Episode 77
Catherine’s expression hardened at Zeke’s words.
With a voice as cold as ice, she addressed him.
“Sir Zeke, you are being incredibly rude.”
Her voice was laced with anger.
Catherine’s daughter, Angelina Graham, was once rumored to be the most beautiful woman on the continent.
However, even after turning sixteen, the age when most young women made their debut in society, Angelina remained unseen, fueling a myriad of rumors.
Whispers spread that she hadn’t grown into the beauty everyone expected, or worse, that she had contracted a terrible disease that disfigured her face.
Since no one had seen Angelina since she was ten, these rumors gained a semblance of credibility.
Despite the gossip, no one dared to mention Angelina in front of the prestigious Graham family.
Everyone avoided the topic, treating the very mention of Angelina Graham as taboo.
Feeling insulted by Zeke, Catherine spoke with a voice as cold as her expression.
“I will remember your insolence, Sir. I would appreciate it if you left the castle immediately.”
Even though Zeke had invested heavily in the mines, Catherine was clear in her dismissal.
This incident highlighted just how sensitive the topic of Angelina was for Catherine.
Yet, Zeke remained unfazed and calmly replied.
“If Lady Angelina’s condition is left untreated, it will become irreversible.”
Catherine was taken aback by Zeke’s composed demeanor.
She looked at him, her curiosity piqued.
“You speak as if you know what ails Angelina.”
“Yes, I do.”
Catherine’s eyes widened in surprise.
“All the renowned healers on the continent have examined her, yet none could even diagnose her illness. Are you saying you know what it is and can cure it?”
Zeke responded with certainty.
“Lady Angelina is not suffering from an illness but a curse.”
Catherine’s face turned pale.
“A curse? Are you serious?”
Zeke nodded.
“Her symptoms—blisters forming all over her body and her skin decaying—are not typical of any disease.”
Catherine was shocked.
“How… how do you know this?”
“At first glance, it seems like a disease, but conventional medicine cannot cure it. It’s a vile curse cast through forbidden magic.”
Tears welled up in Catherine’s eyes.
“A curse… this can’t be…”
“Do you have any reason to believe it’s not a curse?”
“When Angelina first fell ill, we called a sorcerer from Nirvana. The Graham family has many enemies, so we are always vigilant against curses. Especially with Angelina attracting so much attention, we were extra cautious. The sorcerer found no trace of a curse, so we assumed it was an illness…”
Zeke shook his head.
“Curses are more akin to sorcery than magic. They exist in a realm of mystery that is difficult to interpret with ordinary magic.”
Catherine’s expression shifted dramatically.
“Are you saying you can lift this curse, Sir Zeke?”
Zeke pulled out a sacred text he had prepared in advance.
He made the sign of the cross and spoke.
“You’ve heard of the curse on the Agamemnon family, haven’t you?”
Catherine nodded.
“Of course. I heard it was recently lifted. Oh! And the new heir of the Agamemnon family is…”
“With the help of the Sun God, we reclaimed the family’s sacred relic and dispelled the curse.”
Watching Zeke hold the sacred text with reverence, Catherine felt her resolve waver.
She approached Zeke and grasped his hand.
“Sir Zeke, can you truly lift the curse on our Angelina?”
“Everything depends on the will of the divine. But one thing is certain: the longer we delay, the more danger Lady Angelina will be in.”
Catherine, her face ashen, began to tremble as she prayed.
Zeke held her hand and joined her in prayer.
Even Farrell, who stood behind them, clasped his hands and prayed.
Only Felix, a descendant of the Arch Paladin, stood silently, watching the three pray.
Farrell and Felix returned to their rooms, leaving Zeke to accompany Catherine deeper into the castle.
They headed towards the northern tower, a place off-limits to outsiders.
Knights in full plate armor guarded the entrance to the tower.
Catherine led the way, holding a lantern as they ascended the narrow passage.
“We removed all magic-powered items because they were said to be harmful to her condition.”
As a result, the passage was devoid of even a single magical light, shrouding it in darkness.
They climbed the spiral staircase to the room at the top.
As soon as Zeke entered, he wrinkled his nose at the stench of decay.
‘The situation is worse than I thought.’
A guttural, animalistic cry echoed from within the room.
Catherine bowed her head and began to recite a prayer.
Zeke gently took her hand to calm her and asked.
“Is Lady Angelina inside?”
Catherine nodded.
“The caregiver cleans her wounds and changes her bandages daily.”
“I must ask you and the caregiver to leave the room.”
Catherine hesitated but eventually nodded, realizing she had no choice but to trust Zeke.
The caregiver emerged from the inner room, and Zeke slowly entered.
The stench was even more overpowering inside.
‘This is dire.’
Zeke closed the door and looked towards the bed in the corner.
There lay a creature, barely human, wrapped in bandages soaked with pus.
“Kaaargh!”
Bound at the limbs, it screeched like metal being scraped.
“Lady Angelina.”
Zeke approached the bed cautiously.
Her condition was so severe it was a wonder she was still alive.
Her skin was raw and oozing, her hair sparse and patchy.
She was so emaciated that her bones were visible.
Zeke spoke to her gently.
“Lady Angelina, can you hear me?”
There was no response at first, but then her lips began to move slightly.
Zeke leaned in to catch her faint words.
”… Please… kill me…”
She was living in agony worse than death, struggling every day.
Zeke, seeing her plight, placed the sacred text on a nearby table.
He then retrieved the golden mask of Agamemnon from his inventory.
Taking a deep breath, he focused on Angelina.
‘I hope this works.’
Zeke knew about Angelina’s curse from an incident in his past life.
He had once been tasked by his master to track down a sorcerer who used ancient curses.
During the interrogation, he learned that the sorcerer had once been hired to curse a young lady of the Graham family.
At that time, Angelina had already passed away, and the sorcerer never revealed the client’s identity before his death, so Zeke hadn’t informed the Graham family.
‘Even if they had known, they wouldn’t have been able to break the curse.’
Ancient curses required complex rituals and carried significant risks if they failed, but once successful, they were notoriously difficult to lift.
Even the sorcerer who cast the curse often couldn’t undo it.
Angelina’s curse was one of those.
‘A curse that torments the beautiful more severely… who would create such a monstrous thing?’
Zeke clicked his tongue and infused mana into the golden mask.
As it had by the lakeside, the mask activated, enveloping his face like a helmet.
[The mask’s functions are now integrated with the system.]
[The Great Purification ability is now available.]
After dispelling the Agamemnon family’s curse, Zeke had gained ownership of this sacred relic as the family’s heir.
He had experimented with the mask, discovering that while holding it allowed limited use, wearing it enabled the ‘Great Purification’ skill.
“Here goes.”
Zeke, wearing the golden mask, approached Angelina.
He activated the Great Purification skill and targeted her with a wide-range buff.
A golden wave emanated from him, enveloping Angelina.
“Aaaah!”
As the golden light surrounded her, Angelina screamed as if her body were on fire.
Hearing the unfamiliar cries, Catherine shook the door handle.
“Sir Zeke! Is everything alright? How is Angelina? Please, open the door!”
Zeke had preemptively sealed the door with a spell, preventing Catherine from entering.
He continued to channel the purifying energy into Angelina.
Sssssss!
Suddenly, black smoke began to rise from her body.
“Ugh!”
Moments later, she convulsed, expelling a dark liquid from her mouth.
“Aaaah!”
Angelina writhed in agony, her screams growing louder as the black smoke thickened around her.
Zeke watched quietly for a moment before pulling a potion from his inventory and sprinkling it over Angelina’s wounded body.
Sssssss!
As the potion touched her bruised skin, new flesh began to grow.
“Not enough yet,” he thought.
This time, he took out a top-grade potion, pried open Angelina’s mouth, and forced her to swallow it.
“Mmmph!”
Angelina resisted, but Zeke held her throat, making sure she absorbed the potion. Her body had been weakened by the curse for so long that it was in a fragile state. Simply lifting the curse could shock her system, possibly stopping her heart.
“Ughhhh!”
Angelina writhed in agony, twisting her body on the bed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Outside, there was a loud commotion, likely Catherine and the knights trying to break down the door.
Zeke focused the power of purification on Angelina once more.
Wooooooom!
Her body contorted at unnatural angles, and then she suddenly opened her mouth wide, expelling a cloud of black smoke.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The source of the curse couldn’t withstand it and burst out of her body. Zeke immediately used his devour ability on the curse’s source.
Sssssss—
A shadow emerged from Zeke, swallowing the curse’s essence. A message appeared before him.
[You have devoured the Ancient Cursed Wraith.]
[Your mental strength and mana are replenished.]
[You have absorbed the wraith’s abilities and acquired the Curse Reflection (Grade A) skill.]
By absorbing the wraith, Zeke gained the unexpected benefit of the Curse Reflection skill.
“An unexpected gain,” he mused.
He then cast a wide-area healing factor buff to regenerate Angelina’s body.
Crack! Crack!
The healing factor’s power began to restore her damaged body. It had previously healed the Agamemnon family members who were deteriorating from dark magic, so it was more than capable of restoring cursed Angelina to her original state.
Sssssss—
Zeke watched as her hair, which had fallen out, began to grow back. Satisfied with her recovery, he returned the golden mask to his inventory.
He approached Angelina slowly, taking her wrist to check her pulse. Thankfully, it was steady. The curse had been lifted, and she had regained her true form.
Zeke removed his outer coat and draped it over her bare body.
Just then—
Bang!
The scroll magic Zeke had set up wore off, and the door burst open. Catherine entered with the knights.
Seeing that Angelina was no longer making any noise, Catherine covered her mouth in shock, assuming the worst.
“Sir Zeke! How could you… my daughter…”
She had entrusted Angelina to Zeke with a sliver of hope, only to mistakenly believe the worst had happened.
Zeke scratched his head, watching Catherine’s grief-stricken face.
“I missed the right moment to tell her the treatment was successful,” he thought, pondering how to break the news.
“Mother…?”