Night, 2:50 a.m.
After leaving the great spirit's library, Shendu felt somewhat surprised. She could not understand why Beatrice's affection had increased so quickly.
Aside from that useless protagonist whose affection had instantly maxed out, no one else had raised their affection as rapidly as Beatrice had. It had shot straight to 85 in a single leap, which genuinely caught her off guard.
"Could it be because of that book?"
Recalling the emotional shift in the humanoid spirit's eyes when the book had trembled in her hands, Shendu formed a faint guess.
With that thought, she decided not to dwell on it further. After returning, she immediately activated the Eye of Truth and looked toward the bite mark on Felt's hand.
"What is it, Big Sister?"
Felt looked puzzled, completely unable to understand why Shendu was staring at the spot where she had been bitten by the dog.
"You've been cursed. It was that harmless-looking little dog."
As Shendu spoke, a mass of purple magic gathered in her palm. The moment it touched the bite mark, she gently pulled forward.
A black, mist-like substance was forcibly extracted. It writhed in her grasp, struggling desperately to break free of her control.
"Hm. This curse is rather interesting."
Wrapping the curse in magic, Shendu tightened her grip slightly, extinguishing the power of the curse entirely.
"Ah! Then doesn't that mean Miss Rem and Natsuki Subaru are in danger too?"
Felt suddenly remembered that those two had also been bitten by the dog and could not help but grow worried.
"Don't worry. We'll find Natsuki Subaru first and remove his curse. If we go to Rem first, we might be suspected of being the ones who cast it."
Shendu gently patted Felt's head as she explained her plan.
"You're right, Big Sister!"
Felt understood how complicated people's hearts could be. If they rushed in to save someone directly, they would likely be labeled as having ulterior motives and even suspected of being the ones behind the curse.
After all, if someone stepped forward to rescue a victim immediately after something happened, no matter the circumstances, suspicion would inevitably fall upon them. It would look like they had staged the entire incident themselves.
Soon, Shendu and Felt arrived at Natsuki Subaru's door. Without hesitation, Felt raised her hand and blasted the door open with a surge of magic.
Inside, Natsuki Subaru had just lain down, preparing to rest. Hearing the noise, he froze and stared at the two of them blankly.
"Lady Shendu, Miss Felt, don't tell me you're interested in me? Is that why you've come here in the middle of the night?"
Natsuki Subaru's face lit up with delight, thinking that his protagonist journey had finally begun. He could not help but shout excitedly.
Shendu and Felt exchanged a glance. In that instant, they completely forgot why they had come.
Each of them stepped forward and slapped him at the same time.
Smack!
"Shameless!" x2
"Disgusting!" x2
They had come out of goodwill to save him, and yet he was indulging in such filthy thoughts.
Naturally, Shendu could not restrain herself and slapped him. Felt was equally furious and did the same, convinced that anyone who dared think such things about her Big Sister deserved it.
"Ah! How did this happen?"
Lying on the bed with a slap from each beautiful girl, Natsuki Subaru stared in disbelief. He had not expected to be knocked out like this.
After disciplining him, Felt shut the door and stood quietly nearby.
Just as Natsuki Subaru was about to speak again, he suddenly felt his body turn unbearably cold. An extreme chill seeped into every cell of his body.
It was as if he had been thrown into Antarctica. His entire body stiffened from the cold. His vision blurred. Weakness overwhelmed him, and his breathing grew rapid and strained.
"What's going on? Why do I feel so cold? I experienced something similar last night. Was that really not a dream?"
Recalling what had happened the previous night, Natsuki Subaru seemed to reach a realization. Could it be that his earlier trip to Arlam Village had not been a dream at all, but something that truly happened?
"That's right. You died once. And today, we've started over again."
Shendu's crimson eyes stared at the restless Witch's power stirring within him, a trace of seriousness flashing across her gaze.
"Save me, Lady Shendu! I don't want to die yet!"
Hearing her words, Natsuki Subaru used the last of his strength to clutch the corner of her clothes and plead desperately.
"Of course. I won't ignore the Witch's power either. It might hurt a little, so endure it."
Shendu smiled as she took out a green gemstone ring and slipped it onto her finger.
Immediately, the curse power of the Emerald of Killarney was amplified several times over. She directed it toward the curse within Natsuki Subaru, creating a direct clash—curse against curse.
Using one curse to counter another was Shendu's first attempt at such a method.
The result was effective. The original curse on Natsuki Subaru was eradicated, though the side effects were severe.
He coughed up blood that sprayed more than three meters high, splattering across the ceiling. His face turned as pale as paper, and he collapsed unconscious. Black mist belonging to the Witch of Envy began to seep out from his body.
The Witch of Envy's dark aura extended thread-like tendrils that wriggled in the air, creating a terrifying sight that made Felt instinctively shiver.
"Hm. Farewell, Witch of Envy."
Shendu's expression did not change in the slightest. She let out a cold laugh.
With a light tap of her toe, a purple six-pointed magic array instantly formed beneath them. In the blink of an eye, it completely sealed the Witch of Envy's power.
The lingering power attempted to struggle and break free of the seal, but the gap in strength between them was far too vast. After writhing for a few seconds, it was firmly suppressed.
Seeing that Shendu had sealed the Witch of Envy's power, Felt glanced at the pale Natsuki Subaru and asked worriedly,
"Big Sister, that guy won't die, right?"
Looking at the bloodstains on the ceiling, she could not help but ask.
"He won't. He's far too amusing. Why would I let him die?"
Shendu gave a mischievous smile. The reason she had not simply erased the curse with magic earlier was because she wanted the Witch of Envy's power to reveal itself fully so she could seal it.
Of course, that meant Natsuki Subaru had nearly been toyed to death, left with barely half his life.
Still, Shendu was not truly cruel. She stepped forward and used the power of the Horse Talisman to heal his injuries.
As color gradually returned to Natsuki Subaru's face, Shendu finally stopped channeling magic. Felt also let out a sigh of relief. Though she did not particularly like him, he was not a bad person.
Knock knock knock!
Just as Shendu erased the curse and sealed the Witch of Envy's power, a sudden knocking sound came from outside the door, leaving both of them puzzled.