When the plot-skips players into the game world

But even so, the likelihood that this could kill the Hook Demon was slim. They could only hope to injure and scare it away.

As long as "Fox" quickly dispels the composite curse on "Lulu," that would count as a victory!

Because without a cursed individual nearby, the Hook Demon could not teleport instantly. Hence, its threat... would at least be greatly reduced.

...Wait a minute?

Sherlock's expression suddenly changed as he realized something.

Curse?

Although he wasn't very familiar with this, he knew one principle.

That was, the difficulty of cursing the same person repetitively increased. The curse would also raise the cursed individual's resistance to curses, and a medium used once could not be utilized again.

In other words, within the limited four-hour time, perhaps the enemy could only curse each of them once.

If that were the case, maybe Coco hadn't constructed an anti-demon array... but like him, had directly dispelled the curse on herself, rendering the positioning ineffective!

Among the Alexander couple, the first to be cursed was not "Fox."

—But "Little Aiwass"!

Now that he and Lulu had both been cursed... the next one would be Fox!

Realizing this, Sherlock's heart sank.

This is bad.

This is the pitfall of the Path of Devotion.

He could easily lift curses from others, but he could not use Illumination Art on himself. It was a secret technique of burning oneself to light the way for others.

That's right, the Priest can use "Rite of Fire"!

...But there were no candles here!

"Fox!"

Amidst the Hook Demon's shrill screams, Sherlock suddenly shouted: "Can you use 'Rite of Fire' on burning wood or chemical reagents?"

"...You're giving me too much credit,"

Aiwass replied helplessly, also in a raised voice: "And the healing power of Fire Rite Skill isn't as strong as Illumination Art. Even if I could use it, as a first energy level Priest, I can't dispel a second energy level curse!"

...That makes sense.

Sherlock was not too familiar with the Path of Devotion. But he had just recalled that... Aiwass Moriarty was also a Priest, yet he was still confined to a wheelchair. Presumably, it was because the source level of the injury was too high for the Rite of Fire to dispel.

Because the Priest's "Rite of Fire" is essentially "restoration," not "healing" or "regeneration." This means that the higher the level of the source causing the damage, the harder it is to heal. True "regeneration," relying solely on the body's own healing ability to restore health, is found in the Path of Adaptation and the Path of Balance.

However, hearing Fox say this, Sherlock understood that this clever and cunning young man had also realized the problem.

"What do you plan to do now?"

Sherlock asked.

"What else can I do?"

Aiwass answered lightheartedly: "Haven't we already won?"

As he spoke, he had already successfully dispelled the curse on Lulu.

Once he said this, Sherlock knew what Aiwass was about to do.

The Hook Demon's screams abruptly stopped.

This was obviously not because it was dead—it was still in good condition. It must have been recalled by its master.

Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't look over here, Mr. Sherlock."

He cautioned, and then proceeded to unbutton Lulu's coat, allowing her to lie on her side, and slipped his left hand into her waistband, making direct contact with the skin on her chest. He activated "Illumination Art" using his remaining light attribute mana.

"You're the one,"

Sherlock didn't turn around but quipped back: "Just don't touch indiscriminately—Miss Lulu is still a young girl."

He thought to himself: She is still a princess, no less.

"Of course, I know that,"

Aiwass responded irritably: "What do you take me for? A beast that preys on children?"

He had instinctively thought of Lulu as a child.

Out of respect, Aiwass touched the side and back of her heart, rather than the front.

The searing light mana, flowing with the powerful pump of the heart, spread throughout her body, rapidly regenerating the corroded mucous membrane in her throat and stomach. Lulu's minor injuries were easily healed, using only a bit of Aiwass's mana.

After Aiwass withdrew his hand, Lulu's first action upon sitting up was to tidy up her clothes.

"...Thank you, Mr. Fox."

With a slight blush, Lulu seriously thanked Aiwass: "You didn't need to save me..."

"You mean, to kill you off?"

Sherlock was the first to react.

"I refuse."

Aiwass lazily said: "If it were Basil, maybe she would have done so. But I wouldn't."

With that, he walked back the way they came.

"—Mr. Fox?"

Lulu, startled, subconsciously wondered if she'd said or done something wrong again.

Aiwass paused, turned his head, and said leisurely:

"The demon can no longer find you. But it can still find me... There's one more hour until the ritual ends. So as long as I don't stay with Little Aiwass, we've already won.

"If victory requires a sacrifice at this moment, then it must be me. You two stay here and behave, do not move around."

As Aiwass spoke, he looked at Sherlock and casually asked: "Ah, by the way, do you have a dagger? I'm planning to take some personal items with me, otherwise, I feel a bit uneasy."

"...Would a paper cutter do?"

Sherlock produced a small knife.

It was a paper cutter carried by a newsboy, hardly a weapon of any significance.

But it was enough for self-sacrifice. Find the next installment on m-vl-em|p-yr

Sherlock thought that Fox wanted the knife for suicide after leading the demon away—so at least he could avoid the agony of being disemboweled.