What a Terminally Ill Villain Needs Is an Arctic Fox Ch 02

Chapter 02

       Grand Duke Batman, the lord of the North, died fighting the Demon Dragon 20 years ago.

He was the one Gray served, and one of only three knights of the Guardian God.

The protection of the guardian deity Mille, granted to Archduke Batman.

The protection of Millet, which Gray had only seen once, appeared to the man in front of him.

The man’s cloak fluttered as the wind blew continuously from outside. Gray’s face turned pale as he finally noticed the imperial emblem, the white dragon symbol, which he had not been able to see because it was covered in snow.

“I have made a great mistake, Your Majesty.”

Gray quickly sat up and bent down. The man’s eyes scanned Gray and then the servants around him.

The cooks and servants, who had been dazed as if they were under a group hypnosis, also came to their senses, got up from the floor, and bowed their waists following Gray.

“I have committed a mortal sin.”

The atmosphere in the hall darkened with shock at the thought of almost attacking His Highness the Grand Duke when even the utmost care was not enough.

Kyle, carrying a large Arctic fox on his back, was equally in trouble.

Looking at the weapons that had fallen on the floor, it was clear that they were intended to attack him, but since he hadn’t actually been attacked, he couldn’t help but feel angry. Furthermore, since he knew that the North had been without a master for a long time, he couldn’t help but understand the position of the butlers and servants who had been guarding the mansion all this time.

“It won’t stay like that forever.”

“I’m sorry. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s okay. The welcoming ceremony was a bit gruesome, but thanks to that I remembered all the faces.”

Kyle waved his hand and smiled nonchalantly, but everyone else’s faces turned even more pale.

“Let me formally introduce myself again. I am Butler Gray. It is a pleasure to meet you…….”

“Let’s talk about greetings later. Right now, things are more urgent.”

Kyle cut Gray off as he picked up the fox he was carrying on his shoulders and hugged it tightly.

“Are you a fox?”

I didn’t know it when Kyle came dangling from my shoulder, but it was obvious when I held him in my arms that he was a fox.

“I thought it was a bit big for a fox…. I’m glad that other people see it as a fox too.”

“Are you alive?”

“He was alive when I brought him here, but I think we need to check his condition now.”

The Arctic Fox remained motionless throughout the journey to the mansion. It felt as if it had also been carrying an animal carcass, and it was a little uneasy to see how it must have looked to Gray.

“I think I should go to a place where I can stay for now. I want to rest.”

The sun had not set yet, but the sky was full of dark clouds, making the room as dark as night. The candles that Gray had lit beforehand were flickering, casting large shadows on the wall.

Following Gray up the stairs and down the hallway, Kyle arrived at the room where he would be staying.

I expected the room to be cold because the Grand Duke’s seat had been empty for a long time, but it had a more cozy atmosphere than I expected. Normally, I would have leisurely explored the room, but because of the fox in my arms, I immediately checked the location of the fireplace.

“I will take care of your clothes.”

“I’ll do that. But could you bring me a blanket that the fox can cover himself with? Oh, and some bath water, please?”

As Gray went out to run errands, Kyle approached the roaring fireplace and laid the Arctic fox down on the floor. He had to make sure it was still breathing before he could catch his breath.

‘It’s still cold.’

Even though it had been a while since he had been inside, the fox was still cold. Kyle sat down next to the fox and warmed himself up by the fire. The fox, covered in the firelight, looked more like a red fox than an arctic fox.

Eventually Gray returned, and a blanket was wrapped around the Arctic fox’s body.

“The bath water is also ready.”

Gray spoke to Kyle, who was quietly staring at the fox, and Kyle got up from his seat without taking his eyes off the fox.

He usually enjoys taking long baths, but he was so worried about the fox that he returned to his room half-heartedly. Seeing the fox, which was the same as when he first went out, he also collapsed on the floor. There was a chair next to him, but this was more convenient for observing the fox.

‘Has it gotten a little warmer?’

He stroked her from head to spine, then lowered his head and put his ear to her heart. Kyle let out a sigh of relief as he listened to her heartbeat, slow but sure. Then he stood up with a much more relaxed face and then sat back down.

“I’m not going to die all of a sudden like this, right?”

Kyle, who had a dubious expression on his face as he looked at the fox lying on the floor, eventually lifted the fox wrapped in a blanket. He was absentmindedly heading to the bed, but he felt like he was moving away from the fireplace, so he sat down on the chair in front of the fireplace. The chair creaked and made a crying sound.

“Who am I to worry about when my nose is three feet long?”

He himself was in a situation where his life could end tomorrow because of the curse, so he thought it was funny that he was acting so strangely over a mere animal. It’s not that he hates animals, but he’s not someone who feels any special affection for them either.

“They say that when people are about to die, they start doing things they normally wouldn’t do. Is that true?”

Kyle wrinkled his nose as he muttered, “Well, the situation already makes no sense in the book.”

Ordinary appearance, ordinary family background, ordinary job like everyone else.

He was exempted from military service due to a heart surgery he had as a child, and was able to get a job at the young age of 24, but he died in a car accident less than a year later. When he opened his eyes, he was possessed by a novel he had been reading to kill time on his way to and from work. Of all people, he was a villain who rebelled against the emperor and was killed.

“Oh, thinking about it again makes me angry.”

Fortunately, the moment of his execution was not the moment he was put on the gallows, but the problem was that it was only three years until the day of his rebellion in the original work. This is because Kyle, who has a dark personality as befitting a villain, had been preparing for this rebellion for five years.

“I caused all that trouble just to avoid dying again, but in the end I ended up dying the same way.”

Even if we assume that he was prepared to be assassinated by those who had stuck by him and promised to make him the emperor, it was still very difficult to win over the emperor’s heart because he had already developed a deep hatred for the protagonist.

Still, the three years of hard work were not in vain, as he developed a pretty good relationship with the emperor. However, the people around the emperor were not without suspicion.

Then something happened. The Emperor was attacked by an assassin at the Imperial Ball held to celebrate the first anniversary of his coronation. Kyle, who was closest to the Emperor, subdued the assassin and became a hero who protected the Emperor in front of everyone.

But Kyle couldn’t shake off his uneasy feeling. The assassin was too sloppy for someone who came to assassinate the emperor, and the strange behavior he displayed while subduing him was too bizarre. Spitting blood and spit in Kyle’s face, rolling his eyes, and muttering incomprehensible words were not normal behavior.

And soon after, Kyle discovered that he was cursed.

****

“This is not just a simple curse, it is a curse that binds the soul. It cannot be done with human power, and can only be done by making a contract with the demons.”

“What happens if you get cursed?”

“You will experience intermittent pain. The pain will return more quickly and your body will rapidly deteriorate. Eventually, you will be unable to do anything and will be stuck in a swamp of pain, lying in bed.”

“How long can I live?”

“Usually, people commit suicide within 2 to 3 months. If you consider breathing to be living, then 6 months would be the maximum.”

“How can I break the curse?”

“The first way is to make a contract with a higher level demon than the one the caster has contracted with. And the second way is to receive the protection of a guardian deity.”

****

A contract with a demon requires the sacrifice of one’s soul. The curse can be lifted, but considering what happens after death, this cannot be a solution. And on the continent of Randea, making a contract with a demon is illegal. If caught, it is a serious crime that can be executed on the spot.

And the protection of the Guardian God was an impossible method because all the Guardian Gods on the continent disappeared 20 years ago.

Kyle had an intuition of his future as he listened to the words of a blind sorcerer who swore to tell only the truth.