“The boy named Lloyd is definitely suspicious.”
The office of the Grey Duchess.
Covering her mouth with a fan, the duchess listened to her confidant’s report.
“How far has the Kudoku progressed?”
“Judging by the darkness of the mark on his arm, at least 80%. However…”
“However?”
“…No matter how you look at it, the boy doesn’t seem to be affected by the Kudoku. His eyes show no madness, and his behavior remains as cold as usual.”
Normally, the Kudoku disrupts the sanity of those who consume it. Their self-control weakens, and they become irritable and fight over the slightest thing, seeking constant gratification. They become no different from beasts.
And the gaps thus created are exploited by the rituals of the Blood Cult. They expand these mental cracks to control and dominate the followers. This is how the Blood Cult brainwashes its members, turning them into obedient puppets.
“It’s certain that he consumed the Kudoku properly?”
“Yes. After all, it’s impossible for the mark to appear without consuming the Kudoku.”
The Kudoku leaves a mark.
It manifests as a symbol of the Blood Cult etched on the arm.
The darker it gets, the deeper the infestation.
Eventually, it turns red based on the amount of blood absorbed, with the Cult Leader rumored to have a bright red mark, though no one has seen it.
The Duchess’s mark was quite red.
At this level, one would recover their blurred sense of self and live on as a high-ranking member of the Blood Cult, but at least Lloyd hadn’t reached that point.
“Of course, there are exceptions.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Vessel. The one who holds not just their own but also the spirits of the Blood Demon’s servants. If they contain those spirits, the mark wouldn’t appear.”
The Grey Duchess shook her head.
It made no sense.
“He’s just a boy of twelve or thirteen. Are you saying that boy is enduring the Kudoku and the spirits of the Blood Demon’s servants solely through mental strength?”
“…”
“That’s impossible. No, it’s impossible to contain the spirits of the Blood Demon’s servants at all. Could you withstand their presence?”
The subordinate quietly lowered his head without a word.
It was indeed impossible.
“Of course, even I find Lloyd suspicious. He’s definitely hiding something.”
“Shall we forcibly pry it open once?”
The confidant pointed to a bright red box.
It looked the same as the box containing the Kudoku, but its lid repeatedly opened and closed as if something inside was trying to get out.
“No. If, by any chance, the spirits of the Blood Demon’s servants reside within him, we need to awaken them carefully. The vessel might break.”
Flap.
The Duchess lightly fanned herself a few times and continued speaking.
“Let’s stimulate him using other children as planned. If the spirits of the Blood Demon’s servants, or even the Blood Demon himself, are sleeping inside him, they won’t be able to resist the urge for blood.”
Just as the Duchess was about to finish her words.
“Hmm?”
Her delicate brow furrowed.
On the mansion’s outskirts.
The ‘eyes’ she planted in the black forest captured a strange scene.
It looked like Lloyd was fighting someone.
The situation seemed quite dangerous.
A fleeting anger crossed the Grey Duchess’s eyes.
“Someone’s trying to damage my toy.”
Swish.
With a graceful motion, she rose from the sofa and gestured.
The space split open.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Her hand reached into the fissure.
Squelch.
With a squelching sound, her hand was covered in red liquid.
◆
A torn space.
Lloyd stared blankly at the hand emerging from the black crack.
— Thump, thump.
The heart beating in that hand.
It was indescribably foreign, dripping blood into the air.
Soon, the space was torn vertically.
A pair of white legs and a purple dress emerged, and her ash-grey hair fluttered in the timely breeze.
She had a few drops of blood hanging on her face, Duchess Grey.
Swish.
As she smiled, the droplets rolled off her face.
With a red smile, the Duchess asked.
“What kind of secret conversation were you having?”
Damn it.
How much of Arno’s conversation had she heard?
About mind control?
The secrets of the duchy?
Or perhaps the prophecy?
Lloyd, racking his brain, realized there was only one appropriate response for this situation.
Step, step.
Lloyd retreated a few steps, feigning fear.
“…N-Nothing at all.”
“Oh dear, I must have frightened you. That’s not what I intended. I’m not blaming you.”
The Duchess smiled as she withdrew her hand from Arno.
Thud. His body collapsed to the ground.
She stepped over Arno and approached Lloyd.
Her blood-soaked hand touched Lloyd’s face.
“I was worried about you, wondering if you might get hurt.”
The smell of blood wafted strongly to his nose.
— Blood, it’s blood! Human blood!
Ignoring the frantic voice in his head, Lloyd suppressed his reactions. The sensation of the sticky blood and the touch on his cheek didn’t register in his mind.
Lloyd swallowed.
It was an effective display of fear.
In reality, if the Duchess so wished, Lloyd could be killed right here. He was already exhausted, and she had used some unknown and unusual magic.
The space-tearing was certainly not magic. Was it the Blood Cult’s magic? Lloyd was familiar with the existence of black magic. Moreover, the fissure had a scent similar to Ortega.
“So, what were you whispering about?”
The Duchess’s breath brushed Lloyd’s ear. Her hot breath made him acutely aware of how dangerous and seductive she was.
“Think back slowly. I’ll wait as long as it takes, my dear Lloyd.”
Her sticky breath. It was unmistakably possessive. She considered him no more than a toy. A toy worth 100 million Krone, one she could easily afford to place in her collection.
“He suddenly tried to kill me.”
Lloyd’s words made the Duchess nod happily. Her hair tickled Lloyd’s collarbone.
“I see. And then?”
“I had to understand the situation. It turns out he’s a knight of the White Knights.”
“Ah, so he was a spy for the Empire. I thought he was a trustworthy butler.”
Apparently, this answer didn’t satisfy her.
Looking up at her, she smiled quietly and stroked his cheek.
He couldn’t tell how much to reveal.
Lloyd decided to take a gamble.
“What more would you like to hear?”
Swish.
The hand stroking his cheek paused.
Then, she extended her thumb.
Lloyd watched quietly as her red-tinted fingers moved below his line of sight.
“I like a child who is tight-lipped.”
“…”
“But you shouldn’t be tight-lipped to me.”
Swish.
Her fingertip traced down Lloyd’s cheek.
It touched his chapped lips. Like applying balm, she slowly smeared his lips with blood.
— Pfft pfft! Blood! Pure blood! Hurry, lick it! Suck on that child’s finger!
Ortega’s voice echoed in his head.
Lloyd kept his gaze fixed ahead.
The Duchess’s icy smile.
She toyed with his lips, then pressed firmly.
Lloyd’s mouth opened.
“I like your tight lips. But.”
Her long fingers pried his lips apart.
The metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth.
Ortega’s ecstatic cheers filled his mind.
“Open them a bit more for your master.”
The Duchess’s laughter, like a grey snake.
Her icy eyes. Her scorching breath. Ortega’s cheers. The sound of applause. His chaotic vision. The smell of blood.
Lloyd’s body swayed.
The mark on his arm gleamed an endless black.
Seeing this, the Duchess smiled.
“Welcome to our order. Are you feeling dizzy?”
“…Yes.”
Poof.
The Duchess hugged Lloyd.
Lloyd absentmindedly buried his head in her chest.
“I’ll have to take care of you.”
◆
“I will now announce the test results.”
After the mana orb collection test ended.
The new recruits of the Blood Cult gathered in the clearing to have the number of mana orbs they collected evaluated.
Hector, who brought a handful of orbs, received a plaque marked [Award] as expected.
However, noticing him looking around, a superior asked.
“What is it?”
“Where is Lloyd?”
Questions were usually forbidden for recruits to ask superiors.
Hector, who had been beaten and tossed around several times, should have known this well.
Yet, he asked the question impulsively.
‘This one has fully assimilated with the Kudoku.’
Seeing Hector unable to control his impulses, the superior smirked and answered.
“The boy was injured. He already found two mana orbs, so he received a high mark. The same [Award] as you.”
“Only two?”
“It was considered given the short amount of time.”
“It’s special treatment. Unfair.”
“Do you have a complaint?”
The superior’s eyes glowed red.
Hector lowered his head.
“No.”
Hector quietly returned to the ranks of the new recruits.
But the [Award] plaque in his hand was already crushed within his fist.
He looked around at his comrades.
“I don’t like it.”
“You’re talking about Lloyd?”
“Yes.”
Swish.
Hector glanced around to check for any watching superiors, then signaled to those nearby.
His gaze alternated between the sword and Lloyd’s quarters.
“Everyone, focus! You’ve all worked hard! Everyone except those who were eliminated, rest. We have a precious guest coming to the mansion today! Everyone, stay put in your quarters. Dismissed!”
This was the opportunity.
