I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 54

The spy continued his report.

“It appears Prince Leon has been hiding in the castle under Duke Lucas’s protection. However, he acted on his own recently and joined a monster expedition. He seems to have disguised himself as a squire but when Duke Lucas was in danger, he transformed into a tiger.”

“What…? That’s absurd…”

“Very few witnessed the scene clearly.”

Duke Keaton muttered in disbelief, then declared firmly,

“You’ve brought valuable intelligence. Your family will be rewarded handsomely. Now return to the North at once. Once the plan is in motion, you’ll receive word.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After Zephar exited, Keaton walked over to the window, continuing his thoughts. Outside, the vast lands of the Theian Empire stretched beneath him.

Just a few more steps, and the Empire would be his to command. And yet… what was this?

Keaton clicked his tongue in frustration, his gaze fixed on the North. If Leon returned alive and well, Viltor’s chance would vanish completely. Leon was officially dead, and while in the North, he had to remain that way.

“No matter what it takes, he must be killed before he returns!”

Having reached his conclusion, Keaton coldly summoned his secretary. Crison arrived in a flash.

“Send a carrier pigeon to the Lord of Draco. Immediately.”

At the word Draco, Crison’s face went pale. Draco was a small territory on the southern border of the Theian Empire.

Though small, it was rumored to worship demons, and because of that, no nation dared to invade it. It was not recognized as a legitimate state, yet it was treated almost like a small independent country.

In Draco’s case, even contact with its people—be they nobles, commoners, or knights—meant facing a holy tribunal.

“If… if word gets out that you’re contacting a demon-worshipping faction…”

Crison hesitated, but Keaton flung a teapot at the wall in rage.

Crash! Porcelain shattered against the wall, and shards struck Crison’s face, drawing a line of blood. Yet Keaton didn’t so much as flinch as he spoke coldly.

“Since when do you question my orders?”

“I—I will send the message.”

Keaton clenched his fist tightly.

Killing a prince under the protection of an enemy nation would not come without cost. But opportunities like this were rare. Now that he had one, there was no room for hesitation.

“A gargoyle’s trace has been found?”

Lucas’s eyes widened at the report from the scouts. He hadn’t thought there was only one gargoyle, but for such a rare monster to appear again so soon was unexpected.

“It’s in the western region.”

That meant the Ice Forest. With plenty of daylight left, they could make it there today if they moved quickly.

Leon, listening at his side, immediately supported Lucas’s thoughts.

“We need to hurry. If it lures monsters toward the village like last time…”

“The village will be destroyed. Sion!”

“I’ll have the expedition ready at once.”

Thanks to Sion’s efficiency, preparations were swiftly completed. With the danger of a possible monster attack looming over the villages, they rode fast.

Leon, now in perfect sync with Rai, led the charge at the front. Lucas didn’t stop him. Watching from behind, Sion turned to Lucas.

“Shall I call Lord Leon back?”

“…No.”

Lucas replied without taking his eyes off Leon’s back. Sion looked startled.

“You’re letting him ride ahead alone?”

“You saw it too—how well he fights. Honestly, he might be stronger than I am.”

“Congratulations on overcoming your overprotectiveness.”

“Oh, I wasn’t that overprotective…”

Lucas’s half-hearted response was betrayed by the bright smile spreading across his face.

At the head of the group, Leon entered the forest, following the gargoyle’s trail, when he suddenly pulled on Rai’s reins and brought him to a stop. Suspicious sounds echoed from within.

Footsteps brushing against the ground, rough hide scraping against bark, branches snapping—it was a mix of sounds.

Leon’s eyes sharpened, his body tense. Just from the sound, he knew—it wasn’t just one or two creatures.

Though distance had grown between him and the other knights, he felt no fear. In fact, he was relieved that Lucas wasn’t nearby. As long as Lucas was safe, that was enough.

Rustle… slither… screech!

The eerie noise crept closer. Leon leapt from Rai’s back and, in an instant, transformed into a massive tiger. As he landed, a swarm of white-furred creatures charged at him.

They were arctic foxes, frequent in the Ice Forest. Leon raised a forepaw and let out a roar. For solitary animals to appear in a pack could only mean one thing—they had fallen under the gargoyle’s influence.

“Grrrrr… (Out of my way. I don’t have time to fight you!)”

Leon growled low, and the ground trembled. The fur of the foxes stood on end. It was the power he had awakened during the recent battle with the gargoyle.

Each time Leon swiped the air with his forepaw, foxes lunging at him were flung into the frozen pond.

“Grrr, Raaagh!!! (Come out, gargoyle!)”

He dispatched the foxes in front of him, but the gargoyle never appeared.

Some he drowned, others he tore apart with his claws, and a few he killed by sinking his teeth into their necks. One by one, their bodies piled across the snowy landscape.

At the same time, Lucas was searching for the missing Leon. He was certain Leon had gone deeper into the Ice Forest following the gargoyle’s tracks, but the forest was vast, and with no sunlight breaking through, the search proved difficult.

“Where in the world did he go?”

Lucas knew Leon was strong and could take care of himself, but anxiety gnawed at him all the same.

Had I known this, I wouldn’t have stopped Sion when he offered to bring Leon back earlier. Regret flooded him.

Just then—

“Grrr, Raaagh!”

A tiger’s roar echoed through the forest. The ground quaked, and snow fell from the trees with a thud—it was a tremendous sound.

“There he is! Head toward the roar—now!”

Lucas spurred his horse, leading the knights in pursuit of the sound.

“Screech! Kiiik!”

Strange noises echoed in the distance, fueling Lucas’s unease, but he forced himself to remain calm. This was the Ice Forest, home to arctic foxes. Even if Leon was fighting monsters, it couldn’t be more than a few.

However, as the sounds grew louder and more intense, his apprehension only deepened.

After nearly an hour of smashing through ice-covered boulders and cutting through thorny brambles, they finally heard Leon’s voice near a pond.

“May you be reborn human in your next life, and live loved.”

Hurrying toward the voice, Lucas found Leon—now in human form—offering a quiet prayer for the dead.

“Leon!”

At Lucas’s call, Leon wiped his forehead with his sleeve and smiled brightly. It was an oddly cheerful image, completely at odds with the mountain of fox corpses surrounding him and the horrified gasps of the knights who had just arrived.

Leon kicked aside a body he’d been standing on, tossing it into the pond, and ran toward Lucas.

“Luca, you found me! It must have been hard to find the path.”

Lucas began carefully inspecting Leon’s face and body. There were splatters of blood, but judging by the bluish tint, it wasn’t Leon’s. His face was unscathed—no scratches, no bruises.

Only then did Lucas exhale deeply in relief.

“You disappeared so suddenly—I was worried.”

“Oh, I only came in to follow the gargoyle’s tracks.”

“I see. The foxes, which don’t normally travel in packs, attacking like this must be the gargoyle’s doing.”

“It seems so. This path leads straight to the village. If I’d been even a little late, the villagers could’ve been attacked by the whole pack.”

As Leon finished, his eyes gleamed with subtle pride—not the same as the look of a child seeking praise, but something more mature.

It wasn’t about being praised by others—it was the quiet satisfaction that came from recognizing his own growth and having saved lives. Knowing that made Lucas’s heart swell.

“Thank you for growing up so well. You’ve become someone who saves lives, even here beside me.”

Leon gave a soft, proud smile and replied.

“Because you’re someone who saves lives, Lucas. Of course I am too. I want to become just like you.”

A deep ache stirred in Lucas’s chest—an emotion that was both joyful and bittersweet, even painful. It was a feeling he had never received from anyone before.

So this is why people raise children—this is the euphoria of watching them grow into something wonderful.

On the way back to the temporary camp, stars had already filled the night sky.

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