Chapter 161
Lovesickness (1)
The act of knocking Oranha unconscious by striking the back of his neck was an instinctive reaction.
Thud!
After supporting his falling body and laying him on the sofa, I turned to Flowerseorin, who was covering her mouth in shock.
Meeting the eyes of someone with the [Lovesickness] trait leads to losing one’s heart instantly, and the curse’s influence is irreversible.
In other words, she had practically lost her most cherished aide right here and now.
“…Ah…”
Flowerseorin sighed as she looked at the unconscious Oranha.
Whirr…!
Twitch.
When Oranha started foaming at the mouth and his body twitched, causing a small mana vortex to form, she hurriedly checked his condition.
Placing her hand on Oranha’s head and releasing a green aura, she sensed the chaotic flow of mana within him.
Twang!
His upper body sprang up like a spring, almost colliding with Flowerseorin, but Baek Yu-seol quickly pressed him down to prevent it.
“How is he?”
“…Not good. His mana is completely tangled. This is almost…”
Flowerseorin held back from saying it was a mana rampage.
A mana rampage, where all the mana within one’s body is discharged uncontrollably like a bomb, is the most humiliating and catastrophic event for a mage.
Those who experience mana rampage lose all their mana, making it impossible to live as mages again.
Knowing how much Oranha loved magic, Flowerseorin did her best to stabilize his condition by injecting her mana.
‘Damn it…’
Watching Flowerseorin struggle to stop Oranha’s rampage, Baek Yu-seol couldn’t hide his troubled expression.
Oranha was said to be quite a powerful mage. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be so weak as to be knocked out by a simple chop from Baek Yu-seol.
In the original game, the phrase ‘Those who look at Flowerseorin’s face wither away with lovesickness’ often appeared.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r om k i n gm t l . or g
But that was referring to ordinary people.
The higher the level of the mage, the longer they could withstand her curse.
However, even if they didn’t die from lovesickness, the chaos in their minds and the twisted mana within them could lead to a mana rampage, which could affect those around them.
Oranha, who had been staring at Flowerseorin from a very close distance for more than a few seconds, and his weakened mental state due to recent events, couldn’t control his mana at all.
Knocking him out had prevented the worst-case scenario. If not, the building might have collapsed from an immediate explosion.
“…Haa…”
Sweating profusely, Flowerseorin looked at Oranha with a sorrowful face.
“I told him not to have anyone nearby… why didn’t he listen this time…”
Regardless of whether Oranha listened or not, the fact remained that this incident was caused by her curse, weighing a heavy sense of guilt on Flowerseorin’s heart.
How could she ever rid herself of this increasing burden of her conscience?
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f ro m ki n g m t l . or g
Oranha was one of the few who could stabilize her heart, and his sudden change in behavior today left her feeling puzzled and resentful.
She just wished he could have been her aide, friend, and confidant as usual.
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g mt l . o r g
-Your Majesty! Are you okay?
The royal guards, who noticed the mana disturbance in the reception room, shouted from outside.
Flowerseorin quickly donned her mask, controlled her mana to suppress the curse as much as possible, and answered.
“Yes. There is an urgent patient here. Please come in quickly.”
The door opened, and the royal guards rushed in, looking bewildered at the sight.
T h is w a s c op i ed fr o m k i n g m t l. o r g
“This is…?”
They hadn’t expected the collapsed person to be the king’s aide. Seeing Oranha’s unstable mana leaking out as his body twitched, the royal guards quickly moved Flowerseorin to safety.
Th i s w a s cop ied f r o m k i n g mtl . o r g
“Your Majesty, you should leave this place. The aide cannot control his mana. We will transfer him to the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree immediately, but it’s better if you leave to avoid getting caught in the rampage.”
“No, there’s no time to move him. We need to address this here and now. Also, if a rampage occurs, I must be here to stop it.”
“But…”
“Do not make me repeat myself, Commander Limeceril.”
“…I apologize. I’ll call for medical staff immediately.”
As the knights hurriedly moved, Stella’s mages and medical professionals arrived shortly.
T h i s w as co p i ed f ro m k in gm t l . o r g
In addition, saints came rushing in, chanting prayers and setting up barriers all around, turning the place into a sealed room.
The barriers were meant to prevent the shock from leaking out, but it was futile.
T h i s wa s c o p i ed f r o m k i ng m tl . o rg
If Oranha, a 6th-class mage, went on a mana rampage, it would exert the power of at least 7th or 8th class, easily breaking these barriers.
Flowerseorin’s strength was significantly weakened without the World Tree’s power, so she couldn’t be relied upon.
“In this emergency, we tried to find the headmaster of Stella, but he’s currently missing. After the previous incident, he disappeared, saying he would take care of the remaining vermin, and we haven’t heard from him since…”
“…I see.”
To make matters worse, even Eltemon Eltrine had vanished.
“Your Majesty, the mana rampage is getting worse!”
“Damn it… Please evacuate!”
As the situation worsened, I stared at Oranha in silence.
This scenario also appeared in the original game. A powerful mage would rampage after accidentally meeting Flowerseorin’s eyes, causing significant damage around them.
Honestly, the game developers probably planned this as an event, but it was just annoying and frustrating for the players.
Why should they have to deal with the rampages of extras?
Veteran players, who didn’t want to waste time dealing with the rampages of extras, took an extreme approach with those exposed to Flowerseorin’s curse.
‘Kill them before they rampage.’
Simple yet brutal.
But it was impossible now. Despite his wrongdoing, Oranha was one of Flowerseorin’s most cherished aides, so she wouldn’t allow him to die easily.
Unfortunately, Oranha would eventually die after causing significant damage from the rampage, leaving Flowerseorin with a deep emotional scar.
There was only one solution left.
Th i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k in g mt l . o r g
“Your Majesty.”
Baek Yu-seol cautiously spoke to Flowerseorin, who was anxiously trying to suppress the situation.
“There is a way.”
The best method to suppress the mana rampage and prevent the transformation into a Dark Mage.
It wasn’t a method only he knew. It was a method everyone present was aware of.
“If we castrate his mana… we can save him.”
Isn’t it better to castrate his mana and save his life rather than letting him die from a mana rampage?
Everyone present agreed but dared not speak.
After all, Oranha was the most cherished aide of Elf King Flowerseorin.
For a mage, mana is like their limbs. Castrating mana is more painful than losing all their limbs.
Even if Oranha survived today… he would never live a normal life again.
“…The decision must be made by Your Majesty.”
Even the commander, who had been silently waiting, added, causing Flowerseorin’s eyes to waver greatly.
Should she, with her own hands, inflict such a disability on her most cherished aide? Was it right to do so when it was caused by her curse?
Would he resent her for it?
“Ugh…”
“Commander… I’m sorry, I can’t hold on any longer…!”
One by one, the knights trying to control the mana rampage started collapsing.
Commander Limeceril, being a 7th-class mage, could barely hold on, but completely suppressing the rampage seemed impossible.
Seeing her cherished ones fall one by one, Flowerseorin, with tears in her eyes, had no choice but to make a decision.
“Castrate Oranha’s mana…”
* * *
T h i s wa s cop i e d f r om k in g m t l . or g
The next day arrived.
There had been a small incident at Stella’s main building, but the guests were unaware and were leaving for their homes. The Stella Academy grew quiet after a particularly tumultuous and eventful school competition.
In a first-class room at Stella Academy’s hospital, Zeliel was staring blankly out the window.
She had been advised not to move due to rehabilitation, so she was forced to take a break.
It was a disappointing end to the school competition.
She couldn’t even attend the awards ceremony for the Magic Survival. She had heard something quite interesting happened there but regretted not seeing it herself.
Lying in her hospital bed, Zeliel stared blankly out the window.
Her burns healed quickly. The best priests from the Holy Kingdom had showered her with divine magic, so it would have been odd if scars remained.
However, the mental scars lingered deeply, tormenting her.
It wasn’t the shock of being attacked by Dark Mages.
Rather, it was a certain ’emotion’ she felt at the moment of death.
For intelligent beings, emotions are natural, yet they felt unfamiliar to Zeliel.
She had always been skilled at faking emotions, even deceiving her father, but it seemed this was the first time she had truly felt emotions.
Even now, recalling that moment, Baek Yu-seol’s black eyes, deeper and clearer than the night sky, vividly came to mind. His eyes, sparkling like the universe, while saving her.
‘Why?’
Her first question sent ripples through her mind. The small waves crashed into the walls and returned, creating new questions.
‘Didn’t Baek Yu-seol hate me?’
Baek Yu-seol knew her well.
Terrifyingly well.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such terrible conditions through the Oath of Mana.
‘Did he save me so I could experience more suffering alive?’
If that was why he saved her, then he was crazier than she was.
“Miss, I brought some strawberries.”
The door opened, and her bodyguard, Seong Tae-won, entered.
Strawberries were the only fruit Zeliel liked, so he often brought them to cheer her up during tough times, even without being asked.
“Thank you.”
Zeliel put on a mask.
A mask named ‘smile.’
Seeing her smile always pleased her subordinates.
But.
“…I’m sorry. It seems you don’t like strawberries today.”
“What? No, I like them. Why do you say that?”
“Well…”
Seong Tae-won hesitated, then cautiously said.
“Your expression doesn’t look good, Miss…”
She quickly touched her face. Why was it? She had failed to don the ‘smile’ mask.
Even forcing herself to smile, she couldn’t.
Zeliel spoke with an effort to remain calm.
“I’m just a bit tired.”
“I understand.”
“Have you packed all my things?”
Due to the Oath of Mana, she could no longer see her father, but Zeliel wouldn’t stop.
She had to save her father as soon as possible. There was no time to be hindered by minor obstacles.
‘Once I save Father, I can look back and smile in the future.’
For that moment, she decided to bury her current emotions deep within.
“If everything is ready, let’s head back.”
“Yes. I’ll call for the private jet.”
Seong Tae-won, bowing his head, turned to leave the room but suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, and the stone piece in your private room, Miss.”
“What? Was there such a thing?”
Thinking for a moment, she recalled Baek Yu-seol giving her a stone piece as a ‘gift’ after their Oath of Mana.
How absurd.
Giving such a worthless item to the richest person in the world was an insult.
“Throw it away.”
Without hesitation, Zeliel ordered, but… Seong Tae-won, looking troubled, spoke hesitantly.
“Actually… out of personal curiosity, I showed it to Stella’s archaeologist while cleaning your belongings.”
“What? How dare you…?”
Even though it was trash, it was an overstepping act, and Zeliel was about to reprimand him.
But Seong Tae-won quickly continued.
“As a result, something came up that might interest you. The stone piece was identified as a fragment of the ‘Ancient Carmenset Stele’!”
“…What?”
For a moment, Zeliel’s thoughts stopped.
“W-What did you say…?”
“Indeed. Stella’s archaeologist was so surprised that he brought another researcher and examined it with special equipment. It was confirmed as the Carmenset Stele!”
The Ancient Carmenset.
Wasn’t that what Zeliel had sought her entire life to save her father?
And it suddenly appeared here? Through Baek Yu-seol?
T h i s w a s c op i e d fro m k i n gm t l . o r g
“…Ah…”
Zeliel, whose legs gave out, sat back down on the hospital bed, unable to think.
She needed… a little more time to think.
End of Chapter