The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

A curse…?

Solike wasn’t a sorcerer, but working in the information market had given him various bits of knowledge.

Curse magic was a type of forbidden sorcery, and those who cast it were subject to severe punishment. 

‘Is the reason my heart has been hurting because of that?’

Most importantly, he had heard that once someone was cursed, it was impossible to remove it without the caster’s intervention.

However, he had just killed the caster with his own hands.

The mysterious sorcerer mumbled something incomprehensible. He had never seen this sorcerer talk this much before.

After a brief pause, he pronounced Solike’s remaining lifespan. 

“If it continues like this, you will die within ten days.” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

The unexpected response seemed to fluster the sorcerer.

Solike looked down at his younger sister in his arms. During their walk here, Hailey’s body had grown colder and colder.

He had waited for a response that never came, trying to talk to her, but now he had to accept it.

That his sister had died.

“Because I’ll die today.” 

The sorcerer, perhaps realizing that Solike was serious, didn’t say anything more. Their gaze turned towards Hailey.

“Go back.”

Solike passed by them and entered the information store building. He gently placed Hailey in the rocking chair where he often sat.

She looked peaceful, as if she were asleep.

He went to the cupboard and retrieved a wooden box.

Inside the box, bottles containing poison and antidotes were lined up side by side.

Solike slowly consumed the poison and, staggering, returned to Hailey’s side. Sitting on the floor next to the rocking chair, he held Hailey’s hand.

“Don’t wait any longer.” 

She didn’t need to ask when he would come back next. They would always be together from now on.

“I’ll be back soon.”

With those words, a deep drowsiness washed over him.

Solike had a dream. It was similar to the afterlife he had wished for, but upon closer reflection, it was a dream that faithfully reproduced his memories from the past.

A warm, sunny day. Solike held Hailey’s hand as they strolled along the riverbank leisurely.

Hailey, whose condition had improved, was excited and chatted away. 

-I wish every day were like today. My older brother would take me for a walk…

Holding her small hand, Solike replied,

-Once this is all over, I’ll take a vacation.

-Really?

Seeing Hailey so happy, Solike couldn’t help but smile too.

-Once I’m better, I want to volunteer.

-Volunteer? For what?”

-Because there will be kids who are sicker than me. I want to help.

Solike gently patted his kind-hearted sister on the head.

-That’s a good idea. We’ll make your favorite meat stew today.

A clear laughter resonated softly.

It was a dream he didn’t want to wake up from, but Hailey, smiling, sent him back to reality.

-Do your job well! See you later.

Solike slowly opened his eyelids.

He turned his head at the vivid voice. The sorcerer he had seen earlier was standing there. 

‘No way…’

Solike spotted the bottle of antidote placed at his bedside and shouted. 

“What have you done?!” 

He cursed at them for saving his life. 

“I released the curse while you were asleep.” 

“…What?” 

How could the curse be lifted when the caster was dead…

It was unbelievable, and he was about to refute it, but he no longer felt the sensation of his heart being squeezed. The place where he had lost his eyesight had also completely lost the pain.

Dumbfounded, Solike looked at them. 

“I barely managed to break the curse before it took hold.” 

They seemed casual as if it were nothing. 

“But I could’n help with your eye. Still, I used an effective medicine, so you won’t feel any more pain.” 

“…Don’t act like you did me a favor. When did I ask you to break the curse?!” 

He knew he was venting his frustration for no reason, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Furious, Solike burst into tears. 

“I had such a good dream…” 

He blamed them for waking him up. 

“What kind of dream?” 

“…A dream where I was with my sister.” 

Solike answered obediently, but he suddenly wondered if it was the antidote that had caused him to dream.

It was like the dream he had desired, almost as if it had been shown to him intentionally.

He asked the sorcerer, who was as cunning as a fox:

“What did you feed me?” 

“A potion that lets you dream of the happiest moment in your life.”

In response to the question, Solike couldn’t say anything for a moment.

He slowly recollected the dream he had just had. Although he hadn’t kept the promise to take a vacation, he remembered everything Hailey had said.

Where he should go and what he should do when she recovered… 

“Shouldn’t we hold a funeral for your sister?” 

The casually thrown question left Solike stunned.

People in the Empire believed that holding a funeral properly would ensure a good afterlife. 

He was struck by the fact that he had been willing to abandon Hailey and die because he couldn’t bear his grief.

Solike made up his mind to hold Hailey’s funeral. He could die afterward.

It was a solemn funeral, but there were no mourners.

He had planned to quietly hold it by himself, but the sorcerer showed up at the funeral. And for the first time, they removed their hood and paid their respects.

As expected, the sorcerer was a woman. She appeared young enough that one might wonder if she had even reached adulthood, and she looked like a noble girl from a good family. 

“My name is Laria Rohan. I’d prefer to keep my identity hidden, as always.” 

“…Why are you suddenly being so formal?” 

“Well, then, let’s go back to how it was.” 

Laria shrugged as if she had used formal language just to avoid being disrespectful.

Solike was left wondering how to proceed after the funeral. Once he had actually held the funeral, he felt the need to stay alive.

He wanted to fulfill Hailey’s wishes with his own hands.

Solike visited the places his sister had wanted to go, one by one. After a long journey, he began emptying his entire fortune to help sick children.

Slowly but surely, Solike started to recover.

Occasionally, when he was overwhelmed by deep sadness, Laria gave him the potion. After dreaming of being with his family, he resolved to keep living. They would want him to.

After some time, when he asked why she had helped him, Laria replied with just one thing. 

“Transactions. There was no other place besides here that would accept deals without revealing my identity.” 

Although he had made a risky transaction because of money, Solike had never expected it to unfold like this.

Before leaving the information market, Laria tossed out a comment. 

“So, live a long life.”

* * *

Recalling his past memories, Solike wiped his face with his palm. Laria, who had been watching him with concern, asked:

“Solike, are you okay?” 

“…Yeah,” Solike nodded slowly.

He had sent the child after obtaining enough information, but he still seemed to be suffering from the aftereffects.

It had only been a few years, and the child looked remarkably like Hailey.

Laria, who knew about Solike’s past, decided it would be best to leave him alone to process his emotions for now. Zenox also seemed to sense this and didn’t ask what was going on. 

After regaining his composure, Solike made some speculations based on the information he had discovered. 

“From observing for a month, there have been no people leaving the village.” 

Only those sent by the Sorcery Office had been seen around, but there hadn’t been any villagers leaving. 

“But I heard there have been reports of people recently looking for work and leaving the village…” 

“So, they might be inside the village without actually leaving.” 

Zenox immediately grasped Solike’s point. Of course, no one knew if they were alive or dead.

Laria looked around the village.

The village was small, and she couldn’t see any place that could accommodate so many people at once. Likewise, as Solike surveyed the surroundings, he muttered:

“Where could they have hidden the people?” 

A place to hide noise and the smell of blood.

Laria spoke up. 

“…The mines.”