Chapter 230: The Cursed Shapeshifter

"Actually, aside from them sharing a name, there’s another possibility," Quest said with a light cough. "That it’s *our* Andre."

"A while back, he pledged himself to the God of Justice."

"It’s really him?!" Ron was stunned. "But why?"

"I don’t think there’s anything in Delusional Land that would give a Paladin of Tyr cause for a major battle—surely he’s not coming after me, a Lord who deals with devils?"

"I wouldn’t go that far," Quest said, shaking his head with a smile. "He still respects you greatly. He told me that you were the one who set him straight when his judgment faltered, and Andre has kept the promise he made to you. As of now, at least, he holds no ill will toward you."

"Then why..."

"The secondary reason is likely that when you went to Rose City, he attended a few sermons by Tyr’s followers," Quest shrugged. "As for the main reason... a few days ago, his group was attacked by a monster in the swamp. He chose this path to protect his companions."

"It’s a good thing he was there. Otherwise, you’d be reading a report with several casualties right now. A male Owl Bear is no easy beast to take down."

"Andre killed the Owl Bear?" Aive asked curiously. "That kid’s improving a little too quickly."

Quest hesitated for a moment. "No, he didn’t. He just saved the other militiamen with him. The Owl Bear was wounded and fled deep into the forest."

"I actually wasn’t going to tell you about this—my people need to prove their worth from time to time to earn trust."

Ron understood. "So you’re planning to handle the aftermath? Are you confident you can do it?"

"I’ll lead the team myself. We’ll prepare to head out tonight," Quest said with a solemn nod. "Twelve adult doppelgangers, eight with combat experience. Even if that Owl Bear has a mate, we can handle it."

With Quest on the case, Ron wasn’t worried. The Martial Monk, who usually appeared in the form of a Tiffling, was as sharp-witted as he was skilled in combat. Ron was confident he would hear news of their triumphant return in just a few days.

Reality, however, is always full of surprises.

「Two weeks later.」

Ron was in the middle of his daily Arcane Magic lesson with Professor Massarino. He used a thin sheet of lead as a Casting Material, Casting a spell on a newly built wooden cabin outside the trading post. He had become quite proficient with *Duncan the Demon’s Private Sanctum*. The array of effects provided by this Protection Magic spell was perfect for creating a Mage’s workshop. Moreover, if Ron could continuously cast the spell on the same area for a full year, its effects would become permanent.

It blocked sound and sight, and could even shield against divination Magic, teleportation, and planar travel. Under the protection of these effects, Ron could pursue his studies in Arcane Magic, Enchantment, or alchemy with much greater freedom.

But as he finished his lesson for the day and stepped out of the cabin, he saw someone he didn’t often run into. Lying on a stretcher at her feet was a grievously wounded Shapeshifter, unable to hold its form.

The Shapeshifter’s eyes were shut tight, and its mouth twitched faintly, indicating it was still alive.

"Annie? What’s going on?" Ron glanced in surprise at the newcomer, then down at the Shapeshifter on the ground. "Why didn’t you take him to Buni or Victoria? Miss Lavinia should be able to heal him, too."

Although he carried a few Healing Potions, one look at the Shapeshifter told him his personal supply would barely make a dent.

"I’ve already been to see them, My Lord," Annie said, bowing to Ron with a sorrowful expression. "But they all said there was nothing they could do."

"Miss Victoria said his injuries aren’t the only problem—he’s been cursed. Some kind of evil power is enveloping him, preventing his wounds from ever healing. All they could do was stabilize his condition, but they can’t solve the underlying problem."

"I went looking for the Arcane Consultant, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Even ’the Great Aiksuuri’ doesn’t know where he is. As a last resort, I had to come and bother you..."

"Aiksuuri can’t remove the curse, either?" Ron gestured for the two people behind Annie to carry the Shapeshifter into the cabin. "Get him inside first. Then, start from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened."

"Let’s start with the basics. Can you confirm the identity of this... doppelganger?"

"They all carry nameplates they wrote themselves," Annie said, handing over a small tag made of pinewood. "His name is Sibach. He’s a carpenter. A week ago, Mr. Quest led a team to explore the depths of the swamp. He was one of the eleven people who went with him."

"Where did you find him? Were the others there as well?"

At this, the young woman with the Innate Earth and Wood Saint Body’s expression grew even darker. "I saw no trace of the others. In fact, we don’t even know where Mr. Sibach himself was found."

Annie pointed to a wound on the Shapeshifter’s midsection. "He somehow appeared inside a tree trunk. One of our lumberjacks took a swing with his axe, only to find blood gushing from the wood. They thought they’d seen a ghost."

"We were close to Green Swamp Town and New Green Swamp Town at the time, so we immediately carried him to Lord Black Dragon’s lair. But neither Lord Aiksuuri nor the banshee lady had a good solution. Miss You stepped in and managed to dilute the curse a little, allowing Healing Spells to have some effect on him. It’s only thanks to her power that the doppelganger has held on this long."

Ron had the men place the doppelganger on his examination table for a better look. Under the light of an enchanted Shadowless Lamp, he saw that while Sibach’s injuries were still horrific, he had healed just enough to be pulled back from the brink of death. He remained in a coma, however, suffering from a high fever and dehydration.

Beneath the gray skin of his chest, Ron noticed faint, black markings writhing under the doppelganger’s skin like living things.

"What is this? Did they have any conclusions?" Ron asked, pointing to the bruise-like area. "You’re a Caster yourself. Tell me your thoughts."

Annie froze, wringing her hands in embarrassment. "I’m sorry, My Lord. My Casting Ability is innate. I don’t have any formal..."

"Since you have the talent for it, why not consider developing it further?" Ron shook his head with a sigh. "What about the others? What did they think?"