Darw wagged his tail with all his might, looking delighted when he saw my face.
He stood up and stuck only his nose toward me.
โKiโโ
I covered Saraโs mouth just as she was about to scream.
It was understandable.
Darw was as big as a horse. To someone unaware, he could look like a wild beast.
โKyukkyukkyu!โ
At the same time, a small warning cry came from Carro .
The servant had come to peek into the room.
As expected of a top-tier guard, they wouldnโt miss even the briefest scream.
โMo, Sarattara, kyakkya.โ
I pretended to be having fun playing around.
Sara stared at me, wide-eyed in confusion.
Darw quickly crouched down outside the window to hide.
Seeing my playful demeanor, the servant must have thought the scream was part of the game and returned to their original position.
It was thanks to my incredible acting skills, I thought.
โโฆWeโre safe.โ
โโ!โ
โSara, that huge dog from earlier is Darw, my friend.โ
โDarw?โ
As if he thought he was being called, Darw, who had been hiding beyond the window, poked his face out again.
โYes, this is Darw. Heโs not scary, so itโs okay.โ
โDarwโฆ I heard about him from Mama.โ
โYep. Darw is also Marionโs friend.โ
โReally?โ
By that time, Darw had once again stuck his nose through the gap in the window.
โHeโs cute, right?โ
โYeah, Darw is cute.โ
I felt relieved that Sara seemed to be getting along with Darw.
โDarwโฆ Why are you here?โ
โSniff sniff.โ
Darw let out a smug sniff.
He must have chased after me to come here.
No doubt, Darw was going to get scolded later.
When that time came, Iโd get scolded alongside him.
โDarw, you saved us. Thanks for helping.โ
โSniff.โ
โLady Rulia?โ
โRulia needs to meet Marion. Please cooperate.โ
โItโs contagious! You canโt!โ
โItโs okay. Rulia is special, so she wonโt catch it.โ
That was a lie. It was absolutely contagious.
But I figured Sara wouldnโt accept it if I didnโt say that.
โThatโsโฆ amazing.โ
Sara looked genuinely impressed.
If I said I was approaching Marion to cure her, Sara would likely cooperate willingly.
But if I failedโฆ
The greater her hope, the deeper her despair would be.
It might be a blow she wouldnโt recover from.
I wanted to tell Sara not โI might be able to cure her,โ but โI did cure her.โ
โSara, lie down on the bedding and pretend to nap with Rulia.โ
โOkay.โ
Sara wriggled into the musty-smelling futon.
โSara, wait here for a bit, okay?โ
I slipped out of the window gap and climbed onto Darwโs back.
โDarw, run.โ
โโฆโ
Darw silently started running. He was as fast as ever.
I gripped his back fur tightly and clung on.
In almost no time, Darw ran fifty melts.
We quickly reached the cabin where Marion was being quarantined.
At the same time, the guardian birds landed on the roof of the cabin.
โDarw, the window.โ
I whispered my request softly,
โโฆโ
Darw silently approached the window and stopped.
He placed his front paws on the windowsill and peered inside.
โThanks, Darw.โ
I climbed up Darwโs back, perching on his shoulders like a ride, and peeked into the cabin.
Marion was lying on the bed, her eyes closed. She was emaciated, her breathing labored.
Her face was bright red, and there were swollen sores on her face and arms. They were probably all over her body, hidden under her clothes.
But most of all, her entire body was shrouded in a dark miasma.
โโฆAs I thought, itโs a curse.โ
Yet the guardian birds and Darw were doing nothing.
This meant the one who had cast the curse wasnโt nearby.
It was likely that only the curse remained.
Kuro had told me that I had the power to dispel curses.
I tried to recall something from when I was just born.
โIf I remember correctlyโฆโ
Memory is vague. After all, itโs from right after I was born.
Normally, one wouldnโt remember such things.
However, perhaps because I have a past life, I remember just a little bit.
โโฆI think it was something like, โFocus and tell it to go away.'โ
โMm-hmm.โ
โIf that doesnโt work, Iโll break the window. Daru, will you help me then?โ
โMm-hmm.โ
If I fail, the only option is to break the window, touch Marion directly to dispel the curse, and use healing magic.
Iโll probably get scolded a lot, but Marionโs life is more important.
โIโm going.โ
From outside the hut, I focused on the black mist surrounding Marion and thought, โDisappear!โ
I prayed with all my might, as strongly as I could.
I felt something leaving my body.
It was the first time I felt that sensation, even through my past life. No, didnโt I feel something similar when I dispelled my motherโs curse right after I was born? But Iโm not sure.
โโฆDid it work?โ
โMm-hmm.โ
Daru, too, was peering through the window excitedly, watching Marion.
When I looked inside, the mist that had enveloped Marion was gone.
โDid it work?โ
Even though the mist was gone, Marionโs face was still red, and the swelling hadnโt healed.
The high fever hadnโt gone down, and her breathing still seemed labored.
โWell, in my past lifeโฆโ
In my past life, I used healing magic on groups of people from a distance.
I probably canโt use the same level of power, but it would be good if I could do something similar.
โSpirits, lend me your power.โ
When I asked, the many young spirits around me lent their magic.
โLeave it to me.โ
Kuro suddenly appeared from the ground, lending a large amount of magic.
โThank you.โ
I used that magic to cast healing magic on Marion through the wall.
โItโs a success. Sheโll be fine now.โ
โKuro, whyโโ
Why are you here? Why didnโt you tell me it was a curse?
I wanted to ask a lot of things, butโฆ
โWeโll talk more later. There are people around.โ
Kuro interrupted my questions and vanished.
I looked around. I didnโt think anyone was watching.
But I donโt know when someone might come.
And since Kuro said it was a success, I believe Marion will be fine.
I prayed, trusting that.
โI hope Marion gets better. Sara is waiting for you.โ
After using the healing magic, I felt a little tired.
It was different from my past life, and I felt like something had left me.
In my past life, I was tired after using magic, but I never felt like something left me.
โIt really canโt be like it was in my past life, huh?โ
โAh?โ
Just to be sure, I peeked through the window again, and Marionโs complexion had returned to normal, and the swelling was gone.
Her fever had gone down, and her breathing seemed easier.
The swelling in her throat had probably healed as well.
โNow, itโs okay. Kuro, Spirits, thank you.โ
Now, if Marion just eats proper food, sheโll be fine.
I canโt trust the baron, so Iโll ask my mother to send Marion some nutritious food.
โMarion, see you later. The birds will look out for you too, okay?โ
Then, I asked Daru to take me back to Saraโs room.
A couple of birds stayed on the roof of the hut.
Now, if any curse-caster comes back, weโll be safe.
Once I felt at ease, I became sleepy, and my stomach also growled.
I climbed over the window frame and returned to Saraโs room.
โLady Luriaโฆ Whereโs Mama?โ
โMarion will be fine. Sheโll get better soon.โ
โโฆEhe.โ
Sara smiled happily, trusting my words without a second thought.
โThatโs why itโs okay.โ
โYeah, thatโs good.โ
โCan I write a letter later? If so, I can give it to Marion.โ
โโฆSaraโฆ you canโt write yet.โ
At five years old, itโs understandable she canโt write yet.
โThen Iโll teach you. As your older sister.โ
Thatโs right, I am like an older sister to Sara.
As an older sister, itโs natural for me to teach her how to read and write.
โPeep!โ
While Sara and I were talking, Daru, probably feeling lonely, pushed his nose into the window gap with a snort.
โThank you, Daru. You helped me.โ
I said my thanks and patted Daru.
โHa-ha.โ
Daru wagged his tail happily.
โSara wants to pet him too.โ
โOkay.โ
โHeโs so big!โ
Sara petted Daruโs nose.
She petted Daruโs big, black, flat nose with pride.
Daru probably doesnโt like having his nose petted.
But he endured it, letting her pet him.
โโฆDaru. Maybe we should go back home soon?โ
โMm-hmm?โ
โIf itโs found out that we came here, weโll get scolded.โ
โUgh!โ
Hearing that we might get scolded, Daru suddenly realized the possibility and flinched.
โYou didnโt realize?โ
โPeep.โ
โDaru, did you run away during your walk? If so, the servant who lost you is probably in trouble too.โ
โKyoon.โ
โLetโs apologize together later, okay?โ
โPeep~.โ
Daru snorted and acted spoiled.
At that moment, โKyuk-kyuk!โ Carro made a warning sound.
Almost at the same timeโฆ
โOh? Did Daru come?โ
Mom entered the room.
Mom, holding Carro , who had been on alert, walked toward me.
โKyoo.โ
Carro looked down, probably feeling a little sad.
She probably regretted not making the warning sound earlier.
โBustedโฆโ
โUgh.โ
Sara quickly hid behind me. Sheโs still shy.
โWow.โ
The moment Daru saw Mom, he hurriedly hid behind the window.
But it was too late.
โGoodness. Daruโฆโ
Mom walked straight to the window and peered underneath it.
When I looked down with her, I saw Daru lying on his back, in a submissive pose.
โDaru. You understand you did something wrong, right?โ
โMom! Itโs Luriaโs fault. Daru just came because he was worried about Luria!โ
โI understand, Luria.โ
Mom patted me, then spoke to Daru outside the window.
โDaru, letโs go home together when we leave. For now, stay and wait here.โ
โWuff?โ
Daru stood up and wagged his tail. He probably thought he was forgiven.
โDaru, the scolding will happen when we get home.โ
โKyoon.โ
โWe canโt scold a dog right away, but Daru is smart, so it can wait, right?โ
โโฆKyoon.โ
Daru tucked his tail between his legs.
โYouโre probably worried, so Iโll let the mansion know that youโre here. Iโll take you home.โ
โUnderstood.โ
Mom gave instructions to a servant, then crouched down to talk to Sara, who was still hiding behind me.
โSara, would you like to come to our mansion?โ
โโฆTo your mansion?โ
โYes, to Luriaโs and our mansion.โ
โโฆButโฆโ
Sara tightly gripped her animal ears.
โDonโt worry. The baron gave his permission.โ
Saying that, Mom gently patted Saraโs head and smiled warmly.
It was a completely different kind of smile from the one sheโd shown to the baron and the maid earlier.