My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 178 introduces variables, and then adds more variables.
"The Golden Horn of Garihus?"

Roland subconsciously repeated the name.

Although I don't know what this thing is used for, judging from its name and the legend told by the Demon King...

This thing must be pretty powerful.

But it has nothing to do with me.

Putting everything else aside, is this thing in the Demon Alliance Temple something that a human like myself could obtain?

Although with the help of the system, there is a high probability that I will be able to collect all ten rune stones.

but……

Are the runestones jointly kept by the humans, elves, and demons?
Could this be the meaning of that poem?
"Under the sky, the kings of the elves have obtained three"

"In the realm of death, the Demon Kings' Courts have obtained seven of them."

"In this world, mortals are destined to die, nine out of ten"

"All things in the world originate from this"

"The supreme gods hold their dignity..."

Roland unconsciously murmured the poem.

The Demon King's remnant soul was somewhat surprised: "You actually know this poem?"

"This is truly remarkable."

"I learned about this poem from a place called Elf."

Cellina was quite surprised to hear this: "You have elf friends?"

The gauntlet remained silent for a moment, then flew to the Moon Spirit Essence Glove on Roland's hand and poked the glove with a finger.

"The Sword of Silence... I don't know why this holy sword has become like this."

"But back then, an elf wielded this very sword, broke through the royal army's defenses, and charged straight at me."

"To be honest, this guy's strength is no less than that madwoman's. With the real holy sword in his hand, he is even more difficult to deal with than that madwoman."

"But... he was ultimately all alone."

"It was only with the help of the Blood Demon Lord and the Gargoyle Lord that I had the opportunity to seriously injure him."

"This poem is what the spirit recited before he died. When I asked him what it meant, he said he was just missing a poem about his hometown."

"Therefore, it is not a legend told by a friend, but a poem learned from the enemy."

Roland learned about the origin and story of the Silent Sword from the introduction provided by the system.

What the Demon King was saying was similar to the information Roland had learned from the system.

"So... the order in which the primordial runes were kept was three for the elves, seven for the demons, and nine for the humans?"

"Then who should have been in charge of keeping these?"

Roland turned and asked about the Demon King's remnant soul, but the other party just chuckled.

"Store? Heh... These things were once used for creation, it's not just a legend."

"These are just rules set by the gods."

"Of the nineteen runestones, apart from the three belonging to the elves, the remaining sixteen randomly selected their hosts."

"However, the number of hosts will follow the rules in that poem: seven for demons and nine for humans."

The Demon King's remnant soul paused for a moment, then flew to Roland's side: "Do you know why I think so highly of you, kid, and am even willing to cooperate with you?"

"Why?" Roland was also curious about this question.

"There are many reasons. One is because of your talent, and the other is because you obtained permission to wield this damned holy sword."

"This thing almost chopped off my head seven hundred years early. It was because of that damned elf's interference that I was forced to spend a hundred years recovering, giving you humans a chance to breathe."

"Otherwise... the outcome of that war is still unknown."

"Finally, and most importantly."

"The World Tree... This rune should have chosen its host among the elves without fail."

"But no, He chose you. The will of the World Tree chose you."

After saying that, the Demon King's remnant soul, unable to see Roland's expression, simply said to himself, "Anyway, I've told you everything I know."

"Also, were you serious or joking about lifting the curse off that silly cat?"

Roland was still processing the information about the runes provided by the Demon King when he was choked by the Demon King's words.

"You actually have a way to break the curse?!"

"The demonic curse spells were created under my leadership, with the help of the Lich King's court."

The gauntlet opened triumphantly, then clenched into a fist: "Do you think I don't understand? Even if it's just a remnant soul, lifting a minor curse is a piece of cake."

"Not to mention you're here too. The power of the World Tree is incredibly effective against curse-type spells."

Roland nodded: "Then let's ask the cat in question for her opinion. Anyway, she's been eavesdropping there for a while."

Nash, sprawled on the ship's stairs: "!!!"

Before Nash could even run away, she felt a blur before her eyes, and by the time she realized what was happening, Roland was already holding her in his arms.

"So, what's your opinion? Turn back into a dragon or stay a pet?"

"...Can I choose to continue being a pet?" Nash asked tentatively.

Cellina then gave a strange look: "You're not really addicted to being a pet, are you? It hasn't been long since you turned into a cat."

"But...but this is the sea! If I turned into a dragon...wouldn't I become a much bigger target?!"

"If a fight breaks out, I won't even have a place to hide!"

Roland was somewhat speechless: "Why don't you just fly into the sky then?"

“Flying all the time is exhausting!” Nash retorted, sticking his neck out. “Being able to turn into a cat and hide in the cabin, or even in various barrels, boxes, and cabinets, is safer than turning back into a dragon and being stuck on the deck!”

The Demon King's remnant soul was stunned after hearing these words: "What you said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it."

"If this thing didn't actually have the aura of a dragon, I would have doubted whether it was just a simple talking cat."

"So, can you let me go, meow? Can I turn back to normal once we get back to shore?"

Nash instantly switched to cute mode, staring at the gauntlet with his big, pitiful eyes.

It's a pity that Mr. Demon King can't see it.

He has always used his magical perception to judge the things around him.

"No."

Roland's and the Demon King's voices rang out simultaneously.

After unanimously rejecting Nash's request, the Demon King spoke first: "I'm not in good shape right now. I still remember how to break the curse, but it's hard to say what will happen once I'm out of the water."

“Hey! This is obviously a lie!” Nash shouted excitedly.

"Yes, I'm lying. Want to hear the truth?"

The gauntlet floated down to the silly cat being held by Roland and "gently" stroked Nash's fur with its spiked palm.

"No, I don't want to..."

"You can't refuse to listen. I just want you to turn back, so I can peel off your scales, drink your blood, and then I can return to my peak!"

Nash: "!!!"

"Meow!!! Killing a cat... no, killing a dragon! Roland, save me! No, you're in cahoots with him! Nina, save me!"

Cellina caught Nash, who had broken free from Roland's grasp and jumped into her arms, with a look of disgust.

Then, in an annoyed tone, she said, "Didn't you realize he was trying to scare you?"

"Look how happy they are."

Nash turned around abruptly after hearing this, only to find that Roland and the Demon King were already laughing together.

Unrestrained laughter instantly filled the deck.

Nash: “…”

After a while, Roland, having finished laughing, said, "Alright, alright, if I wanted to force you back to your original state, I wouldn't have asked for your opinion."

"After all, it doesn't take much effort to force you to do something, does it?"

Nashha was furious.

While that's true, could you please put it a little more tactfully? I have my pride too!

After realizing that Nash had turned his back and was ignoring him, Roland said, "Alright, since you don't want to turn back, then you can continue being a pet."

"But a friendly reminder: this ship is huge, so it's not impossible for sea monsters to board it at any time."

"We have limited manpower and it is impossible for us to take care of every corner of this giant ship that can originally carry thousands of people."

"You'd better not run around, understand?"

After hearing this, Nash turned around shakily: "Sea...sea monster?"

“Yes, this isn’t a story I made up. Chairman Götze mentioned it.” Roland then continued, “At sea, especially near the open sea boundary, sometimes strange phenomena occur on ships.”

"The unidentified monster that suddenly appeared in the corner of the cabin is one of them."

"They suddenly emerge from the shadows, yes, just like Leah's spell, so we didn't bring her this time."

"Although the harm is generally not great, any adult with a weapon can protect themselves."

"But it's hard to say about cats."

"President Götze said that these monsters love to prey on small animals on ships."

"For example, there are rats in the cabin that can't be completely killed. These guys will always sneak in one or two along with the food supplies."

Before Chairman Götze went to sea for the first time, he thought about keeping a cat on the ship, firstly to catch mice, and secondly to relieve boredom.

"The result was... the pet cat that had always slept with him in the captain's cabin was just a skin and bones when he woke up one day."

"!!!"

"Stop! Don't say anymore!!!"

Nash raised her front paws to cover her ears, and shouted as if she had heard a ghost story, "You just want me to turn back! I'll do whatever you say, okay!"

"Stop telling these ghost stories, waaaaah... I can't stand them..."

Roland shrugged helplessly: "This really isn't a ghost story. If you don't believe me, you can look at the navigation manual that Chairman Götze had distributed after the voyage began."

Upon hearing this, Cellina took out the manual, and as soon as she opened it, her eyes widened in surprise: "There really is one!"

“I already said it’s true.” Roland said helplessly, “The first sentence says, ‘Please do not bring small animals on board, as it may attract shadow creatures.’”

Cellina was puzzled: "Why is there this? Is this phenomenon only caused by small animals?"

"Don't ask, these are all experience manuals that sailors have tested with their lives."

"Even though I don't know the principle behind it, it's still better to do it anyway."

After saying that, Roland looked at Nash and said, "Well... when you're with us, whether it's me, Cherlinina, or Ms. Flam, your safety is definitely guaranteed."

"But whether it will give you a shock is another matter."

Nash: “…”

Isn't this still implying that I should change back?!
hateful!

It was then that Nash realized something was wrong with him.

I initially wanted to turn back into a dragon immediately, but how come I've grown to like being a cat in less than half a month?!

Could it be... that this curse has actually affected my will as well?
That's terrifying, meow!
Luckily, I discovered it in time. If I had discovered it any later, wouldn't I have mentally turned into a cat too? Meow!

"Alright! I've decided to change back! When does the ritual to remove the effect begin?"

The Demon King manipulated his gauntlet to flip over in mid-air: "Anyway... let's find a room first."

……

"Woooooooooooo..."

Looking at Nash, who was crying uncontrollably in her arms, Cherlinina helplessly stroked the fur on her back.

"Alright, it's too late for you to regret it now. Roland and the others have almost finished setting up the restoration ceremony, and they even found a large, empty room on the ship."

"I think they did a very thorough job of preparation."

"There will be no problems with security."

Nash, still on the verge of tears, said, "Waaah, I'm not worried about the transformation ritual! I'm worried about what will happen afterward!"

"If I turn back into a dragon, I'll be stuck lying on the deck! If a storm hits, I won't even have anywhere to hide!"

"Besides, being exposed to the wind and sun... nothing beats the comfort of staying in a cabin on a ship..."

"But it's dangerous not to turn back. I don't want to be eaten by a monster that suddenly appears from the shadows..."

Celinina didn't know how to comfort Nash for a moment.

After all, she had just confirmed the matter of the Shadow Monster with the members of the academy on the ship.

This is not a story Roland made up on the spot.

The mortality rate for small animals on board is extremely high, a fact discovered by generations of experienced researchers.

This wasn't just an experience of the Riscan branch; similar situations occurred at the end of the Great Exploration.

It doesn't even have to be small animals; the Riscan Society has conducted several experiments on this topic.

Livestock such as cattle, sheep, and pigs were placed in separate rooms, and personnel were arranged inside and outside the rooms for protection.

but……

As these livestock approached the boundary line, they were pulled into the shadows by their own shadows and never reappeared.

Those responsible for protection at the scene even briefly lost their ability to move during the incident.

By the time they regained control of their bodies, it was too late.

While it's unknown whether this phenomenon will occur among those at the eighth or even ninth ring level, Nash clearly wasn't keen on gambling on that possibility.

“Um…Ms. Cellina, Mr. Roland said he is ready.”

Young Allen pushed open the door and said to Cellina and Nash inside, "Um... Mr. Roland said it's best to hurry, saying that these hastily collected ritual materials have a limited lifespan."

“Okay, I understand.” Cherlinina nodded, then carried the tearful Nash out the door.

But the silly cat kept sobbing, which annoyed Celinina.

"That's enough. In the end, you were never a real cat."

"It will turn back to normal someday, and even a young dragon, even if it doesn't know any dragon language or magic, will have a dragon body."

"With those dragon scales, your physical strength is about the same as that of an average human eighth-ring expert."

"One thing at a time... You won't even let me be afraid for a second..."

Nash stopped sobbing and began to mutter weakly.

However, Cellina also had some doubts: "But is this ritual really reliable?"

"If I turn you back, this room probably won't be big enough, right?"

Cellina stared at the door in front of her, lost in thought.

If the curse is lifted, Nash the cat will at least swell to several hundred times its original size in an instant, right?
"Don't worry."

Just as Cellina was getting worried, Roland pushed open the door and leaned against it, saying that young Allen could leave first.

After the other party left, Roland looked at Cellina and said, "After all, it's at sea, and Mr. Demon King can't find suitable ritual materials."

"We can only use some other materials as substitutes, and that's only because Ms. Flam has a lot of strange and unusual materials."

"Therefore, according to his assessment, the effectiveness of the ritual will be delayed to some extent."

In other words, she won't turn back into a dragon immediately.

"I'll use Blink to take her to the deck after the ceremony is over. There'll be enough time."

Nash then asked timidly, "Um, will the ritual go wrong? It shouldn't turn me into something weird, right?"

Roland waved his hand: "Even if you don't trust me, you have to trust the Demon King, right? He was a powerful figure who almost swept across the entire continent back then."

"Even if you're just a remnant soul now, breaking your curse will be a piece of cake, won't it?"

Nash continued muttering, "It's because you can't even find all the necessary ritual materials..."

"There's no way around it. Who would keep materials for breaking the curse on hand all the time? If you can find 70% of the materials, and even find substitutes for the remaining 30%, you should be grateful."

Cellina silently raised her hand: "So what was used to replace the rest?"

"Would you like me to conjure up some more branches of the World Tree?"

As Roland spoke, a green light flashed from his palm, and a tree branch appeared in his hand.

"Ever since that day when I removed the cognitive interference from you with the help of the Demon King, I have discovered that I can create it by simply activating a little bit of the power of the rune stone."

Celinina: “…”

"Is it okay to use this as a substitute?"

Roland shook his head: "I don't know, but the Demon King said it's fine."

"According to him, any material from the World Tree is the world's top-tier spellcasting material, capable of replacing any scarce material."

Nash raised a cat paw: "Is it too late for me to regret this now? Before you find the real material."

"Hey, what do you mean? Ordinary people don't even have the connections to get branches from the World Tree as materials!"

"Alright, alright, be a good girl and come inside with me!"

After saying that, Roland snatched the cat from Cellinina's hands and looked at her, asking, "Do you want to come in and watch?"

"Is that alright? Shouldn't there be no unrelated people at these kinds of ceremonies?" Cellina pointed to herself, expressing her confusion.

"It's alright. If we're talking about unrelated people, I'm an unrelated person too, aren't I? Only the Demon King cast the spell; I'm just watching the show."

Cherlinina thought for a moment and then nodded: "Then I'll go in, since Nash looks pretty scared."

(End of this chapter)