As Vicente moved, the spatial ring he had sent to Rory earlier came into the possession of the Mazzanti family's Deputy.

Noticing the 3rd-stage herb on the ring Vicente had sent him, Rory sighed, worried for his friend but also for the men under his command.

Knowing that Commander Christopher Hogan was in town, as well as Viscount Symons, the number of Mages his group might have to deal with was far greater than he had prepared for.

'Damn it, Vice. How do you get into so much trouble? You look like you've been cursed!' Rory thought as he walked towards the cultivation room where Liam awaited Vicente's return.

There were curses in Polaris Realm. Anyone with knowledge of enchantment could create cursed items or cast curses themselves.

Curses were unique, delicate spells that were usually used to create a desired phenomenon.

For example, having a tool that could light up the night without giving off heat or soot could be very interesting to have around a house. But there were no such things in nature, and the technology of this world was far from creating electric lamps like those that existed on Earth.

However, with a special kind of curse, magicians could transform an inanimate object, such as a glass, and create a special essence inside it. From this essence, the light element, together with the mana in the environment, could be drawn into the ordinary glass, creating the desired light effect.

That was a way to use curses for good.

In practice, enchanters were magicians who specialized in cursing things. However, because of the way the profession came about, they didn't use the word curse to describe what they did.

In the distant past of Polaris Realm, a powerful magician had become famous for developing powers and spells that had never been seen before. But the world's first enchanter was no ordinary person. He had used his path to shape the lives of those he came in contact with through tragedy.

From his creation sprang the first body enchanters, or Necromancers for those who prefer, as well as various professions of the dark path.

An enchantment or curse was a unique method behind many professions. But those who followed the light path didn't use the word curse unless they wanted to refer to something negative, something related to the dark path.

Even if there were curses without evil intentions, anyone in Polaris Realm today would only use the word to refer to the bad.

At the thought that Vicente might be cursed, Rory considered the possibility that his friend had fallen victim to some kind of taboo spell, something forbidden by the Enchanters' Association.

'Could that be it?' Rory thought, considering the string of bad luck Vicente had suffered since his mother's death. 'Bad things happen, but not that often. Is he really cursed?'

Rory couldn't be sure of his concern since he hadn't stopped to study the matter and needed to ask for recommendations from enchanters. But considering Vicente's bad luck, he was beginning to worry more.

'I will ask our enchanter to see what he can find out. If there's a way to test people for curses, I want to look into it.' He thought as he came face to face with Liam.

Seeing Liam meditating in the room where some of the Mazzanti family soldiers were getting stronger, Rory said quietly.

"Liam, I have the herb you're interested in. Wake up. We need to discuss what will happen next."

Seconds after Rory's words, the brown-haired alchemist opened his eyes and felt his heart beat faster.

"Where's Vicente?" He asked as he pulled himself up and approached Rory.

"He can't come to you. The problems with the herb forced him to start our plans before he spoke to you." Rory said as he left the room so as not to disturb the soldiers who were training or meditating.

Liam narrowed his eyes when he heard that. "So what are we going to do? He promised me we'd talk about it before we move."

"I know. We're in more trouble than we thought." Rory said before showing the alchemist the reality. "Liam, Vicente is on the move while 4 Mages, 3 Low-level ones, and 1 Mid-level one are after him.

There are currently 2 particularly dangerous Low-level Mages in Millfall for us, but this will be your only chance to absorb the 3rd-stage herb. If we don't act quickly, the situation might get worse, and we might have to either give up this herb or take a lot more risks in the future.

So we don't have much to do right now. Either you're ready to move on, or we'll stop here." Rory firmly said as he opened one of his hands, revealing the ring that contained the herb.

Liam looked at the ring and clenched his hands in uncertainty. "Who are these Mages?" He asked, aware there were some Mages in Millfall who weren't powerful fighters.

"Viscount Symons and Commander Hogan."

Gulp!

Those were the only local Mages who were born warriors, and only other Mages could stop them!

'Shit! Why couldn't Vicente lure them away?'

Rory saw the worry on Liam's face and said. "Rest assured, Vicente did everything he could. Unfortunately, even he can't control the Mages' free will. He was able to reduce the number of our opponents greatly, but he couldn't bring them down to zero."

"So what should we do? The moment I remove this herb from the spatial ring, it will take me at least 1 hour to kill the herb's consciousness. It may take me up to 5 hours to absorb the pentagram it generates," Liam said.

Wild medicinal herbs could be tough to kill as long as they weren't in the hands of their enemies. However, since their bodies were quite fragile and had various weaknesses, if they fell into the hands of an enemy, they would be at a great disadvantage, even to beings of a lower level than themselves.

Since that herb was already vulnerable to him, Liam wouldn't have the difficulties Vicente had in dealing with it. He could kill it with a good chance of success.

However, given the level difference between him and the herb, it would still take him several hours to complete the first part of Vicente's plan.

That worried him!

"I can tell you that in no more than two hours, all alchemists above level 2 in Millfall and all local Mages will realize what we're doing.

Even if this estate has suitable defensive magic formations, that won't stop the medicinal scent for long. Before I'm done, we'll surely be visited by enemies looking for this resource."

"I know. We have some security mechanisms, weapons, and the 3rd-stage basilisk. I can't guarantee what will happen, but when someone gets to you, many of us and the enemies will already be dead." Rory said seriously. "If you're willing, we can make our attempt in another 24 hours."

That was the time to make sure that the Mages on their way to The Vile Altar couldn't change their plans and get back to Millfall in time to be involved in the situation Liam was about to create.

Liam clenched his fists, but with the spatial ring already in his hands, he couldn't let go of something so precious.

'That is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I miss it, I might regret it in the future.' Liam thought.

"Okay, I'll trust you."