Predatory Marriage — Chapter 135. Immunity To Spells
Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan
From the moment Morga saw the Princess in the forest, he knew her condition was serious. Normally, spells were not outwardly revealed. Even sorcerers couldn’t easily discern if someone was under a spell, unless they used some potion.
But in the Princess’s case, it was different. He could see the sinister black smoke hovering around her body with very little effort. There were so many layers of wicked and powerful spells, that even if the Queen had tried to hide them, she couldn’t. Morga had confirmed that the most powerful spell on the Princess was brainwashing, but he had made an error in judgment. The Queen had gone beyond brainwashing. She had turned the Princess into a puppet, then covered it up between layers of spells.
“In her current state, she has lost control of her body,” Morga explained. The galloping group had stopped and he knelt on the ground with his head bowed, his legs shaking. “The Queen cannot be prevented from tracking us. A more powerful spell must be cast. It’s all my fault…”
“Get up, Morga. Now is not the time for reproaches.” Ishakan sighed. “I know you did your best.”
Morga had to hold back his tears at the warm words, and pressed his lips together. Haban, in the back of the crowd of Kurkans, laughed until Genin hit him.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Please buy me some time.”
At the request, Ishakan looked at Genin, and she frowned.
“Assuming they know our location, if we stop any longer at this place, we will be overtaken by the pursuit of the royal family,” she said, and pondered for a moment before giving her opinion. “Why don’t we leave Morga and the Princess here, while we go back to deal with the pursuers?”
“Ishakan should be with me,” Morga quickly interjected. “I need his blood.”
“…Is it because of my constitution?”
“Yes.”
Haban immediately raised his hand.
“I think Genin and I will be enough. Please give me about thirty warriors.”
The operation would consist of each of them leading fifteen warriors to ambush the pursuers. Humans did not have good vision at night. A surprise attack should be enough to win.
“We will surely get satisfactory results,” Haban said, with a twinkle in his eye.
Genin raised her hand.
“Can the Crown Prince be killed?” she asked.
“Of course not!” exclaimed Morga. He explained that they shouldn’t until they understood all the spells on the Princess. Haban elbowed Genin for the suggestion.
“Crown Prince, I could break him with one blow,” she muttered, frowning. But she nodded to herself. She would be careful not to kill him. As soon as the decision was made, they proceeded immediately. Genin and Haban turned back the way they had come, accompanied by the thirty Kurkans they had selected.
The remaining Kurkans set up a defensive formation in preparation for any surprises, and Morga and Ishakan headed back to the carriage.
“……”
Ishakan’s expression saddened as he opened the carriage door, and Morga caught his breath as he watched the King’s reaction. The Princess had been tied up again and was staring at Ishakan, her bright purple eyes unfocused.
Ishakan’s teeth clenched and his hand tightened on the carriage door until veins popped, threatening to shatter the precious ebony wood. Carefully, he took the Princess in his arms and drew her out of the carriage. Laying a thick blanket on the ground, he set Leah on it and untied her as Morga began his preparations.
Studying the shape of the moon and the position of the stars, he took out a potion he had already prepared, then cut his finger with a dagger and dripped the blood into the bottle. Closing the bottle with a stopper, he shook the potion to mix it.
“I have something to tell you,” he said. “What we’re going to do now…is really a last resort.”
There was a temporary method of forcibly twisting spells, but it was normally only used on those under a mild spell due to the severity of the reaction. The magnitude of these spells meant that in fact, he might even die.
But he would try in spite of this, because of Ishakan. Kurkans had a high resistance to spells, but Ishakan had immunity to them. If they used Ishakan’s blood, they could avoid the Queen’s eyes until they reached the desert.
“It won’t pose a threat to her life if we use your blood, but it will be a harsh method for the Princess.” Morga drew out the cracked crystal orb and a brazier. Shaking juniper branches over the brazier, he dripped a drop of the potion onto it, mixed with his own blood. As soon as the potion touched the brazier, the smoke darkened and thickened.
“She will feel a lot of pain. She will writhe violently. Make sure you restrain her properly.”
The most convenient thing to do would have been to leave her tied up, but the ropes would burn her skin when she struggled. Ishakan held Leah in his arms like a doll. Morga looked at them and spoke sternly.
“Then let us begin. First give her this…”