Chapter 318

Chapter 284: Incantation

In the underground of the Boyle family’s mansion in East Tivyán.

Inside the secret room that conceals the Sacred Curse Scepter, as Nephnis attempted to infuse the scepter with the spirit of “Enlightenment” to reactivate it, a terrifying and ghastly mummy shadow suddenly appeared accompanied by a piercing shriek. Along with this appearance came a powerful curse targeting Nephnis.

Under the influence of the curse, Nephnis collapsed helplessly, and the process of infusing the scepter with spiritual energy was forcibly interrupted. She fell to the ground, her face pale, completely unable to move, with her consciousness nearly dissipating. Nunut, seeing this, could not help but be greatly alarmed.

“Miss… This vile evil spirit!!”

Clenching her teeth, Nunut took out a sigil from her body, placed it on her palm, and activated it. After burning, the sigil left a closed-eye “Silence” mark on Nunut’s hand.

“Exorcism Sigil… Get away, you evil spirit!” Nunut roared, charging towards the mummy’s shadow, pressing the marked hand towards the shadow. However, it was completely ineffective; Nunut passed right through the shadow just like when she threw a small kn*fe.

“Evil spirit? Show some respect, mortal!”

The shadow, with its green-glowing eyes, glared at Nunut fiercely. Instantly, a weak feeling crawled over Nunut’s entire body. The elderly butler, already frail, stumbled under this weakness, almost falling, and could only barely support himself against the wall, gasping for breath.

Looking at the old man leaning against the wall, the mummy’s shadow showed no emotion in its eyes. It coldly muttered:

“A mortal of such an advanced age hasn’t died yet? Hmph… Not related by bl**d to Davis Boyle, just a close associate? And even a medium, able to adapt slightly.”

After muttering, the mummy’s shadow turned back to Nephnis, who lay before the scepter, and continued speaking.

“In the bloodline of Davis Boyle, there is one who carries the spirit of enlightenment, which is unexpected. However, this surprise ends here. Unfortunately, I could have slowly tormented your family…”

As the mummy’s shadow spoke, it intensified the curse on Nephnis. On the ground, Nephnis felt even more discomfort, her vision blurred, and her consciousness scattered. Seeing the threat posed by Nephnis, it seemed intent on cursing her to d*ath right then and there.

The mummy intensified the curse on Nephnis, causing her life to rapidly ebb due to the bloodline curse. Just as her consciousness was about to dissipate completely and she lost all ability to move, a force surged into her body, reviving her just as she was about to lose consciousness.

‘This… This is… Miss Dorothy?’

Half-conscious, Nephnis’s eyes widened slightly. She clearly understood where the strength empowering her came from—it was from Dorothy, far away.

…

At that moment, Dorothy, in her house in Green Shade Town, frowned deeply, her expression serious. She was currently connected to Nephnis’s senses through an information channel, fully aware of the situation in the secret room beneath the Boyle mansion. The sudden appearance of the mummy’s shadow surprised her.

‘A phantom in the form of a mummy? It feels like an evil spirit, but it doesn’t seem to be one. The black butler clearly used a sigil designed for spirits, but it had no effect. It seems more like something within a projection…’

Dorothy thought to herself. From her observations, the mummy’s phantom seemed more like a manifestation of curse power. The source of this curse might be an ancient undead from an old tomb beneath the sands of Northern Ufeiga. The phantom appearing in the secret room seemed more like a hallucination created by the curse.

‘If that’s the case, then this undead seems quite powerful. To curse the Boyle family from thousands of kilometers away in Northern Ufeiga, and still perceive the condition of the cursed person, and immediately focus the curse on Nephnis when she tried to activate the scepter with “Enlightenment”… This control is… frightening…’

Dorothy thought. The scenes she witnessed directly highlighted the immense power of the mummy’s true form, with its long-range curse capable of spreading along bloodlines and relationships, and even perceiving the surroundings of the cursed individual to adjust the curse intensity accordingly.

A curse itself isn’t scary; what’s truly frightening is one that can be freely controlled and even used to gather information. Dorothy had reason to believe that the ancient undead who cast the curse was a formidable extraordinary being.

“How did Neph’s grandfather provoke such a thing!?”

After analyzing the situation, Dorothy blurted out, immediately becoming interested in Nephnis’s grandfather, Davis Boyle, mentioned by the mummy. What had he done in Northern Ufeiga to enrage this ancient undead, cursing his entire family?

‘But the immediate priority is saving Neph. She’s only holding up against the curse with the bl**d-Eating Sigil, but this can’t go on indefinitely. Something must be done.’

Dorothy thought. At present, Nephnis wasn’t killed by the curse because Dorothy used the puppet mark to transmit the buff of the bl**d-Eating Sigil through the spiritual thread, temporarily enhancing Nephnis’s constitution with the power of “Cup,” allowing her to withstand the curse but rendering her immobile.

Actually, solving the crisis is simple: if Nephnis could touch the scepter on the stone pedestal and continue to infuse it with “Enlightenment,” reactivating the scepter would restore its protective effects against the curse, making the undead’s curse disappear naturally.

The problem is, Nephnis needs to touch the scepter again. Currently, Nephnis is hanging on by the bl**d-Eating Sigil, unable to move. Meanwhile, the butler is in no position to touch the scepter either.

This curse of “Silence” causes Nephnis’s bodily tissues and organs to become lethargic, delaying or stopping their function to cause d*ath. Nephnis is barely maintaining minimal vital signs through the bl**d-Eating Sigil, with all other activities suppressed. Under the curse’s suppression, Dorothy couldn’t even use the spiritual thread to manipulate Nephnis’s body.

‘Sigh… Need to find a way to reactivate the scepter. But Neph can’t move now, and I can’t provide “Enlightenment.” Do I need to go to her house myself? Neph’s home is in East City, requiring several hours of travel by carriage. Vania is in the Church District of North City, and the journey wouldn’t be much shorter. Who knows how long Neph can hold out.’

Facing the current situation, Dorothy began urgently thinking of a solution. After sorting out her thoughts, she focused on how to get Nephnis moving again.

‘Neph’s movements are suppressed by the curse. Even a puppet can’t pull her up. To keep her alive with the bl**d-Eating Sigil… To make her move again, besides the bl**d-Eating Sigil, we need some assistance…’