Chapter 388: The Curse(2)
Chapter 388: The Curse(2)
To reiterate, the sprout growing out of Ariel’s head cannot be plucked.
Whenever I or anyone else tried to pull it, it wouldn't budge, as if the roots were buried deep. Even applying significant force changed nothing.
Naturally, we were too terrified to try cutting it with a knife. So, we had decided to just leave the sprout alone.
But look at the situation now. Leona was holding Ariel’s sprout in her hand.
What’s more, as if it were capable of refilling itself, another sprout had already popped up from the crown of her head where the old one had been. How on earth was this happening?
“...Ariel?”
“Yeah?”
“That... that lady just plucked the thing on your head. Does it not hurt?”
I managed to find my voice amidst the sheer absurdity of the situation. I had so many questions, but Ariel’s well-being came first.
Hearing my question, she looked at the sprout in Leona’s hand and then turned her gaze back to me.
She tilted her head, blinking her golden eyes as if she didn't understand what the big deal was.
“It doesn’t hurt.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Nope.”
Well, it was a relief that it didn't hurt, but I was so flabbergasted that I didn't even know where to start.
Was this also a type of shamanism Leona had mentioned? Or was there something else at play?
I looked back and forth between the sprout in Leona’s hand and the new one on Ariel’s head before speaking cautiously.
“Um... Ariel? Could you lean your head toward me for a second?”
“My head?”
“Yeah. There’s something I need to check.”
“Like this?”
At my request, Ariel leaned her small head forward. The sprout on her crown stood tall and vibrant, like a resilient toy.
I carefully gripped the sprout and gave it a light tug. I wanted to see if it would come out as easily as it did for Leona.
However, unlike before, the sprout didn't budge an inch, as if it had turned into a sturdy pine tree. Even when I increased the strength of my pull, nothing changed.
“Hmm... It’s not working.”
“Let me try.”
I let go, and Mari took a turn, but the result was the same. She even pulled with enough force to look like she was trying to uproot the thing entirely!
When Mari finally let go, Ariel slowly raised her head again.
She seemed perfectly fine, her expression filled with curiosity about what we were even doing.
“...How did you do it?”
I asked Leona with total sincerity. She had plucked it so effortlessly, like pulling a common weed, yet Mari and I couldn't do a thing no matter how hard we tried.
I couldn't tell if she was special or if this really was just part of shamanism.
Leona seemed a bit bewildered by the situation herself, scratching her head with an awkward laugh.
“Ahaha... Well, I don’t know? I just really wanted it to happen, and it did.”
“Is that what shamanism is?”
“I told you. The source of shamanism is belief. You can’t have a single shred of doubt in that belief. For example, thinking, ‘Can I really pluck this sprout?’—that’s a no-go. You have to think, ‘Let me pluck this sprout.’”
Leona offered a simple explanation while still holding the sprout in one hand. But at the same time, a doubt arose.
Her plucking Ariel’s sprout had been more of a joke than anything; it was far from a sincere desire.
When I voiced this doubt, she answered with a look of slight embarrassment.
“To be honest, I was surprised too. I didn't think it would come out so easily. Like you thought, I was mostly just trying to give an example.”
“Can you try it one more time?”
At my request, Leona wore a skeptical expression for a moment before placing her hand on Ariel’s head again.
Just like before, she gripped the stem with her thumb and index finger and gave her wrist a light flick.
Pop!
The sprout’s stem snapped off with ridiculous ease. A moment later, another sprout grew shoooop out of the broken part.
Faced with a phenomenon identical to the last one, Leona began to glance at me with an uneasy expression.
I felt much the same way, so I found it difficult to decide what to say first.
“...Do you want one?”
“...Sure.”
For now, I decided to take one sprout. I carefully accepted the sprout Leona shyly handed over.
Ariel, the actual source of all this, was busy looking back and forth between us with wide, sparkling eyes.
It seemed she was reading our thoughts, but fortunately, her education must have been effective, as she didn't voice them out loud.
“A-anyway, you get what shamanism is like now, right?”
“The example was so clear that it actually feels more profound now.”
“Me too.”
A power that makes the impossible possible. I suppose that is exactly what shamanism is.
It might look simple, but the more you dig into it, the more profound and mysterious it becomes—a power with no discernible end.
Unlike magic, it can defy the natural order, yet it is an unstable and incomplete ability.
“That’s just how shamanism is. That’s also why humans moved away from shamanism and adopted magic in the past.”
“Then why did the Beastkin move away from magic and adopt shamanism?”
“It’s a bit awkward for me as a Beastkin to say this, but our way of thinking is simple in many ways, isn't it? Because we’re simple, our beliefs are firm and untainted.”
That explanation made sense immediately. The Beastkin only established their civilization 300 years ago, so their ancient culture remains strong.
A prime example is their political system, which starts with the Grand Chieftain, and the fact that everyone performs ancestral rites during the Foundation Festival.
Shamanism is often called a folk belief. Because that ideology is deeply embedded in the Animus, shamanism remains the dominant practice.
Furthermore, as Leona said, shamanism is a good fit for the Beastkin because they dislike complexity and tend to be straightforward.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Beastkin are ignorant. They simply dislike complications and are bellicose; they are by no means dull-witted.
“It’s highly likely that demon worshippers are experts in shamanism because of their characteristic fanaticism. I don’t know who they believe in, but since they lack divine power, they naturally turn to shamanism.”
“Then have the Beastkin ever brought the dead back to life or performed a possession?”
“Absolutely not. Necromancy is an insult to the deceased, so we obviously don't do it. As for possession, it’s the person performing the rite who gets possessed. It’s used to receive advice from ancestors or to pass judgment. Like you mentioned earlier, there’s never been a case where the shaman possesses someone else.”
Indeed, possession is usually something one undergoes, not an ability one wields over others. It seemed the demon worshipper Ariel had "snacked" on was a unique case.
However, hearing her words made me curious about something. Leona said they receive advice from ancestors through possession.
Technically, this is also an act that defies the natural order. Specifically, it involves souls that are still wandering the mortal realm.
“But you said you receive advice from ancestors?”
“Yeah.”
“Do the souls of the ancestors remain in the mortal realm?”
“They don’t stay here; they’re in Valhalla.”
As everyone knows, Valhalla is a realm from Norse mythology. A paradise for warriors, a place where only the brave can go after death.
From Albenheim’s capital, Yggdrasil, to the Beastkin tradition of Holmgang, this world is steeped in elements of Norse mythology.
It’s too different in various places to say it’s directly connected to Earth, so I’ve just been treating it as a coincidence.
Regardless, I felt a spark of curiosity after hearing Leona’s story. Having read many books, I was aware of the existence of Valhalla.
“Valhalla is the paradise where only the brave can go, regardless of race, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And those warriors receive a blessing from the gods and are reborn as angels.”
“Exactly. You really do know your stuff.”
If that’s the case, then why aren't any angels being born? I looked at Ariel with that question in mind.
Ariel is an angel born through an extremely special case, so she should be considered an exception.
Also, if there are souls classified as angels but they aren't being born, as Leona said, then there must be an internal problem.
In fact, not a single angel has been born since the Demon War, except for Ariel. This is despite the countless warriors who have lived and died since then.
But since that wasn't the priority right now, I figured it was best to just keep it in mind. There was no point in digging into it when I wouldn't gain anything.
“Then can you still bring back an ancestor’s soul through shamanism?”
“It’s possible. I can do it too, if the conditions are met. Want to try?”
“Not to that extent. I was just curious if there was a way to defend against demon worshippers.”
“There is. You could use an ancestor’s soul as a guard, or make a talisman.”
“That’s a bit...”
The former made me feel a bit too guilty. I was slightly reluctant, but secretly curious. I wondered what kind of bloodline my family came from.
To begin with, my family’s bloodline is definitely not ordinary. Our bodies are sturdy enough to rival a Beastkin’s, so I can only imagine what our ancestors were like.
On top of that, we possess martial arts passed down through generations. We are certainly far from a normal family.
“Just give it a try. Looking at your father, your ancestors must have been incredible figures too.”
Leona encouraged me with a voice and expression full of curiosity.
Her sparkling golden eyes were filled with deep anticipation.
“I’m getting curious too. Your father, you, and the others... every one of you has an extraordinary physique. Plus, your talent for martial arts is outstanding. Even your family’s history before ascending to nobility is vague. With red hair, you’d definitely stand out, yet there are almost no rumors about it.”
Even Mari chimed in to support Leona. To be honest, I felt the same way.
My father alone was known as the Red Lion and was even offered the rank of Count; what must the ancestors have been like?
Though the current era is peaceful, internal conflicts were constant before that. Territory wars broke out all the time, not to mention frequent clashes with the Kingdom of Ters.
Add to that the border regions where barbarians committed raids at every opportunity. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the current peace was built upon a mountain of corpses.
To not stand out in such a situation... there were many strange aspects to it.
“Hmm... I’m curious too, but isn't using an ancestor as a guard a bit much?”
“You just need to get permission. Of course, getting that permission is up to you.”
“Don’t worry about the permission and just try it once. Wouldn't your father be curious too?”
“Mmm...”
After a long moment of deliberation, I decided to give it a go. First, I had to get permission from my father.
*
“Go ahead.”
I received permission far too easily. Was this really okay?
“If possible, I’d like you to call my father.”
“Why?”
“I need to know where he died so I can build him a grave or something.”
“...”
I wasn't sure if I should call this filial piety or not.
While we were getting everything ready one by one...
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Ariel suddenly started plucking the sprouts on her head at random. The sight of new ones growing back every time she plucked one was quite a spectacle.
No, that aside, was this really okay? It was fine for Ariel to pluck them herself, but doing it like that looked bad no matter how you sliced it.
“A-Ariel?! What on earth are you doing?!”
“Huh? I thought Leona might need more sprouts.”
“T-that might be true, but you can pluck them yourself too?”
“Yeah. Want more?”
“No! No! No! I don’t need them! I feel bad, so stop!”
I guess we could make a seasoned salad out of those.