[Exorcism?]
[Curse, whoa!]
[If the curse is lifted, you know about Lily, right?]
[Can’t we just use that ring?]
[That ring]
“Lady Lily, don’t you have the Siege War ring?”
“Yes, this should work.”
At Yena’s question, I revealed the ring that I had kept hidden in a transparent state.
The Mythical Ring I received as an MVP reward from the Siege War.
It was a ring adorned with a gemstone mixed with red and blue colors, and its ability was ‘Remove Status Ailments.’
The effect was simple, but it was excellent enough to cleanse even the same Mythical-level debuffs.
With this, purification…
“That’s a bound item, you know.”
“…Huh? Does that mean I can’t use it on others?”
“Nope.”
I knew that the Siege War ring was a bound item.
However, I didn’t realize that I couldn’t use the status ailment removal on others.
Now the ring was completely useless.
[Oh no!]
[LOL]
[This is bound? LOL]
[Wait, can’t we use it on someone else?]
[That’s lame.]
[Isn’t that too much of a pickle? LOL]
[Leo is so cute!]
[Let’s just break it with power.]
[I feel like Lily could just break it herself! LOL]
After that, we discussed several methods.
From deciding to try and unbind it somehow to a ridiculous suggestion of PKing the necklace to break it directly.
Or even the idea of just using my own power to break it.
Honestly, it wasn’t impossible, but there were some ambiguous aspects to forcing it open.
If it’s a curse from the Mythical Age, it would likely be deeply connected to Ancient Beasts or the Demon Race.
Among those, there could be beings I couldn’t handle right now.
If I’m not careful, Minoa could be swept away by tremendous power, suffering the same fate as Yena.
Since the system has stabilized, things should be somewhat okay, but I haven’t regained enough power to block all variables yet.
That said, using the Succession Crown was out of the question…
Minoa, who had silently listened to our conversation, eventually let out a bittersweet smile.
“…It’s useless. Exorcism is impossible.”
“Didn’t you say it was possible earlier?”
“Only considering the act of ‘removing’ the curse. This is closer to a ‘trial’ than a curse.”
Minoa briefly shared her story.
Minoa was an unofficial ranker.
A ranker using a secret system that doesn’t list names on the rankings, and even now, quite a number of unofficial rankers are enjoying Deoen.
Two years ago, while working as an unofficial ranker, Minoa got the opportunity to enter the World Tree.
Upon reaching the mid-level of the World Tree, in the Spirit’s Room, she found something strange alongside a peculiar spirit.
“A Multicolored Successor. It was a necklace that was munching away at the Spirit’s Room.”
A Mythical-grade necklace, or rather one beyond that.
Minoa, the user, had no reason not to take the mythical item that was left without any restrictions, and she quickly grabbed the necklace.
And then she regretted it.
“Indeed, great greed brings trouble.”
“Have you been here ever since then?”
“That’s right. I endured the curse in the suppressed space thanks to the World Tree’s kindness, but the end seemed nowhere in sight.”
[2 years?]
[What a madman]
[Hahaha]
[Aren’t you bored?]
[Rankers are all weird]
[This is crazy]
[Wow, 2 years is just too much, haha]
[Why not raise something else?]
Thus, Minoa experienced the curse and trials of the multicolored successor.
The trials are simple.
“You’ll be going through the trials of a monster. The trials of a very large monster that existed during the Mythical Age.”
“That gray aura is the power of that monster, right?”
“That’s correct.”
At Leo’s question, Minoa nodded quickly, her left eye moving rapidly.
I looked at the necklace.
“Then the Erosion Dungeon is influenced by that item. The identity of the dungeon contracted with Merini as well.”
“That’s right. This whole situation was created because of this item from the beginning.”
“Huh? So the World Tree knew everything from the start?”
Yena looked at Minoa with a strange expression, and Leo, who also knew about the World Tree, raised an eyebrow, but I brushed it off.
‘That’s just how the World Tree is.’
A tribe that’s closer to ancient beasts isn’t usually aware of worldly matters.
Since they are beings closer to non-living entities, they don’t really care much about what happens to their physical form as long as it’s not a shock severe enough to burn their entire body.
‘Unless they take a shock that burns their entire body.’
Still, I thought she had come to her senses after that incident and gave birth to a child of the World Tree, but nothing seemed to have changed.
“…Did I keep her alive for no reason?”
“What?”
“Never mind. But somehow, it feels like there shouldn’t be just one monster.”
The name alone is ‘multicolored’ successor.
The aura flowing from Minoa right now is only gray, but there must be other colored monsters.
Minoa clenched the necklace and breathed heavily.
As if thinking was almost unbearable, she lost her composure and only after a little while did she finally let go of the necklace.
“… In fact, one of the biggest reasons I can’t lift the curse is that. If I remove one, others might spill out, and the whole continent, including the World Tree, might be in danger.”
“Is it that serious?”
“Yes, that’s right. Miss Yena.”
“……”
If what I think is correct, then it’s not wrong at all.
Of course, there’s me, and there’s Leo, and it’s irritating, but there’s also Duke Huangyeol claiming to protect ‘the subjects of the Empire.’
If it’s Duke Huangyeol, he’ll act before the monster devours the continent.
“Isn’t this too intense?”
“Woah, woah, woah!”
“Yeah, but Lily will handle it~”
“Fact: Lily will catch everything anyway.”
“Talking a lot, let’s just kill it.”
“If we kill it, it might come out.”
“LOL!”
“…So, if, hypothetically, you could break the curse without any damage, would you consider giving it to me?”
“…I wouldn’t say no. I would rather ask for that.”
Minoa’s eyes are still filled with distrust.
A gaze that says, “Don’t mess it up by touching it.”
“Got it. Understood.”
I got permission.
Now, I just need to break the curse.
“Do you have a method?”
“If it was just a curse, it might have been tricky, but if it’s a trial, there might be a way.”
“What kind of method?”
[?]
[Is it another “Lily” thing?]
“It’s simple.”
I opened a space.
What binds Minoa isn’t just a simple curse but a trial to accept power.
As long as he passes that trial, the curse will naturally lift without force.
And the trial is…
“Just satisfy it.”
“…Skewer?”
Minoa’s expression changed oddly.
Why a skewer in this situation?
It looks so delicious it almost makes my mouth water, but it doesn’t seem like a solution for the trial.
“Oh, could it be a medium for the exorcism? Shaped like a skewer?”
“…Well, you could say that.”
This is a mythical consumable item, Celestial Skewers.
Special feature: “It’s very tasty.”
“Eat it.”
And monsters love delicious things.
“Wow, Lily is feeding it!”
“Really giving it?”
“So jealous!”
“Feed me too! Feed me too! Feed me too!”
“Wow, I’m so jealous LOL!”
“No way, is this really Lily feeding a man?”
“LOL!”
I bring a skewer jam-packed with delicious meat close to Minoa’s mouth.
Looking suspiciously at the red-skewered treat, Minoa eventually takes a bite with some hesitation.
Then, he turns off like a robot losing its signal.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
[?]
“Sniff…!”
He cries.
His shoulders shake as Minoa starts sobbing like crazy.
He can’t help but wail in despair.
“Waaaaaah!!!”
…Was it really that delicious?
The curse is lifted.
Not just lifted; his eyes turn gray, and his clothes spread out gloriously like wings.
Thud!
The necklace falls from his neck.
Various colored liquids pour out from the fallen necklace.
Even the necklace is crying.
“What the hell is this?”
[???]
[What the f* is this, lol]
[Lol, seriously?]
[Huh?]
[Skewers are the future]
How delicious can it be for all this fuss?
I tasted a piece of meat from the side that wasn’t bitten by Minoa.
“…Wow.”
“What’s wrong? How good can it be?”
“It’s insane.”
It feels like my tongue is melting.
It’s the tastiest food I’ve ever had in my entire life.
If I were normal, I might have cried like Minoa.
“Wow… wow… wow…”
It’s delicious.
So, so, so delicious.
“This is ridiculously delicious. Is this real?”
This is crazy.
Is this heavenly cooking?
I stared blankly at the skewers.
I want to eat more.
How do I make more of this?
[Lily, why are you broken?]
[Lol]
[How can it be that good?]
[Lily is so funny, lol]
[Is this mythical cooking…?]
[Did they put drugs in it or something? Haha]
[No way, Lily really is losing it, lol]
[A broken Lily is somewhat rare, lol]
[Mythical cooking, acknowledged]
[Even Lily has been defeated by the mythical GOAT;;]
[Lol, so true]
First, let’s figure out a recipe.
With my cooking skills and magic, I can manage… No, but this is too much.
Seeing my dumbfounded reaction, Leo and Yena approached me cautiously.
They had sparkling eyes asking for just one bite too.
I hid the skewer and stepped back.
“But it’s mine.”
“Lily, aren’t we friends?”
“Lily! I got that thanks to me!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
How can I give away something this delicious?
No way.
I can’t let it go.
As I firmly refused, Leo’s cheeks puffed up.
“You’re really not going to give it to me…?”
“No.”
“Then you’ll never get to touch this again!”
Leo threatened, puffing up his cheeks.
I flinched for a moment.
That can’t happen.
“……”
“I’ll make sure you can’t have it even if you die.”
“I-I’ll give it to you.”
You have to let me touch it.
“And me?”
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