Chapter 51: Curse Removal (1)
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"...It's a misunderstanding."
I carefully gave out a retort after seeing the chilling gaze that was directed at me.
No, seriously, what the hell?
I didn't do anything wrong.
It wasn't like I was some kind of serial pervert with weird kinks or some shit like that. I literally just did what Yuria asked of me.
It felt like if I didn't listen to her, that girl would have been completely possessed by the Devil and gone on a rampage.
"After several years, I finally reunited with my younger sister, my only family."
However, Lucia continued with the same cold atmosphere.
"But as soon as we had reunited, I found out that my only family apparently doesn't seem to mind serving some foreigner as her master."
"..."
The fuck was she on about with this 'master' bullshit?
I wished she would stop saying that title because just hearing it made me feel like shit.
After all, every human was equal in the world. Praise equality!
Well, Sera's worldview was inspired by a feudal society, but yeah anyway…
"Apparently, Yuria said that as long as that man doesn't leave her, it doesn't matter what is done to her. Moreover, to show how eager she is, she said she'd even put a collar on herself and hand over the leash to him."
"..."
"I was curious as to why she became so obsessed, so I did a little research on my own. It turns out that Yuria was completely isolated from everyone, so she wasn't able to meet anyone else. Because of that, she also said that man was the only person who cared for her."
"..."
"She said he suddenly disappeared one day without a word, making her cry a sea of tears alone. She even prayed several times, begging to see him again until he reappeared."
"..."
"Well, in that kind of situation, I think anyone would become obsessed with that person, so there's no need for some other special reason for it, right?"
"..."
"So, can you explain which part I 'misunderstood'?"
"..."
As I remained silent, unable to answer, the Saintess glared at me with stern eyes and asked once again.
"So?"
"...None, but…"
When she summarized it like that, I did sound like an irredeemable piece of shit. I admit it.
"Still, let's put that aside for now. Even if you played a part in this, it's clear that it's not entirely your fault that Yuria went this far."
Lucia sighed as she said this and I nodded like a broken machine. Cold sweat ran down my face.
'Yes, please. Let's just move on, I beg you.'
"Besides, I'm greatly indebted to you. I don't think I'll be able to pay it back."
Shortly after, Lucia respectfully bowed towards me.
"...I heard that you confronted the Pope and demanded that he doesn't interfere with us anymore."
Unlike earlier, her tone was extremely polite.
One could even say there was a hint of sorrow in it.
"With just the strength of us two sisters, we would have never escaped from his grasp in our lifetime. Meeting you was nothing short of a miracle, truly."
"..."
System Message
[ The favorability of the target 'Lucia' has greatly increased! ]
[ The favorability level has been upgraded to 'Interest Level 1'! ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ Reward has been reduced due to the good alignment of the target! ]
I scratched my cheek as I looked at the window before me.
"...You're exaggerating."
Well, I had to deal with the Pope eventually whether I liked it or not, anyway..
Among the antagonists, there were a few that could be dealt with somewhat peacefully, but that would never be the case for the Pope.
"..."
Honestly, I understood what he wanted.
To put it very simply, he was trying to build a 'paradise'; His own ideal utopia on the plane of existence beneath Heaven.
Regardless of what he was actually doing, he could always gaslight himself to think that he was doing something noble and all that shit.
However, unlike Valkasus…
He was a fucking trash. I would never cooperate with him, no matter how much I needed to.
As the scenario progresses to the latter stages, he would reveal more of his true nature.
"And, well… He won't divert his attention away from you for long. It wouldn't be weird for him to shift his attention back to you at any time."
Throughout the scenario, the Greyhounder Sisters had one of the main storylines that ran alongside scenarios related to the Pope.
It was true that I had temporarily neutralized his interference through my oh so subtle negotiation. However, in the end, the Homunculi only had their immunity from the Holy Land and the Pope until the Pope's plan was completely shredded to pieces. Until then, their situation remained precarious.
Moreover, considering what I could achieve if I continued to develop these two as a pair, all the way until the end of the scenario, it became even more important to remain wary of the Pope's intentions.
"...Certainly, that's true."
Lucia replied with a slightly gloomy tone.
"Yuria and I are essential to the Pope's 'Great Covenant'. I don't intend to give up on resisting but…"
As she continued, a bitter smile adorned the Saintess' beautiful face.
"That doesn't mean I have any intention of taking what you've done for granted. How can I express my gratitude—"
"Alright then. Can you grant me some of my requests?"
"..."
Lucia's expression instantly turned blank.
She seemed a bit taken aback that I spoke as if I'd been waiting for this moment.
Bruh, why were you so surprised?'
Nothing in this world was free, you know?
"...Requests, you say?"
"Yes. Requests."
"Of course, I shall listen to whatever you have to say, but despite my grandiose title of 'Saintess', what I can actually do is…"
"Oh, it's fine. I don't really expect much from you anyway, Saintess."
Yep. I really didn't expect much from her.
It would be heartless and tactless of me to expect something extravagant from someone who had been oppressed by the Holy Land not too long ago.
"..."
Lucia's expression slightly soured.
"Is that so?"
"...Wait, why do you look so disheartened? You were about to say that you can't do much anyway, right?"
"Yes, but hearing you say it directly in front of my face is a bit…"
"..."
Timidness must run in the family, huh….
Even with her dyed hair and delinquent aura that seemed like she might chew gum and spit at any moment, Lucia was unexpectedly the epitome of an introvert.
"...First of all…"
Anyway! Onto more important things!
There were two things that I wished for.
"Please help me improve my proficiency in abilities related to divine graces. There aren't many people in the Church who are even close to being as competent as the Saintess in that regard, right?"
I intended to entrust this person with the training needed to expand my divine power, which was currently hovering between grades E and D, having barely escaped from F.
Since I was going to ride or die with the priest skill tree, all abilities using divine power were essential. In that regard, this person should be of great assistance.
"That request isn't all that difficult. By any chance, could you tell me how much divine power you have…?"
"It's at the level of dogs, bugs, and worms."
"..."
"It takes me about three minutes to create the simplest Grace of Healing. I think the Saintess could do around 200 of those at once, even without divine artifacts, no?"
"...Could you tell me what level of proficiency you're aiming for?"
"My goal is to reach about a third of what you're capable of in a month."
I needed to roughly achieve at least that level to be of real help to the problems I'm currently facing.
If I considered just the issues that will immediately affect my 'Divine Power Utilization', it was even more urgent.
Solving Eleanor's household curse, finding Iliya's Holy Sword which involved Caliban in Chapter 4, and dealing with future issues entangled with the Heretic Inquisition…
None of them were easy tasks. Actually, with my current growth rate, it would be impossible for me to achieve them.
However, if I could truly achieve that level of proficiency, my range of adaptability would also greatly expand in turn. I would be able to handle any situation that arises, no matter how complicated or difficult it turned out to be.
"..."
Lucia's lips trembled. I guess it might sound like an irrational request from me huh?
"...I'll try my best."
As expected of the Saintess.
Instead of shitting on me as soon as she heard this, she responded in such a kind manner.
'Well, it's not entirely impossible.'
I could always use the 'System' as a way to accelerate my growth rate; there were tons of options after all.
However, to master the practical use of these skills, I would need excellent instructors like Lucia.
"And, for my second request…"
To be honest, this was the crux of the matter.
It was something urgent at this very moment, and more importantly, it was a pain in the ass.
"It involves your younger sister."
Lucia's expression instantly became serious.
"She's not in great shape. It's not critical at the moment, but she's on the verge of being so."
Considering the malevolence of the curse inflicted by the 'Severer', she looked astonishingly healthy right now. On the surface, at least.
However, curses typically erode the bearer over a long period of time. Considering the fact that only a few years have passed and parts of her body are already being affected, the situation was not as manageable as it might have seemed.
The fact that she couldn't even use her voice when Lucia wasn't nearby was more than enough evidence of this.
"...For now, she can at least stay close to me, so the situation is somewhat better."
Indeed, as she said, Homunculi could receive a significant stat boost when they're close together. Her resistance to the curse was also increased accordingly.
"We have bought some time, so if we can find a better solution…"
But…
"I don't want that."
"...What?"
"I don't want to drag it out for that long. After all this time, you were finally able to reunite, but now, you can't even get closer to each other properly. That's absurd to me."
Honestly, because of that damn curse…
I was a bit hesitant in keeping these two together for too long. We wouldn't know what kind of accident might happen.
While it was possible to keep Yuria partially quarantined until Lucia had regained her consciousness, now that the latter woke up, it would be too risky to leave them to their own devices.
Because of that, these two haven't even been able to have a proper conversation.
Did that even make any fucking sense?
Those girls haven't seen each other in years….
"..."
At my words, Lucia's eyes started to tremble, momentarily losing their focus.
"We need to release the curse. Immediately."
By principle, even a bull's horn should be pulled out in one move.
There were only three days left until the Valkasus Event. There was no point in dragging this out.
Yuria's sword, the 'Severer', was not only cursed, but it also had a Devil's Fragment attached to it. If I didn't resolve either of these issues properly, progressing in Chapter 2 would be impossible.
Also, it was much easier to deal with the curse than to resolve matters regarding the Devil's Fragment.
And more importantly…
'I have to release the curse so that she takes off that fucking collar…!'
If I could eliminate the attribute that prevents her from getting within three steps to anyone, I could finally get rid of that shitty collar roleplaying as an accessory.
To me, that was more important than anything else right now…!
"..."
As I was gleefully thinking this…
I noticed Lucia glaring at me with a slightly reddened face.
"...? Do you have a fever? Have you not fully recovered ye—"
"...Yes. I think I understand you a bit better now. You seem like a reckless human who lacks self-awareness and irresponsibly throws out grandiose claims like it was nothing. Also, you are fucking dense."
"..."
Why did she suddenly diss me?
The fuck did I do wrong?
"...You also don't seem like the type to fix your flaws after listening to mere words… Whatever. Just go ahead and say it. Do you have a solution?"
"Specifically for your last question, yes."
Of course I had one.
It wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough when using it as a cheese.
I explained it well enough for the Saintess to understand completely.
"Are you perhaps a fucking lunatic?"
"..."
Dowd Campbell, a recipient of a lifetime achievement.
Someone the Saintess swore at two times in a row.
Seriously…What did I do so wrong…?
The tasks of the diplomatic delegation sent from the Holy Land to Elfante were always the same.
Maintenance and upkeep of religious facilities. A few simple ceremonies.
As such, normally, the ceremonies wouldn't be so crowded.
Well, normally, as in, if the popular kid, a.k.a the Saintess, wasn't present.
"The Saintess looked this way!"
"She must have been looking beyond the horizon."
"No, I'm sure she looked in my direction!"
"..."
You know how the popular kid would always be in their own little clique and a crowd would just gather and chatter around them like planets orbiting a star? Yeah, that was what was happening now, and it was giving me a massive headache.
lliya, who was next to me, wiped her face with a tired expression.
As a Hero Candidate, she was summoned to an important event to serve as the Saintess's escort, but even she probably didn't expect so many people to gather.
The Saintess merely sat quietly inside a carriage with all sides covered, but on the outside where the crowd was being pushed back by the escorts, it was an utter shitfest.
"Why did the escort position suddenly become vacant…"
I chuckled at Iliya's grumbling
It was originally Valkasus' duty to nominally be Lucia's escort knight.
But that guy…
[ Main Quest ]
〖 Chapter 2: Boy King 〗
[ 'Academy Assault' Incident: D-3 ]
Was probably working his ass off, preparing for this.
From what I remember, it was not usually a large-scale event.
But he was probably putting in more effort to prepare for it now.
As I was chuckling to myself, I heard a voice from the side.
"...Mister."
"Yeah?"
"Could you please help me out a bit?"
"With what?"
"For starters, can you cut that out…?"
With that plea, she pointed towards the scene of me holding onto the leash of Yuria's collar while she desperately tried to get closer to me, panting and smiling like a puppy.
Of course, I was doing my absolute best to maintain distance every time she did so.
Fortunately, it seemed like the Saintess had cast a Grace of Barriers, so any visible signs of this indecent situation were blocked.
"Oh, is this a kind of kink or roleplay? Are you really that desperate to spread such rumors about yourself?"
"...No."
Right now, this kid was suffering from severe separation anxiety to the extent where it was unbearable for her if I were to move even a little away from her. It wasn't like I had any choice on the matter.
The best solution here was to do what she wanted…
"Wait, what? Mister, you were busy with who knows what, and disappeared completely for about two days after the midterms. How did she manage during that time then?"
"She didn't."
"...What?"
"Also, when I woke up this morning, I found that she had broken my dorm room window and climbed in. She was crouching right next to my bed, fast asleep."
"..."
Well, it wasn't like I gained absolute nothing. I got some valuable information after all.
Yuria could withstand not seeing me for a maximum of two days.
It seemed that she barely managed to endure due to Lucia not regaining consciousness for those two days, but as soon as she heard that her sister was awake and healthy, she pulled this shit.
"...Then why did you participate in the regular diplomatic delegation ceremony with such a dangerous person?"
"Because it was necessary, blud…"
When have I ever done something thoughtless, you fool?
I have to be at least on the status of the Saintess to gain access to the places I needed to go.
And, just as I foresaw, the final location of this scheduled event was one of such places.
"...This place seems more and more impressive every time I come."
The Heart of the Star
This dome-shaped building was a space where one could clearly feel the immense divine power residing, even from the outside.
It was a facility found only within the three academies that surround the Void Zone. Its role was to supply power to the barriers surrounding the academies.
This was a place where even a person like the Saintess could not enter on a whim. It would be a miracle for someone like me to be able to enter.
Originally, the itinerary would be to just go in, offer some prayers of thanks, and then leave.
Well, big emphasis on the 'originally' part.
"I heard during class that the holy relics left by the Seraphs are still intact inside. Apparently, those holy relics serve as a perpetual power supply to the barriers. Isn't that incredible?"
Iliya continued to mention various things with a slightly excited voice.
Well, she was technically an existence born to have a strong interest in the 'celestial' and 'angels'.
In the first place, the person she idolized the most was Caliban, a Holy Knight.
"And apparently, there is also a security system to prevent terrorist activities!"
"Is that so?"
"If you tamper with the holy relics inside, the guards prepared by the Seraphs will jump out to take care of its security! The angels really took their work seriously!"
"I see."
"..."
Since Iliya excitedly chatted away, I gave her bland reactions out of courtesy, but suddenly she stopped talking.
She must have finally realized something was strange.
There were only three people who had entered the 'Heart of the Star' right now.
Me. Yuria. Iliya.
The rest were all waiting outside.
This was the situation I specifically arranged with my request to the Saintess.
"...What is this?"
Her eyes had narrowed instantly, looking towards me with suspicion.
She must have sensed something strange and ominous instinctively.
"What are you cooking?"
"What cooking…"
I yawned and looked at the massive ore that had appeared before us.
This was the 'Heart of the Star', as well as the reason why this building was named as such.
It was also the material that Iliya would eventually use to craft her Holy Sword.
A whole-ass perpetual engine.
"..."
Iliya's expression twisted even more as her ominous premonition grew.
Meanwhile, I slowly approached the Heart of the Star.
"Mister. You wouldn't, right?"
"Wouldn't what?"
"...That… You wouldn't, right?"
I didn't know what 'that' was.
But if she was talking about 'this', then, she was correct.
I drew my sword and immediately struck the Heart of the Star.
"..."
"..."
A frozen silence stifled the surrounding area.
"What the fuck are you doing, you crazy fucker?! Are you actually fucking insane, you psycho?!"
I chuckled at the figure of Iliya screaming hysterically.
"It's fine. This much won't even leave a scratch."
"The problem isn't whether it leaves a scratch or not…!"
-...
-...
-...!!!!
Immediately after the Heart of the Star sensed the 'impact', it emitted a red light in all directions.
Obviously, it didn't seem particularly friendly.
As the Heart of the Star began to 'beat' faster, the light followed, growing brighter and stronger.
Almost as if it was trying to 'summon' something.
'YOSH. This is it.'
Meanwhile, I chuckled while observing this phenomenon.
"Yo, by the way. I agree with you. The angels really do take their work seriously."
"What are you even saying all of a sudden?!"
"So, I wanted to have a little meeting with them ASAP."
I had mentioned this time and time again, but the Curse of Severance was one of the most malicious curses in the game.
Attempting to alleviate it quickly was not something an average person could do.
That's why, for removing that curse, I would need the assistance of the angels, who were basically specialists in this field.
'However…'
A Seraph was among the highest ranking angels; a being I could not easily meet.
Aaanywaay…
You see, there were two ways to meet a busy person.
The first was to book an appointment in advance.
But fuck that, I only had three days left.
"..."
And the second way was…
To cause an incident.
A reaaaaally fucking huge incident.
So that it would be reported all the way up there.
"...Yeah, I forgot for a moment, but…"
Iliya had started to mutter with a soulless expression.
"This guy was always one crazy motherfucker."
"..."
As soon as that hurtful comment was spat out.
-!
-!!!
-!!!!!!!!!
A burst of red light erupted, enveloping the interior of the dome with an overwhelming aura.
You can read 255 chapters for $20. p.atreon.com/casca02