"Don't bother, nephew," Maxim said with a weary sigh. "We've done all we could… but to no avail. The most we managed was delaying the effects. We even asked priests from the Holy Empire but the curse… it was unlike anything they'd ever seen. Too strong. Unprecedented."
He paused for a moment then shifted the topic with a curious look in his eyes.
"Speaking of the Holy Empire… I never expected you to have a subordinate from there. She seems exceptional... perhaps even one of the hundred candidates for the next Saintess?"
Lucien blinked, caught off guard.
'Come to think of it, Clara mentioned something like that. Could she really be one of the candidates? If that were true, she was far more special than I thought.'
Lucien just hoped the Holy Empire wouldn't come searching for her… or worse, bring trouble to his doorstep.
But Lucien didn't linger on the thought for long.
What mattered now was that Maxim was on his side and that meant Lucien had to help him.
