Chapter 85

Chapter 85 \nA curse that undermines the royal family.

I was reminded again of what Rose once spoke with a painful look.

“Healing magic cannot heal curses.”

Although healing magic can heal things regarding injuries, illness, and body damages, but the phenomenon of curses cannot be cured.

 

“Uhm——-”

“Your majesty, it is about time.”

 

What kind of curse is damaging the royal family?

And what sort of effect does that curse have on Eva?

Fegnis, who had come into the room, spoke to Lucas-sama as if to block my questions from being answered.

 

“Sigh, you’ve never been able to read the mood huh, Fegnis…. Hey Usato, sorry but I’ll have to go back to work as a king.”

“…..Okay.”

 

If you don’t have the time, then it’s fine…

If given another opportunity, I’ll ask again.

 

“The end was kinda awkward, but overall I had lots of fun talking with you.—-Fegnis, please send Usato out, I don’t want him getting lost here.”

“I understand. However, it sounds as though this happens frequently.”

“…It happened only once.”

 

Meaning someone has gone lost in this palace before.

Certainly, the palace does look like a maze, so it’s easy to get lost. When I was in the Kingdom of Lingle, I lived in the rescue squad’s dormitory. Thus, whenever I had to visit the palace, I was guided by a maid or a knight so as to not get lost.

 

“Well, take care of my daughter will you?”

“I can feel some sort of malicious content in your words….But there are no other intentions right?”

“Haha….It’s just a joke.”

 

Please don’t look serious after laughing, it doesn’t sound like a joke anymore…!

Lucas-sama who looked back at me with a smile on his face, returned to his original mild smile, laughing like a child who had played a successful mischief, and left the room with the escort knights, still laughing.

 

“Fegnis-san. If you would lead me.”

“I understand. Now, please follow me.”

 

Fegnis-san who showed a sympathetic and bitter smile towards me turned around and walked to the garden where Eva lives.

While following him, I thought about the curse that Lucas-sama has said.

Curse.

Based on my knowledge from my original world, it is a spiritual phenomenon that causes harm based on the envy of others.

Or, it could also mean a ghost, an evil spirit, or a landlocked spirit, a youkai, a sorcerer, etc… That irritates others and literally curses them to death.

This really hits me as I’m not good at dealing with horror.

Based on the knowledge in this world, it’s a physical type of curse as what Rose said.

Also, the magic that Neah said. For example, a binding magic that binds the opponent’s body with magic. However, I still know very little about the magic of this world.

So the curse that Eva—–Or the curse that’s eating the Samaria’s Royal Family—— Is there a possibility that it’s magic that Neah deals with….? I’ve heard that there are various types of magic. It’s a fact that magic has declined, but it wouldn’t be strange that there’s a mage who had the magic of cursing and killed people in the old days when magic is more common.

…Wait a minute, if the curse that Eva has is eroding her body, maybe Neah’s dispel might be useful…

 

“——Sato-sama….Usato-sama.”

“Eh? Y-Yes? What’s the matter?”

 

Being indulged in my thoughts, I replied frantically to Fegnis-san who was walking in front of me.

 

“How was the conversation with the King?”

“Conversation?…. Well, I just listened to his stories, but that allowed me to understand the thoughts and personality of Lucas-sama, and it was a good experience….”

 

I answered Fegnis-san’s questions honestly, and he nods and puts his hands on his chin.

 

“I think that the King also had a good time.”

“I didn’t do anything interesting besides answering some of his questions though…”

“That is not the case. In fact, the king was behaving differently today.”

“Is that so?”

 

What sort of King did you usually talk to? Is that frank personality of his an acting?

While wondering about it, Fegnis-san slowed down his pace so as to walk beside me, and he points his index finger.

 

“Do you remember when the king was talking about slavery?”

“? Yeah, he talked about it just now.”

 

The talk about using slaves and beasts to improve the country, right?

What about that.

 

“I was very surprised at the words of the King at that time. After all, His Majesty who is usually a realist, exclaimed that he wanted the slaves of his country to be happy. For those of us who know His Majesty, that sort of thing is unheard of.”

“Is that so. Why did he….say that to me then?”

“You might’ve been someone who doesn’t know much politics, but apart from that… It may be because you are the disciple of Rose-dono.”

 

Because I’m her disciple?

…Don’t tell me that some sort of revenge will come if I said something bad?

Aside from Rose, if he feels that way to me, then I have to go back and solve the misunderstanding now…

 

“His Majesty doesn’t talk about his own ideals because he has given up on it. And because of you, who kept talking about what his ideals were, his ‘real voice’ has come out from hiding…”

“….I’m different from the captain. Absolutely not the same person.”

 

I’m not that grown-up to overlap with that person.

Of course strength-wise, but even our personality isn’t the same.

However, Fegnis-san chuckles a little at my words.

 

“Fuh, you say that, but I don’t think so at all when I heard about the things you did at Lukvis.”

“Uh….”

 

If he’s talking about the report at Lukvis, he most likely means the training with Nack?

I don’t know who the hell leaked that, but it might’ve been a failure in my part to train him with Rose’s programme in public.

It might’ve sent the wrong image to other countries…Aren’t these rumours kinda dangerous?

 

“His Majesty has been doing everything he could for Samaria ever since Eliza-sama passed away. For her who loved this country and Eva—”

 

At that moment when Fegnis-san spoke too much, a loud sound ‘Gong!’ rang from outside the palace.

Looking out from the window of the passage, a silver bell at the top of the large tower in front of the palace was ringing while reflecting the sunlight.

Lukvis has something similar to that, but I was surprised by how much louder the bell was. Fegnis-san, who stopped his legs and looked at the tower from the same window, quietly opened his mouth.

 

“Hundreds of years ago…”

“Yes?”

“It’s a story from hundreds of years back.”

 

Listening to his reluctant words, I went quiet.

 

“Samaria suffered a great disaster.”

“…”

“The worst event since Samaria’s founding, when many people died and everything was destroyed, including the palace and homes. It was a long time ago, but that is something the people cannot forget and it continued.”

 

Is Samaria about to perish?

Is he going to say something like they prospered and have managed to recover?

 

“Everyone was in despair and when they tried abandoning the country, the King at that time made that tower in hopes of the country’s recovery and hope.”

“They built such a huge tower despite the disaster?”

“There were a lot of oppositions voicing out their disbelief, but the King tried to show hope to the people. As a result, that tower turned into hope—-No, it became a target of worship.”

“….I see, so that’s why it’s called a religious country…Or a country of prayer.”

“Yes. Through that process, Samaria came to be called the country of prayer.”

 

A disaster hundreds of years ago.

Only one thing comes into mind.

——-The battle between the Wicked Dragon with the previous hero.

The death fight that took place was in the country called Samaria. There’s no doubt that the battle of the previous hero who faced the perfect condition dragon head-on will cause enormous damage to the surroundings.

Once again, I nodded while murmuring, and noticed the tower had stopped ringing.

 

“But that wasn’t what the king wanted at the time. The hope that the king was trying to show——-worship, and fright…the one and only existence that was made in the process. It was just that——”

“Fegnis-san…?”

 

He was mumbling to himself rather than talking to me.

After a while, he realised and came back to his senses.

 

“….My apologies. As a knight… my family has a close relationship with that tower, so I’m a little absorbed in it.”

“It’s alright, I’m glad to have heard an interesting story.”

“I am happy that you think that way.”

 

After that, Fegnis-san walked again and we arrived at the garden without any problems.

As usual, there are two knights standing at the entrance of the barrier where Eva lives, but when they saw Fegnis-san next to me, they align their legs and stretched their backs straight.

Fegnis-san stopped and turned around and put his hand in his pocket, taking something out.

It was a sword that I entrusted when I came to the palace.

 

“Usato-sama, I will return what I had in hand when I invited you into the palace.”

“Ah….Are you sure? It’s just a knife, and if I bring it to where Eva is…”

“That’s alright. Your fist is stronger than the knife.”

 

Well, a knife is only used to cut fruits. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that it’ll be used in battle.

 

“It looks like a good weapon, mind me asking where did you get it from?”

“Eh? Eh- Ah- Uhh…. I got it from some villagers in a village I stopped before coming to Samaria. ….But why would you wanna know that?”

“I am a swordsman, so it is part of my job to determine the good and bad of a sword. From my perspective, this sword is too beautiful and intricate… Is it made by a dwarf? Nonetheless, it is made with a method that is obviously different from other swords. This might be an ambiguous word, but it’s like an abnormal sword that doesn’t seem to belong to this world.”

“W-Well who knows? I don’t really understand much because it’s a gift….”

“…”

 

W-Why is he silent?

I know that it’s not normal because it was a weapon from the previous hero. But I guess the manufacturing method is different from Japanese swords. I’m an amateur, so I’m not sure how awesome this really is.

While turning away from Fegnis-san’s gaze, I placed the knife on my belt and hide it in the hem of my robe.

 

“Thank you for sending me here.”

“…Don’t worry about it. It’s natural to be polite to our guests. Then, I shall return to my post.”

 

Fegnis-san who bowed deeply returned to the palace.

I was relieved that he didn’t pursuit about the sword, but again it was good that I didn’t tell him about the Wicked Dragon and the previous hero.

I don’t know why I thought so, but I thought it would’ve been dangerous if I did.

 

“…Samaria was attacked by a Wicked Dragon? Should I read the notebook again…?”

 

I put my hand on the notebook of the previous hero who’s still tucked in the pocket of the lining of the rescue squad uniform.

There might be some things relating to the curse of Eva… If it truly is a curse that kills the royal bloodline, the cause might not be the present, but in the past.

Let’s first look at the possibilities.

Arms crossed, I walked in the direction of the barrier while thinking—

 

“Hm?”

 

—-I saw something black crossing at the edge of my vision and stopped.

A black shadow that is disproportionate to the garden where the sun shines through.

When I turned to where the shadow was, a blackbird that looked familiar sat on the branch of a tree planted in the garden. It had a slightly amazed gaze—-When the owl meets me, it spread its wings and flew here.

I slightly raised my right arm so that the owl could easily land.

The owl, proudly puffing its chest, opens its small beak.

 

“Fufufu, Usa—–”

“Alright, you came at the right time, Neah. Did Ark-san ask you to come? Well, it’s good to do at your own pace. I’ll persuade the knights to let you inside.”

“Heh?”

 

I would like to take my time with our reunion, but I can’t do such things when the knights are watching us. So I put my hand on her head lightly and closed her mouth.

 

“Eh? Wai- Listen to the end…Why are you doing this to me after seeing you for the first time in three days?”

 

Ah but, she really did come at a really good time.

If she’s here, I might know more about Eva. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see her dispel magic that I thought was useless in action.

With her fluttering noise, I began walking towards the border where Eva and Eiri-san are.

 

“…..Ah.”

 

I wasn’t thinking of Eva’s reaction if she saw Neah.

She’ll definitely be interested since she’s just a kid—-Well, there’s also the problem of not getting into contact even if I ask her not to touch. What to do.