The main hall of Hellyasa Mansion was filled with panic. The "Cursed Stone" the mine foreman had brought lay on the floor like a carcass, radiating a cold aura that made all the servants back away in fear.
"This is our end," Baron Hellyasa whispered, his voice broken. "Our only hope... is to call the Church."
"No!" Keysa was the first to refuse, her voice sharp. "Father, if we call them now, after we kicked them out, they'll know we're desperate! They won't just ask for the mine, they'll ask for... everything. They'll destroy us!"
Lady Reisya, usually calm, clasped her husband's hands. "Keysa is right. They'll know we're hiding something."
Baron Hellyasa closed his eyes, fighting off a wave of dizziness. He was a noble, a leader. He would not panic blindly. "Enough," he said, his voice steadying. "We'll check the condition first. I want to see the damage for myself. Keysa, Kenta, come with me. Reisya, you stay here with Aron and Lina."
An hour later, the Baron's carriage arrived at the entrance of the Lazly mine. The scene was worse than they had imagined. The air at the mine's mouth was heavy and cold. A thick, dark mana clung to the entrance like a purplish-black fog, making the terrified miners huddle at a safe distance.
"The entire northern layer... is contaminated," the Baron whispered, his despair returning.
[Detecting high-level Negative Mana contamination,] Prometheus's voice echoed in Kenzo's mind. [Unnatural source.]
Keysa looked at her father. "What do we do?"
The Baron seemed to age ten years in an instant. "This is beyond our abilities. There is no other way." He turned to Keysa with a defeated look. "We go to the Church."
"I'll stay here," Kenzo said suddenly.
The Baron looked at him. "Kenta, it's dangerous. This air..."
"There's something wrong with the distribution pattern," Kenzo said, his eyes scanning the walls. "It's too uniform. It doesn't look... natural. I'll stay here and analyze it."
The Baron hesitated, but he had no time to argue. "Fine. Be careful."
The plan was split. The Baron and Keysa, with heavy hearts, continued their journey to the church branch in the city to beg for help, leaving Kenzo alone at the entrance of the cursed mine.
The trip to the church felt like a walk to the gallows. Baron Hellyasa, a proud noble, now had to humble himself before the very people who had extorted him.
They entered the clean, opulent church building. The same Church leader who had threatened them weeks ago was sitting, reading a book. He looked up, his false smile spreading instantly.
"Oh, Baron Hellyasa. What an honor," he greeted. "What is it? I thought you didn't need us anymore?"
The Baron swallowed his pride. He took a step forward and bowed slightly. "Sir... we... we need your help."
He explained the situation at the mine. The Church leader feigned shock, placing a hand on his chest. "Dark Mana? What a terrible disaster! It must be God's trial for someone's arrogance."
He smiled again. "Of course, we will help. The Church is always merciful." He paused, savoring the desperation in the Baron's eyes. "Of course, this purification ritual is very difficult. Very dangerous. We will have to exert all our strength."
"What are your terms?" the Baron asked, getting straight to the point.
"Simple," the Church leader said. "We will bear the risk of the purification. In exchange for our generosity... we only ask for 70% ownership rights to your Lazly mine."
Keysa's eyes widened in horror.
"Seventy percent?!" The Baron slammed his fist on a nearby table. "That's robbery! That's our family's only asset!"
The Church leader's smile vanished. "Then leave," he said coldly. "I'm sure you can cleanse it yourselves, can't you? But remember, Baron, Dark Mana spreads. Sooner or later it will poison your entire territory."
He turned his back, considering the conversation over. "If you change your mind and come back... perhaps the terms will have changed."
Humiliated and defeated, the Baron and Keysa had no choice but to leave.
Meanwhile, back at the mine, Kenzo moved deeper inside.
'Prometheus, follow the highest concentration. Guide me.'
[Detecting energy anomaly 40 meters ahead,] Prometheus's voice echoed in his mind. [Off the main excavation path. To your left.]
Kenzo found a narrow crevice hidden behind a pile of rocks. It was a small, newly dug cavern, clearly not made by the miners.
Inside, he found it.
An intricate magic circle was carved into the floor, glowing faintly with dark purple energy. In the center of the circle sat a simple black ring with a dark gemstone.
'Prometheus, analyze.'
[Analyzing...] There was a pause. [Sorry, Host. I do not understand this magic circle's syntax. Insufficient data... not in the Hellyasa library. This is not conventional magic.]
'What about the ring?'
[But from the analysis, the source of the Dark Mana is concentrated in that central object. The ring. This magic circle functions as an "amplifier" and "distributor." It pulls the raw energy from the ring and forcibly expels it into the surrounding Lazly stone.]
"So, this is sabotage," Kenzo thought. He grew curious and reached out, thinking of picking up the ring.
[STOP! DANGEROUS!] Prometheus's voice thundered in his mind, so sudden it made Kenzo flinch back.
[Do not make direct physical contact! Your body will be permanently contaminated!]
'Contaminated?'
[We also cannot stay here long,] Prometheus continued urgently. [Internal sensors detect low-level Dark Mana exposure to your body. Your biological body is being poisoned. Please leave the mine within 1 minute.]
Kenzo backed away, his eyes fixed on the pulsing, malevolent ring.
He hurried out of the mine, running through the dark tunnels, and burst out into the fresh air, gasping. At that exact moment, the family's carriage returned.
The door opened. The Baron and Keysa stepped out.
No words were needed. Kenzo saw their pale, defeated faces, filled with suppressed rage.
"We... we've lost everything," the Baron whispered, his voice hollow. "They... they want seventy percent."
"No," Kenzo said, still catching his breath. He stared hard at the mine's entrance. "I know what's causing it. This isn't a curse. It's sabotage."