"Public my foot! Asta, you muscle-brained idiot—do you have anything in that head besides biceps?!"

Noelle thumped Asta on the forehead, her voice sharp. Then she added more quietly, "Because… I want to uncover the truth behind my mother's death."

Acier Silva?

Hearing that, Julius silently repeated the name in his heart. He knew a bit about the Silva family's past. After all, Acier Silva had been a fearsome woman in her time—praised as the Sea God Princess who danced across the battlefield with elegance. Yet, for some reason, she met an untimely end.

"I used to believe my mother died giving birth to me… but the truth is—she was killed by a devil's curse!"

…A devil's curse?

"I see," Julius said, finally understanding. Curses were unlike any other form of magic. For someone as powerful as Acier to fall to it… only a devil could manage such a thing.

"Do you know which devil it was?"

"It was Me—"

Noelle cut herself off, remembering someone's warning. The sudden silence left the others hanging uncomfortably.

"Noelle, just spit it out already."

"Yeah, what's the devil's name? Where do they live? How many in the family?"

"Alright, enough. Some things aren't meant to be spoken aloud…" Ethan interrupted their questions. Where do they live? How many in the family? What's next, checking if they're registered voters?

"Actually," Ethan said, "I do know a bit. His name is—Megicula."

Megicula?

The group nodded without much reaction. But Noelle's face went pale, her fingers trembling as she pointed at Ethan. She looked as if she'd been struck by a sudden illness.

"Ethan! How could you say that out loud?! You… you—"

"What? It's just a name. This Megi—mmph!"

Before Asta could finish, Ethan clamped a hand over his mouth and spoke quickly. "Megicula is the devil who cursed and killed Noelle's mother. But he's… special. Different from the Word Magic devil. Once you speak his name aloud, as long as you're in this world, you'll be targeted by the curse."

Gulp.

Asta swallowed hard. That was close—he'd almost said it himself.

"But Ethan," he said after freeing himself, "if you knew that, why would you—"

Everyone turned to look at Ethan, the question in their eyes clear: Are you an idiot?

"I knew exactly what I was doing," Ethan said casually. "Honestly? I just wanted to see how that thing tries to curse me."

The room went quiet. No one quite knew how to respond. Is this guy insane? Everyone else fears this curse, and he's volunteering to test it?

"Well… do you feel anything strange now?" someone finally asked. Since it was already done, there was no undoing it—they might as well see what happened.

Ethan closed his eyes and focused. "Strange? Not really—wait… here it comes."

BOOM!

A nameless force descended from the void—thick, pitch-black, reeking of malice. No one else could sense it, but Ethan could feel it trying to smother him. Yet a faint halo of light blocked the darkness.

The Celestial Relic, Ethan realized. It was the treasure that contained the power of eleven natural laws. No matter how invasive the black mist was, it couldn't penetrate the relic's light.

With a smirk, he willed the relic's power outward. The black fog hissed, dispersed, and vanished.

Opening his eyes, Ethan smiled. "Looks like the curse doesn't work on me."

"So all that fuss over nothing? Guess there's no reason to be scared then," Asta said, scratching his head.

Julius shook his head, his tone serious. "No. For anyone else here—even in my prime—this curse would be terrifying."

He glanced at Ethan, a faint smile on his face. "But… I'm impressed. You've only just stepped into the Zero Domain, and you've already mastered the Laws of Heaven and Earth."

The Clover Kingdom needed Ethan's strength—especially now.

"What's this 'Laws of Heaven and Earth'? Is it some kind of ultimate move?" Asta's eyes sparkled.

"Idiot," Yami muttered, knocking him on the head. "It's not something you can learn now. And without magic, you'll never touch it."

Ethan spoke again, his voice calm but firm. "Like the Wizard King said—don't say Megicula's name aloud. If you must, call him 'him'. The curse is powerful, but at least I know now he's not invincible."

Megicula had been in this world far longer than the Word Magic devil. Ethan didn't know the exact extent of his power, but the curse gave him clues.

Speak his name, and you'll be cursed to death.

No distance limit. No defense—except overwhelming power. The only requirement: you have to say it aloud.

For most, that was certain doom.

But if your energy exceeded a certain threshold—like Ethan's did—you could resist it, just as his Celestial Relic had done.

That meant Megicula was strong—very strong—but not the absolute, untouchable monster people imagined.

Otherwise, Ethan wouldn't still be standing there, smiling.

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