Lilya approached the elderly man and looked at his sunken features, rough and wrinkled skin, and his emaciated frame. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

 

After all, this was a peak Sky-level, almost legendary. Even if he were on his deathbed, he shouldn’t have become this frail.

 

Leyton seemed unable to speak. He tried to assess the three young girls with his cloudy eyes and a glimmer of excitement appeared in his eyes when he noticed Lilya’s noble attire and tiara.

 

“Marshal… Father… He was attacked by an assassin half a month ago. I’m ashamed to say we don’t know how the assassin managed to bypass the tight security of the Lord’s mansion and infiltrate Father’s study… Although the assassin’s martial skills were not much superior to Father’s, their abilities were rather peculiar. In the midst of the battle, that person injured Father with a dagger at the cost of their own serious injuries and then escaped…”

 

Rekt explained despondently and pointed to a wound on Leyton’s right shoulder, which was not very deep.

 

“No doubt the dagger was poisoned. Although Father didn’t show any immediate symptoms, over the next few days, he began to weaken and wither. We tried various methods, doctors, priests, healing magic, but none of them had any effect. We could only slow down the rate of his decline with medication, but…”

 

But the effect was bound to be limited, considering Leyton’s current condition, which was plain for everyone to see.

 

“An assassin… Why would an assassin suddenly appear at a time like this… Could it be…”

 

Lilya, her face dark with worry, bit her nails incessantly, feeling overwhelmed by the shock she had experienced today, to the point where she even neglected to maintain her princess-like demeanor.

 

“Flora, do you know the source of this poison?”

 

In desperation, the princess had to turn to the legendary adventurer by her side, as the latter had a wealth of experience and might have some leads.

 

Flora gazed at Leyton for a moment, seemingly recalling something, but she soon lowered her head. 

 

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I have never heard of any poison that would cause continuous weakening without immediate death.”

 

“Ugh…”

 

“Violet, do you know of this poison?” Lilya inquired, wearing a reluctant expression. It was clear that she believed there might still be a chance to save Leyton, and she hadn’t given up on treatment.

 

That, of course, was impossible. After all, Violet had only been in this world for a few days.

 

“I have no knowledge of it either.”

 

“Tsk…”

 

Just as the room fell into a somewhat deathly silence, the priestess suddenly let out the latter half of her sentence with a big gasp.

 

“But if it’s just about saving this old man, it’s quite simple.”

 

“Really? What are you saying!?”

 

Two excited exclamations rang out simultaneously. Lilya maintained some restraint, but Rekt’s expression was genuinely ecstatic.

 

“Please help… No, I beg you, you must save my father! Whatever you want as compensation, we, the Wanhe Fortress, can promise it to you!!”

 

“Well, don’t jump to conclusions so quickly, young man.”

 

Gently sidestepping Rekt, who instinctively reached out to grab her arm due to excitement, Violet smiled faintly and turned to the princess at her side.

 

“I can certainly save him, and I don’t need any reward for it. This is a meaningful experiment for me. However, I am currently Lilya’s guard, and I can’t act without my employer’s consent.”

 

“What? What’s that got to do with… Wait a minute, Violet, you!”

 

At first, there was a moment of confusion, and then the princess blushed, her cute face suddenly turning crimson. She glared at Violet angrily, and her demeanor was so charming that it made one’s heart race. Even Violet, who had been teasing her, was momentarily stunned.

 

“Making jokes at a time like this… All right then! Ahem, my guard Violet, can I please ask for your assistance in treating General Leyton? Both I and the Wanhe Fortress are in great need of his recovery.”

 

“Hehe… understood.”

 

Violet, now satisfied, put aside her playful thoughts and composed herself. She walked slowly to the frail and dying man, first reassuring the visibly anxious Rekt with her gaze. Then, without physical contact, she infused a golden stream of light into Leyton’s body.

 

“Information detection.”

 

After a while, it seemed that the light, having circulated through the body, surged again from under the skin, lingering around Violet’s delicate outstretched fingers, slowly rotating.

 

She was probing the patient’s physical condition. After all, there were many things that couldn’t be discerned by the naked eye alone.

 

In fact, from the moment she entered the room, Violet sensed an extremely unusual energy enveloping Leyton, like a festering wound, obscure yet clearly malevolent. It was definitely not what Rekt had referred to as “poison.”

 

It wasn’t that Rekt was lying, but he probably didn’t fully comprehend the pathology and the underlying causes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have resorted to using medication to treat Leyton.

 

After using the universal skill 【Information Detection】 to investigate the elderly man’s physical condition, Violet was even more certain of her findings.

 

The cause of Leyton’s weakening was a special form of energy, more accurately described as a curse.

 

In 【Illusory World】, there were indeed several undead and dark magic that could induce similar conditions, but the investigation skill did not provide a specific status name. This indicated that it was a power native to this world. Violet decided to tentatively name it the “Weakening Curse.”

 

This “Weakening Curse” was akin to a virus parasitizing the body, continuously devouring the vitality of the host. 

 

The reason medication could slow its deterioration was essentially akin to providing more sustenance to the curse, making it take more time to feed, but it was merely a temporary solution that would ultimately lead to a more severe condition.

 

It was perfectly normal that both healing magic and physicians were powerless against it, but Violet couldn’t understand why priests were also helpless. Shouldn’t these creatures of evil be their natural adversaries? She could even smell the foul odor it emitted from a considerable distance.

 

“Um… in terms of treatment methods, let’s try that one first.”

 

Without drawing her weapon, Violet sat on a chair by the bed, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together in prayer.

 

“Blessing from the Skies.”

 

Hum…

 

The girl’s pristine white robe was slightly lifted by the surging energy, and her entire body radiated a pure and warm golden light.

 

The light scattered in all directions, illuminating the entire stone house. Even Lilya and the others, who were quite far away, instantly felt a sense of well-being, clarity of mind, and the disappearance of all the minor ailments that had been plaguing them.

 

“This…”

 

The three onlookers exchanged astonished glances, seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes. If the mere overflow of energy had such a miraculous effect, then what would happen in the center of the healing?

 

As if responding to their thoughts, in the next moment, at the distant end of the sky, it seemed like there was a beckoning call. 

 

A brilliant and massive beam of light descended from the heavens, bypassing the barriers of the building, creating a large circle with a diameter of more than a meter centered around Violet. The elderly man beside her was also enveloped in it.

 

As far as the eye could see, everything was golden. In a daze, Lilya and the others seemed to witness angels gracefully dancing around the dark-haired girl, with hymns softly playing in the background. However, when they focused, they could only locate the pure figure seated in the center of the light.

 

Countless pure energies condensed into tangible points of light, continuously absorbed by Leyton’s frail, shrunken body. Waves of dark energy were squeezed out from within him, and the powerful holy energy in the air instantly extinguished and dissipated them, leaving only a faint, lingering trace of resistance.

 

Once all the dark energy was expelled, the elderly man’s emaciated body began to inflate like a balloon, becoming visibly robust and strong under the infusion of light. His skin grew taut and free of wrinkles, and his short, graying hair turned lush, shiny, and was dyed back to its original black color.

 

The divine light from the heavens continued for nearly a quarter of an hour, only fading away when the outside world began to erupt with excited cheers. It revealed Violet, still seated with her eyes closed, and General Leyton, who had undergone a remarkable transformation.