The Crown Prince's Helping Hand
Instead of answering, Viled shrugged and carefully poured the black liquid into a wide, crystal vessel.
It was the stuff he had just poured from the pot he had roughly shoved aside earlier.
After adding a few more potions to the vessel, he slid it across to Idel.
“Which hand do you use most often?”
“The right one.”
“Then dip your left hand in the water and think of it strongly. I want this curse to disappear.”
Idel did not hesitate. She followed Viled’s instructions and dipped her left hand into the vessel.
Then she did everything in her power to wish that this wretched curse would vanish.
The change came instantly.
As if the curse fiercely rejected her earnest wish, the wretched thorns bloomed from her submerged left hand and wrapped around her arm.
“Ugh!”
The thorns, squeezing her painfully, soon bound her neck, shoulders, and chest.
Sweat beaded on Idel’s forehead from the pain as the thorns dug into her flesh, but Viled simply watched with his indifferent gaze and did not move.
The thorns continued to squeeze her body until they reached her heart and finally stopped moving.
From the spot where the bush halted, a gorgeous red flower bloomed.
The color of Idel’s own hair.
“That should be enough.”
“Hic…! Hah… haa…”
At last, Idel exhaled the breath she had been holding and quickly examined her own body.
Her whole body had clearly been pricked by the thorns, yet when she checked with her own eyes, not a single drop of blood remained on her skin.
“The curse’s energy. It reacted with your wish and the potion. It wanted to miss the curse target. Ah, right. Little customer. What I mean by ‘wish’ is…”
“…I understand. So, how is it?”
Viled’s green eyes scanned Idel’s body without hurry. The fatigue that had left her drained and languid was long gone.
His sharp, dry gaze diagnosed Idel’s condition as he tapped the table with his finger.
“It will be difficult.”
“…”
“Right now, though.”
The life that had left Idel’s eyes returned.
“It is a very strong curse. The way it is bound and knotted is pure malice. Who cast this on you?”
“My mother.”
The word “mother” that came from the child’s mouth was so calm that Viled fell silent for a moment.
The curse Idel wore was of a kind that could exert absolute control over the target for a short time.
A curse that demanded perfect obedience above all.
“…”
That he knew a curse and method similar to his own was somewhat bothersome, but Viled set all that aside and gave a dry answer.
It was also because he judged it better not to dig too deeply into the truth, but also because of Idel’s gaze.
‘It is not the kind of look that seeks sympathy or comfort.’
The child’s eyes burned with a pure, bright light and looked beyond the obstacle.
Seeing that, Viled decided not to pretend he did not know Idel and to do the thing he was most confident in.
Of course, with a price attached.
“It will be expensive, little customer.”
“The spoils of war, then? This is the Crow’s Nest after all.”
He shrugged as if it were obvious and handed over a single sheet of paper.
A contract enchanted with magic.
Idel read the contents carefully and signed the contract without hesitation.
“Good. Then shall we start by making the suppressor? The malice that is the curse’s foundation is too thick, so the suppressor will probably take some time…”
“It will take time to make it? How long?”
“At least a month.”
A month? Idel frowned and shook her head firmly.
“That’s too long.”
“I knew you’d say that. So instead of that, shall I use a second choice? Um… yeah. Sigmund, you’ll have to help me.”
“What? Me?”
“Yeah. Come here and hold the little customer’s hand.”
Sigmund and Idel’s faces crumpled at the same time at Viled’s request.
“What? Master, did someone hit you?”
“Why would I hold this kid’s hand?”
The little ones’ immediate rebellion made Viled smile under his breath without realizing it.
He had no idea what the little customer’s usual personality was, but the sight of Sigmund was not one he was used to seeing.
‘That doesn’t mean dealing with the kids is easy, though.’
Feeling his stamina drain in real time, Viled quickly raised his hand before either of them could speak.
Using his foresight magic, he sensed that a second fight would break out if left as they were.
With as much force in his green eyes as he could muster, he first stared at Idel.
“Little customer, don’t you want the curse gone?”
“…I do.”
“Sigmund, you’re my disciple, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then should I make you follow what I say, or not?”
Sigmund kept his dissatisfied expression and avoided Viled’s eyes while not fiercely rejecting his words. He did not fully agree, either.
He pushed up his eyebrows and roughly tousled his hair at the back of his head before speaking.
“No, then explain at least the reason. If holding hands blocks every curse, I’ll sell my hand, not stay as your disciple.”
“Yes. Then explain it.”
Ah, they were in sync again today?
Watching the two who spoke the same words as if nothing had happened, Viled raised both hands.
“Fine. If I explain, then I’ll explain. Well, there are a few things the little customer needs to be careful about if we use this method, so listen carefully.”
“I’m listening.”
“Um…”
Viled sighed long, unsure where to start.
He lightly waved his hand that was in thin air and slowly began.
“Watch my hand? The hand in front of the little customer is a superb medium for exchanging energy. Um, so what is a medium…”
“I know what a medium is.”
“Oh, really? You’re clever for your age. Well, as you’ve already seen, the little customer is completely bound by the curse right now. The energy it spews has completely covered the body, you could say. Ah, well. A curse embeds magic power in actions or words, so it can be seen as a type of magic power, but there is that, density? Um, ah, I should say ‘intensity’? Something like that?”
“Ah…”
Listening to Viled’s rambling explanation, Idel rolled her eyes.
Seeing her expression, he realized the explanation had not been clear and let out a groan before giving his conclusion.
“Simply, Sigmund has an enormous amount of energy, and he will suppress the little customer’s curse with it. That is the effective method: holding hands.”
“Ah ha.”
“What ‘ah ha’? You accepted that explanation?”
“Why not?”
Sigmund snapped and argued with Idel again, but it had no effect this time either.
Idel looked straight into Sigmund’s eyes.
“You’re a great mage, and when you hold hands, you can suppress the curse with your power, right?”
Where was a cleaner explanation?
Sigmund experienced the feeling of having his words blocked for the first time in his life.
Because the eyes of the Idel across from him were clear and without doubt.
Idel went even further and reached out her hand to Sigmund, asking in a sweet voice what she wanted.
“Hold my hand.”
“…You…”
Staring quietly at the hand offered in front of him, Sigmund braced his chin.
His eyes were wide open as if he had a lot to say.
“Ah, damn!”
Sigmund cursed shortly and roughly grabbed Idel’s hand.
With his mouth pursed as if everything was a mess, he rested his other hand on his chin and turned his head away from Idel.
“Was that okay?”
“Well… maybe? Was it?”
Idel asked Viled how she was supposed to know that, as if it were obvious.
She had felt it right after asking, but when she focused on the hand she held, it felt strangely light.
‘The touching hand feels warm too?’
She was not sure if it was because of Viled’s phenomenon or simply because Sigmund’s body temperature was high. Had it been like that during the fight in the alley earlier?
While she was recalling the violent memories, Viled, who had been calmly watching Idel’s condition, nodded lightly.
“The little customer’s complexion looks good.”
“Really?”
“Sigmund’s help is not the answer, but it can still help. Just don’t forget that he is only a temporary measure. The curse will not be removed by control, and you will not be free either. It will create a slight space to breathe. Ah, and out of nosiness, until the curse is lifted, do not show any signs.”
A natural remark.
Melissa Lopez was a sensitive person. If she realized something was wrong with the curse she had cast, she would immediately find another way.
He had no interest in following the original story’s flow in an uncertain state.
Viled confirmed that Idel had obediently nodded and continued.
“Um, I need to analyze the curse and sometimes hold hands to suppress the energy, so don’t forget to come regularly… or at least periodically.”
“You want me to hold hands periodically?”
At Idel’s sudden shrill voice, Viled slowly scratched his cheek.
“Yeah. Well, no matter how strong his energy is, it won’t last a month. Why, is there a problem?”
A lot.