Chapter 40 - Nightwell

"Curse...? I've heard of something like that, but I never thought it was that scary..." Reine muttered while casting a glance at Hana.

Hana was sitting on a chair with a sad look, pressing her legs to her chest, and wrapping her arms around her knees. If the others were puzzled or frightened, this was a real disaster for Hana. She couldn't control her curse, and it was causing her to slowly sink into despair.

Angus nodded, "Yeah, anyway, we've already solved the problem, however, it will probably happen again."

"Is there any way to prevent it?" Halvor asked, clearly worried about Hana.

"Agh... It's complicated." Angus sighed heavily, "I'm no expert, but it was most likely due to the extra energy her body was unable to contain. Her Cursed Cell absorbed it all and threw it outward in a single stream. I suppose if she was a mage this wouldn't have happened since the energy would have spread throughout her body, but that's idle talk. As a nineteen-year-old girl, she will never be a mage again."

Angus's words were harsh, but he was only stating facts. Curses were always dangerous. In fact, it was very rare that a person with a cursed cell lived to Hana's age. More often than not, either the curse consumed them, or they were killed as a threat to society, and people had reasons to do so.

"Either way, you need to hurry. It's been quite some time, I'm sure Alf Lovaas's man is already waiting for you." Angus replied before handing Hana a potion containing a blue liquid.

"Here. If it happens again, drink this. This potion wasn't made by me, I bought it a few years ago from a merchant. I thought I would never need it, but now the moment has come. With this potion, you will be able to suppress the energy of your Cursed Cell, but only once, then you will need to find a new remedy." Angus explained, placing the potion on the table.

Hana took the potion in her hands with a sparkling look.

"Thank you so much, and I'm sorry for ruining your workshop." Hana said shyly.

After all, they were Angus's guests, he had prepared Rise Potions for them, and as a result his workshop now looked like a storm had passed through here.

Angus waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Don't worry. No ingredients were damaged, as well as the alchemical reagents. Replacing the roof in such a simple workshop is a simple task." Angus shrugged.

"Agh, okay, Angus is right, we don't have time anymore. Thank you for everything." Halvor shook Angus' hand before heading towards the exit. 

Angus smirked and looked at Evan and Klaus.

"I'll see you around. I won't hide it, I'm interested in what each of you will accomplish. You're different at the same time, but you're alike in some ways." Angus smirked.

Evan smiled bitterly, walking on.

"Well, well, was one night enough for you to study us completely? I doubt anyone is capable of that."

Klaus nodded.

"Yeah, you overestimate yourself. Anyway, thanks for your help, for the potions, and for taking down Hana's Cursed Cell."

Angus didn't answer anything, he just tilted his head with a devious smirk touching his lips.

'Am I overestimating myself? Perhaps, but then why do you both smell the same? Like you've lost everything you had, but that doesn't stop you from trying to climb to the top again.'

...

An hour later, their group reached Firnorm. A man in a formal suit was already waiting for them at the main entrance of the village. Next to him was a luxurious carriage, with four white horses harnessed, waiting for the command.

The man glanced at his watch from time to time, tucking it into the inside pocket of his jacket with a calm look.

"Hey! Aren't we a little late?" Halvor exclaimed with a wave of his hand.

The man smiled slightly, it was barely noticeable, then his eyes went wide from the size of the group. He hadn't expected so many people to follow Halvor. 

"Oh, Mr. Halvor, did something happen there? Seeing so many people with you is really unusual." The man said, slightly surprised.

Halvor looked at the others, smiled widely, and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, something like that. To make a long story short, that's how it happened, I'll explain later."

The man nodded before bowing.

"My name is Oren, I was sent by Mr. Alf Lovaas to bring you to Nightwell. Unfortunately, there is only room for six in the carriage." Oren said calmly.

"Not a problem. I'll ride in the coachman's seat next to you." Evan suddenly said, stepping forward.

A sharp glint flickered among Oren's eyes.

'Commoner...? No, it's more like he's a Knight, but why do I feel like he's much stronger? Looks like Halvor's crew isn't just made up of useless rookies like these three.' Oren inwardly muttered while glancing at Ruby, Reine, and Lana.

"Fine! Let's go for it then! It's been a long time since I've been to Nightwell!" Halvor exclaimed excitedly, stepping into the carriage. The others followed him.

Most of the way, Evan was silent most of the way, enjoying the view of the world. The road to Nightwell was still in the territory of the mountain range, but with each kilometer traveled, the snow was getting a little less.

It gave the illusion that with the help of time and four horses, they were escaping from winter, moving into early spring.

"Young man, that's quite a sword you have. Did Mr. Halvor give it to you?" Oren asked, glancing at Evan's weapon.

Evan's corners of his mouth lifted up as his eyes narrowed.

"Just keep your eyes on the road. Let your boss ask questions."

Oren was taken aback by such a response especially from Knight, after all, he was a Mage himself. If it wasn't for Alf Lovaas's personal request he wouldn't be working as a coachman for someone else, but this was a special occasion. It wasn't every day that someone defeated a dark mage skilled in the demonic arts. 

'Yeah... There's definitely something wrong with this guy. Even a madman wouldn't say something like that to me, so he must really think it's my role. Fine, I'll know your secrets soon.'

Before long, the high walls of the city appeared from behind the hilltops.

A sly grin appeared on Evan's face, for he had big plans for this city. Not only was the Einrich Family here, but also Kellan's family, or rather, what had become of it after his stepmother had taken over.