-871- [ Curse of Separation ]

While preparations for the upcoming war were underway on the Celtic side, Rozen implemented some strategies on his end.

Specifically, the focus was on increasing military strength.

Of course, adding more Servants was out of the question unless Rozen could truly master the miracle of "Heroic Spirit Summoning" or Chaldea's summoning system was significantly improved.

Currently, all the Servants on this continent had gathered within the three factions of Celtic, Greek, and Indian, creating a true mythological war. Unless Celtic used the Holy Grail to summon new Servants, causing neutral Servants to reappear, it was merely wishful thinking.

For this reason, Rozen had been trying various rituals related to "Heroic Spirit Summoning" during this time but had yet to succeed. This made Rozen realize that such last-minute efforts were unlikely to be effective.

So...

"If we can't increase the number of heroes who can stand against a thousand, let's increase the number of soldiers."

How to increase them?

It's simple.

"Use the ritual of 'Summon Wyvern' to summon wild wyverns without a contract."

Similar to summoning various beasts in the basin before, this time, Rozen wanted to summon wild wyverns without a contract.

The goal was to hunt them down and take their dragon fangs.

"With dragon fangs, Medea can craft them into Dragon Tooth Warriors to bolster the army's strength."

If it were already contracted wyverns, they would become pure magical energy, recorded into Rozen's soul, and when summoned, they would be a collective of magical energy, not a physical entity.

Even if killed, they would dissipate into magical energy and not truly die, leaving no corpse, let alone obtaining any dragon teeth.

Therefore, to obtain dragon teeth, summoning wild, non-contracted wyverns was the way to achieve the goal.

Though, compared to Dragon Tooth Warriors, the combat strength of wyverns was more potent.

With Rozen's current abilities, summoning tens of thousands of soldiers instantly was achievable, but doing so would heavily drain magical energy.

Rozen's magical energy still needed to be reserved for supporting and enhancing the various Servants, plus upcoming battles.

As a result, after leaving the basin, Rozen had Jason anchor the Argo in a remote location.

There, countless wyverns roared and danced into existence, only to be attacked successively by shields, spears, flames, the Immortal Blade, arrowstorms akin to whirlwinds, and overwhelming magical bullets. They fell either spilling their lifeblood or burnt and blackened.

In the end, not only dragon teeth but also dragon scales, claws, hearts, blood, and more were all harvested.

If this were in the modern era, these items would be extremely valuable magical materials, suitable for various research, development, and magical applications.

After all, in the modern era, there are no longer any phantasmal species, and those that exist are secluded in magical realms beyond human reach.

Materials from dragon-kind are among the most precious magical tools. They are rarely seen at the Clock Tower's auctions, and if they do appear, they are undoubtedly fiercely contested by major magical families.

If Rozen were to live in the Clock Tower, he would be swimming in money.

However, knowing Rozen has the ability to summon phantasmal species, the magus within the Clock Tower would undoubtedly not just stand by. There would be various conspiracies and schemes against Rozen, and some might even consider preserving Rozen as a specimen.

This hunting spree lasted an entire day and took the night to recover magical energy and stamina to their peak. Only then did the hunting officially conclude, and the Argo soared once again, heading towards the northern lands.

Not long after, the Argo entered the borders of the northern lands.

"Is this the northern land up ahead?"

Rozen emerged from the cabin and stepped onto the deck.

"Hmm?"

As soon as he appeared, Rozen was immediately stunned because...

"Rama?"

On the ship's bow, Rama had come out ahead of Rozen, gazing at the land ahead.

"Master?"

Sensing the movement behind him, Rama turned around, looking at Rozen.

By now, Rozen had snapped out of his daze.

"It seems you couldn't wait."

Rozen casually said this and approached Rama, joining him in gazing at the land ahead.

Seeing this, Rama couldn't help but smile.

"Of course, I couldn't wait." Rama looked ahead again and said, "Just thinking about Sita waiting there makes me wish I could pray for divine protection right here to boost this ship's speed a hundredfold."

Only then could Rama alleviate the longing and anxiety in his heart.

No, perhaps even that might not be enough.

Rama's feelings for Sita had reached such a profound level.

"So, I'm grateful to you, Master." Rama said to Rozen, "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead. Even if not dead, rescuing Sita alone would be an extremely difficult task. You've given me a chance to save Sita."

Upon hearing this, Rozen's expression lacked any trace of pride or joy.

The reason was simple.

"...Is it really okay like this?" Rozen asked in a low voice, "Can you truly see Sita this way?"

With these words, Rama's expression instantly changed.

However, Rama remained silent, neither refuting nor confirming, because...

"What about the curse on you?"

Rozen uttered these words unexpectedly.

Yet, this was something Rozen had wanted to say for a long time.

The curse.

Rama carries a curse.

This is not something Rozen perceived, but rather common knowledge among those familiar with the story of "Ramayana."

"As the king of Kosala, you were born intelligent, but due to the conspiracy of your relatives, you were deprived of the position of heir to the throne, exiled by the kingdom. Even when you encountered Sita and traveled with your beloved wife, she was taken away by the Demon King Ravana, making you determined to reclaim Sita."

Rozen spoke as if talking to himself.

"For this, you were granted various weapons by the sages and spent fourteen years with the famous monkey army led by Hanuman. Facing the Demon King Ravana and his army, you fought continuously, symbolizing perseverance, faith, and bravery."

However, such Rama made a fatal mistake.

"Due to intervening in the battle between monkey companions, you plotted against the hostile monkey, Vali, to save your side's monkey, Sugriva."

Rozen narrated this part of the story.

"Because your actions were unforgivable, Vali's wife cursed you. Even if you successfully took your wife back, you would be unable to share the joy."

This curse, even now as Rama became a Heroic Spirit, still bound him and even manifested as his innate skill.

...Curse of Separation: A

A curse imposed by the wife of Vali for killing the monkey Vali. Therefore, even if the wife, Sita, who could be considered his other half, appears, they will never be able to meet.

It is because of this skill that Rama and Sita have never been able to meet on this continent, always missing each other due to various circumstances, ultimately leading Sita to be deeply entangled in the enemy's camp.

This is the curse that Rama bears.