I wasn't entirely sure this would work. If I couldn't handle it, Professor A Kai could always turn himself in to the Institute.
The point of scratching his head was, naturally, to try to dispel the "curse."
My experience helping the little mermaid princess Ninianni in the Sea of Ashes last time had shown, to some extent, that this worked better.
And after the battle in the Western Plains, the Return Edict had been reconstructed from the ground up and reborn. If it still couldn't address the curse, then the nature of this curse would become all the more fascinating.
Of course, what was even more fascinating was what the Institute—or the Night Watchers—would do in that situation.
"Thank you. I think I can feel something, too. There is something a little off."
Though A Kai had been startled at first, his comprehension was undoubtedly up to par. He instantly realized that Professor Fu was going to deal with the "minor inconvenience" he was carrying first.
On the one hand, he was shocked by Professor Fu's methods. This power, which had only just been described in increasingly terrifying terms, was being dealt with as casually as if it were nothing.
On the other hand, A Kai trusted him enough not to pull his head away, and cooperated by describing what he was feeling.
"But even with that expectation in mind, it still doesn't feel all that intense. It's more like my mind isn't quite clear... The curse is high-ranking, but it seems relatively mild?"
As he spoke, A Kai seemed to think of something, and a trace of uncertainty crossed his face.
"After all, it's a fear of withering away, not of dropping dead."
Fu Qian offered a casual comment but didn't dismiss what A Kai was feeling.
"Do you