SOTBW - 202

Venus turned to look at Gwyneth after gazing at the dimming window.

“Are you ready?”

Instead of answering, Gwyneth checked the prepared materials. On the desk lay a bowl of clean water, holy water, bandages, hemostatic agents, and a quill pen for inscribing the ritual.

Before beginning the experiment, Venus read aloud from a list of steps written on a piece of paper.

“The wound size will be less than the length of a finger joint. The ritual used will be the ‘Type 4 Structural Healing Ritual.’ To confirm whether the ritual holds, we’ll note the source of divine power. The command will specify using the divine power of Gwyneth Spello. If the ritual escapes both our control, we will sever the arm used in the experiment to prevent the worst-case scenario...”

Venus calmly looked down at his own arm. Even Gwyneth, who rarely showed nervousness, repeatedly wiped his face, betraying his anxiety.

“If you give your final consent to being used as the power source... I’ll begin the experiment.”

Instead of verbally agreeing, Gwyneth nodded with a forced calm expression. As soon as consent was given, Venus swiftly made a small cut on his palm with an extremely thin blade.

Bright red blood flowed along the lines of his palm. Gwyneth calmly picked up the quill and began inscribing the ritual onto Venus’s wrist. Having practiced countless times for this day, there were no mistakes.

Though the Type 4 ritual was perfectly inscribed and the quill set aside, the wound on the palm did not heal. Gwyneth sighed. Venus pressed a handkerchief against the wound and muttered indifferently:

“It seems there are additional conditions required to draw divine power from another person’s body. The first experiment is a failure.”

“Hurry up and stop the bleeding...”

“No. Rather than treating this and cutting my palm again...”

Recalling the sensation of the blade slicing through his skin, Venus grimaced and shook his head.

“Let’s move straight to the second experiment. The wound size will be the same as the first experiment, and we’ll use the same ‘Type 4 Structural Healing Ritual.’ This time, to check how long the ritual lasts, we’ll include a command specifying the use of the subject’s own divine power as the source. Similarly, if the ritual escapes control...”

“I get it, I get it, just be quiet for a moment.”

Gwyneth scolded Venus lightly as he began drawing the second ritual. His hands trembled slightly after having just seen the blood. Venus, feeling the tension, swallowed hard.

Even the slightest mistake while drawing the ritual would require starting over from the beginning. Though they had time to fail a few times, the fact that the bleeding on Venus’s palm hadn’t stopped was making Gwyneth anxious.

After focusing, Gwyneth infused divine power into the tip of the quill. However, due to his nervousness, he didn’t realize that the divine power wasn’t being applied to the ritual he was inscribing on Venus’s wrist but was instead flying off elsewhere. Strangely, though, the ritual seemed to be forming without any divine power at all.

Unaware of this oddity, Gwyneth continued drawing the simple loop-like ritual and finally inscribed the name of the power source—Venus Luamars—at the end. The moment he lifted the quill, the ritual inscribed on Venus glowed brightly.

Startled, Gwyneth stepped back. The Type 4 ritual on Venus’s wrist began spinning rapidly. At that moment, Gwyneth noticed something strange: the ritual had formed without any infusion of divine power.

Venus’s chest swelled with astonishment as he confirmed the ritual activating properly. He dropped the bloody handkerchief from his hand. The wound on his palm had vanished completely.

Carefully examining his palm under the sunlight, Venus rolled up his sleeve and inspected the ritual again. The inscription on his wrist was nowhere to be seen.

Without panicking, Gwyneth took Venus’s hand and activated his divine power. The vanished ritual reappeared. Venus marveled like a child before regaining his composure and locking eyes with Gwyneth.

“A truly permanent ritual. It’s somewhat paradoxical that it heals wounds using my own vitality, but...”

Venus touched the spot where the ritual had been inscribed and marveled once more. Gwyneth couldn’t fully understand why Venus was so excited about the ritual, but he nodded slightly, as if he could somewhat grasp the reason.

“Yes. Aside from that point, structurally, it’s perfect. With a bit more research on the commands, we might be able to develop an even better healing ritual. If we can figure out how to draw divine power from others...”

As Gwyneth reflected on the failed first experiment, he suddenly furrowed his brow, pondering the Type 4 structural ritual. Before discovering the new form of ritual structure within Najane’s body, they had strictly used one-time-use rituals.

For instance, healing rituals would vanish completely upon activation. So how does one erase a permanent ritual? Is there even a way to do so? Flustered, Gwyneth blinked rapidly and pointed to Venus’s wrist.

“By the way, Venus... Do you know how to destroy this ritual?”

“Of course not.”

“What?”

Gwyneth was shocked by Venus’s response. However, Venus calmly adjusted his rolled-up sleeve and gave Gwyneth a puzzled look for being so surprised.

“We’ll figure that out from now on. How am I supposed to know?”

“…Were you always this reckless?”

Gwyneth pressed his forehead in frustration, feeling a headache coming on. Venus tossed the blood-stained handkerchief into the fireplace and washed his hands in clean water.

“Don’t worry. Unlike knights, I don’t have dangerous situations to deal with.”

“Whether it’s dangerous or not, this is still too reckless! I naturally assumed there was a way to destroy it…!”

“I used vitality to heal the wound, but I don’t feel any significant energy leaving my body.”

Ignoring Gwyneth’s complaints, Venus gently stroked his own body and quietly marveled.

“If the ritual is inscribed somewhere invisible, no one would even realize it exists.”

Venus frowned slightly as he examined his perfectly healed palm, a chill running down his spine at the implications. If someone were to secretly inscribe this ritual on another person’s body and then administer poison, it would result in an impeccably perfect assassination.

Even if the target didn’t die immediately, they would gradually weaken and perish without anyone suspecting foul play. As long as the ritual activated successfully, the victim wouldn’t even realize they had been poisoned while their vitality slowly drained away.

This ritual was ripe for abuse in many ways.

“Did you clearly feel your divine power draining when you succeeded in inscribing the ritual?”

Venus sat at the desk to record precise notes. To develop new applications based on this ritual, he needed records as accurate as possible.

The ability of this ritual to heal extensive wounds had already been proven through Najane. Considering it had even treated internal injuries caused by sword qi, it might be capable of restoring severed limbs.

Of course, Venus had no intention of leaving such possibilities as mere speculation. When he swore to help Najane Schnicks, he believed that losing a wrist or two would be worth it if it meant verifying the ritual’s effectiveness.

Venus dipped the quill in ink, ready to jot down Gwyneth’s observations. But strangely, no response came. Gwyneth stood silently, stroking his chin with a contemplative expression.

Reluctantly breaking the silence, Gwyneth finally spoke.

“I didn’t use any divine power when inscribing the ritual on your wrist.”

Venus laughed incredulously at Gwyneth’s words.

“Drawing a ritual without divine power…”

“It doesn’t make sense, right? Yes, I know that much. But it’s true.”

Venus reluctantly began writing down Gwyneth’s statement but shrugged in bewilderment, giving him a look that begged for clarification.

But Gwyneth was equally perplexed. Though he spoke the truth and felt confident about it, even he found the idea of drawing a ritual without divine power utterly bizarre.

The two stared at each other in silence. It felt akin to attempting alchemy after hearing that gold could be made from dung and somehow succeeding purely by luck.

Without a clear explanation of the process, documenting it was impossible. Venus set the pen down and glared at his wrist with a serious expression. Gwyneth also grew solemn.

“Do you think rituals might share principles with curses? Curses are more like intricate drawings rather than rituals—anyone can draw them, but only special ones carry power. Theoretically, even a child could use curses like ‘Goat’s Curse’ or ‘Parrot’s Curse’ if they follow the rules and shapes correctly, right?”

“In theory, yes. I’ve heard merchants sell slaves marked with fake curse symbols all the time. But how many of those actually activate? Maybe one in ten thousand, if that. Najane Schnicks was just particularly unlucky. Unless a priest who has studied rituals extensively casts it…”

“What if this is the final form of the ritual created by Aron Noctis? He might have designed a special ritual for people without divine power.”

Venus furrowed his brow at Gwyneth’s deduction.

“Are you saying Aron created a paradoxical ritual that converts vitality into divine power to heal wounds?”

“The only rituals attributed to Aron that have survived are basic healing ones. Who knows? Maybe he experimented and created something strange like this. Who can say what happened in ancient times?”

“Just ask him.”

Venus retorted stubbornly, convinced that his inner hero would never create a ritual as cruel as this. At his words, Gwyneth let out a dry laugh, incredulous.

“What do you mean? Haven’t you been listening to me? I’ve told you several times—this ritual must remain a secret for now. If this gets out…”

“Then why not ask him?”

“Him?”

Gwyneth echoed the question with a frown, then grimaced.

“You don’t mean Mahilen, do you?”

Venus nodded.

Gwyneth grimaced further at the thought of Belshua’s sullen face.

“Do you really think he’d cooperate with something like this? Hmm, I feel like he’d reject us the moment we brought it up.”

Venus was freshly shocked by Gwyneth’s casual attitude, referring to the primordial dragon as if he were a next-door neighbor. Though he had acted nonchalant until now, the memory of meeting Mahilen still felt vivid.

Watching Gwyneth deep in thought, Venus muttered in astonishment:

“Do you really refer to him as ‘that guy’?”

“And you call him ‘His Excellency’?” 

Gwyneth replied matter-of-factly, leaving Venus speechless. It even left a bitter taste in Venus’s mouth, realizing how this highlighted the difference between sacred ability users and ordinary people.

“Why are you so negative about seeking help from him? Isn’t it hopeful enough that he’s part of the Romsoa Knights?”

“He’s not there because he wants to save the world. I don’t know much, but according to something Pope His Holiness once said, he’s there to observe something.”

“Do you think he wants to see humans win this war?”

“It’s not about winning or losing—it feels more like pure observation. Sometimes when I look at him, I wonder if he actually wants humanity to go extinct.”

“You’re being quite disrespectful in your distrust of him.”

“It’s not distrust. It’s a reasonable assumption.”

“I never expected to hear the words ‘reasonable’ and ‘assumption’ come out of your mouth…”

Venus expressed genuine admiration. Recalling the Gwyneth who used to argue fiercely with cardinals at the seminary made him feel a wave of nostalgia.

“Anyway, my point is that since he fought alongside Astrun, he must know a lot about rituals. While you’re pessimistic about receiving help from him, I’d kneel before the Emperor of the Astien Empire if it meant getting advice on this ritual. If we can develop a ritual to heal soldiers more easily, fighting against the Serith will become much simpler.”

Seeing Venus’s earnest attitude, Gwyneth reluctantly nodded.

“Fine, I suppose… asking him wouldn’t hurt…”