Chapter 90

It is the fifth day Usato went to the palace .

Then, the day after Neah went to see Usato .

Arc-san and I were spending time in the room of the inn and avoided going out as much as possible, but I was worried about Usato, who isn’t coming back anytime soon .

“Is Usato okay… . ”

“I think he can handle most things on his own, but it might be worth worrying if something would happen if he doesn’t come back in five days . ”

We usually spend time in separate rooms, but when we talk like this, we’re sitting at the end of a large dining room on the first floor .

Neah is with Usato right now, but we told the people working here that she’s sick and resting in the room, so there’s no problem .

However—,

“I’m worried about Usato, but this situation is also strange . It seems that there are no customers other than us, but maybe the people here are aware of my identity . However, no one tries to drive us out, even the knights wouldn’t say anything . ”

“Aside from Neah, knowing the true identity of Amako-san and still not doing anything… it would mean that the King of Samaria had known us in advance . ”

Ask-san placed his hand on his chin and thoughtfully suppressed his voice so that others could not hear it from the surroundings .

In addition, Arc-san said the purpose of the King of Samaria might be Usato .

“But that probably isn’t known about our actions up to the Kingdom of Lingle and Lukvis —— that we made a friend along the way . ”

“…I’m afraid that she played an unexpected part . ”

I must admit the fact that that vampire, who is noisy, prideful, and is always trying to get close to Usato, is useful .

Just thinking of that stupid cheeky vampire grinning makes me irritated that I had to calm myself by massaging my temple .

“Anyway, we have to wait for Neah to come back…”

“Yes, that’s right . There is also the idea of them ​​boarding the palace and it means that Usato is trapped . It’s a last resort…”

“Can they catch Usato?”

“… Ha- ha ha ha, even Usato is human . ”

What are you up to now?

However, Usato is not a person who can be caught by ordinary means .

He’s fast, strong, and very difficult to give up .

Even when the Wicked Dragon is the opponent, he has the courage to challenge it without hesitation .

If there are any weaknesses…

“I can’t pretend to look…”

I, Nack, the victims of the Wicked dragon, and Neah cannot unsee what had happened .

He may deny that he’s not a good person, but he can’t ignore when someone’s crying for help, or if someone’s suffering .

I think that kind of thing always causes Usato trouble .

“…Maybe he’s being tempted by the Samaria princess like Kazuki-sama . I’ve heard that she’s a pretty beautiful woman . ”

“…”

“Ah, right, I’m kidding . I’m sorry . ”

Arc-san smiled cheerfully in an attempt to cheer me up, which made me sad .

“Usato only attracts weird people, so royalty wouldn’t like him . ”

Kazuki, Welthy, Kiriha, and some others are normal and kind, but Suzune, Harufa, Neah, and maybe Rosa and the rescue squads are a little dangerous in various ways . So what Arc-san said is near impossible .

“I hope he doesn’t cause a hassle…”

“It’s not happening yet . ”

“!?”

I raise my face to the voice of a third party and turn to that direction .

There, Neah who headed to the palace in the form of an owl, waved here with a smile as the village girl in front of the entrance of the dining room .

Neah who was going to Usato came back .

When she approached the table where I and Arc-san were sitting, she seemed to be a little uncomfortable, and sat down on the chair pulled by Arc-san, and laid her upper body on top of the table .

I call out to her .

“So what happened?”

“Hmm, what should I do? Should I say, but I’m tired . ”

…… .

“Hmph . ”

“Ouch!?”

Shaping my hand into a hand sword, I slammed my power seriously and struck it on the head of Neah .

Holding her head down and rolling around the ground .

“What are you doing?! I was just joking!!”

“I don’t need that, so speak, now . If you play around next time, you better protect your stomach . ”

“Hiiii! Aren’t you being a little too serious?”

I think it’s reasonable to say that she’s a hassle…

“Alright, let’s all calm down . Neah must be tired as well, so why don’t we talk over lunch?”

“Oh, yes . I’m hungry and tired, sooooooooooo tired . So withdraw your hands…!”

“…”

I reluctantly nodded to Arc-san’s words, I sat down in my chair and put on my cloak again .

It can’t be helped . She certainly looks tired, so let’s back down for now .

When Arc-san asked the inn to order lunch, maybe they had prepared in advance, they immediately warmed lunch for three and brought it to the table .

“So, if we’re speaking about what Usato’s been up to… Honestly speaking, he’s in a lot of trouble . ”

I nodded in response to Neah’s words, which she said while poking a salad with a fork .

What are you getting caught up this time… Usato?

“What happened?”

“Do you know the Princess of Samaria?”

“…To a certain extent . Isn’t the Princess the first daughter of King Samaria?”

“Yes . Usato lived with her for four days until yesterday . At the courtesy of the king of Samaria . ”

What are you doing…!?

This time I was hugging my head and thinking why is Usato in the palace . What happens when you live with a princess in a country? At least not the treatment given to a messenger .

Neah briefly explained why Usato was invited to the palace .

“I see, so he was being invited to stay in the palace?”

“Yeah, yeah . I just refused to pull him out . Instead, I seem to have stayed at the palace for a few days . ”

It’s Usato . He must have consented for the reason that he cannot accept the courtesy of the other party just before receiving the story of the letter .

“It doesn’t matter . The problem is that princess—-Eva Urd Samaria . ”

“Is there something wrong with her? No way, did the princess fall in love with Usato…?”

“If that was the case, I would’ve called it cute . ”

Neah slowly shook her head in response to the half-laughing Arc-san .

“She was under a curse . A troublesome curse that can be cured nor dispel . ”

“Curse… Is it like the magic of Neah?”

“It’s more of a bad taste than magic . It’s about a curse created in a way that slowly erodes her body . ”

“…Is Usato trying to help her?”

When I heard that, she dropped her shoulder and leaned on the table .

In some way, I understood what kind of action he was taking .

“I told him to abandon that idea, but he wanted to help with his childish terms, so I was going around the palace until now . He said he was attacked by that curse, but he doesn’t seem to be affected . ”

“Being attacked… by a curse? Does it mean that the curse is there?”

“Hmm, it’s complicated . Well, I have to explain this . If you don’t know it, you can’t help him too . ”

Can we even help?

Does the return of Neah have any purpose other than explaining the situation of Usato?

“From now on, I’ll teach you the true nature of the curse that erodes Eva Urd Samaria . Then I’ll help her with my perfect plan to completely destroy the curse . ”

“Lucas-sama, let me tell you straight . I’m thinking of breaking the curse of Eva . So please tell me what the curse is . ”

“H- What!?”

I should be the one who thought it was too straightforward!

I was amazed by Usato’s voice when he visited to find out the true identity of Eva Urd Samaria’s curse from Lucas .

Lucas, a man who seems to be the king of Samarial in front of him, turned his back to the sudden words of Usato and opened his mouth openly .

“Usato, what are you suddenly saying!? I was so surprised that I forgot why I called you here!?”

“I’m not kidding”

When Usato says with a quiet voice, Lucas turns from a surprised expression to a serious expression . Sitting in front of the grave, he slowly stood up and met his eyes .

“What do you mean? Breaking the curse and helping Eva?”

“I will help her . ”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved by force . You probably know best as you have faced the curse, right?”

“Yeah, I know the curse is certainly not one that can be managed by manual labor . That’s why I have this . ”

Usato who looked at me raised his fist .

After reading his intention, I cast magic on Usato’s hand . Lucas’s eyes were rounded by the purple pattern in his hand .

“Is that… magic?”

“Did you know… I’m using my familiar, but with her, even a curse can be broken . ”

It’s a little strange to say that he can break the curse in front of me .

I wonder if I’m being trusted by Usato?

I do feel a little proud of that, Lucas in front of me was stunned and slowly sat down on the ground and laughed a little .

“Hah ha ha . My country’s information network is still … . I never dreamed that you could handle magic . Eva now lives thanks to your familiar . Is that something?”

“Yes, but it’s only temporary . The only way to break the root cause is to break the curse itself . ”

“So why not ask me what the curse is?”

When Usato nodded at the word, Lucas covered his forehead with his hand .

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would help . That child would disappear just in front of me just like she would . I was prepared, but…”

He cut his words there and continued to shake his voice for a few words .

“But it’s no good . I can’t give up, and I can’t say goodbye forever, but the figure of Eliza flickers in my mind . But if that child disappears, I’ll be left with no heritage . I don’t want that—- because I hate the country called Samaria that she and that child loved…”

I may understand this man’s feelings a little .

Human life is short . For me, who lived in that village for a long time, death suddenly comes one day .

There are various reasons such as being old, sick, and being killed by monsters, but there are other reasons for it, but the worst feeling is when a human living close to us dies .

……I never say something like this in front of Usato .

Usato was silently listening to his monologue . To him, Lucas is a weak figure

He completely changed his eyes and turned into powerful eyes as he opened his mouth .

“Usato, what I’m going to tell you is the shame of Samaria’s royal family . I was obsessed with greed, and I focused only on my immediate interests, and at the end I bound not only myself but my descendants with the curse of death . ――― It’s a story of such a fool, but I don’t know if this story will be useful or not .

“Yes, it’s necessary . ”

Yes, Lucas murmured that he was finally ready to talk, and crossed his legs to face Usato .

“Do you know that Samaria had suffered a great disaster hundreds of years ago?”

“You mean the battle between the Wicked dragon and the hero?”

“…I’m not surprised anymore . I thought you wouldn’t mind knowing that much . Alright . ”

Lucas continued speaking to Usato, who already knew about the Wicked dragon and the hero, and chuckled a little .

“The battle between the hero and the Wicked dragon has come to an end in the form of a victory for the hero—this is the history known to some extent to the people of the palace . However, it would end here if it was an ordinary hero . The problem is beyond that . ”

“Beyond…”

“After the battle, there are ruins and people and knights who cannot move properly due to injury and poison . Aside from the building, the wounded person is injured but would be able to move even if it is not perfect if treated immediately . Everything was fine . ”

Despite that, there should have been many deaths .

If the hero had not appeared, the country of Samaria may not have been in this place right now .

“But at that time, the king could see neither the destroyed city nor the people suffering from the injury . ”

“… If so, what did the king see?”

The king of one country did not look at the injured people even in its rough condition . That would be a true misdeed as a king . If you are in a normal mental state, you will never do such folly .

If so, there must be a reason .

Yes, for example–

“It’s the hero . The king was fascinated by the power of the superhuman who exerted the overwhelming power towards the Wicked dragon . ”

—The power to attract other people .

Power beyond humanity — The figure of the hero who defeated a substandard monster called a dragon in perfect recovery must have looked more divine and more attractive than anything else .

“If you have the power, you will not lose, if you have the power, you will not be overrun, if you have the power, you will not be afraid . The reasoning of a child made the King want the power of a hero . If the heroes cannot be kept in the country in the usual way, and if neither persuasion nor detention is possible, the king has considered another way . ”

“Magic?”

“Yeah, it’s magic . It’s a technology that is lost now, but at that time there were magicians everywhere . Though there was only one in Samaria . He wanted to use that magician to make the hero a “magic to bind to the kingdom . ”

“Hoot…”

A foolish idea .

Originally, magic is not in the area where humans can easily reach out . Even if it can be handled, an attempt to change the way magic is done is rather dangerous .

To prevent that, I have insurance called dispel magic .

……Hmm? Is he even listening?

“Hoot, hoot?”

“What the hell are you talking about right now Neah, keep quiet?”

What the hell are you saying! I have been calling for you since Lucas was talking!

Despite tapping his shoulder with my wings, he snarled at me with a small voice .

Lucas continued speaking without noticing our interaction .

“But there’s no way you can bind a monster like a hero with ordinary magic . The strongest being who defeated the Wicked dragon can’t stand the magic of a single magician . ”

“Well, you’re talking about someone who killed the Wicked dragon . ”

I myself know the fear of the Wicked dragon .

Even after many years, it had such strength even if it had deteriorated as a corpse . In a fully recovered state, it is not surprising that it has the power to easily overrun a country .

“Usually, someone would have given up there . They would have generally understood that it would be impossible to capture a hero even if they were fascinated by the hero’s power . It should have been, but the king was literally not ordinary . ”

“What did the previous king do?”

“If you don’t have enough power, you can increase it . If you don’t have enough, you can increase it . To bind an overwhelming individual such as a hero, he prepared a reasonable price——and for that reason, the king was too stupid . And he did the most ugly thing . ”

“What you shouldn’t do… Consideration… No way!”

In order to control a great power, a power corresponding to it is necessary .

If the power of a hero cannot be suppressed by the power of only one magician—–naturally, the means are limited .

“Sacrifice . ”

I knew it . .

Human life has more energy than magic power . It would be a tremendous force if they could gather dozens or hundreds of them .

I was thinking calmly, but Usato seemed not to be so, and he was so angry that his shoulder shook with his fist .

“They used a large number of 500 injured people who were affected by the Wicked dragon as a substitute for strengthening magic . Regardless of gender regardless of age or sex, they became sacrifices… . ”

“That’s stupid…!”

“I think so too . But, because of the demand for power, the king made a mistake in prioritizing what he should protect . While the country is made up of the people, the king puts priority only on the prosperity of the country . He has sacrificed the people he should’ve protected . ”

“Huh… so, did he get the hero?”

“No, it seems he wasn’t caught . ”

“Are you serious?”

“A meaningless death, isn’t it? The words are appropriate . The king’s plan to capture the hero was brilliantly broken, leaving only hundreds of corpses and magic that continues to act without purpose . And that magic turned into a curse that undermines the royal family . ”

The true nature of the curse that eroded that girl .

Probably, those skeletons are the souls of Samaria’s people who were sacrificed to capture the hero, and the chaining of them was the magic that binds the soul to Samarial’s magician .

“What happened to the magician who made the curse?”

“He was executed . Because the magic has failed, he is the person who made the tower of Samaria for the purpose of reconstruction . The king who executed the magician seems to have disappeared due to the curse . ”

It’s not the same story I heard from Usato .

I heard that the tower was made by the king of Samaria, but he says it was made by a magician . This may be a mistake from Usato, but the difference is huge .

If it is made by the king, there’s still in doubt, but if it is made by a magician, it has some meaning .

“…Neah, did you understand something?”

Usato hid his voice and asked .

Looking at him, I nodded and hoot .

I understand the true nature of the curse .

I thought it was the same curse that robbed her of her body and soul, but that was a mistake .

It was the Samaria people who were sacrificed who were robbing the body, and they were robbing the soul――――No, to be exact, it was a magical curse that was tied to a place called Samaria .

If the magic of my restraint is the magic that binds the body, the magic that Samaria’s magicians have learned hundreds of years ago is the magic that binds the soul . I remembered a bad technique .

“That’s all I know about the curse . ”

“Thank you for teaching me”

“I am the one who should thank you . You showed me hope that I had given up… . If there is anything else I can do, please say anything and I will help you as much as I can . ”

Lucas once again thanked Usato, bowed deeply and left the scene .

“For the time being,should we find where the true curse resides?”

“I’ll do that . It’s easier for one person to move, and above all, Usato needs to be in perfect condition first . ”

“……Alright . I’m depending on you, okay . ”

Nodding to Usato with confidence and letting him think .

Now that you know the true nature of the curse, I don’t need Usato’s hand to do the next .

First, as Usato said, let’s start by searching for the body of the curse .

“So that’s why . ”

“The curse of the Samaria people? It’s a lot more troublesome . ”

I knew exactly what the curse Usato and Neah were trying to do .

However, I had one question when I heard about Neah .

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be looking for the true body of the curse by now?”

“There’s something even more important than finding the curse . Listen here, I’m an expert on curses? I came here for another reason . ”

“… What’s that?”

While a little irritated by Neah that shrugs shoulder so as to be amazed, I asked her calmly .

Neah put a fork on the question and made a good expression, and pointed out the window .

“It’s that . ”

“……that?”

Looking toward her, you can see a tower towering in the center of the country .

The tower of Samaria that rings the bell that I have heard many times since I came to this country . A subject seen by the people of Samaria as a form of prayer .

“How could the curse continue to work for hundreds of years? The answer is so close and simple . Well, Usato has to break the curse of the palace before we can leave, so I decided to do this work with you . ”

“… What are you trying to do, Neah?”

Arc-san’s words gave Neah a grin and a bad smile ―――,

“Tonight we are going to break the symbol of Samaria’s hope . ”

She said something ridiculous .