Roderick harshly brushed back his hair. He was reaching his limit.
A time bomb with not a hairpin left. He didn't find it hard to foresee his end.
'It won't be long now.'
He needed his younger brother to take over as the duke quickly.
No, even quicker, his brother needed to have a child to escape this detestable curse.
"Daren."
Unlike his chattering subordinates, his deputy, standing by his side, bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Commander."
"Paralysis herb. Urgh."
Suddenly, his entire body's veins expanded, and a murderous aura was released. With the rippling magic, all subordinates drew their swords.
Roderick's blue eyes turned bloodshot as he stumbled.
Emergency. Whenever Roderick couldn't control himself, they had to face him. Even if it meant risking their lives.
That was the true mission of the search party. To serve him and be ready to kill him at any time.
As the playful subordinates suddenly became serious, the bewildered rookie couldn't even draw his weapon, just blinking his eyes.
"Commander!"
"Pull yourself together!"
Roderick's lips turned coldly upwards. His gaze fixed on the rookie.
He was about to attack the weakest prey when a giant magic circle appeared beneath him, and he vanished.
In the midst of a crisis, silence fell among them.
None dared to move. One of them finally spoke.
"Hey, kid?"
Where their commander had disappeared, a small child sat hunched over.
"The, the commander turned into a kid!"
Thwack A gauntlet-clad hand struck the man's head.
"Idiot. Even the hair color is different."
"A monster, maybe?"
"It doesn't feel like it has any energy."
"Everyone, sheathe your swords."
Upon Deputy Daren's order, they all sheathed their drawn swords.
"Kid?"
The crouching child abruptly lifted his head.
His unusually bright red eyes brimmed with tears. The burly men began to panic.
"Nuna is!"
Oops. Noel covered his mouth with his small hand. His tongue felt heavy, and his speech was slurred.
Looking down, his body seemed even smaller. Oh no. I must have used too much magic.
If Diana finds out my body has shrunk, she might reject me, thinking I'm a strange child.
"Kid, where did you pop out from?"
Sighs and tearful eyes caused the men to step back.
"Uh, he's crying!"
"I can't deal with kids!"
"Which one of you is married? Take care of the kid."
"Hey kid, are you okay?"
In the midst of the chaos created by the grown men, a gentle voice was heard.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
The deputy, with an expressionless face, spoke gently, causing all the subordinates to contort their faces strangely.
"Nuna is inside."
"Nuna?"
"I came out alone."
"Could this be something sent by your sister?"
Noticing the jewel he had thrown, Noel nodded vigorously.
Yes, that's right. Daren affectionately ruffled the child's gray hair.
"Wow, creepy. Never seen the deputy like this before."
Ignoring the whispering subordinates, Daren focused on the child.
"Is it just your sister inside? Or is there someone else? A man with light sky-blue hair and blue eyes?"
The child shook his head no.
"Just Nuna and me."
"How did you get out here?"
"The magic flashed, and I came out. We need to save Nuna!"
It seemed like a trap magic had been activated, swapping Roderick and the child's locations.
It was an occurrence sometimes seen on battlefields using ancient relics.
Daren, who had knelt to be at eye level with the child, sighed and stood up.
"Wait here for now. Set up a tent. We'll wait until the commander returns."
Rather than worrying about the missing Roderick, the deputy was more concerned about the child's sister.
If Roderick, who might have lost his mind by now, is more threatening than any monster.
What if the sister comes out as a corpse? How would they explain it to this child? The deputy's face darkened.
The child's identity could be unravelled after Roderick returned.
Several hours before the search party arrived at the castle.
Today's goal was the western entrance hall, the only place they hadn't explored yet.
The castle was so vast that their exploration was limited.
Moreover, it was always dark inside the castle, so they relied on candles, which also had their limits.
They had tried to find an escape through the east entrance but all exits were sealed, so now they were heading west.
The plan was to look for more exits and cursed objects.
They couldn't wait any longer for the crow to bring someone back.
Even if someone was brought right away, they couldn't wait any longer.
She was a ticking time bomb who could die at any moment. They had to move while she still had the strength.
"Noel."
"Yes?"
"Do you hear that?"
A soft music box sound was heard. As the sound played, a fog started to fill the wide corridor.
Is this really fog? It seemed like another trap magic had been activated.
"Hope it's not another ghost popping out."
Responding to her words, the candle in the candelabra she was holding was suddenly snuffed out.
G o o g l e "Seduced the Doomed Villain + redcatty" to read ahead.