Chapter 160: The Weight of a Vow

The pressure snapped.

The grey world collapsed in on itself, and the monstrous head, its endless coils, and the fragment of golden light vanished along with it, leaving Ethan back in the guest room. Yet his body didn’t seem to realise it. His legs buckled, and he staggered back a step, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Fresh blood ran from both of his eyes, dripping from chin onto the floorboards.

Before he could fall, a hand caught his arm and held him steady.

"Ethan, are you okay?"

Elena’s voice was calm, but her grip on his arm was tight. Ethan blinked several times, trying to clear the red haze from his vision. Even now, he could still feel it... that colossal head beginning to turn, and the weight that had crushed down on him from that single movement. It hadn’t even looked at him, yet the pressure alone had made him feel as though his heart would burst apart. He could only imagine what would have happened had the vision lasted any longer.

Just then, the Unknown Energy throbbed within his body, as if asking whether it had done well.

Thanks...

A moment ago, he hadn’t understood why it had retreated so suddenly. Now, he did. It had pulled back to protect him, sensing the danger long before he could. And he was glad it did.

He breathed out slowly and let the Unknown Energy settle completely beside his core. Only then did the pain in his eyes begin to ease.

"I’m fine," he said quietly.

Neither of them believed him.

Evelyn, standing right beside him at the bed, pressed a hand against his back. A warm current of aura flowed into his body, steady and careful, easing the tremor in his limbs and calming the chaos still churning in his mind. With her other hand, she drew a small vial of healing potion from her storage ring.

"Drink this," she said quietly, raising it to his lips.

Ethan drank it down in a few quick gulps. A soothing warmth spread through his body almost at once, and he could feel it gently mending the strain in his eyes.

Elena guided him to a chair nearby and took out a handkerchief, gently wiping the blood from his face. They didn’t press him with questions. They simply waited, letting his thoughts settle until he had regained his composure.

Finally, after a while, Evelyn spoke.

"What happened?" she asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.

Both of them could tell that his attempt had failed. Yet whatever had happened in that fleeting moment had shaken him badly, and neither of them could overlook that.

Ethan took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. Then he began to explain what he had witnessed in that brief instant when he had tried to use the Unknown Energy... the gigantic, monstrous form he had glimpsed when he pried into the mark, and the immeasurable golden fragment caught within its coils, being slowly devoured.

When he finished, he fell silent, giving them time to take it in.

Ethan had already reached his own conclusion the moment he had seen it. It wasn’t the saintess who had been cursed. It was the god itself.

Elena and Evelyn arrived at the same answer only a few seconds later.

"I-It’s the god..."

Both of them spoke at once, their eyes wide with shock.

The words hung in the air.

In his previous life, Ethan had believed that the Forsaken Saintess herself was the one suffering under the ancient curse. And he hadn’t been alone. Almost everyone at the highest levels of the Empire had believed the same. But now, he suspected that the Churches and the Emperor had known the truth all along, and had simply chosen to keep it hidden. If anyone held information about this god, it would have been the Imperial Family, with its vast knowledge and ancient records... and the Churches, whose understanding of the gods far exceeded even that of the Imperial Family. Whether any of it had ever been shared with Evelyn, he didn’t know, despite her considerable influence across the Empire as one of its strongest, and more importantly, as the daughter of the Adventurer’s Guild Master.

But none of that mattered now.

All three of them were circling the same question.

How could a god be cursed?

They had all felt that god’s divine power in the brief moment the holy light had flooded the ceremony hall, and even that glimpse had been enough to give them a sense of how powerful it must have been.

Casting a curse required vast knowledge of dark magic, along with dozens of conditions that varied depending on the type of curse. For ancient curses, even the most basic one required the strength of a Peak Sky Mage or an Archmage to cast, and most of them also demanded an enormous number of sacrifices. Yet now, a god whose strength should have been immeasurable to them was suffering under one. Simply trying to imagine who could have cast such a thing, and how powerful they must have been, sent a chill through them.

Evelyn, who had returned to Melissa’s side, tightened her fingers around the girl’s hand.

Even Elena could see that there was some deeper connection between Evelyn and Melissa... but she didn’t pry. She simply rested a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.

Evelyn drew in a slow breath, and gradually, the sharpness returned to her eyes.

"Ethan, you said the curse is devouring the fragment, right?"

"Yes, Lady Evelyn."

"Can you guess how much time it will take before the curse completely devours it?" Evelyn asked, looking straight into his eyes. "It doesn’t have to be exact. Just what you think."

Recently, Evelyn had learned more about Ethan from Marcus, about what he had done beyond the Eclipse Conclave experiment and the recent Beast Tide. She now knew of the part he had played in the Bluemoon War, that he was the Successor of the Mercenary King, and that the Unknown Energy he used was tied to the Mercenary King’s Legacy. Even before that, she had witnessed his abilities herself ever since he first arrived at the guild, and through their encounters and the missions he had taken on, she had come to trust his intelligence and perception completely. So she didn’t hesitate to ask him.

Ethan considered the question for a moment.

In his previous life, the Churches had announced the Forsaken Saintess’s death roughly eight years from now, and the rumours of it had spread long before that. Yet from what he had just seen, the golden fragment had already been worn down far more than he would have expected. If anything, the time she had left might be even shorter.

"At least six years," Ethan said calmly. "At most, eight."

"I see."

Evelyn remained silent for a second.

On the bed, Melissa’s breathing had slowly steadied, though the mark on her wrist remained as black as ever.

"You should inform the Churches through the Guild’s channels," Elena said quietly. "For now, all we can do is hope that they have a way to undo the curse... or at least treat her."

"Yes, Lady Elena." Evelyn looked into her eyes. "And... thank you."

When Marcus had told Evelyn about Ethan and his secrets, Elena had been present as well. They had trusted her with all of it. And now, even though Elena must have been curious about what lay between the two of them, she still hadn’t asked.

"It’s nothing," Elena said, patting Evelyn’s shoulder. "Tell me when you’re ready."

"I will," Evelyn replied.

After that, the three of them discussed what they could relay to the Churches without involving Ethan’s vision. Even if they said nothing at all, the two Saints would eventually discover the truth about the curse on their own. But even a few small inputs from them could save the Churches crucial time. Evelyn also told Elena about the old records at the Main Branch, and what she suspected. Ethan listened quietly, adding his own assumptions where he could. He already knew that the Churches would fail in the end... but if they could at least slow the curse’s progress, every day they gained would matter.

———

Ethan made his way to his own room and closed the door behind him.

For now, there was no immediate threat to Melissa’s life, and with the aid of the Churches, they would be able to sustain her. But eventually, the curse would claim her, just as it had in his previous life... unless someone found a way to break it. And if someone did, the god who had chosen Melissa would regain its power, and within a few years, Melissa’s strength would soar to the point where she could save hundreds of thousands of people.

He went to the washbasin, splashed cold water over his face, and scrubbed away the blood that had dried around his eyes. Then he stayed there for a long while, his hands resting on the edge of the basin, staring at his reflection in the rippling water.

Ethan clenched his fists.

I’m still far too weak...

It wasn’t the Unknown Energy that was lacking. It was his own strength. Had he been stronger, had he possessed the power to stand against that monster, the Unknown Energy might have been able to face it. Instead, the moment he had laid eyes on it, his will had wavered, even if only for an instant. And now, thinking back on it, he felt as though his entire existence would have been erased had he kept looking for just a few seconds longer.

He thought of Melissa for a moment... of her pulling out that pouch of silver and gold coins that morning, telling him she would treat him if she awakened.

I will save you... and end that monstrous curse.

He made the vow in silence. Without his realising it, something within him shifted. His will, which had wavered only moments ago, settled and deepened, more steadfast than it had ever been.

And then, as if it had no choice but to put that resolve to the test...

[Ding!]

The familiar dark golden panel unfolded before his eyes.

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[Special Event Triggered]

Save the Forsaken Saintess

Description:

An ancient curse is devouring the divinity of a god long forgotten by the world. Should it be fully consumed, both the god and its Saintess will perish.

Objective:

Find a way to break the curse before it consumes them.

Time Limit: 6 Years

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Rewards: ???

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