Chapter 83
What was the way to prevent demon summoning?
What do you need to summon one...? A magic circle?
To prevent it, the best way is not to let a magic circle be made.
I just don't know what a magic circle looks like.
Hmm... A curse has to have a person or object as its source—the thing that generates it.
Maybe I can get rid of it if I do something about that.
The problem is demon summoning.
For now, when it comes to demon summoning, I picture it beginning with a sacrifice.
Sacrifices are way too scary.
I mean, what's with sacrifices? That's seriously dangerous.
This is way too awful.
I have to do something about this.
I don't know what a magic circle looks like, so I'll imagine one as a black stone.
If someone tries to offer a sacrifice to the black stone... Since having the perpetrator die would leave a bad taste in my mouth, I'll put them to sleep instead.
Yeah, that's better.
I don't know what kind of spell it is or how to perform a sacrifice, but for now, the perpetrator can go to sleep.
And while I'm at it, I'll have them forget the method... That would be good.
It would be a problem if they performed another sacrificial ritual, so I'll go with this.
Still, it's hot. It's way too hot even though I'm in the river.
I also need to think about curses. Since it's a hassle, I'll imagine the same black stone.
I want to attack, but I'm scared they'll fight back.
Curses are scary.
So just like before, I'll return the curse itself to the black stone, its source.
Let's call the amount I add for the suffering it inflicted on my companions a little bonus and let it slide.
Hahaha.
The way to keep curses from increasing is... If a curse starts coming out of the black stone, I'll hold it back immediately.
And while I'm at it, I'll trap it so it can't get out.
...Wouldn't it be better not to let it create curses in the first place?
Ah, I'll imagine the black stone unable to create curses.
That's more reliable.
Huh?
When I imagine trapping or sealing it inside, the image turns into a stone at a Japanese shrine.
A black stone with a shimenawa around it... Well, that works too.
I don't know what it was originally, but it would be a surprise if it suddenly got decorated with a shimenawa.
Then is the spell for summoning demons 666?
No, the images got all mixed up.
Start over.
Demon summoning:
If you try to hurt a sacrifice, go to sleep, and forget!
As for curses:
Make it unable to create curses.
Huh, that's easy.
Now, once I've settled on the image...
...What was I doing again? Getting rid of the curse.
Um, right, I was supposed to do it.
I was going to do it to the black stone.
Then, on the black stone...
Activate.
I am gently enveloped in light and disappear in an instant.
...That scared me.
My consciousness suddenly became clear.
Huh? I... oh no, I'm a little dehydrated.
It seems time passed while I was lost in thought.
...Huh? I feel like I was thinking about something important, but what?
No, hydrate. Hydrate.
Ah... I'm sleep-deprived, and on top of that, it's this hot.
That was a little dangerous.
...Come to think of it, I may have activated some kind of magic.
Remember!
Huh? What was it about demons again?
I mean, where did I even get the idea of demons?
...I'll go to bed early tonight.
I'll cool the room down properly with magic first. Sleep is important.
...
The farming team is harvesting.
I'll lower the temperature around me a little with magic to make things more comfortable, then join them.
I worked hard.
I'd been slacking off, so I worked hard.
I mean, I could have handled it with magic from the very beginning.
I was slow to realize it.
After that, I tried hard to remember, but I couldn't figure out what magic I had activated.
My head was foggy from dehydration, and my memory was... I feel like I was thinking about something in a jumble, though.
I was thinking about curses, and for some reason, demons came up.
And then... demon hunting?
I can't really remember.
If something happened... I'll pretend I don't know and hope they forgive me.
Yeah, it wasn't intentional, so let's do that.
...
Is harvesting really this hard?
No matter how much we harvest, the end is nowhere in sight.