Chương 68: Aftermath

Adolin sensed the curse trying to breach the barrier vanish, and with it, most of the strain on the spell. It was over, he guessed. Yet he didn't let go of the barrier just yet. He had enough mana to maintain it for a few more minutes, and he intended to do exactly that. Either the curse would prove it was truly gone, or his mana would run dry. It wasn't as uncomfortable as the last time he had used an Archmage spell, but that was because he had enough mana potions to cast it at its weakest form.

The curse wasn't truly at the Archmage level either. It was a fluke. If he had to guess, it was one level below an Archmage. Still powerful enough to take out the Count. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to take a nap, but he couldn't allow himself one just yet. After three minutes without any change, he released his hold on the spell and opened his eyes. The spell collapsed around him, and nothing happened. The culprit had been caught, Adolin guessed.

It took him another minute to stabilize himself before he stood up. He needed to check on the Count. The Count's condition had visibly improved. Some color had returned to his pale skin, and the spark of life within him had stabilized. He had suffered greatly during the time the curse had been stealing his life force, and Adolin was certain he wouldn't be able to restore everything that had been lost. Still, it was far better than the alternative. The Count would need more life force.

Enough for his body to have the resources it needed to recover. But that would have to wait until Adolin recovered his mana. Now, he needed to see what had happened outside and whether the culprit had talked. Or if there were any other threats to the Count's life. The man had yet to recover, so Adolin still had to stay on the estate for a day or two. He hoped it would be enough time before everything went wrong.

Adolin didn't want to think about the fact that Eduard was using him, just as he had been used in his past life. He also didn't want to see the man before he had enough time to calm down. If he did, he knew it wouldn't end well for him. He left the room and saw the knight waiting outside. It was the same knight who had followed him when he rushed to check on the Count.

"Lord," the knight said with a slight bow.

"I have your potions."

"Potions?" Adolin asked. The knight nodded and took a mana potion from his inventory.

"The ones you asked for before telling me to evacuate the room." That stirred his memory a little. He had been somewhat annoyed at the time. He took the potion and stored it in his inventory. Then the knight took out another. And another. Until all twenty potions were safely inside his inventory. The whole process felt awkward to Adolin. Wasn't there a better way to transfer items between two inventories? He shrugged the thought aside. He really liked the skill.

It made life much easier, especially now that he kept a luxury mattress inside it. Eduard had given him the twenty potions he had requested, which meant he was counting on Adolin to fight for him. Or maybe they weren't worth as much as Adolin thought. He motioned for the knight to follow him and headed toward the exit of the building.

"Did the butler find the culprit?" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Yes," the knight said.

"It's been dealt with." Adolin nodded.

"Who was it?"

"I don't have that information, Lord. I've been assigned to you, and I've been following your orders ever since." Adolin just nodded as they stepped outside. That was a weird way to say he didn't know, but Adolin didn't mind it. Outside, the building was surrounded by guards. A knight, a mage, and twelve soldiers stood around the entrance. Were they the men who had been assigned to him? It certainly looked that way. They stood at attention, waiting for orders.

Since he already had them, it would be smart to put them to use.

"Can you get me a report on what happened?"

"Yes, Lord," two of the soldiers answered before hurrying off to gather the information he had requested. There were a lot of people gathered around, keeping an eye on him. They were probably wondering about the Count, but since no one asked, Adolin didn't bother saying anything. He waited in front of the building with the men assigned to his command, and he was getting bored. Maybe he should have gone looking for the butler and skipped all the awkward waiting.

But it was already done, so he had no choice but to wait in silence. That got him thinking. What else could he use the men for? The thought made him realize how hungry he was. He asked for food, and one of the soldiers hurried off to fetch it. Maybe he didn't need a butler if he had multiple capable men under his command. Not long after, the soldiers carrying the report returned and handed him a sheet of parchment.

It contained all the vital information about the culprit and the events during and after the encounter. At the bottom, it had been signed and approved by a man working under the butler. Sir Victor. He read through the report, and the name of the culprit made him pause. He didn't know anything about the man. Just that he had heard the name somewhere before. But it didn't really matter. The culprit was already dead, and the curse had been destroyed.

There was also an increase in the level he had gained over the last few days. He hadn't stopped using new spells and higher-tier magic since leaving the dungeon, and now he had even cast an Archmage spell. He was sure his level had increased by quite a bit and wanted to check his status. At the same time, it felt wrong to do it in front of so many people. He could always check it later and assign his points once he had some privacy. He had a feeling he was close to unlocking his first Class Skill.

A skill meant for convenience brought by the blessing. The thought brought a smile to his face. He saw Lady Luna running toward him, a worried look on her face. She stopped in front of him, panting for a few moments before finally catching her breath.

"Lord," she said.

"How's the Count? I just heard what happened." The words came out in a rush, not giving Adolin a chance to get a word in. When she was done, she simply stared at him expectantly.

"The Count is fine," Adolin said. The moment the words left his mouth, he heard relieved sighs from all around him. Even the knights and soldiers assigned to him relaxed at the news. The only one who didn't react was the knight who had followed him inside. Adolin guessed the man had already seen enough to know the Count's fate.

"Thank the Goddess," Lady Luna said as she brought a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. She remained silent for a few moments afterward. A prayer, Adolin guessed. Then she opened her eyes.

"The Goddess answered my prayers," she said with a warm smile. Adolin felt a hint of bitterness at that. It was much weaker than he had expected. Usually, whenever he heard anything about the divine or the Church, the bitterness lingering was far stronger. Yet Luna was giving the Goddess credit for saving the Count when he was the one who had done all the work. After a moment, he pushed the thought aside. Such bitter thoughts weren't something he needed to dwell on.

Luna kept nodding before taking something out of the bag she was carrying. It was a black device with a metallic sheen, slim and nearly as long as her arm. She pointed it toward the sky, a warm smile still on her face.

"He's okay!" she said happily. The device activated, and mana gathered around it. A moment later, a beam of mana shot into the sky before coming to a halt high above the estate. The pure mana started burning. The smell of ozone quickly spread through the air. Adolin's mouth hung open as he stared at the flare.