Lionel collapsed to the ground, his expression dark. The features of the Zmei Gorynich that had appeared on him earlier began to disappear. His body was completely devoid of energy, his mind caught in deep turmoil, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
"N-no... this can't be..." He placed his hands on his head, shaking uncontrollably as he rocked back and forth.
The curse of the {Necklace of the starry heart} had already been broken, which meant that his false feelings for Kathryn had completely vanished.
Typically, such curses caused by legendary artifacts persist until the target's life ends, but if the information stored within the necklace is manipulated, the effect is forcibly removed.
It doesn't require much understanding, of course. All I had to do was find the storage location of the data within the necklace and sever the connection threads quickly.
The entire process took about an hour, while I spent a week and a half studying and experimenting with this task on other equipment.
But in the end, I succeeded in doing what Cassian asked of me. Now... how will this man react?
I felt a bit anxious. Even if I escaped using
The problem isn't Lionel, because even if he attacks me now, it will be because he isn't sane. But later, he won't cause us any trouble since we freed him from the curse of false feelings.
But for Lucas, Kathryn is still his mother, whom he has never seen with her eyes open. No matter what my intentions were, or if he believed my story, he would undoubtedly cause us some problems.
But...
I immediately pulled the necklace from Kathryn's neck and sent it to my inventory. Such an item cannot be left with someone as inhumane and dishonorable as Kathryn.
Cassian also told me it was necessary to obtain this item to tame the fiercest human.
I noticed Lucas's red face, fortunate that he couldn't break my speech skill like his father; otherwise, his screams might have echoed throughout the palace by now.
"The rest of the family's forces will soon storm this place due to the mana waves our battle caused. You might want to leave." Lionel spoke in an emotionless voice while still staring at the ground.
It was clear he had already forgiven me.
His hands lowered to the ground, and he slowly stood up, a pathetic smile forming on his face.
"Now that this curse is gone from my mind, I can finally return to the race... being trapped inside that necklace for over twenty years nearly destroyed my ambition as much as it did my mind..." Lionel muttered.
"Actually, there are two things wrong with your story." He raised two fingers, and the change in his personality surprised me.
But what did he mean by wrong? Did Cassian deceive me, or was his source mistaken?
"The effect of the necklace wasn't manipulating my feelings; I was entirely imprisoned inside it. What was controlling my body was nothing but a cheap replica of me, one that didn't resemble me at all. I never loved Kathryn. In fact, she was nothing more than a wh*** to me, exploiting a moment of carelessness and stealing my precious spear."
When Lionel mentioned the spear, I began to feel spatial distortions within my storage ring. The necklace was moving strangely, as if it couldn't contain something.
"Did you really think my father would give us three ordinary items to maintain our relationships? Are we that cheap?"
A golden glow emanated from the necklace, and out came a figure of a golden spear that made me forget to breathe.
"We are kings!"
This... a complete legendary weapon, not sealed like the one Cassian had...
Effortlessly, it tore through spatial barriers and emerged from my ring, doing something I previously thought impossible. Its speed slowed as it approached Lionel's hand and descended gently to reunite with its owner.
Holding the golden spear, which matched the color of his hair, an extraordinary aura emanated from Lionel's body.
"In your story, you made me seem like a poor replica of my elder brothers, but I was simply ambitious. Doesn't that entitle me?" He spoke while staring at his golden spear.
"And after spending twenty-four years in mental isolation, I have understood and grasped concepts people like you can't even imagine." He held the spear high, then opened his mouth.
Red flames, like blood, spewed from it and surrounded the sharp edge in less than a second.
The heat turned the floor carpet black, the window curtain vanished into the air, and I felt myself sweating profusely. This person... how can someone at rank S+ muster all this?
Then he lowered his hand slowly, and I felt my body paralyzed. Under this pressure, I felt like a kid again, being scolded by my father.
I didn't even dare to look at him. Is this what true warriors are like? Looking into his eyes, I remembered the terror I felt when I faced Octavius that day.
They are truly brothers...
If Lionel wanted to kill me now, he could. Instant teleportation to Cassian? He'd probably go there and kill us both. And who would complain to him? Everyone would stop at the edge of this burning spear.
But fortunately for me, the spear wasn't aimed at me but at someone to my left.
I didn't know when, but Kathryn had already woken from her coma and was looking at everyone with sad eyes. The rays of fire, accompanied by the pressure of the legendary weapon, were a meter away from hitting her.
I closed my eyes. There was no way for her - a regular human - to withstand this attack; even I couldn't evade it.
{Vitalos.}
Breaking my skill, standing between his mother and his father's attack, Lucas appeared, showing unmatched speed.
"Consider her dishonorable if you want, but don't harm her!" Lucas spoke as he barely blocked the attack.
He used both hands, and his energy absorption sphere absorbed his father's attack.
He clearly didn't care about the story I had just told them. All he wanted was to meet his mother, whom he had never spoken to since he was born.
I understood his feelings somewhat. Although his mother had woken up, fulfilling his deepest desire, the circumstances were far from ideal.
He discovered how diabolical she was and that the father he loved all this time was a fake, while the real one was imprisoned in his mother's necklace.
He probably didn't know how to feel right now, and I couldn't blame him.
'Cassian... their reactions are completely different from what you told me...' I doubted myself internally. I wanted to escape immediately, but a feeling in my mind told me to stay.
I want to see the end of this story.
Seeing his attack being blocked, Lionel smiled a bit, angry but proud of his son's strength.
"You are indeed strong, fitting to be a StarHold son despite your half-blood taint!" He laughed and began thrusting his spear repeatedly.
The attack that made me feel helpless and surpassed my speed was just a casual move he could use freely. The energy sphere Lucas used to absorb the attack grew larger and larger, its surface trembling.
"How long can you hold out?" Lionel laughed loudly as he continued to wield his spear.
Everything in the room turned black, even my face.