Saving My Childhood Friend Through... Questionable Means... - Chapter 1
“Uuugh…”
The bedroom of Lucas Loren, the young household head of the Loren Duchy.
Inside the canopy bed adorned with elegant curtains, Duke Lucas lay pale-faced, drenched in cold sweat and groaning in agony. His illness had begun two weeks after his return from the war against the demons, where he had served as a Holy Knight.
At first, it seemed like nothing more than a mild fever accompanied by occasional coughing. However, the cough worsened, and soon he appeared to be on the brink of death.
Strangely, his condition would dramatically improve at night, as though he had never been ill. Lucas would appear perfectly fine during the night but collapse again during the day in a repetitive cycle.
At first, it was suspected that the aftereffects of war had caused a grave illness. However, his personal physician shook his head, unable to identify any cause. It was an inexplicable ailment beyond the reach of conventional medicine—a sickness that afflicted him during the day and left him healthy at night.
As Lucas’s condition rapidly deteriorated, a shadow of despair hung over the ducal household. In the end, they resorted to summoning a renowned sorcerer in a desperate bid for a solution.
The sorcerer, cloaked in a gray mantle, approached the bed alongside his secretary and childhood friend, Seria.
Seria, a woman with shimmering silver hair tinged with blue and striking amethyst eyes, gave off a cool impression. Yet, contrary to her appearance, she was gentle by nature. Her father had been a close friend and loyal retainer of the former Duke.
After her father’s death on the battlefield, Seria was raised with the support of the Loren household, thanks to the generosity of the late Duke. When Lucas came of age a few years ago, the previous Duke and Duchess perished unexpectedly in a carriage accident. Lucas had no time to grieve and was quickly burdened with the title of Duke.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Seria became Lucas’s secretary, assisting him as both a retainer and a friend. She often comforted him with heartfelt sincerity during his moments of sorrow.
By age, Seria should have long been married and left the ducal household, but having yet to find a suitable match, she remained, assisting Lucas as both his secretary and close companion.
Her clear violet eyes watched the sorcerer, who examined Lucas with a worried expression.
“This is… troubling.”
“What is it?” Seria asked.
“Well… I regret to inform you, but it seems the Duke has been cursed by an incubus.”
At the sorcerer’s shocking words, Seria gasped audibly. Cursed by an incubus? Wasn’t that a type of demon that affects dreams?
“An incubus? Do you mean a dream demon?”
“Yes, exactly. The Duke has been afflicted by an incubus’s curse, and conventional medicine won’t cure him. This curse… it’s difficult to even explain.”
“Please, tell me. What happens under this curse?”
After hesitating for a moment and clearing his throat awkwardly, the sorcerer finally spoke, compelled by Seria’s desperate expression.
“Well… don’t think poorly of what I’m about to say. For the Duke to be cured of this curse, he must… he must… form a relationship with a virgin.”
“A virgin…?”
Seria furrowed her brow in confusion.
“Yes,” the sorcerer continued, wiping his face with his hands as if to clear his embarrassment. “To put it plainly, the Duke must be with a woman who has never known a man.”
Seria’s eyes widened in shock as the meaning sank in. Barely able to maintain her composure, she asked if there was another way. However, the sorcerer grimaced and shook his head solemnly.
As the full weight of his words hit her, Seria clenched her fists, swallowing her shock, and begged for more details on how to break the curse.
Without Lucas, the ducal household would collapse. More than that, she couldn’t bear the thought of losing the childhood friend she had grown up with.
‘If I can save Lucas, I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means using forbidden arts. I knew something ominous would happen when he left for the crusade.’
Seria recalled the day Lucas decided to join the holy war.
When Lucas inherited the title, distant relatives of the Loren family sought to seize the family’s wealth and enterprises.
Claiming Lucas was too young to handle the responsibilities of the Duke, they petitioned the Emperor to distribute the Loren family’s assets among the branches of the family. If this happened, Lucas Loren would become a powerless puppet of a Duke.
The Emperor initially intended to refuse, but Lucas boldly declared he would prove his worth by achieving great deeds befitting his rank.
Despite the warnings of those around him, including Seria, who pleaded with him not to go to war without an heir, Lucas refused to yield.
Amid widespread concerns, Lucas departed for the crusade and ultimately returned as a celebrated hero.
Having risked his life in service of the Empire, no one dared dispute his succession to the Duke’s responsibilities. In fact, no one could, as his victory over the demons proved his strength surpassed that of ordinary men.
Though his position was now firmly established, he had unwittingly fallen victim to a terrible curse.
And if rumors spread that the Duke was gravely ill, the consequences would be dire.
