Chapter 193: Where the Sky Thins (4)

Chapter 193: Where the Sky Thins (4)

"What the...!"

Ronan gritted his teeth. Screams escaped through clenched teeth. The pain was so intense that he couldn't even hold back curses in front of the Mother of Fire.

"You must endure."

Navardose said calmly. Instead of replying, Ronan clenched his fist. He couldn't get up anyway because she was exerting great pressure on his chest with her strength. Blood dripped from where her nails had dug in.

Ronan breathed heavily and looked around. The entire room was distorted by a powerful flow of mana swirling around him. Navardose, who had been staring at Ronan's heart the whole time, frowned.

"A curse much stronger than I anticipated. Despite being your father, he must be quite something to have planted such a curse on his child's body, and you, who have endured until now, are no ordinary."

"What exactly... is this curse?"

"Can you even hear me? It must be excruciating."

"Now that it's passed... It feels like something... I could endure..."

Ronan said with a strained voice. Navardose's eyebrows twitched. As the creator of the fire magic, she knew how much agony Ronan was experiencing.

Feeling like his entire body had turned into molten lava, but instead of fainting he asked questions. She chuckled softly and stroked his head with her other hand.

"You are a brave child."

"Hahaha... the feeling is different... compared to when I heard it from my sister..."

Ronan let out a weak laugh. Somehow, the pain seemed to lessen a bit. Did his mother, who had passed away early, also stroke his and his sister's heads like this?

'Damn it, when it hurts, all sorts of thoughts come to mind.'

Ronan bit his lower lip. Although it was improving, the pain was still disgustingly intense. In the blurry and clear repeating sight, Navardose's voice reached him.

"The curse I'm currently dealing with is a fire magic curse whose name has long been forgotten. It's meant to ignite the internal power of the victim's heart and consume it. Originally used for the purpose of killing..."

"Killing...? Holy shit... was it that bad?"

"Yes. Because the fire consumes not only the internal power but also the vitality. But..."

Navardose trailed off. Her face couldn't be seen because of her massive fire pouches, but her voice had become somewhat serious. For an instant, the heat burning his heart subsided.

"...There's too much to burn. But that's not the problem. ■■. This is how the curse was designed to block help."

"Block... help?"

"Exactly. If this were to be eradicated now, your body wouldn't be able to withstand it. Each curse, originating from wind and water, is designed to counterbalance each other, so if one disappears, the remaining curse will exponentially strengthen."

Ronan furrowed his brow. Even in his dizzy state, he could vaguely sense how screwed up it was. She continued.

"If the fire goes out, the water will flood, causing a deluge. Conversely, if the water dries up, the flames will spread uncontrollably with the wind. Just like the curse, until your body is completely consumed."

"Then... what do I... do?"

"We must try to remove the curse while maintaining the heat of the fire. It's become troublesome."

"Is that... possible?"

Ronan asked. It took quite some time for an answer to come back. Navardose, having finished pondering, tapped his chest lightly.

"Yes. Trust me, child. I just need to exert a bit more effort, and let's refrain from talking."

"Huh?"

Navardose whispered a few words that sounded like an incantation. Suddenly, his eyelids began to feel heavy. A voice as soft as a baby's skin lingered in his ears.

"Shh... drift off to sleep."

The palm pressing against his chest was heating up again. Ronan couldn't bear it anymore and yelled out, asking what she was doing to his body, but it was already happening in his dream.

****

"Ugh... damn it..."

Ronan opened his eyes. The sight before him was refreshing, like welcoming the morning after a fever had subsided. His body was drenched in sweat. Breathing heavily, he slowly sat up.

"What... what happened?"

He couldn't grasp how much time had passed. The place was still his father's room. An eerie red glow shimmered above him.

There didn't seem to be any physical changes. However, as the sweat cooled, he felt a chill, as if he were wearing an overcoat. Then, a gentle voice came from behind.

"Have you awakened, child?"

"Oh, you were there..."

It was Navardose's voice. Ronan turned his head without much thought and froze. Unfinished words flowed out of him like remnants.

"...You?"

"Impressive that you've regained your senses so quickly. Mhm... I need a little rest."

Navardose was sitting on the bed next to him, looking at Ronan. Her face, though tired, wore a satisfied smile. Ronan swallowed hard.

'Surely not.'

Once he paid attention, he noticed her disheveled appearance. The stiff dress was heavily wrinkled. Her sweat-drenched hair was slightly damp and tousled.

Ronan took a deep breath to clear his mind of any impure thoughts. Regaining some courage, he spoke.

"What... happened?"

"I encountered some complications in changing the plan. In the end, I succeeded, though."

"Does that mean... my curse..."

"Yes. It's not perfect, but I succeeded in replacing it. Right now, your heart is burning with both the curse and my flame."

Navardose spoke with a weary voice. Ronan's eyes widened. All his foolish illusions were blown away in an instant.

"Your flame? What does that mean?"

"I mean it literally. I took a bit of the flame that forms the basis of my power and implanted it in your heart. I only took a tiny amount because replacing it all at once could have been overwhelming. Still, I never imagined that a human could bear this power..."

Ronan sat there, stunned, like someone who had been hit on the head with a flower pot while walking down the street.

'What the hell did she put in me?'

The explanation felt surreal, but since Navardose had no reason to lie, it was probably true. Ronan spoke up.

"Why did you go to such lengths...?"

"I simply kept my promise. Didn't I say I would repay you for saving Ir."

It was a clear reason. Now he could understand why she seemed tired. Taking out her foundational power essentially meant sharing her life force. As Navardose stretched and got up, she spoke

"Right now, you might not feel much different immediately. At best, it might feel slightly refreshing compared to usual. However, as time passes, you'll notice a distinct change. This power, different from the curse meant to harm and suppress you, will grow stronger with you. Eventually, it will completely incinerate the curse."

To put it simply, it was like fitting a better counterfeit part than the original. Although excessively powerful, it was still better than the curse. Ronan, with his hand placed over his left chest, lowered his head.

"Thank you, Lady Navardose."

"Raise your head, child. I'm the one who should be grateful. In truth, I saw you save my daughter."

"Oh, you saw that?"

"Right. That child is very prideful so I deliberately didn't bring it up in front of her..."

Ronan finally managed to gather his thoughts and put on his shirt. Thankfully, his body temperature hadn't risen to the point where he couldn't wear clothes. Ronan muttered curses under his breath.

'Damn it. Why does it feel like my body is getting weirder?'

It was a different story from the curse being lifted. A ghost stone called Seniel or whatever it was, Vijra's core, and this time, it was the spark of Primordial Flame. As Vijra had caused such a dramatic change in his body before, Ronan was afraid of what might happen this time. But then again, would anything be as shocking as sparkling mana spreading out?

"How long has it been?"

"About six hours. Your recovery rate is remarkable."

"It really hasn't been that long. But there doesn't seem to be anything here. What... hmm?"

Ronan's eyes narrowed as he glanced around. A blue aura, which hadn't been visible when he first entered, was flowing from under the research desk. From the faint flickering, it seemed to contain Nebula Clazier's distinctive mana. Navardose raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"No... just a moment. What's that over there?"

Ronan slowly approached the mana. It seemed invisible to Navardose, judging by her lack of reaction. As he bent down and went under the desk, the energy intensified. Carefully scanning the surroundings, Ronan soon spotted a piece of paper stuck underneath the desk.

'What's this now?'

It looked like ordinary parchment at a glance. Mysterious mana emanated from it, but it seemed as though it had been casually stuck there without any special magical measures. Ronan mumbled as he picked up the parchment and emerged from under the desk. Navardose raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure either. I'm going to check now."

Ronan said with a hesitant voice. He could only hope it wasn't just a blank sheet. Unfolding the parchment, a crude drawing appeared. Ronan gasped.

"This is...!"

Although it was crude, it was recognizable. It was undoubtedly a map. Navardose, who had been watching, widened her eyes and muttered.

"To leave something like this behind... I never noticed at all."

It truly seemed that she hadn't noticed. Ronan attributed it to his heightened senses after the curse removal process. Still, he hadn't expected to see results so quickly. As Ronan examined the map, his eyebrows furrowed.

'This coastline... somehow looks familiar.'

The simple ink drawing depicted an area near a beach. To the north, there was a vast expanse representing the ocean. It was undoubtedly somewhere he had seen recently. Quickly racking his brain, Ronan soon came to a conclusion.

"Ah."

The unidentified map depicted the same area as the map of the blacksmith forge that Allogin had sent. Heiran. At the northern tip of the continent, where there was said to be a forge capable of forging the Holy Sword.

'They said she went to the north. Was it this far?'

His heart began to beat faster. It seemed clear that one of the two had drawn it. Without realizing it, his grip on the map tightened. As the parchment crumpled slightly, changes began to occur on the map.

"What's this now?"

A blotch appeared in the vast expanse depicting the northern sea. Ronan leaned in closer. The peculiarly shimmering substance seemed different from the ink used for the original map.

The blotch wriggled as if alive as it expanded. Navardose, too, stood close by, watching the intriguing sight. Before long, when the movement on the map subsided, Ronan realized that it had taken the shape of an island.

"...So that's why there was so much space on this. Could this be something Elysia left behind?"

"I don't know. Given how the map changed in response to your mana, we cannot ignore the possibility that ■■ left it behind himself."

"That could be true. But isn't it a bit strange? There shouldn't be an island here."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"The Sea of Ghosts. Right here."

Ronan said with a dubious tone. Navardose, realizing the fact belatedly, let out a soft gasp. The location where the island was drawn was an area known as the Sea of Ghosts.

'What could possibly be here?'

An extreme remote area where even the seawater freezes and gigantic ice masses wander like buoys, feared even to utter its name by sailors, it was one of the marvels of the world.

"It's definitely suspicious. A place where only cold and death exist."

"Yeah."

"Apart from that, it also feels a bit unsettling. The situation unfolding right now seems too contrived."

Navardose narrowed her eyebrows. Ronan nodded in agreement. Keeping her gaze fixed on the map, she spoke.

"It feels like... they left it behind knowing you would find it there."