Chapter 38

And then.

Amu and I managed to escape the dungeon safely.

We blew away the trapdoor at the exit with *Ash Flower*, scattering the soil above and startling the teachers, but no one was injured, so it wasn’t a problem.

After being brought back to the academy, the teachers asked us in detail what had happened, and we told them everything as it was.

We explained that we had been transferred to the dungeon by a magic circle in the forest but managed to escape after defeating the boss.

However, we both agreed to keep quiet about my magic and Amu’s curse, as it would have caused inconvenience if we had mentioned it.

The teachers seemed to have no idea that there was a dungeon beneath the temple.

Probably no one in this town knew about it. If it had been known that such monsters were inside the city walls, no one would have dared to live here out of fear.

The magic circle in the forest was already gone.

It seems that it was designed to disappear after a single activation. It was a well-thought-out plan.

As a result, the culprit remained unknown.

I thought this incident might lead to another lockdown, but it ended up with just a three-day suspension.

I’m surprised they continued the classes despite not knowing who was behind it.

Well, they didn’t close the academy even when we were attacked by demons, so it’s not surprising now.

It’s been seven days since then.

Amu and I have finally returned to our normal lives.

“Excuse me.”

As I descended the stairs to the basement of the research building, I called out.

“I’ve come to return something I was holding for you, Mr. Corder.”

The vast basement.

Corder, standing on the blue-white magic circle drawn on the floor, adjusted his round glasses.

“Lanprogue, is it? I’m sorry, did I lend you something? More importantly, how did you get in here? I thought I locked it.”

“Sorry, I melted the lock. The magical device that alerts intruders is also inside the barrier now. I’ll talk about the item later. Today, I have something I want to ask you, Mr. Corder.”

“...Is there something you don’t understand in class?”

I chuckled at Corder’s joke and walked through the basement.

“Is the ritual going well, Mr. Corder?”

“...”

“Amu is still doing well.”

“...How much do you know?”

“Well, I had my suspicions. No matter how skilled a demon is in transfer magic, it’s hard to believe they could enter the imperial city alone and prepare such a magic circle. Then there was the dungeon incident. It could have been a trap left by the attacker, but logically, there must be an insider.”

Corder sighed.

“Did you happen to defeat the attacker? Tsk. I don’t know who it was, but I told them not to send amateurs.”

“He seemed pretty important.”

“Still, why me? I didn’t leave any evidence, did I?”

“Well... it’s a hunch.”

“Are you trying to dodge the question?”

“It’s a long story. Anyway, Mr. Corder... it’s time for you to reveal your true form.”

Corder chuckled.

“Was that a joke? Unfortunately, I’m human. This is my true form.”

“The demons use human intermediaries.”

“I do have some demon blood, but that’s about it. Just like the empire uses demon intermediaries.”

I see, the human side does the same kind of thing.

“Did the demons know about the dungeon?”

“No, I found it myself. I researched old documents. There was no entrance or exit that humans could use, so it was supposed to be impossible to escape.”

“Wow, that’s dangerous... You intended to bury the hero for sure with the ‘curse’.”

“...So you figured it out.”

“Did you come up with the magic yourself? If so, you must be a genius.”

“I’m glad you understand its value.”

Corder narrowed his eyes behind his round glasses.

“It’s a groundbreaking ‘curse’ that incorporates light attribute ritual magic. It can kill the target from a great distance, disguised as a disease.”

“...”

“In my experiments, even the most skilled magicians and the toughest warriors died helplessly. They suffered. The hero will eventually meet the same fate, even if he’s holding out now. The dungeon was actually irrelevant.”

“...”

“There is one flaw, though. It takes time, and if it’s interrupted, the magic is undone. So... I have to kill you.”

Corder waved his staff, and countless magic circles appeared in the air.

In the light, the otherworldly sorcerer adjusted his round glasses.

“This is my workshop. Of course, I have these defenses. Even if you told someone, I’ll turn this place into a different dimension and escape. You’ll have to watch from hell as I return with the glory of killing the hero.”

“Wait, can I say something first?”

I raised my hand to interrupt Corder’s speech.

Corder frowned and fell silent at my lack of tension.

“You said there was one flaw, but there are actually two more.”

“What...?”

“Did you notice? The ‘curse’ isn’t on Amu right now.”

“What are you talking about...”

“The one who’s cursed now is this thing.”

I dispelled the invisibility spell.

In front of me appeared a half-melted, pitch-black humanoid shape.

Corder’s expression stiffened at the sight.

“The ‘curse’ is difficult to target. Usually, you use the target’s name or a piece of their hair or nail to bind them... but you set an interesting condition. The one who has bathed in demon blood, right?”

In the center of the magic circle on the floor was a pot filled with black liquid.

It was probably demon blood.

“Indeed, Amu did defeat a demon during the attack. Maybe I and Eifa, who are higher in rank, were also targeted? If so, it was dangerous. But thanks to that, I could transfer the curse to this humanoid shape.”

The black humanoid shape had switched places with the pot when Corder overturned it, bathing in the foul-smelling liquid.

Demon blood.

I tried it first when I attempted to transfer Amu’s curse, and it worked surprisingly well. Well, I had already suspected Corder from the beginning.

“No matter how you set the target, if it’s discovered, it’s useless. You didn’t notice at all, did you? The caster can’t tell what’s happening to the target. In my past life, there was a story about a woman who continued to curse a man she hated even after he died, eventually turning into a demon. Also, the target can easily be missed. There are even spells that take advantage of this, like dog spirits and gu poison.”

“Past life...? What are you talking about? Why do you know about my magic...”

“Well, the other flaw is...”

《Summon —— Demon》

I summoned a demon captured during the Galleos battle from the phase.

The red-patterned demon floating above my head didn’t move at all. It seemed to be dead. As expected, unlike yōkai, high-mobility monsters can’t withstand the phase.

But it’s not a problem right now.

Corder’s eyes widened behind his round glasses.

“What, an Arc Demon!?”

“I’ll do this.”

Using a familiar, I forcibly tore apart the demon’s corpse.

A large amount of blood and organ fragments rained down on me.

“What...!?”

“I’ll do this too.”

After chanting a spell, I burned the black humanoid shape with fire.

“There. Now the curse has transferred to me.”

I could feel the power flowing into me.

Wow, this is pretty strong.

Poor Amu, she had to endure this.

Corder looked stunned.

Of course, he would. I must look like a crazy person right now.

“Insane... Are you out of your mind? You can’t just take my curse and expect to get away with it...!”

I smirked.

It’s the same for you, you know.

I raised my voice.

“I humbly beseech the great god Izanami ——”

Words infused with curse power.

“—— When maggots swarm the palace of the dead, the eight thunder gods and the ugly women of the underworld. If there are any curses, vengeance, or grudges ——”

These words bent the logic of the world, altering the curse directed at me.

“—— Devour and return them, I humbly beseech you, hear my words, hear my words... Cursing others means digging two holes, Mr. Corder.”

Suddenly, Corder spat out blood.

It was a large amount. A tremendous amount of blood flowed from his mouth, staining the magic circle on the floor.

The otherworldly sorcerer writhed in agony.

“What... is... this...”

“The biggest flaw of a curse. It can easily be returned. It’s called a curse return.”

As I walked around the room, I explained to Corder, who had fallen to the floor.

“When a curse is returned, it hits the caster with several times the original power. Do you understand, Mr. Corder? Curses are not safe to use from a distance. If the target is prepared or hires a mage, the caster can end up in a dangerous situation.”

Corder, bleeding from his eyes and nose, grew weaker.

I continued to speak to the dying sorcerer.

“The reason your experiments went well is simply because this method wasn’t widespread in this world. Once countermeasures are developed, it will become obsolete. Unfortunately, Mr. Corder. Are you listening, Mr. Corder?”

Corder no longer moved.

The genius sorcerer from another world had died in a sea of dark blood.

I looked down at the corpse and said,

“I think it’s impressive that you created a new method of cursing from scratch. But ——”

I sighed and whispered,

“—— Curses are the specialty of yin-yang practitioners.”

****

Still, though.

“This curse return spell really feels good.”

A Shinto-derived curse return spell that my master often used. It’s a bit long, but it works perfectly against otherworldly magic. It’s amazing.

“Isn’t this a Shinto prayer, Seika-sama?”

Yuki, peeking out from the inner pocket of my jacket, asked.

“Yeah. The Shinto curse return spell is the easiest to use on myself, but it’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with a curse.”

Onmyōdō is a fusion of Shinto, Buddhism, and Taoism, with a wide range of spells.

In practice, mantras are in Sanskrit, talismans are in Chinese, and prayers are in Japanese. Naturally, some mages don’t use certain types at all.

Shinto is strong in purification and exorcism, but the prayers are long and tedious.

“By the way, there’s something I don’t understand, Yuki.”

“What is it?”

“Seika-sama has been suspicious of that human since returning from the dungeon... how did you know?”

“Oh, when I was observing the surface before escaping, I noticed pollen on his jacket.