Alter sat carefully beside Uriel, continuing their conversation with caution.

Nearly all of his memories from the past eighteen years were lost, and Uriel, being a lingering consciousness, only retained memories from before her death.

There was a considerable gap between them, yet they needed to begin filling that void, even if only a little at a time.

"Your father is originally a reticent person. He doesn't show his feelings easily and just keeps things bottled up inside. He wouldn't want to show any weakness to you, so he probably didn't talk about me."

"I... thought I had become someone else... so I didn't know how to deal with it. It was the same with mother, too."

"I find that regrettable as well... but in another sense, I am also relieved. Isn't it better to erase unhappy memories rather than have them linger?"

"That is..."

Even as Alter clung to memories he could never regain, slowly, he nodded in agreement.

As Uriel said, his past was probably filled with pain and misfortune.

Maybe it would truly be best to forget it cleanly and enjoy peace instead.

"What do you plan to do from now on?"

"... I want to become a Great Mage."

"And why do you want to become a Great Mage?"

"I want to prove my worth."

Uriel could sense Alter's longing from those words.

He was frail, so all he could do was be protected by his family and never grasp anything for himself.

But now that the curse had disappeared, perhaps he could somehow draw out the potential that had been suppressed.

"It won't be an easy path... but I'm sure you'll do well. You are my son, after all."

Uriel gently stroked Alter's head with a wistful gaze. Because he inherited her blood, he indeed possessed remarkable talent for magic.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to face her, who existed now as a lingering consciousness.

"You're not going to stop me?"

"If you want to, then you should do it. I did the same in my time..."

Uriel reminisced for a brief moment, then drew a smile.

She had looked into countless futures, encountered many ties of fate, and, in the end, became bound to her beloved.

Of course, her life wasn't peaceful, but even that must have stemmed from her own wishes.

"Have you not thought of anything else?"

"Um... I'm not sure. Maybe I should start thinking about it now."

"Take your time thinking it over. You still have plenty of time ahead of you."

Though Uriel comforted Alter, in the end, she couldn't voice her own intentions.

Nevertheless, as a mother, it was hard to suppress the desire for her child's well-being.

That's why, even as she wished for more, she couldn't help but worry about Alter.

'If you are of the grand duke's lineage, shouldn't you inherit that position as well?'

Indeed, Alter was the youngest child of the grand duke's family and had not proven even the minimum qualifications.

However, as the legitimate son of the official wife, he possessed exceptional traits.

If Zair gave him a chance, perhaps Alter could rise as high as he wished.

'One cannot escape fate. The time will soon come for you to make a choice. What will my son choose...?'

* * *

Brillie hurried to the great cathedral to be examined by the high priest. By now, her father would have heard the news and taken appropriate measures.

But in this situation, regardless of who came, she couldn't leave the sickroom.

"......"

Hapnen carefully observed Alter for any external changes as he diagnosed him.

Reports had come in since dawn, which made him feel a little flustered. But after hearing the patient's name, even the faintest hesitation vanished.

'The curse is gone. But he suddenly collapsed...'

Hapnen was already considering various possibilities.

For a curse to be lifted, either a removal ritual must be performed, or the caster must remove it at will.

Otherwise, if the curse's final effect had manifested, it would mean it had already fulfilled its purpose.

'The curse was only weakened, never completely gone. The caster wouldn't remove it now...'

After a moment's deliberation, hapnen set Alter's hand down. Most likely, Alter had suffered significant harm as a final effect of the curse.

However, the power had been diminished by the removal ritual, and, thanks to his magic power, some defense had been mounted.

That was why he survived, falling instead into a temporary comatose state.

"Hmm... Lady Brillie? Do you have a moment?"

"Is the diagnosis finished?"

"To give you the conclusion first... he isn't in any immediate danger. The curse has been lifted, and his heart rate is stable. He'll probably need some time to wake up."

"So you're saying all we need to do is wait?"

"That's correct, but... hmm..."

Hapnen hesitated, carefully gauging her response. Brillie remained silent for a while, and then finally spoke up.

"Is there some problem?"

"The circulation of magic power within his body is not smooth. This could just be a temporary effect due to the comatose state... but we must consider the possibility that it may not recover."

"Are you saying he won't be able to use magic in the future?"

"Oh, that's not it. As I mentioned, it may be temporary, and his magic power hasn't vanished. It's just... you could say it's likely his condition won't be as good as before."

"......"

Brillie knit her brows and slowly turned her gaze. Alter was still lying on the bed, completely motionless.

His talent was only now coming to light, so who could have expected things to go awry so suddenly?

"Is there no way for him to recover?"

"We could try other approaches, but I can't guarantee the results. In my personal opinion... there aren't many cases where someone survives exposure to a curse without any lasting damage."

"......"

"Usually, a curse causes parts of the body to rot, so you need to excise the affected area quickly. If decay starts from within... he could be in mortal danger."

"......"

"With mental-type curses, victims suffer for life. Some go mad, some choose to end it themselves."

"......"

"Compared to such cases, Lord Alter is in quite a fortunate situation. His body is untouched, and only his magic power's circulation is impaired. This is something that may recover over time, so you can rest somewhat easy."

"... Yes. That's better than getting hurt, I suppose."

Brillie, seized by a faint anxiety, nevertheless agreed with the advice. At least Alter didn't die from the curse, and narrowly avoided serious injury.

As long as he could keep his body intact, everything else could be resolved in some way.

'I have to protect him, after all. There's no way I can just leave him like this.'

Brillie had already accepted Alter as her marriage partner and resolved to take responsibility.

In the current situation, talk of political marriage or breaking off an engagement held no meaning.

She simply stared at her fiancé, reminding herself of her feelings and ambitions.

'... I don't want to lose him. If he's not by my side, I just get anxious for no reason.'

Brillie still couldn't steady her beating heart. Even if it was only for a moment, the scene she witnessed was engraved in her mind.

Besides, she had experienced similar situations before, making her even more sensitive to this incident.

'This is the second time. Even if it's because of a curse, how could this happen again?'

When she faced the vampire, he over-exerted himself with magic and collapsed.

She had to rush to heal him through a priest, and he was bedridden for three days.

Truthfully, this was just a repeat of that process.

'Should I hire a priest separately? Or not let him outside at all...'

Brillie then realized that this thought was wrong. Her worry was making her try to confine Alter.

No matter how much she wanted to secure her fiancé's safety, did she really have the right to control his entire life?

'Inheriting the title comes first. Like this, I can't do anything.'

The prestige and wealth built up by the family come from their noble title.

In contrast, nobles without titles must rely solely on their own abilities and background.

If she was alone, she wouldn't need a title, but to protect her fiancé, she must become the Duke of Illenat, whatever it takes.

'With the title, I can stand up to the northern grand duke.'

This marriage was led by the Duke of Illenat and the grand duke of the north, on the premise of the two families' interests.

That meant that, even after marriage, both family heads would meddle in some way.

Therefore, only as the Duke of Illenat could she counteract interference from the northern grand duke.

'I won't let anyone take him. He's my fiancé.'

Wrapped in a faint heat, Brillie's eyes flashed. The marriage was already decided and their resolve for each other was unwavering.

How could she overturn a decision she'd made, and the feelings she cherished so deeply?

'We'll postpone the wedding until he recovers... but I must secure the title first. Even if things don't go as planned, I can still marry him...'

* * *

Alraune concluded the expedition quickly and returned to the capital.

Megarexor and Ronit silently followed behind, and eventually heard the news about Alter.

The three of them, thus seized by a sense of lament, made their way to the great cathedral.

"Hoo boy... he's really out cold."

"At least his life isn't in danger."

Megarexor, feeling regretful, found it hard to take his eyes off Alter. Ronit was somewhat relieved, but could not ignore Alraune.

"... It looks as though this brings everything to a close."

Having finished his examination, Alraune let go of Alter's hand. Fortunately, his life was spared, and a severe shock had merely rendered him unconscious.

Nonetheless, Alraune could not forgive his own mistake, and instead, guilt only grew inside him.

"They say it's already been six days... Is he really going to be all right?"

"Being comatose, he should still be able to hold on for a while. If it lasts too long, problems may arise."

"Then shouldn't we wake him up now?"

"Forcibly waking him may place a burden on his body. It's better to watch for now."

"And if it gets worse, we wake him up by force?"

"Yes, that's correct. If it goes on too long, he may die, so in the end, we have to accept the risk."

"Huff..."

Alraune listened to the conversation, then let out a sigh without thinking. No plausible excuse came to mind; facing Alter was uncomfortable.

He had almost killed his own disciple and the child of his peer by mistake—no words could conceal that wrongdoing.

'If he never wakes up like this, I'll never forgive myself. How could I ever face Uriel's vengeful spirit?'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=The fight against the Frost Witch is anti-climactic, but at least it was used to progress the story, and we even got to see Uriel.【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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