episode_0003

*

Even though I found the corpses that were left behind when I invaded the Demon King’s Castle, Ollie and Miocchi didn’t wake up. After confirming that, I felt once again that it was a good idea to come back instead of returning to Earth.

The best thing is that when I come back, everything passes without incident, but after I’ve already cleared out the remaining rascals.

The time when the enemy horde would invade and the time when Amijel would wake up were roughly the same, so the chances of getting through it safely were high, but if I had ignored them and returned to Earth, I would not have felt at ease.

“Are you okay, Amiel?”

“Yes…? Yes! Warrior! I’m fine.”

“… Really?”

“Hehehe… .”

Looking at Amijel, whose face was darkened due to his defeat by Millet, it seemed that this situation might actually be better.

If you think about it, resurrection was no easy feat, and since this was the Demon King’s castle, it would have been difficult to fully utilize divine power.

For example, things like aversion or degradation depending on the environment.

Unlike Amijel, who had been in a low-pressure state even though it wasn’t exactly a conversation just now, Millet, who had the highest level of insight in the party, suddenly became full of a competitive spirit, so it was a plausible deduction.

“Your Majesty. The return preparations are complete, so just give the order and we can launch it at any time.”

I wake up from my reverie as the relationship between the two rapidly deteriorates in less than half a day.

“Um… Millet.”

I was about to ask for his immediate return, but decided to tell him clearly about the curse the Demon King had placed on him.

Originally, I was going to tell the other party members all at once when they woke up, but I had no choice.

“Do you know what the Demon King’s curse is?”

A curse that causes desires to burst out. I don’t know the details, but I remember hearing that it can be lifted on your own with just strong willpower.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you.”

“Huh?”

Millet starts off with a different answer to the question. It’s a completely irrelevant answer that has nothing to do with the question, but Millet isn’t the type of person to open his mouth without knowing it.

“You. I, we are clearly under the curse of the Demon King.”

“That’s right, because that’s what he said before the Demon King disappeared.”

When Mille woke up, he told her that the reason she passed out was because of a curse, but it felt a bit late to mention the curse while the two were arguing.

“But there is a problem.”

“Problem?”

Although it was a curse, the party members were all strong-willed and didn’t really care about it.

Of course, excluding the Four Heavenly Kings, they are the strongest people on the continent.

“Very big problem.”

But Millet’s story drags on and on, making the listener feel uneasy.

“My dear, the curse we are under is the engraving curse.”

“What…?!”

What is the imprint curse?

I know I’m saying this with a lot of tension, but I feel a little empty because I don’t know what the imprint curse is.

“Are you talking about the engraving curse, Irona-nim!?”

Before I could even ask what it was, Amijel was surprised first.

You act like you’re not going to talk to me for a while, but is it that big of a deal that you can just ignore it?

I was relieved that he had come close enough to have a conversation again.

“Indeed, he is the Demon King. Who would have thought he had a secret weapon left… .”

As I listened to it, it seemed like a serious problem, and if I had known this would happen, I should not have let my guard down until the very end. Since regretting it later won’t solve anything, I decided to help Curse Haejoo as much as I could in the future.

“What the heck is the engraving curse?”

“I see. You don’t know what a engraving curse is.”

“Sir, the engraving curse is a very scary curse.”

“… Really?”

Seeing the attitudes of the two people, I became even more determined to break the curse.

“I’ve never actually seen it, but it’s a very tricky curse. Do you know that the more a curse is placed because of hatred towards the target, the greater the risk?”

“Of course I know.”

I lived my life being careful not to be disliked by others, to the point where the proverb “If you want to curse, dig two graves” left the deepest impression on me.

Anywhere, on Earth, here, or anywhere.

“Minor curses can be lifted on your own, but the greater the price the curser paid for the curse, the more difficult it is to lift. Furthermore, curses are sometimes intended to kill, but more often they cause suffering to the point of death while you are alive.”

“… I see.”

I felt so ashamed of myself for not being able to properly defend myself against Amizel’s explanation.

Even though I knew that my party members didn’t have any special benefits, unlike me who was immune to status effects and curses as a summoning privilege.

Idiot.

Even if you regret it later, it’s already happened.

“The important thing is what curse you are under. If you don’t know what it is, you won’t be able to walk around easily because of anxiety.”

I felt like apologizing again, but Millet’s words made me feel like it was my job to help Hae-joo rather than apologize.

“Did you hear something about the curse from the Demon King?”

I was going to say that from the beginning, but somehow I feel like I’ve come around to it.

“A curse that spews out desires.”

I told him right away because I was afraid that if I kept silent again I would miss my chance to speak.

“… What? What is that, dear… .”

Millet’s reaction to this was nothing short of bewilderment.

“Is this a curse that causes desire to erupt…?”

Amijel also pronounced it as if asking if he had heard it wrong.

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe what the Demon King said, but I heard him say that before he disappeared.”

In addition, there is also the nonsense of expecting a love story.

Obviously, looking at the current situation, it was obvious that Amijel and Millet had feelings for me, and I also received confessions from Oli and Miocchi, but I rejected them with the excuse that they were married.

That rejection has been consistent throughout, and it is no different now.

It would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel like enjoying the rewards and feasting that came with defeating the Demon King, but I didn’t want to drag it out that long when I thought of my family left behind on Earth.

“For a curse used by the Demon King, it’s a bit shabby.”

A straightforward assessment by Amijel, who treated even his enemies with respect. It was certainly a shabby curse compared to his reputation as the Demon King, just as Amijel had said.

It’s hard to dismiss that shabby curse as something light, since Amijel and Millet react as if they were cursed.

“Even if he is the Demon King, there must be a limit to how much he can curse the four of them.”

“So what should I do to make it happen?”

Although Amizel scared me about the curse, he didn’t tell me exactly what the imprint curse was.

“If you have the will, that curse can be lifted easily without any effort. But since it has been imprinted, it won’t be easy to lift it.”

A phenomenon in which one suffers from something one is aware of as if one were talking about someone else.

“Sir, as far as I know, the only help is from God.”

Amijel, who usually uses grandiose modifiers when referring to heavenly beings, directly refers to them as gods this time. There are things that I explained in an easy-to-understand way, but generally, gods are a means to seek help when human power is incapable of doing something.

“But aren’t all the gods here now extinct or asleep?”

“That’s right… .”

Since the God of Light introduced himself as the last god in heaven, if Amizel’s words are true, there is no other way.

“As far as I know, there are three ways.”

“Three?”

The saint, who possesses the opposite nature of the curse, expressed regret that it was currently impossible, but immediately declared that there was a way. Millet, a demon, might know better than Amijel.

In the past they were called witches, now they are called wise men.

“The first is a perfect death. Even if you are resurrected, the imprint on your soul is so severe that it cannot be undone.”

If resurrection isn’t enough, then just die.

That’s not the way.

“Secondly, it is the person who placed the seal. If you are capable enough to place a seal curse, you can do it.”

“… What ridiculous methods.”

Those words meant reviving the Demon King, but it seemed impossible to revive the Demon King since he was completely destroyed, unless he left a corpse behind.

Moreover, since we went through all that trouble to bring it down, this method is also impossible.

“The original engraving curse was only a case of cursing without fear of annihilation. Even that is rare, so I should apologize later when everyone is awake for not being able to prepare for it.”

“Ugh-.”

I also had a lot to do with Millet’s reflective attitude, so I just kept quiet.

“Lastly, as the saint mentioned, there is God’s blessing.”

“… In the end, we have to resurrect the God of Light.”

Since the first two options are meaningless, the conversation returns to the starting point.

As an option to awaken the God of Light.

“Yes, it is. It is closely related to your plan to gather faith for the safety of Pula.”

“Is that so… .”

Return and give.

It felt simple but also complicated because the goals that had been divided into two eventually came together as one.

“Warrior! Then let’s spread Piruora’s mercy to the continent together!”

Amijel’s eyes light up as he briefly gets a sense of what he needs to do.

Since it was originally Amijel’s job, I had no choice but to participate in the missionary work, so I did it with pure willingness, without hiding it.

“Oh, yeah. I think that’ll be the way to go for now.”

When I’m told to preach in another world, my feelings become complicated and subtle, but as someone who has no religion, I can only feel bewildered.

“You, you don’t have to work hard to brighten up the whole world.”

“What? Really?”

I feel sorry for Amijel, but I felt a little uncomfortable preaching without any faith.

“The Demon King has been destroyed, but the light has not gone out until the end. There are still many believers on the continent who wish for a pulse, but only one thing illuminates the continent.”

“Hmm-, right?”

Roughly speaking, this means that since the Demon King has disappeared and only the God of Light exists, most believers and non-believers will be absorbed on their own.

It’s good that Millet explains it, but I wish he had made it easier to understand.

But if there are three, isn’t it actually one? And that’s the same method that Amizel mentioned.

The two methods above were impossible by general methods, so an explanation at best seemed meaningless.

“Ugh… .”

Amiel, who didn’t hide his discontented expression while interpreting it. It seemed like he was being irritated by Mille since he had been interrupting her all along.

“Cook-.”

Did Millet know about Amijel’s condition?

He showed a very satisfying eye smile with just one snort.

“Hey, you’re a warrior… .”

This time, too, he seemed to be asking for my help as he was being pushed back.

Was he this pitiful?

The Demon King’s curse had taken effect, and Amijel and Milena were easily revealing aspects of themselves that they had not known about before. They say it’s a curse that causes desires to burst out, and the effects are incredibly effective.

“You’re on good terms.”

Huh?

“Ollie?!”

Amijel, who had no hesitation in rushing in immediately after waking up, turned her body toward the new voice she heard as she tried to comfort him.

“That’s right, Miss Ollie. The girl wants to know everything about when Miss Kio became so attached to the warrior.”

“Miochido woke up too!”

Ollie and Miocchi got up from where they were lying and dusted themselves off.

“Miss Kio, so please tell me quickly?”

“Ugh…! Princess Lazelz… .”

He snapped at Kio in a sharp tone, but that was just how Miochiya was.

Rather, when all the party members stood up, I felt the remaining worries disappear.

“Is there anything uncomfortable? How about your head? How are you feeling?”

I went straight to the two of them and checked their condition. There didn’t seem to be any major problems with Amijel or Millet other than the curse, but I couldn’t help but worry.

“Thank you for your concern. Thanks to the warrior, it seems like everything is fine.”

Miochii, who just woke up and is leisurely smiling “hoohoo.”

She had manners ingrained in her body, so that no one would think she was a princess. Although Amizel was also polite, Mioch had a certain elegance to her, and even in a place like this, she was elegant.

To begin with, since everyone’s status is their status, there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t elegant.

“Thank goodness. I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention.”

“Please don’t apologize, warrior. It’s our fault for letting our guard down and thinking it was the end, not yours.”

“That’s right. It’s our lack of training. It’s not the warrior’s fault.”

Like Amijel and Millet, Oli and Miocchi also seemed unconcerned.

“But what you received was… .”

“Okay, you. Now that everyone has come to their senses, why don’t you come here?”

Millet, who was trying to tell us about the engraving curse, suddenly calls us from above the magic circle he had drawn.

“Sir, I’m glad you’re concerned about us, but I think it’s better for the girl to get out of here first.”

“Still the Demon King’s Castle. Full of dangers.”

He approaches, monotonously agreeing with Miocchi’s opinion.

Well, even if you tell me about the engraving curse, it’s not going to help.

It would have been better to discuss the plan in a safe place.

“By the way, it’s a magic circle, sage?”

“No matter how good she is, it is difficult to return to the kingdom in one go.”

When entering the Demon King’s Castle, Mille, who had seen the effect of lowering everyone’s abilities but instead had increased them, let out a weak sound.

“That’s like without the help of the magic circle?”

“I am so happy that you know my true intentions better than anyone else!”

“Finally. So it’s possible in one go.”

I just said it out of the blue, but let’s say it was true. I looked around for no reason.

“That’s really amazing, Sage. You can travel that distance in one go.”

Since I didn’t know anything about magic, it was difficult for me to say anything compared to the two who were amazed.

“As expected, Irona is amazing… .”

Amijel also joined in, swayed by the momentum of Oli and Miocchi praising Millet, but his speech was awkward. It almost seemed as if he was forcing himself.

“Kukuk. The main woman is ready. Saintess, so the resurrection is not yet?”

“Ah… I think I can do it now.”

The two of them had a verbal argument earlier, and when Millet asked about the distinction between public and private, Amijel hesitated and agreed.

“Then let them return to the present world. Wouldn’t it be better to return alive than to return as corpses?”

“… Yes! ”

As Millet said, it would be better to return alive than to return dead.

Anyway, I can finally rest.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop the party members’ imprint curse, but I’ll have to get out of here so we can discuss it.

Not long after, Amijel brought the dead back to life, and we were able to return to the kingdom thanks to Millet.