Arriving at the church, I immediately looked on my radar to find where Sana and Ertha were. They were on the second floor in the same room.
I immediately went there while greeting anyone I met on the way. Getting to the room they were in was easy. There was a sign 'Infirmary' hung above the door. And no enter sign was hung on the door handle.
'Is the curse that serious?' I thought as I stretched my hand toward the handle.
Without wasting any time thinking about it again, I pushed the door open. Inside was a white room partitioned by some light green curtains. It lived up to its name as an infirmary.
All curtains were open except one in the corner of the room, which belonged to Ertha if the location of the dot was accurate.
Hearing the door creak open, a hand appeared from the curtain, followed by a head peeking out that belonged to someone I knew very well. It was Sana, and her expression changed to a pleasant surprise as she saw me.
"Sir Arthur?" She called out, tilting her head slightly. Then she stepped out of the curtain, smiling at me. "Has the party ended?"
"Yes." I nodded, closed the door behind me, and approached her with a smile. "And now I am here to see Ertha. How is her condition?"
Sana's expression fell as she shook her head, "It's worsened. I even think of killing her to end her misery and let her revive with a Level lost."
"That's not necessary." I patted her on the head and walked past her, moving the curtain away with my other hand.
On a bed, Ertha was sleeping while having difficulty breathing. Her blindfold was taken off, and her nun costume changed into a comfortable gown.
Her skin had a patch of purple which gushed out a strange aura. It was a sign of a curse, and it took her HP slowly. Even the root of her hair lost its beautiful blue color and her skin paled thanks to the curse.
"Can you try to use <Heal> on her?" I asked Sana, who stood beside me after I entered the curtain room.
"It's useless, Sir Arthur." Sana shook her head weakly. "I've tried <High Heal> too, but my Lv 6 <Holy Magic> can't help to lift the curse. It's… something really ominous and strong."
"So it's a curse caused by a monster, then." I nodded my head in understanding, arriving at a conclusion from Sana's words.
I approached Ertha and used <Appraisal> on her. At that moment, her status showed up in the form of a floating blue window in front of me.
---
Name: Ertha Castitas (Cursed)
Race: Half-Human Half-Angel
Lv: 68
Sins: 0
Virtues: 2300
Status:
HP: 12/50 (MAX 100)
MP: 70/70 (MAX 100)
STR: 64 (MAX 100)
VIT: 30 (MAX 100)
AGI: 62 (MAX 100)
DEX: 58 (MAX 100)
INT: 72 (MAX 100)
LUC: 80 (MAX 100)
---
Skills:
[Oracle] [Lv 5 Holy Magic] [Lv 3 Management] [Lv 2 Acting]
---
Titles:
[Castitas Church's Bishop] [Unwanted Daughter]
---
This was impressive.
Her status was similar to Tristan's when she became Isabelle. To think Ertha was this strong… I wondered how long she had lived to gain this kind of status and her relationship with the Royal Family.
I shook my head to return my focus.
'That's not important. I should look at her HP and her status instead of her Level.'
There were many kinds of curses, but the strongest one was the one that could decrease one's status and HP. And in this case, Ertha's maximum HP was decreased by half, and her VIT was probably also decreased by half if I looked at her average status.
"It's a Lv 6 <Curse> called <Extra Weaken>," I said as I furrowed my brows.
Sana gasped from the side, surprised by what I had said.
"So that's why my <Holy Magic> didn't work on her."
"Yes." I answered, "But in the first place, curing a strong <Curse> needs at least Lv 8 <Holy Magic> called <Lift Curse>."
I knew the feeling of being powerless in front of a curse as I had experienced a loss before. So I looked at Sana and patted her head again as she looked a bit down.
"No need to worry. People have their own jobs, and I can solve this."
Feeling my hand on her head, Sana looked up at me and smiled.
"Thank you, Sir Arthur. Please cure Ertha. Even though she has a sharp tongue, and I know she called me midget behind my back, she's a friend and teacher who has guided me. Fufufu, I won't hide that she's way older than me. But please keep it a secret from her."
"Should I?" I smiled playfully at her, pulling my hand away from her head. "I somehow want to see this sharp-tongued Ertha. There is only Cecil who ever talked without hiding her real self from me, but she also changed the way she talked due to Vivian's influence. So… I think it will be refreshing to hear her sharp tongue."
Saying so, I turned back to Ertha and stretched my hand. A bright light condensed in front of my palm and slowly covered Ertha's body.
The skill I used wasn't the Lv 8 <Lift Curse>, but <Blessing of Angel>. Unlike the former, which could only cure a curse, the latter was a Lv 10 skill that could lift any ill status and the lingering effect as well as healing the receiver's HP to the max.
However, this skill used half of my MP in Horizon Online, which means 50 MP. I couldn't use this skill carelessly in the past. But now? I could even spam it if not for the cooldown being 5 minutes long.
Ertha's breathing slowly stabilized as the purple patch in her skin disappeared. The root of her hair regained the blue color, and her pale skin turned normal.
"Ugh…" A groan escaped her lips, and she began to squirm around, seemingly in pain.
"What happened, Sir Arthur?" Sana asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. It will be over soon."
As I said that, Ertha's expression eased considerably. Her groan became slower and turned into a steady breath.
"See? I told you she would be fine." I smiled at Sana, and she heaved a relieved sigh.
"Yes… Thank you for saving her. I…" The cute Archbishop began to sob softly.
Looking at her crying at Ertha's safety, I thought it was wholesome and hugged her. At least I could lend her my body to lean against to cry.
As I pulled her into an embrace, her cry intensified. I patted her slowly on the back and stayed silent.
At that moment, I felt a gaze coming from the side and noticed Ertha opened her eyes for the first time. Her eyes were unexpectedly silver in color, almost blending with the white part. With a soft smile, she moved her lips without making a sound.
"Keep it a secret." Her mouth created this sentence before she pretended to sleep again. Then, she muttered, "Thank you."
I smiled at her. Why did everyone unable to be honest with their friends? But I guessed that was how people fundamentally were.
As I watched Ertha, I used <Appraisal> to make sure she was now okay. I heaved a sigh of relief when her (Cursed) condition disappeared, and her status page returned to normal.
'Next stop is the Royal Castle. I need to introduce myself to Prince Thomas and Prince Edison as well as push the Queen to hold the coronation ceremony as fast as possible.'
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