What do you think, Miss Julia?
Yeah. It's good.
That's good to hear!


　I was already used to living with Aries. I had completely blended into the elven village. However, not much time has passed. I guess it's roughly a week or so. The people here are really kind. They treat me as a human being, or in other words, a different species, but they treat me normally. So far, I've been paying attention to them, but they haven't acted strangely. It's not like they are poisoning my food either.


　--I'm not sure if it's a false alarm or not.


　The more I think about it, the more an unpleasant feeling passes through my brain. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the market. Of course, they don't show that kind of expression in front of me. But sometimes I catch a glimpse of it on the spur of the moment.


　What in the world is there to say? If the intention is to betray them completely from the beginning, they should have already made a move. I always deploy my Twilight Sight to see what's going on, but there's no sign of anything.


　Then we go to bed as usual. I wake up quickly, so I don't get the same amount of sleep as Aries. Still, we are now properly divided in our beds. She sleeps in the bed and I sleep on the floor with the futon on the floor.


　And my consciousness is gradually fading away. I'm getting sleepy ... very, very sleepy. I'm not supposed to be that tired today, but I'm strangely sleepy....






　There was a sound like a breath being sucked in over my face. In a moment, I perceived the activation of magic. This is an aggressive magic. It's a fire attribute thing, probably. I perceive it in an instant, and I try to restrain the person standing at my side as it is.



'........Kyah!
Aries. I knew it....



　It's trivial. I immediately hold her back as she tries to launch her magic at me. I grab both wrists and slam them down on the floor. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. But I don't have time to worry about that right now. Why did she decide to do this? I need to hear what she has to say.


''How did you come to your senses...?　The magic was working properly...
'I knew you were invoking hypnotic magic, didn't I? But unfortunately, my body is special, you know. I'm not a normal person.
Oh, right....


　I stare at her eyes, but Aries gently looks away from me as if she feels guilty. A lone tear drops out of Aries' eyes.

　You'll be able to see the tears flowing endlessly from there as if a dam had been cut, but you can't let your emotions get in the way. I continue to restrain her with my left hand and force her to turn her face to the front with my right hand.


　Our gazes cross.


''Why did you do this. The magic you used earlier, normally it would have been a fatal wound.''
You even know what magic to activate?
Because I have the magic eye.
''........Julia-san is still very strong. In this village, no one can match you. No, I'm sure she's extremely strong even in the twilight world. It must be so strong that it can rival a demon.......
Why are you crying?
I wonder why...
We should talk soon. I'm not a big fan of torture.
....


　He activates the Invisible Sword 《Invisible Blade》 from his right hand. Then, as if to peel off the skin on Aries' neck, I let it bleed lightly. It's a completely meaningless wound, but I need to show her that I'm ready to do it.


　Besides, there must be something about her. I was convinced of that. The tears were flowing and the look of anguish on her face. It was as if she was saying that she didn't want to do this act.


''If you're going to kill me, please kill me........''
There's a reason for that, isn't there?
....
I know you're a very nice person.
No, I'm a terrible person. There's no excuse for that.
Who's up there?
....


　At that moment, I was remembering what happened to her. Come to think of it, I heard that her parents had gone to twilight and died.


'Is the guy who killed your parents involved?
......


　Bingo. He bites his lip and stares into my eyes.


'How did you know that........no way, a human is involved in this!


　Intense hatred. His eyes seemed to have a fierce fire burning in them, a change from earlier.


'No, that's not it. The first time I met an elf was really just a few weeks ago.'
Then why do you think...
It's just a hunch.
'Well I see........'
I'd like to hear your story. Maybe I can help you.


　The life drained from his eyes and his body was drained as it was. I felt like a shell. But now, I felt like I could listen to him. I released the restraints as it was, and forcibly raised my body and sat on the bed. I sit next to him and stare into the void in silence. Aries has been looking down for a long time, but after 10 minutes or so has passed, she opens her mouth.


''........We were a family of four. My house, as you can see, is far too big for one person to live in. Originally, me, my parents, and my sister lived together. Until just a year ago.
A year ago?
Yes. So one day, a year ago we met. The demon race, the one who rules this land among them.
What the hell is that...?
They call it the Ancient Scorpion.
Demons. They're the Ancient Ancient Ancient Ancient...


　The ancient 《Enchement》 type of demons are, by one definition, individuals that have lived for more than 100 years. Moreover, there are even those with huge bodies and intelligence. It is to the extent that humanoid creatures have the ability to control language as well as think logically.


'The boundaries of this village were perfect. We had been living a peaceful life all along. We were happy, even though the twilight ruled us. For there was no presence that could harm us in any way.
....
But when they pinpointed this place, the Ancient Scorpion, the Ancient Scorpion, and the Scorpion, the Scorpion, suddenly appeared one day in front of the village.


　Her expression grows even darker. I'm already expecting some of this, but I'm sure what's going to be told is not a pleasant story.


''We immediately began to fight. However, the individual was not at all magical. And so we were both defeated and enslaved by them at the same time.


　I knew it........or should I say. This kind of story, in fact, is not uncommon. The fact that one race enslaves another race was listed as an example in the past literature.


　And just as Aries was about to spin the words as it was, he suddenly started coughing.


''U........ghaha.......!
How did you get the blood?
'Miss Julia. Watch my back.....


　I quickly took off her clothes and looked at her back as I was told. Then what was there........was an imprint. But this looks a lot like the Twilight Syndrome, but it's not. This imprint is a curse 《Curse》. A type of magic that binds the target with a curse. How can it be on her........


''All elves are affected by this curse, the Cursed Curse. As they could never defy it they didn't lay waste to us all at once. Rather, they were rational. And they told us to supply the elves on a regular monthly basis ....
Supply ... sacrifice.
Yes.


　I can't stop bleeding. The blood never stops flowing from his mouth. Moreover, the imprint is emitting red light.


''Perhaps.........since I.......am telling you this, the curse [Kaas] is reacting.........''
Let's undo it.
But this is....


　I know what I want to say. The curse, once it is cast, is difficult to break. This is because it requires a great deal of skill. It is necessary to expose all the components of the curse and also handle them in a way that they cannot be broken. Most of them will cause the target to die the moment there is interference from the outside.


　I stare at the imprint with my twilight eyes 《Twilight Sight》. The bright red imprint is engraved on my back as if it were intertwined.


　The components.........are still understandable. That literature, just as it was in the book Edgar gave me. I don't know what the cause is, but there was a part in that book that was written about the Curse, the Curse. I might be able to do something about this. First of all, I can assimilate my personal field into my own, transcribe the spellcasting curse into me, and finally, dissipate it with Diffusion.


　Normally, my senior, Eve-san, who is skilled in magic, and Noah would be able to do it more efficiently, but I don't have time right now. This has to be done immediately. I'm already bleeding to death.


''Aries. Maybe we can break the curse [Kaas]. But.........


　I told her about the process. Because it was not a pleasant one for her, or for the woman for that matter.


'Okay well thank you for your help.
'Yeah...'


　Then I had her take off all my clothes. Moreover, contact with the mucous membrane is the best way to intervene in the personal field. But that's only if the other person doesn't refuse to intervene. When I put my hand in her mouth, it assimilates into my personal field. And as it is, I activate the Domain Diffusion 《Defusion》.





　Probably, a burning pain must be running through my back.


''Haha...............................''
Are you okay?
... yes. Um, I really don't know what to say............................... ...
"Well you must have been conflicted all along. And that magic you tried to attack me with at that time. You wanted me to notice that, didn't you?　Pick a magic that is deliberately easy to understand. There had to be a more covert magic that was more covert.
''........You can see everything, can't you? ...was... so I was hoping that you'd just kill me here.
"...Aries. Your, elf's suffering can end now.
"...but I'm sure it won't do you guys any good...
'In any case, any demon that ruled this realm would have confronted me at some point. It's just that it's now.
'Yes ... yes ...'


　Aries cries again. She must have been in pain. His family was taken from him and he spent his days in fear of the curse. I've been exposed to the pressure of having to betray the humans as well, and that heartache must be so severe that I can't even imagine it.


　And then I hear the detailed story from her again.