The Dragon’s Obsession with Water is Difficult - Chapter 91
Episode 91
Those consumed by a curse share the consciousness of its caster.
Thergon, whose mind was gradually overtaken by the curse, found himself sharing the consciousness of a reckless and foolish dark sorcerer.
[How absurd, for someone like me, Thergon Drenihan, to be subdued by such a wretch.]
The dark sorcerer whose mind Thergon shared frequented gambling dens, always taking a seat at the blackjack table.
He would use tricks to manipulate the cards, grinning shamelessly before the impoverished victims who lost their wealth to him.
It had already been a week since Thergon found himself trapped in the consciousness of this dark sorcerer, who people called “Roil.”
Despite the powerful curse that would have killed an ordinary human, Thergon’s body persisted, barely holding onto life.
However, he was well aware that this would not last much longer.
The dark sorcerer had been boasting about it, as if it were a badge of honor.
[It’s almost over. You won’t last another week.]
[Well, good work.]
After receiving payment in the form of gold cards and coins from Marquis Avon, Roil packed his belongings and left.
Unsurprisingly, he headed straight for the gambling dens of Deveris Street.
Even as Thergon seethed over Marquis Avon’s betrayal, his consciousness grew fainter.
His body, devoid of will, could no longer function properly, and even his soul, tethered to Roil, was fading.
Sensing the end, Thergon felt an unfamiliar wave of regret—something he had never expected to feel when faced with death.
[I should have been more affectionate.]
He wasn’t speaking of his two sons.
[She asked me to attend the New Year’s banquet with her next year. Tsk.]
What lingered in his thoughts was Sierra.
But what use was regret for things that had already passed? All he could do was blame his clumsy way of expressing himself.
Still, there was one thing he felt he had done right.
[I love you.]
Before leaving for the New Year’s banquet, he had told Sierra those words. He was certain they had reached her.
The memory of Sierra’s wide-eyed surprise at hearing them made him smile.
If only he could see her one last time. He couldn’t help but wish for it.
“Isn’t there anyone brave enough to challenge me? Or are you all too scared?”
Roil, continuing his winning streak, shouted while scanning the crowd.
In that moment, Thergon thought he caught a fleeting glimpse of a girl buried among the crowd.
[…Sierra?]
It was such a brief moment that it could have been a trick of the eye, but it felt as though he had locked eyes with someone who had pink irises.
He dismissed it as a hallucination born of longing. But when a man stepped up to challenge Roil, staking his entire fortune, Thergon began to think it might not have been an illusion.
The challenger who appeared in response to Roil’s provocation was none other than Ludwig Karsian.
Disguised in a way that fooled Roil, Ludwig’s identity was unmistakable to Thergon.
[Could it be…?]
All curses end with the death of the caster, including the one that had ensnared Thergon.
But over the past week, Thergon had held no hope that anyone would uncover the truth about the curse.
It had been a meticulously planned conspiracy. Even the physicians had attributed his condition to an illness brought on by old age. Who could have suspected anything unusual?
[So that’s what I thought….]
The moment he realized Ludwig and Sierra were present, everything began to look like a premeditated plan.
Unable to accept his defeat, Roil fled to an isolated alley, only to encounter an unexpected figure.
“Huh? Wait, is that… Sierra Drenihan?”
“What’s with calling someone ‘that’?”
It wasn’t an illusion after all.
His last, uncharacteristic wish to see his granddaughter one more time had come true.
Sierra was here.
And there could only be one reason why she had come looking for Roil.
It was for him—Thergon.
After an intense exchange of blows, Ludwig’s sword finally pierced Roil.
At the same moment, Thergon’s consciousness was freed from Roil at last.
* * *
I headed straight to the Drenihan estate.
Had it really worked? Was he awake now?
A mix of anticipation and anxiety churned within me.
When I arrived at the mansion, I immediately rushed to the patriarch’s bedroom.
Panting, I climbed the stairs, only to find the hallway crowded with people. However…
The servants were in tears, and some of the distant relatives present were dressed in black.
Among them, Marquis Avon stood, shedding crocodile tears.
“…No way.”
Had we failed? How could this be?
My legs gave out, and I collapsed on the spot.
My vision blurred, and tears welled up against my will.
“Ugh…”
It was because I had realized too late. That’s why…
The growing murmurs of astonishment around me gradually spread, but I couldn’t pay them any mind.
All I could see were the tears falling to the floor.
“Why are you sitting there like that?”
Then, a familiar voice reached me as a long shadow cast over me.
“Who dares to make you cry?”
The playful tone with a hint of laughter made me slowly lift my head.
There, kneeling and meeting my gaze, was my grandfather.
I could even feel his large hand awkwardly patting my head.
“…Grandfather?”
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Was I seeing things? He had been—
“Good heavens, Your Grace! You shouldn’t be moving around like this so soon!”
Grandfather’s aide, Alex, rushed over with a worried expression.
“I told you, I’m fine now. How many times must I say it?!”
“But still—!”
I wasn’t the only one staring in astonishment.
Everyone in the hallway looked equally shocked to see my grandfather standing there, looking as healthy as ever.
“What are you all doing here, scaring the child?”
With his help, I awkwardly stood up from the floor.
A servant hesitated before bowing and speaking up.
“Well, um… when His Grace, Alex, and several physicians all rushed into the patriarch’s chamber…”
“What, so you assumed I was dead?”
“That’s not what I meant—!”
The most visibly horrified of them all was Marquis Avon, who stood among the distant relatives.
My grandfather approached him and said, “You must have rushed over here as well, didn’t you? As if you’d been waiting for it.”
“N-No! We came out of genuine concern—”
“Dressed in black, no less. Tsk, tsk… Such a pity, Marquis. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Marquis Avon’s face turned pale as a sheet. Beside him, Baron Jetrin also looked utterly incredulous.
At that moment, my father appeared with knights in tow, cutting through the crowd.
“Arrest the traitors.”
At his signal, the knights moved swiftly to seize Marquis Avon and Baron Jetrin.
“What is the meaning of this?! Traitors, you say?!”
“How dare you accuse those who came out of concern for His Grace!”
Their crocodile tears vanished, replaced by indignant shouting as they struggled against the knights.
But it didn’t last long.
“Grrk… ugh!”
Both men were suddenly choked by a fierce torrent of water that appeared out of nowhere.
They writhed in agony, but it was futile.
“Fools. Do you truly not understand the significance of my awakening?” My grandfather’s voice was filled with disdain.
The two men flinched, terror dawning on their faces.
“From this moment, the houses of Marquis Avon and Baron Jetrin are expelled from Drenihan’s protection.”
“…!”
This declaration meant their families were being stripped of their status as part of Drenihan’s vassals.
“W-What is the meaning of this?”
“Expelling two families without warning—what is going on?”
The other relatives were bewildered, but my father stepped forward to answer.
“Marquis Avon and Baron Jetrin sought to assassinate the patriarch using forbidden magic.”
“…!”
“Is that… true?!”
Released from the water’s grasp, the marquis and the baron collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
They knew it as well.
Thergon’s awakening meant their conspiracy had been exposed.
“B-But how… No, evidence! You have no evidence!”
“That’s right! Think of how loyal the marquis and I have been to Drenihan. We would never commit such a heinous act!”
Still attempting to feign innocence, they shouted their protests. That was when I stepped forward.
“Lady Drenihan, please step aside! This is a matter for adults to handle—”
I slapped the marquis across the face.
Smack!
The sound echoed down the hallway, and his head snapped to the side.
“W-What the…?!”
“I am not a lady. I am the heir to Drenihan, the young duke. Shall we start by addressing your disrespect?”
