"So this is Ophelia! She's younger than I thought!" [Diana].
"I kept her in stasis with Maleficent's blessing, hence her youthful appearance" [Amleth]
"She's still the same as last time..." [Nar]
"Our sword was based on and inspired by her. She even taught us a bit of her sword" [Arthur].
"Unfortunately, the curse is really strong" [Farhah].
"It's like Teacher Merlin said, Diana would undoubtedly be able to cleanse her of THE THING, but other curses will indeed cause trouble" [Saintess Rumia].
Tomorrow will be the day of my departure to Emas. Tomorrow is also the day that Grandma Farhah will return to the Elven Kingdom. Since I'm sure she will definitely help Auntie Amleth, I suggested to Auntie Amleth to let Grandma Farhah see Ophelia. She agreed and even asked Saintess Rumia for help.
Ophelia Vars. The princess of the former royalty of the previously known kingdom of Vars, before Aunt Amleth took the throne. I've always felt that there was something sinister beneath the castle. Master Merlin had skillfully hidden it from many eyes and spells. Still, as I said, I came here to play... I mean to help Auntie Amleth, Kara and Mara, for goddess know how many times, so I noticed. I really didn't know who it was at first, but I can feel the blessing of another fairy, Maleficent to be exact, and by connecting all the dots, be it from one I learn in a class to one I know from others, I came to a conclusion.
It also helps that whenever I try to find a way to see more, Maleficent's blessing actually guides me to the conclusion. I also have some glimpses of her life before. Auntie Amleth and Sister Khamisah are really beautiful then and even more so now. Master Merlin, however, remains the same, for better or worse. Well, she looks a bit younger when she was with Aru, Saintess Maria and Fairy Queen Titania, so...
"Ouch!" [Diana].
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't like it" [Merlin].
"Meanie!" [Diana]
Saintess Rumia and Grandma Farhah keep looking at the curse from one side to the other. JOATMON and Teliara do the same. As for me, I am sure that I can banish THE THING from Ophelia, but I can understand why everyone is being cautious. Sas even looks at the spell Master Merlin used to strengthen its effect to better hide Ophelia from others.
"I can definitely help lift some of the curse" [JOATMON].
"Me too. Not as good as my grandfather, The Traveling Sage, but I'm sure I can help as well" [Teliara].
"That would be much appreciated" [Saintess Rumia].
"I'm sure our combined efforts will be able to do just that, but I'm afraid it will be some time before I can even get back here" [Farhah].
"That is to be expected." [Khamisah]
"You are Madam World Tree Priestess after all" [Kara]
"That doesn't mean I won't help. Diana, I will send you a specially prepared branch of the World Tree, you can use it to absorb the curse" [Farhah].
"That will definitely help, but how long will it take to prepare it?" [Saintess Rumia]
"At the earliest, 3 months" [Farhah]
"At the earliest... That's even better than what I estimated" [Amleth]
"Diana, you're also going with Siti tomorrow, right? May I ask if you can get some unprocessed light stone or core there? The purer it is, the better" [Saintess Rumia].
"I will!" [Diana]
"But Fie will definitely eat it." [Sas]
"And do you know how to find it?" [Myle]
"I can use Fie's stomach and my search magic, just like last time" [Diana].
"Sigh... Saintess Rumia, just leave it to me" [Teliara].
"Actually, I'll go as well. I can see what you're going to do. Two hands are better than one. Is that acceptable, Your Highness?" [JOATMON]
"Permission granted." [Amleth]
"Wow! It's been a while since I last played... I mean, been with both of you!" [Diana]
So tomorrow it will be me, Fie, Dana, Princess Siti, Teacher Tiara, Master Merlin, Teliara and JOATMON! That's fun!
"Might as well plan in advance how we should dispel it" [Merlin].
"I guess we're not needed here then" [Asterion].
"Actually, I want the Special Knight of Amleth to be on guard as well. I will prepare some equipment for you that can help repel the curse should any miraculously escape" [Merlin].
"Understood. Besides, if we're going to stand guard anyway, it's better if we know what you're going to do" [Alaric].
"Hmph!" [Aya]
"Did you need something for this planning? I'll get something. Should be better than just standing here" [Apollo]
"Good idea. I'll help" [Nar].
"In that case, can you take some of the light mana core in our quarters? Two or three B-rank should be enough" [Teliara].
"We also need some salt and pepper. Just bring as much as you can" [JOATMON]
"As for me... Chocolate cake please!" [Diana]
"Diana..." [Mara]
"What?" [Diana]
"Me too!" [Farhah]
"Alright, one chocolate cake for Madam World Tree Priestess" [Nar]
"Hey!" [Diana]
"It's okay. I can always share with my favorite granddaughter" [Farhah]
"Really! You're the best!" [Diana]
(I'm glad... Soon... Soon you will be released from your torment) [Amleth]
(Amleth... I can feel some of your burden leaving your body... Good) [Khamisah]
And so we all squeeze our brain juices, trying to formulate the best spell and circle to use. Even without much preparation, we are able to come up with a basic plan. Unfortunately, time is not on our side, but I'm sure we can come up with a better plan next time. On a side note, the chocolate cake that I share with Grandma Farhah taste so good!