.
The assassins recoiled in terror.
Just as the massacre was about to begin, a few rocks rolled aside from the side of the cave.
Vivian emerged, exhausted, brushing off the dirt.
“Ugh, I really almost died this time.”
“Damn it—it was a trap!”
“You think I wouldn’t prepare an escape route? I decide where I die. And it’s not today.”
The assassins, stunned by her sudden reappearance, quickly exchanged glances.
Most of their forces were down, yet the target and the woman were still standing. The woman even smiled confidently, twirling her daggers like toys.
“Just you wait.”
Muttering under their breath, the assassins retreated as abruptly as they had arrived.
Vivian was relieved.
She didn’t have the strength left to keep bluffing anymore.
“Cough! Hack—ghh!”
A pain unlike any of her past seizures gripped her. Her lungs felt like they were crushed under a truck.
She had never taken her tuberculosis seriously. The doctor had said she had a year left—she’d grown complacent, thinking she still had time.
But now, she realized. The end was truly near.
“Haa…”
Cold rain poured over her face as she lay there, helpless. She couldn’t move a finger.
Vivian slowly closed her eyes.
She figured Aslan would chase after the assassins like a mindless beast—but he stayed close.
Heavy footsteps approached.
“I prepared myself ever since I learned I had tuberculosis, but I didn’t want to die so alone.”
“……”
As all her senses faded, she felt something large and warm gently touch her face.
To think she could mistake cold rain for a human’s touch.
“This really is the end…”
Not yet, my lady.
She thought she heard someone whisper beyond her fading consciousness.
＊ ＊ ＊
“She disappeared here?”
“Yes. It seems she entered the forest.”
Five days had passed since Aslan received the farewell letter from his hollow fiancée, Vivian Eleonora.
And it had been exactly five days since the Crown Prince’s faction began attacking him.
The Eleonora duchy was one of the most prestigious military families in the empire’s history—so much so that it’s mentioned several times in historical records.
During the era of despair when the great demon Astaroth destroyed everything, a nameless hero finally rose with a sword in hand.
At his side was a companion.
She helped the hero defeat Astaroth and, in recognition of her valor, was granted land closest to the capital after the empire was founded.
She was also promised that the name Eleonora would be remembered forever in continental history.
‘And now the daughter of such a house disappears under suspicious circumstances, leaving a letter that mentions my name. Perfect gossip fodder.’
So, no matter what, he had to find her.
Aslan mounted his horse, and one of his knights widened his eyes.
“Your Highness, don’t tell me—you plan to enter the forest yourself?”
“Is that a problem?”
“You know how dangerous it is!”
The trail ended in a southern imperial forest. And it was currently the rainy season.
Just hours before Aslan arrived, a sudden downpour had triggered a massive landslide. Entering the mountain now was essentially suicide.
‘She really went and did it.’
Aslan frowned. Maybe she truly wanted to die—but he shook his head.
“I am Vivian Eleonora of House Eleonora, greeting His Grace.”
Three years ago, the day they first met as betrothed.
Even though she had fallen from a top Crown Princess candidate to the fiancée of a mere prince, she maintained perfect composure.
Those deep blue eyes had looked up at him, calm and unwavering. Even Aslan couldn’t read the emotions in them.
Her poise had surprised him. Honestly, he had thought she was impressive.
There was even a time when he wondered, if the Empress hadn’t handed her to him like a bone to a dog, maybe he could’ve held a shred of affection for her.
‘I’m thinking all sorts of things now.’
Aslan chuckled bitterly.
She wasn’t the type to just die. She was born tough, too tough to take her own life.
She always acted like she was out to mess with him. This was just more of the same.
“I’ll go alone. You all stay at the foot of the mountain.”
“But, Your Highness—!”
The knights started to object, but fell silent with one sharp look from Aslan.
Meeting his eyes felt like standing before a great beast—crushing, suffocating.
It was like facing a transcendent being who could never be disobeyed.
Aslan turned his horse and rode into the forest.
While searching for Vivian Eleonora’s trail, he ran into assassins sent by Crown Prince Johannes.
At first, he thought little of it. Assassins were nothing new—he’d kill them all as always.
He even considered that their corpses might make it easier to scare her into submission once he found her.
“Urgh…!”
As he lazily swung his greatsword, a sharp pain clutched his heart.
The sensation was all too familiar—every time, it felt hopeless.
From the moment he could remember, he had known this feeling—even in dreams, it never left.
He looked down. Black fur was sprouting across the back of his hand.
The curse had begun to manifest.
“RAAAAAHHH!”
A scream like death echoed mournfully through the black forest.
