But this was also the power of a Southern Sage. The Southern Sage could unravel it.

“…Ugh!”

Lou endured it, but now Ophelia was swaying. Lou immediately grabbed her with both hands. However, Lou was also in the middle of enduring it, so it was difficult to bear Ophelia’s weight entirely.”
“Hold on, Ophelia. You can handle this much.”

Melipheus suddenly supported Ophelia’s shoulders from behind and spoke.

“That’s right. I told you to eat well normally.”

The nagging continued, but he, without caring about the curses clashing with a snapping sound, supported Ophelia. Melipheus had been holding back that guy’s power for 430 years. Although he couldn’t lift the curse, he could withstand Carlos’s power attacking him as much as needed.

Thanks to that, how could Ophelia’s firmly fixed curse be broken? Lou, when facing Delgau, remembered the time when the curse that bound her was released on its own. First, the formidable curse had to be shattered.

There was a sharp, metallic sound. Ophelia reflexively looked down at her left shoulder. A faint gold appeared around the area covered by the curse.

“…Ugh.”

Lou’s body was pushed back a little more. Even though Melipheus was holding her, the curse entwined with Ophelia was pushing Lou away.

She desperately tried to endure in any way. Of course, Lou, who was also trying to release the curse, wasn’t in a perfect situation, so she was easily pushed back. Should she lean against a wall somewhere to withstand it? Looking around, she felt something solid behind her.

“I’m here.”

Hayden, as if it were natural, supported her back, pointing forward with his chin.

Lou turned her head again and concentrated on expanding the gold she had barely created. Pachi, pachi, the gold gradually spread, puncturing the curse.

The curse that bound Lou was very intricate and dense, but as it approached Lou’s heart, bones, tendons, and blood vessels, it became sticky. However, the curse binding Ophelia, while not intricately woven, was thick and crude.

In short, breaking it was annoyingly difficult.

‘What the…!’

It seemed impossible to break the entire thing. Lou, who had already given up on that, stubbornly dug into the first part where the gold had penetrated.

The curse tied to her also reacted and wriggled. At this rate, it would inevitably loosen again. Hayden reached out and covered the curse that was loosening from Ophelia’s shoulder. Everything had to proceed with Lou not pushing herself too hard.

A loud sound rang out again. It was a noisy sound that occurred as the gold deepened. In the upper part of the curse binding Ophelia, a crack was beginning to form.

“Just do what you can, young one.”

Hayden added another word just in case, but Lou wasn’t looking at him anymore. She was smashing the gigantic emerald curse that pressed down the faintly flickering blue flame.

Although the power was so weak that it seemed to be wondering when it would break, there was a crack, so she relentlessly struck it.

Jjeok, jjeok, a sound like metal hitting echoed loudly, shaking the entire space.
The vicious curse left by the past Southern Sage was unparalleled in its malevolence. It bounced off Lou, and like a snake, it hissed and threatened, tormenting Ophelia as soon as it appeared.

The power of the Southern Sage, which should have obediently submitted to Lou, stubbornly raised its head, even revealing its teeth in defiance.

“What is this nonsense…?”

A son of the Shiganbangjin? Lou’s eyes widened with a fierce intensity. Of course, she refrained from immediately voicing what was about to pop out, mindful of the fact that she was the youngest here.

‘Is this guy really insane?’

Still not recognizing who the Southern Sage was? Daring to come back to Lou and unleashing the power that should bow down to her. Lou’s green eyes, which had never tolerated insolence even when she was a knight, rolled around as if they were spinning.

Kwong!

When the young Sage fiercely struck the curse, Ophelia tightly grabbed Melipheus’s bicep, who was supporting her. The impact that was transmitted thoroughly messed up her bright blonde hair.

Kwong!

While holding onto Ophelia, Melipheus, upon seeing Lou’s expression, smiled as if amazed.

One could infer that he had a temperament that was unusually firm, mischievous, and calm for his age. It was commendable that he maintained his composure even after suffering from what Carlos had done. However, looking at those fierce green eyes, his temperament seemed anything but ordinary.

Kwong!

With each strike, the faint gold that was initially present gradually grew, causing cracks to appear.

Gold spread further around it. Ophelia endured, looking at her with delight. Compared to the years that had kept her powerless, this impact was nothing. The fact that cracks had appeared was a declaration that the curse was different from before.

Kwong!

Lou, with sweat dripping down her forehead, struck one more time, completing the crack into permanent damage.

With a jjeok sound, finally, a portion of the curse crumbled and fell. It was quite a sizable piece. Underneath it, the remaining one wheel of the curse, which couldn’t be touched at all, fell away, about the size of two adult male fists.

‘Can I detach more now?’

Lou tried to strike again.

That’s enough.

Someone restrained Lou, who had been looking at the slightly flickering blue flame and the defiantly lifted emerald curse.

Stop. It’s enough.

A softly shining white power gently stopped her. The sweat that had clung to Lou’s chin fell off with a thud. Only then did she realize that she was breathing heavily, lacking breath. When she turned around, there was light, no, Hayden.

“Uh… huh?”

“I’m about to collapse. Stop.”

“No, that’s not it.”

I can do more! Since I already detached a piece, I can do more! Lou shook her head vigorously against the overwhelmingly white power.

“That’s right.”

“Stop it, young one.”

At the sound of Ophelia’s trembling words, Lou quickly turned her head. She looked almost as if she were being supported by Melipheus.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t do it right…”
“No, you did well, Yeongae. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Ophelia is right. This is very well done.”

Melipheus said firmly as he embraced Ophelia. Looking at Lou, who paled as much as Ophelia did, he managed to smile.

“Thank you. It’s not Yeongae’s fault; I couldn’t withstand the shocks I delivered.”

“Indeed, how many times have I told you to move a bit and eat properly?”

Unable to endure, Melipheus started lecturing again.

“It will get better if you rest a bit.”

“At least eat something for now.”

Lou turned to Hayden, who was completely embracing her waist. Is this how it ends?

“……Huh?”

He immediately smiled kindly.

“Both of you can’t endure any longer.”

“No, isn’t it? I can endure.”

Hayden loosened his grip on Lou’s waist, letting out a sigh.

“Huh?”

With a gentle slide, Lou, like Melipheus, was lifted, embraced by Hayden. He met eyes with Melipheus.

One was a patient who had been lying down and unable to do anything for 430 years, and the other was a young sage with over half of her body bound by a curse. They needed care.

“Thank you both for your hard work today. Let’s take it easy.”

Hayden quickly organized the situation, hugging Lou. The two men, each carrying a lady who had slightly collapsed, started walking to the opposite side.

“Yeongae?”

Lou barely turned her head beyond Hayden’s thick bicep. Similarly, Ophelia, who was in the same situation, smiled.

“Thank you. See you later.”

Ah. Even so, Hayden did something helpful. Even if it was just removing a part, it turned out to be a support in reviving the flame. Lou, who gained confidence, also smiled brightly.

Somehow, it seemed like it might be possible to find the Northern Sage within the deadline.