Chapter 2: The Hero’s New Job (1)

　　Sedian Luciano leaned against his bed, laboriously flipping through the pages of a document.

　　1. Please introduce yourself.

　　I am Rein… Rei.

　　2. What is your understanding of the position you are applying for?

　　It is a job attending to the young lord who is cursed. I will act as a butler, a friend, and a servant.

　　3. What capabilities do you believe you possess for this position?

　　I am an orphan, so even if I am cursed and die, I have no family to raise any objections.

　　4. Please state your reason for applying.

　　Please allow me to protect his lordship. I cannot promise to give my life for him, but I will protect him as long as I live.

　　5. Anything else you would like to add?

　　Just give me a chance.

　　Upon reading this, Sedian first suspected his own dim eyes. When he blinked and the answers hadn’t changed, he wondered what kind of lunatic this was. Then, looking at the empty desk, he was reminded of the despairing fact that, besides this lunatic, there were no other applicants.

　　“M-M-my lord. You’ve… read it all, right? W-What should we do?” a maid asked, standing a great distance away. From that far, she probably couldn’t even hear his reply, but it seemed her fear of catching the curse was greater than her duty to listen to her master.

　　Sedian glanced at the maid’s still-ashen face, then back down at the disastrous application. He buried his head deep into his pillow and shook it.

　　“Do whatever you want.” A dry, hollow laugh escaped him. “It’s not like I have a choice, do I?”

　　The maid said nothing. Not only was he right, but her desire not to exchange another word with him was far greater.

　　“Th-Then I’ll tell him to come for an interview tomorrow! I’ll be taking my leave now!” Without even waiting for a reply, the maid rushed out of the room.

　　Hearing the heavy door slam shut, Sedian closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

　　“Ugh…”

　　He instinctively curled his body in agonizing pain, as if needles were piercing his entire body, and it stole his breath. It hurts, it hurts so much. He groaned, sweat pouring down his face, but there was no one to nurse him. So, as always, he had no choice but to endure.

　　He couldn’t move his decaying left arm at all, and the gnarled roots sprouting from his neck were squeezing his windpipe tight. His vision, hazy as if seen through a film, isolated him further. When would he ever be free from this pain? Would such a day ever come? A day like that would probably never come. Not until the mage who cast this curse on me is dead.

　　“I’ll kill her. I’ll definitely… definitely kill her.”

　　Enduring the endless pain, Sedian pictured his revenge, over and over again—a future where he would kill the mage who cast this damn curse. It was the only hope he had.

* * *

　　I stood before the Luciano Ducal Family’s country house, where the cursed Sedian lived. The house rose defiantly atop a seaside cliff. Shadows and light traced the coastline, emphasizing the white exterior and making the estate look like a castle imbued with timeless elegance. The large windows set between the white bricks seemed to be quietly letting in the sound of the sea, while the tall pillars, the graceful entrance, and the shark decoration—the symbol of the ducal estate—looked as if they would maintain their glory, unchanged by time.

　　It’s exactly like the description in the novel.

　　That’s how I was able to recognize it at a glance and find my way here. But there was a problem.

　　I have no idea what to do.

　　I’d made it here, but it wasn’t like I could just barge in. A sigh escaped me as I took a crunchy bite of the apple in my hand. I’d been strong-armed into buying it at the market earlier.

　　Just then, a voice called out. “My, my, young man. You’re here again today?”

　　I turned to see a rather familiar middle-aged woman. She had a warm expression, and I had run into her continuously over the past few days. We had never spoken, but I gave her a deep bow.

　　‘Young man…’

　　I figured people in the Empire might know of me, so I had disguised myself as a man to hide my identity. Seeing a passerby treat me as a man, it seemed my disguise was convincing enough. That was a relief.

　　“I mean, it’s been ten days now. For ten days, you’ve been sitting here, just staring at the ducal family’s annex. Is something the matter?”

　　It’s already been that long? I shook my head. “I was just thinking. About how I might be able to get in there and meet his lordship.”

　　At that, the woman’s eyes went wide. “You want to meet his lordship?”

　　“Yes.”

　　“Oh dear, young man. Don’t even think about it. You must be from out of town and not know, but that young lord over there is…” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Cursed.”

　　Who didn’t know that? I tilted my head. “I’m aware of that, but…”

　　“No, no! It’s not just that he’s cursed!” The woman beat her chest in frustration. “They say the curse is contagious! If you’re near him, you’ll end up in the same state, no question!”

　　Hmm. I wasn’t particularly fazed by her dramatic words. I was certain that wouldn’t happen. How did I know? Because the body I now possessed belonged to the very person who cast that curse.

　　Of all the bodies to end up in.

　　This was the world of a novel, and thankfully, since I had read it, I also knew the fate of the body I possessed. If things went according to the original story, Sedian would find and kill me. I didn’t want to die again. Since I’ve been given this incredibly powerful body, I want to enjoy it, live well, and die when my time comes.

　　That’s why I came to see Sedian. To break his curse so I wouldn’t be killed later. As far as I knew, the only people who could break that curse were the one who cast it or someone with equivalent holy power.

　　In the original story, the curse weakened a little each time he came into contact with the heroine.

　　Each time the saintess heroine caressed him, the curse’s hold loosened slightly thanks to the holy power in her body. And, as befitting a smutty novel, after they had sex, the curse was completely healed.

　　I can just use the same principle.

　　Of course, I don’t have any holy power. But since I’m the one who cast the curse, even if I don’t know how to remove it all at once, if I just touch him appropriately and control the flow of his mana, the curse should break. Oh, and I have no intention of sleeping with him or anything. I’m disguised as a man, after all.

　　So it’s not like he’ll fall in love with me.

　　As man to man, holding his hand, putting an arm around his shoulder—that should be enough. I could treat him like that, and then when the heroine appears, I can just run away.

　　The problem is, I have to meet Sedian to even start the plan.

　　I didn’t know how to do that. I let out a sigh and answered the woman. “A curse isn’t so easily contagious… Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me. I have a reason I must stay by his side.”

　　The woman’s brow furrowed slightly. “Is that so…? You really have to?”

　　“Yes.”

　　At my firm reply, she hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh as if she couldn’t help it and pulled something from her pocket. It was a piece of paper.

　　“Then give it a try. I brought it just in case, but to think it was for real…”

　　The contents of the paper were simple.

　　Job Posting

　　Position: Management of the Luciano Ducal Family’s Country House and Assistant to Lord Sedian

　　Note: Seeking an individual capable of performing all manner of odd jobs

　　“They’re hiring. It seems they’re having a hard time finding servants, probably for the reason I just mentioned.”

　　This was it. With this, I could walk proudly through the main gate, meet Sedian, and stay by his side. My eyes lit up. I shot to my feet and bowed deeply to the woman. “Thank you, ma’am. Thanks to you, I’ve found a way.”

　　A smile spread across my face out of sheer joy. At that, a blush rose on the woman’s cheeks. “My, you’re so handsome. If only I had a daughter, I’d have arranged a marriage on the spot. What a shame.”

　　I nodded as if I fully understood. To be honest, when I first entered Reina’s body, I was shocked when I looked in the mirror. She was breathtakingly beautiful. The woman in the mirror, with her long, luscious black hair, had captivatingly alluring eyes and a charming beauty mark beneath them. I’d had to cut that hair short for my male disguise sadly, but that beauty hadn’t gone anywhere. I had always admired my reflection in private, but hearing a compliment from someone else put me in a good mood.

　　I offered the shopping basket I was holding to the woman. “Have an apple, ma’am. I bought them today, so they’re still fresh.”

　　After giving another deep bow, I clutched the job posting in my hand and walked toward the main gate of the ducal estate.

　　Wait for me, Sedian.

　　I’ll fix you. And let me live. Please.

* * *