Thiendavis – For The Perfect Salvation

Chapter 23. "In fact, I'm currently under a curse."

The dragon, harboring hatred for humans, spread a curse across the world.

The scattered curse turned into a catastrophe every new moon night, coming to find humans, and those ensnared by the curse faced one of three fates.

They would either die on the spot, go mad and kill any living thing in sight, or become intertwined with something mingled with the curse.

The worst was the last.

The emergence of something entwined with the curse.

And unfortunately, this moment seemed to be that worst-case scenario.

Screeeeeech!

The sound was as if dozens of children were screaming simultaneously.

The chilling cry awoke the people from their slumber, making them frantically look outside their windows.

In the darkness, a white, repulsive form appeared.

It took the shape of a dragon.

However, patches of its skin were torn, revealing bones and veins.

Its massive skull was lined with teeth and horns like icicles, and its wings scraped the ground, looking tattered and web-like.

It looked like a half-rotten corpse.

Moreover, it was startlingly enormous.

As it rose, its head reached an almost immeasurable height, standing tall as if it was the shadow of an ancient castle.

“What is that…?”

Evie Ariate was struck pale by the grotesque sight.

Even she, who hailed from Vis, had never seen something like this before.

The risen corpse of a dragon staggered and took a step.

People burst into sobs at the sight.

Unfortunately, the creature was moving toward the village.

In the face of extreme terror, people were torn between fleeing or continuing to hide.

Salt couldn't stop a curse that had already taken form.

Only Duchess Bayen’s army could handle something like that.

Unable to withstand the pressure, someone dashed out of their house.

Once one person fled, everyone else followed, pounding on doors to escape.

The once-quiet street quickly became a chaos of people surging forward and screaming.

“Butler…”

Evie too felt the urge to flee and looked at Diez.

Yet, Diez, who would typically have moved before Evie, remained still, staring out the window.

He looked as if he was waiting for something.

At that moment, the lumbering curse suddenly tilted to the side.

Then it fell with a thunderous crash like an ancient tree.

Screeeeeech!

The creature screamed with hundreds of voices.

The fleeing people screamed along in terror.

“What, what’s happening?”

“It’s the Count.”

To the shocked Evie, Diez implied.

Evie was too preoccupied with the curse to notice, but Diez had heard it distinctly.

The sharp whistle that came from upstairs earlier.

And the sound of wings passing overhead, pretending to be the wind.

At the mention of the Count, Evie looked back out the window in surprise.

The curse shook its massive skull in irritation.

Then it fell in the opposite direction again.

As the curse screeched, the people screamed without knowing why.

“...Yesterday, a lady said, when the teacher came by, the calamity on the new moon night decreased significantly.”

“But no one would think that teacher is out there.”

At Diez's words, Evie nodded absentmindedly.

Though she knew the Count's identity, the situation felt like a dream.

Simultaneously, she was certain. This place must hold significant value for that person.

After being slammed down several times, the decayed form of the curse began to collapse.

Once the long-dead dragon fell again, the people finally realized something and stopped escaping.

“That Count is unnecessarily excellent. Is it the cost of abandoning his character?”

Evie, relieved from the tension, said lightly.

A curse, not even of a dead dragon, could affect the one who brought down the dragon.

Evie lightly lamented inwardly, wondering why she was entangled with such a peculiar being.

The dragon's form gradually crumbled.

Just as people who didn’t understand breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was all over, it roared a final wail.

With a cry filled with resentment in its dying moments, it unleashed something toward the village.

A white, glowing mist surged forward like the tidal waves described in ancient texts.

People sensed the danger.

However, they couldn’t even attempt to flee and remained frozen in place.

Just as the mist was about to envelop the village, a bolt of lightning tore through the black sky.

Boom! With a great crash, the mist that was advancing toward the village split apart.

It was ripped apart like a piece of paper, veering to the sides of the village, and people collapsed in place, unsure of what had occurred.

It felt like years had been shaved off their lives.

But it still wasn’t over.

A pungent smell spread from the mist encircling the village.

And soon, the people realized it was poison.

The events of the new moon night were simply due to bad luck.

There was no other way to explain it.

No matter how much one prepared, even if they held a handful of purified salt, even if an unknown helper held off the dragon's specter.

Yet, the grievance of the new moon was relentless in extinguishing life.

This wickedness was vast, eternal, and too much for feeble humans to bear.

The dark moon passed, and dawn broke.

Though it was the time they had all desperately wished for, people only looked bleakly at the traces left by the curse.

The fog spewed by the cursed dragon had spread to the east and west ends of the village.

It lingered there, having substantial mass like cotton.

The rye field covered by the mist was turning black.

Thus, there was no need to confirm the situation of the few houses covered by that mist.

Moreover, beyond that rye field was another village.

Given the speed at which the dragon's breath surged, that village too must have been touched by the mist.

That’s why people were at a loss for words over the destruction that occurred overnight.

Zion Laurel, who had returned to the village, gritted his teeth at the sight before him.

The mist that swallowed part of the village was bitter and toxic.

Even Zion, accustomed to the toxins of Amanecer, felt his throat burn.

He immediately ran into a house buried in the mist.

Then, he dragged out a woman and two children.

They seemed unconscious, unable to support themselves, with patches of black marring their skin.

Yet one child seemed to sense Zion's presence and opened their eyes with difficulty.

“Teacher…”

“We're going to another village. Hang in there.”

Zion tried to take them out of the mist.

But the onlookers cried out in horror.

“Don’t move!”

“What if the poison spreads?”

Their cries froze Zion’s heart.

Although anger welled up, he couldn’t bring himself to scold them.

Being weak is not a sin.

Likewise, wanting to survive in their frailty.

Therefore, even if their fragility leads to ruthlessness, it must be tolerated.

It might just be their inevitable way of survival.

While Zion hesitated, the child coughed violently.

The child was quickly dying, unable to withstand even the spectral breath, too fragile in every way.

Gritting his teeth, Zion looked up.

He considered calling the Children of Tardes if necessary.

Then, he saw an unexpected figure in his view.

Evie Ariate.

The girl, who should have remained quietly at home, was coming this way.

Evie had already approached the edge of the mist, and Zion warned her before she got any closer.

“It’s poison.”

“I know.”

The reply was surprisingly composed.

As Zion furrowed his brows, Evie spoke again.

“Set them down, please.”

Zion couldn’t fathom Evie’s intentions.

As he eyed her skeptically, Evie lightly urged him.

“Hurry, please.”

Hesitant, Zion reluctantly set down those he was holding.

Evie's serene face was so composed that Zion found it hard to resist.

Recognizing the face of the child lying on the ground, Evie smiled bitterly.

'So, it’s you, the one who said you’d marry the teacher.'

'You should become an adult first. How could you be like this?'

Evie chided silently and took a breath before calmly starting to sing.

It was a humble hum, like a simple tune.

Singing in such a situation, people were dumbfounded and stared at Evie.

But Evie sang undisturbed, amidst the precarious silence.

As the clear voice continued, people began to bow their heads one by one.

It felt like a mourning for the deceased, and they felt a pang in their hearts.

However, Evie wasn’t intending any kind of lament.

As Evie sang, the sky suddenly brightened.

Thinking it was the sun appearing, people raised their heads and gasped in surprise.

High above, Thienda was spilling blue light into the sky.

Meanwhile, Evie’s long hair turned a watery blue.

The mystical sight caused people to step back unknowingly.

They couldn’t decide whether to retreat or kneel.

Despite the surrounding commotion, Evie continued to sing unfazed.

Hearing Evie's gentle voice, Manyanya poured its blessing upon the world.

The endlessly spreading mist melted away like a lie.

The blackened rye field gradually regained its green hue.

The child's cheeks also brightened again, their rasping breath steadying.

Faced with the unexpected miracle, people began to bow one by one.

Some sat down weakly, while others voluntarily knelt.

The child opened their eyes, then asked Evie in a faint voice.

“Are you the real Saintess…?”

“Not yet.”

Evie replied quietly and smiled gently.

People couldn’t utter a word and simply stared at the noble girl.

Zion Laurel was no exception.

Zion couldn’t take his eyes off Evie, whose hair had returned to black but remained imbued with mystique.

So he gazed intently, lost in thought, for a long time.

***

The village finally regained some stability by late afternoon.

Too much had happened in just one night.

At that time, Evie Ariate was in the familiar two-story house.

Though people once flocked to see the Saintess, Diez blocked their approach, leaving it quiet now.

Thus, Zion was able to face Evie with little interruption.

“How’s the child?”

“Healthy... thanks to you.”

Evie immediately asked Zion, and after briefly answering, he added hesitantly.

Evie looked at him in surprise, so Zion averted his gaze and changed the subject.

“This will soon be reported to the Tower.”

“They’ll probably issue a reprimand, right?”

For Evie Ariate, who borrowed Manyanya's blessing without the Tower’s permission.

Evie spoke lightly as if already knowing her fate, making Zion even more uncomfortable.

The Tower thoroughly manages its belongings. From Manyanya to purified water, salt crystals, and the songs of purifiers.

Thus, purifiers follow strict rules, the first being this:

Do not sing without the Tower’s permission.

Yet Evie not only sang without permission but also borrowed Manyanya's blessing.

Both were serious violations that could lead to her losing her status as a purifier.

Of course, given her extraordinary abilities, Evie Ariate wouldn’t be expelled from the Tower.

But this meant her path to becoming the Saintess was completely severed.

Having incurred the wrath of Laurel and broken the Tower’s rule, Evie would no longer become a Saintess.

It was what she had desired, yet Zion felt no joy.

“Knowing this, why did you intervene?”

“To make things fair.”

It was an enigmatic statement.

As Zion frowned, Evie smiled awkwardly and explained.

“I was saved once before, without having to pay any price. So, it seemed fair that others should experience something like this at least once as well.”

Evie’s explanation was calm and strange.

It left Zion feeling even more conflicted.

Abandoning the Saintess’s position she was so fixated on, to say this.

He couldn’t understand what kind of person Evie Ariate truly was.

When he thought he knew everything through the astrologer, Evie was unpredictable from the moment they met until now.

The foolish man gave everything to Evie Ariate, who acted recklessly.

She made frequent mistakes, declared herself calculating, yet she was slow with counting.

She was precarious and fragile, and her stubbornness was annoying.

But at the same time, there were times when he couldn’t take his eyes off her, continuously leaving him perplexed.

“Before I return to the Tower, I have something to say to His Lordship.”

After Zion was silent for a while, Evie said.

Then she added.

"In fact, I'm currently under a curse."

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