"Are you talking about your dagger? The one you had with you when you were brought to us?"
"Y-Yes… Give it…"
Leslie could feel her body grow colder, but she refused to move a step. He didn't understand what had happened, but her face was as pale as a sheet. She looked like she was really in a bind.
Archibald did say that Aisha was the key they needed to get out of this situation. Leslie knew little about her and her circumstances, but it might be wise to listen to her for now. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't cooperate later.
"Understood. I will bring it to you as soon as possible."
Aisha was relieved when she saw Leslie run to fetch the dagger for her. It was her last hope in this situation.
That dagger was imbued with divine power and made from material of the highest purity. On the handle were fragments of sacred jewel, which were believed could ward off evil spirits and grant the wish of its holder.
It would be difficult to chase away these spirits with her strength alone. However, if she used the dagger as the medium, it could amplify her power up to ten times, which should be enough for her to perform a simple purification.
Thankfully, it didn't take long before Leslie returned with her dagger in his hand.
"Priestess, I have brought you the dagger as you asked. But what are you planning to do with it."
Aisha couldn't move her arms, so she spoke again, "Put it…in my hand…."
Leslie didn't ask anymore and carefully unsheathed the blade for her before putting it in her hands. Aisha could feel strength and tranquility slowly return to her once she had the dagger in her hand.
"Guh! This girl is resisting us!"
"What is this powerful divine power? It rejected me!"
"This girl isn't a regular human; she is dangerous!"
Aisha could hear shrieks and screams travel directly inside her mind. At first, she only wanted to chase them away, but considering how powerful they were, it was dangerous to let them roam free like this.
These unfortunate souls' accumulated grief and regret were so powerful that they affected nature. If she let them be, they would probably drag many innocent people to the underworld.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have you guys purified now," Aisha whispered in a low voice before chanting her prayer.
A light shone from the fragments of the sacred jewel as Aisha kept feeding it her divine power. Like a typhoon, the soft light surrounded her body, and the evil spirits latched onto her until a moment ago dispersed like paper. Those who couldn't escape in time were engulfed in the light and swallowed in it.
"Appease your anger. Let go of your regret. May your soul reach the cycle of reincarnation with this guidance."
In the next second, Aisha could feel her body become light again. The invisible chains that rendered her immobile were gone. It was so refreshing to finally regain control of your own body again.
Leslie witnessed how Aisha chanted the prayer with closed eyes. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were no longer bloodshot, and the bulging vein was gone. She looked normal as if her abnormality before didn't happen.
"Priestess?"
Aisha smiled at him. "Thank you for your help, Leslie. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be able to deal with the evil spirits alone."
"Yes? Are you saying you were attacked just now?"
Aisha smiled weakly. "Rather than attacking, it was more like they were desperate to control me. But everything is alright now, thanks to this dagger you brought me."
Again, Leslie couldn't understand what she was saying. He was just an ordinary man who couldn't sense or see spirits, so he found her words—unbelievable, to say the least.
However, he didn't show his skepticism and only smiled politely at her. "Priestess, the Emperor wants to see you. Do you think you can go and meet him now?"
Aisha immediately had a bad feeling again. Whenever Archibald summoned her for something, it must be for something not good.
In reality, she could only nod in agreement. "Yes, I do. Please show me the way."
***
Archibald was still standing on the deck while keeping his gaze straight forward. He would sweep his hair to the back from time to time, but the situation seemed to get words.
"Your Majesty, the current is getting stronger. I'm afraid there is a powerful whirlpool ahead that is sucking our ship into its current. The ship will sink if this goes on. It's not too late now; please give a command to abandon the ship. If we're lucky, some of us can still survive this."
Archibald sneered at the Captain's suggestion. "What's the point of betting our lives on luck? Let me tell you that I have never prayed to God or relied on luck ever since I was born."
The Captain wiped the nonexistent sweat on his forehead. Usually, he wouldn't dare to talk back against the Emperor, but nothing made him afraid more than death.
"Your Majesty, I know you don't want to abandon the ship, but there are too many lives at stake here. One wrong choice and we will become foam of the sea. I implore you to make a wise judgment!"
Archibald said nothing more because it would be useless anyway. Even he couldn't know for sure if his assumption was correct, and he was basically gambling using everyone's life, himself included. As the Captain said, if he was wrong, then they all would die.
However, if he was right, everyone's life would be saved. No one would need to jump into the raging sea, which would most probably kill them. The chance was 50:50.
Rather than leaving some of their lives in the hand of fate, he would rather bet for a 0:100 chance. It was do or die for them.
"Your Majesty, I brought the Priestess here."
Leslie's voice interrupted his train of thought. Looking back, he saw Aisha, drenched from hair to toe. She lowered her gaze and curtsied, "Did you call for me, Your Majesty?"
"Tell me, what do you think we should do in this situation? Do you have any idea what might cause this disaster?"
Aisha looked calm and replied in neither hurry nor a slow pace. "Unfortunately, I'm just a woman who never had the chance to learn or even glimpse upon the world. I'm afraid I can't be any of use to you in this matter."
Archibald was about to ask another question when he saw the dagger in Aisha's hand. His eyes narrowed down dangerously.
"What is that dagger for? I don't remember ever giving you permission to take it back."
Leslie quickly took a step forward at his remark and reported the situation to him. Archibald listened to him closely, and later, his eyes gleamed wickedly. A smirk escaped as he returned his gaze to Aisha.
"Sure enough, you are the key to this. Luck or God won't bring us out of this predicament; you will."