IMPRISONED FOR A TRILLION YEARS, I WAS WORSHIPPED BY ALL GODS!

The sacred light radiating from the holy sword-staff in Alan’s hand grew brighter and brighter, shining with such intensity that it threatened to blind anyone who dared to look directly at it.

The gray-haired woman’s expression shifted—urgency flickered in her eyes. She clenched her teeth and quickly shouted, “Stop!”

Alan narrowed his eyes and barked back, “Not until you promise not to kill me!”

“I promise.”

Without hesitation, the woman lifted her hand, touching her shoulders and forehead in a practiced motion, and traced the sign of the cross across her chest.

In Kent Kingdom, this was no ordinary gesture—it was the highest form of oath and etiquette, a sacred rite that, if broken, would be met with divine punishment. Any who swore falsely would be cast straight into the fires of Hell by the will of God.

Only after seeing this did Alan finally withdraw the holy sword-staff, allowing its light to dissipate.

The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere evaporated in an instant.

The gray-haired woman sighed deeply and muttered, “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“Likewise,” Alan replied with a faint smirk, stepping forward to help support her once more as they began walking again.

They had only walked a few paces when the woman suddenly asked, “You’re not with the Church, are you?”

Alan didn’t confirm or deny the accusation. Instead, he tilted his head and asked, “What makes you say that?”

“It’s obvious,” she replied calmly.

She continued analyzing the situation aloud: “You’re too young to be part of the Church’s upper echelon, and you showed up before their pursuers did. That’s already suspicious.”

“Plus, even though you clearly knew I stole a scroll from the Church, you showed no interest in retrieving it.”

“In other words, that scroll isn’t your true objective… is it?”

Alan laughed awkwardly.

Being read like an open book left him with a strange mix of embarrassment and resignation. But at this point, there was no use hiding anything. They were already like grasshoppers tied to the same rope—bound by circumstance and danger alike.

Just as he was about to explain, the voice of the black-robed woman echoed in his mind again, her tone laced with rare urgency.

“It’s the Stone of Sage. The Sealed Artifact she previously came into contact with was the Stone of Sage!”

Alan nodded subtly, then said in a steady tone, “My real target… is the Stone of Sage.”

“The… Stone of Sage?” the woman repeated, her body tensing visibly. Her expression turned to one of growing disbelief.

“No… no, that’s impossible. That’s one of Kent Kingdom’s best-kept secrets. How would a kid from the Plantagenet Kingdom even know it exists?”

Alan furrowed his brows. “That’s none of your business. Just tell me where the Stone of Sage is. If you do, I won’t lead the Church’s pursuers straight to you. Otherwise—well, we’ll both die right here.”

The woman looked conflicted, torn between self-preservation and protecting the ancient knowledge she possessed. Kent Kingdom was now so close—she could almost smell its soil. She’d come too far to lose the scroll or her life now.

After a long moment of deliberation, she exhaled a deep breath and finally said, “Fine. I’ll tell you the location of the Stone of Sage.”

“Not good enough,” Alan responded flatly.

“I’m not stupid. Once you give me the information, what’s to stop you from killing me right after? You’ve still got the power.”

“I want more than just your word. Before we part ways, you’ll have to swear not to harm me in any way—physically, mentally, or even through intent.”

The woman glared at him, visibly annoyed. “I’ve told you already—I’m not going to kill you. My grudge is with the Church, not you. Why would I kill someone who’s done nothing to me?”

Alan gave her a crooked smile. “Sorry, miss. That’s exactly the kind of thing con artists say before signing a fake contract.”

“I don’t believe in verbal agreements. If you don’t want me drawing the Church’s pursuit to you, it’s simple—convert everything I said into a magical curse and engrave it onto yourself.”

He paused, pretending to consider.

“How about… a time limit of one month?”

The gray-haired woman’s glare grew icier. “Don’t push your luck, brat.”

Alan shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s not like I have the scroll.”

The two stood facing each other in silence, tension hanging heavy in the air.

In the end, it was the woman who gave in first. She let out a long sigh, as if conceding defeat. “Fine, fine. You win.”

“I’ll engrave the curse just like you said. If I violate it in any way, may the elemental forces backlash against me and claim my life.”

A moment later, Alan watched in awe as a cloud of pitch-black mist descended slowly from the sky.

Within the air, the mist formed into several arcane symbols, strange in shape and pulsating with dark energy. One by one, they affixed themselves to the upper thigh of the gray-haired woman.

After the ritual concluded, she turned toward Alan and beckoned him over.

“Your turn,” she said flatly. “A curse can’t just bind one side. As the recipient of the protection, you need to be marked as well.”

Alan didn’t think much of it. He stepped forward and offered his arm.

Black mist swirled once more, this time above Alan’s arm.

But then the woman grinned—her smile twisted with mischief.

“Just to be safe,” she said, “let me confirm the terms again. The curse is designed to prevent ‘me’ from harming you, correct?”

Alan, not sensing anything off, nodded. “Correct.”

“In that case…” Her smile widened. “Doesn’t that mean anyone else can still hurt you?”

“Wait, what?” Alan froze.

He looked up just in time to see the dark cloud above his arm morph into a strange pinkish vapor!

“What… What the hell is this?! That’s not a protective curse—what did you do?!”

The woman’s smile turned wicked as she tapped him on the nose playfully.

“You really didn’t know?”

“This is one of Kent Kingdom’s most infamous enchantments—the Lustful Binding Curse.”

“Anyone—and I mean anyone, man, woman, even those hyenas wandering the plains—will see you as their ‘ideal partner.'”

She leaned in closer, lowering her voice.

“In less poetic terms: you’ve just become everyone’s favorite object of desire.”

She tilted her head innocently.

“Those old geezers in the Church, who’ve practiced abstinence for decades, must be losing their minds by now. I wonder what’ll happen when they see a pretty boy like you show up… all vulnerable…”

Alan’s face went pale.

The woman gave his nose another mocking poke, then turned away, dragging her wounded body as she tried to escape.

But in that very moment, the dormant Hell realm within Alan suddenly roared to life.

A thorned whip of hellfire, blazing with infernal energy, burst forth from his body and lashed around the woman’s ankle.

She hadn’t expected this at all.

Panicking, she tried to summon dark element energy to shield herself.

But compared to the overwhelming blaze of Hell, her dark mana was like cotton against steel.

In less than a second, her defense was pierced through—completely shattered.

The fiery whip tightened, binding her legs and pulling her to the ground like a helpless fawn, writhing and struggling as the flames of Hell wrapped around her.

Alan’s eyes glinted coldly.

Now it was his turn to hold the power.

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