Chapter 44: Demon Lord Curse
The immense doors of the Papal Chamber, carved from ancient cedar and inlaid with gold, groaned open. The chill that Alexius, Gregor, and Amara had felt on the stairs felt stronger as they enter; it intensified into a suffocating air.The room beyond was vast, a cathedral within a cathedral, illuminated by shafts of light filtering through high, stained-glass windows depicting the acts of the Almighty Theus. But the light here felt dim, sickly, as if the air itself was rejecting the sun. The scent of incense was overpowering, thick and cloying, barely masking an underlying odor of copper and decay.At the center of the room, upon a dais raised on white marble steps, sat the Papal Throne. Slumped within it, looking like a husk of a man swallowed by his heavy ceremonial robes, was Pope Pius II.He was old, his skin the color of parchment, his breathing shallow and rattling. He looks like a cancer patient on his deathbed in his previous world.Alexius's System interface flashed violently, crimson warnings scrolling across his vision.[WARNING: High-Level Dark Energy Detected.] [Target: Pope Pius II.] [Condition: Cursed.] [Curse Type: [Withering of the Soul] - Origin: Demon Lord Class.] [Time Remaining: 7 Days (Accelerating).]Surrounding the throne stood the true power of the Holy See: the five Cardinals.To the right stood two men in crimson robes. One was Cardinal Morcant, the leader of the Conservative faction, a man with a face like carved granite and eyes of cold steel. Beside him stood a younger, sharper-featured Cardinal, and lurking just behind them, looking smug and composed, was Bishop Valerius de Avarus.To the left stood the Progressives. Cardinal Beaumont, a man with a kindly, worried face, looked up with visible relief as Alexius entered. His companion, a stern-faced woman, watched warily.And in the center, standing alone, was the Neutralist, Cardinal Orelia. She was an elderly woman with sharp, observant eyes, her hands folded in her sleeves, watching the scene with the impassive gaze of a judge.Guarding the dais were four members of the Theus Holy Knight Order. Their armor was pure white, their hands resting on the hilts of greatswords. Their killing intent was locked onto Alexius's group."Grand Prince Alexius of Leo," Cardinal Morcant's voice boomed, shattering the silence. "You enter the sanctity of the Holy Father's private chamber armed and accompanied by... strangers. This is highly disrespectful.""It is necessary," Alexius replied, and immediately He walked straight to the base of the stairs and bowed low to the figure on the throne. "Your Holiness. I have come a long way to see you."The Pope's eyelids fluttered open. His eyes were milky with cataracts, but a spark of lucid intelligence still burned behind them. He lifted a trembling hand."The... Wolf of the North," the Pope rasped with his weak voice, "Come closer... my child. Let me... look at the man who... shook the foundations... of the South.""Your Holiness!" Morcant stepped forward, blocking the path. "He is a heretic! A revolutionary who consorts with non-humans! He should be on trial, not at the foot of the throne!""Step aside, Morcant," Cardinal Beaumont snapped from the Progressive side. "The Holy Father summoned him. Or have you forgotten who holds the Keys of Theus?"The tension in the room spiked. The Theus Knights shifted slightly, their gauntlets creaking."Peace," the Pope whispered. The single word held absolute authority. Morcant froze, his face twisting in frustration, but he stepped back.Alexius ascended the steps, followed closely by the disguised Archmage Ignis. He stopped a few feet from the throne. Up close, the aura of the curse was nauseating. It was a black, oily miasma that clung to the Pope's skin, visible only to those with high-level spiritual perception. It was eating him alive, consuming his life force to feed something distant and terrible."They say... You abolished slavery," the Pope murmured, "They say... you broke the chains... of the feudal lords. Are you... a destroyer... or a builder?""I am a gardener, Your Holiness," Alexius replied with confidence, "Sometimes, weeds must be pulled for the garden to flourish. I pulled the weeds of my kingdom so that all my people could grow in the sun."A faint, cracked smile touched the Pontiff's lips. "A gardener... Theus was... a gardener first..."Suddenly, the Pope convulsed. His body arched in agony, a guttural gasp escaping his lips. The black miasma flared, turning the air around him freezing cold."Holy Father!" Cardinal Beaumont cried out, rushing forward."Stay back!" Ignis barked. The disguised Archmage stepped past Alexius; his scholar's hunch is telling him not to touch the man sitting on the throne. "Do not touch him unless you wish to feed the parasite."Cardinal Morcant's eyes narrowed. "Who is this old fool who dares command a Cardinal of the Church?"Ignis ignored him. He looked at the curse with clinical fascination. "It is a Soul-Eater, Ancient magic. Nasty work. It is not just killing him; it is using him as a battery. It is draining his divine power and funneling it somewhere else.""Can you break it?" Alexius asked."With fire? Easily," Ignis scoffed. "But the old man would turn to ash along with the curse. To remove it without killing the host... that requires a scalpel, not a hammer.""What are you whispering about?" Morcant demanded, signaling the guards. "Seize them! They are agitating the Holy Father!"Two Theus Knights stepped forward, their blades sliding half an inch from their scabbards."Stop," Alexius commanded. 'He is so annoying,' thought, and He released a fraction of his Sovereign Aura. It crashed against the Knights, halting them for a heartbeat.He turned to the assembly."The Holy Father is not dying of natural causes. He is being murdered."Silence, absolute and terrified, slammed into the room."Lies!" Bishop Valerius shouted from the back, "Blasphemy!""Is it?" Alexius pointed at the Pope. "Look at him. The cold sweat. The shadows under the skin. The specific magical signature of a curse designed to erode the soul. This is the work of a Demon Lord, or rather, inner work?"He looked directly at Cardinal Morcant. "And for a curse of this magnitude to take hold of the Vicar of Theus... the caster would need a conduit. Someone close. Someone inside these walls."Morcant's face went purple. "You accuse the Curia of treason? Of diabolism?""I accuse no one yet," Alexius said, "But I offer a solution."He turned back to the Pope, whose breathing had stabilized but remained ragged."Your Holiness, the physicians of the Holy See have failed you because they are treating a sickness of the body, not an assault on the soul. My companion here," he gestured to Ignis, "is the greatest scholar of arcane phenomena on the continent. And I possess... the power... that can purge this darkness."He produced a small vial from his belt, a high-grade Elixir crafted by Albert in the Royal Labs, which can cure almost every illness. However, to cure the Demon Lord Curse, it has to be Legendary Grade of Exilir, which can only be done with devotion and holy ritual, not even a Cardinal can do that, only the circulation of the years of devotion of prayers by all the believers combined, including the Pope himself."Give me three days," Alexius declared, facing the Cardinals. "Three days to perform a ritual of cleansing. If I fail, take my head. Take my Principality But if I succeed... then you will know who truly stands with the Light."Cardinal Orelia, the Neutralist, stepped forward for the first time, "And if we refuse?""Then the Pope dies within the week," Alexius stated bluntly. "And the Holy See falls into civil war while the true enemy laughs in the shadows."Orelia studied him for a long, agonizing moment. Then she looked at the dying Pope, and then at Morcant's furious, shifting eyes."I vote to grant the Prince his request," she declared."We vote yes!" Beaumont and another one added instantly.Morcant looked around, teeth gritting. He was outvoted 3 to 2. If he refused now, it would look like he wanted the Pope to die."Three days," Morcant spat, "You will be confined to the guest chambers of the Palace. If the Holy Father breathes his last while under your care... You will not leave this city alive."Alexius bowed. "Three days is all I need."As the guards escorted them out, Alexius glanced back. He saw Bishop Valerius whispering frantically into Cardinal Morcant's ear. The trap was set. The diagnosis was made. But the cure would require more than just magic—it would require surviving the assassins that were surely coming for them tonight. (Continue....)