Adele hesitated even after uttering the words. She seemed worried that she may have been too rash with her words.

She sensed that the healer, as an outsider who would soon depart, would provide her with the most honest information out of anyone.

“Please tell me anything, it’s alright.”

She opened her palm with the silver coin placed on it, signifying that she was lending an ear. The healer’s face brightened as he pocketed the silver.

“Exactly twenty-two years ago from now, there were rumors that ‘it’ had appeared. I was seven years old at the time, so I remember it clearly.”

“……”

“Perhaps, have you ever heard of the Nassau family, Your Highness?”

“Nassau? The… family that fell from grace, you mean?”

The healer nodded deeply, as if guessing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say – that the head of the family had gone mad.

“About a hundred years ago, they were a family as powerful as Ansgar. If a third of Bitzleben belonged to Ansgar, another third belonged to Nassau. Linzingen and Schleicher… couldn’t even compare.”

“I’ve heard. They were very great indeed.”

“They say a madman was born into that family, skipping generations. Some say it was an ancient curse, while others claimed madness flowed in their blood.”

Adele knew the story up to this point as well. As much as the Nassau were powerful, there were also countless rumors about the family. Even if it was a family that had perished before she was born.

“When the Duke and Duchess of Nassau passed away at a young age, the family was left with only young siblings. The boy, although the rightful heir by order, couldn’t be raised as the successor due to his madness. However, he was said to be exceptionally smart and well-behaved from a young age.”

The healer’s voice gradually lowered, like a fire burning out its last log. Like the ominous and ill-fated shadows cast over the castle.

“His speech was proper, his actions and manners were flawless, so even those who doubted his qualifications eventually supported him to become the head of the family. Then one day…”

“……”

“He suddenly went mad, they say.”

The healer’s voice grew clearer as he traced back his memories. As if going back to that time, summoning that era as reality rather than memory…

Adele realized that at some point, Grita’s trembling in her arms had ceased. The person who used to tremble in fear no matter what, was now intently listening to the healer’s voice as if chewing on her final fury.

“It was a disaster. If they had known from the beginning that he was a madman, they would have somehow prevented the succession, but by the time he revealed his true colors, he was already seated as the head of the family.”

“The reason… was it discovered?”

“They say he was bewitched by some pagan priest. He bought all sorts of eccentric items, offerings, and held pagan rituals. Later, when he ran out of money, he took the family seal and heirlooms and sold them all. Rumor has it, that head was searching for a ‘dragon’. Ah, thank you…”

The healer looked around for a moment as if his throat was dry. When Adele hurriedly poured a glass of water and handed it to him, he gratefully received it and drank. Soon, wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand, he continued.

“Where was I? Ah, yes. The fall came overnight, they say.”

“The fall, you say?”

“No one knows what happened that morning. However, in less than half a day, every person in that castle died.”

“…They all died at once?”

Adele’s green eyes widened. Even for her, this was the first time hearing such a story. History taught that a terrible plague had swept through Nassau Castle.

“Is that really true?”

“My teacher was on a pilgrimage in Linzingen at the time. He was urgently called for support… He said he had never seen such a bizarre sight in his life. The corpses had no signs of damage, not even traces of blood.”

The healer shuddered as if he had experienced it himself.

“What was even stranger was that they all had peaceful expressions as if they had met death unknowingly. He said there were pale corpses scattered here and there in the castle, like fish dried in the sun.”

It was a terrible story. Adele took a moment to catch her breath.

“…Were there no survivors at all?”

“Even including the servants who had left the castle, there would be less than ten people. There were no confirmed survivors who were inside the castle when the tragedy occurred. Well, there is one crazy fellow who claims so…”

“Who is that?”

“When I was young, we called him the Mad Couke, a beggar near Linzingen Castle. Whether he was crazy from before or really went mad after seeing something then…”

“……”

“Anyway, it was an incident that caused a stir at the time, with people saying the dragon of Bitzleben had appeared, as it was a rather inexplicable event. Later, when the Schleicher family swallowed half of Nassau’s land as a reward, there were also rumors that they had poisoned the well to devour Nassau.”

“…That man, could he still be alive?”

“Who? Couke?”

“I’d like to meet him once.”

The healer made an ‘oops’ expression at Adele’s words. It seemed he regretted saying too much unnecessary things. He scratched the back of his head.

“Even if you find him, you won’t be able to hear much. His madness worsened over time, and eventually he was imprisoned in the underground of some monastery.”

Adele stared at him blankly and placed two more silver coins on the side table.

“Where is the location of that monastery?”

“Oh my, how would I know…”

She silently took out three more silver coins and stacked them on top of the coins. The healer hurriedly pocketed the coins while clearing his throat. The tower’s research always required a vast amount of money.

“I don’t know why you’re looking for Couke, but there was only one thing he kept saying when he was still somewhat sane.”

“……”

“If a real ‘dragon’ had infiltrated among us, the livestock would be the first to notice, he said. He always babbled such nonsense about carefully observing if any animals were behaving strangely. Anyway…”

The healer hesitated until the end, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“I only heard it was a temple in Schleicher territory. He resisted until the end, saying he was a dead man if he went to that land.”

“A temple in Schleicher territory…”

“If it has an underground prison, the scale must be quite large. That was already five years ago, so he’s probably dead by now. Even if he’s alive, it’s unlikely to have a normal conversation with him.”

Adele sighed in frustration. It felt like she had completely lost her only lead. Was there no other way? If she could gain access to the library of the West Tower, she might be able to find more information…

As she anxiously pondered, she was startled by the healer’s fake cough.

“Ah, I took too much of your time. Here.”

Adele placed a pouch full of gold coins on the table. It was forty-five gold coins, a week added to two days.

Although it was cheap for the price of personally employing a healer, he too had undergone an experience he couldn’t have anywhere else in the past two days, so the calculation was roughly even.

The healer brightened and carefully placed some medicinal ingredients on the side table from his bag.

“The curse will gradually lift as the monster’s power weakens. Then her voice will return as well.”

“Will it really?”

“Since it’s not a physical problem. Above all, regaining psychological stability is the priority. Have her frequently boil and drink that herbal medicine.”

“…What if the monster’s power doesn’t weaken?”

“Then it may take a bit longer, but it’s not a life-threatening curse in the first place. She will eventually recover. Rather… I originally wasn’t going to interfere, but there’s something that concerns me.”

“Something concerning?”

“Your Highness. Could you extend your hand for a moment? With your palm facing up.”

Adele hesitated for a moment.

Adele hesitated as she reached out her hand. Even if he was a healer, he was still an outside man. If Adele were an ordinary noble lady, touching her body without permission could have cost him his wrist.

Fortunately, the healer did not grab Adele’s hand, but examined it very closely. She could see his brows furrowing as if pondering something.

“Have you ever been gravely ill as a child?”

“As a child? Such memories, not particularly…”

“And you’ve never stayed at a temple?”

“…A priest who was close to my mother regularly came to check on my health, but I don’t have such memories.”

“Hmm. Strange.”

The healer stroked his stubbled chin. Adele looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“I’m a bit sensitive to these things because I have a somewhat unique constitution. Unlike His Highness the Grand Duke whose body hardly has any divine power, Your Highness’s body seems to have divine power, but it doesn’t flow smoothly. As if suppressed by something. I definitely feel a strong power, but…”

“Po-Power, you say?”

“Actually, I’m not sure if it’s divine power or something else. Perhaps, I may have just felt it wrong.”

He said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Sometimes that happens when I’m tired. My teacher would be much better at examining it than me…”

“……”

“Well, there’s probably no chance, but if you have occasion to visit Falkenheim, please look for Würgen at the Dawn Tower. That’s my name.”

Adele nodded absentmindedly. Würgen bowed his head and grabbed the doorknob as if to leave the room. Adele hastily called out to him.

“Würgen.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“You must keep everything you’ve seen and heard here confidential. From His Highness the Grand Duke’s condition to our conversation just now, all of it.”

“Ah, of course. I will consider everything I’ve seen, heard and said here to have never happened.”

Adele nodded, and Würgen pulled his hood down deeply.

“Then, Your Highness. I look forward to seeing you again in the future.”

* * *

“Y-Your Highness.”

As Adele opened the door and entered the stable, the stable hand jumped up from his chair in a fluster. He bowed politely to Adele, his face half-pale. He smiled almost groveling.

“Oh my, what brings you all the way here…”