CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: BLOOD RELATIVES

"Too noisy, quiet down, Conertmans!"

Malcolm muttered a spell in an unknown language, and everyone present was frozen in place, unable to speak or move.

He said with some dissatisfaction, "Magic is the most perfect art, and watching an artistic performance requires silence."

"Detected magical restraint, attempting to break it with magic power," Shenlan suggested.

"No need, hold your current position," Herag instructed, knowing that forcibly breaking the restraint now would definitely catch Malcolm’s attention, which would be suicidal.

"Hmm... the blood is drained, time for the next step."

Baron Buck, suspended in mid-air, fell to the ground, a pile of flesh and bones barely recognizable as human.

Malcolm then took out a test tube and, removing the cork, let a shadow squeeze out.

The shadow, naked and distorted, stared intently at the ground where Baron Buck lay.

"This must be Lord Simon, whom Malcolm claimed was willing, but was likely forced into consent," Herag thought to himself.

Simon’s soul was unrecognizable, clearly tormented.

He had sought the help of a wizard with an artifact, only to suffer such torment.

"Wizards..." Herag gained a new understanding of this group.

"Shenlan, ensure every detail is recorded."

"Recording in progress..."

Herag had always wanted a way to embark on the path of a wizard, but the existence of a wizard right before him was out of reach.

He merely wanted to become a wizard, not seek death, and it was clear Malcolm didn’t see those present as human.

"The final step..."

Malcolm poured Simon’s soul from the test tube into a crystal ball, where it flowed in liquid form, mixing with Baron Buck’s blood.

The two lifelong enemies could never have imagined that one day their souls and blood would blend together.

After the soul and blood mixed, Malcolm muttered something rapidly, and the crystal ball began to burn, flames of bright red erupting.

Malcolm watched the flames with ecstatic joy, "Perfect! A perfect piece of art! This is the perfect Bloodline Curse."

He glanced around, "From now on, within three generations of Buck’s bloodline, they will gradually die. It’s a curse no medicine can cure, and the rate of death depends on individual health."

"It’s a pity I won’t have time to record and observe this data. There are too few ships passing by the Coleson Continent, any further delay and I’ll miss my chance," Malcolm said regretfully.

He snapped his fingers to summon the Night Steed, mounted it, and bowed to those around him, "Thank you all for watching my performance, until we meet again!"

The Night Steed spread its wings, gradually disappearing into the clouds.

"The magical restraint has disappeared."

After Malcolm’s departure, everyone present regained their freedom, and chaos erupted once again.

Many screamed, rushing out of the castle, and in their haste, many fell, crawling desperately towards the castle gates, fixated on leaving the place.

On the high platform, Baron Buck’s two youngest sons wailed in agony.

Their bodies were covered with blood-red patterns, clawing at their heads until their flesh bled, oblivious to the pain, their expressions filled with despair.

"Kot! Jim!"

Melissa noticed their unusual state and ran over, screaming, to hold her two brothers.

"Melissa... Sister..." Kot and Jim suddenly bled from all seven orifices, collapsing limply.

"Ah!" Melissa held her two brothers in agony, crying bitterly.

Soon after, Baron Buck’s sister, youngest daughter, uncle, and others began to exhibit blood-red patterns all over their bodies.

Without exception, they all bled from their orifices and died.

Melissa sat weakly on the ground, watching as her relatives fell one by one, overwhelmed by grief and despair.

"Melissa!" Emil ran over, hugging Melissa tightly.

Herag followed, noting the peculiarity that although Melissa was unharmed by the blood-red patterns.

"Emil... I..." Melissa looked at Emil, crying more sorrowfully than ever.

Her expression suddenly turned to terror, "Emil... you..."

"What’s wrong?" Emil asked in confusion.

Blood-red patterns started appearing slowly over Emil’s entire body, identical to those on Baron Buck’s kindred who collapsed.

"I..." Emil stared at his hands, terror and confusion filling his heart.

Herag quickly checked Emil’s condition, "Why do you have the Bloodline Curse patterns? Are you within three generations of blood kin to Baron Buck? Miss Melissa is unharmed, which means she lacks a blood relationship with him, but Emil, you’re actually related by blood to Baron Buck."

Emil and Melissa were thrown into confusion.

Emil said, "I’m an orphan, taken in by Lord Baron Buck..."

Understanding dawned on him — Baron Buck had deceived him. It was likely he was Buck’s son.

And Melissa, for unknown reasons, wasn’t Buck’s daughter.

"Why is this?" Melissa looked at her still fair hands, thoroughly baffled.

The answers possibly lay only with the pile of bones that was once Baron Buck.

Or perhaps, not even he knew Melissa wasn’t actually his biological daughter.

"The noble circle is truly tangled..." Herag remarked with exasperated resignation.

"Cough... cough..." Emil began to cough violently, spitting out blood.

"Emil!" Melissa expressed utter despair.

The sight made Herag think of Nicholas’s pocket watch, which contained the Holy Healing Technique capable of dispelling curses.

He hastily retrieved his pocket watch, "Shenlan, channel the magic power into the watch."

"Channeling, 1% complete..."

"10% complete..."

The pocket watch remained unresponsive.

"23% complete..."

The pocket watch was still inactive, and Herag began to worry.

Now he feared that if his total magic power was insufficient to operate the watch, Emil would be beyond salvation.

"33% complete..."

"45% complete..."

Just then, the pocket watch emitted a gentle white light, drawing the attention of Emil and Melissa.

"Isn’t this... that pocket watch..."

A woman’s ethereal silhouette appeared above the watch, sporting a pair of white wings.

As the figure gazed at Emil, she slowly opened her mouth, releasing a beam of white light.

The light dispersed into a white mist, drifting onto Emil and merging into his body.

The blood-red patterns covering Emil’s body began to fade, growing lighter until they vanished entirely.

The silhouette on the watch gradually dissipated as well.