Volume 11 Chapter 9 A New Departure
It's been a night since the Memorial Festival.
The Ravenyard disaster has finally been resolved without any issues.
Although a fire broke out due to the scattered embers, it was extinguished along with the disappearance of the fireball.
As it happens, I'm the hero of this incident, but hardly anyone in this town knows about it.
"Sir Noroa, Little Mimi has eaten all the luggage!"
"Grrr."
Cirrul, who was organizing our luggage at the inn, reported to me.
Little Mimi seems to be in high spirits, having eaten its fill, and is now burping contentedly. So lovely.
"Well, shall we depart?"
I get out of bed.
I've done all I needed to do in Ravenyard.
It's about time for the tide to change.
I have other things to attend to, and I can't stay in this town forever.
So, we bid farewell to the inn.
The town is still busy with the aftermath of the Memorial Festival.
Although there were many issues, the townspeople's faces are bright.
With this atmosphere, I'm sure they'll be fine even without Phantom.
"Ugh... the festival ended in such a mess..."
Cirrul looks at the dismantled stalls with a disappointed expression.
'...conquering the food stalls.'
"I wanted to see the fireworks..." "...incomplete combustion, I guess."
Juju and the twins also seem to have some lingering dissatisfaction.
"Well, we can always have another festival somewhere else..."
As I try to console them, we arrive at the city gate.
Since it's after the festival, there's a long line of people trying to leave. We'll have to wait for a while.
"Ah, this is goodbye to this town, I suppose."
'Yes, it's refreshing, isn't it?'
"Ugh...I'm a bit reluctant to leave, though."
As I take one last look at the town... I realize I have some lingering attachment. At first, I wanted to leave this town as soon as possible, but it seems I've grown quite fond of it.
My days here were both long and short.
If I have any regrets, it's that I didn't get to say goodbye to Senior Rikka and the others.
I did send them a letter, though.
"――Noa!"
That call makes me involuntarily smile wryly.
Well, I guess Senior Rikka isn't going to let me off the hook that easily.
When I turned around, Senior Rikka was standing there with a sullen expression.
Miss Roreis was also by her side.
It seemed like both of them had come to see me off.
I thought that if I just kept quiet and disappeared, no one would notice, but it looks like there were people who would come to see me off after all.
"...Thank you for saving this town."
Miss Roreis bowed her head.
"And also, about my cursed equipment..."
"No, we're the ones who should be grateful."
Miss Roreis had been holding onto the cursed equipment――the Blood Parasite.
I decided to take it from her. In exchange, she had to promise to keep it a secret that I was a "curse bearer".
Well, for me, it was like getting a reward either way.
For Miss Roreis, it was like having a long-standing problem solved.
"...Thank you."
Miss Roreis bowed her head again, deeply.
"I don't think I can repay this debt even if I dedicate my life to it..."
"No, no... just make this town a better place, and that'll be enough."
"...I understand."
Miss Roreis nodded.
According to her, Chester, the ruler of this town, had been caught by an Inquisitor from the Holy City for causing a curse disaster. Miss Roreis said that he would never see the light of day again.
And so, Miss Roreis, who was the vice commander, took over as the new commander. She's a bit serious and clumsy, but she's someone who thinks deeply about this town. I think she'll do a good job as commander.
And then, our conversation naturally came to an end.
"...Are you leaving?"
This time, Senior Rikka asked me in a teasing tone.
"Are you going to be lonely?"
"Not at all. I'm feeling refreshed."
"Yeah, yeah."
"So, don't pat me on the head ...I'm not a kid anymore."
Even though she said that, today she didn't resist. She just let me do as I pleased.
"Why... are you leaving the city?"
"There's something I need to do outside the city."
"Is it more important than staying in this city?"
"Yes, it is for me."
"I see..."
Senior Rikka looked down, and our conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Because I was found out as Phantom, I couldn't quite grasp the distance between us.
As we stood there, the line started moving.
It was almost my turn to depart.
I thought that our conversation with Senior Rikka was about to end...
"Ah... thank you!"
Suddenly, Senior Rikka raised her voice.
The people around us turned to look at her at the same time.
She looked a bit embarrassed, but soon lifted her face.
"Thank you for helping me...!"
Her face turned bright red as she continued to shout desperately.
This kind of thing was really not my forte.
"...You're welcome"
I gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
Senior Rikka also gave a thumbs-up and showed a smiling face.
That's right, our relationship was good like this.
'It feels like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders, doesn't it?'
"Yeah, it does."
'If you want to say goodbye, you should just do it. You're too considerate, that's the problem.'
"U... I'm grateful"
Anyway, it was good that I got to talk to Senior Rikka one last time. I felt like I could finally let go of my emotional burden.
Now, I could also depart on my next journey without any worries.
"Let's go"
And so, I left Ravenyard behind.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
A girl was at the Curse Site.
With a lollipop in hand, her purple twin tails swaying back and forth, she looked like a kid on a picnic.
However, she was currently on duty.
The proof was that she wore the sloppy Inquisitor uniform with her arms through the sleeves, and the badge on her chest shone, indicating her position as an Inquisitor.
――The strongest Inquisitor in the Holy Kingdom.
That was this girl, Miimo Milnas.
"But... I never thought it would come to this."
The crimson cross in front of Mimo's eyes.
That was fundamentally cut off beautifully.
Stake Loss (Cremation Cross) is an SSS-ranked equipment.
As a rule, equipment can only be destroyed by a higher-ranked weapon.
However, the person known as 'Phantom' managed to do the impossible.
"That person is really something. More like a calamity than a human being."
According to further reports, Phantom also has the power to steal 'cursed equipment', which is just ridiculous.
――Stealing cursed equipment.
That's a feat that defies the laws of the world created by God, twisting its very foundation.
It's something that should be impossible, and yet it's possible.
That power is just too――dangerous.
"I suppose 'The esteemed Doll Master' would be interested in that person, wouldn't they?"
The girl giggles innocently while crunching on a hard candy, gazing up at the white dragon floating in the air.
"...I'm looking forward to our reunion, Phantom."
- Blood Parasite (Curse)
...A parasite that infests a person's heart. It lays numerous eggs in the bloodstream. When the blood is spilled outside, the eggs can hatch into insect-like familiars.
Rank: S
Type: Accessory
Effect: Insect Generation (produces insects from blood)
Cost: Constantly drains blood. The amount of blood required depends on the number and quality of insects generated.
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