"Before going to sleep tonight, I'll read you some magical history."
"T-This time! I'll really read it! Really!"
Being treated like a child again made Fern blush as she earnestly promised.
"Really?"
"I will!"
"Didn't you used to say I never learned no matter how many times you taught me? Aren't you the same? I've said it so many times, yet you still won't read it. Who does that look like, really?"
Ash shook his head with a laugh, and casually rubbed her hair as well, making Fern press her lips together in displeasure.
She felt she really was still being treated like a child, but if she puffed up her cheeks and got angry like before, it would be the same as admitting she really was one.
'So what am I supposed to do to look a bit more like an adult?'
Fern endured the familiar yet especially embarrassing gentle stroking, and couldn't help but throw a pleading look toward Frieren.
Frieren let out a silent chuckle, as if her eyes were saying, "Next time if I accidentally make you mad, remember to spare me once," Only after getting Fern's reluctant little nod did she clear her throat and explain, "Between demons and monsters, there are many kinds of magic whose principles and countermeasures can't be understood with human magical techniques, yet they cause all sorts of abnormal conditions. Those are collectively called curses."
"So there really isn't a way to lift it?", Hearing that, Fern immediately grew tense, "Does that mean this village is already beyond saving?"
"No. It's just that human magic doesn't work. Divine magic is different."
"I remember divine magic is all recorded in the holy scriptures, and in most cases only priests can use it?"
"That's right. Divine magic is like demon magic. Most of it is unexplained, and its principles are completely unclear. Even priests rely on that thing when using it, the goddess's blessing? I think that's what it's called. And that's something you're born with. You can't change it later on, so it's very hard for normal people to use the magic written in the scriptures."
After saying that, Frieren glanced toward the distance at someone who had barged into someone else's house and was eating the dinner they had cooked, a free meal they hadn't even gotten to eat before fainting. She teased, "Of course, it's only 'very hard' to use. Someone like Ash, who can't use it at all, is actually extremely rare."
"I'm just eating quietly. Why did this suddenly turn into my problem?", Ash looked up with an innocent face, just hoping to at least eat his meal in peace.
Fern, meanwhile, sat down beside him and stared straight at him for quite a while before finally sighing helplessly.
"Lord Ash... this is someone else's food, isn't it?"
"There's no owner right now, so it's mine."
"If you're hungry, I'll cook for you. Eating other people's food like this isn't very nice, is it?"
"Just changing things up a bit. And," He swallowed the chicken in his mouth and glanced at the unconscious woman on the ground, "This curse is pretty troublesome. They might not wake up anytime soon. You two should eat as well. Once we're done, it'll be easier to just leave."
"Lord Ash, if you keep this up, I really will get angry," Her tone was calm, but Fern's voice had already turned stern.
He simply waved his hand dismissively, "I'm kidding. Even just to set a good example for you, I wouldn't leave right away."
"At times like this, shouldn't you be helping people first? Why does it turn into being 'for me'. I really can't accept that," Her blunt words made Fern feel embarrassed, and a bit sulky.
Ash didn't plan to explain further. He just smiled and continued eating someone else's dinner.
After a while, Sein, who had been checking on the villagers, walked over with a troubled expression.
"This is tricky. I can't tell what kind of curse it is. I only know it's a very unusual one."
"So it really is troublesome? Ash, have you studied curses a lot?", Frieren opened her eyes slightly wider and instinctively looked at Ash, "What kind of curse is it, exactly?"
"I've seen it among the monsters raised in the Kingdom of Oisast. It should be a curse from a subspecies of the Chaos Flower."
[T/N: Just reminding, Oisast is same as Äußerst. It is a transliteration of Oisasuto that is the romanji of Japanese counterpart. I am writing it Oisast because I can't change keyboards everytime to write Äußerst.]
"The Kingdom of Oisast even has monsters like that. They really aren't afraid of backlash from monsters at all," Frieren frowned without realizing it.
Even for her, without a priest's help, before finding the source, she would probably get hit first and then be killed.
Or rather, even for the Hero's party, if they faced a Chaos Flower without Heiter, one careless moment would mean total annihilation.
Because right now, even though they were still in the village, they were actually within the Chaos Flower's curse range.
And Frieren could clearly feel that she was being attacked, yet against this kind of attack, there was simply no way to defend.
Fern could sense some abnormalities as well, but, if no one pointed it out, she wouldn't even realize she was under attack.
With no clue about the curse at all, and not even knowing where the attack was coming from, Frieren couldn't help but look at Sein, who was also rubbing his head.
"So? Do you have a way to lift it?"
"I do, but it's troublesome. It requires a ritual and some tools. If possible, it's easier to just deal with the source of the curse directly."
"Can you find where the curse is coming from?"
"I'm fairly confident about the general direction, or rather, that's all we can do right now."
Sein shook his head with a bitter smile. Right now, he lacked the necessary tools, and there was no time to perform a ritual.
There was no helping it. The entire village was within the curse's range, and it was actively taking effect. Even he couldn't guarantee that if he slowly prepared tools and performed the ritual, he wouldn't pass out halfway through.
After all, the goddess's blessing only gave resistance. It didn't mean immunity.
Using divine magic to lift it was far too troublesome, so after confirming their plan, they immediately headed toward the forest beside the village.
———
Because the distance was rather far and the exact location unclear, by the time they moved through the forest, the sky had unknowingly grown completely dark.
With night falling, and given that they were mages and a priest whose stamina wasn't much different from ordinary people, they could only rest a bit to prepare.
But just as Ash finished lighting a campfire to drive away the chill of the night, he felt a tug at the corner of his clothes.
Turning back instinctively, he saw the purple-haired girl behind him, already half-asleep. Even though her eyes could barely stay open, she was still trying to focus on him, making an indistinct, uneasy sound.
"Lord Ash... what should I do? I feel like I can't... hold on anymore..."
"If you're sleepy, then go to sleep first," Facing the anxious girl, he smiled as usual, placing his hand on her head and gently stroking it, "Don't worry. Once you've slept enough, I'll wake you up."
"Then I'll leave it to you... Tomorrow I'll make... breakfast you like... Lord Ash..."
With just that simple promise, all the unease on her face faded away. She even showed a relieved smile, murmuring softly like in a dream, though she lost consciousness before finishing her sentence, her body slumped down beside him.
Yet even after falling asleep, that hand, like on anxious nights in childhood, still tightly gripped the hem of his clothes, refusing to let go.
Seeing this, Sein couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
"This kid trusts you way too much. In a situation like this, she doesn't even doubt what you say and actually relaxes?"
"To be honest, I worry about Fern sometimes too. I feel like one day she'll get tricked by this guy, and she'll still foolishly make excuses for him," Frieren, resting nearby, shot a sideways glance and shook her head again and again.
"What? Are you jealous?"
"Maybe a little, but I'm more worried about what this kid will become if you die someday. Just thinking about that gives me a headache. Even though my relationship with Fern is good, I don't think I could replace you in her heart."
"What kind of thing is that to say?", Ash laughed and shook his head at the strange concern.
"Everyone is irreplaceable in someone else's heart. I can't replace you in hers either, right? Thinking about things like that is pointless."
"Is that so? I guess you're right," She watched him cut off a corner of his clothes, carefully settle Fern by a tree, wrap her in a blanket, and set up a barrier.
Though still a little worried about the future, she couldn't help but smile teasingly, "But for you to say something that makes this much sense, that's pretty rare."
"What do you even think of me in your mind?"
"Well...", She tilted her head as she thought, but didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Sein and asked, "By the way, Sein, can your magic temporarily wake Fern up?"
"It's difficult. Without the ritual and necessary tools, I can wake her for about five seconds at most."
"Then let's not use it for now."
"Agreed."
Looking at the girl sleeping peacefully, Sein, one of the few still awake, wore a deeply worried expression.
There was no helping it. Even knowing Frieren was strong, it was hard for him to feel at ease in a situation like this. After all, he hadn't built the kind of deep friendship with them where he could trust them completely even under these circumstances.
———
After Fern fell asleep, the three of them didn't rest for long. To avoid things becoming irreparable, they forced their tired bodies onward, quickening their pace through the forest at night.
Sein led the way, searching for the source of the curse. Unable to hide his tension, he spoke without looking back.
"We're almost there. The reaction is very close now. It's around here!"
"I see. Then, Sein, if you find the monster, wake me or Ash up. You're a priest. Combat isn't your strength," Frieren, holding onto another corner of Ash's clothes and moving forward with her eyes closed, sounded like she was about to collapse any second. With her head lowered, she gave her final instruction.
"Don't fight it alone... me or Ash, either is fine... even five seconds... should be enough..."
Before she could finish, Sein turned around in surprise, but before he could say anything, Frieren collapsed like a kite with its string cut.
Before she could actually hit the ground, Ash reacted quickly and caught her in his arms. As he placed her under a tree and set up a protective barrier, he complained, "Seriously. If you couldn't hold on anymore, why didn't you say so earlier? Now I have to set up two barriers."
"Uh... huh?"
Watching him complain, Sein opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something but not knowing how. Then suddenly, he realized the source of the strange feeling Ash had been giving him.
In this situation, mages and priests managing was one thing. But if it were a warrior, they'd probably pass out just from walking around the village.
Yet Ash not only had been fine in the village, he'd walked through the forest for so long, night had already fallen, and he still looked full of energy.
Only then did Sein remember that Ash was supposed to be a warrior, and he stared in shock.
"Wait, something's not right! You're clearly a warrior, aren't you? Even the mage from the legendary hero's party is unconscious, so how can someone like you, with no goddess's blessing at all, still stay awake?"
"Didn't I tell you? I can use a bit of magic too," Ash answered casually, as if it were nothing.
In reality, he wasn't relying entirely on magic power. It was simply that a demon's body had strong resistance to this kind of curse. After all, they couldn't receive the goddess's blessing or use divine magic. To avoid being bullied to death by monsters like this, they naturally needed similar resistance.
He couldn't explain that, and as for Sein, he completely didn't believe that this so-called "a bit" could reach this level. He even suspected that the excuse was an insult to his intelligence.
"A bit? Just a bit? And that's enough to be like this?"
He shouted in complaint, but before he could press further, he felt the ground tremble, as if something were steadily approaching.
Sein abandoned the issue and cautiously scanned his surroundings, speaking without turning back.
"You're sure it's okay to leave it to you, right? Let me be clear first, I only know a little combat-oriented divine magic. Don't expect me to defeat a monster that can cast a curse at this level."
"It's fine. At the critical moment, I'll find a way to deal with it."
"No, we should bring Frieren along," Despite how confident he looked, Sein still didn't want to entrust his life to him alone.
"With a mage that strong, I'll feel a bit more at ease. Even if I can only wake her for five seconds."
"So you really don't trust me."
"Do you have any incredible achievements?"
"No, but we're companions. You should have a little more faith in me."
"No! If you mess this up, won't both the village and I be finished?"
Even though Ash could resist the curse, Sein still couldn't place something this important entirely on the possibility that Ash might be strong. He insisted emotionally on bringing Frieren along.
That left Ash a bit helpless. To reassure him, he casually removed the barrier and lifted Frieren into his arms.
He didn't explain further. Sometimes having no reputation was even more dangerous. Just like nameless great demons were usually extremely dangerous.
Sein walked in front again, holding the holy scripture. He carefully led the way, constantly trying to calm himself with deep breaths, nervously scanning his surroundings in search of the monster that seemed to be nearby.
And sure enough, it didn't disappoint him.
Before long, in an open clearing, his eyes locked onto the true form of the monster releasing the curse. There was no doubt about it. Just as Ash had guessed, it was a subspecies of the Chaos Flower.
Its form was bizarre yet magnificent. At the top bloomed a massive, strangely colored flower. Below were green vines, and at the very bottom, branches and leaves. Its overall structure looked like a "standing" octopus, both eerie and awe-inspiring.
Although it clearly belonged to the plant-type monster category and was only two or three stories tall, it used its seemingly fragile branches and leaves as legs, slowly gliding across the ground. Its entire body gleamed with a mirror-like sheen.
"Three Spears of the Goddess!"
Even though the instant he saw it, cold sweat was already pouring down his body, Sein still didn't hesitate. As soon as it seemed to notice him, he flipped open the holy scripture and unleashed his most prized attack spell.
Three dazzling beams of golden light tore through the air, shooting straight toward the core at the center of the petals, aiming for a single decisive strike.
However, to his shock, the seemingly clumsy and heavy Chaos Flower instantly closed the small opening between its petals.
Three leaf-blades swiftly moved to shield the petals, perfectly blocking the incoming golden light.
Immediately after, those golden rays were strangely reflected, scattering into the surrounding forest like a meteor shower, leaving behind brilliant yet fleeting trails.
"How is that possible? It can reflect magic?", Sein froze for a moment, then suddenly turned to Ash, only to see him calmly placing the Frieren he had been holding onto the ground.
Seeing his unhurried actions, Sein grew anxious and shouted without holding back.
"Stop taking your time with Frieren! It can reflect magic! Hurry!"
"Alright, alright, don't be so nervous. Didn't I say I'd take care of it?"
Ash shook his head helplessly. As the Chaos Flower noticed him and swung a leaf the size of a car toward him, he casually raised his hand.
In that instant, purple lightning surged out like a raging tide, tearing apart the silence of the night.
BOOM!
The leaf that had been as smooth and flawless as a mirror instantly collapsed under the abnormal pressure.
The scene of destruction spread forward, the terrifying force crushing the earth as it advanced, and from the front, without any obstruction, completely "devoured" the Chaos Flower's "delicate body."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.