โKyuu.โ
โโฆHah! Did it happen?โ
That was close. I nearly fell asleep.
If Carro hadnโt warned me, I wouldโve dozed off completely.
I glance over at Sara. Sara is sleeping peacefully.
โโฆKuro.โ
โDid you call for me?โ
Kuro appeared, sliding down from the ceiling.
I hug Kuro tightly and gently stroke him.
โYes. I have many things I need to ask you, Kuro.โ
โYou can ask me anything. Though, Iโm not sure if I can answer everything.โ
There are plenty of things I need to ask.
But first, I want to know about Marionโs condition.
โIs Marionโฆ alright?โ
โSheโs fine. The curse has been lifted, and Lady Luriaโs healing magic has restored her physical injuries.โ
โThatโs good to hear.โ
โNow, itโs just a matter of waiting for her to recover from fatigue. Iโm sure sheโll come to see you soon.โ
Thatโs a relief. Sara will be happy, too.
I gently stroke Saraโs head. Her hair is soft to the touch.
โBy the way, why didnโt you tell me?โ
โTell you about the nature of Marionโs illness being a curse?โ
โYes. The guardian beasts must have noticed.โ
Guardian beasts are supposedly natural enemies of sorcerers.
If thatโs true, theyโd naturally be knowledgeable about curses as well.
โWe did notice, and they reported it to me, butโฆโ
โThen you could have just told me.โ
โIf Lady Luria knew it was a curse, sheโd have gone to break it, no matter how reckless it might have been.โ
โThatโsโฆ probably true.โ
โIf she did something reckless, Lady Luria could have been in serious danger.โ
โHmm. But it could have been too late.โ
Kuro simply nodded without making excuses.
He must have withheld the information, fully prepared for the possibility of it being too late.
โIs Lady Luria angry?โ
โA little.โ
โIโm sorry.โ
โI understand you were thinking about Luriaโs safety, Kuro.โ
It really could have been too late.
And it was a curse that only I could breakโor rather, a curse I alone was capable of breaking.
Had I known that, I likely wouldโve snuck out of the room in the middle of the night, leapt onto Dauโs back, and dashed off.
Kuro must have wanted to prevent me from doing something so dangerous.
โBut from now on, letโs consult each other, okay?โ
โYes.โ
โLuria will consult with Kuro, too.โ
โOkay. Iโm sorry.โ
โItโs alright. Iโm not mad anymore. Thank you, Kuro.โ
I ruffled Kuroโs head with my hands.
His two proud tails swayed gently.
Thereโs still more I need to ask Kuro.
โSo, what exactly is a curse?โ
โWe donโt fully understand it either, butโฆโ
Prefacing his explanation with that, Kuro began to speak.
โIf magic is borrowing power from spirits, then a curse is borrowing power from sorcerers.โ
โHuh?โ
โHonestly, I donโt fully understand it either, butโฆโ
After repeating that he didnโt fully understand, Kuro continued explaining.
Apparently, thereโs a group of sorcerers whoโve passed down the art of cursing since ancient times.
โWould a baron hire someone so suspicious?โ
โIt seems so.โ
โWhat about curse reversal?โ
โA curse, when broken or reversed, targets its caster.โ
โHmm? Wouldnโt the sorcerer get cursed then?โ
Even if the baron ordered it, the curse was cast by the sorcerer.
So, naturally, the curse should rebound onto the sorcerer.
โThatโs true, but sorcerers have a technique to redirect the curse back onto their client.โ
โBetrayal insurance?โ
โSomething like that.โ
If the curse rebounds onto the client when broken, the client is compelled to ensure the curse succeeds.
โIs the method for breaking curses widely known?โ
โOccasionally, high-ranking clergy in the church can do it.โ
โThose guys, huh.โ
The clergy of the Church of the One God apparently possess unique techniques.
Perhaps theyโve even developed ways to bind spirits using curse power by exploiting their curse-breaking techniques.
Itโs probably like the thin line between poison and medicine.
โHmm. So that meansโฆโ
After Motherโs curse was broken, did someone suffer the backlash?
That was five years ago, though.
Father has surely investigated it and sought retribution by now.
But what concerns me more is whatโs happening now.
โWhat Luria is worried about is whether sorcerers still possess techniques from two hundred years ago.โ
โYou mean spirit-binding techniques?โ
โExactly.โ
โI think itโs unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.โ
Thatโs a relief.
โEven though binding techniques and curses use the same curse power, theyโre as different as healing magic and offensive magic.โ
โI see?โ
Healing magic and offensive magic both use magical energy, but the techniques are completely different.
Itโs like how arm-wrestling and sprinting are entirely different, even though both rely on physical strength.
Excelling in both is nearly impossible.
Being able to master both offensive and healing magic to an exceptional level in my past life was a rare exception.
โDo sorcerers only use curses?โ
โGenerally, yes. Though there are exceptions.โ
โWhat about the church?โ
Iโm concerned whether the Church of the One God, which possesses curse-breaking techniques, might also have binding techniques.
After all, they did have binding techniques two hundred years ago.
โThe modern Church of the One God doesnโt have binding techniques.โ
โThen thatโs a relief for now.โ
I look directly into Kuroโs eyes.
โKuro, Luria is different from her past life.โ
โI know that.โ
โIf something troubling happens, please tell me.โ
โGot it.โ
โEven though Iโm still a child, my father and mother can also be relied upon.โ
โThank you.โ
Thanks to Kuroโs explanation, Iโve learned a lot.
The existence of sorcerers is concerning, but if they canโt use spirit-binding techniques, then Iโm relieved for now.
Feeling reassured makes me sleepy.
โKuro, letโs nap together.โ
โIโm a spirit, so I donโt need naps!โ
โThatโs not true.โ
I pull Kuro into my arms and tuck him into the futon.
โCarro, letโs sleep too.โ
โKyuu-kyuu!โ
โKeeping watch is important, but you need sleep to grow bigger.โ
I pull Carro into the futon as well.
โSo warm.โ
I gently stroke Saraโs head, hug her tightly, and drift off to sleep.