1 – House Britain

Back in the past.

The stigma of the contract with the Great Devil has been erased.

Curses accumulated through black magic evaporated.

The scars left on his body had completely disappeared.

When I spread my hands out, I see clean hands without blemishes.

“Are you really back?”

I did, but I really couldn’t believe it.

An intense light burst out of the sword the hero had lifted, and the moment he lost consciousness and opened his eyes, he was right here.

I can’t imagine how far I’ve come back.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw a boy who still had a youthful look.

Before being cursed with ‘immortality’ through human experimentation and becoming a mad monster.

After ten years, Argal, the immortal who was taken away by the demon king and became an official in the demon king’s army, and who made a contract with the great devil and became the main enemy of mankind, was not here.

Before the family was burned down, the aristocrat Confucius was still here.

“however.”

The mark of immortality still remained.

This curse that exists without a process because of the return.

This curse, accompanied by endless madness, is as if the ‘madness’ part has been washed clean, leaving only immortality.

If so, can’t it be called a curse now?

I felt a little bit of refreshment in my mind that had been cleared for the first time in a long time.

You can feel it when you see your mouth and eyes stretched out in the mirror.

Always, the corners of the mouth that were bent did not go up.

smart-

Someone knocked on the door.

In the meantime, my head traces the past that I can’t even remember well.

The aristocratic family I belonged to was quite strong.

A manor that has everything it deserves, a mansion that has rusted over the years but has not lost its antiquity, a capable butler, a diligent maid, and a high level of knights for a rural manor.

And the only person who would knock on my door in the morning was my exclusive maid.

“I will go in. young master.”

“Caron.”

I couldn’t remember much about her.

It was strange that he remembered well the lady-in-waiting who served only one professionally.

There is only one thing I remember.

‘stop… .’

‘why… . Bocchan made me… .’

It reminds me of a mansion burning roaring under the moonlight.

At that time when I was slaughter and killing each of the hidden teeth, only one memory of killing her came to mind in my head.

The memory of piercing your chest with your hand and breaking the heart inside it.

And the one word I was trying to spit out while muttering.

“sorry.”

“Yeah?”

“No, nothing.”

After the madness that tormented me was washed away, I began to fall deeply into the past, which I had no regrets about.

Isn’t the past meaningless anymore?

I brushed it off fleetingly and looked at Caron.

She slightly averted my gaze and communicated a few things.

“The head of the household has called. First of all, I will prepare the clothes.”

“Yes.”

“And the Bocchan… .”

“What?”

“it’s nothing.”

Caron lowered her head and walked away.

I snort and look out the window.

It wasn’t a scene where the world burned and turned to ashes.

A man wielding a sword in a gymnasium in the middle of trees and grass that rose in abundance.

my older brother Ardel.

Next to it, a girl opened a beautifully decorated basket and watched while eating snacks.

my sister ariel

Then close both eyes

I don’t know why.

Why does the image of me who killed them both come to mind?

“I don’t know.”

Turn your head.

It’s been too long since I suffered from madness.

I wasn’t used to it because the madness that I was so familiar with was gone.

“I brought water and clothes. young master.”

Wash your face with the water Caron brought and change your clothes.

Since there is nothing complicated, this series of steps did not take long.

After changing my clothes, I followed Caron and reached the front.

Memories of the past slowly came back.

I remembered things I forgot because I didn’t care.

An elderly butler with a moustache, he was a vassal of the family because he was loyal to the family all his life, and was a semi-nobleman.

Several knights circling the inside of the mansion. They bowed their heads in an orderly manner as I passed by.

A maid holding a chair and holding up tiptoes to clean hard-to-reach windows.

I stop him from coming down to say hello and move on.

Their faces were calm and full of loyalty.

I had a question.

Why did I kill my entire family, erase my family name, and burn this peaceful mansion?

The doubts did not last long.

“Have you come? Argal.”

“father.”

His expression was stern, but the emotion in his eyes was boundless affection.

Looking at the family head and father, I remember the time I murdered him in the past.

‘Argal, Argal Britain! Was this the purpose of coming back after committing a sin?’

‘I’ve been waiting for you to come. Even if you bear the stigma of treason for trying to kill the royal family, I decided to embrace you and be with you. But this was the price!’

‘What is the reason? You hated my family, my family, so much!’

I answered like this.

I didn’t hate it.

It was a loving and comfortable home.

The reason is nothing.

In order to make a contract with the Great Devil, he had to sacrifice the most precious thing to himself.

I touched both eyes.

There seemed to be something forming around the eyes, but only two dry snowballs were still caught.

I remembered.

The reason I murdered my family was because of a pact with the Great Devil.

The Great Devil wanted to dedicate the most precious thing to me, and as a rule of thumb, I thought ‘family’ was important, so I annihilated my family.

That’s all.

When I came to my senses, my father was looking at me with a worried face.

“Are you okay? If you have any pain, tell me.”

“Nope. Fine. What did you call for?”

“Keuheum, if it’s okay, continue. I had a place to send you.”

Father opened the letter.

“Viscount Karis is calling you, there has been a marriage conversation before, and it seems that you are going to meet in person this time, how is it? Would you like to go?”

I couldn’t answer the words Viscount Karis and had no choice but to stand still.

Because after meeting the viscount and meeting his young lady with whom he had marriage talks… . Because on the way back I was kidnapped.

There, he was cursed with immortality and suffered from constant madness.

It’s a very, very unfortunate timing.

To hear this story right after returning.

However, I had no intention of avoiding it.

In an instant, and after a very long thought, he answered.

“I will go.”

The father nodded in satisfaction.

Having a close relationship with another lord through engagement is bound to be helpful in many ways.

But my father didn’t know.

Because of this single decision, the son he cherished so much became a monster and burned the family.

The conversation with my father is over.

When I came out of the housekeeper’s room, I saw a pouting gaze.

Black hair tied in two pigtails.

Two cheeks puffed out cutely.

This is Ariel’s younger sister.

“What are you doing there?”

“Oh, brother? did you see it?”

“Then you won’t see it.”

I walked slowly, and Ariel naturally followed him.

“What does your father say?”

“If you’re that curious, you can come in and listen together.”

“Yeah, but my father is scary.”

“It’s scary… .”

What do you see there that scares you?

I was genuinely curious, but I didn’t feel the need to ask.

Ariel, who often followed me, chirped over and over again.

“So what? What is it?”

“I have something to go to the Viscount Charis.”

“What? Your brother is going there? why?”

I was bored now, so I told the whole story from beginning to end.

“There is a marriage. He will meet the young lady there and decide whether to get engaged or not.”

“Ho, marriage?!”

“Why are you so surprised, if you were older too, you would meet someone and get engaged.”

This is normal in an aristocratic society.

The alliance forged with blood and the power gathered there will soon become the power of the nobility.

Occasionally, the offspring from there become the heirs to combine the two territories, and a more powerful lord is born.

It doesn’t usually happen like that.

Besides, as far as I remember… . Due to a number of things, the marriage contract is cancelled.

The marriage didn’t matter anyway.

The incident of immortality immortalized after being kidnapped was the most important.

Ariel’s face turned red.

“I-I don’t! I’m not going to get engaged or something like that!”

“Do as you please.”

“Well, if you’re an older brother, you have to correct the fact that your younger sister is about to leave! Don’t leave me alone!”

What are you talking about?

Ignoring his younger brother’s nonsense, I turned my head and saw my older brother, wet with sweat, right in front of me.

Ardel.

His death in the past was impressive, so I immediately recalled it in my memory.

‘With the honor of the Briten family, I will kill you, Argal.’

‘The crime of killing my father! The sin of killing Ariel! The crime of burning down the mansion and insulting the British family! And… . The crime of killing my mother… . I will make you repent for this sin.’

He fought with me to the very end.

Because he was a high-level swordsman, I died in battle with him many times.

Without the curse of the undead, it was self-evident that they would have been defeated long ago.

Having joined the Golden Knights in the kingdom’s capital, he received an urgent report that his family was burned, and returned to the estate to see the ruins of the burning mansion.

Even when his arms were broken as he shed bloody tears, the image of him with his sword raised came to mind like a mirage.

“I heard from my father, Argal.”

“Is that so?”

“I always say it, but feel free to say it, Argal, why do you use honorifics with one and only family members? You should be comfortable.”

“What a big brother!”

I nod my head meekly.

I don’t know what kind of stubbornness I was in the past, but I remember that in the past I respected Ardel and used honorifics and called him older brother.

There was no need for that now.

“Okay.”

“What are you doing? Anyway, I heard that there is marriage talk, but there is no need to feel burdened. If you don’t like it, just say no, and even if your father doesn’t like it, I’ll stop it.”

“Then thank you.”

The marriage talk was going to be broken anyway, but there was no reason to say that there was no need to help.

“Are you leaving now? He said that his father was thorough, so he prepared a wagon as soon as he received the letter. If you go, you can go right away, or if you delay it for a day or two, you can postpone it. Do whatever you want.”

“I’ll leave now.”

“Yes? Oppa, are you going right away?”

Ariel lifted the basket.

The basket was full of her favorite snacks.

“Let’s eat snacks together and go oppa!”

“Ariel, it’s a problem because you always only eat snacks. You have to eat to grow properly and not gain weight. Only then can you become a great young lady?”

“I hate nagging!”

“Put it down, Argal, why don’t we eat and go?”

“Because I want to go right away.”

I have no appetite.

It was better than the Curse of the Undead suffering from madness, but there were side effects.

Since the body is not going to die anyway, the need for sleep and appetite are considerably reduced.

I eat and sleep in order not to die, but why do I do that when I am not going to die?

However, if you don’t sleep and eat for a while, the person’s appearance will change bizarrely, so you should keep it in moderation.

“It’s also a way to save face for Viscount Karis by arriving quickly. I understand what you mean.”

Ardel nodded as if nothing mattered and walked down the hallway.

Of course, the basket full of Ariel’s snacks is confiscated in one hand.

Ariel, who had suddenly taken her snacks, rushed after her, only to find out that no one was nearby.

The feeling of being filled and then empty.

I was so used to this emptiness.