After sorting through the letters, Jerry gently opened the long wooden box. An exquisite wand lay quietly inside, a striking band of red patterns encircling its base.
"Whose wand is that?" Catherine asked, looking at the wand in the box. It seemed vaguely familiar.
Jerry smiled, then closed the lid and turned his gaze to Flory.
"Flory, how is your Blood Curse?" Jerry asked, frowning with apparent concern.
"I'm fine. After all these years, I've grown used to it," Flory replied calmly, his face expressionless. "But..."
"But, Your Eminence, my daughter has begun showing signs of the Blood Magic Curse too..." Flory's voice betrayed deep worry and guilt.
"Poor child! How old is your daughter?" Jerry sighed softly, then turned to Catherine beside him. He gently patted her shoulder and said quietly, "Catherine, sorry for the trouble, but could you fetch my suitcase?"
Catherine nodded and quickly rose to fetch it.
"Six!"
"Six?" Jerry pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I didn't realize your daughter was so young. If her Blood Magic Curse isn't kept in check, I'm afraid it will affect her development. Even when she's old enough, she won't be able to attend a magic school like other children. A Maledictus is destined to spend a lifetime alone, without friends..." As he spoke, he opened the suitcase. There were no clothes inside, only rows of bottles and jars filled with potions.
"Here." Jerry selected two bottles of dark red potion and handed them to Flory. "When you feel the Blood Magic Curse becoming difficult to control and your mind growing hazy, just take a small spoonful."
"These two bottles... can this potion completely lift the Blood Magic Curse?" Flory accepted the bottles Jerry offered, his fingertips trembling slightly and a note of urgency in his voice.
"No."