A curse!?
Is Ayame under some kind of curse, like Gyuuzou-san was?
Could it have happened when she was attacked by the Evil Ogre?
Evil… yeah, that sounds like the kind of creature that could wield curses.
But until she collapsed today, Ayame hadn’t shown any signs of being sick or weak.
「Are you sure about this?」
「No mistake. This is the snake’s curse.」
Mikoto declared with certainty.
「The curse isn’t on her directly; it likely stems from her ancestors. Snakes are known to hold grudges for seven generations. Look at her expression—she knew about this, didn’t she?」
「Is that true?」
I turned to Ayame. She nodded.
「My grandmother was cursed too. But she was born with strong spiritual power and was able to overcome it on her own. Because of that, my mother was completely unaffected. I thought the snake had given up, but then it latched onto me… My grandmother taught me a way to dispel the curse, but I have a younger sister, so…」
「If you lift the curse, the curse will definitely be transferred to your little sister. And once the curse is lifted, it is difficult to lift it in the same way……You took on the curse to protect your sister, didn’t you? And to keep the snake’s curse at bay, you layered another curse on top—what a reckless thing to do.」
「Another curse?」
「She used the rat’s curse. Among curses, it’s one of the weaker ones. But it has the ability to suppress a snake’s curse. In the zodiac, the snake corresponds to the south, while the rat points north. Normally, the boar’s curse, which opposes the snake, would be ideal for sealing it. However, the boar’s curse is far too powerful, so she opted for the weaker rat curse. Thanks to that, the progress of the snake’s curse was halted.」
Two poisons counteracting each other, like administering a second toxin to neutralize the first.
No wonder Mikoto called it reckless.
So, Ayame’s pursuit of the Saint’s Elixir wasn’t just a vague ambition for the best item available to explorers; she was trying to lift her curse.
I remembered when I first heard about her search for the elixir.
『Do you have a seriously ill family member? 』
『N-no, no! My family is all healthy! 』
Her family was all healthy.
But that didn’t include Ayame herself.
I should have realized she was the one in need.
「The protection from the guardian of silkworm weakened the rat’s curse, allowing the snake’s curse to resurface.」
「Isn’t there anything we can do? Aren’t you a god?」
「In Inari faith, the snake is linked to Uka-no-Mitama no Ōkami, the principal deity. The power of a fox does not work against a snake.」
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Ayame hung her head, clearly resigned to her fate.
I thought we were close to finding a solution.
But just as I was about to give up, Mikoto flashed a mischievous grin.
「That’s how the story usually goes, but you’re in luck. The fox god later became known as Byakushin Kōbōsatsu, a deity with power surpassing even snakes. Furthermore, snakes are associated with water. The people of this land, who feared floods, placed foxes, with their mastery over earth, above snakes to protect against such disasters. Thus, I am a professional when it comes to sealing snakes—I can’t kill it, but I can place a strong seal on the curse.」
「Really!?」
「Yes, a strong seal. The curse will not be passed on to your descendants.」
「Thank you, Mikoto-sama!」
Ayame cried, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.
「You’re welcome! Now go forth and enjoy creating many healthy descendants!」
Does this fox have no sense of delicacy?
At least choose your words!
「However, at the end of the day, it’s only a seal. If you ever find a way to completely lift the curse, you should still pursue it. It’s a stubborn curse, but the Saint’s Elixir should be able to dispel it.」
So, you know about the Saint’s Elixir too.
Getting that elixir wouldn’t be easy, though. I’ve already got Gyuuzou-san’s curse to deal with.
-0-
Since the ritual required privacy, Ayame and Mikoto went to the back room—somewhere I’d never been, where Danpon usually took breaks.
I was left alone with Danpon.
「So, about that dungeon destruction you mentioned earlier—what happens if we don’t handle it?」
「Monsters will start appearing in the area.」
「How much time do we have?」
「Hmmm, it’s hard to say. It could be up to ten years, or it could happen at any moment.」
「Any moment… seriously?」
But as things stand now, I’m in no shape to dive into a dungeon.
I need more time in the PD to grow stronger.
「Still, you’re lucky. That girl can join you in the dungeon now.」
「…………」
「What’s wrong?」
「I’m wondering if I should drag Ayame into this mess…」
Sure, Ayame would make things easier.
With her support magic, our agility would increase, reducing the chances of getting hit by enemy attacks.
But now that she’s free from her curse, is it right to bring her into such danger?
「Either way, it’s not something I can do immediately.」
If I rushed into Kuro’s dungeon unprepared and failed, it’d be the end of me.
It would be better if Milk or Hime could come along too.
「Marriage…」
If I got married, I could enter the PD with someone.
We’re all 18—me, Milk, and Hime.
We’re at the legal age for marriage.
Milk’s healing and support abilities would be ideal, but her defensive power is weak.
If she’s targeted by enemies, having Hime there to divert attention would be crucial.
So, maybe I should rely on healing potions and go with Hime instead.
But then again…
I can’t just ask one of them, ‘Will you marry me to save Japan?’
Besides, I…
「Ichino-san, sorry for the wait.」
Ayame’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
She was back, looking radiant and relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
I didn’t need to ask to know the ritual had worked.
「Alright, let’s head out.」
「Wait, what about that important conversation from earlier?」
「It’s not something we need to deal with right away. Let’s take our time thinking about it after we get back to Osaka.」
At least another year.
I just need to level up enough by then.
We stepped outside, and I retrieved my phone.
「Ichino-san, why did you leave your phone here?」
「We can’t take phones into the dungeon. Wait, hang on a second…」
Ayame didn’t leave her phone behind, did she?
…Could it be that with her Tag Along Skill, she can carry items into the dungeon that would otherwise be prohibited?
If so, misusing that ability could—
But what would actually happen?
Hmm, I can’t think of any immediate applications…
Well, maybe I’ll figure it out someday.
-0-
「Taira, where have you been? This is bad!」
Trouble?
What happened?
「We’ve got an emergency summons from the government. Something strange has happened at the Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park D.」
Could it be related to the disturbances Mikoto mentioned?
If so, they might be summoning the masked hero.
「Alright, I guess we’d better get going. Ayame, you probably want to see some tourist spots, why don’t you head home with Milk?」
「No, you don’t get it. The ones summoned are all four of us—Oshino Hime, Ichino Taira, Azuma Ayame, and Makino Milk. That’s everyone.」
…?
The government shouldn’t know that I’m the masked hero yet.
Even if they did, they could just call for the hero directly without mentioning names.
Why would they summon Ayame and Milk as well?
What’s really going on here?
Leave a Reply