Chapter 45

The evil eye is a curse that uses the power of one's gaze.

By looking at someone, you can curse them.

In a way, it's a rather peculiar curse, but in exchange for requiring a special talent, its effects are powerful and cannot be countered.

An average user can apparently make someone feel unwell or bring bad luck, but a witch I met in the West could kill a wild rabbit with a glare and have it for dinner. In the past, there were even users who could turn living beings to stone.

There aren't many curses this powerful.

However, it's not difficult for even amateurs to guard against it, and in the West and Islamic regions, amulets and symbols to ward off the evil eye are widely known. Even simple ones are said to be quite effective.

This is the story from my previous life.

As for the evil eye in this different world... as expected, it is greatly feared.

Its effects are similar to those in my previous life, binding the target's movements or making them sick, but the crucial countermeasures are not widely known.

Partly because there are few evil eye users, but... the curse-related knowledge here is really underdeveloped.

As a result, those with the evil eye are treated as heretics.

While they aren't persecuted, they are certainly disliked.

Well, that was the same in my previous life.

"Here we go, the first match of the second round! The first to advance is... Seika Lamprogh, the contestant!!"

That aside, this is my second match.

Without waiting for the lengthy introduction, I quickly ascend the stage.

Eifa, who had been completely terrified after watching yesterday's match, cried and begged me to forfeit, but I managed to calm her down and get here.

Actually, if I were to face Kail, who is in a completely different block, it would be in the final.

"The opponent is... the 'Puppeteer' Rabineau, the contestant!!"

A rumbling sound echoes.

What ascends the stage is not a person, but a giant stone golem.

It stands about fifteen to sixteen feet (about five meters) tall.

Its body is made of greenish boulders, and characters and magic arrays are densely inscribed all over it.

"Oh, this seems to be a different kind of golem! The black golem in the first round didn't let the opponent's war staff get close at all, but will the same tactic work against a mage!?"

"Hehehe... what an honor. To meet the third son of the famous Lamprogh family in such a place."

Following the golem, a tall, slender man with long black hair appeared on the stage.

He has an atmosphere similar to a eunuch from the Song Dynasty, but is it because of a similar culture?

I respond normally.

"Even if I am somewhat known, to be recognized as the third son of a distant noble family, I am truly honored."

"Oh, of course I know... I've investigated all the participants in this tournament, including you."

The man deepens his smile.

"I know that you are the son of the head of the family's lover, that you were once thought to have no magical power, and that you received a childhood friend as a slave... and, hehe, about your entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?"

"You passed the practical exam using fire, earth, and water attributes. It's quite a talent, but... in other words, you can't use any other attributes, right?"

"..."

"Hehehe... look at my golem!"

The man spreads his hands, indicating the golem standing majestically.

"Can't you tell, as a mage? This golem has been given strong resistances to five attributes! Normally, the more attributes you layer, the weaker the resistance becomes, but my golem has succeeded in maintaining its effectiveness by making it extremely vulnerable to certain attributes."

"..."

"In this golem's case... it's wind. Hehe, the attribute you can't handle."

"So, wind is the weakness?"

"Yes. Do you understand how desperate your situation is now?"

"The second round, first match... begins!"

The whistle signaling the start of the match rings out.

"How will you fight against an opponent whose magic doesn't work? Come on, surrender now!!"

With the man's shout, the greenish-gray golem begins to move.

Amid the pressure of the approaching giant, I choose a form and murmur.

"Alright... wind. Understood."

《Summon—Scythe Weasel》

A sudden gust of wind blows.

The weasel spirit, appearing with a whirlwind, attacks the golem with incredible speed.

Using the wind blades created by divine power, it quickly dismembers the giant body and returns to its phase in a blink of an eye.

The arena falls silent.

"...Oh, wow!? Rabineau's golem has collapsed! Seika's powerful wind magic took it down in an instant!!"

"If you want to surrender, now's the time."

I tell the stunned Rabineau.

The long-haired man smiles slightly and then raises his hand to the referee, becoming serious as he declares:

"Sorry, I surrender."

****

"Still, that was close."

On the way back to the waiting room of the arena.

When I say this, Yuki looks surprised.

"Eh, eh!? What was so dangerous about that match!?"

"This tournament prohibits summoners. If it had been discovered that I summoned a spirit, I could have been disqualified at worst."

The Scythe Weasel is usually hidden by divine power, and it's so fast that human eyes can't follow it, so I thought it would be fine.

But a weasel with scythe claws riding a whirlwind... if it had been found, there would have been no way to explain it.

"...Is that so."

I thought Yuki would scold me, but she only sighed in exasperation.

That kind of reaction really gets to me, so I wish she would stop.