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Odovish watched the elf for a long while, only looking away after confirming that she was not merely putting on a brave front. "Let's go see where the candy came from."

Elufiel led the mage to find the old woman selling candy, but as soon as they reached the main street, they found an atmosphere of panic spreading through the crowd. People gathered in small groups, discussing things like "candy" and "witches." A middle-aged man holding a child was shouting before a group of people in knightly armor, "Please save my child."

The elf and the mage exchanged a look. The curse had been discovered.

Elufiel still held the bag of candy in her hand when a knight approached her. "Did you buy candy from the evil Arcane mage? Hand it over."

Elufiel handed him the bag of candy, and the knight took it and turned to leave.

"Wait." Elufiel called after him. "Who can lift the curse?"

The knight frowned and said coldly, "Who told you this is a curse? Do not spread rumors."

"This isn't a curse?" Elufiel could not believe something so obvious could be misunderstood—or perhaps concealed.

"Do not interfere with official business, or the church has the right to arrest you. And do not keep speaking of curses, or I will have reason to conclude that you are one of the evil Arcane mage's accomplices," the knight said.

After he turned back, Elufiel saw the middle-aged man holding the child rush up to him again. "Captain, please save my child. I am the Light God's most faithful believer. Why has my child suffered such a calamity? The physician said he is not suffering from ordinary poisoning. Could it be some kind of evil spell?"

The knight captain did not even spare him a proper glance before ordering someone to block him. "He should not have eaten an Arcane mage's candy."

Under the knight captain's lead, the other knights had already arrested the old woman selling candy. The little cart piled high with candy was left standing alone in the middle of the road, and everyone kept their distance from it.

More and more people joined the middle-aged man. They begged the knights to save their children, yet received no response.

Elufiel watched it all coldly, as if it were a farce playing out on the street. "Do humans not even dare face a curse? Followers of a god? Has their god saved them?"

"Miracles have always appeared only in the Holy See's proclamations and praises," Odovish replied to the elf. His gaze passed through the crowd and fixed on the old woman held by the knights.

There was not the slightest panic or fear on her aged face. Instead, she wore a strange smile. She meekly accepted being taken into custody, put on shackles, and was dragged along the road. One knight pushed the little cart behind her as the group slowly made its way toward the small square ahead.

A platform of dry firewood had already been erected in the square. Knights dressed in silver-white uniforms took custody of the old woman and bound her to a cross, placing the little cart beside the pile of wood.

Torches were lit, and lamp oil was poured.

When the first tongue of flame licked at the firewood, the old woman's frantic laughter rang out in a hoarse, dry voice. "You people who call yourselves righteous took my son's life, branded him a demon, and drained his blood dry. Today, I will repay you with vengeance. I curse your children to die in weakness, beyond the reach of medicine and healers. I want you to feel my pain. And your church, your god—no one will save you. Hahahaha, no one will save you!"

Her body was swallowed by flames, and thick black smoke drifted out. It was not the smoke of ordinary burning, but the ominous aura of a curse.

The black curse lingered above the square. People began screaming and fleeing in panic. After a brief moment of confusion, the silver-clad knights formed a circle back to back. They loudly praised the Light God, and a faint halo spread from their center. The terrified crowd instinctively moved closer to the silver-clad knights, only to be harshly rebuked.

Amid the chaos, Elufiel and Odovish stood out in particular. With a wave of her hand, the elf raised a Power Word: Shield around them. Beneath the sky shrouded in black smoke, its pale golden radiance even surpassed the halo formed by the silver-clad knights together.

The mage pointed at the silver-clad knights and softly said to Elufiel, "They are Paladins under the church."

Elufiel glanced at them before looking away. "I did not see the humility and compassion a Paladin should possess."

The mage remained silent. Should he tell the elf? Paladins were now merely weapons of the Holy See. The eight knightly virtues in their code—humility, honesty, compassion, valor, justice, sacrifice, honor, and spirituality—had long been cast into some neglected corner, lying silent beneath dust.

As the black aura symbolizing the curse dissipated, the flames consumed the old woman's body, and the burning firewood crackled. It was as though people had found their courage again. They loudly chanted hymns, seeking comfort for their hearts.

Elufiel turned to ask the mage, "The curse has already spread. Are we still staying in this city?"

Odovish did not answer her immediately. Instead, he quickly led Elufiel away from the square.

The mage walked so fast that Elufiel had no choice but to jog.

"What is it?" Elufiel asked, confused.

Odovish glanced back at her. "As you can see, more than half the commoners in this city have been infected by the curse. This situation is enough to bring out high-ranking divine spellcasters. The Paladins will soon issue an order to seal the city. We must leave before that happens. You should know that my little trinket is only a crude product; it cannot fool a grand divine spellcaster's True Sight."

Hearing this, Elufiel touched her pointed ears hidden beneath her hat. She had not expected the mage to be thinking of her.

The two soon arrived at the city gate. Thanks to the mage's quick response, no restrictions had yet been set at the gate, and people could still come and go freely.

Odovish led Elufiel eastward, leaving the smooth road and entering a small forest. "Once we pass through these woods, we'll reach Ata Town. It's a shortcut, but few commoners take it. Many aggressive wild beasts live in the forest, and because of that, junior students from the nearby warrior academy often come here for training. But it is Frostmoon now, so we will not run into any students. We only need to watch out for beasts that may pounce from the shadows at any time."