Chapter 67

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"Lulia-sama, Lulia-sama!"

In the middle of the night, I was shaken awake by Kuro.

Today was eventful, and I was very sleepy.

After writing a letter and removing the boulder, I played the 'spirit-carrying game' and dolls with Sara.

"It's still... night, isn't it?"

"Lulia-sama, if you don't wake up, you'll regret it."

"Mmm..."

The first thing I thought when I woke up was,

"Spirits can move Lulia, even though they're not physical beings..."

That was what I thought.

It's strange that a spirit can shake my body.

The mechanism is a mystery.

Incidentally, even the Spirit King Loa from my previous life couldn't shake my body.

"I'm sorry for waking you up while you were half-asleep."

"What's wrong? Well, Kuro, you should sleep too."

I grabbed Kuro and put him in the futon.

"No, I can't. It's urgent!"

Kuro looked panicked and was shouting in a very loud voice.

"Hmm? What's really going on?"

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and glanced at Sara.

Sara was hugging Korko and sleeping soundly.

"Try to keep your voice down so you don't wake Sara."

"Sara can't hear Kuro's voice!"

"Really?"

Logically, that's true, but it feels strange.

"The owls told me that there's a child who is about to die."

"Hmm? Is someone injured? Or sick?"

"It's a curse... But going to help is dangerous."

Kuro didn't tell me about Marion's curse, considering my safety.

I told Kuro that even if it's dangerous, he should tell me and consult with me.

He kept his promise.

"Thank you, Kuro."

"It's dangerous... But... What should we do?"

Kuro looked troubled.

"Of course, we'll go to help. Where is it?"

I shook the sleeping Daru while asking Kuro.

"...Huh?"

"Daru, I'm sorry to wake you."

"...Aaa~h"

Daru stretched widely.

Then, he got off the bed and, as if to say 'don't worry,' licked my cheek.

"Um, it's about a thirty-minute walk along the lake from this villa."

"That's far? But with Daru, it should take about five minutes?"

"Au au!"

Daru was saying he could go even faster.

He was making small sounds to avoid waking Sara.

"Got it. Let's go."

"But it's dangerous."

"What kind of danger?"

I promised to consult with Kuro.

After he told me the truth, I wouldn't rush in without thinking.

"The cursed child is surrounded by cursers... Even Lulia-sama might get hurt."

"Is the curser stronger than Daru?"

Daru was puffing out his chest, saying 'leave it to me' with his eyes.

"I think Daru is stronger... But there are many of them, so it's not easy."

"Then, how about carrying the cursed child and running away?"

"That's not possible. The cursed child is half-cursed."

"Hmm. We can't help unless we break the curse."

"Yes. Lulia-sama can break the curse, but the child will struggle, and the cursers will attack..."

It seems difficult to break the curse while avoiding the cursers' attacks and dealing with a struggling child.

"Hmm. We'll have to defeat the cursers first, then break the curse, right?"

"...But I'm worried."

"If it looks bad, we'll run. How about that?"

"...Okay."

Kuro, though still worried, seemed to agree.

I took out my regular clothes from the wardrobe and changed from my nightgown.

The maid had put them in there for me yesterday.

It's the outfit I usually wear for sword training, so it's very comfortable to move in.

"Caro, let's go. It's a rescue mission."

"Kyu"

Caro climbed onto Daru's back.

"Korko..."

Korko was being hugged by Sara.

If I took Korko, Sara would be sad when she woke up.

"Korko should stay and keep watch, right?"

"Ko"

Korko was strongly saying, "No, I'll go too."

He gently and quietly left Sara's arms and gently stroked her hair with his beak.

"Ko"

"Kuro, will Sara be okay?"

"Yes, she'll be fine. Cursers target spirits first. They won't target Sara."

"I see."

"Besides, the guardian beasts from the main house are here, so this villa is safe."

That's reassuring.

"Then, Korko can come too."

"Ko"

I, Caro, and Korko climbed onto Daru's back and moved to the window.

"Hmm?"

I could see the building where the guards were stationed from the window.

"This isn't good."

The guards, or rather the servants of the Grand Duke's family, are very strong.

If we try to escape through the window, we might be caught.

"Let's go through a different door."

"That way!"

Kuro flew to move us.

Daru, with me, Caro, and Korko on his back, followed behind.

"Daru, be quiet."

"..."

Daru ran quickly but made almost no sound.

"There's a blind spot over here."

Kuro led us to a place hidden by the building and trees, out of sight of the guard building.

"I didn't know such a place existed."

I spoke in a very low voice.

"If we leave it, it might be dangerous."

"You're right."

I quietly opened the window, and Daru silently jumped out.

It was still raining heavily.

"Follow me."

Daru ran quietly behind Kuro, who was leading the way.

I, Caro, and Korko firmly grabbed Daru's fur.

It was dark because there was no moon.

However, some of the guards might be able to use night vision magic.

So, to avoid being seen, we ran through the forest, a bit away from the lake.

The forest was even darker.

But with the glowing Kuro, it was bright enough for me, Daru, and Caro to see.

I'm not sure if it was bright enough for Korko, who can't see well in the dark.

But Korko was staring intently ahead.

After running for a while, I called out to Kuro when I thought we were far enough from the guard building.

"Quite far, isn't it?"

"Yes, it will take a little longer."

I looked up at the sky. It was covered with thick rain clouds, and no stars were visible.

The usual birds weren't flying above me.

A few minutes after leaving the cottage, a strong aura of curse drifted over.

"This aura... It's not good."

Just as Kuro muttered that,

"Me-e-e-e-e!" "Moo-oo-oo" "Bubububu"

—Flap flap

"Ho-ho-ho!" "Kyu-uu-i"

The sounds of goats, cows, and pigs, the sounds of battle, and the calls and flaps of owls and hawks could be heard.

【To the Readers: A Request from the Author!】

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