Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 137: The Curse Belonging to an Emperor

Daniel and his companions are gathered in the lounge of the airship after the applicants for various serving positions of the Citadel have been guided out. 

Immediately after the door has closed, Aramellianna leaves her seat to kneel before Daniel surprising him as much as anyone else.

“Daniel, I have no excuse. I am aware that I am already in a great debt with your trust as it is. I accept full responsibility for a spy infiltrating the candidates.”

Wenlianna glances at each of them nervously. The human mechanic from Earth sighs softly. “Mother, that isn’t necessary. None of us would have caught it were it not for Doephluev. She was using the same techniques as the archoneldwyn assassins.”

Hekate sucks her teeth, and Geirahoel grumbles, “At least she is useful for something.”

“You grace me with your words, your Illustrious Grace,” replies Doephluev with a slight bow and obvious sarcasm in her otherwise neutral tone. 

Thankfully, she doesn’t antagonize anyone further, and Vaergraes points out, “The question is, are there more archoneldwyn, or was there someone controlling Brosjak after all?”

Ryuogriar nods in agreement. “The obvious answer, regardless of who was pulling the strings when he was alive is that our enemies still possess the powers to threaten us.”

“And, they have no qualms about attempting to infiltrate to do so,” adds Treia pointedly.

“Frontal assaults very clearly don’t stand a chance,” starts Kera’tai. “That has been proven by one of the largest armies of the east marching to the Citadel. The fact that the Covenant didn’t try to attack right after indicates that they realized they didn’t have the forces necessary to make a dent either.”

Aoloan speaks up next, speaking a little softly, “I fear it may have been an overstep on our part to make a show of force to the Empire… specifically…” She looks at the dragons, adding cautiously, “The eggs…”

“But, they’re just eggs,” remarks Hekate. “N-No offense. But, what I mean is, why would the Empire want to do anything about eggs and not us directly?”

“An excellent way to destroy a ruling body is to destroy their future,” replies Aramellianna grimly. “Our Graceful Dragon Empresses are demonstrably powerful on their own, and the last surviving male greater dragon is one of the largest creatures alive.” She looks at Neith, bowing her head respectfully, and he nods in gratitude. The Grand Duchess then continues, “Even the rest of the Einherjars and Valkyries are the scale by which easterners wager that we can take a dragon at all. A greater dragon would require a great deal of luck with an entire army just to bring one down. But,... an egg, or even a child…”

“Significantly easier targets,” replies Hekate as she understands. “But, wouldn’t that be stupid? I mean, NONE of us will take that lying down, no matter whose egg it is. The only thing I would have to say to an angered mother would be to wait for me to put my own armor on.” She takes Ryuogriar’s and Reignleif’s hands, since they’re closest, and she smiles at both of them, also smiling at Geirahoel. “There will be nothing left.”

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, your Greatness,” chimes in Magnir. “But, I don’t think the success condition of such a plan is to distress a dragon.” He looks at Daniel, adding, “The Fievegal is powerful now without technology from Earth, but… The worst power of the Fievegal comes from one man.”

“Would anyone really think the eggs were Daniel’s?” asks Gwenesphia gently. “Not that I disagree with Hekate, since I, too, will fight for all of our family, but if their goal is to harm Daniel…”

“It would succeed,” replies Daniel bluntly. “No matter what other rumors go around about me, many people know I risked everything to save Erimaya. To anyone who sees me in a negative light, I may be a lecher interested in children, but to anyone who knows me in any sort of positive light…”

“A man saving a child before anything else,” remarks Wenlianna softly.

Daniel nods, “One who is not my own. If there’s any implication that I would adopt the children of my now-known dragon consorts, they would be a weak point…”

Daniel trails off softly as he falls into thought, and everyone is respectfully quiet for a long time. He starts softly, “There was a billionaire on Earth who refused to pay the ransom for his grandson being kidnapped. He was afraid the rest of his family would become targets if he did.” He scoffs as he smirks with an emptiness behind his smile. “I’d never be able to do that… I was a fool… Aoloan’s right. We shouldn’t have flaunted the children at all.”

Ryuogriar takes his hand and squeezes it gently. “We all agreed to play the game, Mukori. If anyone should be blamed, it would be me, for insisting we bring the eggs when they would have only been a few yards away.”

“I-I am to blame as well, then,” replies Geirahoel urgently. “It was my idea, and I would have pressured Ryuo.”

“We all agreed,” adds Reignleif softly. “I don’t regret it. Even if we hadn’t done it then, there is no way that spies won’t eventually learn of the children. They would become targets no matter what. Now we know one more of the forms the enemy will use to try to infiltrate us… and what preparations they are capable of.” She looks at Doephluev, who is an assassin using a rare type of rune magic through tattoos that made her extraordinarily powerful in single combat, while also allowing her to easily conceal her mana from even many of the most sensitive mages in Daniel’s inner circle.

Doephluev replies gently, though there is a fairly sinister meaning behind her words, “I have it on good authority that rune words that are broken will cease to function. That is why the most important ones will sometimes be engraved on our bones, especially our skull.”

The rest of the group is quiet for a moment, and Geirahoel asks coldly, “Does that include the contract nullification and automatic revival spells?”

The archoneldwyn mistress simply smiles. “Yes. Though, as I’m sure you know, out of everyone here, my Beloved Daniel doesn’t use the contract for compelled action anyways. And, if I wanted him dead at this point, I could have simply let any of his attempted solo missions go exactly as they were had I not been present.”

This upsets the others a little, and Daniel sighs. “We have to know all of our limits and when our enemies have lost the drive to be enemies.” He looks at Geirahoel, adding in front of everyone to make his point, “The harness I made her to wear has already decayed completely, making it useless. She has been able to negate the contract and attack at any time for at least a week now. And, she has known about it longer.”

Doephluev looks away from him with a somewhat embarrassed ‘you got me’ expression, while the others are surprised to hear him acknowledge it in front of others, such as Aramellianna’s ladies in waiting, maids and butlers, and the Stalvaltan Guard.

The mechanic adds pointedly to finish his thought, “This is a weakness that, if we weren’t watching for it, we would be vulnerable if we blindly rely on the equipment I’m having us make. We all, myself especially, need to understand how everything ties together, or we’ll suffer another setback like with Brosjak. Thanks to Doephluev, I’m now certain that, for whatever reason, mana and the decay rate of anti-magic ores are inversely proportional.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that what’s in the ground would have long ago decayed away?” asks Reignleif. “That was part of what went into defeating the Devourer, wasn’t it?”

“You’re right. From what I can guess, given the evidence we have so far, is that the whole world of Zenkon itself is like a living being in that it produces a great deal of mana. If so, it should have countered and decayed all anti-magic ores naturally long ago. Someday, I hope to understand why, since otherwise, it would be a major oversight in this story on the part of the author.”

He gets a few chuckles from his fourth-wall joke, and Reignleif remarks on it, “You make comments like that rather often…”

Daniel grins at her cheekily, though it’s mostly because it has to be fiction, or he would struggle to believe his life has turned out this way.

“Either way, the same can be addressed in reverse. How does Zenkon produce usable mana, when there is an immense amount of radiation all around the world, most of which comes from the sun.”

“It does?” asks Wenlianna eagerly.

Daniel nods. “Stars, assuming Zenkon isn’t in a completely different universe from my own with completely different rules, which is always on the table without knowing for sure, they are gigantic fusion reactors similar to how the god-killer works.”

As usual, it’s somewhat of an inside story for those who know what the ‘god killer’ or ‘god smiter’ is. But, because it’s now quietly known as the weapon that defeated the Devourer, it’s understandable why it would be surprising that the sun of Zenkon is just like it, let alone all of the stars in the sky.

“So the sun is going to kill us all?” asks Gwenesphia innocently before a few others have the same idea.

Daniel laughs softly, trying to cover his mouth. “S-Sorry. No. It’s been doing that since it was born, and will be doing it long after every one of us has long passed away. There is a process for the death of a star like the sun, but without knowing its actual size, it’s difficult for me to say which way it will die. Either way, since life is still functioning normally, it’s not something that will happen for many many lifetimes of even the elves.”

The others are quiet, and he adds softly, “It’s extremely difficult to wrap our heads around it because the scale is so ridiculously big. But, the sun is to Zenkon what this room is to this coin.” He sets a coin on the coffee table nearby, and everyone stares at it. “As I mentioned, I don’t know the exact scale, but that’s to try to put it into perspective. Earth’s sun was so many times larger than the Earth itself, I think it was something like three hundred thousand Earths would equate to the same mass as the sun, and for volume, it’d be around a million Earths to fit into its physical diameter. We also knew through research that Earth’s sun is actually a relatively tiny star just in our galaxy, which…” He clears his throat, realizing he’s going down a rabbit hole. “Anyways, the sun here is almost certainly as large or larger than Earth’s.”

As usual, Wenlianna is taking notes, nodding along as she listens, and Aramellianna sums up what Daniel was originally getting at. “So, regardless of anything else, Zenkon should not sustain mana the way it does because of our own sun, if we follow only what we know so far.”

The earthling nods. “Precisely, Mother. The only alternative would be if everything in this universe uses mana in the way that the fabric of Earth’s universe uses atomic theory. But, if that was the case, then I don’t know if the weapon I made would have been as effective. I think Zenkon itself is the primary variable, which means there must be some reason Zenkon maintains mana and anti-magic stones maintain their potency even after long periods of time.”

“I can offer a suggestion,” points out Vaergraes. “While it’s true that the world has a great deal of mana, it’s normally not especially pronounced. You said it simply increases the decay rate, but perhaps the mass is simply large enough to last as long as it has. We know proximity is also a factor.”

Daniel nods in agreement. “I agree, and we still have much to learn to solidify any theories.”

“Then, high mana concentrations are almost definitely what cause monsters, right?” asks Hekate, since that was a recent topic of a similar discussion.

“Almost certainly,” replies Vaergraes. “That much has been suspected for a very long time, but as we discussed, doing it synthetically is extremely difficult even for mages more powerful than me, indicating some other factor. And, there has never been anyone who witnessed a natural change, to my knowledge.”

“We’ll be able to try to narrow it down once we finish the mana detector,” replies Wenlianna. “Oh! Which reminds me, we have a conference call with Ahok soon to check on her progress.” She squeezes her hands and trembles excitedly, though enviously. “Oooh, I’m envious of her right now!”

The others laugh, and Aramellianna replies playfully, “I did not necessarily expect that you would be spending so much time on my airship so soon, my dear Wenlianna. I will instruct the builders of the next one to include a sizable laboratory and storage space just for you.”

The magic artisan blushes, nodding gratefully. “Thank you, Mother.”

“It was foolish of me to neglect such a detail.” She turns serious, facing Daniel again, “Which is why, I am very sorry for my oversight, Daniel.”

“As I said, Mother,” starts Daniel gently as he kneels in front of her, where she has remained kneeling for the moment from her apology. “We have a lot to learn, and we all have enemies that are testing our limits. I ask for your help and resources to make sure we can overcome their preparations.”

“Of course, my dear son.” She cups his cheek. “I am grateful for your understanding.”

“There wasn’t much to understand. I wouldn’t have caught it either. Choosing children was a good move, I think. We can raise them and train them to our expectations. It’ll just require more work.”

“You will have access to my senior staff for as long as you need them. I just ask that you allow them to rotate. Under scrutiny, of course.”

“If they are willing, I will gladly accept your help.”

She smiles, and he helps her to her feet as they both stand up. They both return to their respective seats, and she adds with her usual confident tone, “Now, Daniel, I know this may not be the best setting for it, but I do believe we are all family here as well. So… Might I ask when I might expect a grandchild?”

Daniel and Wenlianna both freeze at being called out so specifically without a single name being mentioned. And, the others can’t help but laugh at them.

***

Daniel excuses himself to be alone for a bit, bringing Neith with him. Once on the hull of the airship, he asks, “Xyreko, can you please come to me?”

“Of course,” replies the golem caretaker’s voice as she appears next to them. “How may I serve you today?”

“Your golems have been following that candidate, right? She went by Veuthene, right?”

“Yes. She has just reported her failure, though there were no names exchanged, and no other useful information. I will transcribe the conversation for you.”

“Good. But, it’ll likely be in code, and I know almost nothing on that subject anyways.”

“May I ask your intentions, my Liege?” asks Neith quietly.

“I gambled, and hopefully it wasn’t a complete loss. Xyreko, take us there.”

“Pardon?” asks Xyreko and Neith together.

“I’ll explain after. Take us there quickly.”

“Daniel… I…”

“I understand your hesitation, but please trust me. I need to be the one to do this.”

She hesitates for only a moment longer, but she teleports Daniel, herself, and Neith to the alleyway where Veuthene is, and she flinches. Neith starts to move, but Daniel gestures with his hand to stop the grey dragon, and he walks forward.

“M-My Liege!”

“I meant what I said, Veuthene. Capturing and torturing you would be a minimal loss endeavor.” The human approaches his wary counterpart, and she goes into a defensive stance, still trying to appear meek and sneak away.

“I still don’t know what you mean, your Grace. I have only ever known the orphanage. You’ve come to a misunderstanding about me.”

 “I came here wanting to kill you, because it would be all too easy for me to order someone else to do it. You are a threat to my family, and you indirectly threatened them harm by your very obvious intentions.”

When he’s about five feet away from her, the teen’s expression changes. She’s no longer a scared little girl.

She is a predator hunting prey.

A glint appears from her sleeve, while Daniel simply moves his left thumb forward against the minimal resistance. 

“My Liege!” “Daniel!” shout Neith and Xyreko, respectively. Veuthene lunges forward with enough force to scrape the soles of her simple shoes against the cobblestone of the alleyway. However, as she jams the dagger she slipped into her hand straight into Daniel’s chest where his heart is, her own expression switches from predatory to surprised. She didn’t get the force she needed to kick off, and she doesn’t have the strength…

…to penetrate what appears to be Daniel’s simple deep-red leather jacket which has both the Stalvaltan Soulwyrm and the Fievegal’s Hekate emblems on his shoulder. He smirks down at her, snapping his own arms up. His left snatches her knife hand and his right snatches her neck as he shoves her back and against the wall, lifting her up. She’s a human of Zenkon, and unfortunately, a teenager, so she’s extremely small and light compared to Daniel.

He wrenches her wrist to the side to force her to drop the dagger away from her own left hand as she tries to push him away and then pry his fingers off of her neck. Her legs kick and dangle near his waist, but he keeps her at arm’s length, which diminishes most of her force, and he uses his left arm once the dagger is clear to block her kicks. She loses energy quickly, struggling to try to relieve the chokehold, but to no avail.

Daniel growls, “Fighting without magic is very different than fighting with magic.” She glares at him, unable to speak or breathe effectively, and he adds, “I’ve lived without any magic for all of my life until recently, even in this world. Also, I’ve made a new friend;” He holds open his jacket briefly, revealing an extremely low profile under-clothing ‘mail’ made of shimmering rainbow-colored scales. It confuses her a bit, and by now, Neith and Xyreko have also both closed in on either side of Daniel to assist him, though Xyreko needs to keep her distance.

Daniel squeezes his hand, trying to follow-through.

She’s a spy. A particularly dangerous spy. She wanted to infiltrate a role that would put her close to my family… to my… children.

He is trying to stoke his anger and use it; to finish this enemy agent before she can bring more harm to his family.

If they figure out that I let her leak information, it only gets worse. Just… Just do it, Daniel. She’s no one. She’s disposable to her enemies. They would kill her to silence her without a thought…

In spite of trying to convince himself, and in spite of everything else Daniel has done, he can’t bring himself to take a life in cold blood.

He drops her, backing away a step, and she crumples to the ground, seated on her calves as she coughs and keeps herself up with her hands on the cobblestones.

Neith puts himself in a position where he is more between Daniel and Veuthene than he was, and Xyreko picks up the knife when the dragon kicks it away from the teenage spy. She stands gracefully like a noblewoman, even with a dagger in her folded hands.

“Shall I finish her?” asks Neith, sensing that Daniel is in conflict.

“It’s the right answer, isn’t it?” asks Daniel, feeling uneasy.

The dragon hesitates, prompting the inexperienced pseudo-emperor to exhale deeply.

“I’m… not going… to beg…” murmurs Veuthene.

As he looks at her, he notices something that catches his eye at the center of her collar. He crouches and grabs it, pulling it free of the fabric it was holding bound. “Your Grace?” asks Neith, surprised.

It came from what appears to be a fairly simple cravat at a glance, but for a supposed ‘orphan’, it was fairly valuable. The ornament that he pulled from her cravat has a jewel-like smooth surface with a soft blue coloring.

The reason he wanted to inspect it more closely has already vanished though; something was familiar about it. He doesn’t know where he has seen the emblem that was on the jewel, but it reminded him of something he has seen, and he wanted to inspect it more closely.

Without the emblem on it, he looks at her, and her gaze is locked on him. Her expression is serious, but not in the way he might expect someone to react if they were about to steal a precious family heirloom.

She’s expecting something.

Ahhh… I keep forgetting, this world has curses. I’m surprised Xyreko didn’t…

When he looks up at the golem caretaker, he can tell he’s receiving a disapproving glare.

Yep. She’s mad. Kaeralegier, thank you for protecting me.

“[I’m glad you realize you messed up, Daniel. I think there was some kind of effect on it, but I didn’t analyze it before it activated.]”

So, it should be safe now, right?

“[I don’t know if it can recharge itself. It’ll be best to get rid of it.]”

While conversing with Kaeralegier, he was studying the ornament for any further clues, but he finds nothing. He offers it back to Veuthene, and she recoils as if instinctively. Her eyes go wide, confirming his suspicions.

Daniel can’t help but smirk. “Oh? Is something wrong with it?” He tosses it at her, and she gasps, trying to scramble away from it.

“My Liege…” murmurs Neith. He sighs. “You really must…”

“I know,” replies Daniel. “I know. But, it’s confirmed now.”

“I’m telling Ryuogriar,” warns Xyreko.

“Alright. But first…” Daniel stands back up, watching Veuthene for a moment. “Sir Neith, take Veuthene into custody and hand her over to golems to be transferred to containment. Xyreko, if you’d please, retrieve the ornament and store it.”

As he gives these instructions, Daniel steps away, placing his hand on Nemaisol to sheath the sword.

Just before he does, a strange sound like a reverse gasp comes from Veuthene, and all three look directly at her, including Daniel. Neith shouts quickly, “Don’t stow the blade!”, swinging his hand out at Daniel as the human mechanic stares dumbly at the clandestine maid applicant.

Her body is tense with her back arched, almost like she’s in some part of a seizure, though Daniel has never witnessed a seizure in person. Just as suddenly, though, her body flops to the ground with her eyes open, and she doesn’t move even a little.

Neith is already between Daniel and Veuthene, trying to make sure Daniel doesn’t sheath Nemaisol, while also glancing at Veuthene to assess what has happened. A squad of golems armed with rifles and grenade launchers arrive, immediately fanning out to surround Veuthene. Two lead-armored golems arrive with massive shields as well, lumbering towards Daniel to immediately guard him as he feels like he’s in a surreal state.

Veuthene isn’t the first person he has seen die. She wouldn’t even be the first whose life he took himself. However, he is still shocked by what just happened; the ring only touched her -her clothes no less-, and now she is dead, painfully.

Neith cautiously backs up towards Daniel, glancing over his shoulder to try to control two different situations at once. He puts his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, reiterating, “Do not stow Nemaisol, Sire. Not until I can investigate.”

Daniel nods. “Understood..”

The grey dragon in humanoid form approaches Veuthene cautiously, crouching down to check for signs of life. He avoids touching her directly, asking, “Minister Xyreko, did you detect anything?”

“No. As you said, the magic seemed to dissipate the moment Daniel took the ornament off.”

“Agreed, though it clearly seems to have come from the ornament, given her reaction.”

“Activation was undoubtedly delayed by Nemaisol’s area of effect.”

The soldier golem that picks up the ring-like ornament suffers no immediate ill effects, so it stores the ring in a void bag held by another. Xyreko then sends the golem away as well, just in case.

“Daniel, do you have any indications of whether or not you are cursed?” asks Xyreko in a strange way. He’s still a little dazed, so it doesn’t make sense what she’s asking that she wouldn’t be able to see obviously; he’s still alive.

“N-No…” He shakes his head clear. “I mean… I…” Can you tell, Kaeralegier?

“[Hmm… As you had suspected, it shouldn’t have been able to plant upon you while I’m protecting you. Do you trust me, Daniel?]”

Wholly and with my life and family.

“[Oof. No pressure…]”

Y-You’re a… goddess.

Her voice snickers in his mind, and she retorts, “[Fair enough. Then, I need to check you more… directly. Your blood will do.]”

Daniel draws Nemaisol without hesitation, asking quietly, no longer caring about hiding Kaeralegier as specifically, “How much do you need?”

“[Just a little. I recommend the back of your forearm, rather than something dumb like your finger or palm, since you may need to fight.]”

“My Liege?” asks Neith as he watches Daniel ponderously study his legendary sword.

“Don’t panic, Sir Neith. I’m checking something.”

The dragon clearly wants to object, but he allows Daniel to move, as does Xyreko.

Daniel carefully maneuvers his forearm with the sword held upright, and he creates a modest cut on his forearm as Kaeralegier instructed, allowing the blood to run down the blade.

“[That’s enough, Daniel. Have one of them tend to your arm.]”

The human mechanic relaxes his posture, and he explains, “Apologies, you two. Can one of you…?”

Neith doesn’t hesitate. He goes into his own magic bag and retrieves a first aid kit prepared per Daniel’s instructions. Because potions and potations are still minimally effective on Daniel, he prefers not to use them for minor injuries, and most of Neith’s own magic skills pertain to offensive power. And, the more arcane magics he has learned, including some aspects of necromancy and decay, are certainly not beneficial in the current situation. He begins wrapping Daniel’s left arm, joking quietly, “My Liege, you certainly don’t make my survival easy.”

Daniel manages to scoff, but he’s still distracted by what just happened, and he’s waiting on Kaeralegier’s analysis of his blood. Xyreko understands this, so she has remained silent, even if she doesn’t approve of him apparently harming  himself to do so.

“Sorry, Neith… But, are you sure you should be touching me?”

“I shall share your fate, my Liege. If it can spread from person to person, then I do not deserve to be spared for failing to properly prevent it.”

Daniel replies quietly, “No… This is my fault for still not observing caution in this world when it comes to curses. Like electricity, I should know better. I am sorry.”

“Daniel, I shall inform the Empresses when we return,” warns Xyreko with a somewhat disappointed tone. “I chose not to disobey you, but you cannot keep endangering yourself with the excuse of protecting everyone else.”

The dejected earthling looks away and down. He replies in a somber tone, “As you know… I had nothing to lose on Earth. I lived alone, went to sleep alone, and did almost everything as if I might disappear one day. This isn’t an excuse, but… I have too much to lose here.”

The golem steps closer to him, hugging him without warning. Normally, she would deactivate in the direct presence of Nemaisol, but Kaeralegier does have some control over the mana deactivation, and is likely allowing it for Xyreko’s sake. “What you constantly allow yourself to overlook, my Master and Emperor, is that there are now many individuals who feel the same about you. I can say this confidently because I am one of them.”

The mechanic remains quiet for a moment, and he finally hugs her. “Then… help me find a compromise… Even if you have to enlist their help.”

She sighs. “Fortunately for you, Hekate is interested in the same. I’ll dedicate any resources I can to find a solution that we all can live with.”

“Thank you…”

Kaeralegier’s voice says in Daniel’s mind, “[Daniel, I’ve completed my analysis. If you can make the dragon swear to secrecy, I’ll tell you both.]”

“Neith, keep what you’re about to hear confidential from everyone. I’ll tell you later who you can discuss it with outside of us who are present.”

“As you wish, my Liege,” replies Neith without hesitation as he finishes bandaging Daniel’s arm.

Kaeralegier speaks to all three of them. “Very good, Neith. I am Kaeralegier, bound to the sword Nemaisol. And, I have determined several things from Daniel’s blood.”

Neith expresses surprise at first from the new voice, and the declarations, but he glances at Daniel, who is watching him. The human nods, and the grey dragon rolls with it, taking it completely in stride. “I am honored, Lady Kaeralegier. I am Sir Neith gur Lawson, brother and knight to Daniel.”

“I know. I’ve been here the whole time. Anyways, Daniel is indeed cursed.” All three of them tense, but Kaeralegier adds to reassure them, “It’s alright. As you can see, I can easily suppress it while I’m unlocked from my sheath. Unfortunately, this is an ancient form of magic that even I thought had died out. The curse does not bind to one’s body in the way that typical curses do, through an entanglement with their natural mana. Instead, it binds to one’s soul.”

Both Xyreko and Neith look at Daniel with concern, and he listens intently to the goddess explaining it.

She continues, “That’s the first bad news. The good news is, this actually makes it even easier to analyze the curse and its causes and effects.”

“What’s the other bad news?” asks Daniel. Xyreko somewhat instinctively grips Daniel’s forearm in nervousness.

“There is no known way to break these kinds of curses. It has already entangled itself with your soul, which helps disguise it from external detection.”

“S-So Daniel is going to die?” asks Xyreko, her usually stoic and controlled voice wavering for once.

“That is the second good news. No, Daniel is the only one I have seen who will likely not die. I’ll give you three guesses as to why.”

“He has insufficient mana?” asks Neith.

 “First guess,” replies the goddess warmly. “Though it doesn’t bind directly to one’s mana, mana is an extension of the soul, and as such, is how the curse will cause its effects. It is intended to crush the heart of the victim and simultaneously drain their mana to zero. My guess, this is to prevent healing and revival magic from having any effect.”

“Is it contagious?” asks Daniel, not fully knowing how curses work, and equating them to diseases.

“No. Not person to person. Because it buries itself in the victim’s soul to hide, it can’t be contagious in that regard. However, when cast upon an inanimate object, it will curse anyone who touches it without first reciting a counter spell to temporarily deactivate it.”

“Allowing her to take it off…” murmurs Daniel as he does his best to understand the curse that will afflict him.

“Is this counterspell a dispel for the curse?”

“No. Only a temporary deactivation. Daniel, it works like a cocking mechanism and trigger. By pulling the ring from the scarf, you triggered it, so the scarf likely has the ‘cocking mechanism’ spell on it. I hope that makes sense.”

“Well enough, replies Daniel.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” urges Xyreko. “I’m still stuck on something. You said Daniel is ‘likely’ to not die. How likely? What are his chances? What will happen to him? Will he be disfigured? Will he be able to si-...”

“Xyreko…” interrupts Daniel as he hugs her. “Stay calm. We’ll get there…”

“She’s going to ask you to sheath her and activate the curse! You could die!”

“I’ll likely live,” retorts Daniel.

“But how likely!?” She grips his sleeves. “If you intend to do this, I’m summoning everyone right now. I’ll not allow…”

“Xyreko! Calm down, please! Listen to me!”

Her uncharacteristic distress finally simmers down a little, but she would certainly be biting her nails if she had a proper mouth and fingernails. Daniel explains gently, “You’re right… They’ll be just as upset. But, I brought this on myself. I’m a fool, and I have to pay for it…”

“Y-You can keep… You can keep Nemaisol drawn. There’s no reason for you to…”

“I have to return to my sheath when I’m not actively drawn,” replies Kaeralegier. “Daniel is the only one who will wield me, and his fate is his own. I will help where I can, but I have my own circumstances. I cannot change my own curse.”

Xyreko starts to squirm, looking more alive than ever before.

Daniel finally asks gently, “Can you give me my odds of survival, Kaeralegier?”

“No. Because… I’m not going to be the one who determines them. You will make this choice yourself with the information you have now. But, the only choice you really have at this moment is to deal with it now, or to wait until it happens by surprise when I can no longer stay drawn.”

“H-How long is that?” asks Xyreko, still trying to grasp for control over the situation to protect Daniel’s life without taking risks.

“I don’t know. Whenever the conditions require that I return to my sheath.”

Xyreko looks at Daniel, and even with her expressionless golem face, he can tell that she doesn’t want him to risk it, but she doesn’t have any answers for once, and it’s making her a wreck.

The mechanic looks at his arm, where Neith bandaged him, and he then looks to the dragon directly. The loyal knight doesn’t know what to say either. It seems the event is inevitable, and the only difference will be whether or not others are around Daniel at the time.

Neith looks away from Xyreko as he says quietly, “You should do it now, my Liege. You’re not a fatalist, so I’m sure you’ll survive. And, it will be easier to ask for forgiveness…”

“Are you mad, Neith!?” snaps Xyreko. “If anything, everyone should have the chance to be with him, just in case! M-Maybe there will be something someone can do! Maybe someone can dispel it! What is the name of the curse!? I’ll go ask!”

“Do that,” replies Daniel. “I’m sure we have at least a little longer.”

Kaeralegier answers the question, “If I recall correctly, it’s referred to in ancient texts as ‘the Emperor’s Heart’, ironically enough.”

She nods, backing away from him a few steps. “Then, I shall return with the others.”

The mechanic-turned-Emperor bobs his head with a smile. However, just as her teleportation spell is activating, she makes eye contact with Daniel.

He has Nemaisol lined up with the sheath, and his gaze is one of calculated determination.

“Daniel!” screams Xyreko right when the spell fully activates and transports her away.

“Neith, whatever happens, thank you for everything.”

“I will stay with you to the end, my brother,” replies the dragon quietly.

Knowing that delaying the inevitable will only drag out the pain, Daniel shoves Nemaisol into the sheath, with Neith and a dozen golem soldiers as his witnesses.

***