There was a slight problem when I held Hugo’s measuring device in my hand.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be done by touching the reagent strip to the skin?”
Gunter’s limbs bulged and grew larger, becoming closer to the appearance of a stone golem than a person, reaching about 4 meters.
“■■■■!!”
I thought he might resemble a beast as he lost his words and let out a monstrous roar.
If he got a hold of me, he’d crush my skull like a peanut in a nutcracker.
Getting close would mean death.
“Do I just need to bring it close?”
Tanya, while bravely defending Gunter, took the opportunity to ask.
“You need to keep contact for 30 seconds.”
“Leave it to me.”
Tanya took the measuring device from me, leaped high onto Gunter’s shoulder, and—
–Swoosh!
She unbalanced him by slashing his body with her sword as she landed.
Her movements were as fluid as a dance.
Tanya, dodging Gunter’s wild punches, engaged in close combat, much like a hunting cheetah.
“■■■!”
With every arc of Tanya’s sword, Gunter’s face twisted in shock.
Though it was a dull blade, Tanya’s sharp swordsmanship would surely chill him to the bone.
Thud, Tanya climbed onto Gunter’s back and choked him with her sword.
After a few seconds of this, other knights tagged in to face Gunter at her signal.
With a high jump from Gunter’s back, Tanya landed beside me.
Clatter, she bent at the waist, dragging one hand along the ground to decelerate, her boots kicking off pebbles.
She’s just like a cat.
“I got it.”
Tanya stood up and handed the measuring device back to me.
“Already? I didn’t even see how you used it.”
“Your eyes are slow.”
Tanya lightly nodded and returned to the fight.
Nothing but amazement came to my lips.
“Let’s see.”
The reagent strip of the measuring device, having absorbed the remnants of the curse, was darkened.
Various kinds of gems were embedded in it, sparkling and creating colors.
“Red and green. This is…”
I quickly scanned Hugo’s manual.
“[Berserk] spell. Life force absorption, conversion category. Grade: Advanced.”
It was a skill commonly used by the Demon Race.
The Demon King’s army had often used Berserk to unleash fury on their subordinates when the battle was going unfavorably.
It was a dangerous spell due to its transmissible nature.
‘Gunter’s power relies on life force, essentially his lifespan.’
Under the effect of Berserk, he would gain strength for a brief time at the cost of losing his life soon after. Such was common among the wicked Demon Race.
“That’s enough for now.”
I shouted toward Tanya and the knights, who were in the midst of combat.
“Gunter’s curse is transmissible! Everyone, do not touch his skin directly!”
Upon hearing the knights’ robust replies, I entered the removal process.
Clink.
I held the amulet in my hand and infused it with mana.
The skill window activated with [Spell: Curse Control].
There was no need for a separate incantation; the amulet read my intentions and naturally formed the circle.
“Truly a legendary artifact. It allows me to use spells without any prior expertise.”
Snap, I reached out to grab my target.
Of course, I was aiming for Gunter.
“Curse Control.”
–Wham!
The mana released from my hand branched out and struck Gunter directly.
When manipulating spells with mana, one must be as careful as with a child.
I recalled the usage taught by Seymour as I clenched my fist.
–Boom!
Like subduing a wild horse, the ropes of mana I held became reins to bind Gunter.
“■■■■!!”
Gunter, his arms and neck wrapped up, froze in motion as he roared mightily.
As the pressure surged, I focused my mind to stop the spell engulfing him.
‘It’s a mechanism divided into several stages. It’s structured to absorb, convert, and disperse mana. The location of the cursed spell is on the skin all over his body.’
I could feel the spell I had captured screaming.
‘Cutting off the source of mana absorption should work.’
I pulled the ropes as if directly commanding the curse.
Thud, thud. With each pull, Gunter reacted more violently, stomping his feet.
“Teacher!”
“Just a little longer!”
Hearing Tanya’s urgent cry, I twisted my arm.
I severed the connection with the mana circuit to prevent the spell from feeding.
–Boom!!
The backlash exploded Gunter’s mana, sending the knights flying.
“■■, ■■…!”
Gunter stumbled as he lost strength in his legs.
The mana leaking from his skin burned, tearing his clothes and melting his armor.
“It’s a mana sublimation phenomenon. It’s dangerous, stay back!”
With Tanya’s shout, the knights distanced themselves into a defensive stance.
“Now it’s time to finish this.”
It felt like forcibly drawing out a wild beast within us. The resistance was significant.
“Must be advanced…!”
The higher the grade, the stronger the endurance.
Yet, the separation was going smoothly.
The ropes of my mana only bound the black mass, pulling it out.
If I can just grab this thing…
Ugh.
Maybe it was from overusing my mana, but I coughed and blood trickled out.
“I’m fine.”
I still had enough stamina. I could hold on.
But then, that moment.
[No. 101: Magic Explosion 7% → 85%]
“What the…?”
I was startled by the notification on the system window.
I quickly turned my gaze to find Acella charging towards Gunter.
“Royal Princess!”
I withdrew my spell and ran after her.
*
From Acella’s viewpoint, Lars struggling to subdue Gunter looked extremely anxious.
Knowing that his body had weakened made her even more uneasy.
As Lars focused all his mental energy on removing the curse or spell that had done this to Gunter, he seemed oblivious to the fact that his armor was torn away and he was sustaining wounds from the storm.
“Lars!”
Unheeding Acella’s call, Lars continued to pull the ropes.
With each tug, the heat emanating from Gunter’s body intensified.
It’s a mana sublimation phenomenon.
It occurs when a spell cast with excessively compressed mana is suddenly halted.
The mana that should’ve been the spell’s driving force loses its way, burning and vanishing into thin air.
The heat generated was immense; getting close could melt one’s body.
Wait.
Acella sensed the danger.
Gunter’s chest was adorned with a garnet brooch.
The golden ornament was melting and deteriorating under the heat.
Acella glanced back at Lars. He probably didn’t even realize how important that brooch was or that it could save him.
Then it happened.
Cough!
A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Lars’s mouth.
Seeing that, Acella’s heart sank and she bit her lip.
Without that brooch, Lars would surely self-destruct under the extreme duress.
Just like she had seen in her clairvoyance, he would pay the ultimate price with his life.
Not like this.
Resolute, Acella charged towards Gunter without hesitation.
“Royal Princess!”
Only then did Lars urgently call out to her, but she had no time to pay attention.
As she approached Gunter, the intense heat threatened to consume her.
This is nothing…!
With her torn and heat-pressed clothing, the brooch hung precariously.
Acella reached out, preparing to snatch it away.
–Sizzle!
“Ugh.”
The sound of her hand being burnt echoed.
And then.
–Fire!
The spell that had seeped into her skin redirected and attacked Acella.
By contacting it barehanded, it found a chance to infect her.
“Ugh…!”
The pitch-black mass climbed up her arm.
It felt awful.
“Royal Princess!!”
Acella felt the sensation of the curling arm wrapping around her waist.
Lars violently pulled at her shoulder.
–Thud!
The two of them rolled to the ground in a tangled mass.
Amidst all the pain, Acella first checked her hand.
Her determination to never let go shone through as she held tightly onto the brooch.
It’s not broken.
She felt the brooch’s life force. Acella sighed with relief, but it was short-lived.
“Ugh…”
She barely suppressed a scream as a piercing pain shot through her brain.
The tips of her fingers, burned, turned crimson.
Above that hand, the remnants of the spell crawled up her arm.
It intended to infect her.
“Royal Princess, hang in there.”
Lars knelt before her and immediately cast a spell with the amulet.
He manipulated the spell clinging to Acella’s arm and pulled it off.
At the same time, he took out a water canteen and cooled her hand with cold water.
“Lars.”
“Let’s talk later; I’ll scold you then.”
“Won’t you fix that?”
Acella pointed her chin towards Gunter, who was growing larger behind Lars.
Thanks to Lars stopping the Curse Control spell, the curse was consuming him and causing him to rampage again.
Knights could be seen running around trying to restrain him.
“If we have patients, we should rush to them.”
Acella poured out her slightly disappointed feelings.
In fact, it felt like Lars preferred patients over me, given his sense of duty.
“The Royal Princess comes first. Let’s remove the curse and treat those burns first.”
At Lars’s firm response, Acella felt a little happy.
“Why am I last?”
She knew the reason, but wanted to ask again to savor that joy.
Lars didn’t betray her expectations and answered promptly.
“I’m your attending physician.”
Was her heart exposed to the heat along with her hand? Acella felt a rush of emotions.
Acting on instinct, she thrust the brooch towards Lars.
“It’s yours.”
“Are you giving this to me? Could it be because of this…”
Receiving the brooch with a smirk, Lars wrapped a gauze around Acella’s hand.
“Fortunately, it’s not that severe. It’s a 1st-degree burn. The initial treatment is done, and I’ve finished dressing it. We’ll continue intensive treatment shortly.”
“Prince, what about you?”
Lars stood up, turning to Gunter, who was almost entirely black and ready to explode.
“Though he’s not my patient, I’ll do my best.”
Lars’s incantation continued.
White ropes of mana grasped Gunter once more, drawing out the curse.
Finally, the black mass detached from his body.
–Boom!
The explosion of Gunter’s mana emitted a light that stung Acella’s eyes.
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