Vol. 10 Ch. 13: Dragon

When Monica noticed a shadow as thin as a strand of hair creeping toward her through the night, the black shadow was already wrapped around her left hand.

Even a barrier cast without an incantation would be too late.

The only things Monica could do were slap Felix's hand away when he tried to touch her left hand, put some distance between them, and concentrate magical power in her left hand to keep the curse from spreading throughout her body.

Thanks to Nero reflexively brushing it away, only an exceedingly small amount of the curse had clung to Monica's body. She thought she might be able to suppress even that much with magical power... but she soon realized how naive her expectations had been.

Every time her heart beat, searing pain shot through the part of her left arm below the elbow.

It was a terrible pain, as though countless ultrathin nails were being hammered into her blood vessels. To stifle her scream, Monica instinctively bit down on her right arm. Otherwise, she felt as though she might roll around on the ground, crying and screaming.

Nero was holding Monica up and shouting something. Felix was shouting something too, his face deathly pale. But neither voice reached Monica's ears. Only the sound of her own heartbeat rang through her head, pounding unbearably loudly.

"...Hah... huff... ngh... ah."

Groaning through muffled breaths, Monica gathered magical power in her left arm and fought back, trying to halt the cursecraft's progress even a little.

Her head spun. Red and black flashed before her eyes, and her vision grew indistinct...