As the barrier of black threads unraveled, nothing blocked their path. The massive rock slid aside with ease.
Iris and Theodore exchanged glances, nodded in silent agreement, and stepped inside.
Though they moved cautiously on tiptoe, Theodore’s steps gradually quickened.
I hear something.
It was a faint groan—half like a cry, half like someone calling out.
This cavern is surprisingly deep.
It was so vast it felt unnatural, as if it had only just come into existence.
This is near the imperial capital’s hunting grounds.
As the steward of the Sacred Festival, Iris was well acquainted with significant locations used for major events.
Yet she had never heard of a place like this.
The hunting ritual is usually conducted under strict supervision…
She had never seen such a cavern during her previous inspections.
Then,
What is that in front of me?
Iris’s eyes caught the sight of shattered fragments.
Something dark and twisted lay broken, resembling a ruined clockwork mechanism.
“Do you know what these things around here might be?”
Iris asked Theodore, hoping he might have insight given his direct involvement with the incident.
But Theodore’s response was unexpected.
“Huh? Things around here?”
His eyes darted nervously.
“Are you saying there’s something invisible nearby?”
“No, everything looks broken beyond repair. There’s no need to worry.”
Relieved by her words, Theodore nodded and pressed forward.
Why am I the only one who can see this?
Deeper inside, the fragments became clearer.
They looked like shattered clock springs.
Inscribed on each piece were characters resembling those tattooed on Theodore’s body.
Beneath those runes were faces twisted in agony, dying in torment.
It’s horrifying.
It might be better if Theodore couldn’t see this.
Perhaps these images represented the future Theodore would face if Iris hadn’t saved him.
As the black stalactites covering the cavern ceiling slowly faded from view and the fragments disappeared,
“Parrot!”
Theodore called out desperately, rushing toward a small platform.
Parrot?
Running closer, they found a small bird with sky-blue feathers and a golden beak, panting heavily and lying weakly.
So “Parrot” was the parrot’s name.
This little creature was Theodore’s only family.
No wonder it didn’t sound like a person’s name.
Its condition mirrored Theodore’s—its body covered in mysterious markings and drenched in blood.
But—
“The bleeding won’t stop…”
Cradling the tiny blue parrot in his hands, Theodore gasped for breath and wept.
“Knight, can you save Parrot too?”
Theodore’s emerald eyes, clouded with tears, looked up at Iris.
Iris said nothing, simply gazing at the parrot nestled in Theodore’s arms.
When Theodore had first said it was family, Iris had naturally assumed it was a person.
“There’s a chance things could go wrong.”
Since the Holy Sword had already healed Theodore, Iris had hoped even if disaster struck, there was a strong chance to save the parrot as well.
‘But with beasts… it may not be the same.’
There was no guarantee the Sacred Sword would absorb and dispel the cursed script once again.
‘Still… I have to try.’
“I’ll do everything within my power—for the sake of your kin.”
Even if, in truth, there was little Iris could do on her own.
With anxious eyes, Iris clutched the brooch tightly.
But what if this went wrong?
‘No… I trust Theodore. Even if this ends up costing Cedric his life—’
The secret of the Sacred Sword… could never be worth more than a life fading away.
Iris turned to Theodore.
“Young Master.”
“Yes…?”
“I’m trusting you to keep this secret.”
And with that, Iris drew the Sacred Sword from its sheath.
Theodore’s eyes widened in astonishment.
‘That sword… it’s the one I saw.’
The divine blade shimmered with golden light, a sacred white sword resting in Iris’s grasp.
‘No way… is that the Sacred Sword?’
The aura it radiated was so holy, so overwhelming, it seemed to step straight out of myth.
‘Wasn’t the Sacred Sword just a legend?’
Blinking in disbelief, Theodore could only watch as Iris gently approached the small parrot, handling it with utmost care—like a sacred maiden from tales long past.
‘Don’t tell me… is she truly a Saint?’
Iris brought the Sacred Sword closer to the parrot’s fragile body.
At once, a stream of golden radiance flowed from the blade.
That divine light surged toward the black script on the parrot’s feathers, pulling the curse into itself.
But something was off.
Though the cursed script was absorbed, more letters kept reappearing in its place.
‘Last time… I was able to read the script first.’
Though the situation had changed, they still knew nothing about the exact nature of this curse—there was little to act on.
As before, Iris focused her spiritual perception, attempting to decipher the black letters, just as she had with Theodore.
But the characters carved into the parrot’s feathers were so tiny that she could hardly make them out.
“…Stained in the blood of the soul—”
The parrot let out a weak gasp, its blue feathers trembling. The movement distorted the writing each time it shifted.
Even so, Iris remained calm and centered, refusing to let her focus waver.
“—Prove its worth through sacrifice alone—”
The golden light flowing from the Sacred Sword began to erase the black script at a quicker pace.
‘Just as I thought. Reading the script hastens its erasure.’
She was beginning to understand how to wield the Sacred Sword's purifying power.
‘If this continues…’
Just like she had saved Theodore, she could save this tiny parrot too.
Hope swelled within her as she gently began wiping away the curse.
But then—
Vrrrm—!
The sword’s radiance suddenly surged, growing more intense.
The cursed script vanished even faster—but in exchange, the parrot’s blood began to flow more quickly.
Its faint, shallow breathing grew quieter by the second.
“…Parrot!”
Theodore cried out, his voice breaking with sorrow.
“Parrot! Please, just a bit longer—hang on!”
But at this rate, the creature wouldn’t survive until the curse was fully removed.
Gritting her teeth, Iris pulled the Sacred Sword away.
At once, the curse retaliated—splintering into countless finer glyphs, now even more violently scrawled across the parrot’s fragile body.
The situation had worsened.
‘I was too hasty…’
And finally, Iris understood—
how the Sacred Sword truly erased curses.
Chapter 73