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Secret Forbidden Spell – Part 05

When Hikaru’s party set off for the Frontier Sage’s home, visitors arrived at the Nightblaze residence.

“Thank you for coming,” said Duke Nightblaze. “I heard you wanted to use Healing magic on my son.”

Sophie and Sara of the Four Eastern Stars bowed their heads before the Duke. Sophie really wanted to do something, and in the end, the only thing she could come up with was continuously casting Healing magic on Galeicrada. Nevertheless, she believed it was better than doing nothing.

“I would greatly appreciate it,” the Duke said. “I will pay you accordingly.”

“I just want to do what I can, regardless of the payment,” Sophie replied.

“I’m truly grateful.”

Sophie was relieved to be welcomed, but she couldn’t help but feel baffled. Duke Nightblaze had seen the Four Eastern Stars as his last hope, and he must have been disappointed when that hope was shattered. Yet the current Duke, although carrying a hint of weariness, seemed buoyant.

After casting Healing magic on Galeicrada, his complexion improved slightly. They then moved to a different room for the payment.

“Your Grace, if I may ask,” Sophie said. “Did something happen yesterday after we left?”

“…”

The Duke fell silent, and his silence proved that something did happen.

“Is it related to Lord Galeicrada’s treatment?! If so, perhaps there’s something we can do to help. I don’t need compensation. I’m a servant of the gods. Please tell me if there’s anything I can do!”

“P-Please raise your head. I appreciate your concern for my son. I really do, but…” The Duke thought about it. “Very well. They might need the help. Actually…”

The Duke told them about the Frontier Sage.

---

“Please tell me how to lift the curse,” Hikaru said. “I’m sure Duke Nightblaze will provide a substantial reward.”

“I don’t really care about any reward. If anything, I should apologize for my senior disciple’s idiocy. But before that, if you came to me instead of Brunkvan…”

“Apparently, Brunkvan passed away a few years ago.”

Brinkra looked out the window and let out a long sigh. “He must have received a hefty sum to use a forbidden spell on someone. There’s no way of knowing now that he’s dead. Based on what you’ve told me, the forbidden spell Brunkvan used is called the Purgatory Wedge. It’s a nasty spell that slowly drains the life force of the target over a long period of time, making it appear as if they died from an illness.”

“And how do we undo it?”

“Slow down, now. The spell is based on an Accursed magic that my master considered taboo and is activated through a contract with an evil being. Brunkvan’s death might be related to that. Well, as they say, what goes around comes around.” Brinkra stood up and brought several sheets of parchment from the adjacent room. The magic formula was written on them. “I’m sorry for getting your hopes up, but unless you can gather all the materials listed here, there’s no way you can undo the spell.”

“Are the materials rare?”

“Not just rare, they’re impossible to acquire. If there was enough time, I could search in other countries,” Brinkra said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

They’re that rare, huh? Put it another way, Brunkvan also used these rare materials to cast the curse.

Galeicrada was the target of a meticulous assassination, one that involved substantial investment in both money and time.

“I have some minor materials here, but first, we need a caster,” Brinkra said.

“A caster? Can you not handle it?”

“I have magical power, but not the right attribute. While I can use elemental magic, this requires magical power aligned with the opposite of Evil, which is Holy. And a lot of it.”

Hikaru looked over his shoulder. The masked Lavia nodded in response. She had more than twice the amount of mana compared to Paula.

“Huh? You mean that girl over there has the required mana for it? You’re kidding.”

“She can use Atonement Flame,” Hikaru said. “Do you know about it?”

“What?! You mean the spell that combines Holy and Fire attributes? Surely, she can only use it once.”

“Star Face, how many times can you cast Atonement Flame?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but during the Ruler’s Rumble, I used it more than ten times, and I was completely fine.”

“There you have it. What do you think?”

Brinkra’s wide-eyed gaze flitted between Hikaru and Lavia. That seemed to be a yes.

“B-But there are still two required materials that are very, and I mean very difficult to obtain!”

“Please tell us about them.”

Brinkra raised her forefinger and middle finger. Hikaru was starting to wonder whether she wanted the curse lifted or not.

“One is blood with high mana conductivity. The more, the better. It can be obtained by killing monsters. Around here, there’s the Ravine Serpent and the Cóiste Bodhar. The Ravine Serpent lives deep in the forest, and the Cóiste Bodhar is a monster that appears at dusk, with a very low probability. Extremely low. And both are considered Rank A monsters.”

“I-I see…”

She just said all that in one breath.

“All right. Let’s go kill a Ravine Serpent. Better go with the guaranteed encounter.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“And what about the other material?”

Brinkra sniffed audibly. “You seem quite confident in your abilities. Unfortunately, there’s no way you obtain this particular material. Without it, the probability of lifting the curse drops significantly.”

“Sounds like a very important material.”

“It is. To undo the evil forbidden spell that Brunkvan cast, you’ll need power that aligns with the Holy attribute. In short…”

“In short?”

Brinkra lowered her voice. “You need a part of a drakon’s body,” she said dramatically.

“Ah, I see. A drakon, huh?”

“Wh-What’s with that weak reaction?! We’re talking about a drakon! A drakon! Not some lizard-lookin’ dragons! D-Don’t tell me you actually have one.”

Hikaru groaned. When he first met the Fire Drakon in the Forest of Deception, he was slightly annoyed by its inconsiderate behavior. But now the drakon might actually prove useful.

“Star Face.”

“Yes.”

Lavia showed her short wand. It had a spiral groove carved into it, where the Fire Drakon’s hair was coiled around.

“Wh-Wh-Where…”

Brinkla carefully examined it and sensed the presence and magical power emitted by the material.

“Where did you get this?!”

Hikaru took that as the Sorcerer giving her stamp of approval.

---

One of the three Grand Dukes, Duke Jackrune of House Jackrune, was an elderly man with a balding head and a posture so straight that it seemed as if he had a rod inserted into his back.

Despite his sunken cheeks, Duke Jackrune, who would be turning seventy this year, carried himself briskly, and his keen gaze indicated that he was still very much active.

“Duke Jackrune. It’s been a while.”

“What are you saying? At our age, one or two years pass in the blink of an eye. It feels like I was talking to you just yesterday.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Margrave Grugschilt had come to Duke Jackrune’s residence, accompanied by a small number of attendants. His purpose, of course, was to make preparations for their endorsement of Kujastria as the next queen.

After rekindling their old friendship, the two dined together with the Duchess and their eldest son, the heir to the duchy, and then found themselves alone in the salon. A bottle of 40-year-old liquor sat before them.

Grugschilt finally turned to the main topic. Back in their younger days, about fifty years ago, they fooled around in high society, and raising their swords, achieved glory in the battlefield. Grugschilt only needed to say half of it, and Duke Jackrune would understand the rest.

“Lucha, let me ask you something.”

Interrupting Grugschilt, the Duke, no longer standing with his back straight, sank into the couch, his eyes looking somewhat sleepy.

Lucha was Grugschilt’s nickname, derived from his name Ludraska. Nowadays only a handful of people called him by that name.

“Is Princess Kujastria fit for the throne, even for a short period?”

“I can assure you of that. Lawrence also thinks highly of her.”

“I see. Then I have no objections. Come to think of it, perhaps His Majesty has lost his way because we, his subjects, were incompetent.”

“That’s…”

Duke Jackrune was the king’s cousin. He was once the second-in-line for the throne, and there was even a possibility that, by some twist of fate, he could have become the king. Some nobles tried to elevate him, but to keep them at bay, the Duke willingly did things unbecoming of a member of the royal family, such as engaging in foolish antics and going to the battlefield. He did it all to avoid unproductive disputes over the succession.

His actions, however, earned the disdain of the other nobles once he became Duke. He was given a domain with low tax revenue and ravaged by disasters. He then left the capital and focused on managing his lands. His past behavior was somewhat reminiscent of the present Kujastria.

“I know you,” the Duke said. “You’ve already taken care of Golbishop and Nightblaze, haven’t you?”

“Duke Nightblaze, to some extent. I believe Duke Golbishop will follow suit once the majority agrees.”

“He will.”

“However, Duke Nightblaze might be difficult to convince.”

Duke Jackrune was fully aware of House Nightblaze’s situation. He gave a small nod. “Even if you fail to convince Duke Nightblaze, proceed with the plan anyway. Let this be my final task.”

“…”

Grugschilt swallowed hard. The words “final task” carried a literal meaning—it wasn’t just about retirement; it likely meant putting his life on the line as well.

To endorse Kujastria for the throne, it would be necessary to gather the three Dukes at one place. If, at that moment, Duke Nightblaze didn’t firmly declare his support, or Duke Golbishop hesitated…

Did I make a mistake by counting on that suspicious fellow Silver Face? No, he bested Lawrence. Moreover, Princess Kujastria seems to trust him. It’s the best option we have at the moment, and even if that fails, marrying Lord Galeicrada into the royal family does not come with any drawbacks.

If they succeeded in placing Kujastria on the throne, many changes would be needed, including the removal of nobles and the replacement of bureaucrats within the corrupt royal palace. Duke Jackrune, who had shown great skill in managing his lands for a long time, would have plenty of opportunities to shine.

I’m not letting him die. Not on my watch.