Liberation of The Slaves Chapter 76 – Curse Of A Dying Soul

I sighed as I saw the blood on her palm.

“Haa… Are you sick?”

“I told you I’m o—”

“You’re lying.”

I cut her off, my tone firm, gaze unwavering.

“Old age doesn’t make you cough up blood like that. Why didn’t you tell ? I might be able to help. You saved my life. Let repay that.”

For a mont, she was silent, her eyes drifting to the blood-stained hand. Then, she gave a small, defeated chuckle and scratched the side of her head—almost like a child caught hiding a broken toy.

“Haha… I guess I can’t hide it anymore.”

She sat down, her shoulders subtly trembling despite the smile she tried to wear.

“It’s… a curse. One that’s haunted since my days of enslavent. Two hundred years ago.”

“Curse?” my brows furrowed.

I had assud it was an illness—but this, this was far worse than I imagined.

Her gaze lowered, staring into the palm of her hand as though the blood held mories.

“Yes…” she said after a mont. “Back then, the empire sought to create a new elent—sothing that could rival the sanctity of the holy elent, but twisted… rged with darkness. They called it the Dark Saint Project.”

So it was the empire again—the sa cruelty, just wearing an older face.

Her voice grew quieter with each word, the weight of them pressing heavily against her.

“They needed test subjects who had light elent affinity,” she said. “I was one of them.”

Her fingers trembled slightly.

“They said we were ‘blessed’ to be chosen. That we were helping create sothing divine. But the truth is…”

Her voice cracked. She covered her mouth with her hand for a second, biting it gently to stop the tremble.

“We were nothing but fuel.”

Her lips pressed into a faint, bitter smile. Not out of amusent—just... exhaustion. Like soone who had already told this story in her head a thousand tis and hated every retelling.

I said nothing. I couldn't. My chest tightened as I watched her struggle.

“Most of them died,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “Burned from the inside out. Scread until their lungs gave out. So went mad. Others... begged to die. I was the only one who didn’t perish. But I didn’t survive either—not really.”

She lifted her hand again, staring at it like it didn’t belong to her.

“I woke up with this curse etched into my body. They didn’t even know what it was. Neither did I.”

A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, but she didn’t wipe it away. She just kept talking, like she was afraid she'd lose the courage to finish if she stopped.

“I couldn’t feel anything at first. Just... cold. Like sothing had been hollowed out.”

Her hands moved to her arms, hugging herself. She shivered—not from the chill, but from the mory.

“One day, soone destroyed the lab. She saved the survivors—what few of us were left. I chose to follow her.”

She closed her eyes, a soft smile touching her lips.

“She was strong. Fearless. Kind. She taught magic, taught how to walk on my own again. For the first ti, I felt like I was alive.”

Her voice faltered.

“And then… ti caught up with her.”

She covered her mouth again, this ti not to stop a cough—but to stifle the sob threatening to escape.

“She was human. She aged. And one day… she didn’t wake up.”

Another tear slid down Selena’s cheek. This ti, she wiped it away with the back of her hand quickly, almost angrily, as if ashad to show any weakness.

“I buried her myself,” she whispered. “No one else knew her. No one else cared. But I did.”

She sat there for a mont, silent, clutching her sleeves tightly in her fists. The room felt unbearably quiet.

I could feel sothing clenching in my chest.

She wasn’t just telling a story—she was peeling back centuries of pain she’d forced herself to carry alone.

I didn’t know what to say.

All I could do was clench my hands in my lap and silently watch her—a woman who’d endured two centuries of horror and grief—and sohow, still found the strength to smile at . To help .

How could she still be so kind?

How could soone with so much pain still be so good?

My chest ached. And for the first ti since I’d been reborn in this world, I truly felt small.

“...How long did you search for a way to purify the curse?” I asked softly.

She gave a long, slow sigh.

“My master and I… we tried everything. Saints, ancient rituals, forbidden magic, lost scrolls from fallen temples. She even risked her life traveling to a deserted land in the far south. We sacrificed ti, energy—everything.”

She looked at with tired eyes.

“Even a real saint from the Liberia Holy Kingdom once tried to purify it. But her power couldn’t touch the curse. It was like trying to cleanse sothing that didn’t belong in this world at all.”

Her voice cracked again on that last word, and she quickly turned her face away from , pretending to look out the window—even though the curtains were drawn.

She pressed her palm to her chest again.

“And... after all those failures, the curse changed. It started to shift. I felt it... turning inward. Like it wasn’t just latched onto —but sinking deeper.”

She fell silent for a mont. Then, with a breathless laugh, she said:

“And now, I know. It’s not just hurting . It’s eating . Piece by piece.”

Her hand trembled slightly against her chest.

“A few years ago, I felt sothing… change. Sothing inside began to slip away. Not just health. But sothing deeper.”

She paused again. This ti, when she looked at , her smile was too tired to be comforting.

“My lifespan is being devoured. It’s subtle, but steady. I can feel the clock winding down. And if nothing changes... I probably won’t live past the next three years.”

“Three years…” I echoed under my breath, the weight of it settling in like ice.

She nodded slowly. “It’s not age. Not wear. Not the end of a long life. It’s this curse. And I don’t want to die from sothing so... aningless.”

Then her voice dropped to almost a whisper.

“But... I’m so tired. I don’t want to hope anymore. Hope hurts more than dying.”

That last line struck harder than anything else she had said.

I didn’t see a 397-year-old half-elf in that mont. I saw a woman who had lived with pain longer than most lives even last. A woman who had loved, lost, suffered, healed others... but never herself.

I clenched my hands, forcing myself to breathe evenly.

【I’ve searched the known archives for curses tied to both light and dark elents… but I’ve found nothing specific. No records of this curse exist in the known databases.】

A hollow pause.

【However...】Her voice carried that familiar tone—mischievous, yet sharper this ti.

【I might be able to analyze the curse directly. But I’ll need your help.】

【You’ll have to channel your light-elent mana directly into her body. Preferably through sustained skin contact.】

【Yes. The most stable and efficient location would be her front… Well, her back would be fine too. Just your hand—flat, steady. I’ll handle the analysis from there.】

I stared at Selena for a mont.

Even now, she sat still—her fingers curled lightly in her lap, golden eyes staring off toward the closed window. A woman who’d accepted death long before it arrived.

She deserved better.

But... how was I supposed to explain touching her front… No, I an, her back without sounding like so pervert?

I cleared my throat. “Umm… Selena?”

She turned to , head slightly tilted. “Yes?”

“If... If there was a chance to dispel your curse, would you take it?”

She blinked at , as though the question hadn’t crossed her mind in years.

“I would,” she said softly, smiling. “There’s still so much I want to do. Magic I want to test. Tools I haven’t built yet.”

Her eyes drifted downward.

“But… I doubt there’s a way. I’ve long since given up hoping. Even if it could be cured, I’m nearly 400. I’d die soon either way. So I’ve made peace with it.”

I clenched my fists. If it’s about her old age, I already have a way to solve it. The only skill that I haven’t used even for once.

So that leaves only the curse.

“No. Don’t.” I shook my head.

“Hm?”

“Don’t make peace with sothing that’s killing you.”

She blinked again—surprised.

“Would you... let try sothing?”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “What do you an?”

“I want to analyze the curse directly. There’s a... thod. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I want to try.”

She studied quietly. “...How?”

“I’d need to channel my light-elent mana into your body. Through your fr— I an, your back. With my hand.”

The word ‘front’ almost slipped out of my mouth. Fortunately, I was able to change it quickly. Though, it still sounds like a pervert…

“Oh, sure. Go ahead.”

“Huh? You’re okay with it?”

I was surprised she accepted it so easily.

“Yes? Ahh,” she said with a smirk as if she just realized sothing amused. “So you want to touch my back?”

I flinched. “N-No! I an, yes—but not like that! It’s not—!”

She burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “Relax. I trust you.”

“I just don’t want to seem—”

“You’re kind. I’ve known that from the beginning. I wouldn’t have let you stay here if I thought otherwise.”

Her voice softened, but her eyes quickly changed into mischievous once more.

“And besides… even if you were the type to do sothing indecent, I wouldn’t mind. I’m just an old hag now, right?”

“H-Huh!? No! I-I an, sure, I wanted to—wait, no! That’s not—! I an—! Arrghh—!”

The words tumbled out of my mouth faster than my brain could stop them. And once they were out—once I heard myself say “I wanted to”—my heart practically stopped. My face burned hotter than the dragon's breath.

I slapped both hands over my face.

“Forget I said anything!” I squeaked from behind my fingers.

Selena burst into laughter—soft, genuine laughter that echoed warmly through the room. Not mocking. Not scornful. Just… amused.

“Freed,” she said warmly, “I was only teasing. Really, it’s okay. If it might help... then go ahead.”

I nodded, flustered.

“So, you were hiding your light elent, huh…” She muttered, but didn’t press forward as if she understood the reason why I hid it.

She stood up gracefully, then turned away from . Without hesitation, she sat on the bed and pulled her pajama top just enough to bare her upper back, still keeping herself decently covered. Her silver hair slid forward, revealing the smooth, pale skin of her shoulders.

She looked over her shoulder.

“I’m ready.”

I swallowed hard. I bet if I looked into the mirror right now, my face would undoubtedly beco red.

I shook my head to clear out my temptation.

Despite her words, despite the permission, I felt like I was trespassing into sothing fragile. This wasn’t about touching skin. This was about a person who had spent her whole life alone in suffering—and was now entrusting with a piece of that pain.

I reached out and pressed my palm against her back.

Her skin was warm.

I closed my eyes and focused.

【Understood. Beginning analysis.】

I summoned my mana. Gentle. Steady. It surged from my core, aligned with light, and seeped into Selena’s body.

There was no resistance. No rejection.

She accepted it completely.

Aza guided the flow. My mana threaded through her muscles, her blood, her lungs, her nerves. Bit by bit, it spread through her, like sunlight searching through the shadows in an ancient ruin.

Once my mana saturated every corner of her inner body, it halted. Aza ensured no aspect of the curse was overlooked.

Eventually, it focused around her heart.

Then her brain.

Then both. Every ounce of my mana redirected itself there, intensifying the focus on these critical areas.

Minutes passed.

My mana on her brain began to move into her heart.

Then dozens of minutes.

And finally—almost an hour later—my mana began to withdraw, returning to my hand.

【Analysis complete.】

I opened my eyes and pulled my hand away.

“Is it done?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Yes.”

“What did you find?”

I paused. “First... put your clothes back on. And... could you grab a glass of water? I’m a bit thirsty.”

“Sure. Be right back.”

She stood, redressing herself, then left the room.

I exhaled slowly.

The truth was—I just needed ti to talk to Aza first.

【First of all... they were amazing.】

I blinked. Did I hear that right?

What in the world was she talking about? Was Aza—an angel, no less—praising the people who experinted on slaves?

【Not them as people, obviously. But the theory. The ambition. What they attempted was beyond what most modern magical scholars would even dare to approach. Honestly, if they hadn’t been so... you know, evil and morally bankrupt, I might’ve admired them more.】

I groaned internally.

Figures. This was Azadia—the angel who cared more about knowledge and technologies than ethics. Still, her voice was practically shimring with excitent now, like she couldn’t hold back the urge to lecture.

【Listen. They weren’t trying to create a new elent. They were trying to revive a long-lost one—one erased from human history. A mythical state where opposing forces—light and dark—coexist in one body. True duality.】

She practically gasped inside my mind.

【And what’s incredible is... they almost succeeded. They had the right frawork, the rituals, the rging structure—it all lined up perfectly. But…】

Her tone dropped with dramatic disappointnt.

【They used the wrong ingredient. Instead of a pure dark elent, they used one tainted by malice, rage, and hatred—probably harvested from other cursed or emotionally unstable individuals. That corrupted the process entirely.】

I rubbed my temples as I listened.

A long-lost elent. A dual state of light and dark—two extres held in balance. It sounded like sothing out of a fantasy novel. And they’d been that close to achieving it... by using people like tools.

【Exactly. What they were trying to create was harmony—a perfect equilibrium. Had they succeeded with a pure dark elent, the light and dark would’ve stabilized. No backlash. No damage.】

Her voice beca hushed, almost reverent.

【It would’ve given her both elents. A rare, beautiful balance. A power that doesn’t exist anymore. But what she received instead was a corrupted inversion. The impure dark elent twisted the light inside her... and the result lodged in her heart like a parasite. A dark curse, not a dark elent.】

【And let tell you... a pure dark elent is nearly impossible to obtain. Do you know why? Because almost no one—no mortal—is free from malice. Everyone carries so fragnt of hate, fear, vengeance. Even if it’s buried. A pure dark elent is completely emotionless. Unclouded. Cold and empty—but clean.】

I found myself falling quiet. It was rare—scary rare—to hear Aza speak with this kind of reverence.

She was rambling like a scholar unearthing a forbidden relic. Giddy. Passionate. It was unnerving.

But I grounded myself—forced the awe aside. She was excited, but Selena didn’t have ti for excitent. She needed answers.

I asked slowly,

Aza’s tone darkened instantly.

【It already is. That thing isn’t just sitting there. It’s active. It’s consuming her soul—slowly, but steadily. Like she said, If nothing is done, she’ll be dead within three years. Sooner, if the curse accelerates.】

I clenched my jaw.

But Aza wasn’t done.

【And in the worst-case scenario… her soul won’t reincarnate. It’ll be completely erased. Gone. Forever.】

That hit like a punch to the chest.

No reincarnation. No other chances. Not even a fading mory in the next life. Just… nothingness.

There was a long pause.

Then—

【Heh.】

She was really annoying. That smug, almost smug laugh was her way of confirming that there was a way. But she just couldn’t resist the dramatic buildup.

【Oh, co now. Where’s the fun in that? Besides—would you prefer a boring yes or no, or do you want to tell you how amazing your role might be in saving a cursed, ancient beauty from eternal soul destruction?】

I let out a long sigh, dragging a hand down my face.

She was impossible.

But… if she was excited, that ant there was hope.

Even if it was buried under layers of mystery and complexity.