When we arrived at the room where Noir was resting, Felix sat Noir down on the edge of the bed and brought a chair over to sit in front of it.

　I'm there because I'm a party to this, but I'll keep an eye on Noir from the corner of the room for now, so as not to irritate the mentally unstable Noir.

　And there is another person in attendance. At Felix's request, Sakura is also present, as it would be better to have a woman present.

''My name is Felix of the Silver Wing Knights. We have received an order from His Majesty the King to investigate the cause of the heroic Falcon's non-return. Would you mind telling us a story?
............

　Noir kept his head down and his mouth closed.

''Don't worry. If it is a clue to the truth, no matter what the circumstances, you will not be punished for it. His Majesty the King thinks so too.

　Apparently Felix thought that Noir might have some circumstances that he couldn't tell anyone else about.

　But Noir shook his head.
　It was the first time he'd ever come here.

　I'm not so sure that's what you're trying to tell me.

　If that's the case, why doesn't he want to talk about it?

　Sensitive to my annoyance and Felix's confusion, Noir grumbled in a voice that sounded like it was about to fade.

"...... I want you to look at ...... your back .......
My back?　There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, as far as I could tell from what I saw when I brought it here.
'Well, it doesn't make sense through your clothes. Sakura. I'm sorry, but I need you to take Noir's clothes off and check his back.

　There is only one thing that comes to mind.

　When he found her at the bottom of the bluff, Noir had been about to speak something important, but had suddenly convulsed and lost consciousness.

　The cause, or a clue as to the cause, could be found on her back.

'I understand. Excuse me.

　Felix closes his eyes tightly and while I fix my gaze on the corner of the room, Sakura removes Noir's clothes and checks her back.

'This is ......!　Master Luke!　Sir Felix!　Look at this!

　Sakura's impatient voice spoke volumes about the strangeness of the situation.

　Felix and I both looked at Noir, and we were both speechless.

　A strange pattern appeared on Noir's back.

　It was as if he'd been branded with an emblem.

''Could this be ...... the Demon Race's curse seal ......?

　Felix mutters as if he's seen something incredible.

'This is the first time I've seen the actual thing, but I have some knowledge of it from books. It's a magical pattern that the demon race is said to use to enslave others.
'...... I see. I've heard the rumors too.
The meaning of the pattern is probably ...... a ban on the transmission of certain information. It's a silencing spell, so to speak.

　It's as good as answered now.

　In the depths of the dungeon that Noir had dived into to defeat the demon king, the demon tribe had carved a curse mark into him and prevented him from speaking the secrets he had gained there.

　Perhaps even written communication was blocked.
　If not, they would have tried it long ago.

'...... Lord Luke. I have one rude request. Could you please use your [Restoration] skill to remove the curse mark?

　Felix spoke up, watching for my reaction.

He may be an unforgivable person for Luke-dono. But we can't afford not to get the information out of her as soon as possible. Of course we will pay you a sufficient amount of money.
Do you have the option of calling a real-life haunting expert?

　I tried my best to keep my inner thoughts out of my face as much as possible, but I asked back in a calm manner.

''In that case, it will take some time for the undoctor to arrive. In the unlikely event that there was a serious problem lurking behind the heroic non-return, those few days could be in danger of having fatal consequences.

　Presumably, Noir had tumbled down from the great hole from which the dragon had emerged.

　A member of a party of heroes who had been hiding in the dungeon with the aim of becoming a demon king returned to earth from that great hole - this could only mean one thing.

　There is not only a hidden route to the 'Sundial Forest' that leads to the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss', but there is also a shortcut to the further end, and that is the Great Hole of the Dragon.

'...... noir. I hadn't explained it to you yet, but my [Restoration] skill changed during my wanderings in the labyrinth, allowing me to decompose things and heal creatures.

　He gets up from the chair in the corner of the room and slowly walks over to the bed.

'Do you understand?　I may indeed be able to heal your back, but I can also destroy your body. I'll destroy the skin on your back, including the curse mark--or something like that.

　Noir's bare back is still turned, and his bare shoulders rattle and shake.

　That's not a shiver from the cold, but from fright.
　If you listen closely, you can also hear the sound of tentative and unmatched roots of teeth.

　They are aware of the fact that they can't help but be severely vengeful, and they are scared of the retribution for their actions.

　The hands that had been hugging their bodies to hide their large breasts clenched tightly around their arms, leaving a mark.

　His breathing is becoming more and more uneven, and he doesn't seem to be able to breathe well.

'What kind of emotions would a guy who was thrown out in the labyrinth without food feel for his executioner? What would he want to do to him if he sees him again? You understand it properly, so you were apologizing like that earlier, right?
Lord Luke: ......!

　Sakura tried to stand up to say something, but I controlled it with a hand gesture and continued to speak.

'Well, be prepared for .......

　He presses his hand against Noir's trembling back and pours his magic power into it.
　The next moment--

Nah. ......!
Aghhhh. ......!

　Noir screams in agony.

　At the same time, a part of the crumbling spellprint peels off Noir's body surface, and like the ivy of an insectivorous plant or the tentacles of an indeterminate creature, it becomes entangled in my right arm.

　My right arm is in intense pain, and the power of the [Restoration] skill rapidly weakens.

'This guy ...... is alive!　I'm not branded!　You're sticking it to me, mimicking a burn mark!

　Mimic--a name that every adventurer knows passes through my mind.

　A type of demon that mimics the inner walls of treasure chests and labyrinths.

　I've never seen or heard of such a mimicry type, but the shape of the tentacles is very similar to the things that come out of the mimicked treasure chest.

'You're sucking up my magic power ......!　I won't let you!

　Grabbing his right arm with his left hand, he activates 【Restoration】 with this side of his hand as well, and tries to 【Disassemble】 the mimic at the same time with both hands.

　Noir's back with his right hand. And his right arm with his left hand.
　I pour all the magic power I can into the double activation of the 【Restoration】 skill.

　The guys around us are calling out to us, but the content of their words is as if it's deafening.

''(So they mimicked the mimic as a curse seal, and then set up a seal with a two-stage effect of the curse seal and the mimic's own ability: ...... Whoever planted this guy is a hell of a badass!

　Seal the mouth with a curse seal. A magic seal by mimic.
　This would completely disable a wizard like Noir.

　As a result, it was a good decision not to call the undoctor.
　They probably couldn't handle an attack from a mimic.

''Whoa, whoa!''

　He pulled the curse seal mimic, which had begun to weaken, off Noir's back with all his strength.

　Then, he clenched his right hand with all his magical power.

''How's that ......!
Pigiiiiiiiiii!

　A decapitation echoed through the room, not even knowing where it was emanating from, and the curse seal mimic popped apart.

　All that was left was Noir's back, white and clean without a scratch, and my right arm, burned along the trail of tentacles.

'...... Okay. Perfectly done, if I do say so myself.

　While receiving the gazes of Sakura and Felix, who looked relieved, I [repair] the damage to my right arm.

　The trick to continuing the adventurer earning business for a long time is to not misjudge your priorities.

　It would be no laughing matter if I lost something more important because I got caught up in the profits in front of me.

　And right now, the priority is to get information about the crisis that may be looming in this town, rather than taking out your resentment of the heroic party against Noir and lowering your hips.

　It's much more important to work for Green Hollow Town, which accepts me as a drifter and relies on me.

　Besides, I don't want to do something that I can't face others.

　If the other party was the brave man himself, he couldn't say so, but if he was dealing with a noir with little resentment to begin with, it would be more beneficial to heal properly and get him to talk to you properly.

　...... but, well, I think it was acceptable to threaten him a little bit.

　It's important to give up the lower priority, but it's just as important to get your mind off of it when you do.

'Wake up, Noir. I'm going to have you tell me everything you know, every single thing you know, in minute detail.