Chapter : 168
So she had changed her mind.
It wasn’t a reason that was easy to accept, but if a shaman—someone not found in Elium—was willing to lend her strength, there was no reason to refuse.
Especially since she was a shaman who had made quite a name for herself in Ryntbel, and someone who harbored a desire for revenge against Rakan.
Ryntbel was a land where both mages and shamans were active in balance, so if Reina truly took the lead, she would become a considerable asset.
That said, because shamans differed from mages despite their similarities, there was a chance she would have to act independently.
“Why? Do you think I won’t be much help…?”
Reina spoke in a slightly sulky tone, as if doing it on purpose.
Sharmang immediately shook her head.
“If someone as capable as you offers a hand, there’s no reason to refuse. Even more so if you’re willing to give us your trust.”
“Would a blood oath be enough? From the way you’re talking, it seems I’m rated rather highly within Duke Kenders’ circle.”
A blood oath—something shamans used to ensure they kept their promises.
If it came to that, there was even less reason to refuse.
Sharmang nodded.
“He’s no longer Duke Kenders, but I came to you in the first place because I knew your abilities.”
“That’s pleasant to hear. Then let’s talk again after this is over. It seems your companion has arrived.”
Sharmang sensed it too.
Judging by the fact that Ahil hadn’t bothered to hide his presence, he clearly wanted Sharmang to notice.
Sure enough, only a few seconds later, Ahil revealed himself.
At the same time, a cry of astonishment escaped Reina’s lips.
“The Master of Runhill.”
“It’s been a while,” Ahil replied coolly.
Sharmang’s gaze rolled toward Ahil.
“We crossed paths once, a very long time ago. It was quite a troublesome affair.”
Before Sharmang could ask if they knew each other, Ahil spoke first.
“I recall you being younger than this back then. No—perhaps I should say you were a child.”
So that was why Ahil’s voice had sounded so cold.
From what Reina explained, much like Sharmang’s first encounter with Ahil, Reina had also crossed paths with him while acting under Rakan’s orders.
It hadn’t been related to Elium, and it had happened more than ten years ago.
Since Sharmang had returned to the past seven years earlier, ten years ago felt so distant to her it was almost unreal—but for those two, it seemed as fresh as yesterday.
“I didn’t expect to receive your help,” Ahil said.
“If I may offer an excuse, I was acting under orders at the time. I regret it just as much as I regret Rakan himself.”
Reina gestured toward Sharmang with her chin.
With the three of them together, the web of relationships was oddly twisted.
Sharmang and Reina had both served Rakan, loyal to the same cause, while Ahil had always stood on the side of justice.
People who should never have been able to coexist were now facing one another with similar goals—or at least could be called allies.
Once again, it was clear just how great Rakan’s shadow loomed over them all.
The thought crossed Sharmang’s mind once more: Rakan had to die.
So that no one would ever suffer nightmares because of him again.
Reina extended her hand toward Ahil.
“May I take a look at the curse?”
Ahil shrugged in agreement, and Reina began examining the curse bound to his heart.
After a long while, she stepped back, unable to hide her shock.
“You managed to loosen it this much?”
“How far has it progressed?” Sharmang asked.
She had checked herself, but she couldn’t pinpoint things as precisely as a shaman could.
As Sharmang stepped closer, Reina opened her mouth to respond—then suddenly froze, stiff as a statue.
After waiting for a moment, Sharmang tilted her head when Reina still didn’t move.
“Reina?”
At the same time, as if released from a spell, Reina turned her head toward Sharmang.
A flicker of hesitation passed through her eyes.
“Ah—no, it’s nothing. You’ve managed to relieve a great deal of the pain already. Still, the curse must ultimately be undone through shamanism. It will be extremely painful. Are you prepared?”
“First, the blood oath.”
Sharmang held out her arm.
“Thorough as ever. I swear that I will never endanger either of you or betray you while lifting the curse—now or in the future.”
Reina cut her palm with her sharp fingernail and began the blood oath.
After telling them to wait, Reina disappeared somewhere.
When she returned some time later, both of her hands were drenched in dark red blood, and she was carrying a wooden bucket.
Even Sharmang, who had seen countless brutal scenes, couldn’t hide her shock.
“This is all to minimize side effects, so there’s no need to be that surprised. You know better than anyone—no, Sharmang—you know what shamanism entails.”
“…I suppose I’ve lost my tolerance after not seeing it for so long.”
Inside the bucket were hearts—each smaller than a fist.
They were likely animal hearts.
Some of them were still beating. Sharmang couldn’t tell whether they were being preserved with magic or if Reina had truly prepared them just moments ago.
Without thinking, Sharmang turned her head aside.
“Once the ritual begins, you’ll lose consciousness for a bit, so there’s no need to be so squeamish. They won’t even touch your body.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
She couldn’t help wondering why so many other hearts were needed when they would be using her own heart anyway.
But if it truly reduced side effects, there was nothing to be done.
Reina said it was absolutely necessary, so Sharmang forced herself to dismiss the lingering unease.
“You may collapse, and we can’t leave you on the floor. Let’s go inside—it’s much safer. Once we’re in, could you set up a protective barrier before the ritual begins? Just in case something happens.”
“I will,” Ahil answered in Sharmang’s place.
Compared to earlier—when he had refused to come and only reluctantly agreed later—Ahil was surprisingly cooperative today.
No matter how powerful the Master of Runhill was, enduring constant pain couldn’t have been easy.
Sharmang grew impatient, wishing desperately for him to be freed from the curse’s torment as soon as possible.
Perhaps sensing that, Reina urged them inside her home.
The interior was packed far more densely with ritual tools than the ones set up outside.
It felt like the culmination of an entire lifetime spent as a shaman.
When Sharmang spotted tools she had never seen before, tension finally set in.
It wasn’t fear of someone touching her heart—but fear of whether Ahil’s curse would truly be lifted.
The blood oath was meant to prevent betrayal, not to guarantee success.
Without realizing it, Sharmang swallowed hard.
* * *
“….”
Ahil gently brushed aside Sharmang’s disheveled hair as she lay unconscious.
Rather than having truly lost consciousness, she had been made to fall asleep—by Ahil himself.
After watching her peaceful, softly breathing face for a long while, Ahil turned away.
The warmth in his expression faded instantly.
“How much can you undo with that?”
His gaze settled on the wooden bucket full of hearts.
“Enough to avoid death. But unless the curse is completely removed, the pain will return periodically.”
“That’s fine. It’s better than carving out Sharmang’s heart. I can handle hiding it, so only undo as much as you’re able.”
“Even if you hadn’t said that, without Sharmang’s heart, no matter how skilled I am, I can’t fully remove the curse placed on you. Besides, the other party consented—so why complicate things like this?”
Ahil shrugged.
“Do I really have to explain?”
“When Sharmang wakes up, she’ll recover to some extent.”
“That’s just your opinion.”
Ahil was unyielding.
He hadn’t come here to remove the curse by taking Sharmang’s heart in the first place.
He had come because Sharmang wanted to.
They had known each other long ago—and more recently, due to Ahil seeking her out not long ago.
“Just make sure I narrowly avoid death, Reina. I’ll take care of the rest myself.”
