How about you join our team, Kurohiko?
Hey, come on, come join our party!
No, no, no, come with us, Blackie!

　After the surgical class, the students of the Lion's Group returned to the classroom and received an explanation about the Holy Ruins from Instructor Joseph.
　And that explanation ended a little while ago, and now it's after school time.
　Not only the students of the Lion Clan were gathered around me, but also students from other groups.
　There were probably a few senior students mixed in as well.

　Apparently, word of the jutsu class had spread and they had come after hearing about it.

''.........''

　I remember right after I finished defeating the first giant.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　The giants melted away, and there was no trace of them completely - they were gone.

　A short time later, I turned around behind me.

"Well........it's okay to say that we did it, right.......?

　The lion's denizens of the school, the instructors, and the men seemed unable to speak.
　They all seemed to be simply at a loss for words about what had just happened in front of them.
　
　In the midst of this, Makina-san smiled and opened her mouth.

''Yes, well done........no, it's more than I expected. Thank you for your efforts, Kurohiko.''

　Well, thank God.

......................

　As I patted my chest in relief, Makina-san came up to me.
　What is it?
　There's something about the expression on your face that doesn't quite fit.

So, Kurohiko.

　Ms. Machina hides her voice somewhat.

'Yes,'
Can I ask you one question?
Come in.
...that black spear that was there?　It's about...
Yes, sir.
Am I right in assuming that I only just learned of its existence?
'No, no ... actually, I found out that there's another step ahead when I first used the forbidden curse - well, I mean, when I used it on the headmaster.

　So Makina-san gave one coughing fit.
　A cold sweat on her cheeks?　is conveyed.

"...I'll be grateful that you didn't try that one with me first.
'Oh, I'm really glad I didn't try to use it back then either...'
I'm really happy for you...
Yeah.
You know.
Yes.

　For a moment, we were silent.

'Well, whatever it is,'

　And Makina-san breaks the silence.

''In any case, the demons of the Holy Ruins can't stay on the ground for long, so as long as we bind them with that forbidding spell, the rest of us will wait for them to dissolve and disappear - if that seems impossible, I was going to do something about it, but...'' ...I didn't think there was a destination for the forbidden curse.
''But I know how to handle a forbidden curse, but I know very little about what a forbidden curse is...''
''Well if you're interested, you can ask Clarice about it. She knows more about forbidden spells than I do. If you're feeling up to it, you can visit her.

　'So you're Clarice - oh, you're the one who came down the stairs with a bunch of books and scrolls when you first met the headmaster?

''I understand. I'll visit you next time when I find some free time.
'Clarice is generally always in the library on campus. Well, since it's her, if you tell her you want to know about the forbidden curse, she'll even tell you something you haven't heard. Well--

　Makina-san spun around and half-turned her body and walked on the ground towards the classroom with a cutlass.

''Now, ladies and gentlemen, let me once again explain to you why I have enrolled him--Sagara Kurohiko--in this school.

　The uncles who were called out so looked at each other.
　Then Makina-san said in a slightly nasty tone.

''Well, now that you've seen the actual use of the forbidden curse, there may be no need to explain it anymore.

　Then one of the uncles stroked his goatee and snorted, "Mmmm.

'A forbidden spell user, huh... hmmm, since I've actually seen it with my own eyes, I'll have to believe it... at least it's something different from the known spells, that's for sure.

　The other uncle said.

''And from what I've seen, he seems to have mastered the forbidden spell... well, it's not hard to see why the head of the school would want to enroll him...''

　Ms. Makina stepped through the sliding door and into the classroom.
　Then she turned to her uncles and smiled confidently.

'Well, shall we go now?'

　Thus, Makina-san left the magic classroom with her uncles in tow.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　And after class, in the twinkling of an eye, the rumor of the 'Forbidden Spell Messenger' spread within the school.......it seems.

It's a good idea," he said, "but I think it's a good idea to appoint a first-year student as the deputy head of the team, although we're forming an attack team of second-year students. This is, you know, totally unorthodox.
Oh, I don't want to be one of those uptight people. Why don't you go to the sisters' club and mooch off with your sisters?　Right?　I think this is going to be a lot of fun, don't you?　In fact, if you're with me, I'll give you a great deal of fun.
Blackberry!　We're all part of the same lion gang, right?　I think the bond between the same group is important!
I knew from the beginning that you were not a free man. Yeah, I knew you weren't crazy in my eyes!　So come party with me!　Na!

　And here we are.
　...........
　To be honest, I didn't expect to be treated so differently.
　But now that I've been briefed on the Holy Ruins, I feel like this situation is understandable.

　There is a system in this school called 'Little Holy Rankings'.
　To put it simply, it's like a student's in-school grade ranking.

　A female student in the same class once asked the instructor a question: "What is the most important thing in determining this ranking?
　She asked what was the most important factor in determining this ranking.

　At that time, the instructor replied, ''It's the results of the search for the Holy Ruins.
　The most important thing for the students of this academy is to raise their Little Saint Rankings.
　And the most effective thing for raising the Little Sacred Treasure is the result of exploring and capturing the Holy Ruins.......

　The Holy Ruins.
　A huge labyrinth spreading underneath the capital.
　It is not known exactly how long these ruins have existed.

　The crystals from the Holy Ruins have enriched the country in terms of resources and economy.
　The Holy Ruins are also said to be an excellent training ground to keep the Holy Juggernaut's battle instincts in check.

　It is said that the closer one gets to the Holy Tree, the stronger the demons become.
　On the other hand, the quality and quantity of crystals that could be extracted from the Sacred Tree would be better and more numerous in comparison to getting closer to the tree.
　In other words, the area at the foot of the Holy Tree, the Holy Ruins that stretches out underneath St. Renowthred's Castle, is the most dangerous, and the place where the quality and harvest of crystals is the highest.
　It is said that every day the attack teams of the Holy Tree Knights continue to sneak into the castle's underground labyrinth.

　Therefore, the Holy Ruins, which can be reached from the entrance in the grounds of this school, is somewhat less difficult.
　That moderate difficulty is the perfect level for training candidates........Instructor Josef said.

''Since we're already at this point, why don't we make it a large group and attack the Holy Ruins as a group unit!

　With a look on his face as if he had just come up with a strange idea, the male student spoke up.

''But, the more people there are, the more demons that come to you, right?　If that's the case, isn't it still too tight for a big family?

　The other students complain bitterly.

'Well, that may be true, but...'
I heard about a couple of boys in high school who tried to mess with some of the good guys and got beat up.
''Yeah ... it's said that when there's a large number of people, it's easier for the 'different species' to come to you...''

　A different species.
　That's what they call the rare demons that appear in the Holy Ruins.
　Since different species sometimes contain crystals inside their bodies, if you can kill them, you may be able to obtain them.
　However, the danger level is also high for that reason, so it seems to be something you would rather not encounter.

''But........if there's a Kurohiko who has the power to defeat a fifteenth level demon, there's plenty of room, right?　With that d*mned curse, we can get it all together, right?

　From what I've heard, last year's graduates had a maximum of nineteen levels of achievement.
　If that's the case, it's not hard to see why they'd want someone who has the power to defeat a fifteenth level demon.
　..............
　It's not hard to understand.

To begin with, is that forbidden curse usable against multiple opponents?　Kurohiko, what's going on in that area?

　That's what I thought.

Yeah, I don't know... that's, I don't know, maybe...

　I replied.
　...........
　Actually, it is possible to use it against more than one opponent.
　That information had come to me when I was fighting the first giant.
　But..........
　What is it?

　What everyone wants is not exactly 'Kurohiko', but 'The Power of the Forbidden Spell'.
　In fact, until they found out that I was a forbidden curse user, they all made me out to be an object of interest.
　Some students even made me an object of ridicule.

　Now that they found out that I'm a forbidden spell user - in other words, I have the power to defeat the demons of the fifteenth level - their attitude seems to have suddenly changed.

　Hmm.
　I know you don't have any malicious intentions, so I guess it's not something to worry about so much.......
　But at the end of the day, this isn't me being amazing.
　It's just that I'm great at forbidding.
　That's why I still can't honestly accept this favorable attitude that is directed at me.

''.........''

　But this lion group - and then, of the people I had contact with in class, Cecily-san, Ira-san, Currier-san, and then the instructors - they didn't know that I was a forbidden user. And also, they cared for me.

　So if I'm going to use the power of the forbidden curse for someone else I'm going to use it for them.
　As a way of returning the favor.
　Of course, it's for Makina-san, Mia and the others.
　Besides.....

　I look at Currier-san, who is sitting next to me, preparing to go home - probably back to his quarters - and I look at him.

　I'm........

Oh, God, you guys are such a bunch of shameless bastards!

　I heard Asaro's voice.
　The students' eyes were drawn to the front of the classroom, to Asaro, who was surrounded by his cronies.

'And it's nice of you to come all the way down to the senior class.....　But ... but ... a curse?　Was it?　That's just cheating.

　His face contorts in discomfort, and Asaro points at me.

'I mean, what?　That creepy hole in the creepy hole with the chains and the spear?　A future holy warrior who uses such a disgusting thing?　Ha, you're kidding me!

　Cancer, Asaro kicked the desk.

'In the first place, how can you say that was competence?　Isn't that right?　You ready?　We passed the test to get in. I mean, we come in with the bare minimum qualifications to be able to handle the elements. So what is it?　You're enrolled because you can use a forbidden spell?　Hey, hey, you can't just admit that to me!

　With a thump, Marosa kicks the desk even harder.

'Hey, whoever thinks I'm wrong, come out!　What do you think?　Am I saying something wrong?　You guys had to go through a lot to get in here, right?　And you're so upset by that cheating bastard you know, you're falling for it!　There, you bogus cursed bastard!

　The classroom went silent as if it had been hit by water.
　No one spoke or moved.
　The students gathered around me didn't seem to have any interest in going against Asaro.
　And maybe it's because of the reactions of those students.

Tsk.

　And Asaro clicked his tongue, as if he didn't like it.

　.............
　Well.........I think Asaro has a point, though.
　As I was thinking earlier, there's certainly some doubt as to whether the forbidden spell is my ability.
　But..........I think there is a better way to say it, Asaro.......
　Well, maybe it's not a righteousness I could say, but........
　And that was the time.

'Hey, wait--Currier!

　Asaro stopped Currier-san, who was on the verge of walking out of the classroom.
　Amidst this strange sense of urgency, only one person was trying to walk out of the classroom without a care in the world, so he was somehow on everyone's radar.
　The only door to get out of the classroom was at the front of the classroom.
　Currier-san was just in the middle of passing by Asaro and the others who had gathered at the front of the classroom.

''What........do you want? You don't want me to take it out on you just because you're angry.''

　Currier-san said, somewhat troublesomely.
　But when you don't ignore it, you're so serious, Currier-san.

　I noticed that Asaro's face, which had been exasperated a moment ago, had changed to one of thinking of some kind of evil scheme.

'No, no, it's not like that. You know, Curie, since that scammer is starting to get the attention of the public, you're the only one in this group who's standing out.
I don't care.

　Nii, the corner of his mouth hangs up and Asaro comes face to face with his cronies.
　And.

But, how do we capture the Holy Ruins?　You're not going to dive alone, are you?

　I said to Currier.

''Well come on,''　

　Currier-san doesn't seem unfazed and returns it flatly.

'Ha, then what is it?　Do you want to cry to another group of students or to a senior?　Using a woman's weapon?　Well, you just look good.
What I do with it is none of your business.
Hey, come on, tough guy. But I actually think you're pretty good at what you do, Curie. After all, she was the one who took a swing at me in combat class. I'm not averse to powerful women.
..........
Oh, I know what to say. You're just not very good at socializing, are you?　And secretly you miss him, right?　I know, I know. You always look like you want to get someone to pay attention to me. Did you leave the classroom today hoping that someone would come along and talk to you?
'I don't know what you're mistaken about, but I'll tell you this ... you'd better not get involved with me.
There it is, saying 'I shouldn't get involved,' but in my heart I'm saying 'Leave me alone!　No, it's pretty cute, depending on how you look at it, dude!　Hey, guys!

　With a teasing smile, Asaro laughs with his cronies in a ridiculous manner.
　.................
　I slowly pulled out a chair.

''Good, Currier!　I'll put you in my group, boy!　We'll all train you and keep you for a long time!　Hey, guys!　That's all you need to know!

　The cronies responded in a low voice with a sneaky laugh, oh, and a low voice.
　Then, as if licking around, they began to crawl their gazes over Currier-san's body.
　Some of them used foul language to cheer her up.

　I saw Cecily-san going down the steps.
　I, too, was on my feet, reflexively.

　I'm going to punch him, that guy.

　Then I pushed aside the students around me and was about to head towards Currier-san - that's when I saw it.

''Hey........ah?　What the hell...

　That's when Cecily's movements and mine stopped.

　What happened?
　Currier-san, who had moved at blinding speed, grabbed Asaro by the neck with her hand.
　The cronies of Asaro braced themselves.
　Currier-san said.


Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...! .....
Humph that's more like it, but that's our line.
"...what?　Wha....?
I'll tell you one thing, kid. If you're going to get in someone's way, you should at least be able to gauge their strength. That lack of discernment and insensitivity will shorten your life span.
I'm gonna....
Since you're not imaginative enough, let me put this in plain English for you.

　Currier-san let go of his hand.
　Then Asaro kneeled on the floor and coughed, goggle, goggle, as he held his throat.
　Then, with a look of anguish on his face, Asaro looked up at Currier-san.

　While looking down at Asaro, Currier-san announced.

''I'm--I'm from the Sixth House.