Seraphine studied the guests in front of her. This time, they were not her usual visitors - not rich lords and ladies wishing for more money, power, beauty, or all of them combined. These were people whom she had been waiting for a long time.
Her gaze landed on Flint. She raised her left hand, forming a ball of light that slowly took the form of an ancient rune pattern.
"Flint Blackthorn, you wish to be rid of your curse, yes?"
"..! How did you!"
Flint took a deep breath and decided not to be shocked anymore. He was convinced that the figure in front of him was a great mage - even as a platinum-level mercenary capable of manifesting sword aura, he could barely read her flow of mana, which meant her arcane level was higher than a master swordsman's. Among those blessed with strong arcane skills, he heard that a very small percentage possessed peculiar skills, such as foresight.
"Yes, that's right."
Seraphine observed the tall, red-haired man in front of him. Her 'Watcher's Eye' projected an image that ordinary people would not be able to see: a grey, thin veil shrouding his vision and enveloping his head.
It was a peculiar curse, one imposed by a powerful mage for a certain reason. She remembered that person very well, and the day their meeting happened. In a way, Flint's condition was an indirect result of Seraphine's influence.
Feeling a bit guilty, she spoke. "Everything has a price, as the scale must be balanced. But I could remove it for you."
Flint took a deep breath as his body shivered involuntarily. He had spent years trying to get rid of the troublesome curse, which gave him inexplicable headaches, memory loss, and confusion at strange times. At night, he would be tortured by enigmatic nightmares that left him shaken in the morning, but he could remember nothing about them. He had gone to many healers and priestesses, but none had managed to resolve what he thought was an illness. Only when he met Armand did he discover he might have been cursed.
"...but not now."
"What?? What do you mean by that?!" Flint scowled and took a step forward passionately. "Is it the price? I swear to the World Tree, I will pay you with everything I have, as long as you get rid of this damn curse!"
Armand put his hand on Flint's shoulder to prevent him from taking another step forward. Darryl glanced at them nervously.
"Lady Mizan, could you please explain further why you can't lift the curse now?" Armand asked in a polite tone.
"Hmm..."
Instead of answering, Seraphine lifted the ancient rune in her hand and directed it towards the dark veil. To the three visitors, the golden rune formed a circle around Flint's head and slowly disappeared. But Seraphine's Eye confirmed that it had re-adjusted the curse's structure.
"For now, I made it so you won't suffer most of the negative effects anymore. However, because the curse has its own rules, I won't be able to completely lift it for now."
"..I see. It's definitely a complicated curse that will take time to dispel, so it makes sense to do it in parts." Armand, being a holy knight, could only use divine magic bestowed by the World Tree. He had a good understanding of arcane magic, but due to the historic animosity between holy knights and mages, he did not study it on a higher level. However, as a magic user himself, he recognised the peculiarity of the curse affecting Flint.
Seraphine did not reply. Technically, she was not being completely transparent. What she had done was not removing part of the curse, but counterattacking it to negate its harmful effects, as a magician on a higher level than the caster. The curse itself had a time period, and it would go away by itself as intended.
But there was no need to tell them this fact, as it was not the right time yet.
Flint shut his eyes tightly. The moment the golden light enveloped him, he felt a lightness that he had not felt for a long time. His jaw tensed up as he held back his emotions.
"Thank you...Lady Mizan. What do I owe you?"
She glanced at a golden band on his left hand. "Your ring would suffice for now. As for the rest... I will tell you later."
Taken aback, Flint touched his ring, his face showing unwillingness. "This ring? It's worthless. How about my sword instead?"
"This shop is not open to negotiation, Mr. Blackthorn. Everything has its price."
Hesitatingly, Flint slowly removed the band from his ring finger. A silver light enveloped the band and lifted it towards Seraphine, gently landing on her palm. She examined the ring, noting the initials engraved on what looked like a wedding band.
"Can I...can I have it back someday?"
"..everything in its own due time, good sir."
These mages and their cryptic way of talking! While grumbling inside his heart, he could not help but feel indebted towards the young mage, who was the first person to shed light on his curse after so many years, and even removed the worst part of it in exchange for a single old ring.
"Nyra."
The two men and the young boy flinched at the sudden appearance of a large snow leopard, which was more commonly found in the northern peaks of the Skadi Mountains than here in the sunny southern Dohara.
Seraphine extended the ring towards the leopard's direction, who opened its large jaw filled with sharp canines - and swallowed the ring.
Silence followed as the three people took in this strange event. Unperturbed, Seraphine turned to Armand.
"Lord Fontaine, I understand you seek the Apostle of the World Tree."