The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 50

“The princess has failed to prove her worth in the given time. While there was a premise that there may not be a relic in the basement, that is no longer a concern. Now we have the answer.”

“The answer, you say.”

What he meant was that they should use Estella according to her role. Islay’s voice, leaking out between his lips, was colder than ever.

“You would follow a revelation to sacrifice the life of an innocent woman without hesitation? Your piety is deeper than I expected.”

“If sacrificing one person could save millions, I would do it as many times as needed. Because that, I believe, is the mercy of a god who watches over all.”

Padro’s voice was solemn. The priest was someone who could sacrifice even himself for the greater good, which made him capable of the most cruelty.

Islay kept his bright, glistening eyes fixed on the parchment in silence.

He needed to think rationally. It wasn’t about questioning the oracle that said to kill Stella, but rather understanding that the prophecy calling for the sacrifice of the Mind’s Eye couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere.

Where had this prophecy even originated?

Teia, the daughter of the high priest who had fallen in love with Peruno, had also possessed the Mind’s Eye.

After realizing that her enraged father had cursed her lover, Teia ran to the temple and offered her life to the gods, begging them to save Peruno.

The gods did not immediately respond. As if ignoring Teia’s prayers, they allowed Peruno and her to meet their fates. It was only generations later, through their descendants, that an answer came.

The first line of the prophecy was “retrieve the lost light.”

The Peruno bloodline believed that the “light” referenced in the prophecy was related to the ancient gem. It had originally been a powerful holy relic but had lost its light after being used in the curse.

Thus, it became the firm belief of the Peruno family that their blood must be spilled to recover the gem.

The problem was its whereabouts.

Finding the relic, which retained only traces of its divine power, was no easy task. By Islay’s time, a new oracle had been revealed, one that pertained to the Mind’s Eye.

It had seemed clear that they were meant to use the Mind’s Eye to find the relic that had become a mere shell. No one doubted it.

But now, to suddenly call for the sacrifice of the Mind’s Eye?

It sounded absurd, but upon reflecting on the past, it wasn’t as out-of-the-blue as it first seemed.

“A lost power will always seek a new master. After Teia’s sacrifice, the Mind’s Eye must have wandered for a thousand years before finding its way to the princess.”

Padro spoke cautiously, as if reading Islay’s unreadable expression.

“The sequential nature of the prophecies is proof that the gods have a plan. I believe that the last revelation was given solely to save Your Highness, the one and only among the countless Perunos.”

As someone with divine power, Padro felt a deep revulsion toward the continued inheritance of “tainted blood.”

Since the original high priest had been from the same religious order, Padro felt considerable responsibility. He could not forgive the misuse of divine power for personal grudges, nor the harm caused to innocents.

Therefore, he was genuinely determined to help Islay and restore peace to Calis. He sincerely wished for his lord to live a full life as a complete human.

Islay, more than anyone, was deeply opposed to the idea of continuing his bloodline and harbored profound self-loathing, which made him the person most desperate to bring this matter to an end.

Indeed, the person most desperate in this matter was not Padro but Islay himself, who needed to erase the misfortune inherited from his ancestors.

There was no reason for hesitation. So why was he calculating whether or not there was a way to smuggle the woman out?

“At the moment when the starlight is brightest.”

Islay’s finger, knotted at the joints, tapped a specific part of the prophecy.

“What do you think this means?”

The last prophecy stated that only by extinguishing the light within the eye at the moment when the starlight was at its brightest could the chains be broken.

The priests who had directly interpreted this passage glanced at each other. The one who spoke first was the priest most fluent in the ancient language.

“I believe it refers to the awakening of the Mind’s Eye. The ‘star’ obviously refers to the princess, and it simultaneously represents the Mind’s Eye she possesses.”

“It could also refer to a woman who has come of age. After all, Princess Largo has just reached adulthood, has she not?”

“Time is of the essence, so we should conduct the ritual within the week.”

The priests who suggested that they immediately extract the light from her eyes were sincere, without a trace of malice on their pious faces. Given the prophecy’s various alignments, they genuinely bore no ill will toward her.

Islay quietly stared at Padro through the lenses of his glasses.

Stella had mentioned that the priest from Largo who taught her to read reminded her of Padro, and she felt some level of affection toward him. How would she react if she knew he intended to offer her as a sacrifice?

“Padro, do you believe that the princess has fully manifested the Mind’s Eye?”

“…No, not yet. It’s true that she still struggles to control her power.”

“So, it’s premature to say the awakening has happened.”

Even a divine revelation was subject to human interpretation. Islay instinctively knew that this point was the one potential avenue for the woman’s escape.

At that moment, a servant silently entered the chamber, carrying drinks and glasses.

Islay recognized the innocent face of the young boy, Aiden. He was Mikel’s younger brother, the same boy who had brought Stella the white flower on the day she first saw the Millennium Tree.

The gods had said that they listen to the opinions of the pure-hearted above all others. The devout priests were undoubtedly aware of the gods’ first teaching.

“Aiden.”

A low call rang out in the still room. Aiden, who had just placed the glass on the table, lifted his head.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“When do you think a woman shines the brightest?”

At the unexpected question, the boy blinked his wide eyes. His innocent, gray eyes, so much like Mikel’s, sparkled as he quickly found an answer.

“Well… I’m not sure if my opinion is helpful, but wouldn’t it be when she receives a flower?”

“A flower, you say.”

“Yes. When a woman is given flowers by a man, she smiles the brightest. I once picked wildflowers for a girl I liked during a training session in Elrod, and she smiled brightly.”

So, Aiden confidently suggested in his youthful voice that it was when a woman received flowers that she shone the most. He spoke as if there could be no sight more beautiful than the smile of a woman who had just been given flowers.

“Do you think she would have smiled the same way if someone else had given her the flowers?”

“Umm, no…! Melissa’s beautiful smile was only for me. She only smiles like that at me.”

“I thought so.”

The boy, who had been tilting his head, obediently bowed and turned to leave at Islay’s gesture.

For a moment, a heavy silence filled the room. Everyone present understood the implication behind the sudden conversation.

Mikel, who had remained quietly in his seat, broke the silence.

“Do you believe that Princess Largo must first fall in love, Your Highness?”

“According to Aiden, that could be the case,” Islay responded lightly as he drank from the glass containing the medicinal mixture.

The potential for endless interpretations was the flaw in any prophecy. He needed to ensure that while Stella remained in the Ice Castle, no one dared to touch her.

“Estella is a woman who possesses the same Mind’s Eye as Teia. And, conveniently, here sits the descendant of Teia’s lover.”

“But, Your Highness….”

“I wonder what the wise priests think of the possibility that Princess Largo could love me.”

Cracks began to show in the resolve of the priests who had been prepared to gouge out Stella’s eyes that very day. They believed that no woman could truly love a Peruno.

A man who would transform into a monster within a year. A princess from a small nation, dragged here against her will. How could a timid, fearful woman fall in love with a hideous beast?

“However, Your Highness, it seems far-fetched to interpret ‘the brightest starlight’ as a princess in love.”

“You seem to be missing the point that the prophecy leaves room for interpretation.”

Whether it referred to a woman in love or the awakening of the Mind’s Eye, the fact that nothing was certain meant it was too early to draw conclusions. A look of concern appeared on the faces of the priests.

Islay wanted them to reach this indecision. Not only did he not want to kill the woman, but he also couldn’t send her away just yet.

He had a duty to protect the northern region, and he needed to try every possible means to dispel the shadow that had entangled him and Calis.

It was certain that Stella was the key to ending this long-standing curse. Therefore, he planned to continue using her to find the ancient gem with her eyes in the time they had left. For now, that was the best course of action.

“It seems love has already blossomed.”

At that moment, a coarse, thin voice characteristic of an elder echoed through the room. The person who limped in, leaning on a staff, was none other than the First Elder, Olena.