Let this grieving soul r.., p.21
Let This Grieving Soul Retire! Volume 8, page 21
“Now, we’re going too,” Gark said, scratching his head. “The church is leading this operation.”
“Take caaare,” I said.
“You’re coming with us!”
I had a few thoughts of my own regarding that, considering everyone had just been asking why I was here. But I didn’t see what other options I had. If I didn’t go to the meeting, I could be in danger should anything happen.
“Fine, but I’m not gonna say anything.”
“Just c’mon!”
The church in the imperial capital had been rebuilt to accommodate Ansem’s size. The hall being used for a conference room had a ceiling high enough for him to easily fit in and came with a special seat just for him. It was proof that his strength and accomplishments hadn’t gone unnoticed.
It didn’t relate to his work as a hunter, so I didn’t know much about it, but apparently, he had done some excellent work in an incident involving someone connected to the upper echelons of the church. Ansem didn’t talk about himself much, so when I saw what a name he was making for himself, I became proud, relieved, and encouraged to try my best. Except I wouldn’t do that last one.
The conference quietly began. I got the impression that the plan to purify Marin’s Lament was a logical one based on hard numbers. Curses were born from strong feelings. The power of a curse could be influenced by circumstance and the caster’s capabilities, which made them liable to defy expectations. That power was also known to degrade with time.
The Church of the Radiant Spirit’s sealing techniques were developed with the intention of purifying a curse once it had been weakened. Their plan involved gauging the strength of Marin’s Lament based on the destruction it had caused in the past, consulting the records of numerous other curses to estimate Marin’s current power, and finally hitting it with a force stronger than that estimation.
By all counts, they had gathered more than sufficient firepower to overwhelm Marin if it remained in peak condition. There was a detailed explanation of the techniques involved, which all went over my head, but I wasn’t going to complain about that.
I had my doubts when I first heard that the church planned to release a curse and purify it in response to the prophecy, but now I understood why the empire was so willing to permit it. When you added Ark, Lucia, the members of Starlight, and more, failure seemed impossible. Heck, I wasn’t sure you could get a better team if you tried. You could call Luke, but curses probably weren’t something that could be cut.
Once the basics had been explained, the old priest at the head of the table got up and began to speak. His name was Edgar, and he supervised the churches in the imperial capital and had done a lot for Ansem. His gaze was placid like the surface of a morning shore. He had the face of someone who couldn’t harm a fly, but I was told he had once been a capable Paladin.
“We’ve gathered here the best the imperial capital has to offer,” he said. “With the aid of knights, the Explorers’ Association, Magi of the Zebrudia Academy of Magic, and more, I believe it’s quite unlikely that the purification might fail. Does anyone have any reservations?”
His voice had that aloofness you saw in people who worked in ecclesiastical roles. He sort of reminded me of Sora, the Holy Fox Maiden, but it was hard to picture this guy being incompetent. He wasn’t like that phony oracle.
I nodded along without really thinking, when suddenly, Franz rose from his seat along the left wall. All eyes gathered on him.
“We understand how this will play out,” he said in a voice that carried well. “However, I’d like to request an extra layer of precaution just in case. Extra personnel, or perhaps preparations to reseal the curse should the purification fail.”
“We’ve secured a force that exceeds even the curse’s highest estimated strength,” Edgar said with a grimace. “Is there something that has you uncertain?”
Edgar looked at Franz through narrowed eyes. The other priests became restless, caught off guard by Franz’s request. It was hard to imagine many people besides Franz being able to speak up in a room like this. I didn’t understand it all, but I guess there was some hole in the plan?
For some reason, Franz glared at me, a smile forming. “It’s a minor concern, but there’s been no shortage of mayhem lately. It’s in the best interests of Zebrudia that we have no further chaos.”
Barriers were used at places like the Supreme Warrior Festival’s arena. They were a form of magic where the more potent the spell, the more time it took to ready.
Utilizing multiple rare catalysts, several priests spent hours placing a barrier. It was intricate work where it was better to have a group with a decent average skill level, rather than just one exceptional caster. In this field, priests far exceeded hunters.
Quietly moving their hands, the priests of the Church of the Radiant Spirit continued their work. They were utilizing a layered barrier magic circle, a new technique that enhanced efficacy through building a three-dimensional object, instead of the usual methods of drawing on a flat surface. The trade-off was that the construction required greater catalysts, more time, and higher technical skills, but this wasn’t the time to fuss over things like that.
I knew a lot about Relics, but I wasn’t nearly as familiar with curses. I found the church’s explanation incredibly fascinating. For instance, I hadn’t known that curses could do more than just drive people mad; they could also form bodies of their own.
The plan was simple. Marin’s Lament would be unsealed in the layered magic circle. Once the curse had been weakened by the barriers and attacks from beyond the barriers, the priests would use a divine ritual to purify and erase the curse in its entirety.
Forcing myself to look like I knew what was going on, I observed the ritual space and saw Franz’s reinforcements arrive through the large gate. The new arrivals weren’t your usual sword-and-shield knights. They donned silver armor and carried firearms, some big enough that they required both arms to carry.
The guns were smaller than what the wolf knights in White Wolf’s Den had, but their long, narrow barrels told me these things were cutting edge. There were twenty-five knights in total. The priests began to buzz when they saw the strange knights. Meanwhile, Franz glanced at me, giving me an almost villainous smile.
“Hmhmhm. That’s an experimental unit. Those guns use talismanic silver bullets, can fire up to fifty rounds in the span of a second, and they don’t come cheap. I thought the Primus Institute was throwing money down a hole when they developed these things, but I guess you never know what might be useful! With this, that curse is as good as dead, Thousand Tricks!”
“Human weakling, I take it you did something to Franz while I wasn’t looking? Sir?”
“How inelegant. Humans are such barbarians.”
What the heck is the empire doing, making silver bullet firing squads?
Firearms weren’t a very popular form of weapon. The reason for this was simple: Phantoms and monsters generally couldn’t be stopped by a few bullets. It was quicker for a mana material-enhanced hunter to hit them, and using gunpowder to fire a projectile was too slow for hunters and powerful monsters. Then, when you add in the possibility of running out of ammunition, it was little wonder why they weren’t widespread. And if those bullets were silver, using these guns must’ve been stupidly expensive.
Oddly confident, Franz signaled the knights to get in formation. Moving in perfect unison, the squad split in two and formed lines outside the magic circle. They were setting up a cross fire, the bloodthirsty maniacs.
After repeated bouts of bickering, the conference had ended with Franz’s opinion being accepted. It was in part because these guys were an official knight order, and also because Gark had offered his support for the idea. Considering the priests were supposed to be the central figures in this operation, I wasn’t sure where Franz’s gusto was coming from.
“All because our leader is always saying things he shouldn’t,” Lucia said with a sigh.
“Given what we’re up against, I don’t think we can be too careful,” Ark replied.
“Yeah, you’re right, Ark,” I said. I folded my arms and nodded. My sense of safety was skyrocketing. “It can’t hurt to be cautious.”
I was met with silence. I really wished they would stop getting so weird every time I said something.
The next moment, Ansem and several priests exited the church building and joined us. You could really see just how much Ansem stood out in a crowd. Just by walking, he shook the ground. Edgar headed straight to Franz, and a few priests placed a box in front of him. I took a step back, afraid that maybe the cursed item was inside, but that wasn’t the case.
“We initially had no plans to use this,” Edgar said with a stern finger held before his lips, “but this is a Relic that the church has been keeping in storage. This should alleviate some of your concerns, Captain Franz,” he said as he opened the box.
When I saw it, my eyes bulged and I let out a gasp.
“This is...”
Inside was a chain with a multi-hued lustre. It was about as thick as my thumb, but long enough to fill up the box. The chain-type was one of the most diverse categories of Relics. I had a number of them in my collection. There were many things a chain-type could do, but the timing meant this was almost certainly—
“It’s known as Pillar of Light. It’s a chain bound from light, and it works even on incorporeal entities. With its ability to bind any target, it’s a special piece, even among our collection.”
“Oooh. Not often you see a chain that actually binds stuff.”
That got me some looks.
You see, a lot of chain Relics were joke items. If anything, because there were so many kinds, practical ones were pretty uncommon. My Hounding Chain was a sad thing that, while it could chase and bind foes, anyone with a bit of strength could free themselves or break it. I guess that still placed it above a Cat Chain, which wouldn’t even chase targets.
Once I had permission, I touched the chain, then lifted it up. It had a lot of weight for something so thin. I was sure it was made of metal, but it felt smooth as silk. That alone made it clear this was something our technology couldn’t replicate.
“Leader, have you figured something out?” Lucia asked me.
I wonder if I can negotiate through Ansem to buy this. No?
It was quite a long chain. Holding it up, I could see the light through it. I knit my brow as I examined it. Though I might have appeared hard-boiled, I wasn’t having a single productive thought.
The chain’s beauty was captivating. Its powers didn’t seem particularly interesting, but that wasn’t really how I decided a Relic’s value. I simply liked Relics, and this chain was something not in my encyclopedia.
Just how long is this thing?
If we were in a private setting, I would’ve done something like grab one end and wrap it around Lucia, but I at least had the awareness to realize this wasn’t the time for that. I wanted to look at it a bit more, but I reluctantly put it back and let out a sigh. Leave it to the world-spanning Church of the Radiant Spirit to have something so interesting.
“Mmm. This looks good,” I said. “We’ve got enough strength? I’d say?”
“Why was that a question?” Lucia asked.
We had several priests and first-rate hunters. An experimental unit that could rain silver bullets, and a Relic chain. Our ranks were unbreakable.
“There’s so little to make me uneasy, it’s actually making me uneasy.”
“Can you say something that isn’t nonsense? Sir?”
Kris was only saying that because she didn’t know the usual me. Protecting the emperor was only a small chapter in the Krai Andrey case book.
Edgar nodded a few times, noting all the people looking at us. “Now that we’ve been given the Thousand Tricks’s approval, let us begin preparations. Ansem.”
Unless I was just imagining things, Ansem’s grunt was deeper than usual.
Now then, I’m gonna get to a safe spot and do a little spectating.
***
“Hmph. What a petty affair. I had my doubts, but I suppose it wouldn’t turn up that easily.”
The leader of Starlight, Lapis Fulgor, was muttering discontentedly as she watched the ritual proceed. Hearing her, Kris looked on in fascination.
“But it’s pretty interesting. Madam. You’d never see guns like those used on a curse in the forest.”
“It’s barbaric. They’re up against a curse, in case you haven’t forgotten. Though I suppose those things might work against one produced by a human.”
Even Noble Spirits generally knew of the Church of the Radiant Spirit. The magic they used was different from that of Noble Spirits, but the Radiant Spirit they worshipped very clearly was a powerful one. There were also situations in which the Radiant Spirit’s powers were more useful than those of Noble Spirits. The spell they were preparing was unfamiliar to Kris and Lapis, but they had no doubts as to its function.
It wasn’t known how strong the malign energies of Marin’s Lament were, but there was a degree of sense in the church’s calculations. If Lapis and her kin were carrying this out, they would have taken a route that leaned into individual strength a bit more, but that was a matter of cultural differences. There was no need to interject over something so minor.
Still, they had been disappointed when it came to their real objective. The prophecy had gotten their hopes up.
Kris blinked as she intently watched the ritual go forward. “Maybe it really isn’t among humans. Madam.”
“It was definitely taken by a human. It yearns for human blood.”
“That was over a thousand years ago. Madam. And it hasn’t caused any harm recently.”
The legend of the Cursed Crimson Spiritstone was known even among humans. However, not many of them knew that it wasn’t a legend, but something that really existed. This was because Noble Spirits weren’t eager to talk about it and humans lived very short lives.
Long ago, when a bond of friendship still existed between humankind and Noble Spirits, a large war broke out between the two. A forest was burned, the queen of the Noble Spirits was killed, and the proof of her stature, the Crimson Spiritstone, was stolen. Extreme enmity turned that stone into something accursed.
Now imbued with a curse by regal blood, the stone went from owner to owner. In its wake, it left a trail of human corpses that dwarfed the number of Noble Spirits that had been killed by mankind. Up to the present day, the stone continued to travel about.
A Noble Spirit would never kill one of their own over a treasure. They knew the strength of will found in those who weren’t far from death. This was exactly the sort of tragedy a covetous human would cause.
As the years went by, the war between the humans and the Nobles came to an end. It was hard to say the two races were now on good terms, but there were Noble Spirits descending to human settlements. But the stolen stone was still lost. The return of their gem was something all Noble Spirits yearned for.
“You think it would just disappear on its own?” Lapis snorted at Kris’s naive thinking. “Our lives are long, as is our rancor. The malign energies in that stone are like desire given form.”
A desire that would not be satiated. The grudge against those arsonists wouldn’t fade even if thousands upon thousands of them were killed. To cleanse this ill will would require destruction or bargaining; interference from the outside was impossible. Something like the purification being performed on Marin’s Lament would never work.
“Hm. I imagine if it ended up in the church’s hands, they would send it back to us. They know how dangerous it is.”
If it hadn’t caused any harm recently, that was because a seal had most likely been placed on it. But the Spiritstone wasn’t something that could be kept at bay so easily.
“But,” Kris said, “we’ve all searched for years without finding it, so it’s probably not just going to show up— Ah! What are you doing up there?! Sir?!”
Kris’s voice instantly shifted from serious to bewildered. Atop a large arch, the Thousand Tricks was sitting like an ornament, his legs dangling over the side. He looked down at Kris as she waved her arms at him.
“I thought I’d have a good view from here,” he said casually.
“Quit screwing around! Sir! Everyone’s taking this seriously, and that should include you! No wonder Franz is always...”
That man. I doubt he knows anything about what’s going on.
That was a look of genuine confusion he wore when Kris brought up the Spiritstone. It appeared even a Level 8 hunter couldn’t be good at everything. Honestly, why did Eliza the Vagabond find him so enjoyable to be around?
Several people from the church entered carrying a box tightly secured by chains. That must be what they stored Marin’s Lament in. They set the box in the center of the magic circle, not far from Lapis and her party. Seeing the humans grow tense, Lapis uncrossed her arms.
It wasn’t what she had hoped for, but she figured she may as well take this chance to observe a curse made by a human.
***
There was a palpable tension in the courtyard. The magic circle on the ground was surrounded by knights, hunters, and priests. Despite these extensive preparations, they didn’t display any hint of complacency. Though she had just been barking about this and that, Kris was back with the rest of her party, focusing on the circle.
I watched all this from atop the gate, where I was perched on an ornament, my legs dangling over the side. I wore a hard-boiled smile. While I had asked Lucia to put me up here so I could have a literal bird’s-eye view, it was also because this was the best place to be out of the way. Down there, a stray bullet might come my way, and I didn’t want to potentially be a hindrance to the purification.
The layered barrier magic circle consisted of a magic circle drawn on the ground surrounded by thirteen pillars. As I understood it, those pillars added an extra dimension to the circle because they had magic words engraved into them. They were thick enough that I could barely wrap my arms around one, which made me think they wouldn’t be easy to collapse. The gaps between them were big enough for Ansem to pass through, but from my vantage point, the circle still looked like a prison cell.
