Volume 12 Chapter 9 Curse Disaster Investigation
"Damn it, I won't admit I lost! A proud Inquisitor like me can't be defeated by some 'curse holder'!"
After the training (or rather, the killing game) ended.
We headed out to the streets with the Inquisitor to investigate the curse disaster.
...but Mr. Sein, who was with us, still seemed to be holding a grudge from the training.
"Hey, 'curse holder'!"
"Are you talking about me?"
"That's right, I'm talking about you guys!"
"Ah...I'm included in that, huh?"
"You guys, are you happy about winning with such dirty tactics?"
'Super happy! The juice after winning is the best! Glug glug glug glug!'
"Damn it, you're getting too cocky...!"
"No, I mean...it's not like I'm happy or anything..."
"You think you can just beat us and not care about it at all? You're really looking down on us!"
"...whatever, do what you want."
It seemed like we were being treated as enemies.
The training earlier was supposed to be a bonding experience, but it ended up deepening the rift between us and the Inquisitors.
Mr. Sein still had a rebellious spirit and would talk to us, but the other Inquisitors were completely intimidated by me. For some reason, just making eye contact would make them hastily hand over their wallets.
Even Miss Miimo, who was the cause of this situation, looked troubled.
"After all, it's weird to be working together with 'curse holders'! Inquisitors are the heroes who save this world, proud and noble!"
"...I'm sorry, I guess."
Miss Miimo forced a smile.
"Sein is excellent, but... he has a strong desire to be a hero and sees Inquisitors as heroes. That's why it's hard for him to accept Noroa and the others."
"What's wrong with admiring heroes, Chief?!"
"I'm not saying it's bad. But, if you're too focused on being heroic, you'll become too rigid and inflexible. That's no good. If that happens, it'll be like the training earlier all over again."
"Ugh...I'll think about it myself."
Mr. Sein clammed up tight. It seems he can't go against Miss Miimo's words.
'Hey, how do you feel now? Hey, what's your feeling? Want to eat some ice cream?'
"Guh...!"
"Juju, you don't have to provoke him like that, you know?"
Still...he's a hero.
Wrapped in dazzling equipment, he's a hero who saves the world with a flourish.
I've heard the story of the "Savior Hero" who ended the old war many times since I was a kid, and I still want to become a hero like that.
But lately...since I've become a "curse bearer," I've had some doubts.
It's enviable how Mr. Sein can straightforwardly hold onto his heroic ambitions.
Maybe we have something in common, Mr. Sein and I.
Mostly...
"I absolutely won't acknowledge you, Noro or whatever!"
"It's Noroa."
"Hmph, I don't even bother to remember your name!"
"Are you a kid?"
...It seems impossible to get along with someone who's already hostile towards me.
It's suddenly become a tough road ahead. That's why I'm bad at group activities.
Well, for the sake of resolving the curse, I need the Inquisitor's information power, so I'll bear with it for now.
"And...while we're doing that, a monster appears, I suppose."
Suddenly, Miss Miimo, who was walking ahead, stopped.
What was visible in the direction of her gaze, emerging from the waterway, was――.
"A Sea Serpent...?"
It's an A-rank monster that lives in the sea.
Although it seems to be a small individual, it's still unprecedented for it to pop its head out of the urban waterway.
Furthermore, there are other monsters like merfolk and frog-like creatures.
It seems other Inquisitors are already dealing with them, but...they're clearly struggling.
It might be easier to fight on land than at sea, but it's still tough to fight against monsters that attack from underwater.
"This is bad. I'm sure, in this nearby plaza, right now..."
"! Ah, damn it, I'll help!"
Mr. Sein was the first to rush out.
With lightning wrapped around his spear, he thrust it into the waterway.
"Get 'em, Lancebolt!"
The waterway lit up with a flash. A sound like the air being torn apart echoed through the surroundings, and the Sea Serpents collapsed onto the water's surface with a splat.
It didn't seem like they were killed, but they were definitely knocked out.
"Leave the finishing blow to me!"
"Roger!"
"Chief Milnas! We let a few escape! I'll chase after them right away!"
"Alright, I'm counting on you."
"Roger!"
Mr. Sein hastily chased after the monster.
"Umm... is it always like this?"
Cirrul's eyes widened in surprise.
"I mean, when we came before, it wasn't like this at all..."
"Well, it's only been a month since the massive monster outbreak started."
"Speaking of which, don't you have any equipment to prevent monster invasions, Miss Milnas?"
I asked, feeling a bit curious.
Ordinary cities are surrounded by walls or fences to prevent monster invasions, and they have all sorts of mechanisms to deal with them quickly if they do get in... but...
"There's none of that in the Holy City, Sir Noroa."
"What, really, Cirrul?"
"Sir Noroa... originally, there were only weak monsters around here. And since they burned incense to ward off monsters for the pilgrims, we never saw any monsters at all."
"That's right, Noroa. So, as long as we had a barrier to repel humans, we didn't need to build walls."
"In other words... this city has the best human countermeasures in the world, but the worst monster countermeasures?"
"If you put it that way, yeah."
I got a glimpse of this city's weirdness.
"Still, it's bad luck. And to think that cursed equipment that summons monsters got into the Holy City..."
Cirrul looked down, dejected.
'What's with you, idiot?'
"W-what's wrong, suddenly, Miss Juju?"
"...Cirrul, don't you get it? It's impossible for a 'curse holder' to flow into the Holy City like that."
"Ahh..."
If you’re a ‘Cursed One,’ just entering the holy city is a big deal.
On top of that, even getting close to the holy city, which is the Inquisitor’s headquarters, is a huge risk. Even if you try to escape from the Inquisitor, the holy city is surrounded by a complex barrier, and the outside is surrounded by a vast lake.
They can’t come to this place without a firm resolve.
"That's right, Noroa is correct!"
Miss Miimo nods.
"This massive monster outbreak is—a war. It's not just an accident or a disaster. The enemy is clearly attacking this holy city."
"Th-that's..."
Cirrul's voice trembles, suppressing a shock.
For her, this place is like a second hometown. It's unreasonable to think she wouldn't be affected.
"But, if we find the cursed equipment that's summoning the monsters..."
Just then, I had the perfect cursed equipment for searching.
――Compass Eye (Ra Shingan).
It's a magic eye that tells me the direction of what I'm looking for. Since I'll die if I don't find what I'm looking for within 7 days, I can't use it recklessly.
But if I use it with the holy city as the range, I can reduce the risk of the cost.
"Show me the ‘cursed equipment that can control monsters within the holy city’"
I quickly gave instructions to the Compass Eye (Ra Shingan).
"...Eh?"
The needle pointed to—the direction of the great holy castle where we were just at.
A "Cursed Holder" at the great holy castle...?
As I was puzzled, suddenly—
――AAAAAAAHHHHH!
"...?"
A scream echoed from somewhere. It was the voices of a large number of people.
I think the direction the voices came from was...the plaza?
"S-Sir Noroa, where the Inquisitor people went just now was?"
"...The opposite direction of the plaza"
A bad premonition struck me.
Mr. Sein and the others aren't at the plaza. The plaza is currently defenseless....
"Let's go, Cirrul!"
"Yes!"
"Ah, wait, that's..."
For some reason, Miss Miimo was trying to stop us, but Cirrul and I didn't care and took off running.
We headed towards the place where we heard the screams.
Along the way, there were high-level restricted areas, but with Level S clearance, we bypassed all the barriers and took the shortest route to the plaza.
And soon, we arrived at the plaza――.
"Huh..."
We were left speechless by the scene unfolding before us.
"――Everyone, it's your lovely Ravuri! Is everyone feeling lovely today? ♪"
"WHOOOOAAAAAHHH! Ravuri! Ravuri! Ravuri!"
On the stage, a girl in a fluttering costume was holding a microphone.
The crowd was cheering towards the girl, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Then, let's sing right away! Ravuri, Ravuri, dressing up♪!"
"WOOOOOOH! YES! YES! YES! YES!"
The music started, and the girl began singing with enthusiasm.
The crowd joined in, shouting along to the song at the top of their lungs.
"...What's going on here? "
I couldn't quite keep up with what was happening.
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