Chapter 284 - 257: The Ultimate Method of Release

Chapter 284: Chapter 257: The Ultimate Method of Release

"The curse I’m under is just a Basic Transformation Curse," Agatha said, glancing at Shire. "I suspect yours might be the same."

"Is there a problem with it being Basic?" Shire asked.

"A Basic Curse can be inscribed onto a Magic Scroll through certain methods, but the Transformation Curse requires a fair amount of Magic Ability. Many Low Level Mages can’t activate this Magic, and they might even suffer a Magic Rebound. A Dark Magic Rebound is far more painful than one from Arcane Magic or Elemental Molding Power, and it’s very easy to lose your life," Agatha explained, reaching into her bag again for a whole gingerbread man. "And based on what I know about my sister, Elma, it’s impossible that she could activate this kind of Magic. Even if she spent a fortune to get a Magic Scroll from the Black Market, she wouldn’t be able to use it."

"So you’re saying..." Shire raised an eyebrow.

"Most likely, she got a hold of my hair and commissioned a Dark Mage to cast the spell. That way, all I have to do is beat her until she tells me who the caster is, and then go kill that caster." Agatha violently snapped the head off the gingerbread man and tossed it into her mouth.

"That plan could work, but what if you can’t find the guy?"

"That’s why I came to the Nightmare Forest, hoping to find the legend of the Heaven-Reaching Tower," Agatha said, her expression calm as she looked at the goblin opposite her. "Of course, it might have been just a legend before, but now, after seeing that Rune Speech and hearing the Skeleton Warriors’ stories, I’m actually more interested in the entire High Elf civilization and the Pure White City floating in the sky."

"The Heaven-Reaching Tower?"

"Mhm, I’m sure there’s a way to break this kind of Magic there."

"Alright," Shire shrugged, then asked again, "You just said we were only affected by the Basic version of this Transformation Curse. What about the Advanced one?"

’He couldn’t tell her that he had identified his own condition through his panel and saw that the curse he was under wasn’t Basic, but Advanced.’

"I’ve heard of the Advanced Transformation Curse," Agatha said, pinching the remaining "wreckage" of the gingerbread man. "It’s a curse cast by a High Tier Great Mage. This kind of curse is very difficult to break because Dark Mages are sometimes hard to kill. They have many ways to transfer their souls, and can even keep their souls from being extinguished for a period of time. So even if you destroy their body, as long as the soul remains, the curse can’t be broken."

"So you’re saying that for an Advanced Transformation Curse, as long as the caster’s soul isn’t destroyed, it can’t be broken?" Shire asked seriously, his brow furrowed.

"Correct. That’s why the Advanced Transformation Curse is considered an exceptionally vicious method," Agatha nodded, then took a small bite of gingerbread.

Shire fell silent, looking down at his green hands. He grew more and more certain that one of the two princes was behind this. After all, hiring a High Tier Dark Grand Mage wasn’t something just any noble could accomplish. He recalled how, for the opening celebration of Deepwater Port, his father had spent a fortune and spent ages persuading Teacher Vivian before she finally agreed. It was only after that celebration that the old Mage took Vivian on as his apprentice.

’And I’m just the son of a Baron. To go to all this trouble to turn me into a goblin... what were they thinking? Were they jealous of my old looks? Or were they afraid that if they killed me, someone would use Magic to track them down?’

’Then why not just kill me for a bounty instead of using such an utterly vicious curse? Did I unknowingly desecrate the Royal Family’s ancestral graves or something?’

"Still, I think we’re both just under a Basic Transformation Curse, so it’s manageable for now," Agatha said, chewing her gingerbread with her head down, not noticing Shire’s expression. "I just have to get the caster’s identity from my sister, and you just have to find the culprit who targeted your family and get the Mage’s identity from them. It’s still manageable."

"Mhm," Shire forced a smile. "I guess so."

’Looks like I’m the one who desperately needs to find the Heaven-Reaching Tower after all. If Uncle Musa successfully infiltrates the Third Prince Group, it probably won’t be too hard to find Agatha’s sister through the kingdom’s networks. In a few years, Agatha will likely be back to her beautiful, elegant self. But for me to completely destroy a Great Mage’s soul... that’s just too damn difficult.’

’I’ll have to pursue several paths at once. The first step is still to get involved in the crappy power struggles of the Fran Kingdom.’ Shire shook his head slightly.

"Well, that’s all settled then. I’m going to go check if Lame Leg has dismantled those Pure White Stones yet." Agatha stood up, then reached for the bag of small gingerbread cookies on the table. But halfway there, she remembered they were from Shire’s family—that Uncle Musa had bought them—and pulled her hand back.

"If you like them, take them. We’re allies, after all," Shire said, waving his hand dismissively.

Agatha looked at the bag, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Oh right, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"The Kingdom’s Minister of Administration, Leode Potz... is he really like the books say, a guy with, uh, ’eclectic’ tastes?"

Shire’s mouth twitched, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "That old coot is definitely no good. But instead of ’eclectic tastes,’ I’d call him the Wailing Caverns."

"Wailing Caverns?"

"Yeah. That old bastard likes to play games with his male subordinates. The kind where you take off all your clothes."

"Male subordinates? Isn’t the Minister of Administration a man?"

"Yes," Shire nodded heavily. He then recounted a firsthand experience. After graduating, he had used a friend’s father’s connection to successfully become a Political Assistant. One time, after a day out with a friend on Perfume Lily Avenue, he remembered he had left a document at the office and had to go back for it. As he entered the office building at dusk, just before it got completely dark, he unexpectedly heard a faint wailing sound.

It was late, so besides the two guards at the entrance, the entire building was empty. Mustering his courage, Shire walked toward the sound and saw a sight he has been unable to forget to this day—an old man, naked, was bent over and tied to a wooden frame. Two other naked young men were holding small whips and candles. And as he pushed the door open, he clearly heard the old man say, "More."

As for the "caverns" part, Shire was sure Agatha didn’t want to know.

"That’s disgusting," Agatha said harshly. She then glanced at Shire, reached out, and snatched the small cloth bag from the table. "I’m leaving."

"Hey, I wanted some of those," Shire said under his breath, but the Ghost Witch left without a backward glance. He muttered, "Don’t blame me for what that old coot’s into."

"That’s just how the nobility in Plantagenet City is."