The fifth day after Usat went to the castle.
And it is also the day after Nair went to see Usat.
Me and Mr. Alk were worried about Usat, who had spent as much time in the inn room as possible trying not to go outside but never come back.
"Usato, are you okay..."
"He thinks he can handle most things, but if he doesn't come back for five days, you might want to think about whether something happened."
Usually, we spend time in separate rooms, but when we discuss it this way, we sit on the edge of a large dining room upstairs.
Nair hasn't been to Usat right now, but I told the people who work here, "Nair's not feeling well and she's resting in her room," so there's no problem.
But...
"I'm worried about Usat, but this situation is strange, too. The same goes for not having customers other than us, but maybe the people here realize who I am. Yet no one tries to kick them out, nor to tell the knights"
"Whatever Nair is, knowing the identity of Lord Amako and not doing anything... King Samaritan would have known about us beforehand"
Mr. Alk, who put his hand on his chin at the thought, says so with his voice contained so that he could not be heard around him.
In addition, Mr. Ark said that Samarial's king's purpose might be Usat.
"But it's also probably not known about our actions up to the Kingdom of Lingle and Lukvis - Nair we made company of on the journey"
"... but you mean he worked where he didn't think he would"
I have to admit the fact that vampires who are loud, graphic and familiar with Usat are useful.
A mockery of Nair making a small fool of this one floats behind his brain, holding his temples as he calms down his feelings.
"Anyway, we just have to wait for Nair to come back..."
"Right. Lord Usato is in captivity, or I have the idea of boarding the castle. It's only a last resort..."
"Can you catch Usat?"
…… Ha, ha, ha. Lord Usat is a human being. "
I wonder what it is now.
But Usat is not the kind of person who can be captured by ordinary means.
Fast, strong, and very badly given up.
Evil Dragon is the opponent, and he has the courage to challenge the battle without cowardice.
If there are weaknesses......
"Being unable to look and pretend not to look, or..."
Neither I, nor Nak, nor those who suffer evil dragons, nor Nair, can pretend not to see.
He may deny that he's not that nice of a person, but he can't ignore his voice for help. And I can't overlook someone who's suffering.
I think that's where Usat is at stake.
"... maybe you are tempted by the Samaritan princess like Master Kazuki. I hear she's a pretty good beauty in what I've heard from Xiao Ear. Ha ha."
……
"Oh, yes, it's a joke. Excuse me."
I unintentionally became unintentionally faceless in the words of Mr. Alk, who laughed happily in an attempt to cheer me up when I had a sinking face.
"Usato's not gonna be as stylish as it sounds because some weird guy likes it."
Mr. Kazuki and Mr. Welsey, the Kirikhas and some others are normal and gentle people, but I cannot say that what Mr. Ark said is unlikely because he is liked by people who are a little dangerous in many ways: Suzune, Halfa, Nair, and maybe Mr. Rose and the Lifeguards.
"I hope it hasn't been a hassle..."
"That's what's happening now."
!?
Face the voice of a third party and turn in that direction.
There Nair, who headed for the castle in the form of an owl, smiled and waved at this one as the village daughter in front of the entrance to the dining room.
Nair, who had gone to Usat, came back.
As she approached the table where me and Mr. Alk were sitting, looking somewhere careless, she did not hesitate to sit in the chair Mr. Alk pulled, leaving her body at the table to weaken.
I speak to her like that.
"So what happened?"
"Hmm, I don't know what to do. I don't know, but I'm tired."
……
"Hum."
"There he is!?"
I silently shaped my hand into a handknife, caged my strength for what it was, and slapped it on Nair's head.
Hold your head and roll off the chair, more depressed Nair.
"Hey, what are you doing!? I didn't just think I'd make fun of you!!"
"I don't need that, so talk to me soon. Next time I'm kidding, I'll wear a dovetail."
"Wear it!? Something's not strong against me!?"
After I made it clear that it was troublesome, I don't think it would be necessary to be irritated if people talked about it so that I wouldn't be distracted.
"Fair enough, calm down. Nair will be tired too, why don't we have lunch for now and talk?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm exhausted. I'm hungry. I'm tired. So pull that hand in... Huh!"
……
I nodded reluctantly at Mr. Alk's words and I sit back in my chair, wearing my coat deep again.
I can't help it. I do look tired, and I'll pull it off for now.
When Mr. Ark asked the innkeeper for lunch, a warm lunch for three was immediately carried to the table, whether he had prepared in advance.
"So, I'm talking about Usat, but if you're just going to say the result, I'm in trouble right now. It's quite a hassle, too."
I suppressed my forehead to Nair's words, which I said away as I followed the salad with a fork.
Why are you in trouble for a little while away...... Usat.
"What happened?"
"You know what a Samaritan princess is?"
"... to the extent of rumors. You're the son of King Samarial, who never showed up?"
"Yes. Usat lived with her for four days until yesterday. By the measure of the king of Samaria."
What are you doing Usato...!?
Now I hold my head, and I feel like I have nothing to say to Usato in the castle. What happens when you live with a princess of a country? At least not the treatment that can be given to the messenger.
Nair briefly explained why Usat was invited to the castle.
"I see you invited Lord Usato to the castle in order to pull him out..."
"Yeah, right. Looks like you just said no to the pull-out. Instead, I think I'm going to stay in the castle for a few days."
It's about Usat. Anyway, I must have accepted the letter before it was written to me, because there was no reason to ignore the generosity of the other person.
"It doesn't matter there. The problem is that princess - Eva Uld Samarial."
"Something wrong with her? No way, the princess fell in love with Lord Usato... or something?"
"If I had, I'd still be cute."
Nair slowly shakes her neck to the side in the words of Mr. Alk, who is half laughing.
"She was cursed. A cure that can't be cured, cursed, or cursed."
"Curse...... Is it like Nair's sorcery?"
"It's more of an evil hobby than magic. In all likelihood, a curse created in a way that I don't want to do with a decent head is eroding her body."
"… Usat is trying to help that person?"
When I hear that, she drops her shoulders to shudder.
The way it was, I somehow figured out what he was doing.
"I told him to abandon me in the dark, and he wanted to help me out like a child, so I've been running around the castle. There's nothing like punishing you for being attacked by a curse once."
"I didn't know you were attacked... by a curse? Are you saying you're willing to curse?"
"Um, that's where it's complicated. This has to be explained. If you don't know how to help me, I'm in trouble."
Want to help?
Does Nair's return have any other purpose than to explain Usat's situation?
"From now on, I will teach you the identity of the curse that is eroding Eva Uld Samarial. Then I'll ask you to help me with my perfect plan to destroy the curse completely."
●
"Dear Lucas, let me put it straight in. I'm thinking of breaking Eva's curse. So tell me who the curse is"
"Howe!?"
I'm not the only one who thought it was too straightforward!?
I was stunned by the first voice of Usato, who visited him in order to find out from Lucas who the curse was on Eva Uld Samariar.
Lucas, the king and thoughtful man of Samarial in front of him, also turns back and opens his mouth gently to the sudden word of Usat.
"Usato, what are you talking about all of a sudden!? I was so surprised that I forgot why I called you here!?"
"I'm not joking."
When Usato says so in a quiet voice, Lucas turns from a surprised look to a serious look. Sitting in front of the grave, he slowly stood up and looked at Usat.
"... what do you mean? Breaking the curse means helping Eva?"
"I'll help."
"It's not a problem that can be solved by the industry. That would have been relative to a curse, wouldn't you know best?"
"Yeah, I know I'm certainly not the only one who can handle strength. That's why I have this."
Usat, who gazed at me, puts up his fist.
Having read his intentions, I cast magic into Usat's hands. Lucas rounded his eyes to the purple text that came into his hands.
"Is that... magic?"
"Did you know...... It's my demon who uses it, but I and this guy can curse it and break it."
I just feel a little weird about saying things like if you were with me, you could break the curse.
Does that mean I'm trusted by Usato?
As I was feeling just a little proud, Lucas in front of me stunned and slowly lowered his back to the ground and laughed small.
"Ha. My country's information network isn't there yet... I never dreamed you could handle magic. [M] Does that mean Eva is still alive without disappearing because of your demons?"
"Yes. But it's only a snuff on the spot, too. The only way to break the root cause is to break the curse itself"
"So why don't you ask me who the curse is?"
When Usat nods at the word, Lucas covers his forehead with his hands.
"Honestly, I didn't think it would help. That kid disappears from before me, just like her. Yes, I should have been prepared..."
So I cut the words, and he just keeps shaking his voice a little and spinning the words.
"But I still can't. I can't give up, I can't say goodbye until hours or hours, and Eliza's figure hits me in the back of my brain. Yet when I'm gone until that child, I no longer need to be a king - because I hate the country Samarial, which she and that child loved..."
I may just know how this man feels.
Human life is short, and for me to spend all that time in that village turning into a human being, the death of a person is something that comes suddenly one day.
Old, sick, demonic attacked me and I lost my life for a number of reasons, but it's hard to see which very familiar and living people are no longer dead.
... I would never talk about this in front of Usato and the others though.
Usat, who had heard his monologue silently. To him like that, Lucas turned away from his earlier weak appearance and turned his caged eyes of strength, opening his mouth.
"Usat, it is a disgrace to the Samaritan royal family to talk about it now. Possessed by greed, he only went to the immediate good, and at the end of it he tied himself up to his descendants with the curse of death - such a fool's story. But I don't know if it helps to hear this story. Do you still want to hear it?"
"Yeah, it's necessary."
Well, Lucas muttered, finally willing to talk, aggravated to face Usat.
"Do you know that hundreds of years ago, Samaritan was hit by a great catastrophe?"
"The battle between the evil dragon and the brave?"
"... I'm not surprised anymore. I thought it wouldn't be strange if you knew that much. [M] Yeah."
Lucas spun his words even as he let Usat, who already knew about the evil dragon and the brave man, pull his cheeks slightly.
"The battle between the brave and the evil dragon came to an end in the form of the victory of the brave - a history known to some castle man so far. Ordinary hero Tan would have ended up here. The problem lies ahead."
"Ahead..."
"What was left after the battle was ruins and people and knights who could not move properly due to injury and poison. Regardless of the building, the injured person was injured enough to be able to move without being completely treated immediately."
Still, there must have been a lot of deaths.
If the brave hadn't shown up, there might not have been a country called Samarial in this place right now.
"But at the time, the king could not see a broken city, nor a people suffering from injury."
"I didn't see it... then what did the king see?"
Neither did the king of one kingdom, nor the rough kingdom, see the wounded people. That would be a serious act as a king. I would never do such foolishness if I were in a normal mental state.
If I were to, there must be a reason for that.
Yes, for example -,
"I'm a brave man. The king was fascinated by the power of the superman who laid down the evil dragon that wielded overwhelming power"
- The power to attract others.
Power beyond intelligence - I showed it by lowering the too substandard monster, the evil dragon in full speed, the figure of the brave must have looked divine and very fascinating above all else.
"No one can beat you if you have power, if you have power, you will not be ravaged, if you have power, you will not have to be frightened. Child reason has made the king crave the power of the brave. But no ordinary way can keep the brave man in the country, if neither persuasion nor restraint becomes possible, the king thought of another way."
"Sorcery, is it"
"Yes, magic. Now is the technology that is being lost, but at the time, there was a human magician everywhere. There was only one magician in Samarial. The king wanted to use his magician to create a magic trick to bind the brave to the kingdom."
"Ho......"
Stupid idea.
By nature, magic is not something that humans can easily get their hands on. Attempts to change the way witchcraft works, even if they can be handled by analogy, will instead bring in danger.
To prevent it, there is an insurance policy called the magic of liberation.
... hmm? Losing it?
"Ho, ho?"
"Oh, my God, Nair, I'm talking about something important right now, so be quiet."
Uh, no, um, I think I just had a few words from Lucas' mouth that I couldn't miss.
A gentle slap on his shoulder with his wings also embarrassed him with a small voice.
Without realizing such an exchange between us, Lucas spun the following words.
"But there's no way I can tie a monster as brave as a normal sorcery. Anyway, the strongest being who defeated Evil Dragon couldn't resist the magic of just one magician."
"Well, enough to defeat the evil dragon."
For my part, I know the fear of evil dragons with my own hands.
For many years, it had so much strength, even when it had deteriorated as a corpse. If you're in full speed, it's not surprising to think that a country has the power to easily ravage even one opponent.
"Normally, you should have abandoned the plan there. Normally I should have known that it was impossible to capture a brave man even if he was fascinated by power. It was supposed to be, but the king was literally not normal."
"What the hell did the king do?"
"If you don't have enough strength, you can increase it. If it's not big enough, you just have to make it bigger. All you have to do to tie up an overwhelming individual, a brave man - and for that, the king did what was too stupid to do the least."
"The Most Undesirable Thing to Do... Consideration... No Way!"
To be powerful, you need the right kind of power.
If the power of just one magician cannot contain the power of the brave - nature and means are limited.
Sacrifice.
Well, you will.
People's lives have more energy than magic. Gather that for dozens or hundreds of people and it will be a tremendous force.
It's me who discusses calmly, but Usato didn't seem to do so. He was shaking his shoulders with a small grip on his angry fist.
"A large number of injured people, up to five hundred damaged by evil dragons, were used as yoyo to strengthen witchcraft alive. Young and old alike, they took out their souls and all became unspeakable bodies, and they couldn't breathe..."
"This is ridiculous...!"
"I think so, too. But I don't really want power. The king has misplaced the priorities of what he needs to protect. The kings have sacrificed a people that should be protected only by giving priority to the prosperity of the country."
"Huh... so they caught the brave ones?"
"No, they didn't get him."
"What is it, it's like..."
"To the death of a dog, right? The word is appropriate. The King's strategy of capturing the brave men was splendidly broken, and all that remained was hundreds of bodies and magic that continued to activate without fulfilling its purpose. And the magic turned into a curse that eroded the royal family."
That's the identity of the curse that was eroding that girl.
Perhaps those skeletons were the souls of the people of Summary Earl who had been sacrificed to capture the brave men, and it was the sorcery that chained them together that binds their souls to the sumarial activated by the sorcerer?
"What happened to the magician who created the curse?"
"I've been executed. Because the sorcery failed and Teng himself made that Samarial tower by branding it as a rebuilding... The king who executed the sorcerer has also disappeared by the curse."
That's not what Usato told me.
I heard the king of Samarial made that tower, but he says the sorcerer made it. I may have misheard Usat, but this difference is huge.
If the king made it, it's still in doubt, but if the magician made it, it means something.
"... Nair, you got something?"
Usato lurked his voice and called me that.
Look at him, he snorts and squeaks.
Now I know who the curse is.
I thought it was the same curse that was taking that girl's flesh and soul, but it was a mistake.
It was the people of Samarial, dedicated to sacrifice, who were taking their souls away from them - no, it would be a curse by sorcery that was tying them to a place called Samarial, if I may say so correctly.
If the spell of my restraint is a magic that binds the flesh, then the magic that Samarial mages had mastered hundreds of years ago is a magic that binds the soul. What a vicious sorcery you remembered.
"That's all I know about the curse."
"Thanks for letting me know"
"I'm the one to thank. You gave up. You showed me hope.... if there's anything else you can do, say anything, and I want to help you as much as I can."
To Lucas' words Usato bows his head deeply once more to thank him, after the occasion.
"In the meantime, do you want to find the place for the big book of curses next"
"I'll do that. It's easier for one person to move, and most importantly, Usato needs to be in perfect condition first."
"... ok. Did you ask for it? You rely on me."
I nod confidently to Usat and spin my thoughts.
Now that we know exactly who the curse is, we don't need Usat's hand to do the next thing.
Let's start by - like Usat said, looking for the body of the curse?
●
"That's why."
"The curse of the people of Samaria, is it? That's a lot of trouble again."
I knew exactly who the curse Usat and Nair were trying to deal with.
But when I heard about Nair, I had one question.
"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be looking for the body of the curse by now?"
"I found something like that right away. It's decided. Look, I'm an expert on curses, okay? I came here for another reason."
"... then what? That's why."
Ask calmly, even though you are a little frustrated by Nair, who flaunts his shoulder so that he can snuggle.
Nair pointed out the window when she put the fork down on the question and gave her a good look.
"That's it."
"... that?"
When she looks at those she points at, she sees a white tower that soars in the center of the country.
Samarial tower that rings the bell I have heard many times since I came to this country. What is in Sole, which is seen as an object of prayer by the people living in Samarial?
"How could the curse continue to activate for hundreds of years? So the answer is right around the corner, and it's too simple. Ma, Usat must break the curse of the castle, so he cannot leave. That's why I decided to work with you."
"... Nair, what the hell are you trying to do?"
Nair grinned badly at Mr. Alk's words -,
"Tonight we are going to destroy the symbol of Samaritan's hope."
That's outrageous.