Chapter 178: [178] Personal Battles

A curse?

How? When? Where?

Curses were not something that could be randomly picked up. Curses were intended; they were nasty magic that could be placed on someone through a variety of means.

There were a lot of questions Yen had on her mind. Questions like why Artie hadn’t told them about it, or who had placed the curse on her.

From just being in the vicinity of the curse while it was active, Yen could tell it was a nasty strain.

“Artie… are you cursed?” Yen asked as she stared at her.

It was not really a question that needed answers. Yen was already certain that she was; she just wanted to hear it straight from her.

Artie immediately placed her hand over her forehead and looked away, avoiding her gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell us?!” Yen asked in a pained voice.

“Come, I need the curse right now!”

Yen was an Angelia (angel in training). Although she was far weaker than a full-fledged angel, most curses and other dark magic had little to no effect on her.

This one was tough, but she was confident she could remove it!

She reached for Artie, when Artie suddenly swatted her hand away. “No, don’t touch me!”

Yennefer drew her hand back, surprised by her sudden outburst.

Drip!

Blood dripped from the curse mark, seconds away from touching the bed when it was consumed by crimson flames, the mark vanishing—the curse returning deep inside her.

Yennefer’s eyes narrowed. She adjusted her sleeves. “What are you doing, Artie?”

She didn’t care if Artie wanted her curse removed or not. She could not let her friend suffer for whatever reason.

If she had to pin her down and remove the curse, then she would!

Although… it was easier said than done.

Artie, noticing Yennefer’s insistence, smiled sadly. “Please, Yen.”

Yennefer froze. Artie almost never sounded this sincere.

Artie traced the area where the curse mark had been. “This curse… it is something I have to face on my own.”

“Why do you have to face it on your own when you have us? Do you think I will really allow you to suffer in silence?”

Yennefer could not bear the thought of it. When Artie woke up, it was the first time Yen had seen her genuinely terrified.

“What terrible thing did you do that warrants you being cursed like this?!” she asked, her voice rising.

“I killed my sister—!”

Artie suddenly blurted out, running her hand through her face in annoyance.

“I… I killed her…”

Silence…

Yennefer stared at Artie, her voice breaking as she spoke. “We both know that is a lie.”

There was no way Artie would do something so terrible. And even if she did, Yen was sure there would be a good reason for it.

Artie climbed down from the bed, her steps unsteady.

“Don’t worry too much about me, Yen. I’ve lived with this for over a decade.” She smiled.

“It didn’t break me then, it won’t break me now. This is a burden I have to carry alone, only when I have atoned for my crime will the curse be lifted.”

“B-but…” Yen opened her mouth in protest.

Artie chuckled, but it was nearly lifeless. All it was was plain imitation. “Have a little faith in me, would you?”

Yennefer’s shoulders slumped.

What was she supposed to do now? How could she force healing upon her friend when she clearly didn’t want it?

All it would do was make her even more miserable.

As she sat there on the bed, her heart aching, Artie said:

“By the way…”

Yennefer nodded. “I know, I won’t tell Eliron.” She paused briefly.

“But if it ever looks too much for you to bear, I won’t hesitate to break the curse.”

“Thank you, really.” Artie smiled, just before walking into the bathroom.

Shortly after, Yen could hear the sound of vomiting, but could do nothing but clasp her hands around her ears, hoping that soon, her friend would break the curse that plagued her.

<•••>

It was morning. The sun had peeked over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the world.

The view of the city from the top floor of the baron’s estate was magnificent. Flowers dotted green fields within the estate, trees swayed in the wind, and workers went about doing their duty.

Eliron was seated in front of a large dining table, and in front of him, lying like a lazy bum, was Tsukiko.

She had a bowl of jerky in front of her and was taking her time to eat while enjoying the view alongside Eliron.

The spirit had been kind enough to disappear while he went to the party, but at about 6 a.m., she spawned atop his face, demanding food.

Which was strange, considering that spirits did not eat…

Eliron shrugged it off as her being special. He had no time to ponder on why his little fox spirit could somehow eat and digest food.

“It’s a good thing you’re eating, though.” Eliron smiled. “Grow big and ferocious. I need you to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies.”

While he did this, there was one particular enemy he had in mind.

An enemy he had made on the day he left Artaris… that obstinate wyvern. Tiny was probably seething in rage, slowly waiting for the day they would return.

“Can you take a wyvern?” Eliron asked Tsukiko.

She tilted her head.

“Fruuhhhh.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Good morning, Lord Eliron!” Cassie appeared, walking towards the dining table.

She was in a simple lavender gown that hung loosely from her shoulders, and her blonde hair was packed up in a ponytail.

She yawned, then stretched as she leaned on the table, staring down at Tsukiko.

“You’re up early,” she said with a smile, then she turned to Tsukiko.

“You’re a cute little thing, aren’t you?” Cassie cooed as she pet Tsukiko’s stomach.

While other pets and even spirits would have enjoyed it, Tsukiko, on the other hand, shooed her away with a wave of her paw, staring blankly at her while chewing.

“Wow, this little one is as grumpy as her master.” Cassie turned to stare at Eliron, a mischievous smile on her face.

“And speaking of your master, how was your night? Did you manage to sleep?”

Eliron frowned. He knew where Cassie was going.

“Ahh~ I doubt it. Even though I was not directly involved, I could barely sleep a wink.”

She stood up, doing a little dance. “You have made your master proud! To think you will be so immersed in the art that you will forget everything else.”

“For a good ten minutes, you were the centre of attention, not even a single missed step recorded!”

Eliron sighed. ’I got myself into this…’

Last night, both he and Artie had forgotten themselves while dancing, and that kiss? The entire hall had seen it.

Cassie giggled as she did a mock bow. “Master, teach me your ways.”

Eliron rolled his eyes. “Behave, Cassie, or Artie is going to skin you alive.”

Last night, even though she kept a straight face, she had not said a single word until they parted.

Cassie immediately straightened, her eyes moving to the door. “Ehehe, I guess you’re right. By the way, is this where you want to have the meeting?”

Eliron nodded. “This place is good enough.”

After waiting for a few minutes, Ash joined them, followed by the baron, who came with Duke, three men, and his butler, Cornelius.

To Eliron’s surprise, Artie and Yen were the last people to arrive.

It was pretty common for Yennefer to be very late, but Artie was almost never late.

Worst of all, Artie looked rather down. There were no visible signs, but Eliron could somehow feel something was off.

Artie sat by his side, while Yen sat on the other chair beside him.

“Are you alright?” Eliron asked.

Artie glanced at him for a brief second and smiled. “I’m fine, just feeling a little sick.”

Eliron paused. ’That smile…’

It had been long since he saw Artie smile that way. It was the main smile she often had on when they first met, a fake smile, one layered in lies.

Something was wrong.

And sick? That was the plainest excuse she could have come up with, it was practically zero effort.

Although sickness was not uncommon for elves, mages and knights rarely ever got sick. This was because the constant refining of their mana helped to purify their systems.

Except if it was a magic illness, it was far too rare.

He reached for her forehead to check her temperature when suddenly—

Thwack!

Artie swatted his hand away, almost reflexively.

Her eyes were wide in shock, her chest rising and falling as her breathing became suddenly erratic, her hand still hovering in the air.

’In those eyes, Eliron could see… fear?’

He had suspected maybe it was the ball that made her jittery, but now, Eliron was sure.

It was something else.

She paused, realising what she had done, then drew her arm back, breathing out a sigh.

The atmosphere at the table had become very awkward.

Eliron glanced at Yen and she looked away. ’So you know something…’

“Uhum…” The baron cleared his throat, trying to dismiss the tension that had built up in the room.

“Lord Eliron. You asked for a meeting with us all?” he asked, changing the topic.

Eliron stared at Artie for a bit longer before turning to face the baron.

“Indeed, Baron Pieter. I called this meeting for a simple reason.”

He let out a breath, moving his focus back to the matter at hand. His eyes grew colder as they moved from one face to the other.

He glanced at Cornelius, the family butler that had served them for many years.

Then the two men dressed in guard uniforms, one a middle-aged man, while the other was a youth.

And then finally, his eyes landed on a less conspicuous man. A short individual with a well-trimmed beard and intelligent grey eyes.

Eliron took a deep breath.

“One of you in this room is a traitor….”

..

A/N

First out of three Chapters today. I’m going to try doing 3/day for the full week, wish me luck and keep the stones coming!

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