The Blackened Second Male Lead’s Wife - Chapter 73

Seeing that, I became furious.

‘Hey, grandpa. Lucian is not a devil. Stop talking about him like that!’

I really wanted to fight him, and I was barely able to hold it in until I saw Carlix’s face next to me. 

‘Don’t get too worked up. Are you going to mess things up for us?’

Carlix’s eyes warned me.

I breathed deeply and calmed my mind. 

Right. Estelle said that the old man knows how to turn Lucian back. 

I have to calm down and listen to the old man by all means.

The old man said. 

“I kept the ‘item’ for this day. I’ll give it to the saintess, so please use it to exterminate the devil.” 

What the old man took out from deep inside the closet and held out to Estelle was a silver necklace.

* * *

We came out of the old man’s house. 

I looked at the silver necklace in Estelle’s hand and said. 

“What’s that?” 

“This is…” 

Estelle looked at the silver necklace with a bitter face and said. 

“There’s a place I want to go with Miss Nia before I explain anything.”

“Where?”

“Where Lucian lived as a child.” 

“…..”

I nodded with a stiff face. 

The place where Estelle guided me was far from the village. 

In a deserted area, there was an old abandoned house that looked like it would collapse at any moment. 

Entering through the door, I frowned. 

Dust was piled up on the floor, and the windows were dangling, barely intact. 

Bowls and dishes that had been on an old table were rolling around on the ground.

Even after taking into account that this place had not been maintained for a long time, it did not look habitable.

Carlix also frowned as he blocked his nose. 

“A trashcan can be cleaner than this. Did Kardien grow up in this kind of place?” 

Estelle shook her head. 

“This is not the place.” 

“What?” 

“That’s where I found Lucian.” 

“…..”

I went to the place Estelle pointed to, Carlix’s head turned.

On one side of a small house, there was a warehouse with an open entrance. 

And there was a staircase that went down. 

Carlix said.

“It’s the cellar.” 

In some imperial mansions, a cellar was built under the ground.

But it was only to store goods. 

It wasn’t a place for people to live. 

‘No way…’ 

I went down the stairs with Estelle with a stiff face. Carlix followed from behind us.

Arriving in the basement, I groaned. 

In the small, dark space where no light came in, there were traces of people living……no, traces of people being trapped here. 

There was a chain, which was used to prisoners, hanging on the wall, and several moldy bowls on the floor. 

And there were some shabby clothes piled up in a corner. 

I covered my mouth at the bleak sight. Carlix also muttered a swear word.

“What is this? It’s like a prison.”

Estelle said with her eyes downcasted. 

“That’s right. It’s a prison. When I first met Lucian, he was trapped here. He was bounded to the chains and his freedom was taken.” 

“….!” 

I had known about this because I read the original novel.

That Lucian had been abused by the villagers ever since he was born. 

However, what I had in my head was different from what I saw with my own eyes. 

I couldn’t breathe because it felt like my chest was being cut. 

Seeing my distorted face, Estelle took out the silver necklace she received from the old man. 

“This was the necklace that was hung on Lucian’s neck at the time.” 

Estelle began telling me what happened here 10 years ago. 

* * *

Twelve-year-old Estelle was traveling around the empire with priests for missionary work. 

The kind of place she usually went to were rural villages where it was difficult to be blessed by priests because there were no temples. 

One of them was this small village in the mountain valley.

This village was built a long time ago by devout believers. 

The villagers were greatly pleased with the appearance of the young saintess. 

In particular, the village chief, who protected the village from generation to generation, was greatly honored.

“It’s a great honor to meet the saintess. Please spread the will of God to us who are lacking.” 

His sincere hospitality warmed Estelle’s heart.

Estelle was guided by a girl with pigtails. 

“I’m Susan, and I’m in charge of guiding you while you’re here. I look forward to working with you.” 

Estelle walked around the village with Susan to take care of people. 

She healed the sick, comforted those who struggled, and prayed for those who wished for God’s protection. 

Although they were poor, their hearts for God were full of faith and pure. 

So Estelle worked even harder. 

Then, one day. 

Estelle found a small house at the entrance of the village. 

“Does anyone live there?” 

Susan, who always answered Estelle’s words kindly, said with a serious expression. 

“T-The saintess don’t have to be concerned with that place.” 

“…… ” 

Her answer was weird.

To say that she doesn’t have to be concerned about whether there are people in that house.

Estelle was young but brilliant.

Especially when people are trying to hide something from her.

Estelle headed to the small house ignoring Susan’s discouragement. 

The dusty house didn’t seem to be inhabited. 

However, on the dusty floor, there were footprints scattered all around.

Estelle walked along the footprints. 

The place where she arrived was a small cellar. 

She stepped inside the stuffy room. The first thing she noticed was the fishy smell. 

Although young, Estelle, who had seen numerous sick people, knew what this smell was. 

It was the smell of blood.

Estelle furrowed her eyebrows and brought the lamp she was holding forward. 

Estelle’s eyes widened when she saw what the light revealed.

On the dark and damp floor, a child was lying on the floor. 

And there was red blood on the floor where the child lay. 

“Oh my god!” 

Estelle was surprised and approached the child. 

Estelle, holding the child in her arms, furrowed her eyebrows. 

The child’s front was dyed bright red. And the hem of his clothes was neatly cut like it was cut with a knife. 

Someone must have cut the child’s body with a sharp weapon.

‘Who would do such an evil thing…’

Estelle hurriedly tore the child’s clothes to examine his condition in more detail. 

Soon after, Estelle looked even more shocked. 

‘He doesn’t have any wounds?!’

The child’s skin under the blood-soaked clothes was clean. 

As if the wound had disappeared. 

‘Did someone with the same ability as me treat it? Or… did he treat it himself?’ 

While thinking about what the hell was going on, Estelle’s eyes shined with determination

This isn’t time to be thinking about this. 

There aren’t any visible wounds, but it would be absurd to leave a child in a place like this. 

She had to help the unconscious child.

Ching.

She heard the sound of metal hitting metal.

Only then did Estelle see a long chain connected to the child’s neck. 

And the end of the rough chain was firmly attached to the wall. 

“…….!” 

At that moment, Estelle’s calm face crumbled.

‘Did they lock the child up here? With a chain that is used to hold down fierce animals?’

Susan approached Estelle, who was trembling with shock. Susan said with a worried face. 

“S-Saintess, come on out. Although you are the saintess, if you’re too close to it, the curse may spread. Because he’s a devil.” 

“…….” 

‘Devil.’ 

Susan referred to the bloody child as such.

Her eyes showed no concern or sympathy for the child. 

There was only contempt and fear. 

Estelle rushed to the chief. 

To untie the necklace on the child’s neck. The chief is the only one who can untie the necklace with a special device. 

The chief, who greeted Estelle with a bright face without knowing what happened, changed his tone when he heard Estelle. 

“I saw a child locked up in the cellar. I don’t know what happened, but it’s a crime to lock up a child in such a place. Please release the child as soon as possible.” 

The chief shook his head. 

“No, I can’t do that.”

“I heard about it. The child has red eyes and was purposefully locked up in such a place. But it’s just an old myth that a person with red eyes is a devil.”

The less educated, the more isolated the countryside, and the more faithful they were, the more they hated the devil. 

Estelle saw many of such people.

She thought it was just a simple belief they held.

She believed that the chief would change his mind if the saintess persuaded him. 

However, instead of complying with Estelle’s words, the chief spoke with a troubled face. 

“You’re only saying that because you aren’t fully aware. He’s a real devil.” 

Estelle was speechless hearing what he said next. 

“He killed a man three years ago at the age of seven! …The man he killed was my son.” 

“……!” 

Estelle’s breathing became irregular. 

The chief spoke with a face full of anguish. 

“The necklace conceals the power of the devil. It’s a sacred object that has been passed down in this village for generations. So don’t touch it carelessly. You must not let the devil loose.” 

Returning to the present and to Estelle’s adult form, her face contained a mix of emotions.

“I didn’t fully believe what the chief said at the time. I didn’t feel any ominous power from Lucian at that time. I thought it was an exaggerated story because the whole village didn’t want to be accused of abusing a child.” 

“…..”

“So I fervently demanded that the child be released. When the priests also started to demand Lucian’s release, the chief was forced to untie Lucian’s necklace. That’s how Lucian was able to get out of here.”

I thought I knew a lot about Lucian. 

But I didn’t. 

This is my first time hearing of the cruel past he had. 

I couldn’t say anything and bit my lips with a pale face. 

Carlix looked at me and asked Estelle. 

“So? Is the necklace really effective?” 

“The chief said Lucian…” 

Estelle, who stopped talking for a while, continued. 

“He said that when he kills someone, a force of power will emerge in him which makes him no longer a human. But, with this necklace on, the force disappears. I think this necklace is a holy grail that purifies the power of the devil. I’ll have to do more research to know for sure.”

I gulped.

It was hard to bring up, but I had to confirm this one detail. 

“…Is it true that Lucian killed a person when he was young?”