Chapter 10 – Chasing Clues (Part 1)

“It’s been a while.”

Parin, who was lying in the garden, looked back at Ellerdin. Ellerdin, who was sitting in the garden drinking tea, smiled warmly. It had been a long time since she visited the garden due to taking care of the territory residents recently.

“I had something prepared for you.”

Parin spoke slowly, rolling over on the grass.

“For me?”

Ellerdin put down her teacup.

“Yes, it’s a method I devised for stubborn you.”

Ellerdin looked at Parin with eyes full of anticipation. He gestured in the air and took out a small, blackened orb.

“What is this…?”

“It’s an object with a curse.”

“A curse?”

Ellerdin stood up in surprise at the appearance of a cursed object.

“There’s no need to be so wary. It’s an item artificially infused with dark magic.”

“Why would you have something like this…?”

Parin’s deep eyes gazed at Ellerdin. The life Ellerdin lived was not smooth. It was the destiny of one with great power. However, there was also a way to avoid it.

One could either ignore the misfortune approaching them or sever ties with everyone and use that power solely for themselves.

But Parin knew Ellerdin wouldn’t do that. Ellerdin would try to solve the misfortune not only for herself but also for those around her and use her power for everyone.

Then there was only one method left. It was to teach her how to use her power properly.

“The power of healing isn’t just for treating wounds. To be precise, it can also solve problems like curses or black magic. Of course, it can also interfere with holy power.”

Ellerdin still looked at Parin as if she didn’t understand. Seeing her gentle eyes, Parin smiled softly.

“From now on, I will teach you how to use your power. It will require a lot of effort, but can you do it?”

At Parin’s words, Ellerdin’s eyes began to sparkle.

“I can do it!”

Her heart raced at the thought of finally learning how to use the power she had longed for.

After that, the practice with Parin continued day and night. He brought various cursed objects, and Ellerdin spent days and nights trying to break those curses.

***

“Hoo…”

Ellerdin stood in front of the basement door, taking a deep breath. After days of practice and contemplation, the day had finally come to try to break Kaiden’s curse.

She didn’t think she could break the curse in one attempt. However, the fact that she had reached the stage where she could try made her heart tremble anew.

Fernan gently wrapped his arms around Ellerdin’s shoulders.

“There’s no need to be too nervous. We still have time.”

Ellerdin swallowed and nodded.

“Shall we go down then?”

Fernan spread his arms wide. Ellerdin hesitated for a moment before hugging his neck. Fernan lifted Ellerdin comfortably.

“Hold on tight.”

Fernan, holding Ellerdin, descended into the basement. She felt the strong wind and the ground approaching.

Fernan, who arrived at the basement in an instant, set Ellerdin down on the floor.

He took out a glowing magic orb from his inventory and suspended it in the air, revealing the cracked white statue and the former Grand Duke sitting in front of it, lost in thought.

‘It seems more cracked.’

Ellerdin frowned, looking at the statue. She always felt as if the statue was looking at her. Of course, that couldn’t be true.

“Father, I’m here.”

Ellerdin greeted with a soft smile. Kaiden, with a serious expression, looked at Ellerdin. His usually blurry eyes had a small light in them, unlike usual.

“It’s nice to see you. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

A soft, low voice echoed in the basement. It was the first moment they could communicate. Ellerdin bit her lips at the wave of unknown emotions.

She had always come down hoping Kaiden’s consciousness would awaken, but she had never been able to converse with him.

Kaiden smiled softly at Ellerdin’s surprised expression. It was a smile that warmed even the onlooker.

‘Fernan resembles his father.’

Ellerdin thought it felt familiar.

“Father, Ellerdin is here to break your curse.”

Fernan carefully held Ellerdin’s hand. Kaiden’s gaze shifted from Fernan to Ellerdin.

His red eyes shone brightly in the darkness, but they held warmth.

“I’m sorry. For placing such a heavy burden on you, a young child… And I’m sorry to you too, Fernan. I’m truly sorry.”

Kaiden looked at them with sad eyes.

“Not at all. I’m grateful you accepted me. I’ve gained so much since coming here.”

Ellerdin tightly held Fernan’s hand.

Coming to this duchy, she was finally able to escape her past.

Especially without Fernan, she would still be crawling on the ground, unable to stand on her own two feet.

She would have had to bow her head to all injustices without ever expressing her opinions to anyone.

“I will definitely break your curse, Father. So please wait until then.”

Kaiden looked at them with sorrowful eyes.

“I can wait long enough. So don’t overdo it.”

With those words, his expression, mixed with gratitude and apology, began to harden.

“…”

Kaiden, who had instantly changed to a vacant expression, looked away from Ellerdin and Fernan, staring at the statue.

“Don’t feel pressured. Do what you want to do. It’s okay if you fail.”

Ellerdin glanced at him and nodded resolutely. She approached Kaiden and knelt down.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Ellerdin took Kaiden’s left hand. She felt the stiff, hardened skin. Holding his hand, she slowly infused her healing power.

Sweat trickled down her chin and fell to the ground. Despite countless practices, there was no reaction from Kaiden.

She had been infusing power for a long time, but she couldn’t even see the shape of the curse. It felt like wandering in complete darkness.

She tried infusing a large amount of power at once, continuously supplying power, and even maintaining it for a specific time, but there was still no clue to breaking the curse.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, her vision spun due to using too much power. As Ellerdin’s upper body swayed, Fernan quickly caught her.

Her whole body was drenched in sweat. Fernan lifted Ellerdin, who was struggling to breathe.

“Please put me down.”

Despite Ellerdin’s request, Fernan shook his head.

“Let’s stop here for today. You’ve worked hard enough. You can rest and try again later.”

Fernan massaged Ellerdin’s arm and spread his wings.

Back in the room, Fernan looked at Ellerdin, who was asleep in his arms. Exhausted from using her power, she had fallen asleep. Ellerdin frowned as if something was bothering her and mumbled her lips.

‘…How would she react if I said I wanted to kiss her?’

Fernan chuckled at the sudden thought. He would never say such a thing unless Ellerdin’s heart was directed at him.

‘Let’s not think about things I can’t say. It’s rude.’

Fernan suppressed the feelings that were about to burst out. Lying in bed, looking at Ellerdin’s face, Fernan thought.

‘I hope that one day… I can convey these feelings to you.’

Fernan kissed Ellerdin’s hair.

***

From that day on, Ellerdin headed to the basement at the same time with Fernan every time.

Though Kaiden’s consciousness never returned, they didn’t lose hope.

However, there was another problem. The curse wasn’t as easily broken as they thought.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t start from this part.’

Ellerdin released Kaiden’s hardened hand.

If the curse covered the entire body, where should I infuse power to break it?

Books often said curses were engraved on the heart. 

Then what if I directly infused power into the heart?

“Father, just a moment.”

Ellerdin tried to turn his body, which was facing the statue. However, no matter how much strength she used, his body wouldn’t move away from the statue.

“Fernan, can you help me for a moment?”

Fernan, who was beside her, approached Ellerdin.

“Could you turn Father’s body? I need to place my hand on his chest.”

“Of course.”

He grabbed Kaiden’s shoulders and turned his body. As soon as he let go, Kaiden’s body turned back toward the statue. Fernan, surprised, held Kaiden’s shoulders.

“Thank you.”

While Fernan held his body, Ellerdin placed her hand on his chest and channeled power. The pure energy spread from her fingertips throughout Kaiden’s body.

‘Everything is blocked…’

There wasn’t even space for the power to squeeze in. It was a solid curse, surrounded by a membrane rather than intricately woven.

She searched here and there, trying to find even a slight gap.

“By the way, what is this statue?”

Ellerdin asked without much thought.

“It’s my mother.”

At his calm words, Ellerdin looked at Fernan in surprise.

“Your mother…? Could it be Lady Everett?”

“That’s right. How did you know my mother’s name?”

Fernan asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Oh, I saw a book your mother wrote in the library at the castle.”

After answering, she withdrew her power, looking at the statue, which she hadn’t imagined to be his mother.

Again, she felt as if she made eye contact with the statue.

“Do you know what Lady Everett’s curse is?”

“It’s not a curse. But the angels call it karma. When exposed to light, it cracks and shatters… Mother fought at the forefront during the war.”

Fernan looked at the statue with a bitter expression.

“I could sometimes talk to my father, but I could never converse with my mother, who became a statue.”

So that’s why. That’s why Father always looked at the statue.

Even in his unconscious state, it was remarkable that he never left his wife’s side, who had become a statue. Such love was something she had never read about in books.

‘I want to restore both of them somehow.’

Ellerdin took a short breath and placed her hand on Kaiden’s chest. She composed her scattered thoughts and infused as much power as she could.