Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start?-Chapter 559 - 9-The Continent’s Most Feared Curse… Lifted?!

🎵 "Woke up early this morning, looked at myself in the mirror…"

🎵 "Realized my hair… kinda looked a little kuso~…"

Owen hummed the little tune he'd made up, swinging his hoe with casual rhythm as he tilled the earth.

Life without his daughter around felt almost too peaceful.

Still, the cabbages had to be planted. He needed to prepare plenty of fresh vegetables for when Elena returned—she'd need healthy food after running around outside.

At that moment, Owen looked just like a countryside father who worried about his little girl not eating well or dressing warmly enough while away from home.

But just as he was enjoying his simple life, a crisp notification rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that daughter Elena is in danger! A bottle of Universal Antidote is urgently required!]

Owen was so startled he dropped his hoe.

"What?! Elena's in danger? Where did she run off to?!"

"Why does she need an antidote? Was she poisoned?!"

"But—I don't even have an antidote!"

Panic blurred his thoughts. The very idea of his daughter being in danger for the first time sent Owen into a tailspin.

[Ding. Didn't you receive a bottle of Universal Antidote when you first started, Host? Stop dawdling, or your daughter's gone. You'll have to start all over with a new character!]

The system's blunt reminder snapped Owen back to his senses.

"Quick—send it over! I can get another bottle later, but if I lose Elena, how am I supposed to restart?!"

"She's the only daughter I have until her mother comes back!"

Without hesitation, he sent the Universal Antidote through the system's transfer function and kept his eyes locked on Elena's status screen, heart pounding with worry.

…

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Elena finally found what she was looking for after rummaging through her magic pouch for a good while.

"Ah! Found it!"

She pulled out a black bottle of sludge-like liquid—her father's so-called "Universal Antidote."

"…Huh? Why is this bottle so much bigger than the ones Daddy gave me before?"

"I don't remember packing something this big…"

She tilted her head in confusion, then narrowed her eyes as a mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Daddy always gave me just a tiny sip when I got sick. But Grandpa Eldritch is over three hundred years old—he probably needs a whole bottle!"

"Hehe… Grandpa, if you drink this swamp water—uh, I mean, this antidote—your curse will be gone for sure!"

"Then you can save Pretty Sister!"

She gave the bottle a confident shake, crouching down beside Eldritch's stretcher, eyes shining.

Eldritch, however, looked horrified.

Master Leonchi himself had said this stuff was nothing more than soot and mud mixed with some random juice. How could it possibly help?

Who knew what kind of weird junk might be mixed in that sludge?

"I'm not drinking that! I'd rather die than swallow muddy water!"

"If this stuff actually works, I'll perform Fireball while standing on my head!"

Elena made a face, clearly disgusted.

Ugh, old people are gross.

She glanced at Ursula and the Empress, both still locked in intense combat. The situation was dire.

Seeing that Eldritch was too weak to resist, her mischievous grin returned.

Without giving him a chance to protest, she popped open the bottle and began pouring it into the old archmage's mouth.

When Eldritch saw that innocent smile aimed at him, his eyes filled with panic.

No, stay back!

Gods help me!

I've lived undefeated for centuries—and now this? Am I really going to die from… swamp juice? Forced down my throat by a little girl?!

Nooooooo—

Too weak to resist, Eldritch could only watch helplessly as the "swamp sludge" poured into his mouth. Since he was lying down, the liquid gushed in so fast he nearly choked to death.

His face turned beet red, his body trembling uncontrollably.

To Elena, though, this was a great sign.

"It's working! Daddy's antidote really works! Look, Pretty Sister—Grandpa's totally energized now!"

Her shout reached the Empress's ears. She glanced back instinctively, just for a second.

That second was all it took. Ogre King and Thunder Knight Commander seized the opportunity, unleashing a combined shockwave that sent her flying, tumbling backward until she landed next to Eldritch's stretcher.

The Empress wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and turned her eyes to Eldritch—only to find the old mage sprawled out, eyes bulging, desperately clawing at his throat.

Even someone as composed as Yevna couldn't help but twitch at the sight.

So… this was the legendary "medicine so powerful, it ends your life"?

Wasn't this more like poison?

To think the continent's most respected grand archmage, on the verge of death, might be finished off by a bottle of muddy water… what a disgrace!

Still, she couldn't bring herself to scold Elena. She was about to activate her magic to help Eldritch vomit when—

Suddenly, the "mud" in his throat melted.

It transformed into a wave of pure, holy energy that surged through his body, cleansing him from the inside out.

The energy flowed deep into his soul.

There, buried in the depths, the infamous Curse of the Netherlord had taken root.

But the moment it encountered this miraculous antidote… it vanished.

Like darkness before sunlight, it was obliterated.

The corruption that had rotted his soul began to heal at an astonishing pace.

The antidote's energy was domineering and absolute—as though no curse in the world could withstand it.

Eldritch's eyes widened, stunned.

He hadn't even begun to process what was happening when two figures closed in—Thunder Knight Commander and Ogre King.

"Heh. Empress, if you've got any tricks left, now's the time to use them," Yelude taunted. "Otherwise, you won't get another chance!"

The Empress said nothing, her expression cold and composed.

She stood tall, regal, her body a shield between the attackers and Elena and Eldritch.

"To think the famed grand archmage and the Glacier Empire's most beautiful Empress will both die here today."

"Funny… I'm actually kind of excited. Don't worry—once you're dead, your body won't go to waste. Ogre King loves fresh prey."

Yelude sneered with open disgust, not a hint of sibling affection in his eyes.

Ogre King licked his lips, eyes gleaming with hunger.

"I've sampled countless beauties across the land… but never an Empress. What a treat! Ssssllllp~!"

"Your Highness, stop stalling! Let's finish her before things get complicated!"

The two lunged toward her.

Damn it!

The Empress gripped her ice crystal sword tighter, preparing to go down fighting.

But then—an enraged voice rang out behind her.

"You think… I'm just going to sit here and do nothing?!"

The Empress's eyes lit up in shock and hope.

Yelude and Ogre King froze mid-strike, expressions shifting to disbelief.

They turned—and saw Eldritch, fully upright.

He stood tall and strong, magical energy surging around him. His staff was raised, pointed directly at them, his presence fierce and unyielding.

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His peak aura exploded outward—radiant and terrifying.

The two attackers stood there, stunned.

Eldritch… had returned to his peak?!

"H-How?! He was on death's door just moments ago! How could he suddenly—"

"He's bluffing!" Yelude growled. "Go test him, Ogre King!"

But the brute didn't move a muscle. He frowned deeply, clearly sensing the overwhelming power radiating from Eldritch.

"Ahem… Your Highness, you're the main character here. I wouldn't dare steal your thunder. I insist—you go first."

Before either could argue further, a beam of annihilating light roared toward them.

They barely managed to raise defenses in time, but the blast still sent them flying backward, skidding over the rocks.

Staggering to their feet, they exchanged a glance—and roared in unison:

"Retreat! The situation has changed!"