Chapter 13: Curse and Death
It had been about half an hour since Sensei began examining Kuroa, who had lost consciousness.
I had a sort of blind trust that Sensei would resolve the situation quickly. However, as I watched her open his eyelids with her fingers, poke her fingers into his mouth, count his breathing rhythm, and inspect a few strands of hair she had pulled out, I couldn’t understand what she was doing at all. A vague sense of unease crept in, as it seemed to be taking too long.
For someone who usually appeared so carefree, Sensei’s expression was unusually grave.
And then, my fears were confirmed.
“Kuroa, this is not just an illness,” Sensei said gravely.
“This is a curse. A particularly malicious one at that.”
“That’s ridiculous! It can’t be!” Kuroe shouted, his voice rising in disbelief at Sensei’s diagnosis.
“How can you say that with such certainty?”
“Because the curse was already dispelled!”
Kuroe was struggling to articulate his thoughts, his throat tightening as he spoke.
“Then it means the dispelling wasn’t successful.”
“But, but I was told it was dispelled! I was told!”
Kuroe groaned, clutching his head as the truth sank in.
“I don’t know who you asked to dispel it. But unless they were a formidable expert, this curse technique cannot be completely undone.”
“I bowed my head and asked one of the Cardinals. I offered everything they requested. They assured me that they had ‘dispelled’ it.”
“Even a Cardinal is just a human. Some rise to their position through political prowess rather than the abilities granted by God.”
“That can’t be—”
Kuroe fell silent, overwhelmed. Since being told that his brother was afflicted by a curse, he must have devoted himself in ways words could hardly express. Deep down, he likely realized that Kuroa’s condition was not due to a chronic illness but rather a result of an unsuccessful dispelling.
“Until the curse is fully dispelled, it will gradually sap his strength—this is ‘Debilitation.’ It will cause periodic lethargy and mild fever—this is ‘Fatigue’ and ‘Fever.’ And over a long period, it will lead the target to death—this is ‘Delayed Poison.'”
Sensei continued to explain, her voice steady.
“To prevent the host from being suspected of harboring the full extent of the curse technique, there is ‘Minor Recovery’ to keep them moderately healed, ‘Technique Flicker’ to constantly alter the recognition level of the embedded techniques, and ‘Concealment’ to hide all of this. At the very bottom of this, if any of the techniques are disrupted without meeting the necessary conditions, there is ‘Technique Regeneration,’ which repairs the disrupted technique by draining the host’s strength and mana.”
Even without fully grasping the details, I understood that this was serious. I looked at Kuroe. His face was drained of color, pale to the point of resembling paper.
“Your brother is harboring a malicious curse technique that contains a total of eight curses. I’ve seen ‘Curse Stacking’ many times, but ‘Eightfold Curse’—this level of thoroughness is rarely encountered. To top it off, it has been crafted in such a way that unless all are destroyed at once, it will regenerate endlessly.”
Not only Kuroe and I fell silent, but even the sobs of the servants who had likely overheard Sensei’s words ceased. The grim nature of the situation enveloped the room in silence. Sensei paused for a moment, observing the atmosphere before continuing.
“Thus, the Cardinal you entrusted with the dispelling must have failed to recognize at least four of the curses: ‘Minor Recovery,’ ‘Concealment,’ ‘Flicker,’ and ‘Technique Regeneration.’ Instead, they performed a half-hearted dispelling, which only worsened Kuroa’s condition.”
“But after the dispelling, Kuroa’s health improved!” I interjected.
Kuroe couldn’t possibly be unaware of what I had just realized.
“The dispelling triggered the ‘Minor Recovery’ curse to activate.”
“Then!! Omi, if it’s you, you can do something about the curse—”
“Indeed, I can dispel it—”
“Then!!”
“Listen to me until the end.”
Kuroe’s agitation and impatience were palpable.
“I can dispel it. However, the damage to his body and mind that comes with the dispelling can no longer be avoided. After all, there are eight curses stacked. If only we had half a lunar cycle more, we could have managed it… But if we dispel it now, your brother’s body and mind won’t withstand it.”
At that moment, Sensei turned to me with a look that seemed to ask, “Are you really sure about this?” I nodded back, conveying my determination that “we can manage.” Finally, Sensei’s serious expression began to soften.
“Kuroe—”
Sensei tried to reassure Kuroe, but he interrupted her with a quiet murmur.
“Kuroa is still only seventeen.”
Kuroe’s body trembled as he looked down.
“For the past few years, he’s been caught in a cycle of improvement and decline, never having the chance to truly play.”
“We promised to drink at a tavern when we grew up.”
“We talked about dressing up and going out to have fun.”
“We promised to go see the ocean together once he got better.”
“I would give him everything.”
“My wealth.”
“My life.”
“So Kuroa must be saved.”
“Kuroa must be saved.”
Tears streamed down Kuroe’s face.
“Why?”
“Why? Why? Why? Why? Why is it only us? Why must it always be us? Always? Always? We’ve suffered enough. When will we be happy? Promises? Nothing? Happiness? The mundane? Joy? Nothing? Nothing? Nothing? Why must Kuroa die without fulfilling anything?”
It was an outpouring of emotions that could no longer be contained. He cried out, shedding tears as if he might wither away. Even Sensei and Anon seemed at a loss for words in the face of his despair.
And so, it was my turn to step in.
“Kuroe, your brother will be saved.”
I told him firmly.