In Rafada's account, the Niter Kingdom seemed to have weathered the crisis. Order prevailed throughout the city, as though Pure White had smoothed away every last trace of chaos.
Yet judging by what Renato had seen and heard in the Royal Palace, both the Royal Mages hurrying back and forth with parchment scrolls and veteran kingdom knights like Novak were seething with anger and anxiety. They would not even extend one another the most basic courtesy, and their exchanges were charged with hostility.
Judging by the emotions he sensed through Shadow Energy, the entire Royal Palace hall was steeped in mortal unease and fear. This was hardly the atmosphere of an organization with a bright future.
And according to what the old knight had told him, Pure White, the king, currently had no time to handle affairs of state. The Royal Mage Corps managed and relayed all matters within the city, great and small, and he had not appeared in public for quite some time.
For a king who had only just stabilized his kingdom amid turmoil to cut himself off from the outside world at this critical juncture was unusual in itself.
Renato keenly picked up on this discrepancy. He interrupted Rafada's account, his voice growing a shade lower as he challenged him directly:
"Then, if His Highness Pure White deciphered the model of Soul-Loss Disease several months ago, surely he must be close to successfully lifting the curse? Why doesn't His Highness appear in person and spread the news among the city's residents, giving them hope of a cure?"
Caught off guard by this sudden question, Rafada froze for a moment. His lips moved before he finally answered:
"Lifting a curse is a complicated process. It requires extensive, prolonged trial and error, as well as repeated experiments on