Chapter 97: Amulet
Lucian walked down the long hall of the castle with Yen Sid leading the way toward the room where the treasury and artifacts of the kingdom were kept.
Cogsworth and Lumiere had already gone ahead to oversee the cleaning of the castle, which was covered in years of dust and neglect.
As they walked, Lucian’s mind drifted back to the notifications that had been popping up in his vision ever since he had first met the enchanted servants earlier that day.
[Ding! You have encountered a Special Character: Cogsworth.]
[You have received: Uncommon Blind Box.]
[Ding! You have encountered a Special Character: Lumiere.]
[You have received: Uncommon Blind Box.]
[Ding! You have encountered a Special Character: Yen Sid.]
[You have received: Special Blind Box.]
[Ding! You have encountered.... ]
The system had been ringing in his head non-stop for the last hour or so. It was tempting to open them immediately, to see what rewards or items he had gained, but he had resisted. He couldn’t very well stop in the middle of a conversation or exploration just to check his inventory. He would have to wait until he was alone later, when he retired to his chambers for the night. Then, he would see what fortune had favored him with.
For now, his focus remained on the task at hand.
Yen Sid had insisted on bringing him here, to the deepest part of the castle, explaining that there was something stored away in the kingdom’s treasury that could solve his biggest problem, his inability to use magic freely without hurting himself.
"Because you don’t have a mana core, you have limitations when using your powers. Every time you cast a spell while using mana crystals, your body becomes the medium, and the mana rushes through your flesh and bones, tearing at your insides and damaging your health. It is a dangerous way to practice magic, and you cannot sustain it for long without permanent injury." Yen Sid said. "But what if we do it in a different way? In the treasury lies an artifact called the Amulet of Spells. With it, you can imprint the spells you possess, whether they are unique or known only by one person. Once recorded, others can use those spells even if they don’t originally belong to them."
"So what you’re saying is to record the ability I have in the amulet, and someone will use it to activate the spell and weaken the heavy curse that binds this castle and everyone in it?" Lucian asked.
"Precisely," Yen Sid replied.
"But who will cast it?" Lucian frowned. "You know as well that the spell usually targets a single person. And the curse here... it is not just on me. It is woven into the land, the castle, and every living being within these walls. To affect all of that, to lessen a curse of such magnitude... it would require a massive amount of mana. More than any normal mage could ever provide."
"That will not be a problem, Your Majesty," Yen Sid said, his light glowing with confidence and pride. "You forget who you are speaking to. I am not merely a wizard... I am one of the few remaining Sages that walk upon this world."
Lucian stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in genuine shock. He stared at the floating crystal ball.
"You... you are a Sage? But if you are that powerful... how come..."
"How come I could not undo the curse that was placed upon us?" Yen Sid finished for him, chuckling softly. "Because the woman who placed this curse upon us was no ordinary mage. She was a Demigod."
Based on the knowledge Lucian had gained from the books, the power of mages was categorized into seven different ranks.
Initiate: Those who have just begun, capable of only basic spellcasting and still learning the foundations.
Adept: Competent and skilled; can cast standard spells reliably and handle common magical tasks.
Master: Possesses advanced knowledge and power, usually a specialist in one or two fields of magic, highly respected.
Grandmaster: Extremely powerful individuals who can influence large areas, create lasting enchantments to their will on a grand scale.
Archmage: The peak of mortal magic. They possess wisdom and power that shape history, capable of altering landscapes, creating realms, and understanding the deepest secrets of the universe.
Sage: A legendary level, extremely rare. Sages are capable of high-level magic that can destroy nations, raise mountains, or alter the very laws of nature with their spells. They are living forces of nature.
Demigod: A being who stands half-way between mortal and divine. Their magic is unrealistic, terrifying, and absolute. They can tear the world apart or rewrite existence itself with a mere thought. Nothing made by mortal hands can stand against them.
"It really was unfortunate for our kingdom," Yen Sid said sadly, "to be targeted by a wandering Demigod. The Enchantress was well-known for roaming the lands, handing out curses and trials to those she deemed in need of ’improvement’. Prince Adam, proud and cruel as he was, became her target. When she appeared, I could not even move a muscle under her pressure. Her spell not only changed the Prince... it stripped me of my true form and bound me to this orb, limiting my power to a fraction of what it once was."
He looked at Lucian.
"That is why I know exactly how heavy the burden Prince Adam passed onto you truly is. And that is exactly why I am going to help you bear it but before that... let us first save the kingdom."
Finally, they came to a halt before a pair of massive, double doors made of solid steel and carved stone, etched with glowing runes that hummed with dormant power. Yen Sid floated forward, and with a simple wave of his light, the heavy doors groaned and swung open silently.
Lucian stepped inside and gasped.
It was incredible.
The room was vast, stretching far into the shadows, filled to the brim with unimaginable wealth. Piles of gold coins glinted in the light, mountains of jewelry and gemstones sparkled from every shelf, and ancient weapons and armors lined the walls.
But more than the gold, it was the artifacts that caught his eye, strange and wonderful objects resting inside glass cases, floating in stasis fields, or radiating faint auras of power. Every single one of them looked valuable, dangerous, and filled with history.
"Welcome to the Royal Treasury," Yen Sid announced proudly, drifting deeper inside to search for what they had come for.
Lucian walked slowly through the aisles, looking around in awe.
"If this room holds such treasures," Lucian asked, gesturing to the open doors behind them, "is it really this easy to open and walk in? It seems far too unguarded for a place like this."
"It opens easily because I am with you," Yen Sid answered without looking back, rummaging through a pile of glowing artifacts. "Do not be fooled. There are hundreds of magic formations woven into these walls. Any thief or unauthorized person attempting to enter would be torn apart instantly before they even touched the door, even a fly would die."
Lucian nodded, understanding the security. His attention was then drawn to one specific artifact resting on a pedestal inside a glass case. It was a mirror, small, handheld, framed in silver, and its surface swirled with dark, shifting smoke.
"That one you are looking at," Yen Sid said, noticing his gaze, "is a fragment of the famous Magic Mirror that once belonged to Queen Grimhilde, ruler of Germonia, the Kingdom of the Black Forest."
Lucian looked at it with interest. "The Evil Queen?"
"Yes. Centuries ago, her mirror was broken during a conflict. It was said to know everything, see everything. An Archmage managed to steal a piece of the shattered glass and crafted it into this hand mirror, preserving its ability to answer questions and see distant places, though on a smaller scale."
Lucian looked at the orb with a smirk. "And that Archmage... was it you?"
Yen Sid let out a hearty laugh, his light shaking with amusement.
"Yes! When I was young, I did many mischievous things and stole many relics from all over the world. I wonder... is that old witch still alive? She was hateful, but powerful. I hope she hasn’t come looking for her property."
He finally found what he was searching for in the far corner, buried beneath layers of protective cloth. "Here it is!"
Yen Sid took the artifact and tossed it over.
Lucian caught it easily. It was an amulet, shaped like a shield made of silver and crystal, cold to the touch. The moment his fingers closed around it, it was as if thousands of vast lines of spellwork opened up directly inside Lucian’s mind. He could see everything recorded within it, ancient diagrams, and explanations of exactly what each enchantment did.
"That is the Amulet Of Spells," Yen Sid said. "It holds hundreds of unique spells and enchantments within its structure."
He gestured to the piles of shimmering, fist-sized crystals stacked nearby.
"Pick a Magic Core from the pile there. Infuse your spell into it, and then channel it into the amulet. It will record the ability perfectly."
Lucian nodded. He walked over and selected a large, clear crystal pulsing with raw mana. He held it in one hand and placed his other hand over the Amulet of Echoing Magic. He focused his mind and activated Lessen Curse. The core drained rapidly as mana coursed through his body and into the amulet, which glowed bright blue before dimming.
Lucian exhaled, lowering his hands. The spell was recorded.
Yen Sid floated closer, his voice filled with satisfaction and determination. "Excellent. Now... the ability is stored, and I will be the one to cast it using the amulet’s power."
The Imperial Wizard turned toward the door, ready to leave, his light burning bright with newfound hope.
"Let us then finally start, Your Majesty. It is time to weaken the curse of Lumièrea."
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[A/N: Hey everyone! Some of you may have already seen the collection of the Adult fairy tale story in the Disney section. I decided to read it in the past, but the machine translation was really hard to follow especially since, like many Chinese fanfics, it contains elements of bias, excessive national pride, and similar issues. So I’ve been translating and editing it as I read, and figured I might as well post the cleaned‑up version here for everyone to enjoy. Just a heads‑up: this story is quite dark.]
