Chapter 27
A week had passed since the New Year's ceremony, and banquets continued at the castle.
During that time, the Seven Sages were required to remain at the castle, but Ray jumped into a carriage as soon as the first day's ceremony ended and headed for the Albright family's main residence in the royal capital.
People tended to imagine that a family of curse mages lived in a dilapidated mansion covered in mold and moss, but the Albright family's main residence was a fairly impressive mansion in one of the royal capital's upscale neighborhoods.
House Albright's history was not as long as that of House Roseberg, home of the 〈Thorn Witch〉, but its second head had been skilled at business, leaving the family extremely wealthy.
After all, curse arts were techniques with very few practitioners. Since House Albright practically monopolized them, every curse-related matter in the country was concentrated in their hands.
In recent years, the growing number of mages had diminished the rarity of prestigious magical bloodlines, but House Roseberg and House Albright still possessed unique abilities, and their heads had continued to hold seats among the Seven Sages.
After passing through the imposing gate, Ray made his way across the garden toward the mansion with heavy steps.
"Ah, I don't want to... I really don't want to... How many months has it been since I last saw Baba-sama...?"
"Kihihi, seven months and four days."
Just as Ray thought he heard a hoarse voice beside his ear, he felt a wet warmth smack against his cheek.
When he touched his cheek and turned around, he saw a plump old woman with purple hair tied high atop her head...
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Ray let out a high shriek like tearing silk and fell on his rear.
Standing behind Ray was a large old woman with purple hair and pink eyes. She wore a black lace dress and a hat decorated with crow feathers.
Her deeply wrinkled face was covered in heavy makeup, taking her appearance beyond gaudy and into downright sinister.
Ray was profoundly grateful that it was still shortly after noon.
If he had encountered a nightmare of an old woman like this at night, his delicate heart surely would have stopped.
"Kihihi, what's this? Screaming like some innocent maiden?"
"B-B-Baba-sama... Eek... My cheek... My cheek has been defiled by Baba-sama's kiss..."
As Ray sat on the ground, half in tears, the old woman raised her thick lips, painted with purple rouge, into a broad grin.
"If it bothers you that much, I couldn't be happier. A curse mage's role is to make people suffer... Ah, your agonized face has added three years to this old granny's life."
The old woman shook her body, which appeared nearly twice as wide as Ray, and laughed with genuine delight. She was Ray's grandmother and the second 〈Abyssal Curse Mage〉, Adeline Albright.
Plump Adeline and emaciated Ray did not look related at all when standing side by side, but their vivid purple hair and jewel-like pink eyes clearly showed that they were blood relatives.
The Albrights inscribed the curse formulas they developed onto their own bodies, causing them to harbor countless curses. As a result, their hair and eyes had changed to inhuman colors, and curse formulas rose across their bodies like tattoos.
Among all the curse mages in history, the one who harbored the greatest number of curses was the third 〈Abyssal Curse Mage〉, Ray Albright. The number of curses he bore exceeded two hundred—a terrifying figure.
Ray, who carried that many curses within him and lived without being consumed by them, was known as the Albright family's finest "vessel of curses."
In a different sense from Raul, who possessed the greatest mana reserves in the country, and Monica, who wielded chantless magic, Ray was a genius as well.
Even so, the precision of each individual curse technique did not reach that of his predecessor, Adeline. If they were to engage in a serious clash of curses, Adeline would probably win.
As Ray bit his lip, Adeline lifted her sagging cheeks and grinned.
"By the way, why are you here? The New Year's ceremony is in full swing. You should be at the castle."
"Y-you know perfectly well...! You picked a fiancée without telling me anything!"
At Ray's outburst, Adeline widened her pink eyes in feigned surprise.
"Oh my, what are you making such a fuss about now? That was half a year ago. I sent an announcement of the engagement to all my acquaintances across the country, too."
"W-why would you decide something like that without telling me anything!?"
Adeline let out a sigh and began speaking with a distant look in her eyes.
"Curse mages have always been shunned. Even with the royal family's official patronage, countless people still look at us with prejudice... That's why I was so happy when you received such high praise at the Supreme Council that one time."
Adeline was referring to the incident at the Supreme Council a year and a half earlier.
When the Second Prince Felix Ark Ridill came under suspicion of being an impostor, Ray had helped clear his name.
Whatever the truth of the matter, the 〈Abyssal Curse Mage〉 who lifted the curse on the Second Prince became famous overnight, and people's attitudes toward curse mages clearly changed afterward.
"Thanks to your achievements, House Albright is secure. All that's left is the question of succession..."
Adeline paused there, bent at the waist, and brought her face close to Ray's.
The imposing old woman's face filled Ray's field of vision.
"But you, on the other hand, have never even known a woman and do nothing but hole up. So this loving old granny took matters into her own hands and arranged a fiancée for you."
"Y-you're lying! This is definitely just harassment aimed at me!"
After all, this old woman proudly claimed that she liked seeing other people look miserable more than she liked eating three meals a day.
Whenever Adeline Albright took the initiative to do something, it was a sure bet that she intended to make someone suffer.
As Ray ranted and wailed, Adeline grinned and planted a huge kiss on his cheek, complete with a resounding mwah.
"Waaaaaaahhhhh! M-my cheek... My cheek... Eek...!"
Under his grandmother's devastating psychological attack, Ray's mind was on the verge of total collapse. It was worse than any curse.
With purple kiss marks on both cheeks, Ray listened as Adeline spoke with an evil smile.
"Oh, right. About your fiancée: she's scheduled to arrive here tomorrow. Kihihihi... Of course, you're free not to come back to the main residence, but if you don't... What sort of misery do you suppose I should put your fiancée through?"
Ray trembled at his grandmother's terrifying smile.
Adeline was an evil old hag who lived off the sight of other people looking miserable. If Ray refused to comply, she would surely subject his fiancée to terrible harassment.
Even so, Ray was absolutely terrified of meeting his fiancée.
If she saw his purple hair and said, "Ugh, gross," or, "You make my skin crawl," then delicate Ray would surely never recover.
As Ray clutched his head and groaned, Adeline let out a gleeful kihihihi.
"Now, steel yourself, Ray."
"N-no, no, I don't waaaaaaant to!"
Ray cried and wailed as he turned his back on Adeline and ran away.
Flailing his arms and legs as he ran in a blind panic, he rounded a corner and collided with someone—a tall woman dressed for travel.
The woman did not scream; she merely staggered a little. Ray, whose athletic ability was nonexistent, was the one who let out a "Gah!" and fell gracelessly on his rear.
"...Are you all right?"
The woman he had collided with held out a hand to Ray.
(What a kind person... Is she a goddess? The goddess herself?)
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have tried to court her by saying, "This must be fate. Love me!" But at the moment, Ray simply wanted to get away from his grandmother's house as quickly as possible.
So he immediately got to his feet, bowed his head, and barely looked at the woman's face.
"...I-I'm sorry...!"
With only those words, Ray ran away from the spot.
The woman left behind watched Ray's retreating figure in stunned silence, but soon seemed to come to her senses. She walked on and stopped in front of the Albright family's gate.
Beyond the gate stood a strikingly formidable old woman. She was presumably Adeline Albright, the de facto ruler of this household.
The woman set her travel bag at her feet and bowed to the old woman.
"Good day. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Frieda Blanke, and I have come from Valmberg."
"Oh my, you arrived sooner than I expected."
"Yes. I'm quite good at riding horses."
At Frieda's response, the old woman blinked her pink eyes.
Frieda tilted her head, wondering whether she had said something strange.
"...You didn't use a carriage?"
"No. I didn't have much luggage, so I rode my own horse here. It's currently staying at an inn, but where might I find the stables at this estate?"
"I'll have a servant show you later. Now..."
Adeline straightened herself, lifted her sagging chin, and looked down at Frieda with sharp eyes.
"Frieda Blanke. Since you're marrying into our family, you'll have to follow our family's rules."
Undaunted by the force of that gaze, Frieda met Adeline's eyes head-on.
What on earth could the rules of House Albright, a prestigious family of curse mages, be?
As Frieda waited for Adeline to continue, the old woman tilted her thick neck and said,
"I wanted to say something like that, but now that I think about it, our family doesn't have any rules."
"............"
"There aren't any particular rules, so do as you like. That's all—dismissed."
What a strange turn of events! Their engagement was a "meet there, go our separate ways there" affair!
After a brief silence, Frieda asked the old woman,
"Does that mean I may do as I please?"
"I won't say it twice."
"Understood."
If she was free to do as she pleased, that was actually quite convenient. Frieda Blanke readily accepted this turn of events.
The women of Valmberg were exceptionally good at handling adversity and adapting to circumstances.