Thinking about when the priests used healing powers, it was highly likely. Most of the time, they healed wounds by soothing and healing with their hands.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

…Clang!

Ryan lowered his body. Not just lowering it, but he lowered it to the point where his stiff left hand touched the ground. As expected, Esellion raised his sword high as Ryan had anticipated.

“Hiyah!”

With the weight centered on his left hand, Ryan kicked out his leg, sweeping Esellion’s ankle. Although Esellion was momentarily surprised that Ryan could use his left hand like that, he easily adjusted his stride and avoided Ryan’s foot.

‘Ah, you’ve trained very diligently.’

Instead of using his left hand, Ryan twisted his shoulder to twist his body. For a moment, his upper body felt numb as his chest was exposed. Without hesitation, Esellion twisted his waist to aim for Ryan’s chest.

“You’re quite fast, Your Highness.”

Ryan lay flat on the ground, raising his left hand.

Thud!

A sound of breaking emerged strangely from his hand. Esellion’s sword was stuck in the blue-hardened wrist.

“But I knew it would turn out like this.”

Smirking, Ryan raised his body by kicking the ground with his foot.

Wicked!

What Ryan aimed for was Esellion’s right hand holding the sword.
Rising to his feet and swiftly swinging the sword towards his target – both were instantaneous actions.

The blade cut through Esellion’s wrist. However, simultaneously, a clanging sound echoed as Ryan’s blade clashed with resistance.

“Darn it.”

So, the weakened sword stopped at the flesh.

…Thunk!

Half of the broken blade fell.

“…Darn it!”

An urgent curse escaped from Ryan’s lips. The violet energy from Esellion’s bleeding right hand began to surge uncontrollably, as if it had gone mad.

Swish!

That energy engulfed Ryan.

“…Ugh!”

This was what a divine curse looked like.

As if his hand had instantly stiffened, his entire body froze. It wasn’t just the flesh that stiffened; his bones and organs also solidified.

He couldn’t breathe. His lungs were likely frozen.

He was dying.

‘Jigyal… Just a bit less broken.’

In that moment when there was almost no life left, Ryan thought of just one thing.

If only the sword had remained intact by a couple more fingers.

If that had been the case, he believed he could have cut off that cursed right hand.

‘So… Just a bit more…!’

Ryan focused all his nerves on the tip of the sword he held in his right hand. The fact that he was about to die didn’t even cross his mind for a single moment.

He only thought about how he could cut off that hand.

“A bit more…, …!”

Then, a miracle that seemed like a lie happened.

It felt like the broken blade was lengthening. Not by much, but really just a couple of fingers.

“I can do it!”

Wicked!

Ryan swung the sword.

…Thunk!

Esellion, who hadn’t thought that Ryan would still be alive, managed to dodge a beat late.

“Ah, darn it. I missed.”

Pointing to his right hand surrounded by the violet energy, Ryan said.

However, looking at the blood dripping under Esellion’s feet, it could be assured that at least half of it was cut off.

“What a waste. If you die like this, it’s a shame……. …Hm? But why am I not dead?”

What was even stranger was that his body was overflowing with energy to the point of feeling crazy.

“Huh?”

Ryan lifted his broken sword with a bewildered expression.

Upon doing so, the blade seemed to stretch out. Not much like before it broke.

“Wow.”

Ryan stood the sword tip. Interestingly, a transparent violet energy adhered to Ryan’s right arm.

“It looks similar, doesn’t it, Your Highness?”

“Well… Is that an Aura?”

“It seems so. Oh, this is how you become a Sword Master without much fuss. …Ah, if I retire from the Knights and write my autobiography, I might make some money.”

“……No, but still, I’m not at a disadvantage yet.”

Esellion bit his lips.

The sudden appearance of the Aura was perplexing enough. His right hand suffered injuries to the extent of just holding a sword.

However, being unable to use one hand was the same for the Empire’s Shadow Knight.

“Is it because of this hand?”
Ryan raised his left hand. Staring at the hand turning blue due to the curse, Ryan intensified the aura even more.

“It seems like this will work.”

In that state, as if cutting something off above his left hand, a slicing sound could be heard.

“What…!”

Esellion’s complexion changed.

Ryan’s left hand returned to its original state, lightly moving his fingers.

“Would you like me to continue?”

“…….”

“If possible, let’s stop here. If you do, I’ll consider it as if you’ve never drawn a sword against an imperial knight. How about remaining as a guest for the Empress’s sake?”

Esellion’s expression twisted.

“For the Empress…?”

“Yes, for the Empress, I also desperately want that. Well, and I should receive punishment, right? I got forgiveness too easily. I hope for it, especially since my Aura is almost like the Empress’s eye color, isn’t it? I didn’t notice, but the Aura seems to resemble its owner. Everyone knows that it’s an Aura given by the Empress whenever I use it. It feels kind of proud for no reason.”

“Lies! Who can forgive such actions!”

When Esellion shouted, the aura of the curse surged.

Unfazed, Ryan raised his sword and held it in front.

La Silia’s words seemed like magic to me. No, not just like, it really was. Those words seemed to have enchanted me to summon and empower the Aura.

Since the demon’s companion was the greatest sorcerer.

Even if La Silia had magical power, it wasn’t strange at all.

“I’ll say it again, I strongly recommend stopping here. I will never die by Your Highness’s hand.”

“I’ll cut off that disgusting mouth first.”

As Esellion’s curse lifted the sword into the air, there might have been a fight that no one on the continent had ever seen before.

But there was someone to stop them.

“Your Highness!”

Tyon was rushing towards them. In terms of speed, there was no one in the entire continent who could catch up.

“Whatever you were doing, please hold on for a moment! It’s not the right time!”