(Zenith POV)
My life in Buena Village was blissful compared to the one I endured in Millishion, the city of my birth. The noble etiquette and lack of control over my own life were suffocating. What I wanted was never important to my parents. Their desires for me were unspoken commands. I wasn't even granted the freedom to choose my own husband—they chose him for me.
But I refused to obey. I left them behind, shedding my name as a Latreia, and chose independence.
I succeeded in my goal through many trials. I found a wonderful family and a peaceful, fulfilling home. True, Paul's infidelity was painful, but I couldn't stay angry forever. I knew he wasn't perfect. I also know there are likely more of his children out there. Yet, his failure to keep that promise pales compared to the burdens he bore without complaint while I was spared from them.
But my mother—her actions are beyond forgiveness. I had hoped my absence would change her, but I was gravely mistaken. She was tearful upon my return to Millishion, but that sentiment didn't last. I was pushed back into the life I had once fled, to the point where she even told me to forget about my husband. If Therese hadn't stood by my side, I fear what could have happened.
Yet, I was wrong to trust so easily.
Paul underestimated how terrible Ghislaine is at lying. She didn't tell me the truth, but her ears and tail betrayed her upon my questions.
My suspicions were far from settled. I understand Paul's instinct to keep the assassin attack a secret from me, but the boiling point came when he nearly died at the hands of the Water God. Without Kagami giving me the means to save him, I don't know what I would have done.
Despite all his deeds to us, Kagmi placed my precious son in danger, which makes him as culpable as my mother.
The briefing on how to proceed turned heated, and Paul erupted in rage. My emotions ran high, too, but so did my determination to assist in the rescue.
Although I may not be a strong fighter like the rest of the team members, my Healing Magic is above everyone present. That is all I can bring to the team. I will heal any wounds that would hinder my son's rescue. I can ensure that everyone stays in their best condition for the entire mission.
***
As we all rested for the night, Norn and Aisha tucked into bed by Lilia. As for the others, some of them rested outside, switching between shifts to each other.
I'm not sure, but I think Tallhand and Elinalise allowed Paul and me to take no shifts since Paul had only woken up the other day.
As I laid to his left, his arm as my pillow, and my hand on his chest with his right palm on the back hand, I felt the physical changes to his body.
His hands had many more calluses, and his overall body muscles were much more toned. Although he was already well-built, I could tell he had gained much more muscle over the last year. It was a testament to his hard work, one that he was forced to do by that Kagami guy.
But this moment isn't to gratify any suffering; it was to calm the nerves.
Paul was easy to soothe. I even thought about asking Lilia to join us, but I got a bit selfish and wanted Paul all to myself for just this night.
It has been some time since we could sleep together like this. Although I acknowledge my mother's perspective in suggesting we should stay away from each other, I still disobeyed that directive by spending time with him.
The night was quiet, the air heavy with an almost suffocating stillness. Paul's steady breath against my hair was comforting, his rising chest beneath my palm grounding me. For a moment, it was easy to pretend that everything was normal, that we weren't preparing for the most dangerous mission of our lives. That our son wasn't trapped somewhere, his life hanging by a fragile thread.
But reality shattered that fragile comfort.
A soft knock against the wooden frame of our room. Then a whisper.
"Paul. Zenith. It's me. Can you two come meet me outside?" Elinalise's voice, low but urgent.
Paul stirred, his brow furrowing as his hand slipped from mine. I sat up carefully, unwilling to disturb the girls still tucked in nearby. Paul met my gaze, a question in his eyes. I nodded, my heart already sinking. Something was wrong.
We slipped from the hut, the cool night air brushing against my skin. The wasteland stretched beneath the pale moonlight, an endless horizon of darkness and starlight. Elinalise stood further ahead, her arms crossed, her expression shadowed and grim. Something was not right. She was obviously struggling to say something, and we would soon find out what.
"What is it?" Paul's voice was low, controlled, but I felt the tightness in his hand where it held mine.
Elinalise hesitated, her gaze dropping. "It's about Rudeus," she said, voice soft but sharp as a blade. "And the crystal he's trapped in."
The world stilled.
"What about it?" Paul asked, though I could hear the answer already forming in his mind.
Elinalise took a breath, steady but brittle. "The longer he stays inside, the more of himself he'll lose. His memories, his mind… they'll fade."
I felt Paul stiffen. My heart seized, the words echoing too sharply in my mind.
"How do you know? Did Kagami tell you that?" His question cut through the night, sharp with disbelief.
Elinalise's eyes darkened. She turned her gaze to the horizon as if she could escape. "No... It's because it happened to me, too." Her voice trembled, but she forced herself on. "Two hundred years ago, I was trapped inside a crystal of a labyrinth by some adventurers. When I was freed… I remembered nothing. Not my name. Not my past. Nothing."
The night pressed in closer, suffocating. Is that why she hesitated to tell us? And Rudy... the same thing is happening to him.
"And that's not everything." She continued, another time hesitant to speak, fueling my pressing worries.
"It's also how I got my curse, the one that forces me to sleep men regularly."
I blinked.
I wasn't sure I'd heard her right.
The world slowed, as if my mind refused to process the meaning behind her words. The night air felt colder now, biting against my skin as I stared at Elinalise.
Her curse… came from the crystal?
"That's…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "That can't be…"
I wanted to believe it wasn't true. That Rudeus wasn't… that he wouldn't…
My hand clutched Paul's arm tighter, fingers digging into his sleeve as panic twisted deep in my gut. If that same fate awaited our son—if the price of survival meant losing himself completely—then…
No. I shook my head, tears threatening to well up again.
"No. That can't happen to him. Rudeus…"
As I tried to process what had been said, Paul voiced something I hadn't considered yet.
"And there really has been nothing that could lift your curse? Anything?" Paul's voice cracked.
Elinalise hesitated once more, her lips parting as though the words tangled on her tongue. The silence stretched, brittle and sharp, before she finally let out a sigh.
Without another word, she reached for the hem of her dress and lifted it slowly. The motion was deliberate, exposing the pale skin of her abdomen. Higher still, until even her undergarments were exposed.
I gasped and instinctively turned away, my hands shooting up to cover my eyes. "Elinalise!" I exclaimed, my voice sharp with confusion.
But Paul's voice stopped me, low and confused. "What are you doing? What... what is this? Elinalise, what did he do to you?"
I peeked through my fingers, ready to scold my husband for what I assumed was his typical behavior, but the words froze in my throat. A soft glow caught my attention—a faint, ethereal light that pulsed in the darkness.
From the corner of my eye, I saw strange, intricate Magic Circles glowing softly on the surface of Elinalise's skin. They curled along her abdomen, delicate symbols stretching upward, faintly tracing across her chest. The glow was neither harsh nor painful but calm and constant, like a quiet fire burning beneath her skin.
My breath caught, and I lowered my hands, the shock giving way to confusion. "What is that?" My voice trembled. "Elinalise, what is that?"
She looked at me, her expression soft but weary, a small, almost relieved smile tugging at her lips. "It's... what keeps my curse at bay." She lowered her dress slowly, covering the marks once again, though the ghost of their light still seemed to linger in my eyes.
Paul's brows furrowed, his eyes locked onto hers. "That… magic circle? Does it suppress it? How?"
"I-I don't know," She said, her voice trembling with joy. "But I haven't slept with a man ever since I got here, which has been quite a while for what I should have been able to endure."
"What?" I yelped, shocked by that revelation.
I knew of Elinalise's curse and that it would nawl at her health if she doesn't intake a man's semen. Even just a week of no sexual partaking would decrease her health significantly.
"So you're telling us you've been here for weeks? Alone?" I asked. "Why didn't you leave?"
"I thought about it," she said as she let her dress fall down again. "But I was already at low health when I woke up alone. Kagami left me a note saying I should wait and that this place was the Demon continent. He locked the chest with my gears until you all arrived. I didn't have any other choice but to stay."
"That's horrible," I said with a hint of sympathy.
"And those Magic Circles..." Paul muttered under his breath, as if coming to a realization. "You think–"
"Yes. Kagami could perhaps treat your son if he gains a curse."
Again, I was shocked. I didn't even think about that until they came to the same conclusion.
Treating someone's curse must be a difficult and very delicate process. But if Elinalise got cured, then there is hope for Rudy.
But at the same time, it's up to Kagami.
"Are you saying we need to gain favor with that bastard?"
Paul's irritation came back up. I understand that he's upset about everything right now, which sometimes gives him a short temper, but this behavior seems too out of character for him.
"Paul," I said as I squeezed his hand tighter. "It's for Rudy's sake."
My words were helping even just a little, but he calmed down enough to a more reasonable degree.
"Elinalise... thank you for telling us. It must have been hard for you."
"If I'm honest... yes, absolutely. But... seeing you get angry earlier today made me reconsider."
I could feel Paul slightly flinch at the last part. He looked apologetic and was about to say something, but Elinalise cut him off.
"Don't even think about apologizing to me. If anything, seeing you get so worked up over this made me think how much you've changed. Becoming such a good father who is willing to do anything for his family. You even went as far as to kill the Water God with that fatal wound."
"I didn't kill her," Paul replied, scratching the scar on the side of his forehead. "If it hadn't been for that girl protecting her, I would have done something that would get my whole family in trouble."
"Doesn't change the fact you defeated her, which is quite the feat. Especially for a guy who said 'if I become too strong, then there will be less challenging opponents.'"
"Oh, come on. I'm not that naive anymore." He replied, scratching the back of his head instead with a smile.
Elinalise chuckled. "You've changed, Paul."
Paul exhaled, gripping my hand tightly. "If Kagami is the only one who can help Rudy, then I'll do whatever it takes. Even if I hate the bastard."
I squeezed his hand, grateful. Elinalise nodded. "Don't worry. With the people in our team, we'll get him out of there in no time."
"Yeah," Paul muttered. "I hope we will."
A cold wind blew, and Paul instinctively pulled me close. Despite the uncertainty ahead, there was hope.
Elinalise stretched. "Rest while you can. And Paul—don't let your anger cloud your judgment. You need every ally, even ones you don't like."
Paul scoffed but nodded. As she left, I looked up at him. "You're a good father."
He kissed my forehead with a small smile. "I'm just trying my best."
I rested against his chest. "Then let's keep trying. Together."
He held me tighter. "Yeah… together."
No matter what, we would bring our son home.
///