How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

Why did this appear in Hezekia right now? While the future could be twisted by the things I had done, it made no sense for the location and timing of a natural disaster to change.

“Your Highness, Grand Consort, Your Highness!”

Perhaps because I looked unstable standing there frozen in a daze, Wilhelm urgently called out to me. Thanks to him, I was barely able to break free from my chaotic thoughts. I hurriedly stood up.

“We must go to the fields at once. Guide me to where the unusual signs are visible.”

Behind me, Chief Butler Wilhelm, his son Walter, Lord Mildred, and the soldiers quickly followed.

However, there was no need to go far. Not long after we galloped on our horses, we ended up confronting the sight of the far side of the sky already staining pitch black.

Pushing in like dark clouds from the southern sky, a swarm of locusts covered even the sun. The blue sky of Hezekia darkened in real time before my eyes. Before long, the air was entirely filled with dense darkness, and an eerie shadow cast over the ground where I stood.

The wheat fields that used to gleam in a golden hue lost their color in an instant. The crops on the verge of harvest were ruthlessly trampled and torn away.

Despair-filled screams and wails erupted from among the estate residents who had flocked over.

“No, our field…”

“Stop, please stop!”

The sound of the locusts’ wings whipping up all at once resonated like a roaring boom through the sky and earth. The bleak and gloomy noise sounded just like the world collapsing down. Right then, a long and harsh wind whipped up from the distant field.

Part of the locust swarm was swept into the storm that had suddenly blown in. Before long, they moved like a vortex in midair, and soon began to rain down directly over the heads of the residents and us.

“U- Uaaah!”

“What, what on earth is all this…”

“Evacuate, quickly!”

A suffocating terror pressed down upon my whole body. Unable to move an inch, I absentmindedly stared at the gargantuan swarm of locusts pouring down from the sky. The flapping of the insects’ wings rising from all directions mercilessly battered my ears. A vibration that was bizarrely loud and even violent shook the fields.

The locusts that had fallen onto the fields completely blanketed beneath my feet. Goosebumps broke out across my entire body and my limbs trembled. We could only stare helplessly as the blackly crowding locusts devoured the fields, leaving behind no hope or promise for the days ahead, and as darkness and despair blanketed Hezekia.

❖ ❖ ❖

The archive room of Hezekia Grand Ducal Castle was located at the deepest part of the library, which was filled with volumes.

I had arrived early in the morning and shut myself inside, and before I knew it, the sun was about to set. The red glow of the sunset poured over the mahogany desk, creating a slanted shadow. I sighed as I rummaged through the old books and parchment archives covered in thick dust.

As expected, in the history books and ancient records of Hezekia, I was able to find information regarding past raids by locust swarms.

A locust swarm was a disaster that would visit Hezekia, albeit rarely. The insects moved along the air currents flowing from the northeast to the southwest, and hit Hezekia once every thirty to forty years.

According to the records, barely a decade or so had passed since the last raid. It was clear that the timing was not right yet. Above all, the swarm of locusts that appeared just now had pushed up from the south. This was from a completely different direction than their usual migration route.

All circumstances pointed toward a single situation. Taking a heavy breath to compose myself, I tightly clenched my fists. It seemed I would have to check after all. Even if it meant deducting the ‘Original Work Check’ rewards that I had been saving so dearly.

‘System.’

When I quietly called out toward the empty air, a familiar chime rang in my ears and the status window floated up.

[Good afternoon, User! ♡ What kind of help do you need?]

After hesitating for a moment, I had no choice but to state the keywords and request the ‘Original Work Check’ reward. Soon, the text of the original work slowly began to unfold over the translucent status window.