Suitcase world.
Lucien made his way to the sealed chamber where Nagini was held.
The giant green snake remained curled up in the corner, her vertical pupils watching him warily.
"Let's see what this Plague Doctor's Mask can do."
He reached out with his mind toward the system space, and the bird-beak mask appeared floating in front of him.
The black leather had a dull sheen. The prominent beak curved downward, and two smoky crystal lenses sat in the eye sockets.
Before Lucien could do anything, the mask molded itself to his face. The leather straps fastened silently behind his head with perfect tension—not too tight, not too loose.
Whoa. Self-adjusting fit.
A faint glow lit up the crystal lenses, and the world changed in his eyes.
Over the coiled green snake, an overlaid three-dimensional image appeared—the full picture of the curse.
Purple-black threads wrapped around every scale like roots burrowing into flesh and veins spreading throughout her body.
Some filaments had sunk deep into the bones, forming dense clusters at the joints. Others climbed the spine and converged inside her skull.
Lucien turned his head slightly. The lenses adjusted with the movement.
A small patch of gray mist lingered around Nagini's head, occasionally pierced by a faint blue light.
A more direct view of curses?
This was just through the mask with normal sight. If he added—
He channeled his magic, letting the black vortex spin deep in his pupils.
Through the mask's crystal lenses, the curse visualization became sharply three-dimensional.
The purple-black threads now had real depth and layering. Lucien could trace the path of every filament and see exactly how they tangled together.
He could even watch the curse "flow"—energy surging from the heart, spreading through the blood vessels and condensing into new dark threads at the base of each scale. It looked like slow-growing vines with roots digging into every inch of flesh.
Both Arcane Sight and the soul-observation magic from Salazar focused mainly on magic circuits and the soul itself.
Paired with the mask, his curse observation became incredibly detailed.
The combination created a clear 1+1>2 effect.
And it wasn't just visual.
Lucien took a deep breath.
A complex herbal scent rose from inside the mask. At the same time, other smells were greatly amplified—an iron-like rusty sweetness mixed with a foul sewage stench flooded his nose. The two odors intertwined, instinctively making him want to hold his breath.
His gut told him this was the scent of the blood curse.
Focusing, Lucien realized the smell was strongest near Nagini's heart.
With each beat, the odor pulsed—stronger on contraction, slightly weaker on expansion. Like a cursed engine constantly pumping contamination throughout her body.
Medieval European plague doctors wore hollow bird-beak masks stuffed with vinegar-soaked sponges, camphor, mint, ginger, and herbs to filter air and ward off disease.
This magical version also granted enhanced olfactory detection of curses.
The mask was far more useful than Lucien had expected.
More comprehensive, more precise observation would be invaluable for studying and treating curses. Seeing the distribution, smelling the changes, distinguishing pollution levels in real time—every bit of it would be critical during treatment.
This made him even more eager to know about the full set. He asked the system in his mind:
"System, any chance you can give me a preview of what the complete Plague Doctor set does?"
Just like when he accepted the mask loan, there was no immediate reply.
What's been up with the system lately? It used to answer instantly.
Lucien waited two seconds, then asked again, half-joking:
"System? You breaking down on me?"
[Not breaking down (ʘдʘ╬)]
The familiar kaomoji eased his mind, but the next message caught him off guard.
[Host, this system appears to be… preparing for an update.]
An update? System upgrade?
Even after entering the wizarding world, the system hadn't updated—it had simply added magic-related loan options.
Why upgrade now? Had he absorbed enough magical knowledge? Or triggered some hidden condition?
"Does it need to happen right away? Anything I should do?" Lucien asked.
He'd had the system for more than ten years. There was some attachment there.
[Not sure yet. It'll probably be a little while. The update may put the system into a dormant state. As long as the host doesn't get himself killed, it should be fine (・・.)ゞ]
Alright then.
The brief wave of sentimentality disappeared.
Fine. Since the system was acting weird, he'd cut it some slack.
[The host is currently a wizard. Observation shows wizards are a species quite skilled at getting themselves killed. Please take care of your own life.]
Lucien: "..."