Unorthodox Treatment

As we enter the room, Ciel is thrashing on his bed and sweating profusely at the far end of the room. Seranova runs as fast as he can toward Ciel, kneeling next to him while holding his left hand. “Your Highness! Please wake up and calm yourself. You’re okay… It’s just a dream!”

Even just by looking at him, I can feel his pain…

“I’ll get some warm water and a towel right away!” Amelle immediately raises her hand.

“Please… Thank you, Mademoiselle Amelle.”

Amelle darts out of the room at full speed, her footsteps fading down the corridor.

“May I borrow your chair?”

“You may, Mademoiselle… Please, sit.”

Hearing his confirmation, I place my bag on the table. From inside the bag, I take a single sheet from the stack of paper tied with a thin red rope, a jar of Far Eastern calligraphy ink made with soot, and a brush made from a mix of goat and wolf hair.

I set down a small inkstone from my bag and pour in the soot ink, then mix it with animal glue using the brush.

I begin to write the ancient Far Eastern character I’ve learned. This time, I will try to make the character for ‘absorb’.

I pour my mana into the brush the same way I do with my sword. I stroke the paper, creating the ancient Far Eastern character for ‘absorb’. A single mistake in writing or a fluctuation in my mana flow will force me to remake the entire thing.

Once I finish, I place my hand over the paper and offer a quiet prayer.

“O God, bless this talisman to ease the burden our friend Ciel is carrying. Amen.”

I learned this technique from Father Graham—combining Western holy blessings with Far Eastern talisman crafting makes the effect much more potent.

The characters I’ve written light up with a gentle blue glow.

“Lord Seranova, please step back,” I say softly, stepping up to the bedside and placing the glowing paper on Ciel’s chest.

Ciel’s heavy breathing evens out, the harsh tension leaving his small frame as he settles into a peaceful, sound sleep. Suddenly, the paper turns pitch-black, bursting into silent black flames before burning into a pile of ash across Ciel's shirt.

“What in the world…” I step back in horror as the talisman proves completely ineffective.

“M-Mademoiselle Luminera! What happened?! Did the seal fail?!” Seranova panics, seeing me lose my composure for a moment.

“It’s hard to explain!” I try to explain what happened, wanting to keep Seranova from worrying too much. “I was mistaken in my approach. The seal I drew was meant to absorb the leaking negative power, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

I dart back to the table once more, pulling another sheet of paper and starting to write another talisman. This time, rather than creating an absorption talisman, I write another character that is able to make a defensive layer designed to keep the negative energy from leaking outward.

“I am sorry, but absorbing it won't work—the only thing I can do is construct a barrier to contain the leak at its source. It won’t cure Prince Ciel, but it is something I must do to keep everyone safe.”

Finalising the characters for ‘barrier’, I put my hand on the parchment and offer another quiet prayer. I fold the parchment neatly and slip it inside a small piece of cloth that I manually shape into a pouch, threading a length of cord through it to secure the top.

Stepping back toward the bedside, I carefully place the pouch on Ciel’s chest.

Carrying a basin of warm water and a fresh towel, Amelle bursts back into the room in haste, her glistening sweat and damp uniform making her look like someone who just sprinted for her life to save Ciel.

“I brought the supplies!”

Amelle pulls one of the chairs from the table over to Ciel’s bed. She begins to gently wipe the sweat from Ciel's forehead before resting the warm, damp towel across his brow.

Seranova stands near the foot of the bed—unlike his usual energetic behaviour, he now looks completely drained. “Mademoiselles… I am truly embarrassed. Neither of you possesses the power to negate spirit power, yet you were brave enough to take action for someone you have just met today. Meanwhile, I simply stood here, utterly helpless…”

“Do not blame yourself, Lord Seranova. You do have a spirit that protects you, but you have taken care of the prince all this time without a single complaint, despite being a noble yourself. That in itself is something no ordinary person could do.”

A quiet murmur escapes Ciel’s lips as he comes to his senses.

“What? You… Amelle and Luminera? Why are you inside my room?!” The prince shrieks, scrambling frantically toward the far corner of the headboard, his hands grab the bedsheets tightly against his chest. “Get back! Please! You’ll get hurt if you stay near me!”

“We’re fine… As long as you keep that,” I say gently, pointing to the small pouch that has now fallen onto his legs. “That pouch contains a Far Eastern barrier seal reinforced with a Western blessing. It won't cure what is happening to you, but it can hold back Tyce’s influence from leaking out for a period of time.”

Ciel freezes, his body rigid as his eyes widen in pure shock. “How do you know that I am in a pact with Tyce?”

“…Tyce is pretty famous, Prince Ciel. I heard about a certain Franx royal princess who held that same power. She performed miracles across the country… I just never thought that you have a pact with the same spirit as her.”

“My big sister... Patricia,” he whispers, a bitter tone escaping his lips. “People called my big sister a saint, a hero, a miracle worker… But no one knew what those miracles actually cost… This is the misfortune of my whole empire that I bear.”

“I see… That’s why my first talisman was useless,” I say, trying to analyse the phenomenon like a scholar observing a rare experiment rather than showing a shred of fear or disgust.

“Huh?” Prince Ciel’s eyes widen, his red eyes sparkling like bright rubies as he stares at me in utter bewilderment.

I cross my arms slightly, resting a finger against my chin as I look him up and down. “If you have an entire empire's accumulated misfortune on you, then it makes complete sense that any method to absorb it would be useless.”

After I sigh in relief, I start to explain. “I thought my talisman-writing technique was flawed, but it was simply a matter of volume. Trying to absorb that much misfortune into a single paper talisman is like draining a lake with a glass.”

Ciel blinks, his jaw dropping as he clings to his bedsheets. “The chandelier that almost hit you fell because of me… You’re not afraid of me despite all of that?”

“I am not afraid of you!” Amelle grins.

“Why would we be? Especially now that my suppression method works,” I add. “But still, is the Royal Princess of Franx fine?”

“Big sister… She’s… still sleeping, even now. But it’s okay. I will save her!”

“I see… I hope your sister recovers.”

After a long silence, nothing happens inside the room. Ciel realises that for the first time in forever, he is able to communicate with people aside from Seranova.

“See? Nothing happened to us. As long as you keep that pouch nearby, Prince Ciel, the people around you should be safe.”

Amelle offers him a big smile on her facr. “You’ve been carrying so much all by yourself, Prince Ciel. But you don't have to run away from everyone anymore.”

Seranova wipes a tear from his eye, giving us a deep bow. “Mon Dieu! Mademoiselle Luminera, Mademoiselle Amelle… I am truly grateful. I don’t know how we will ever be able to repay this debt!”

“I did nothing of the sort… It seems Prince Ciel’s mana control is already better than that of most people I’ve met. It is all his own hard work. If it weren't, a simple barrier talisman wouldn't even be able to stem the dam.”

Ciel clutches the handmade pouch against his chest, tears finally spilling over his cheeks as he wipes them with his oversized uniform sleeve.

“Thank you… Thank you very much…”