Deeper Inside... The Curse Ran Deep.

I forge ahead into the depths of the cave with the wolves.

The path is five meters wide, but the shadows seem to be growing denser and denser.

Does the curse grow stronger the farther inside we go?

Could the cause of the curse be somewhere deeper inside?

I can't do exorcisms or anything.

I forge ahead, purifying the shadows I can see.

...But before long, more black shadows begin appearing in the passage again.

Watching them, I get the impression they're seeping out of the walls.

This is making me sick.

When the shadows grow denser, the wolves start breathing through their mouths as if they're in pain.

Their bodies seem to be trembling as well.

I have to do something, or this is bad.

What should I do?

Even when I purify them, shadows appear from who knows where.

To keep them away, manga would use... a barrier, maybe...

Was that supposed to keep monster attacks out?

I wonder if it'll work against a curse.

I'll give it a try for now.

First, I'll imagine a barrier covering me, the wolves, and the dog.

Since they'll be moving around, maybe I should imagine each of them enclosed in a large balloon...

If there were a curse inside the barrier, it wouldn't be any use, so I'll activate purification at the same time...

"Barrier."

Whoa... Just when I thought we were covered by a faint, beautiful blue membrane, it disappeared.

But the shadows don't come anywhere near us.

Looks like it worked.

I wonder whether this works not only against the shadows but also against physical attacks.

This is a world of magic, after all.

And I use magic myself.

If that's the case, we could be attacked without ever seeing the attacker.

I wonder if I can strengthen the barrier.

Well, I'll give it a try for now.

Let's see... I'll imagine it being able to handle physical and magical attacks.

...This is difficult.

Maybe I just need to imagine attacks hitting the barrier, then bouncing back.

Hmm... Imagine the attacks bouncing back.

...Swords, katanas, knives, bullets, bombs, magic—all striking the barrier, and then...

Huh? It turned into an image of sending everything back twice as hard, but... oh, well.

"Strengthen."

A high-pitched whine echoes through the passage.

Then various colors streak across the barrier, and it turns transparent again.

...Did it work?

All the wolves are staring intently at me.

Huh? Did something happen?

"Oh, I only strengthened the barrier, so it's fine."

For some reason, they all have oddly complicated expressions.

Huh? Did strengthening it fail?

I won't know unless something attacks us.

I don't want that either.

For now, let's keep going.

As expected, the shadows grow denser and denser. Could the cause really be deeper inside?

My vision is poor. This is irritating.

I keep purifying the shadows as we walk.

After walking for quite a while, we finally reach the wall at the back.

Then I find an opening that seems to lead into the next chamber.

This cave seems to be far bigger than I'd imagined.