BDKHC 32

~Chapter 32~

“Fou… nd… it…”

Esther mumbled as she sprawled out on the sofa.

Countless books were scattered around her, and in one of them, she finally found the passage she had been searching for.

It was an extremely old text, written in early ancient language—so hard to understand and decode that even Esther had gotten a headache reading it.

“Come to think of it, there used to be things like this.”

It had been so long that she barely remembered.

“To think that was actually a failed case of turning into a monster…”

Long ago, there had been cases where humans ate food from the Demon Realm over a long period and turned into monsters. But she had never seen a failed case before.

Usually, before such crystallization progressed that far, people took an antidote.

So it was never really a difficult problem.

“But Demon Realm food…”

Even after the Demon Realm’s gates had closed and it was on the brink of destruction, could such things still remain in this land?

“Ros.”

“Yes! Kyut!”

“Are there still any Demon Realm plants or food left?”

“Uh, wait a sec!”

The squirrel crunched on an acorn, waved its tiny paws, and a parchment floated in front of her eyes.

[Most things from the Demon Realm have perished or been lost, but demonkind who lost their homeland and reason eventually fell into corruption and degenerated into monsters.
Because they were originally demons, they carry things of the Demon Realm within them, and sometimes their corpses spread those seeds.]

Esther’s eyes stayed fixed on one sentence.

“Demonkind who lost their homeland and reason and fell into corruption”—the words struck painfully in her chest.

Demons could only degenerate when they left the Demon Realm. That place held the source of power demons needed to survive.

But only a Demon King could open the gates that connected worlds.

So without a Demon King, degeneration was the only fate left for demonkind.

Esther had been the last Demon King—and she had died without leaving an heir.

All because she had foolishly trusted humans… trusted others.

“Ros, show me my curse achievement progress.”

“Yes!”

Ros quickly drew the information Esther wanted on the parchment.

Esther (Half-demon)
Age: 5
Current Status: Abnormal Status

▶ Language Master: Can perfectly speak any language that exists in the world.
▶ Seal (Curse): Seals all the powers of Demon King Agreas.
▶ Infantilization (Intermittent Curse): A child must act like a child and be obedient. Sometimes loses control of the body.

[Curse Achievement Progress: 13.5%]
[Area Scan: OFF]
[Info Search: OFF]

[Curse Lifting Conditions – Must meet all below conditions:]

1. Achieve 100% curse achievement progress. (Incomplete)

2. End the contract with the current contractor. (Incomplete)

Thanks to resolving the black exclamation mark, her progress had jumped significantly.

I know the cure now, but I’ll have to check the situation in person first.

Esther thought about Banshee’s case.

Her small, young body was inconvenient, but since no one in this family paid attention to her, she could disappear for a few days and no one would notice.

She tore out just the page she needed and stuffed it into her pocket, leaving the books scattered as she hopped out of the library.

“But what should I do about that black one…”

It felt too valuable to leave alone—especially now that she had seen her progress.

“What black one?”

“Whoa—!”

Startled, she turned her head to see an Egbert staring at her with a sour expression.

“Gra… ndma!”

Quickly assessing the situation, Esther smiled brightly and spread her arms.

“I missed you, Grandma Es!”

“You’re really working hard to score points, huh? Since when did you miss me? Pfft…”

The sharp remark hit her harder than she expected, making her flinch.

“You think doing that will make me acknowledge you?”

“Hehe…”

The lock on the exclamation mark above her head was still there, and it didn’t seem likely to fade anytime soon.

Hot chocolate… two cookies… and a pink dress full of lace, right?

Esther frowned.

She didn’t think she could keep her dignity like that—and honestly, she couldn’t even imagine herself doing it.

Ugh.

Just picturing it made her face turn dark.

“What’s with that weird smile? No manners in front of an elder.”

I may have no magic… but I have my pride—aaaaa!

“Hehe, I just love Grandma so much!”

Yes—without magic, there was no pride. Pride came from strength and power anyway.

“I heard your father neglected you, but you’ve grown…”

The disapproving voice suddenly stopped. A shadow loomed over Esther’s head.

“…What are you doing in this house?”

Her tone was icy cold.

Esther had thought she already sounded cold before, but this was on another level.

“I heard you had woken up, so I came to check on you out of concern.”

The voice was light, with a hint of warmth—gentle, even.

Turning her head slightly, Esther saw a handsome young man smiling awkwardly.

His upturned eyes were kind, and his wavy silver-white hair made him look very much like Kaelos Egbert.

He seemed full of mischief, yet oddly tense.

“This isn’t something for you to concern yourself with.”

Her voice was curt.

“You’re doing your temple duties properly, right? Don’t do anything to tarnish the family’s honor while you’re outside. You know your origins—don’t forget them.”

“Yes, I’m always very careful. Are you in good health?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. And don’t come here again. If that was your reason, go back and do your work.”

Watching Mari Egbert coldly push him away made Esther swallow hard.

…There’s always someone lower on the ladder.

She decided she must never end up in that position herself.

“Tsk, when did the Egbert house become a place where things like this crawl around?”

There was a barb in those passing words—and it wasn’t hard to guess she was included in “things like this.”

Still, it left no scar on Esther’s heart.

It was like when a neighbor’s dog barked—it was annoying, but not wounding.

“I’ll come see you again tomorrow, Grandma!”

Wait for me, my prey!

Smiling brightly despite the sharp remark, Esther spoke, making Mari Egbert pause.

“…Just try coming! I’ll scold you thoroughly!”

As she turned and strode away, Esther could glimpse through her dress the fine trembling in her thin legs.

Ah, she must still be weak from just waking up.

It was clear Mari Egbert, like Esther, hated to lose.

“Whew… my heart almost dropped.”

Esther was about to leave when the man who had suddenly appeared let out a deep sigh and crouched down.

Seeing his white uniform, Esther blinked.

Then, crouching to match her eye level, he turned his face toward her.

“Right, niece?”

The man grinned playfully.

“…Who are you?”

“Wow, you forgot me? I can’t come often, but I’ve sent you snacks a few times…”

“Hmm.”

As far as she remembered, she’d never received snacks from him.

Tilting her head, she watched him pout like a child and complain.

What a bother.

She just wanted to go back and lounge around eating snacks.

Esther slowly rolled her eyes.

“I’m Kardem Egbert. Kaelos’s younger brother—your uncle. Can you call me uncle~?”

“Mm, Uncle.”

She said it quickly to get it over with.

Kardem froze for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected her to actually say it.

“What, Uncle.”

“Ah… well, your grandmother’s… pretty scary, right?”

“Mm, not really.”

If that was scary, how would they handle a Demon King?

“Actually, I’m in a similar position to you.”

“…”

“Truth is, she’s not my real mother. If things were proper, I’d be calling her aunt instead.”

Is there an uncle who blurts out his personal life and excessive details to a niece he’s just met?

Yes, there is.

And apparently unaware of Esther’s cold gaze, he kept speaking with a wistful expression.