Chapter 80 Joining Forces
Nighttime...
In front of us, on the outskirts of the slums, appeared a demon girl named Sicily Grandor.
"S-Sicily-san?"
"Oh, don't be so surprised, young lady in maid attire. You were the ones who summoned me, right?"
Sicily turned her purple eyes towards Maia and readjusted the witch hat on her head.
"You summoned me? So, that stone had that kind of power."
"You didn't know how to use it? Or rather, you figured out how to use that stone quite well."
"You were the one who didn't tell me how to use it."
"Haha, my apologies. I was originally planning to use it to summon you. Since we couldn't talk properly during that underground sewer incident, I was planning to have a proper conversation with you, but it seems I saved myself the trouble."
"..."
So, there was a possibility that I could have been suddenly transported to Sicily's location.
It felt quite shocking to be told something like that so casually, but let's put that aside for now.
"So, why did Executor-san use that stone?"
"I had something I wanted to ask you."
"Oh, did you become interested in me?"
"..."
Sicily had a mischievous smile, maybe teasing a bit... no, perhaps entirely.
However, seeing my lackluster response, she quickly muttered, "Well, forget it," and placed her hand on her hip.
"There's one more thing I'm curious about. How did Executor-san know how to use that stone?"
"I happened to see someone using this stone. That's how I found out."
"The (Magic Crystal)...?"
"Yes."
"Tell me more about that story."
Sicily's tone, which had been teasing until then, changed.
――What's this? It seems like Sicily's expression has changed...
Oh well. In any case, I have to talk about Rick's mother, so I have to explain the situation.
Maia is nodding as I meet eyes with Teti.
And I decided to explain the circumstances that led us here to Sicily.
"So, that's the story."
"I see. So that's why you summoned me."
After listening to the story, Sicily squints her eyes and mutters.
While I was talking, Sicily listened silently, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"About the (Magic Crystal), it's related to the leader of that thief group, Avengio, right? Anyway, that man is involved."
"Yeah, probably."
Sicily puts her hand on her chin, lost in thought.
I was curious about what she was thinking, but right now, it's more about Rick's mother.
"So, there's only one thing we want to ask you."
"Is there a way to lift the curse of Astripias that Rick's mother received?"
"That's right."
Sicily, unlike before, was looking at me with a serious gaze.
"Please, Sicily-san. Since you are a demon, I thought you might know something about the curse of Astripias."
"I also ask you. I want to help Rick's mother."
"Sigh... As the maid said, I'm a demon, but is that okay? You guys were also involved in a lot of trouble in your original country because of Marc... the demon, right?"
Sicily said somewhat exasperatedly, looking at each of our faces.
However, whether Sicily is a demon or not doesn't matter. Right now, what we need is a way and means to help Rick's mother.
And...
"To me, whether you are a demon or not doesn't matter."
"..."
"Please. If you know how to help Rick's mother, please tell us."
"Truly, you guys are too kind-hearted."
Sicily muttered and squinted slightly. Was it just my imagination, or did she seem somewhat pleased?
After taking a breath, Sicily began to speak.
"To cut to the chase, there is a way to lift the curse. And it's possible to do it right away."
"Huh. What kind of..."
Not just me, but Maia and Teti also eagerly listened to Sicily's words.
Sicily raised her index finger in a commanding manner in front of us.
"I can tell you how to do it, but there's one condition."
"What is it?"
"I want you to guide me to the hideout of that band of thieves."
"The thieves' hideout? Why?"
"I want to ask that man named Avengio where he got the Magic Crystal from. It's for my own purposes."
"..."
Sicily's expression had changed earlier when I mentioned seeing the Magic Crystal.
Sicily probably has some kind of connection to the Magic Crystal after all.
"Just to clarify, what is your goal?"
"It's to guide me to the thieves' hideout."
"Got it. I promise that. I can't let the leader of that thieves' gang go unpunished either."
Sicily nods clearly to my words.
"So... how can we lift the curse on Rick's mother?"
"The method is simple. Astripias' body has the power to purify impurities. So, if you feed Astripias' body to the cursed person, the curse will be lifted. It's the origin of the phrase 'set a thief to catch a thief.'"
"However, that means—"
"Indeed. The person who cuts the new Astripias' body will be cursed by the snake. It will just repeat the same thing, and ultimately, you can't escape the vicious cycle of sacrificing someone."
"..."
"So, when our demon race once obtained Astripias' body, we used this."
Sicily said that and waved her hand in the air. Then, something like a black vortex appeared, and Sicily inserted her hand into it.
What Sicily pulled out from the black vortex was a small bottle filled with red translucent liquid.
"You just need to sprinkle the liquid inside this bottle on Astripias before cutting yourself. That way, you'll clear the first stage."
"If there's a first stage, does that mean there's more?"
"Yes. The effect of that liquid is... it's easier to understand if we call it the manifestation of a curse."
"Manifestation of a curse..."
"Yes. Once you turn Astripias' curse into a physical form, you have to fight and defeat it. By doing so, you can take only Astripias' body."
"So, all I have to do is defeat the one that appears using that red liquid, right?"
"Hehe. But that second stage isn't so simple. The form that the curse of Astripias has taken is equivalent to a super dangerous SSS-class monster by human standards. I wonder if you can really win."
Sicily said that and tossed a vial filled with red liquid.
"What to do is up to you. Astripias has a unique scent, so if that beastman child is around, you might be able to find it. However, I don't think there's any obligation for you to risk your lives for strangers."
In response to Sicily's words as a challenge, Maia grabbed the vial from my hand.
"The answer to that is already decided."
Maia and I exchanged glances, and Teti nodded with a determined expression.
"Adel-sama, Sicily-san and you will head to the thieves' hideout. We'll take care of Astripias."
"Leave that to us, Adel. Thieves don't stay in one place forever."
Two pairs of eyes, one blue and one red, stared straight at me. It was a clear declaration of their determination.
Considering Rick's mother's condition, there's no time to waste. I guess both of them understand that.
"...Got it. I'm gonna take care of the fools who caused this unreasonableness."
They nodded to each other, and Sicily taught them the important points to fight against the curse of Astripias
Then, Maia and Teti went to search for the Astripias's snake, while Sicily and I headed to the hideout of the thieves who had been using Rick. We each had our own goals, so we split up.
"They're really great comrades. I'm jealous."
Sicily said that while we were on our way to the thieves' hideout together.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)