The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 120 The Witch's Curse
Lutia, South District, near the market.

In a cramped room, Luca was organizing the information he had gathered over the past two days. He trusted written records more than his memories.

At that moment, Alan suddenly knocked on the door and came in.

"Lord Luca, Princess Kiraya has gone missing."

Luca paused, looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and asked, "What?"

Seeing his unfriendly expression, Alan lowered his head: "A member of our tribe just entered the city and brought news that the demon guards left outside reported to you that they have lost track of Princess Kiraya."

Bang!
Luca slammed his fist on the table. "Let her die!"

Alan immediately fell silent.

"The filthy bloodline of the Taiwu tribe!"

Thinking about all the troubles they'd gone through, Luca couldn't help but curse a few more times, "My birth mother is a lowly Taiu bitch, she doesn't deserve to be the Demon King's daughter!"

Alan began to understand why the tribespeople who had come to report the situation insisted on having her relay the message.

She wanted to swear too.

Despite his complaints, Luca still had to bring the demon princess back to the Demon Realm intact.

"How did the princess disappear? What are the specific circumstances? Please explain in more detail."

“That’s all I know.” Alan immediately shifted the blame to the tribesmen from before. “Raki should know more.”

So the Aramean named Raki was summoned in.

"I don't know either... I rushed into the city to find Lord Luca as soon as I heard the news..."

Luca pressed his forehead and almost gritted his teeth as he squeezed out a few words.

"Out of the city! Now!"

The checkpoints were strict when entering the city, but there was no resistance when leaving. Luca, along with Alan and the others, went out of the south gate and met up with the demon guards waiting outside.

"Her Highness asked us to leave when she needed to use the restroom, but when we went to look for her again, she was nowhere to be found," the demon guard explained regarding the princess's disappearance.

Even though the demon guards in front of him could crush him with one hand, Luca still cursed out loud: "How stupid are you to be fooled by such a simple trick?"

None of the guards dared to utter a word in response.

Luca then asked if there were any signs before Kiraya disappeared.

"The princess said she wanted to go and see the human celebrations."

"A celebration? Isn't that in the western suburbs?"

"Several people have already gone to look for it..."

"Go and search!" Luca had been busy organizing intelligence these past two days and hadn't slept much, so he was extremely irritable.

But when he thought of the foolishness of those Arans and demon guards, he had to suppress his temper and go with them to search for them.

After disguising themselves, the group rushed to the shores of Lake of the Tears of the Elves on the western outskirts of Lutia, searching for the princess amidst the vast crowd.

"Separate groups, don't expose yourselves."

Lukat specifically instructed the demon guards, "Cover your horns tightly. If you find the princess, take her to a place on the road we came from and wait for her."

"Yes!"

The group dispersed, and Alan followed Luca, looking around.

"When you came here, I remember you said that the emperor of the empire was also here?"

“What?...Yes, Lord Luca. It’s customary for the Emperor to leave the city at this time of year to personally participate in the celebrations.”

She seemed a little distracted, but Luca didn't notice, assuming she was just looking carefully.

Alan, however, couldn't help but care about the reason for his sudden question, "Lord Luca, are you planning to take action against the Emperor?"

"Am I crazy?" Luca looked at her in astonishment. "Do you think we could possibly assassinate the emperor?"

Alan was speechless.

“Besides, there’s no point in killing him now,” Luca continued. “If we bring in a new one, he might suddenly turn his attention to the north, which could cause trouble. Let this good-for-nothing be emperor for a few more years.”

Alan nodded.

“I was just wondering if Princess Kiraya might have similar thoughts.” Luca looked at the dense crowd in front of him. “She’s probably not stupid enough to assassinate the emperor by herself, but she might want to see what a human emperor looks like.”

Alan was taken aback. Thinking about the personality of the demon princess he had learned about over the past two days, he felt that it was very likely.

"Do you know where the Emperor is?" Luca asked.

“There’s a special venue by the lake where the emperor and the nobles of Lutia gather,” Alan said, then added after a moment’s thought, “At noon, the emperor will ride in a procession carriage and tour the entire lake.”

"Hmph, it seems this emperor is truly unafraid of being assassinated..."

Luca sneered, then looked up at the sky. "It's about time. Let's go check out the venue you mentioned."

"Yes."

Alan led the way, and the two walked towards the venue. When they got nearby, they saw the emperor's luxurious carriage coming out of the venue.

The emperor and his family were seated above.

Luca stopped and stood in the gathering crowd, looking around with a blank expression.

The emperor is only in his early thirties, younger than him, and could easily be considered a young man.

More than twenty years ago, when he was tricked into going to the Demon Realm, this emperor was still a child who hadn't even grown up yet.

Is this the Demon King's future adversary?
"My king will surely reunify this continent."

Alan glanced at Luca, wondering why he had suddenly made such a bold statement.

Just then, the noisy crowd suddenly let out a unified scream.

The two looked over and saw that the woman beside the emperor had suddenly collapsed with a pained expression.

Sick?
Or was it an assassination attempt?

Alan and Luca both had the same question, but the latter, having seen more, quickly recalled that he had encountered similar situations before.

“It’s a demon curse.” He lowered his voice. “It’s Princess Kiraya! Among our people, besides Garrett, she’s the only one with such a talent. She’s right here.”

Alan was bewildered. "What does the princess want to do?"

Could it be that they intended to cast a curse on the emperor but missed their target?
Luca did not answer.

Alan looked over and found him gazing thoughtfully in that direction.

She looked again at the giant carriage that had stopped and saw a figure squeeze out of the crowd, stand in front of the carriage and say a few words. The emperor in the carriage waved to him, as if urging him to get on quickly.

Eric...

Alan recognized him at a glance.

She was worried on the way, but she didn't expect to run into him anyway.

He boarded the tall carriage and slowly scanned the surrounding crowd, as if searching for someone.

Did he also realize that this was a curse from the demons?
That's impossible... How could an ordinary person possibly associate it with demons?

"Who is that person?" Luca suddenly asked.

Alan pursed his lips. "Perhaps it's some nobleman."

Where's Eileen...? I hope Eileen isn't over there too.

Please don't drag her into this...

"What is he going to do?"

Luca looked in that direction and blurted out, not asking her a question.

The next moment, both of them saw him kneel down in front of the fallen empress, and a halo appeared out of thin air.

"..."

Luca frowned, then relaxed a moment later.

Because he saw the halo spin a few times and then suddenly shatter.

"Looks like this kid's a priest, planning to lift the curse on the queen." Luca even laughed. "Do you think he can easily lift the curse on the Demon King's daughter?"

Alan didn't speak, he just stared in that direction.

"Isn't he from your cathedral?" Luca suddenly looked at her.

“No…” Alan shook his head, sweating profusely.

Luca didn't ask any more questions, and looked at the carriage over there, his eyes suddenly sparking.

At this moment, Kiraya, the one who released the curse, was hiding behind the crowd, staring intently at the anxious emperor and his family in the carriage, as well as Eric, who was still trying to lift the curse.

A pure halo kept appearing, then kept shattering.

"This idiot...why did he go and help them?"

Looking at Mia, who was at a loss in the carriage, she felt only satisfaction.

You're the emperor's favorite daughter, aren't you? Then let you taste the pain of losing your mother!
Without that woman, let's see if your emperor father will still like you as much as before.

As Kiraya gazed at the scene, her eyes gradually reddened.

Her father used to like her a lot...

Although her mother was the daughter of the leader of the Taiwu tribe, one of the largest demon tribes, and had led the entire tribe in rebellion against her father before he became the Demon King, after the conquest, her father said that all demons were his subjects equally, and he also doted on her, the child born to her mother.

But after his mother and most of the Taiwu tribe died in the Black Ice Great Wall Knights' sweep, his father's attitude changed drastically.

Not only did he refuse to see her anymore, he even made her move out of the tent she used to live in with her mother, giving up the place closest to her father to a young woman from another tribe...

She has been gone from the game for more than half a year. If it were before, her father would have known on the same day.

Now...

It's alright. Once she brings Luca back, Dad will be very happy and willing to see her!
Kiraya tried to comfort herself, but her spirits only lifted for a short while before quickly sinking again. Even so, she could never become her father's favorite daughter again.

When she reaches a certain age, she will simply be a demon warrior, just like her mother.

All demons are warriors.

She then looked towards the carriage inside.

"Queen Mother! Queen Mother!"

Mia knelt on the ground, shaking her mother, panicked and helpless, her face covered in tears. Gone was the quiet and lovely girl she had first met, and the smugness she had shown when she flaunted her father's love.

Kiraya stared at her, suddenly remembering herself from a few years ago.

She didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her mother.

All they had to do was feign defeat and abandon the tribal camp, and the sweeping human army would have retreated to the other side of the Black Ice Wall. But somehow, Mom actually died there.

In the end, all she received was a mangled body.

"Mother... Waaah—"

Mia's heart-wrenching cries pulled her back to reality.

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Kira".

"My name is Mia."

"I heard you."

She's a decent person, so why does she have to be the daughter of a human emperor?
"So dark elves can be as beautiful as you... The moon elves in the palace say you are the fallen among elves, and I usually don't have a chance to get close to you."

She's not some dark elf; she's a princess of the demon race.

Mia's sobs gradually grew low and hoarse until they were no longer audible, and Kiraya suddenly felt a pang in her heart.

The human emperor was wrong, not her, nor her mother.

"You're lucky this time..."

Kiraya raised her hand again, pointing it at the carriage inside.

"Next time we meet, I really won't let you off the hook."

She cast a triple curse of pain, weakness, and loss of life. Although it would not be fatal immediately, if it continued, the cursed person would eventually die.

And since the curse originated from her, it can naturally also be lifted by her.

Kiraya was chanting a spell to dispel the curse when a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pressed her hand down.

She was startled and immediately broke free, only to discover that the person who had pressed her hand down was none other than Luca, who had approached her at some unknown time.

"You truly surprise me, to attempt to assassinate the Empress of the Empire in such a setting."

Luca wasn't as angry as she expected; instead, he remained calm. "However, it was precisely because of your bold move that I finally found my opportunity."

Kiraya frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You intend to lift the curse?" Luca asked.

"It's none of your business. I just suddenly don't want her to die."

“It’s alright, the Empress won’t die yet,” Luca said, turning to look at Alan who had followed him. “The Empress is critically ill due to a mysterious curse, and no one but him can save her. Is that reason enough to get the High Priest to leave the city?”

Alan nodded. "He won't stand by and watch someone die."

Luca smiled confidently. "Go and ask Simmagu to leave the city now. I'll take care of the rest. Be quick!"

Alan glanced at him, and at the still somewhat bewildered demon princess beside him.

"……Yes."

Squeezing out of the crowd, she glanced back at Eric in the carriage.

The halos that shattered as soon as they appeared no longer appeared. He seemed to have given up on lifting the curse and instead used another method to heal the queen. Holy white light kept surging from his palms.

It's no use... unless the witch lifts the curse herself, or a high-ranking priest like High Priest Simago removes it.

She glanced around again, but still couldn't see Eileen. Filled with worry, she hurried towards Lutia City.

"His Majesty……"

Eric was covered in sweat. "I can't lift the Queen's curse. At most, I can alleviate some of her pain. We should return to Lutia immediately and ask a higher-ranking priest to treat her."

Chik Utu nodded repeatedly, "Okay, let's go back!"

He turned and ordered, "Return to the palace!"

As soon as the carriage started moving, the empress, who had been calming down with her eyes closed, let out a painful groan again. Upon seeing this, the emperor immediately ordered the driver to stop.

“What’s going on?” he asked Eric.

The latter could only shake his head. He could barely feel the swaying in the carriage, so he could only understand the Empress's strong reaction as the curse being too intense for the pampered Empress to bear.

Kiraya...

Eric then glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers below.

He was almost certain that this was the work of the demon princess.

The question is, where has she gone now?

"Your Majesty, please have someone come this way."

The emperor glanced at him and waved his hand to give the order.

"How could this be..." The young emperor held his forehead, unable to hide his anxiety.

The emperor was indeed inexperienced...

Eric glanced at him discreetly, then noticed Natalia looking at him from the side.

Their eyes met, and she asked, "Your Highness Eric, how is the Queen?"

"Now... things are relatively stable. She was under a triple curse, which I can basically identify: pain, weakness, and loss of life. She won't be in any immediate danger, but the curses must be lifted as soon as possible."

Natalia looked worried and glanced at her niece Mia, who was already crying and could no longer make a sound.

Eric looked at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, the curse the Empress has suffered is extremely rare. I suspect it is a curse from the demons. Please order the guards to search the surrounding area and arrest anyone suspected of being a demon or dark elf.”

Chik Utu's first reaction was bewilderment.

"What demon race?"

"..."

Eric opened his mouth.

"You mean... demons? Demons from the North?"

The emperor realized what was happening, "How did they end up in Lutia?"

“This issue can be studied later. What’s important now is to capture the potential demons so that we can immediately lift the curse on the Queen,” Eric said.

"Good, good..." The emperor nodded and waved to the guards, "Go and capture the demons!"

The guards stared blankly at each other.

“I’ll go explain to them.” Before the emperor could answer, Natalia jumped off the carriage.

Soon, apart from those who stayed behind to protect the emperor, a large contingent of guards dispersed in all directions, while two more returned to the venue and the city of Lutia to gather more troops.

The eldest princess's competence, compared to the emperor's, was already beginning to show.

Because of the sudden accident, a large crowd gathered nearby, but due to the guards' inspection, the crowd gradually dispersed and gathered in a more distant place, continuing to watch this direction.

The Queen remained unconscious, and time passed slowly in anxious waiting. After an unknown amount of time, Eric suddenly heard a voice say, "They've arrived."

He raised his gaze, paused, and then squinted.

That is……

Xinmagu?
Is that skinny, ghost-like person Xinmagu?

How did he change like this in just over a year?
Simmagu, who had ridden from the city, stopped in front of the emperor's carriage, bowed, and was then invited into the carriage. When he saw Eric staring at him in a daze, he was also taken aback.

He nodded to him without saying anything, then turned his attention to the unconscious queen.

“The curse… seems to be the aura of the demons,” Xinmagu said, extending a slender finger from his robe and touching the queen’s forehead.

A more rounded, full, and bright halo formed above the queen's head, then spun and descended, gradually turning black, earthy yellow, and blood red before disappearing upon landing.

The empress, who had been in a coma for a long time, finally slowly opened her eyes.

Simagu raised his hand again, wanting to replenish the Queen's life force. He found that she was full of energy and realized that Eric was continuing to treat her.

The two looked at each other again, but he noticed that Eric's face had suddenly become serious.

"Please, High Priest Simagu, return to the city immediately. Do not delay on the way. The demons may be after you."

Xinma Gu was taken aback, glanced at him a few more times, nodded, bowed to the emperor, then got off the carriage, mounted his horse, and turned to leave.

Eric stared at the gaunt figure, his brow furrowed.

Xinmagu didn't so much listen to his advice to return to the city, but rather that he had finished his troublesome business and didn't want to stay there for even a second longer, so he ran away on his own.

Is Kiraya's plan to force Simago to leave the city by using a curse?
With so many high-ranking clergy at Lutia Cathedral, how could she guarantee that the one who came out would be Simagu?
Why Simagu? Eric belatedly realized the answer to this question.

Although in his eyes, only Simmagu at Lutia Cathedral was worthy of attention, in reality, as the largest diocese, there were countless high-ranking clergy here, including those who specifically served the royal family, so it shouldn't have been the archbishop himself who came...

Just then, he saw Simagu, who had already run far away, suddenly stop.

He turned back and glanced at him again, as if he were looking at him.

Eric was stunned.

Then, Xinma Gu rode off in the other direction.

(End of this chapter)