The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 61. Unsealing

Chapter 61: 61. Unsealing

Erin leaned against the tree, her violet eyes fixed on the professors’ rift pulse—a faint shimmer where their mana clashed with the barrier.

A sly smile curled her lips, sharp and knowing. "The queen’s reached the bishop and king by now," she muttered, voice soft as a blade’s edge. "The war’s begun."

She looked at the dome, a spark of amusement visible in her eyes, as if she saw a chessboard no one else could.

____

Hour ago.

Velmira’s eyes narrowed, suspicion carving lines into her dirt-streaked face as she stared at Rin.

Rin stood trembling, violet hair plastered to her cheeks, soaked with sweat and grime, her wide pink eyes darting as if expecting an attack.

Her words—I’m here for you, not Leonhardt—hung heavy, jarring Velmira’s focus. She tightened her grip on her staff, and leaned closer, voice low and edged. "You’re telling me you’re not here for Leonhardt?"

"No!" Rin yelped, cheeks flaring red, hands flailing in a panic. Her heavy bag swung on her shoulder, nearly tipping her over.

"I swear, it’s not like that! I was outside, minding my own business, when this... this first-year girl cornered me. I don’t know how, but she got in my head—talked me into entering here to find you. It’s like she wove a spell or something, I don’t even get it!" Her voice cracked, half-frustrated, half-pleading.

Velmira’s jaw tightened, "Spell or not, you’re here babbling about unsealing. What’s that mean? Spill it."

Rin’s breath hitched, her fingers shaking as she let the bag slide off her shoulder, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

She hesitated, then turned, hands fumbling at the buttons of her tattered shirt. "You’ve heard of the Veinbind Curse, right?" she asked, voice dropping to a near-whisper, as if saying it too loud might wake something in the dome.

Velmira’s stomach twisted. "Veinbind?" she said, voice grim. "The ancient magic which seals one’s mana."

"That’s it," Rin said, yanking her shirt down, exposing her upper back.

Velmira’s breath caught in her throat, a sudden hiss of shock. Etched across Rin’s back was a twisted, blackened pattern of mana vines of tainted energy, curling like a living tattoo.

It resembled a broken circuit, or a parasite embedded deep within. The look was both horrible and eerily beautiful.

Rin’s voice wavered, but her words held weight. "I have had this since I was born. Because of this, I never cast a spell, never felt mana, this helped me to enter inside. That first-year... she knew. Said your divine mana’s the only thing that can break it, Velmira. You’re my last chance." Her eyes met Velmira’s, raw with desperation.

_____

Present.

At the clearing’s edge, her pink eyes alight as she bounced on her toes.

Rin turned to Velmira, voice bubbling. "Did you see that?!" she squealed, pointing finger at the charred orc corpse. "I obliterated that ugly monster! My First A-rank kill!" She pumped a fist.

"Yeah, yeah, Senior, you’re a legend," she drawled.

A large shadow swallowed, Velmira’s smirk vanished, her eyes widening as Rin turned, a sharp yelp escaping.

An orc towered above, its club raised, ready to crush her. Before it could swing, a thunderous crack, the orc’s torso exploded in a shower of blood and bone, chunks flying as it crumpled.

Leo stood far behind, arm extended, fingers shaped like a gunslinger, faint sparks fading from his hand. His Mini Bang spell had torn through the beast like a cannon.

"Save the party for later!" he barked. "We’ve got pigs to slaughter!"

Another orc lunged from his blind side, axe swinging.

Leo’s boots flared green with wind mana surging through his veins—and he blurred left, the axe cratering the earth in a spray of dirt. He vaulted onto the beast’s arm, climbing it in a heartbeat, and unleashed a storm of slashes across its face, each cut spraying blood.

The orc’s screams as it collapsed, Leo leaping clear, landing gracefully. "Let’s clean house," he growled, wiping blood from his cheek.

Velmira shoved Rin’s shoulder, voice urgent. "Use the spell that I taught you—now!"

Rin’s grin turned fierce, staff snapping up as she locked onto an orc charging Leo. "Velsraun!" she roared, and a raw pulse of mana erupted like a searing comet of light that slammed the orc’s chest, shattering its flesh and sending it staggering, squealing in pain.

Leo didn’t hesitate—leaping to its shoulder, he plunged his sword into its throat, twisting with brutal precision. Blood sprayed, and the beast crashed down, lifeless.

Rin’s eyes sparked, confidence surging. "Oh, I’m just getting started!" she declared.

Leo faced the last orc, both coiled like springs, ready to charge. The beast’s eyes burned, tusks dripping as it readied a charge.

"Hey, ugly!" The orc’s head turned to Rin, meeting her taunting grin. "Think you can carry this?"

A shadow loomed on it. The orc looked up, and a massive boulder, the size of a wagon—floating above, trembling with Rin’s mana, its edges glowing faintly. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it crashing down, the impact shaking the earth, crushing the orc into a bloody smear beneath a cloud of dust.

Leo’s jaw dropped, his squad frozen, mouths agape. Velmira’s staff slipped an inch, her eyes wide. Rin had just hurled a boulder with raw mana, flattening an orc like it was an insect. She spun, grinning like a kid who’d won a prize.

____

The Ritual Spot.

Deep within the dome’s center, the massive glyph pulsed on the ground—etched in crimson and violet, its lines glowing like molten veins.

The chanter stood at its edge, arms raised, laughing, wild and unhinged.

"This is it!" they shouted. "We’ve done it—summoned the Demon Commander, Lord Valtharion!"

The glyph flared brighter, the ground quaking as a rift tore open. From it rose a figure—towering, clad in armor that seemed to drink the light, eyes burning red beneath a spiked helm. Covered in thick armour.

The chanter’s laughter faltered, awe overtaking madness, as they whispered, "Kill the ruler’s prophecy..."