Chapter 101: Valeria

Ethan moved his arms and legs to test his body. His movements were back to normal, and he could move freely again.

He also checked his summons. The Slow Movement Curse that had affected his entire legion was gone as well. The Shadow Wraiths around him were moving normally again.

However, there was still one problem.

The third curse was still there. The marking above his head hadn’t changed at all, and his HP was still decreasing by one point every minute.

Ethan checked his status again.

"So this one isn’t going away?"

He had already lost a few more HP since the curse was placed on him. It seemed that the curse was going to remain until his HP was completely drained.

That was troublesome.

Even though he still had almost 3,000 HP, he couldn’t just ignore it. If he didn’t find a way to remove the curse, he would eventually die.

Ethan looked in the direction the masked man had escaped.

"That bastard really went out of his way to cause trouble for me."

He wanted to leave this place, but there was no point in rushing off without knowing what to do about the curse. Besides, the people from the Aethernal Empire should be coming soon.

They were already chasing the masked man before he escaped with Ethan. They would probably come looking for him once they realized what had happened.

Ethan decided to wait for them.

He kept the Shadow Wraiths nearby while he waited. He also kept an eye on his status, watching as his HP continued to decrease.

Hopefully, someone among the people coming here would know how to remove the curse.

A few minutes went by, and to Ethan’s surprise, someone actually arrived.

He looked up and saw a figure flying towards him at a very fast speed.

As the person got closer, Ethan could see that it was a woman wearing elegant silver armour. She had a pair of large, white feathered wings on her back, and she was holding a long silver spear in one hand.

The woman soon reached the area and landed a short distance away from Ethan.

She didn’t immediately approach him. Instead, she looked around the area first.

Her eyes soon fell on the remains of the skyship not far away. There were also several pieces of wreckage scattered across the ground, along with signs of a fierce battle.

Ethan also recognized her.

It was Princess Valeria Aethernal, one of the direct descendants of the Emperor of the Aethernal Empire.

She wasn’t an ordinary princess. She was a member of the imperial family with a very high position, and she was also known for her cold personality. Even among the imperial family, not many people could easily get close to her.

Valeria had awakened her profession four years ago. Her profession was called Silver Battle Maiden, an A-Rank combat profession.

It was said to be related to the Valkyries, a powerful race mentioned in ancient legends. Although it wasn’t a true Valkyrie profession, it shared some of their characteristics, including the silver armour, wings and spear.

Ethan had heard quite a lot about Princess Valeria in his previous life. He knew she was a very talented woman, and her Silver Battle Maiden profession was also quite famous in the Aethernal Empire.

She had only awakened four years ago, yet she had already reached a level that many people would struggle to achieve in their entire lives.

After a few more seconds, Valeria finally looked at Ethan.

"So you’re the hostage he took with him."

"Yes."

She looked in the direction the masked man had escaped before turning her attention back to Ethan.

"That man went to great lengths to escape. He even left you behind to delay us."

Ethan didn’t say anything.

Valeria’s attention then shifted to the destroyed skyship around them. She looked at the wreckage for a while before speaking again.

"Fire, lightning, and this much destruction..." she said. "It looks like an entire army fought here."

Ethan understood what she wanted to know.

"I’m a Summoner."

Valeria looked at him again.

"A Summoner?"

"Yes."

She looked at the Shadow Wraiths standing nearby, then turned her attention in the direction the masked man had escaped.

"Where did he go?"

Ethan raised his hand and pointed in the direction the masked man had escaped.

Valeria followed his gesture with her eyes.

"Understood."

She raised one hand and waved it. A small skyship appeared a short distance away from them.

"Get on that ship and return to Westwatch Station. Tell them what happened here. They’ll help you remove the curse."

Ethan looked at her. "What about you?"

"I have to catch him."

She didn’t say anything else. Her wings spread, and she flew in the direction Ethan had pointed.

Ethan watched her disappear into the distance before turning towards the small skyship.

He walked over to it and climbed aboard.

The skyship wasn’t very large, but it was enough for one person. After checking that everything was working, Ethan started it and set off towards Westwatch Station.

The journey took a few hours.

During that time, Ethan stayed inside the skyship and occasionally checked his status. The curse was still active, and his HP continued to decrease by one point every minute.

There wasn’t much he could do about it for now, so he simply waited until he reached the station.

A few hours later, the skyship finally arrived at Westwatch Station.

Ethan brought it down near the docking area and stepped outside.

He had barely taken a few steps when one of the station personnel noticed him.

The man looked at Ethan for a few seconds before his eyes widened.

"Wait... You’re back?"

Ethan turned towards him.

"Yes."

The man quickly walked over to him, looking rather surprised.

"We thought you had been taken away by that assassin. How did you manage to return?"

"It’s a long story."

The man seemed to want to ask more questions, but he stopped himself.

"Please, follow me. There’s someone who needs to see you."