CH668 A Charlatan’s Treatment

***

Dalton collapsed forward onto all fours, panting heavily like a man who had just survived drowning.

Moments later, both the black-gold Curse Sigil and the pale golden ring faded, disappearing back beneath his skin.

"How do you feel?" Alex asked calmly.

"What... just happened?" Dalton replied between ragged breaths.

"The potion cleansed the curse residue spread throughout your body. However, the root of the curse itself remains untouched." Alex explained.

"The remnants of the potion are temporarily suppressing it for now, but that effect will eventually fade. When it does, the curse will begin spreading through your body again."

"So... I’ll need to continue taking the treatment potion?" Dalton asked.

"Yes." Alex nodded. "But be warned—the more you take it, the more both the curse and your body itself will develop tolerance toward it."

He paused before continuing.

"Also, I cannot say for certain, but I suspect the curse may return even stronger once the potion’s effect fully wears off. We’ll only know for sure when that time comes."

"Anyway, if you want to monitor how much time remains, channel your Combat Energy and focus it toward your forehead. The script should appear again and reveal the state of the seal—if we can call it that."

Dalton followed the instruction immediately.

The imprisoned Curse Sigil reappeared on his forehead.

It worked, though somewhat inconveniently. He needed some form of reflection to actually check it properly.

’It would’ve been much better if it appeared on my hand or something.’ he complained inwardly.

However, beggars could not be choosers.

Dalton was simply grateful to have the curse suppressed, even if only temporarily.

He sent his senses inward, carefully examining the state of his own body.

For the first time in longer than he could vividly remember, he did not feel the constant ache that had tormented him for so many years—pain so persistent that he had long since grown numb to it simply to survive.

There was no drag in the flow of his Combat Energy.

There was no subconscious restraint warning him not to push too far for fear of losing control.

After enduring the agony of the sealing process, Dalton Asheton felt... lighter.

Lighter than he could remember ever feeling.

His energy flowed exactly as he wished. His strength responded without hesitation. He felt as though he could finally exert his full power again without fearing the curse’s backlash.

It was an intoxicating feeling—one he had no desire to ever lose again.

"At your current strength, the seal should last for about one month before it breaks and the curse begins to rebound." Alex informed him.

"So we’ll need the cure if we want this to become permanent?" Dalton asked.

"Yes. I’m afraid so." Alex nodded plainly.

He then walked over to the four barrels filled with divine energy-charged purified beast blood and dropped one Greater Cleansing Pill into each of them.

The barrels bubbled for a few seconds, though nowhere near as violently as the cup Dalton had drunk from.

"Take these with you. A gift." Alex said, pointing toward the barrels. "You can distribute them to the rest of your men. For those around your level, it should suppress the curse for about a day. Longer if they are weaker."

Dalton blinked.

"Wait. So, diluting one pill into a cup lasts for a month, but diluting it into an entire barrel only lasts for a day?" he asked.

"Yes. That is generally how concentration and dilution work." Alex replied, raising an eyebrow as though the question itself was strange.

"Then why dilute them into barrels at all? Four extra pills would mean four extra months for me—or a month each for the other captains." Dalton pointed out.

Alex frowned.

"I assumed you cared about your men enough to want them to experience the same relief you are feeling right now. Was I mistaken?" he asked, his gaze fixed sharply on Dalton.

The pressure behind that calm stare was far heavier than any shouting could have been.

A moment later, Alex eased his expression and simply shook his head.

"If you don’t want them, you are more than welcome to leave the barrels here." he said dismissively.

"I believe what my colleague is trying to say is that we would have preferred the chance to make that decision ourselves." Lady Rosa Mercier quickly interjected.

"Like I said, this was a gift. It is within my right to give a gift however I choose." Alex replied calmly.

"My intention was never to give that gift to only one person—or even just a few high-ranking individuals. It was meant for your entire organisation, all of whom are undoubtedly suffering under the same curse and illness."

"Surely, Young Master Alex, you do not mean to imply that we were only entitled to a single pill?" Lady Rosa pressed.

"That is exactly what I mean." Alex nodded without yielding even an inch.

"Where I come from, when the alchemist provides the ingredients, they must first recover both the material cost and the remuneration for their labour and expertise.

"As you can clearly see, we used quite a lot of materials." He gestured toward the empty sacks littered around the cauldron.

"The refinement itself was far from simple. On top of that, I used my own proprietary method to ensure the highest possible efficacy for the medicine, guaranteeing that you would not need to worry about medicinal impurities entering your body and worsening the strain already caused by the curse.

"All of that increases the cost."

He paused briefly before delivering the final point.

"But most importantly, our agreement was only for a single potion to treat Captain Dalton’s condition. One pill was sufficient for that purpose. Which means the remaining pills are mine to keep."

"But it is not as though you provided every material yourself." Lady Rosa countered smoothly. "We provided the three divine statues required for the refinement. That alone should carry immense value and should have increased our share."

"It is not about how many statues you brought," Alex replied, equally calm, "but about the quality and quantity of divine energy they actually contained. And frankly, the three statues you provided were lacking.

"I had to forcefully drain them dry to meet even the minimum requirements of the potion."

His expression hardened slightly.

"That exertion alone will leave me unable to refine potions—or pills—for some time. Naturally, I need to be compensated for that as well."

He shook his head, then his tone returning to its usual composed calm.

"I understood from the start that this could become an unnecessary back-and-forth, which is precisely why I chose an alternative solution that benefits both sides. I fail to see the problem."

Lady Rosa was left momentarily speechless by Alex’s words.

’What do you mean you don’t see the problem? This is a medicine that suppresses a curse which has plagued our men for years—a medicine you yourself said would gradually lose effectiveness as tolerance builds, while the curse rebounds stronger each time.

’It is practically an addictive treatment we will be forced to keep taking until the cure is found.

’And you expect us to distribute that to all our people? How is that any different from asking us to become completely dependent on you?’ she thought, inwardly exasperated.

"You can speak with Zora regarding payment." Alex said calmly, motioning toward her. "You may also schedule future treatment potions with her—or when you finally decide you are ready to discuss the cure."

With that, Alex turned and walked away without giving Lady Rosa another chance to argue, leaving her squarely at Zora’s mercy.

This was a woman who commanded respect from Grand Mages and Legends alike as the Majordomo of the DragonHold Enclave. She could make even the powerful Merlin Pendragon move according to her will, at times.

A couple of relative nobodies like Dalton and Rosa would not even fill the gaps between her teeth.

Zora’s professional smile widened ever so slightly as she politely ushered the two guests away.

About an hour later, Alex stood by the window of the mansion’s study, watching the BattleBane carriage leave the estate grounds.

Moments later, Zora entered the room with an update.

"They said they will speak with their leader regarding the cure and get back to us." she reported.

"What do you think?" Alex asked.

"As expected, Silver Tongue—your performance was convincing. They are hooked now. They cannot help it." Zora replied.

Alex smiled wryly at the mention of that nickname.

There was no washing that stain away. At least, not where Zora was concerned.

"I expect favourable news before the day ends." she predicted.

Alex nodded solemnly.

Later that same night, exactly as Zora had predicted, a secret missive arrived inviting Alex to a private meeting with the BattleBane leader.

The BattleBanes wanted to discuss the price of the cure.

Meanwhile, Alex was far more curious about something else entirely—what exactly had the BattleBanes done to earn themselves a divine curse in the first place?

It seemed that, within a few hours, both sides would finally have their curiosities satisfied.

***