Not Giving Into Fate

26- Tour of the Tower

I privately show my brother and his companion a tour of my Tower. Now that the ceremony has ended and people are happily walking around, I am finally free.

I grab the key from the guard and tell him he may leave. He bows and leaves the three of us alone in the room that contains all of the cursed objects we have obtained throughout the centuries.

"This is the room of curses." I say, unlocking the second door and telling them not to touch anything. "Throughout the centuries, Ancient Mages find cursed objects and either cleansed them or leave them be. It's best to avoid grabbing anything with bare hands."

I walk through the room and point out special objects that I find fascinating. I tell if the story behind them, stories I've learned from my classes and others just because. I point out the objects from different countries and those that are considered holy relics. 

"Why are there so many cursed objects in the world?" Elric asks, looking at the cursed mirror that has been cleansed.

"Five hundred years ago," I start. "There were a group of mages that supported the use of Black Magic. Magic is pure mana, and because of that, mages can keep it within their body. I can channel magic easily, an elementalist can freely use nature and so on. However, black magic is tainted and it's bad for the body. So, the cursed mages often used objects to hold their black magic.

"There was a civil war between the mages. The cursed mages died and their objects were scattered around." I look at the wall in front of me as I sum up the large history. "We still find their objects and we cure the unfortunate people. That is our role and we maintain the secrecy of Black magic so that no one can fall down that road."

"Sounds incredibly dangerous for regular people to get a hold of this," Elric backs away from the mirror and looks at a cursed sword.

"It is," I say. "There are serious levels of protection of these objects."

Sebastian peers into a cauldron. "What if someone tried to break in?"

I narrow my eyes and look to Elric. He mouths the word 'rat' and I remember what he had asked of me. He doesn't want Duke Dolan to be the Captain of the Imperial Knights, he wants him cursed.

I nod my head, understanding they have a plan in mind. "Well, there is the basic security of the Tower. There are two guards that watch over the first door. Then one must pass through the small room and greet the other guard who has the key. Only few qualified individuals have access. They all know not to touch the objects directly."

I look at the cleansed vase, sparkling with silver and gold that holds a historic, artistic design.

"What if it's stolen," Sebastian asks. "And it happens to be sold through an illegal gambling ring."

I raise a brow, Duke Dolan must visit one often. I smile. "If found, he who bought it, the seller and the thief shall be imprisoned and it is up to the Tower to deal with. The Grand Sorcerer and I will solely issue their punishment. However, if it is an important object that was previously owned by another country or a holy relic, then an ambassador will help us deliver a dire punishment."

"If the object stolen and sold were to be a holy relic?" Elric asks. 

"The Pope, or whoever he assigns to delegate the task, will work with Milo and I to find the culprits and deliver the rightful punishment. Often times, the punishment will be severe." I explain the process. 

The two men look at each other and nod, a plan already in the works. "I must warn you," I speak up. "If they have strong connections, their punishment will be lax. And it depends on how it is found in their possession. If they had it for a long time, the punishment will be greater than a man who just bought it and barely touched it. A touch is all that the curse requires."