Once upon a time, in a certain noble’s mansion, there was a maid with long black hair.
Her black hair was supple and glossy, boasting the utmost beauty as hair, yet its length almost reached her ankles, and her face was constantly covered halfway by bangs, giving her a rather eerie appearance.
No maid serving her master, no matter how beautiful, should be allowed to have such an unsettlingly long hairstyle.
However, she was permitted to maintain her astounding super-long hair.
The reason was that although she wore the apron dress, a symbol of a maid, her true identity was that of a bodyguard protecting her master.
This bodyguard maid possessed a unique magic that allowed her to manipulate her hair at will.
She was of descent from a certain assassins clan, and as a result of an inconceivable hybrid experiment carried out in the past, she manifested a unique magic that granted her the resilience and regeneration abilities of a Hydra, but restricted to her hair.
Her black hair, infused with the formidable power of the Hydra, formed an impenetrable shield around her master in times of danger, entwining the limbs of any approaching foe, displaying excellent capability as a bodyguard.
However, she was hired to protect the only son of a certain noble not because of such abilities,
“It’s just that you have a pretty cute face, and if I’m going to be swarmed by my bodyguard all the time, I’d want someone like you.”
This was a frightfully mundane reason.
From this alone, it was clear that the son of the noble, her master, was a profoundly lecherous man.
He loved women more than three meals a day; more than extracting taxes from his subjects or receiving honors from the king, he cherished nothing more than loving beautiful women.
He loved various women: beautifully adorned noble daughters, obedient maids, alluring high-class courtesans, simple farmer’s daughters, and virtuous wives—whenever he fancied someone’s looks, he would not care about their social standing or status.
Therefore, even if this black-haired woman was an elite assassin nurtured by an assassins clan, he would have no hesitation in pursuing her, having chosen her based on her appearance.
In fact, there was no need for him to even pursue her; the maid, following her master’s orders, opened her body on the very night she was hired.
Yet, for a man who found a ruthless joy in loving women, her attitude of merely offering her body was exceedingly unsatisfactory.
Thus, he vowed deeply in his heart to genuinely court this unresponsive puppet of a bodyguard maid, to make her love him from the bottom of her heart.
He employed all the experiences he had gained with women so far, using every trick he knew to approach her.
Amidst this, someone dissatisfied with the tax rates of the territory attempted to kill him.
In her first job as a bodyguard, she maintained her typical expressionless demeanor and protected her master, strangling the assailant with her black hair.
The sight of a bodyguard maid killing a person without even twitching a brow is terrifying, yet the man was rather incensed by the thought that such a woman was ‘worth bringing down.’
As time passed, the man whispered his love to the bodyguard maid every day and indulged her body with pleasure.
One day, an assassin was sent to take the man’s life.
Again, the bodyguard maid defended her master, binding the assassin with her black hair and killing them all.
However, at this moment, the man was grazed by an arrow shot by the assassin and was slightly injured.
The moment he was wounded, the man keenly observed a slight change in the bodyguard maid’s expression; a hint of emotion appeared.
He understood that all his efforts had not been in vain; her heart, which had been as frozen as ice, was beginning to melt, albeit just a little.
Since then, the man’s advances toward the bodyguard maid intensified.
And by the time the man was assaulted for the third time, he heard her voice, tearfully expressing, “I will protect you, my master; I am afraid of losing you!”
In her tears, the bodyguard maid displayed concern for the man.
After spending years investing in her, his efforts had finally borne fruit.
From then on, the bodyguard maid no longer remained unresponsive like a puppet, responding to him with lively reactions like a girl in love.
However, that life would come to an end within a year.
“I’m getting married.”
Yes, the man’s engagement was decided.
If he were to marry someone of equal or lower status than his own, he would not have ceased his advances toward many women, including the bodyguard maid.
However, his fiancée was not merely of higher noble status; she was the daughter of royalty, a princess of the country he served.
No matter how far she was removed from the position of the first princess, the royal bloodline was absolute, and the power differential between a mid-level nobleman and royalty was immense.
It was not a case of marrying into a noble family; rather, as a mere husband, he had no hope of asserting powerful authority, and he could only follow the princess’s whims regarding his marriage.
Thus, when the future princess said, “Get rid of that creepy bodyguard,” even this black-haired woman, who had a history of saving his life three times, had to be dismissed.
“I’m sorry, but our love is eternal—”
With sweet words, the man bid farewell.
The man had a certain pride as a playboy and, whenever he broke up with a woman he had been involved with, he did so without leaving any regrets.
He thought he could gracefully end this improper relationship between a master and a bodyguard maid as well.
“Master… I will protect you!”
But the moment her black hair wrapped around his body, the man realized.
“I don’t care if she’s a princess or whatever… that woman is… an assassin attempting to tear us apart.”
She was different from the women he had been with; indeed, she was deranged.
“But it’s okay… I will protect you again…”
The black hair intertwined in layers, transforming into a coffin of black steel, closing in on him and himself.
It didn’t take long for those living in the mansion to sense the abnormality; they quickly understood that the bodyguard maid had gone mad and attacked the master.
Of course, noble soldiers immediately launched an attack to rescue the man.
However, by that point, the black coffin, which had sealed both the man and her, had enlarged to a size one would call a cage.
The protective barrier formed by her black hair could not be broken no matter how many blades were swung at it or how many thrusts were made.
Although they could slightly cut through some hair fibers, they would immediately regenerate as soon as they were cut.
Nevertheless, undeterred, the soldiers pressed on with their attacks, trying to destroy it by any means necessary.
A month passed.
In the nobleman’s mansion, the black-haired prison remained firmly in place.
She continuously ‘protected’ her master from every assault, never once releasing the binding of her black hair, keeping her beloved man encapsulated in a dark, eternal prison.
Thus, one day, the bodyguard maid inside, perhaps finally running out of strength, suddenly lost her protective barrier of black hair.
What remained were the bodies of two individuals, intertwined as if embracing, tightly bound by black hair.
The man wore a face expressing despair in death, while the woman’s expression was filled with grace, as if comforting him.
A craftsman was informed that a single strand of black hair on his palm belonged to such a woman.
Even as hair of the deceased, the beautiful black hair, which had not lost its deep luster, testified that it was composed of some material imbued with magical power, even if the story of the bodyguard maid were to be a lie.
The craftsman then created a pair of black gloves made of Hydra leather, entwined with this black hair.
Upon completing the gloves, the craftsman donned them right there and heard a voice say,
“I will protect my master.”
The next morning, the craftsman’s body was found in the workshop, wrapped tightly in hair-like fibers and strangled to death.
From that day onwards, anyone who wore the gloves met the same fate as the craftsman.
Eventually, they were referred to as the ‘Black Hair Curse “Coffin”’ and feared as cursed gloves.
It is uncertain how many lives were lost until they were sealed away as a dangerous cursed item.
Even now, when human hands can no longer reach it, she waits for a new master to appear.
With such a cursed glove,
“Shut up, listen to me.”
I silenced it with blackening, and now it perfectly fits my hands.
The feeling is so good that I almost forget I’m wearing it.
The only drawback is that sometimes I hear a woman’s voice echo in my head saying, “Master~.”
Well, that’s just something that happens with cursed items.
These wonderfully comfortable ‘Hydra leather gloves filled with a maiden’s black hair’ known as the ‘Black Hair Curse “Coffin”‘ were a gift from Lily.
By the way, I was too scared to ask the price because it was said she bought it from the luxurious shop of Moldreht Weapon Shop in the Upper District.
I also didn’t inquire how she managed to use a store in the Upper District, and it seems Lily’s secrets have increased dramatically in one day when she was doing something else.
That aside, about the gloves.
These are not just comfortable gloves; they surely have effects worthy of the curse.
“Wonderful, the strength of the ‘Shadow’ is more than doubled.”
You would understand if you see the scene before you.
In the northern forests of the Galahad Mountain Range, the massive body of a Dortus, which was just rampaging moments ago, is now tied up and immobilized by ‘Shadow’ extending from my hands.
The black wire-like ‘Shadow’ may seem unchanged at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you can see that each thin fiber is intertwined, forming a shape resembling tied black hair.
It seems that this cursed glove called the ‘Black Hair Curse “Coffin”’ enhances powers related to physically binding an opponent.
Furthermore, it has not yet been used in actual combat, but it also enhances defensive magic.
Lily’s intention in giving me this gift was not merely to increase offensive power but to boost defense and binding capabilities.
As you can see, I am not particularly adept at defensive magic compared to other test subjects, and ‘Shadow’ has actively contributed in the Cyprus battle and the Eighth Apostle Ai battle—it’s a reliable magic.
While the ‘Black Hair Curse “Coffin”’ might not offer firepower, it provides powerful support in areas other than that, realizing ideal performance as an equipment with just a single glove.
As expected of Lily, what an excellent choice, in stark contrast to my joy over buying the white smelly robe.
Now is not the time to be moved by the performance of the ‘Black Hair Curse “Coffin.”’
I am not capturing the Dortus on a whim; capturing this thing alive is the task for this quest.
“Alright, I’ll open its mouth, so you take care of the tranquilizer ball.”
“Okay!”
“Understood.”
I manipulated the several extending ‘Shadow’ from my hands, guiding them to entwine around the long trunk and tusked head of the Dortus, as if controlling a marionette.
By slowly tightening the black-haired wires gripping its upper and lower jaws, I finally exerted more force than the Dortus’s bite, causing its massive mouth to open.
“Here goes!”
“Got it!”
Two people holding softball-sized orbs shouted excitedly and tossed them into the Dortus’s mouth.
These orbs, commonly referred to as tranquilizer balls, contain a pharmaceutical substance that can powerfully paralyze monsters, though they do not take effect immediately.
Simply hitting the creature with them won’t work, but by having them ingested like this, the paralysis effect is guaranteed, essentially being capsules filled with paralysis poison.
Once the effects of the tranquilizer balls silence the monster completely, the capture will be complete; all that is left is to report to the guild via the familiar bird and hand it over to the transport team to fulfill the quest.
“Now, I’ll start setting up the restraints.”
“I’m counting on you; we can keep it tied for a while, so you don’t need to rush.”
It takes some time for the tranquilizer balls to take effect; during this period, we must keep it securely bound to avoid the risk of escape.
And even though some paralysis takes effect, we cannot afford to let our guard down; this thick rope must be used for restraint.
After all, it will take additional time for the transport team to reach the site, and we need to keep the captured prey secure during that interval.
Thus, a capture quest isn’t as simple as just defeating and claiming proof; it involves quite a lot of effort.
This is precisely why the difficulty greatly differs between subjugation and capture, even for the same monster.
“Looking at the Dortus makes me a bit hungry.”
“Yeah, it does look tasty.”
Amidst such lighthearted chatter, the first capture quest for the Element Master was a success.