Chapter 238 - Claridium (5)

Rosalyn stomped her feet. The mirror curse was a serious incident that had devastated several great families and caused a commotion in Claridium for a while. Some people even removed all mirrors from their homes or hired mercenaries to stand guard at the entrance to prevent the strange phenomenon of mirrors being moved to the entrance.

But someone had secretly performed a curse ritual in the mansion of Archmage Silveryn, and timed it with the field trip of Eternia's students.

Zenia calmly said, "Calm down, Senior. It's not like we're going to die."

"You guys, just cover the mirror with a cloth and leave it for now. Be careful not to break the cursed artifact, or you might end up taking all the blame yourself."

As soon as she finished speaking, something whistled past Rosalyn's side.

Crash!

"...!"

It was Damian's doing. Without a word, he had thrown his sword and shattered the mirror into pieces.

Everyone stared at Damian with dumbfounded expressions.

Damian stepped on the crumbling debris, retrieved his sword, and said, "Could you help me clean this up?"

"...What have you done."

Everyone felt it. Damian had deliberately smashed it as soon as he heard that he would take on the curse alone.

Everyone was so shocked by Damian's seemingly mad action that they couldn't say a word.

Haley looked intently at Damian and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

"Now you see? The first-year is really something else."

"..."

Rosalyn still had a half-dazed expression.

Haley whispered in her ear, "That guy, he seduced the Grand Duchess of Yulisia Principality, the top seat of the Magic Department, and Zenia like that."

Zenia, who had been eavesdropping, refuted, "Not me, okay? I prefer older men."

Rosalyn looked at the faces of the other members.

Thanks to Damian's sudden action, life returned to the members' faces. His action had definitely affected their morale. Their eyes, which had been cowering like prey, were now burning with determination as if ready for anything.

"Are you okay? I can... find you another lodging."

Haley said, "No, we like this house. We'll stay here."

"Then let's check for any intruders first, as there might be some."

***

We moved according to Rosalyn's instructions.

I checked the second floor with Zenia, and Zenia and Rosalyn checked the first floor. The remaining members inspected the attic and basement and waited for the carriage bringing our luggage.

I entered and checked each empty room with Zenia.

During this, a question suddenly occurred to me and I said, "Senior."

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"What."

"Do curses like that actually work?"

"Kuk, puhub!"

Zenia suddenly burst into laughter.

"...?"

"Kuk kuk kuk. Kuk kuk. Ah, geez."

Then she couldn't control her body from laughing and leaned against the wall, shaking.

"Senior?"

"Puhahaha. No, shouldn't the order be reversed? What kind of idiot smashes it first and asks questions later?"

"I was just curious."

Zenia caught her breath and continued, "Curse magic is what all researchers in magic studies unanimously say is the most tricky. Most are superstitions, but sometimes they suddenly come true without warning."

"...So it really does work sometimes."

"Yeah. The same curse might not work in Eternia but could work in Claridium. That's why it's tricky."

"That's fascinating."

"Curses are a branch of magic. If you borrow power from the earth or yourself, it's general magic; if you borrow power from spirits, it's spirit arts; if you borrow power from local gods or spiritual beings, it's a curse."

I thought I'd heard something similar before.

"Curses are hard to predict. Sometimes they don't use mana as a price."

"Then what do they use as a price?"

"Everything that's not mana. Heart, liver, fate, property, girlfriend, parents."

"..."

"You spread all those things out and negotiate with evil spirits. Give me this, please kill those. If the unit price matches, the exchange is established."

"Hmm, if that really worked, it would be impossible for people who have done things to incur resentment to live comfortably. But reality isn't always like that..."

"That's right, there are too many variables. Scholars have different claims too. In my opinion, I think they just lump together all the magic that's difficult to explain academically and call it a curse."

"Do you think the mirror is really related to a real curse, Senior?"

"Well, it seems closer to superstition than a curse. Like someone who placed the mirror like that met with misfortune... Just like a serial killer's mark. There must have been cases for the senior to react like that, right?"

"..."

My thoughts were similar. I had a curse defense artifact on my wrist that Erzsebet personally enchanted. Since the artifact didn't react at all when I broke the mirror, it was likely just a superstition. I wasn’t afraid of curses. The real danger was the human who carried out the act with malice.

We had almost finished checking the second floor and opened the door to the last remaining space, the master room.

"Huh?"

"It's a magic circle?"

In the master room, there was a lone bed, and in the center of the floor was a strange magic circle drawn. And a black dagger was stuck on the outer edge of the magic circle.

We examined it up close.

"It looks like ancient magic... It doesn't feel good. Who would do something like this?"

"It'll be fine. This seems to be drawn by the professor."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"There's an identical magic circle in the mansion in Eternia. I've even seen her draw the same one herself."

"Really? What's it used for?"

"It was used to drive out mice in the mansion. But I don't know about this dagger."

"Is this dagger made of Midiolite metal? It's used to interfere with the magic flow of magic circles. Sometimes they use these to block magic if it persists even after breaking the magic circle. Did she leave it behind when she left the mansion? It's really expensive."

"Shall we pull it out?"

"Let's do that."

I pulled out the dagger. Then, as if the magic circle had regained its power, the chandelier suddenly lit up, brightening the room.

Soon after, loud footsteps of mice suddenly echoed from the ceiling and walls.

Thud thud thud. Squeak! Squeak squeak! Thud thud thud.

"Wow, it seems real. I've never seen magic like this before."

When we left the room, we found that lights had been lit in the corridor too, giving a warm feeling. It seemed lights had been lit throughout the entire mansion.

When we came down to the first floor, it was chaos.

The Eternia students, who even faced magic creatures, were pressed against the walls, unable to move. They were utterly shocked, watching a horde of mice fleeing out the entrance with their tails on fire.

***

Rosalyn handed the members passes that allowed them to move freely through all areas of the city without restrictions.

"These passes were issued thanks to Professor Erzsebet's guarantee, so don't cause trouble in the administrative district for no reason. And just in case, at least two people per floor. It would be good to have a total of four people take turns standing guard. Although Guardians patrol this area even at dawn... still, don't trust it completely. When going out, move in groups of three or four. When you go out, write down where you're going on the record sheet. That way we can respond if something happens."

I was called separately by Rosalyn and received information about the curse.

"There's a superstition that the owner of a place where the mirror position changes like that one day will disappear or die. Such rumors have been circulating for several years, and at some point it became taboo. There are also stories that even if you don't die, you lose your mind. If the mirror is placed at the entrance once, it might end as a happening, but if it's repeated two or three times, then you really need to be careful. If that happens, I'll send you back to Eternia immediately, field trip or not. I plan to catch suspicious maids or workers and investigate them. You be careful as much as possible until the culprit is found. Manage the members well."

Rosalyn left after giving such instructions.

I was assigned a private room. It was the second-floor master room, presumably where Silveryn had stayed.

I unpacked my luggage and laid on the bed. Then I tried to catch my breath and calm my mind for a moment. For some reason, I had been on edge since setting foot in Claridium.

My heart beated a little faster than usual, and digestion wasn't going well. Priscilla, who had been quiet on the ship, had become extremely sensitive since coming here.

Someone knocked on my room.

"Come in."

Lilith opened the door and appeared. Next to her was the little girl we brought from the accident site.

"What's the matter?"

"The child says she needs to go home."

"...She had a home?"

"Yes. It seems there was someone taking care of her. But it's on the outskirts of the city, so Senior Haley said it would be dangerous for her to go alone and told you to go with her."

"Do you know the location?"

"Yes. I've called a carriage too."

It'd be dark soon, and we couldn't just send a young, pretty woman and a child to an unfamiliar place. It was troublesome, but it was right to do as Haley said.

I got off the bed, grabbed my sword, and checked the window. A carriage was waiting at the front gate of this mansion.

I approached the little girl.

"Why didn't you say you had a home?"

"...Grandma always knows when I'll come."

"You're a troublemaker, aren't you? Your grandmother must be worried."

Lilith and I took the child out of the house and headed for the carriage.

We got on the carriage, and Lilith handed the driver a pre-prepared map, which he accepted without question and immediately shook the reins.

The carriage passed through the administrative district, the core of the city, and gradually moved towards the outskirts.

I quietly admired the cityscape, just like Lilith.

As we were passing through a wide-open, bustling intersection, Lilith said, "This must be Progress Square."

"...Is it a famous place?"

"Yes. They said it's a place where all kinds of rare items from across the continent can be found. Artifacts, food, even clothes. Every building you see is a shop. Travelers spend the most money here, they say. Seniors Zenia and Haley wanted to come here first too."

"...I actually have something to buy, so I should come here tomorrow."

Lilith turned towards me.

"Want to go together?"

"No reason not to."

"O-okay!"

Lilith's eyes widened.

Weren't Cecil, Luna, and Trisha all noble young ladies? It was impossible to choose gifts that would satisfy them with the sensibilities of an orphan from the slums. This was a time when I needed the help of a noble young lady from a similar class.

The little girl tugged on Lilith's clothes with her small hand.

"Grandma said Mr. Westwood is the most amazing."

"...Huh?"

"In Progress Square."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Lilith didn't pay much attention. Her face suddenly flushed, and as if nervous, she repeatedly pursed and unpursed her lips and kept stroking her hair.

I asked on Lilith's behalf, "What does that grandfather do?"

"He lived the longest."

"Is that so?"

"...No, he did it the longest."

The child's words are inconsistent, as expected of a little one.

"Did what?"

"This and that."

"Hmm."

"And she said Mr. Jepetto is a pitiful person."

"Who's that?"

"There."

The child pointed to someone outside the window. There was a middle-aged man in beggar's clothes standing alone on an apple box, giving a speech. Despite his passionate speech, everyone just passed by without listening.

He was a typical madman one could see in any square.

The carriage left the square and rushed towards the outskirts of the city. After about thirty minutes, the sun had almost set, and it was getting dark.

As we completely left the central area, dilapidated buildings came into view here and there. The passersby also seemed to be dressed in somewhat lower living standards.

After about five more minutes, we entered a run-down slum and stopped abruptly on the road.

"The carriage can't enter from here."

We had no choice but to get off the carriage and move on foot. The little girl held hands between me and Lilith and guided us.

The place we arrived at was in front of a small wooden house reminiscent of a tiny hut.

There was a slightly tilted old sign attached to it.

[House of Love]

We stood there for a moment, blankly trying to figure out its meaning. A shadow falls over Lilith's face.

"Could it be what I'm thinking?"

"What are you thinking?"

"A place for... children..."

"What?"

"Love... A place to... make children?"

"...?"

"As far as I know, in places like this, usually to maintain a livelihood..."

As Lilith was speaking, someone sensed our presence and flung the door open.

"Pipi is here!"

"Waaah!"

Children with all different hair and eye colors come rushing out from inside.

"Who are the people with you?"

"They smell nice!"

About a dozen children, not blood-related. Lilith looked at me with a face that seemed to have realized something. I nodded.

This was an orphanage.

Soon after, an old woman came out leaning on a cane. Then she hurriedly sent the children back inside.

"Come on, go back in. The porridge will get cold."

After all the children went in, the old woman turned to us.

Now that I looked closely, the old woman's eyes were white, and her focus was directed at empty space. She was blind.

"Such noble people have come to visit. I'm so grateful. Precious guests. I'd like to offer you some porridge, would you like to come in?"

Lilith declined.

"Ah, no, we have to go now."

"Then, wait a moment."

The old woman went inside and came back with something wrapped in paper, giving one to each of us. Even though she seemed unable to see, her actions were not much different from someone with perfect eyesight.

Inside the paper were warm cookies.

"Thank you. We'll be going now. Please go back inside."

We bowed our heads and went back the way we came.

Seeing an orphanage here made my mood sink. It reminded me of my difficult childhood, and I was momentarily lost in strange reflections.

Lilith slightly frowned and glared at the cookie in her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Umm..."

Looking closely, there were wood chips mixed in with Lilith's cookie.

"Give it to me."

"Huh...?"

I snatched her cookie and stuffed it into my mouth. The taste was... as expected, just flour dough.

"...!"

She just stared at me with wide eyes. Her expression said, “How can you eat something like that?”

Sadly, I had a condition where I couldn't throw away things like this.

The sun had completely set, and this run-down street we were walking on had quite an eerie atmosphere.

Just then, a carriage zipped past us. It was a first-class carriage that didn't fit in with the slums. For some reason, the carriage suddenly stopped in place. As we passed by, the driver casually said, "Would you like a ride?"

He seemed to be offering out of concern for us walking on the night street. But there was no need to take a first-class carriage. Rosalyn had strongly advised against first-class carriages because they overcharge.

"No, thank you. We already have a carriage waiting ahead."

"The nights in Claridium are cold."

"We're fine. Ah, may I ask one thing?"

"By all means."

"Since you travel all over the city, you must know everything. Could you tell me the best restaurant near the square?"