Chapter 20
…
"What a wondrous creation. I see it now. So, you are actually not crippled but instead sealed your strength to stop the seed from grow any further. No wonder…"
"Besides, I never expected the lord to manage to implant a demon seed in you. Hahahah… This is truly funny!!" He smiled, then turned to the two Acolytes. "Go after them!"
The two immediately dashed in the direction where Melyra had taken Kyren and Veyra.
However, Chriselda lifted her sword, and a ring of dark blue fire manifested around her, quickly surrounding them.
The two Acolytes halted just in time, having heard about the formidable blue fire from the daughter of the Head Clan of the Raven.
Just a slight touch from it meant the fire would latch onto the victims until they die, unless someone or something with Divinity intervened to cleanse it.
…
Six hours later, Kyren slowly opened his eyes.
Everything was a blur, but his vision gradually returned by then.
At first, he saw an ethereal, glowing deer, its antlers so large they were longer than its body length.
Then, he heard a sobbing voice nearby.
Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, he propped himself up and turned his head.
Kyren's eyes widened as he saw Melyra weakly leaning against a tree.
His heart raced, pounding as if it wanted to leap from his chest.
A lump formed in his throat at the sight of her condition.
Her body was covered in puncture and slashing wounds, one eye shut from a deep cut.
She was pale, bleeding heavily, and her breath was weak and faint.
Beside her, Veyra was crying, her head resting on Melyra's chest, hands tightly grasping her clothes. Her thoughts were scattered, overwhelmed by anguish.
Mist surrounded them, creating a clearing as if the fog had spread voluntarily to respectfully witness the tragic scene.
The luminous deer bowed its head in respect, acknowledging the true warrior who had fought with all her strength to protect the two children until she managed to reach this location.
Melyra slowly turned her eyes to meet Kyren's, whose gaze was filled with disbelief while looking at her.
"So, you're awake," she said, offering him a faint smile.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Please… sob, sob, sob… Please, you can do it. Come with us too. Don't leave us here, big sis… Please!!!"
Veyra's desperation grew, her eyes clouded with overwhelming sadness.
Melyra wanted to speak again but couldn't; her consciousness was slowly fading.
The pain from her wounds gradually lessened, and it felt as if she were floating.
It took all her effort to remain conscious.
"What happened?"
Kyren tried to stand but failed, his sense of gravity still not fully returning.
"Uh…"
Without waiting any longer, he crawled toward Melyra and sat beside her.
Seeing her dire condition, with her life hanging by a thread, he checked his points for buying an elixir.
Love Points: 4,820
There were healing potions available for 10,000, 6,000, and 2,000 points.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Kyren automatically chose the 2,000-point potion twice, regretting that he didn't have enough for the better options.
Hastily opening the cork, he tried to feed it to her, but she couldn't even open her mouth properly.
"Veyra, open her mouth, quick!" he urged.
Veyra complied, and together they tilted Melyra's head so she could drink.
Melyra was forced to swallow both potions in turn.
Her wounds began to heal slowly, but her breath remained weak.
"What's happening now? Why didn't it work?"
Kyren gritted his teeth once more.
He hadn't yet had even enough time to process how his mother had fought against the enemies or whether she was even okay.
He didn't want to think the worst of it.
And here he was, watching the one who had protected them for who knows how long, dying before his eyes.
Even after being fed the potion, her condition hadn't improved.
"It's useless…"
The ethereal deer spoke up. "She is afflicted by an Abyss Curse. It has already settled in her heart, draining her life from within. Given her current state, she has likely burned her life force twice in an attempt to escape or defeat her enemies. This makes her condition even worse. What you fed her only heals a small part of her injuries. You need to expel or purge the source of that curse."
"How? Can you tell me?" Kyren pressed, eager for an answer.
But midway, face palming to himself, he used Identification on her to check on her status.
It was listed as Cursed and Heavily Injured (Recovering)
There were also a few options on how to handle it.
"Holy Water from the Church of Light, Sacred Chant from the Buddhist Monasteries, and many other remedies that are far from here, except…"
"Except???" Veyra asked.
"The Dew of the Sacred Forest. My lord has a few drops with him…"
"Then please take us to him. I'll pay any amount you want, even if it means slaving myself away…"
A glimmer of hope appeared in Veyra's eyes as she saw the chance to save Melyra.
"It's too late. She has only about ten minutes left before she dies. It took me two hours to arrive here after being notified by one of the scouts…"
As he listened to the deer's explanation, Kyren glanced at his store system.
'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. My system was more reliable after all.' Kyren thought to himself.
Sacred Dew: 15,000 for a drop
Hatred Points: 86,553
At that moment, seeing he had enough points, Kyren almost jumped for joy.
It was all thanks to the people in the House of Valentine, who, every time he ventured out from his small residence, those people kindly offered Hatred Points without any reason.
Many other far cheaper options could also be exchanged to exorcise the curse too.
But sacred Dew had a more solid and tremendous effect, and he sure did – didn't want to gamble at this particular time, especially regarding the loss of someone's life.
After exchanging two of them in one go, Kyren fed Melyra one drop.
The color began to return to her complexion, but Melyra immediately fell into an unconscious state.
The Healing Potion from earlier eventually also gradually did its job, repairing her injuries and aiding her restoration.
Meanwhile, the deer was in shock, unable to say anything – as what she witnessed before her now was something that was supposed to be utterly unbelievable and impossible.
"How can he…"