NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19
Chapter 19: The Blessing from the Sky
Liliya stepped up to the old man, looking at his sunken features, rough and wrinkled skin, and emaciated form, her face a mask of disbelief.
This was a peak powerhouse, a strong figure rumored to be legendary! One would expect that even on the brink of death, he wouldn’t look this haggard.
Layton appeared to be unable to speak, barely managing to scrutinize the three young girls with his cloudy gaze. When he noticed Liliya’s elegant attire and noble crown, a hint of excitement clearly flickered in his eyes.
“Marshal… my father was attacked by assassins half a month ago. I’m ashamed to say we don’t know how they managed to bypass the heavily guarded city lord’s mansion and reach my father’s study… Although the assassin’s skills weren’t much better than my father’s, their ability was quite bizarre. In the heat of battle, that person injured my father with a dagger, and then they escaped…”
Rekter explained somewhat dejectedly, pointing to a bandaged but not-too-deep wound on Layton’s right shoulder.
“There’s no doubt the dagger was poisoned. Although my father didn’t show any obvious changes at the time, he started to weaken and dwindle over the following days. We tried every method—doctors, priests, healing magic, but they were all powerless against it. We could only rely on medicine to temporarily slow down the weakness, but…”
The results weren’t great, as everyone could see Layton’s current state.
“Assassins… why would they suddenly appear at such a time… could it be…”
Liliya bit her nails anxiously, her face darkening. The shock she received today was too much, and she couldn’t even maintain her demeanor as a princess.
“Hua, do you know the source of this poison?”
In desperation, the young princess turned to the legendary adventurer beside her for help, hoping that her extensive knowledge might yield a clue.
Hua stared at Layton for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, but soon lowered her head. “Sorry, Your Highness, I haven’t heard of any poison that could cause prolonged weakness without immediate death.”
“Ugh…”
“Then what about Miss Vilyric? Do you know this poison?”
Liliya looked unwilling, clearly believing Layton could still be saved and refusing to give up on treatment.
That was naturally impossible; Vilyric had only arrived in this world a few days ago.
“I don’t know either.”
“Tsk…”
Just as a dead silence fell over the room, the Priestess suddenly gasped and added the second half of her sentence.
“However, if it’s just about saving this old man, that’s quite simple.”
“Really! / What do you mean!?”
The two excited exclamations rang out simultaneously. Liliya managed to keep her composure, but Rechter’s expression was one of pure joy.
“Please help… no, I beg you! You absolutely must save my father! Whatever you want as a reward, Wanku Fortress can agree to it!!”
“Whoa, don’t speak so hastily, young man.”
Vilyric slightly sidestepped to avoid Rechter’s impulsive grab at her arm, smiling lightly as she turned to the princess.
“I can certainly save him, and I won’t need any reward since this is a meaningful attempt for me, but I’m currently Liliya’s bodyguard. Unless my employer gives the go-ahead, I can’t just act freely~”
“Huh? What does it have to do with me… wait, Vilyric!”
Initially stunned, the princess’s delicate face suddenly flushed a bright red as she shot a fierce glare at Vilyric. She was truly enchanting, making hearts race, even catching Vilyric, who often teased her, momentarily off guard.
“Making jokes at a time like this… fine! Ahem, my bodyguard, Vilyric, could you please help treat General Layton? Both I and Wanku Fortress really need him.”
“Hehe… got it~”
With her playful mood satisfied, Vilyric collected herself, advancing calmly to the frail old man’s side. First, she gave a reassuring glance to the visibly anxious Rechter, before channeling a stream of golden light into Layton’s body.
“Information Detection.”
Moments later, the light that seemed to circulate within him surged back up from under his skin, swirling gently around the delicate fingers of the girl.
She was examining the patient’s physical condition, after all, many things could not be discerned just by sight.
In fact, from the moment she entered this room, Vilyric sensed a very strange energy surrounding Layton—like a hidden disease, obscure yet filled with evident malevolence, definitely not the poison described by Rechter.
It wasn’t that he was lying; he likely didn’t grasp the pathology and underlying causes, or he wouldn’t have chosen to treat Layton with medicine.
After conducting her Universal Skill [Information Detection] on the old man’s physical state, Vilyric became even more certain.
What was causing Layton to weaken was a form of special energy, and more accurately, it should be called a curse.
Though many necromantic and dark magic spells in [Mirage World] could cause similar states, the earlier scanning skill hadn’t provided a specific condition name, which meant it was likely a unique ability of this world. Vilyric decided to temporarily name it [Weakness Curse].
This [Weakness Curse] was like a virus parasitizing the body, continually devouring a being’s vitality. The reason medicines could alleviate its deterioration rate was essentially feeding it more, making it take longer to consume—the treatment only addressed the symptoms without solving the root cause, potentially leading to a worsening condition later.
It was normal that healing magic and doctors were powerless against this, but Vilyric couldn’t understand why even the priests were unable to handle it.
Shouldn’t holy soldiers be their natural enemies, given the vile aura radiating from this thing?
She could smell the foul odor from quite a distance away.
“Hmm… as for the treatment method, let’s try that first.”
Without drawing a weapon, Vilyric sat on a chair by the bedside, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and prayed.
“Blessing from the Sky.”
Buzz…
The girl’s pure white robe fluttered lightly as it filled with energy, overflowing with a sacred and warm golden light.
This light spread outwards, illuminating the entire stone room. Even Liliya and the others, who were quite far away, felt refreshed and clear-headed, as if all the minor ailments accumulating in their bodies had vanished.
“What…”
The three observers exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes. Just the dispersion of energy had such miraculous effects; what would it be like at the center of the treatment…?
As if echoing their thoughts, in the next instant, a brilliant and enormous beam of light shone down from the distant sky, crossing through the barriers of the house and forming a massive circle of light centered on Vilyric, enveloping the old man beside her.
All they could see was gold. In a daze, Liliya and the others seemed to glimpse angels dancing gracefully around the black-haired girl and heard celestial hymns floating in their ears. But upon closer inspection, they could only find that pure figure seated in the light.
Countless pure energies condensed into what seemed like tangible light spots, being continuously absorbed by Layton’s frail, shriveled body. Waves of dark gas were squeezed out from within him, and the intense holy attribute energy in the air quickly extinguished and dissipated it, leaving behind only a faint, unwilling wail.
Once all the dark gas had been expelled, the old man’s thin form began to visibly swell, as if he were a balloon being inflated; he became stout and robust, his skin shedding wrinkles and growing firm, while the gray-and-white, lifeless short hair turned lush, shiny, and restored to black.
The divine light from above persisted for nearly a quarter of an hour, only fading away when the outside world started to fill with noisy and excited shouts, revealing a Vilyric who remained seated with her eyes closed and the nearly transformed General Layton.