At that time, Callius was searching for records related to the curse in his mother, Ilya's, prayer room.
He was looking through a small notebook containing his mother's notes, which described whom Ilya had prayed for and what she had prayed for.
'Just everyday stories.'
He sighed and closed his eyes tightly.
Sometimes people would come to his mother to ask her to lift the curse.
These were people who had been used by sorcerers or suffered retaliation.
The bodies of such people often bore traces of all kinds of curses.
A curse that causes the flesh to rot and die, a curse that prevents eating, a curse that prevents one from ever seeing, a curse that prevents one from having children, etc.
Most of the power of the sorcerer was used to harm others.
Conversely, most of Ilya's power was used to bring peace to others.
Callius often saw Ilya nullify any curse, no matter what.
Most of the cures for curses and illnesses were achieved by borrowing the power of the Holy Grail during the main worship service.
However, when a patient suddenly appeared in critical condition, he had seen Ilya save the patient's life with her own power without resorting to the power of the relic.
Of course, treatment performed without relics was only emergency treatment.
But now, it was desperate for Callius to find out at least some first aid method.
'Even if I figure out how to do it, it's still unknown whether I can succeed with just my own strength.'
Although the blood of the Holy Spirit flows through Callius, it is so small that he has never thought of using it for others.
But the desperate desire to grab even a straw moved him.
Callius, who was sitting in his mother's seat, pressing his temples, looked through his mother's records again.
He's read all the official records, but hr can't find the curse, so he's digging through even the private records.
Then suddenly, Callius noticed a small, low table placed on one side of the prayer room.
“...”
He stared at the table, then went closer and stroked the corner.
There was an empty space on the table, as if something had been placed there.
It was the place where the Holy Grail, which had been passed down through generations in Ronheim, was kept.
'If only we had the Holy Grail, we could have broken Chloe's curse.'
A precious relic said to have been bestowed upon Ronheim by God.
The Holy Grail kept the people of Ronheim safe when a terrible plague spread across the continent, and it cured the sick.
It also gave great strength to the warriors, enabling them to win battles, and protected Ronheim from all kinds of evil.
Ronheim has been protected like that.
By the power of the Holy Grail.
However, the existence of the Holy Grail was made known to the world by travelers who learned of the fact, and from then on, Ronheim had to fight to protect the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail, which grants the power of immortality, is in Ronheim.
This was because those who believed those words continued to attack Ronheim.
And in the end, Ronheim lost the Holy Grail.
Callius ran his hand over the stone slab on which the Holy Grail had rested.
The circular marks of the chalice holder still remained on the stone slab.
“...?”
Callius suddenly felt a rough sensation at his fingertips.
"What?"
At first glance, it wasn't very visible, but it seemed like there were letters engraved on the stone slab.
Callius lifted the stone slab and blew the dust that had accumulated on it with his mouth.
The stone tablet was covered in dust, perhaps because no one had been in the prayer room for a long time.
He wiped it clean with his sleeve and held it up to the sunlight coming in through the small window in the prayer room, and only then did I see the faint letters.
'Ancient language?'
It was an old nomadic language that is no longer used.
Ilya taught the young Callius the language that no one learns anymore.
"This letter is pronounced as reus. It means creator. This letter is phlyzium. It means prayer. Interestingly, phlyzium also means sacrifice. Prayer is a sacrifice."
Callius remembered grumbling to his mother as she taught him the meaning and how to read each and every letter.
“Why should I learn these old, unused characters?”
What did his mother say then?
"These will give you the strength to protect those you desire in the future. When you wander, these letters will guide you on the right path."
“If I hold my mother’s hand tightly while walking, you won’t get lost!”
"There may come a day when I can no longer hold your hand. Even when I'm gone, these words will be engraved in your heart, guiding you and Ronheim. Forever."
At the time, Callius had no idea how those strange letters could possibly guide him.
In fact, even now, his mother's words are difficult and incomprehensible, so how much more difficult must it have been for him when he was young?
Fortunately, when Callius ran to Chloe's room, Granada and Lamia had already prepared emergency measures.
Chloe was still struggling, breathing coldly, but the warm water bags on her arms and legs were barely keeping her warm and conscious.
“Her hands and feet are still very cold. Let’s put some more wood in the fireplace.”
When Lamia instructed Alex, Alex threw more firewood into the fireplace without a word.
Granada was massaging Chloe's body to help the blood circulate better.
“Chloe.”
Callius approached Chloe.
Granada and Lamia spotted Callius and gave him space.
“I heard you collapsed. Are you feeling unwell?”
Chloe took a deep breath, her chest tight, and smiled faintly.
“It was only for a moment. I guess I stayed out in the cold too long... I should have come home earlier. It’s just that so many people are suffering because of me.”
Callius's heart ached as he watched Chloe apologize.
Because he knew it wasn't her fault.
But once she learned of the curse's existence and began to fear that she was dying, the curse would become even more powerful.
Callius kept his mouth shut about the curse and just straightened Chloe's hair.
"It's hard for a Southern woman to endure the cold of Ronheim. It happens often. Don't feel sorry."
“Is that so?”
Chloe stirred under the covers, trying to get up.
But she frowned slightly, as if things weren't going as planned.
Callius placed a hand gently on her shoulder, preventing her from getting up.
“Please lie down.”
“I think it’s okay now.”
“I recommend you get some rest until you recover further.”
Chloe's stubbornness was broken by Callius's stern voice, and her body lost its strength.
Then, as if something came to mind, he opened his eyes wide and looked up at Callius, asking.
“By the way, what happened to that old woman?”
"Old woman?"
Alex, who had run to the room carrying Chloe, finally explained the whole story to Callius.
“...So, the old woman is now being held by the knights.”
Chloe was surprised to hear that and said.
“Where is she now?”
“We are still waiting in the square for Madam’s decision.”
“Your Highness!”
Chloe, who didn't even have the energy to get up, shook her head weakly.
"That's not right. I fell alone. She didn't do anything to me."
Then, he forced himself to give an order in a clear voice.
"Please release the old woman immediately. If something goes wrong while she's out in the cold with her frail body, it'll be a disaster."
In the bedroom, there was not only Alex, but also Granada, Lamia, and a few other knights.
The knights stood there dumbfounded, as Chloe, having regained some sense of her own, ordered the old woman to be released.
Because they never thought she would act so generously.
The expressions of the knights who had previously considered her actions to be schemes and pretenses became complexly distorted.
It was never easy to think of others, even when one was sick.
The knights realized that if you don't have sincerity, you can't do it.
“...”
Chloe looked at them with blank expressions, speechless, not knowing what the knights were thinking, and spoke again with emphasis.
“What are you doing instead of going and releasing the old woman?”
“Oh, yes, yes!”
The knights answered in a hurry and left the bedroom.
Only then did Chloe relax and lie down as if she felt relieved.
He was looking through a small notebook containing his mother's notes, which described whom Ilya had prayed for and what she had prayed for.
'Just everyday stories.'
He sighed and closed his eyes tightly.
Sometimes people would come to his mother to ask her to lift the curse.
These were people who had been used by sorcerers or suffered retaliation.
The bodies of such people often bore traces of all kinds of curses.
A curse that causes the flesh to rot and die, a curse that prevents eating, a curse that prevents one from ever seeing, a curse that prevents one from having children, etc.
Most of the power of the sorcerer was used to harm others.
Conversely, most of Ilya's power was used to bring peace to others.
Callius often saw Ilya nullify any curse, no matter what.
Most of the cures for curses and illnesses were achieved by borrowing the power of the Holy Grail during the main worship service.
However, when a patient suddenly appeared in critical condition, he had seen Ilya save the patient's life with her own power without resorting to the power of the relic.
Of course, treatment performed without relics was only emergency treatment.
But now, it was desperate for Callius to find out at least some first aid method.
'Even if I figure out how to do it, it's still unknown whether I can succeed with just my own strength.'
Although the blood of the Holy Spirit flows through Callius, it is so small that he has never thought of using it for others.
But the desperate desire to grab even a straw moved him.
Callius, who was sitting in his mother's seat, pressing his temples, looked through his mother's records again.
He's read all the official records, but hr can't find the curse, so he's digging through even the private records.
Then suddenly, Callius noticed a small, low table placed on one side of the prayer room.
“...”
He stared at the table, then went closer and stroked the corner.
There was an empty space on the table, as if something had been placed there.
It was the place where the Holy Grail, which had been passed down through generations in Ronheim, was kept.
'If only we had the Holy Grail, we could have broken Chloe's curse.'
A precious relic said to have been bestowed upon Ronheim by God.
The Holy Grail kept the people of Ronheim safe when a terrible plague spread across the continent, and it cured the sick.
It also gave great strength to the warriors, enabling them to win battles, and protected Ronheim from all kinds of evil.
Ronheim has been protected like that.
By the power of the Holy Grail.
However, the existence of the Holy Grail was made known to the world by travelers who learned of the fact, and from then on, Ronheim had to fight to protect the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail, which grants the power of immortality, is in Ronheim.
This was because those who believed those words continued to attack Ronheim.
And in the end, Ronheim lost the Holy Grail.
Callius ran his hand over the stone slab on which the Holy Grail had rested.
The circular marks of the chalice holder still remained on the stone slab.
“...?”
Callius suddenly felt a rough sensation at his fingertips.
"What?"
At first glance, it wasn't very visible, but it seemed like there were letters engraved on the stone slab.
Callius lifted the stone slab and blew the dust that had accumulated on it with his mouth.
The stone tablet was covered in dust, perhaps because no one had been in the prayer room for a long time.
He wiped it clean with his sleeve and held it up to the sunlight coming in through the small window in the prayer room, and only then did I see the faint letters.
'Ancient language?'
It was an old nomadic language that is no longer used.
Ilya taught the young Callius the language that no one learns anymore.
"This letter is pronounced as reus. It means creator. This letter is phlyzium. It means prayer. Interestingly, phlyzium also means sacrifice. Prayer is a sacrifice."
Callius remembered grumbling to his mother as she taught him the meaning and how to read each and every letter.
“Why should I learn these old, unused characters?”
What did his mother say then?
"These will give you the strength to protect those you desire in the future. When you wander, these letters will guide you on the right path."
“If I hold my mother’s hand tightly while walking, you won’t get lost!”
"There may come a day when I can no longer hold your hand. Even when I'm gone, these words will be engraved in your heart, guiding you and Ronheim. Forever."
At the time, Callius had no idea how those strange letters could possibly guide him.
In fact, even now, his mother's words are difficult and incomprehensible, so how much more difficult must it have been for him when he was young?
He just listened, watched, and memorized what his mother taught him.
Those ancient letters were hidden throughout Ronheim Castle.
For example, behind the cornerstone of a castle, or on the decorative stone of a synagogue.
Ilya taught letters not only to Callius but also to others.
However, not many people remember unused characters for a long time.
He often forgot what she had told him.
Ilya persistently taught her son the ancient script and had him wander around the castle once a day, reading the hidden letters.
In the end, the old letters were clearly engraved in Callius's mind, and he could not forget them.
So even now, he can read the letters carved on the stone tablet without difficulty.
“The priest set up the altar and offered a prayer of blessing.”
The letters carved on the stone tablet were so old that they were almost worn away and looked very faint.
Callius squinted his eyes, trying to read the worn letters.
“Put the prayers in a bowl and... distribute them?”
The interpretation was not complete because some parts had worn away and were no longer visible.
“...A wish, in the sky...”
It was while he was interpreting invisible text for a long time.
He heard someone running urgently from outside, and then he knocked on the door of the prayer room where Callius was.
“It’s Mainz, Your Highness!”
It was an urgent voice.
He was so out of it that he was using his old title.
Before he could even ask loudly what was going on, Mainz shouted from outside.
“The lady has collapsed!”
“...!”
Those ancient letters were hidden throughout Ronheim Castle.
For example, behind the cornerstone of a castle, or on the decorative stone of a synagogue.
Ilya taught letters not only to Callius but also to others.
However, not many people remember unused characters for a long time.
He often forgot what she had told him.
Ilya persistently taught her son the ancient script and had him wander around the castle once a day, reading the hidden letters.
In the end, the old letters were clearly engraved in Callius's mind, and he could not forget them.
So even now, he can read the letters carved on the stone tablet without difficulty.
“The priest set up the altar and offered a prayer of blessing.”
The letters carved on the stone tablet were so old that they were almost worn away and looked very faint.
Callius squinted his eyes, trying to read the worn letters.
“Put the prayers in a bowl and... distribute them?”
The interpretation was not complete because some parts had worn away and were no longer visible.
“...A wish, in the sky...”
It was while he was interpreting invisible text for a long time.
He heard someone running urgently from outside, and then he knocked on the door of the prayer room where Callius was.
“It’s Mainz, Your Highness!”
It was an urgent voice.
He was so out of it that he was using his old title.
Before he could even ask loudly what was going on, Mainz shouted from outside.
“The lady has collapsed!”
“...!”
***
Fortunately, when Callius ran to Chloe's room, Granada and Lamia had already prepared emergency measures.
Chloe was still struggling, breathing coldly, but the warm water bags on her arms and legs were barely keeping her warm and conscious.
“Her hands and feet are still very cold. Let’s put some more wood in the fireplace.”
When Lamia instructed Alex, Alex threw more firewood into the fireplace without a word.
Granada was massaging Chloe's body to help the blood circulate better.
“Chloe.”
Callius approached Chloe.
Granada and Lamia spotted Callius and gave him space.
“I heard you collapsed. Are you feeling unwell?”
Chloe took a deep breath, her chest tight, and smiled faintly.
“It was only for a moment. I guess I stayed out in the cold too long... I should have come home earlier. It’s just that so many people are suffering because of me.”
Callius's heart ached as he watched Chloe apologize.
Because he knew it wasn't her fault.
But once she learned of the curse's existence and began to fear that she was dying, the curse would become even more powerful.
Callius kept his mouth shut about the curse and just straightened Chloe's hair.
"It's hard for a Southern woman to endure the cold of Ronheim. It happens often. Don't feel sorry."
“Is that so?”
Chloe stirred under the covers, trying to get up.
But she frowned slightly, as if things weren't going as planned.
Callius placed a hand gently on her shoulder, preventing her from getting up.
“Please lie down.”
“I think it’s okay now.”
“I recommend you get some rest until you recover further.”
Chloe's stubbornness was broken by Callius's stern voice, and her body lost its strength.
Then, as if something came to mind, he opened his eyes wide and looked up at Callius, asking.
“By the way, what happened to that old woman?”
"Old woman?"
Alex, who had run to the room carrying Chloe, finally explained the whole story to Callius.
“...So, the old woman is now being held by the knights.”
Chloe was surprised to hear that and said.
“Where is she now?”
“We are still waiting in the square for Madam’s decision.”
“Your Highness!”
Chloe, who didn't even have the energy to get up, shook her head weakly.
"That's not right. I fell alone. She didn't do anything to me."
Then, he forced himself to give an order in a clear voice.
"Please release the old woman immediately. If something goes wrong while she's out in the cold with her frail body, it'll be a disaster."
In the bedroom, there was not only Alex, but also Granada, Lamia, and a few other knights.
The knights stood there dumbfounded, as Chloe, having regained some sense of her own, ordered the old woman to be released.
Because they never thought she would act so generously.
The expressions of the knights who had previously considered her actions to be schemes and pretenses became complexly distorted.
It was never easy to think of others, even when one was sick.
The knights realized that if you don't have sincerity, you can't do it.
“...”
Chloe looked at them with blank expressions, speechless, not knowing what the knights were thinking, and spoke again with emphasis.
“What are you doing instead of going and releasing the old woman?”
“Oh, yes, yes!”
The knights answered in a hurry and left the bedroom.
Only then did Chloe relax and lie down as if she felt relieved.
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