Eluard gave his all to removing the curse deep inside Haera's body. The more he interacted with it, the more he learned.
'This curse isn't as simply thawing out the ice that it generates. The curse lies within Haera's heart and there is some sort of protection inside which I cannot break through myself.'
With the system's help, he was able to identify what sort of mechanism it was.
[ Deadlock Protection Spell ]
[ It is a demonic protection spell that shields anything it is protecting with unfathomable demonic power. It can only be unlocked by the caster themselves. ]
[ Warning: Tampering may result in Haera's death and affliction of demonic essence inside the perpetrator's body. ]
[ Additional Note: Can be unlocked if the host reaches a certain power level. ]
Reading the warning sign, Eluard understood that someone wanted Haera dead, certainly. He didn't know what were the reasons but since this was an incident involving the demonic creatures, whatever they were trying to accomplish was up to no good.
'Even if Haera got the help of the divine frost dragon or Arahon, the results wouldn't be any better.'
The presence of the deadlock protection spell thwarted any efforts in breaking the curse.
Eluard did not want to use his undying soul stone either. What if the deadlock's failsafe action was to also destroy Haera's spiritual manifestation in the process?
There would be no saving her if that happens.
'It's no use thinking about this. Haera is safe now and I am glad I was able to help her before it was too late. I'll deal with the curse at a later date.'
Eluard could feel his shoulders lightening up. A heavy weight seemed to have been lifted off his body.
He looked at Haera who was laying comfortably.
Her complexion has already returned to normal after his short internal flame massage session. Although the coldness would come back later on, Eluard will just thaw it out again until he finds the person who has casted the deadlock protection spell inside Haera's heart.
For now, he had to deal with the issue in Norva Assili. Eluard took a deep breath and let go of Haera's hand.
"It's all done, at least, temporarily."
Haera opened her eyes and noticed that her sight wasn't as blurry as before. She had almost fallen asleep earlier and if not for Eluard's voice, she would have been asleep again.
She raised her upper body and touched her hands with one another.
'The coldness, it's all gone. I can breathe without too much discomfort and my muscles and skin aren't as frigid as before.'
Haera looked at the man who has started sweating all over.
"Mr. Kai, are you okay?", she worriedly asked.
Eluard wiped off the sweat, "No, I'm okay, Haera, uh no, Miss Haera.", correcting himself, "What about you? Are you okay now?"
"If not for you, do you think I would be okay?", Haera joked, plastering a smile on Eluard's face.
There was still a numbing sensation etched in her heart. Haera wondered what it was and asked again.
"But... was the curse broken now or does it remain?"
"There's a deadlock protection spell covering the curse inside your body, Miss Haera. I can't do much about it unless we find the caster themselves.". Eluard said.
Veron was taken aback, "A deadlock protection spell?! Who in the world would want my innocent niece's life to be gone in every possible way?!"
This was a devious act of killing a person. It gave them almost no chances of saving Haera no matter what they would try to do.
Haera grabbed Veron's hands and calmed him down, "Uncle, don't think too much about it. What's important now is that Mr. Kai has helped me and we know more about the curse inside my heart."
"Asking for more is asking for trouble. We will deal with the curse once we return to the Sanctuary."
"Haera…", Veron gritted his teeth. He will never forget this atrociousness shown upon their Zumfiel Noble Household.
"Mr. Kai, I will remember this favor for the whole of my life. If it wasn't for you, I would have been dead now.", Haera thanked him.
Eluard waved his hands, "It's no big deal, Miss Haera. This is something I wanted to do of my own volition, though it was rather unexpected that the Otherworld is involved in your curse."
Veron and Haera were shocked by the discovery. Was the Otherworld's presence everywhere now?
"There were remnants of demonic essence implanted in that deadlock protection spell. I'm afraid the case is not as shallow as we previously think it is.", Eluard explained.
"Then… will the Heavenly Magic Academy also be involved in this… Mr. Kai?", Veron nervously asked.
The involvement of the higher powers in any sort of conflict will shift the balance of power and the plans of every faction affected.
Veron shivered at the thought that the demonic creatures might be the ones responsible for the surging public restlessness in the Sanctuary. Maybe the internal structure of the Sanctuary was also compromised.
He shook such disturbing thoughts away and listened in on Eluard's answer.
"Yes, we will. It's the Otherworld we are talking about, after all."
Eluard knew of Veron's discovery about the identity of Lucan and Olivia so he wasn't intrigued by the question.
"Wait, Uncle Veron. How do you know Mr. Kai is someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy?", Haera was confused.
She did not tell anyone about her mission nor would Eluard tell anyone about his affiliation to the fabled magic academy.
"Ah, it's a long story, Haera.", Veron scratched his head.
He forgot to act ignorant in front of his niece. Regardless, what's done was already done. He quickly changed the topic to not be interrogated by the pouting Haera.
"Mr. Kai, you are here because of the Otherworld as well?"
Eluard thought of whether he should tell them his plans or not.
'I can probably ask for their help in this issue. It's not like I would be forcing them on it anyway. They can choose to take the task or not.'
He cleared his throat and was about to start talking when Haera gestured for him to sit down beside her.
She was sitting upright now with a slight blush on her cheeks. Eluard wondered what happened for her to be this rosy as early just as she was temporarily treated.
"Yes, this surprise attack was caused by the demonic creatures in an attempt to destabilize the status in Norva Assili."
"Sir Veron, you should already know that the magical beasts' sudden aggression is also caused by the demonic creatures, right?"
Veron nodded.
"Me, alongside my junior brothers and sisters, were tasked by our academy master to tackle the presence of demonic creatures here, and prevent them from wreaking further havoc than what they had already done."
"I was only supposed to guide my juniors to High King Garron's location. He is the biggest ally that we could acquire as of now."
"I am hoping that Sir Veron and Miss Haera could help us in this ordeal as well. But if you don't want to…"
Veron quickly interjected, "That won't do, Mr. Kai. Although Norva Assili detests mages, and particularly us, elves, that does not mean that we will walk out of this issue as if it does not concern us."
"You should also know, Mr. Kai, that all mages here in Aludia are obliged, regardless of their power or identity, to help the Heavenly Magic Academy with all of their efforts. It is an unspoken rule we cannot and should not dare to violate."
"After all, Heavenly Magic Academy was the reason we became what we are now. If not for that, I doubt Aludia would have been able to stand strong all these years and prevented the Otherworld's demonic invasions in the past."
Most people heavily disregarded the factual existence of the Heavenly Magic Academy. Only a select few either hoped, or knew of the truth, and the obligations that came alongside it once they became someone who cultivated magic.
Many of those who followed such practices believed that this was their only way of repaying what the Heavenly Magic Academy has done for them.
And Veron was one of these sorts of people.
"My uncle is right, Mr. Kai. You may think that it is uncomfortable for us, mages and wizards in being dragged into your troubles, but it should be us who will feel shame if we do not drag ourselves into your troubles instead.", Haera added.
Eluard became speechless after hearing their opinions. The Heavenly Magic Academy's fame was this strong?
The system didn't tell him anything, nor did Eluard hope it would tell him anything. Still, knowing of that relieved him, though he knew the limits of such obligations and wouldn't dare to abuse it at any cost.
"Then…"
"Just tell us what to do, Mr. Kai.", Veron bluntly requested.
Eluard sighed, "The plan is for my juniors to get inside and meet with High King Garron and his army, and then talk further about how to defend against the magical beast's attack."
"Unfortunately, some disguised demonic creatures are sticking beside the warriors in the entrance. Openly entering wasn't viable and jumping through the barricade would seem suspicious and attract some unwanted attention."
"I noticed Sir Aurpiel's caravan from afar and planned to use it as a way to get inside. Maybe Sir Veron has suggestions on this course of action?"
Veron shook his head, "We'll go with your plan, Mr. Kai. Aurpiel and Greywolf can handle the guards."
"You also said that you were to only guide your juniors here, right? I assume that Mr. Kai's presence is needed elsewhere."
"Rest assured that your juniors will make their way to their destination unharmed and continue on your business without worries, Mr. Kai."
Veron was giving Eluard the chance to leave now which lined up perfectly with his plans. The former knew how important it was to not waste time, particularly when dealing with the Otherworld.
Eluard stood up and bowed at Veron, "Thank you for your help, Sir Veron, Miss Haera. If you don't mind, I will be going now then."
"If you have other questions, you can ask my junior named Jinmu. He's the acting leader of the group."
Veron and Haera both waved their hands.
"Mr. Kai, please be careful out there.", Haera worried.
Eluard smiled and left the carriage. His students noticed him and approached him, bearing many questions in their curious minds.
"Senior brother Kai, how did it go?", Lucan asked.
"It's all good. We'll be parting ways here now, my dear juniors.", Eluard scratched his cheek.
It felt awkward to leave them alone all of a sudden.
"The illusionary magic array formations cannot wait. We have two battles to fight today and we need to win both to foil the Otherworld's plans."
"And don't worry about getting inside the encampment. Sir Veron and Miss Haera will help you with that. Though make sure to not implicate Sir Aurpiel and the caravan, alright?"
The four nodded in understanding.
"I'll come back here later once I am done with my mission on the other side."
Eluard turned around, waving his hands as he disappeared from their sights.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶