I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 220 An unexpected invitation

Five miles from the Parliament Square, all the magic lamps were extinguished due to the anti-magic stance, and the distant light made the area appear somewhat gloomy.

This didn't have a big impact on DuPont, but when he saw the dark purple sword shadow, his heart sank.

It was actually an extremely rare blade bound by a contract of shadow and curse.

Of course, in layman's terms, it can be called a cursed sword.

“Hey, Mr. Carles, that’s not a friendly greeting.” DuPont decided to play dumb, but simply twisted his wrist to parry the other man’s slender blade with his sword: “If you keep doing that, I’ll have to call the guards.”

The senior student who attacked was secretly delighted. As expected, the other party had not seen through his secrets. He quietly activated the spell.

In an instant, a half-centimeter-long dark purple mark appeared on DuPont's wrist, the same length as the twisted mark on Carlisle's hand: "Heh, you can fool others but you can't fool me. There's no point in talking to a lackey of the Council like you!"

"Hey, we need to be reasonable when things are going on," DuPont said calmly, dodging the dripping blade.

No, that wasn't water, but a thick shadow seeping from the blade. It seemed to be alive, trying to engulf the point where the blades clashed, but it was affected by the light from the silver sword and couldn't swallow it.

Carles was startled, realizing that this guy's weapon was probably quite advanced, but a moment later, a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

What difference is there between such a fine sword falling into the hands of a magic apprentice who knows nothing about swords and a divine artifact gathering dust?
If he can kill this guy quickly, his sword and his set of fancy items will all belong to him. Killing someone who has been featured in the newspaper and being able to steal a councilor's token from Harua is such a generous achievement that it should be enough to help him advance to a higher rank!
Although the Great Raven Queen's favorite sacrifices are the priests of Suren, striking Mystra in Faerûn's largest faith kingdom would be an achievement that many cursed swordsmen could not accomplish in their entire lives!

Thinking of this, blood suddenly seeped from the corner of Carles' mouth, and a mouthful of blood mist spewed out, turning into a distorted purple shadow in mid-air. This made DuPont, who had only intended to stall for time and wait for reinforcements, frown.

Holy crap, what kind of evil magic is this?
Suddenly, the blade of the cursed swordsman trembled, and the already thick black mist began to spread wildly. A scarlet eye opened directly from the blade, and that violent eye stared intently at DuPont.

Qi Huan: Drink life!
"Fresh flesh and blood."

The blades clashed again, but this time DuPont felt as if his heart had been clenched in an instant, causing him to catch his breath and stagger back several steps.

Carlos sneered, and taking advantage of the moment when DuPont was sent flying by his sword, he took out a bottle of potion from his pouch and hurriedly drank it down. He looked at DuPont again with a mad look in his eyes: "This speed potion is worth as much as 150 gold coins. It would be an honor for you to die under its influence."

Dupont spat out a mouthful of blood foam on the ground, then pulled out a bottle of holy water with one hand and poured it onto the blade. The silver sword instantly emitted a gentle light, and his right hand, bearing the mark of the curse, adjusted the grip on the broadsword.

Although warm liquid was still flowing from his wounds, his eyes remained as firm as iron.

"Emotional harm? This really is an evil deity."

"Heh heh, the Raven Queen loves ignorant souls like yours the most." As he spoke, Kales launched another attack, his sword strikes even faster and more cunning than before, the blade of his rapier incredibly agile.

Dupont paled in comparison; he dodged awkwardly, only drawing his sword to parry when he was desperate. Several bloodstains appeared on his newly changed mage robe, but his steps were steady and his mind was calm. His composed expression surprised and puzzled Carles.

This guy is just a mage apprentice, how could he be a match for me, who is about to reach the level of a level 9 spell swordsman and has the level of a level 3 mage?

But why couldn't he deliver a fatal blow?
With that in mind, Carles continued his fierce attack, and his footwork was very strange. He didn't seem to be running at all, but rather being dragged along by the sword. His shadow was stretched into a twisted spear on the ground. The evil aura caused the cursed shadow on the back of DuPont's hand to grow to 2 inches, but the shadow on his wrist grew to 3 inches!

Swords clashed again, and a nick appeared on the blade of the silver sword. Dupont turned and spun away from the purple shadow. Without the aid of magic, both he and his opponent were clearly somewhat uncomfortable in the battle.

“Your sword is afraid,” DuPont suddenly said. “Put down your weapon and surrender. You are just a lost sheep. Don’t waste your life on something so unnecessary!”

"You hypocrite, do you think you're worthy of my lecture?" Carles said, drawing his sword to fight. DuPont, unable to dodge in time, frowned, suddenly stopped parrying and instead faced the blade with his own, as if he wanted to trade his life for his own.

But Carles laughed heartily and, facing the blade, thrust his rapier directly into the opponent's open space.

Although evil people are mostly selfish, and exchanging lives is not worth it for them, how could a cursed swordsman be afraid of this kind of fighting style?
Once the opponent is killed, their life force will be plundered, and all wounds will heal.

Not to mention his enduring and brilliant skills!

In an instant, Carles suddenly noticed a strange light flash before his eyes, which startled him. However, he had already exerted his strength and had not yet generated any new power, so he had no chance to change direction. He simply gritted his teeth and gambled everything on this fatal blow.

As long as the Cursed Swordsman's unique abilities and characteristics are what he needs, he will win everything!
A dull thud echoed across the road. Carles lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, only to find that his sword was precisely held in the opponent's hand, while DuPont's sword had already pierced through his abdomen.

Although he had deliberately avoided vital organs and was not stabbed in the internal organs, in the blink of an eye, DuPont's hand gripped the sword in reverse and pulled it horizontally, slicing him in half at the waist!

At that instant, Kales gritted his teeth and roared with his last bit of strength.

"burst!"

The curse mark on DuPont's right hand instantly doubled in size, and his left hand, which was holding the sword blade, was also stained with purple light. The terrifying dark corrosive power instantly caused the flesh and blood of DuPont's right arm to wither away, leaving only skin and bones. Even his left hand lost all color in a moment, and his skin was instantly burned as if it had melted.

Even with his berserk state activated, the terrible injuries still made DuPont's eyes turn red. His withered right hand could no longer grip the nimble blade, but he straightened up and kicked the cursed swordsman, whose abdomen had been torn open, away.

The two swords landed almost simultaneously, and the burst of purple light echoed as the rapier hit the ground. However, just as the purple light returned to the cursed swordsman's body, restoring color to his pale face, DuPont stomped hard on the still-healing wound.

In an instant, a scream that sounded like a human scream echoed down Parliament Avenue. The wound that was reconnecting was stomped open by DuPont, and along with the shattering of the liver and the severing of the waist, the stench of blood and urine filled the empty street.

The cursed swordsman's pained eyes almost bulged out. Just then, the anti-magic field suddenly disappeared, and Veronica, looking anxious, and a young man in a silver mage's robe appeared in mid-air. The two frowned at the sight of the bloody scene. The man was even more shocked when he saw DuPont's blood-dripping boot and said urgently, "DuPont apprentice, remember to leave one alive!"

However, DuPont ignored him completely, merely looking indifferently at the cursed swordsman who seemed to have been saved, and sneered: "You think I'm giving you face, huh?"

He then crushed the cursed swordsman's chest with a single stomp.

Looking at the young apprentice whose heart had turned into a rotten mass, the man couldn't help but frown and look at Veronica: Is this how you teach your disciples?

Veronica ignored him and rushed to DuPont's side. Looking at his arm, which looked like that of a dying man, she quickly took out a silver staff.

With a gentle call, a healing breeze enveloped DuPont's arm, and the burned skin slowly regenerated. Even his withered arm began to swell like dough, gradually regaining its color.

Looking at his negative status of -6 Constitution and -2 Strength, DuPont was somewhat dazed. Veronica, standing beside him, frowned and said with some heartache, "Why are you fighting with this guy? Just leave. We'll be there in a bit. And who activated this anti-magic field? Most of the apprentices have already been persuaded to leave. Why bother with this?"

DuPont felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. He had deliberately activated it to show off... no, to make those people back down, but it was really stupid to say that.

"If these things aren't important, how come there are cultists who have infiltrated the apprentices? And they're quite strong. I almost got killed by them. What's the point of the Capital Academy's security measures? If they were to poison people in the academy, wouldn't they easily harm thousands of people?"

"Who can predict the fate of such a demon's lackey, and who knows if this guy is even Kales himself?" The one who spoke was the male mage who had slowly arrived. He seemed not to have noticed DuPont's veiled insult as he walked forward, squatted down next to the corpse, took out a dagger, and in the next second, a beautiful color condensed in his palm and enchanted the dagger.

0-ring spell, Emerald Blade

The mage disdainfully severed Kales' head, took out a wooden box from his pouch and put it inside: "Sigh, even if this man has just died, searching his memories might not yield 70%. Veronica, I'll take this back for everyone to analyze the information. As for your disciple, I'll leave him to you."

"You can handle it yourself."

The male mage walked away as he spoke. Veronica watched as DuPont touched the corpse and put the now-uncursed rapier into his bag, and couldn't help but cover her face: "Hey, hey, your injuries haven't healed yet, and you dare to touch this corpse? What if it's poisonous?"

“Didn’t you just exorcise the curse? Besides, this guy probably just saw an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He wasn’t prepared to come here specifically to trade lives with me, so why would he have prepared such a novel trick?”

As he spoke, DuPont frowned, and his unusual expression made Veronica a little worried. She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Go back and rest." "Okay." DuPont took off his spatial bag and put it in his waist pocket.

Perhaps it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, or perhaps this guy wanted to conceal his identity, or maybe he was just broke. Apart from a belt that added four points to his constitution and a pair of agility gloves, the only other thing on this apprentice was his rapier, which was a magical weapon. There wasn't much to search.

But something else surprised him.

You have been afflicted by the Dark Corruption Curse; your strength and stamina have been greatly reduced.

Your injury is serious; please seek medical attention immediately.

You killed the swordsman who served the Raven Queen.

You have gained 36,000 experience points.

[Your affinity is more compatible with the Shadow Curse. The Raven Queen appreciates your decisiveness and resourcefulness, and you have been granted entry into the Shadow Dimension.]

After passing the trials in the Shadow Dimension, you will gain the power of the Cursed Swordsman.

If you gain the power of the Cursed Swordsman, your allegiance may drastically shift towards evil. Please make your choice carefully.

If it is discovered that you possess the power of a cursed swordsman, your reputation with the Church of Suren and Mystra may be significantly reduced.

Seeing these messages, DuPont couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.

I just killed the servant who served you, and now you're sending me an invitation?

The crow queen's crotch doesn't look very tight.

However, this cursed swordsman's power...
Actually, it does suit him quite well.

Unlike traditional warriors, thieves, and paladins who fight with weapons, these cursed swords are not based on traditional strength and agility. They are sorcerers who fight with swords, and their fighting style is more similar to that of sword chanters.

However, sword chanters who wish to cultivate must possess elven blood and serve elven deities, and must also be able to dance and sing. Their fighting style is similar to dancing, combining both aesthetics and strength.

Unfortunately, they were blocked by their race.

The Spellblade Masters don't have these messy requirements, but being a branch of sorcerers makes them almost entirely on the evil side.

These people contact their sect leader to bestow powerful blessings upon themselves, imbuing their swords with unique curse power. During battles, they can cast spells to create more opportunities to inflict pain and torment on their enemies.

It's fair to say that this profession is shrouded in secrecy in most countries of Faerûn, and its treatment is even worse than that of orcs and teflins.

This also makes them a very niche profession.

First, the most important attribute of the profession, charm, is enough to block most people. Then, you also need to find a way to communicate with the sect leader and please the sect leader to grant you power.

In this respect, sorcerers are somewhat like priests, and they only need to be responsible to the sect leader. As long as they win their favor, they can quickly improve their strength.

Conversely, their potential is also not great, because many of these sect leaders are actually quite ordinary in ability. Many of them are called Outer Gods but may actually be just demon lords in disguise. They don't even have a proper church in Faerûn.

Choosing this path basically means going down a dead end, and in the end, for the sake of power, one can only become the sect leader's plaything, daring to go through fire and water.

What sets Cursed Sword apart from other sorcerers is that, unlike those who serve demons, Outer Gods, or some indescribable entity, Cursed Sword serves the Queen of Ravens, and its unique power requires a journey to the Shadow Realm to obtain it.

However, based on the information DuPont found while bored during his hospital stay, attending classes, and researching in the library, this Crow Queen is very likely an alias of one person: namely, Shar.

Although Shar and the Queen of the Ravens never acknowledged such rumors, they also never denied them. Normally, rigorous religious knowledge would never make hasty judgments without certain information.

But as everyone knows, Shar is the goddess who controls darkness, nothingness and secrets. Although she does not have the divine office of shadow, the shadow plane is the location of her divine kingdom. This goddess, who is known for her pettiness, will not allow other powerful beings to be in her territory.

Even her allies will only have limited authority.

This made things even more complicated for DuPont.

As one of Faerûn's biggest villains, Shar is not only known for her numerous evil deeds, but also for her extreme obsession.

This person demands piety from believers while simultaneously brainwashing them in every way. He enjoys manipulating their minds and tormenting their emotions, and is very skilled at playing cat-and-mouse games and manipulating people's hearts. He is willing to ruin even the rising stars in his church.

This might seem a bit crazy, but this god, who was born almost at the same time as the Forgotten Realms, has undoubtedly seen too many outstanding talents and all sorts of events. Even the most outstanding mortals would hardly catch his eye, and carefully nurturing their growth is certainly not within his scope of choice.

They're so ruthless to their own people, but what if they're targeted as enemies?
Suren, who has gone from a powerful deity to a weak one, is undoubtedly a prime example. This twin sister of Shar was almost persecuted to this state by her own sister.

From being the creator goddess to becoming a lackey of the goddess of beauty, the difference in status is enormous.

The war between these two has not stopped even today. Even though her church is now universally reviled in Faerûn and has almost no place of faith left, Shar still stubbornly and tenaciously declares war on them. This eternal war will probably only end when one of them completely disappears.

However, just as DuPont was thinking about how to get rid of this trouble, the waning adrenaline made him feel extremely tired, and he suddenly blacked out and collapsed.

Fortunately, Veronica had already noticed something was wrong and quickly supported DuPont to prevent him from falling to the ground. However, before she could take out her healing staff, she heard DuPont breathing clearly a few seconds later.

"It's good to be young, you can fall asleep as soon as you lie down." Looking at DuPont's withered arm, Veronica shook her head, took out a rune stone and activated a portal at the same time.

"Grandpa, I can't keep up with your fishing game. If you keep playing like this, my disciple is going to be played to death."

“Then go back. You’ve done a great job.” A weak voice came from the other side of the rune. “After you’ve digested the essence of the World Tree, go find Lavoisier and tell him you want him to take you to accept a new mission.”

"Find Lavoisier?" Veronica frowned. "What's the new mission?"

"He will tell you. Oh, and that new appointment letter, I've already sent it to your mage tower. Bring it to him and tell him not to refuse."

Veronica was a little puzzled. Why didn't they just hand it over to him and make her make the trip?
However, the runestone had already extinguished by then. The female mage shook her head, dragged DuPont's body into the portal, and breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to her mage tower.

But this wasn't the time to relax. Veronica summoned her invisible servant, but after thinking about it, she felt it was too much trouble, so she simply dragged DuPont to her bed herself, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

After confirming that DuPont's body was not seriously abnormal and that the curse had been dispelled and he only needed to rest and recover, Veronica had her invisible servant put on a cloak and wait for orders before heading to her office.

She was genuinely curious about what the old man wanted her to pass on to Lavoisier.

I just don't know if it's a secret.

Fortunately, the old man didn't cause any problems this time. He didn't even put the letter of appointment in the envelope. The large, gold-embossed characters made Veronica clench her fists.

Given Lavoisier's outstanding abilities, excellent teaching, and remarkable talent cultivation, and based on the deliberations of the Harua Mage Council, he has been transferred from the position of Dean of the Northwest Academy to Dean of the Harua Yarakh Mage Academy. The former Dean of the Yarakh Mage Academy, the Protective School master Deirsad, has been reassigned to another post.

(End of this chapter)