The room was still heavy with tension. Duke Valenhart sat silently at his wife’s bedside, her shallow breaths and occasional winces piercing his heart with guilt. He held her hand, cold and weak, and looked helplessly toward Kazuki—his last hope.

  Kazuki stood at the foot of the bed, expressionless but focused, eyes glowing faintly.

  Search.

  The skill activated again, and again. Over and over. His mind dove deeper into the magical structures, into the intricacies of the disease that was ravaging Liana’s body. Threads of dark mana weaved around her heart, her core, her mind.

  Each time he used the skill, his body drained, but his focus sharpened. His Intellect was steadily climbing.

  [Intellect: 65 → 70… 75… 80…]

  And then—

  [Skill Evolved – Search → Analysis]

  A new screen blinked into view:

  > [Analysis: A master-tier skill allowing the user to deeply comprehend any target—be it object, person, magic, or concept. Grants insight into conditions, weaknesses, status, and personality traits. May unveil hidden truths when used effectively.]

  Kazuki’s breath caught in his throat.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “...Show me everything.”

  He activated Analysis on Liana.

  A massive status screen bloomed before his eyes, revealing her name, age, magic resistance, mana level—and at the core, a pulsing black corruption labeled:

  [Plague Curse – Inflicted by: Grand Priest Norelth – Magical Poison – High-level Forbidden Arts]

  Kazuki’s eyes widened.

  The Grand Priest? No wonder no one could heal her... he was the one who cursed her!

  But now, with his intellect rising rapidly as he absorbed and dissected the knowledge before him, a new evolution within him triggered.

  [Intellect: 90]

  [High Heal → Recovery]

  Another screen popped up:

  > [Skill Evolved – Recovery: The pinnacle of healing magic. Fully restores target’s body, spirit, mana, and cures all known magical diseases and curses. Warning: Extremely draining.]

  Kazuki placed his hand gently over Liana’s chest.

  “Hang in there.”

  Golden light enveloped her. It was warm, yet dense—an aura of immense power radiated from Kazuki, enough that even Elara and Garron stepped back in awe. Liana’s body began to glow, and the blackened curse marks on her skin started to dissolve.

  The twisted mana untangled. Her skin flushed with color. Her breathing evened out.

  Moments later, she opened her eyes.

  “...Valen…?”

  The Duke’s jaw trembled. “Liana! You’re awake! You’re… healed!”

  She blinked, confused, but smiled weakly. “I feel… lighter. It’s like a weight is gone…”

  Tears streamed down the Duke’s face. He turned to Kazuki, dropped to one knee, and lowered his head.

  “You… are no ordinary boy. Even our empire’s greatest priests failed. I… I owe you my family.”

  Kazuki said nothing, only nodded silently.

  But behind him, Drake watched carefully. His eyes narrowed.

  How? How could a boy not much older than me use magic this advanced?

  He stepped forward. “Kazuki… can I ask something?”

  Kazuki glanced sideways.

  “How did you—how could you possibly understand a curse of that level? Even our sages couldn’t analyze it…”

  Kazuki was quiet for a moment, before saying, “Let’s just say… my way of learning is a little different.”

  But in his mind, Kazuki thought back to his past life. The patterns of plague magic… they matched a theory I once created while binging my tenth fantasy anime. Lucky me, I guess.

  Then, another screen blinked before his eyes—information that chilled him more than anything else.

  > [Culprit: Grand Priest Norelth

  Affiliation: The Radiant Temple

  Motive: Unknown]

  This wasn’t just a disease. It was a plot.

  The camera pans out as Kazuki stands alone at the window, looking out at the darkening skies, a shadow behind his eyes.

  If even nobles are being targeted… what else are they hiding in this world?