Chapter 557: Breaking The Seal
"What we’re about to do is actually quite simple," Lorelle began.
Everyone had gathered inside the warehouse once more. The plan was to crack open the skull and remove whatever was hidden inside it.
"Protection magic usually has certain patterns or codes that need to be solved first. But since this is ancient magic, many mages and witches have spent years studying it. Most of the common combinations have already been figured out."
She paused before continuing. "Of course, there are still many ancient spells we don’t fully understand. But protection magic is one of the most researched areas because people are always trying to open old artifacts and uncover their secrets, so—"
"Lorelle," Leofric cut in, reminding her that she didn’t need to explain all of that to everyone.
She blinked and immediately realized she had gotten carried away. "Right. Sorry."
Turning back to Edmund, she said, "What I’m trying to say is that I’ve already studied this type of magic before. That’s why I know how to open it. However, I’ll still need your help to actually do it."
Primrose raised her hand halfway. "In other words, there won’t be any victims, right?"
Lorelle didn’t answer immediately. After a moment, she said, "That depends, but I’ll try as hard as I can to prevent any casualties."
Inside her mind, however, her thoughts were far less comforting. [She looks so nervous. Maybe I shouldn’t tell her that there’s also a pretty high chance this could fail.]
The corner of Primrose’s eye twitched. That thought alone almost made her reconsider the entire plan.
Maybe they shouldn’t do this and maybe they should just leave the skull alone, but then she remembered what would happen if they waited too long.
If the old God continued recovering its strength, what was currently a simple procedure could become something far more dangerous later.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay calm. "Alright," she said at last. "But what do we do after Edmund cracks open the skull?"
Lorelle smiled or at least, she tried to. Her porcelain face made even the simplest expressions look stiff. "We’ll move whatever is inside into a new container."
At that moment, Leofric stepped forward and placed a small black chest on the table. The chest was plain in appearance, but something about it made everyone instinctively uneasy.
"Until we find a way to completely destroy God’s remains," Leofric explained, "I can seal it inside this evil chest using a new layer of protection magic."
Primrose frowned. "An evil chest?" she repeated. "Sir Leofric, doesn’t that sound dangerous?"
"It is very dangerous indeed," Leofric admitted with a cheerful smile, but his answer did not make anyone feel better.
He casually patted the black chest several times. "If we place someone’s personal belongings inside this chest, that person will be cursed until the item is removed."
The room immediately grew quieter. Leofric, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered. "But, Your Majesty, sometimes even a demon can be useful."
Edmund nodded in understanding. "If both cursed artifacts are busy trying to overpower each other, then neither of them will have enough time to recover their strength."
Leofric immediately pointed at him. "Exactly!"
He clapped his hands once, looking pleased that someone understood his idea. "That gives us more time and right now, time is exactly what we need."
Primrose took several deep breaths before finally speaking. "Well... since this is your area of expertise, I’ll leave it in your hands, Sir Leofric."
She then turned her head. "And Lorelle, of course."
Now that Primrose had finally given her approval, they could begin the procedure.
One by one, everyone else left the warehouse. In the end, only Edmund, Primrose, Lorelle, and Leofric remained.
It wasn’t that the others weren’t curious. They simply couldn’t afford to take the risk. If something went wrong, anyone nearby could end up caught in the aftermath.
Edmund walked over and stopped directly in front of the skull. Lorelle stood beside him, while Primrose stayed farther away with Leofric. But even from that distance, she could still hear Edmund’s thoughts clearly.
"Edmund, I’ll stay with you the entire time," Lorelle said. "So don’t be scared."
Edmund looked at her in confusion. "I’m not scared."
In truth, he wasn’t afraid for himself. Deep down, he was afraid that if something went wrong, he would leave Primrose a widow or worse, cause her to die alongside him.
"Oh, of course you’re not," Lorelle said with a nod, patting his back. "Now listen carefully to my voice and focus on what’s in front of you. Don’t start thinking about a hundred other things."
[That will be hard to do...] Edmund thought. [Maybe I need my wife’s kiss first—no, there’s no time for that. Or maybe there is?]
[Edmund, focus!] he scolded himself.
Across the room, Primrose pressed a hand against her forehead and shook her head. Even at a time like this, he was still thinking about kisses.
If she could send her thoughts directly into his mind, she would have told him to stop being ridiculous and pay attention.
"Understood," Edmund said aloud, forcing himself to sound serious.
Lorelle nodded. "You can write ancient runes, can’t you?"
The question was a little late considering where they were in the process, but Edmund answered anyway. "Yes. Maybe not perfectly, but I can."
After all, he had spent some time living with Leofric and Lorelle, so it was only natural that he had learned quite a bit about magic.
"Good," Lorelle said. "Then let’s start with the glass box."
Edmund carefully removed all the paper amulets attached to the glass box. Since Leofric had sealed it shut, the only way to open it was by breaking it with a hammer.
Fortunately, Edmund was skilled at using a hammer, allowing him to keep the damage to a minimum.
"Do you feel anything?" Lorelle asked quickly. "Is the skull trying to talk to you again?"
"No, not yet." Edmund tilted his head slightly, listening for any strange voices or sounds inside his mind. But aside from his own overthinking thoughts, there was nothing else.
"That’s good. That’s good," Lorelle said with a relieved nod. "Maybe the skull—"
"I see. You’re still with that scheming wife of yours."