Chapter 241: The Blessing of Aurelia’s Curse

At this moment, deep within a forest cloaked in thick fog and moonless night, the air was damp and heavy with the scent of moss and earth.

A black-haired girl with lightly tanned skin crouched low amid the underbrush, her back pressed against the gnarled bark of an ancient tree.

Her clothes were torn and frayed, the most ruined being her leather shoulder pads— shredded beyond recognition.

Yet strangely, no wounds marked her exposed skin; it remained unscathed, save for a thin sheen of sweat glistening in the dim light.

Around her, the forest pulsed with tension.

The trees loomed like silent sentinels, their tangled branches creaking faintly in the wind.

Mist slithered between the trunks, clinging to every root and rock.

The only movement came from the swaying bushes and tall grass stirred by the cold night breeze.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly— each heartbeat like thunder in her ears.

Rustle—Rustle—

Leaves crunched softly under approaching footsteps.

Vanessa’s wary eyes shifted, but her body remained still; only holding her shoulder with dazed eyes.

She recognized the rhythm of those steps.

From between the shadows, a boy with messy brown hair emerged, crouching beside her without a word.

His gaze remained fixed on the trail behind him, eyes sharp with caution.

"How are you, Vanessa?" He whispered.

"I-I’m fine, Perto. Have you seen Burtt?" She replied shakily, clearly trying to steady herself.

Perto met her glance and gave a subtle shake of the head.

His lips tightened.

After a pause, he muttered, voice tense, "Just what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"

"I don’t know... but Regis told me something like this might happen."

Perto turned to her, waiting for her to explain— but seeing her on the edge of panic, he held back.

Moments passed before Vanessa finally spoke, her voice hushed and trembling.

"The founding of Harmonia... it wasn’t just about uniting the races. It was also a response to the growing spread of demonic worship."

Perto swallowed hard, "That thing we saw back there... is it one of them? A demon?"

As he whispered the word, the fog around them seemed to still, as if listening.

Vanessa looked at the ground in a trance, as if lost in thought, "I don’t know. The demons we saw in the books weren’t anything like that."

She and Perto, along with Brutt, had taken a quest to map out a certain forest in the surroundings of Harmonia.

It was supposed to be an easy quest, as almost all the surrounding regions were already mapped out.

The only thing they needed to do was to provide more details that others may have overlooked.

It was a quest from the City Council itself, so the compensation was generous.

That was why the three of them did not hesitate and accepted it.

However, everything turned for the worse when they discovered a cave that was not marked on the map they had.

One thing led to another, and finally, they saw something that rattled their very souls.

RRRRAAAAHHHH!!!

THUD— THUD— THUD—

Just then, a loud roar resounded throughout the area along with some vague noises of battle.

As soon as Vanessa and Perto heard that familiar roar, they unconsciously held their breaths; as if letting out a little sound would cause "that" to find them.

"That’s Brutt, right?" Vanessa’s expression somewhat lightened.

Perto nodded, albeit with a sure expression, "I hope so... I’m glad he’s still alive, but..."

The two of them glanced at each other, noticing their situation.

"How can we kill that? If not for Regis’s contract, I would’ve died earlier."

Vanessa voiced out her thoughts, still caressing her shoulder.

Earlier, she had relied on the link she had with Regis to transfer her shoulder injury to him: something she was not very fond of doing.

"I’m sure he’d understand. He’s always been kind to us."

"You—" Vanessa was about to snap back in anger, but when she saw him gritting his teeth, fists clenched and trembling slightly, she paused, understanding without the need for words.

The two of them, along with the others who had met Regis in the demonic human camp, had always been grateful to him for everything.

They had sworn that they would help him with their very own lives if it came to it.

As such, they really hated relying on the soul contract they had with Regis, no matter how helpful it might be.

Perto glanced at her, "I... don’t really like causing Regis pain. But, we can’t just leave Brutt behind, right?"

"..." Vanessa did not know how to respond.

After a few minutes, the sounds of battle grew louder, drawing nearer with each passing second.

"Haa!!!"

At this moment, they heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance.

As if on cue, the two of them immediately peeked through the bushes, moving as quietly as they could.

There, they saw him.

A young man with messy, dirty blonde hair.

His body was full of wounds and a slash could be seen on one of his eyes, which kept it closed.

Red patterns, not unlike the color of blood, could be seen spreading across his body as the blood he had shed appeared to seep back into him.

Holding a broken sword in his right hand, he assumed a battle stance.

’Brutt!’

Vanessa and Perto thought in unison, relieved to see their friend.

However, they also saw it.

In front of him was a grotesque creature that seemed to be various different monsters and beasts forcefully fused together.

Black pus oozed from the creature’s orifices.

It had three heads: the one on the right resembled a deer’s, the one on the left was twisted and monstrous, and the center bore a skull of some unknown creature, with scraps of flesh still clinging to the bone.

Jagged spines jutted from its hunched back, slick with a foul, dark fluid that dripped steadily onto the ground beneath it.

Its limbs were uneven; one arm long and skeletal, ending in bony claws, while the other was swollen and pulsating, like a tumor come to life.

Its ribcage was split open, revealing something inside that pulsed rhythmically, a cluster of glowing red veins wrapped around a blackened core, as if it had a second, unnatural heart.

Chains of flesh and sinew dangled from its torso, dragging along the forest floor with each uneven step.

Its breath came in heavy rasps, each exhale carrying the stench of rot and decay, while its three heads twitched and turned independently, scanning its surroundings with an eerie, unnatural coordination.

In short, it resembled an evolution gone wrong— an abomination birthed from nature’s rejection rather than design, as if it were never meant to exist.

"Just what the hell are you!?" Brutt shouted in a crazed voice.

His expression continued to worsen as the red patterns on his body further spread.

In the next second, the grotesque monster suddenly appeared in front of him.

SHIKKKKK—

The sound of something penetrating flesh resounded in the area.

***

Meanwhile, inside the Midas Mansion...

Soft golden light filled the dining hall as the Midas family shared a meal with Regis, Killian, and Pandora.

The table buzzed with laughter and heartfelt stories, from childhood memories to strange adventures.

Though some tales held sorrow, the warmth in their voices made the room feel alive.

For the first time in years, the warmth of home could be felt within the once-silent, lonely house.

Aurelia looked at her siblings and mother apologetically, "I’m sorry, Mom, Sister Auryn, and Brother Patti."

They had just finished their experiences being golden statues in the past eight years.

It turned out that, although they could not move, there were moments were they were very self-aware of their surroundings and could even hear Aurelia and Aurum whenever they visited.

However, there were also times when they felt like they were dreaming.

Patti looked at her with a gentle gaze, "Don’t worry about it, Aurelia. Besides, it doesn’t seem like it only caused bad effects... There were some good outcomes too."

"Oh, you felt it as well?" Auryn chimed in as she ate a spoonful of stew.

Aurum looked at his wife beside him with a raised brow, "Do you have any idea what they’re talking about, Hon?"

"I’m not sure, but..." Martha spoke with a hesitant expression.

"Somehow... I don’t feel tired at all, even though I haven’t rested all day..."

At her words, Aurum seemed to have realized something, "Now that you mentioned it... Your complexion is better too, unlike back then."

"I also remember Mom not being able to move around too much since she’d get tired easily..."

Aurelia tilted her head, before turning to her sister, "Right, Big Sis?"

Auryn thought for a moment before nodding.

Hearing their words, Regis turned to Aurum, "Uncle, do you remember what I told you about some of the experiments I ran on insects and birds affected by Aurelia’s gift?"

"Yes..." Aurum slowly nodded.

Everyone then looked towards Regis, waiting for him to elaborate.