Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Curse Removal - 2
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With all the necessary materials and personnel gathered, there was no reason to put off the curse removal any longer.
"Is it possible right now?"
"Yeah. Give me the magic stone."
"...Isn't that the success fee?"
"Nope. It's a material needed for the curse removal."
It wasn't just any curse—it was the top-tier Dragon's Curse—so an immense amount of mana was required to lift it.
To compensate for that mana, the magic stone, a treasure of the Claudia family, was essential.
Cecil, who had been staring at me intently, let out a small sigh and raised her hand. A knight who had been waiting stepped out, and shortly after, a luxurious box was brought in.
"Ooh... this is impressive. I can feel tremendous mana emanating from the box..."
"Nyaang~"
Even for shamans who used mana, the magic stone held considerable value.
Just possessing it allowed for continuous mana recovery, and it could serve as a medium for powerful spells.
While Sairon and Rachel's eyes sparkled with greed as they swallowed hard at the sight of the box, I opened it.
A fist-sized gem emitting a soft green glow sat neatly inside the box.
"Alright then. Let's get started on the curse removal."
"Anything else we need to prepare?"
"Nope. Veronica. Sixman. Wait over there with the Duchy Knights."
At my instruction, Veronica and Sixman obediently joined the Duchy Knights. Once they had taken positions around the spacious room, I rolled up the carpet on the marble floor.
"Hmm~ Hm~"
I transformed Moonlight into a sword and drew a ritual circle. As the expensive marble was scratched and the ritual circle began to take shape, Sairon and Rachel saw it and drew their own ritual circles with their weapons.
As expected from skilled shamans—they knew what to do without being told.
"By the way, Rachel. What do you like about Sixman?"
"I like his shiny head, nyang~"
"Match made in heaven. Anyway, are you ready for S-Rank Adventurer promotion?"
"I'm gonna fill it with my darling and Sairon, nyang~! What about you, Wise One?"
"Yeah... um. I still have some left to do."
There were still quests left for my S-Rank Adventurer promotion.
I'd been so busy with other things lately that I hadn't done many...
I should probably start knocking those out soon.
"How about traveling together, nyang? If you party with us, you can fill it up quick, nyang?"
"That is true."
"Then..."
"I refuse!"
Doing quests solo while thinking about rewards was faster than partying up.
"...Hey. Is it okay to chat like that while doing this?"
Cecil, sitting in the center of the ritual circle, spoke with considerable unease. But the ritual circles we were drawing were perfect.
Sun, moon, stars.
The three most important symbols in shamanism were complete.
"This is really okay, right?"
"Don't worry. Now, take it off."
"...Ahem."
She glanced at me cautiously before finally undressing.
Now fully nude and exposing the curse, she lay on the floor and shyly covered her chest and lower abdomen with her arms. Rachel's eyes sparkled.
"Don't worry, nyang! It's normal to be small when you're young, nyang!!"
"Pfft!"
"...Veronica, Your Eminence?"
"Ah. Sorry. Sorry."
Veronica, who had burst into laughter, waved her hand dismissively with a face that wasn't sorry at all.
I looked down at Cecil, whose face was flushed red.
"...Why are you staring like that?"
"I need to check the state of the curse. Alright, then..."
First up was this.
I placed Eurier's gem from my pocket into the moon's circle, and the ritual circle activated.
Cecil, sitting in the sun's circle, twitched as she felt the pain.
"Hey, Wise One. This, this isn't a joke?"
Sairon, standing by the moon's circle, furrowed his brow. It was burdensome for him too.
"Hang in there a bit longer."
Naturally, pain came to me too, as the center of this curse removal.
More than for them.
Ignoring the pain, I soothed her and then placed the magic stone in the star's circle.
Only then did Sairon's expression lighten a bit.
"Here we go."
Amplifying my mana with the magic stone, I plunged Moonlight—now a staff—into the sun's circle. At that moment, light began emanating from the ritual circle.
"Kahk! Ugh...!!"
The curse lingering on Cecil's body started writhing.
The curse left by the dragon.
A long, powerful curse for vengeance against its kin.
The grudges contained within it thrashed, unwilling to leave its target, Cecil.
"Quit messing around and go."
The shaman skill, Curse Removal amplified by the magic stone, fully settled into Cecil's body. Now all that was left was to wait.
"Ah... uh... haaaa... eek..."
"...Do you have to moan like that?"
It wasn't like this in the game.
Lying there with a flushed red face, her body twitching, or bending and straightening her long legs.
Or lifting her modest chest.
I couldn't understand why she was reacting so seductively despite claiming pain.
"...I-It's not... intentional... hnnngh...!"
"It smells like a female in heat trying to seduce males, nyang."
"..."
Rachel sniffed and wagged her tail as she said it. Cecil's already bursting-red face grew even redder, and she bit her lip tightly, staying still unlike before.
"...Oh ho. While she's diligently getting her curse removed, she doesn't miss a chance to tempt... Scary. This is why mages are..."
Veronica's voice from behind was quite heavy.
Good heavens! A priestess emitting this much pressure!
At this level, it was practically ultimate-skill warrior-tier pressure...
In that rather lively atmosphere, the black traces of the curse on Cecil's white skin began slowly moving.
The curse near her neck to her chest, the scar on her chest to her stomach, the one on her stomach to her lower abdomen, thighs, calves, feet.
Like ants returning to their nest, the curses moved along the ritual circle back to Eurier's gem.
"Kuh... ahk... kugh...!!"
Cecil's condition worsened compared to before. Ignoring the Duchy Knights' gazes that seemed to worry something was going wrong, I said to Sairon and Rachel,
"Get ready."
"Huh? Ready for wh—"
"Rebound's coming."
No sooner had I spoken than black energy erupted from Cecil's body.
The curse's desperate struggle against being removed.
Due to the backlash? Pressure enveloped my whole body, and I felt my mental strength draining.
A horrific headache like my skull being split by an axe—I gritted my teeth and endured.
If I couldn't hold out here, all our efforts so far would be wasted, and in the worst case, we'd have to hunt a dragon or raid a dragon temple.
"Nyaooooong!!"
In the end, Rachel couldn't withstand the pressure and was flung back.
"Ugh... what... is this?!"
Sairon tried to hold on too but apparently hit his limit.
With her flung back as well, I was the only one left.
It's fine.
It's fine.
It's fine.
This is nothing.
"Aaaaaah!!"
Cecil's scream echoed through the room as the black energy grew massive. Facing the black energy gradually taking the form of a dragon, I transformed Moonlight into a sword.
Now.
This is why we came all this way.
So.
Let's end it.
-Slash!!
[You have achieved the Top-Tier Curse Removal accomplishment.]
[Mental Strength has increased.]
In the game, top-tier curses were hard to remove even if found, as locating someone afflicted was rare.
Most players achieved the Top-Tier Curse Removal accomplishment by removing Cecil's curse, but if they failed, they tried other methods.
One was raiding the dragon temple to inflict the dragon's curse on a party member for the accomplishment.
Most players just gave up there.
Of course, hardcore players raided the temple or fought dragons. I'd done it too, but rather than that hassle, enduring the pain here to remove it was better.
Anyway, following the strategy, I got the accomplishment and finally felt relief.
Whew. Overcame a big mountain.
Watching the curse slowly fade, I transformed Moonlight back into a staff.
Cecil, who had been screaming in agony moments ago, gradually calmed.
"...It really worked."
"Nyaaaang... so tiring, nyang..."
I heard Sairon and Rachel, who had been rolling on the floor in pain, muttering as they got up after receiving heals from Veronica.
Yeah.
Just like she said.
"Haa... haa..."
The dragon's curse that had covered Cecil's body was completely gone.
"Hey, Sairon. Good work. Rachel, you too. Veronica. It's over, so relax."
"Uh... yeah."
Veronica nodded slightly, walked over briskly, covered Cecil's body with a prepared robe, then shot me a sulky look.
"Could you maybe look away now?"
"Ah. Sure."
I need to stay more alert.
The curse removal was done, but Cecil still hadn't regained her senses. Normally, I'd nurse her with priest skills, but Veronica stepped up to do it herself.
Well, she's much better at it than me.
I have other things to do anyway.
"But Veronica, aren't you tired?"
"I'm fine. You rest too."
"I'm perfectly fine?"
Veronica glanced at Sairon and Rachel.
"I know those two's skills. If they're that exhausted, and you're..."
"Ah. This much is fine. I can handle it."
"...Still, rest. I'm worried. Even with heals..."
"Got it."
Veronica cast one more heal on Cecil and pointed to the door. With the Duchy Knights there, no need to worry.
As per her request, I went outside, where Sairon, Rachel, and Sixman were waiting.
"Then we'll be off."
"Where to? You have work, so stay."
"Eh? What now?"
"Got something. Not for free, of course."
I looked at the Duchy Knight, who nodded as if it were obvious.
"We've prepared a VIP room. And anything you need, we'll provide."
"O. Ooo~! Now that's different! Booze! Gimme booze! If it's worthy of the Archduke, it's gotta be good stuff, right? And food too! I'm starving!"
"Bath water? I want a milk bath! Can you fill the tub with milk? And I like fancy cuisine!"
"Nyang nyang! I want fish dishes, nyang! I hear seafood is amazing! The Duchy uses magic to airlift it, so you have ocean fish dishes too, right?"
"Of course, we can prepare everything."
The thrilled trio followed the knight. As they walked away, I poked another knight who was grinning ear to ear.
"The room prepared for the Wise One is..."
"Ah. Skip my room."
Got the accomplishment, time for other work.
"Where are they?"
"They...?"
"Leventia, Evangeline."
Time to treat those two with mental illnesses.
The Duchy Knight fell silent for a moment before asking hesitantly,
"You're going to treat them now, aren't you?"
"So what?"
"It's not my place, Wise One, but aren't you pushing too hard?"
"That's my business, so don't worry. Where are they?"
"...I'll guide you."
With a reluctant expression, the Duchy Knight led me deeper into the castle.
After passing a lavish corridor, we reached what looked like a VIP room. She gently opened the door.
Inside were two beds.
No sounds, so both must be asleep.
"Wise One. They just fell asleep."
"I see. Must've been tough looking after them."
"...Leventia aside, but Evangeline..."
I looked at the bloodstains on the floor and beds, and Evangeline's state.
Looked like self-harm again.
Her ears nearly torn off, wounds on her wrists.
And Leventia...
Hmm.
Umm.
"...Is that a diaper?"
"...Yes."
The Duchy Knight, who idolized Leventia, seemed quite shocked to see her regressed like a child.
I patted her shoulder.
"...Must've been rough."
"...No. And we'll keep this strictly confidential."
"Good. Talking about others doesn't end well."
Leventia, clutching a doll tightly in her diaper with tear stains all over.
Evangeline, restrained at arms and legs, gagged to prevent biting her tongue.
Leaving them like this would burden the front lines, worsening continental chaos—not ideal for me. Better treat them quick.
"Hmm..."
Tough choice.
There was an easy, fast way to treat both.
Problem was, using it made me too emotional and lose restraint...
I recalled regressing to infancy during adventurer life after main story, smiled.
Caused Sha Iron and Sixman a lot of trouble then.
Just remembering made my mouth taste bitter.
I thought of other ways, but nothing came to mind.
"Guess no choice."
Better to embarrass myself than burden the front lines.
Author's Note
Hello! It's Malmulmalmul! Happy Friday! Hope everyone's enjoying it!
Vaccine side effects must be real... still dizzy... Ugh.
Everyone stay healthyㅠ
See you tomorrow! Bye~!
P.S. I always read your comments gratefully.
Sorry I can't reply to each one.
Typos are always welcome. Thank you.