Cantares’ resolution was put into practice that very night in the worst possible way.

“Your Highness.”

“…What.”

“Well, how do I say this.”

Arendt, standing awkwardly, tilted his head for a moment as he chose his words carefully.

“Your condition is really serious. How can you be so weak?”

“…”

Cantares shut his mouth tightly at the words that he could not refute.

The location was at the Crown Prince’s private training ground.

Cantares, who had been absentminded for a long time, arrived earlier than the appointed time and was practicing his sword. Then, he happened to run into Arendt, who had also arrived a little early…

After a bit of bickering, an impromptu duel began… and this is what it ended up looking like.

“Damn, how come I couldn’t even hit you once?”

“You spend all day at your desk working on paperwork, so how could you possibly hit me? Why don’t you exercise in your spare time?”

“Have you never heard the story of a loyal subject who died after only saying the right things?”

Cantares groaned at the harsh words.

He’s been living without a sword for quite some time, but he never expected it to be this one-sided. He had pride in his own skills, but that was the moment when the delusion was completely shattered.

Cantares, who had carelessly thrown away his sword, stood up with a start.

“I heard that these days, even when it rains, you are stuck in the training ground.”

“There’s nothing else for me to do, and if I want to live long, I have to train.”

“Is that the secret to survival for someone who enjoys being hated?”

“Hate is also interest. It’s a small price to pay.”

“You crazy guy.”

The vicious insults returned immediately, but Arendt pretended not to hear them.

At that moment, the training ground door opened and Laius and Jereon came in. The two men, who were about to greet each other as usual, stopped in sync when they saw the appearance of the Crown Prince and the apprentice knight.

Their swords was out of their scabbards, and Cantares looked tired to anyone who saw it, while Arendt was standing there with a crooked posture. Neither of them were injured, but it was obvious that they had been through a lot.

Jereon, who had been silent for a while, asked a question very carefully.

“Did you have a fight?”

“…Do you think that makes sense? We just had a brief sparring match.”

“I thought it might be possible for Sir Arendt to have a fight with His Highness… Haha, sorry.”

When Jereon burst into awkward laughter, Laius also averted his gaze. He must have had the same thought in his mind.

Cantares groaned and lifted his body from the ground.

“Stop talking nonsense. Did you bring the jewel?”

“Yes, I brought it.”

Jereon smiled and lifted the wooden box he was holding.

As the locked box opened with a click, a jewel with a bright red glow was revealed. At the same time, the terrifying magic it contained also flowed out in a murderous manner.

Cantares gave a short exclamation of admiration.

“It’s not a joke after all?”

“Count Stadler even remade the box. He was careful to prevent the magical power from leaking out.”

“Let’s try it right away without wasting any time.”

Arendt took off his gloves.

Jereon nodded, handed the box to him, and stepped back.

Arendt, who had been waiting for the others to gain some distance, grabbed the jewel with his bare hands. Then, he felt a subtle warmth suddenly envelop his whole body.

It was a similar feeling to when he first held the Frosty Touch.

Arendt clicked his tongue and rolled the jewel, the ‘Unquenchable Heart’, around in his hand.

“Be careful not to get hurt.”

“It was said that a fire broke out, a castle wall collapsed, and his son suddenly fell ill, right?”

The warning given by Laius received an unexpected response.

“Yes, at least one of the misfortunes that Baron Cromwell suffered must have been caused by that jewel.”

“Hmm…”

With only that information, it was impossible to guess how this damn artifact worked.

‘First of all, it can’t be fire.’

That’s because that power has a separate owner. He clearly remembers its name and appearance.

The Unquenchable Heart was an object that did not appear properly in the novel. Considering that it was not mentioned at all even after Vincent took it, it may have only been used in the rear.

Or maybe it was surprisingly useless.

Arendt, who had been fiddling with the artifact, shrugged.

“Anyway, we’ll know once I try it out.”

Laius nodded.

Arendt, who confirmed that the group had taken another step back, activated the artifact without hesitation.

At once, he felt a warm feeling in his hand. It was a warmth that was the exact opposite of the Frosty Touch.

As he concentrated a little more, he suddenly felt all his magical power leaving him at once, and the warmth that had been trapped in his hand spread throughout his body through his blood.

And.

“Uh?”

Arendt blinked blankly, a puzzled voice coming out.

Cantares frowned.

“What’s the matter?”

“No, this is something… I think we should try it another way.”

Arendt answered vaguely, thought for a moment, and then suddenly bit his finger so hard that it bled.

Blood dripped from his white hands.

Without giving anyone a chance to be surprised, Arendt activated the artifact again.

A red light burst out like blood from the jewel, but then quickly subsided as if being sucked back in.

And after a while.

They found that Arendt’s wound had seemingly been washed away.

“Uh?”

A dumbfounded sound came out of Cantares’ mouth. Jereon’s eyes also opened wide.

Arendt, who had been pondering for a moment, approached the group with the jewel in his hand.

“Captain.”

“What?”

“I’m not doing this because I have any particular grievances.”

Before he could even wonder about those unexpected words, Arendt grabbed Laius’ arm. The leader, who did not understand the action and was waiting quietly, stopped at the pain he felt the next moment.

Red blood gushed from Laius’ thick, strong fingers.

This time, everyone was stunned. While no one was able to say anything, Laius calmly began to speak.

“The wound has moved.”

Arendt frowned slightly.

“At first, when I just activated it, I felt like the magic of the jewel was exploring my body and then returning. Then, my fatigue disappeared.”

“After recovering the user from an injury or illness, it can be transferred to another target?”

Laius muttered as he watched the blood flowing from his fingertips. Only then did Jereon come to his senses and take out a handkerchief and hand it to him.

“Sir, please stop the bleeding with this first.”

“No wonder Count Stadler felt lost.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this. Not only is the wound being treated, the wound can also be passed on to someone else.”

When Arendt spoke bitterly, Cantares also furrowed his brow slightly.

It seemed that this was also the reason why Baron Cromwell’s son suddenly fell ill. The last time, after curing someone’s illness, the child must have accidentally touched the sealed jewel and suffered misfortune.

It was a stroke of luck that he didn’t die on the spot. It seemed that the previous owners of the Unquenchable Heart had also died mysteriously for that reason.

“Is there such a magic?”

“I don’t know if it’s just recovery, but I’ve never heard of magic that can be passed on to others. And healing magic only works on wounds, not illnesses…”

Jereon muttered in thought.

“On the one hand, it may be similar to divine power…”

“Divine power?”

“Yes, divine power has strong healing power. The sensation that Lord Arendt felt earlier seems similar to when divine power is at work.”

And unlike magic, divine power could also cure illnesses. The fact that it could transmit wounds to others was quite a mystery.

Cantares, who had kept silent, spoke about his impressions so far with a very disgusted expression.

“But this seems closer to a curse than something sacred.”

As he said, the magic power of the Unquenchable Heart felt extremely ominous.

“And if it was divine power, Count Stadler would have recognized it first.”

“You said it wasn’t made by humans?”

At that moment, Laius, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“Then it is possible that it is not magic or divine power, but rather one of the unique sorcery of a different race.”

“Hmm… I guess I should consider that too.”

Cantares, who had been left with more questions than answers, looked at Arendt again.

“So what should we do about this?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“You’re the one who caused all this trouble just to get your hands on it.”

“Hmm.”

Judging by his reaction, it seemed like Jereon was thinking the same thing.

In fact, the goal was not the artifact, but to eliminate Vincent, but they had no way of knowing the details. Only Laius seemed to have guessed something and kept his mouth shut.

After a brief moment of thought, Arendt opened his mouth.

“It would be a shame to leave it alone, whether it’s ominous or not. Since we’ve already obtained it, how about His Highness the Crown Prince using it?”

“Me?”

Cantares’ eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“If you can activate it right before you die, isn’t it possible to survive? Then it would be right for it to go to someone who doesn’t have the ability to protect themselves in a dangerous situation.”

Arendt, who had been talking up to that point, glanced at the Crown Prince with a subtle gaze.

“Your Highness, you are so weak that you can’t even defeat an apprentice knight.”

Sling.

The Crown Prince’s sword was half-drawn but was stopped by Jereon.

“Your Highness, you won’t be able to win, so it would be better to just endure it…”

“Aren’t you more annoying?”

The Crown Prince growled fiercely at his aide who smiled kindly. Meanwhile, Laius, who was still calm, nodded.

“I also think it is right for Your Highness to keep it, because there is such a thing as chance.”

The Crown Prince was now the most indispensable person in the Caerleon Empire.

Cantares groaned and sheathed his sword.

“But then we need to investigate further. If there are any side effects, it would be a big problem. At the very least, we need to figure out what this magic is.”

“Then…”

Jereon, who had been thinking for a moment, tilted his head.

“How about asking Priest Lumiel for advice? I heard that the priest wandered around the continent during her training. She also actively interacted with elves and dwarves.”

“Now that I think about it, it was like that.”

Maybe they could find a clue from her.

But there’s just one catch…

“Information related to the artifact has not been disclosed yet… Is it okay? They may be reluctant to use the enemy’s items.”

“But it’s not something we can keep quiet about forever. If it involves evil spirits, we’ll have to step forward with the temple someday.”

When Jereon spoke with concern, Cantares, who had gathered his thoughts in the meantime, responded as follows.

The Crown Prince looked at Laius and Arendt as if asking for their consent.

The two people also had no particular differences of opinion.