Chapter 389: The Curse(3)
Chapter 389: The Curse(3)
Just to be clear, shamanism isn't a cure-all. Objectively speaking, its success rate is quite low, and the process itself is opaque.
With magic, you can correct things based on visible cues—like a miscalculation in the middle of a formula or a lack of mana. Shamanism has none of that.
There’s a reason humanity chose magic over shamanism. It is the fringe of the fringe, a truly niche ability.
Fortunately, humans did rely on the power of shamanism once upon a time. So, while it isn't preferred, it isn't exactly shunned either.
Some families still maintain traces of shamanistic culture, performing ancestral rites. Even the Order has ceremonies where they present offerings to the gods; strictly speaking, that’s a form of shamanism too. It’s more deeply embedded in society than one might think.
Though it mostly survives as folk belief today, it hasn't vanished entirely.
"When calling upon an ancestor's soul through shamanism, it's better for a descendant to do it rather than hiring a professional shaman. Here’s how you do it..."
Before we began the preparations, Leona taught me the procedure. She warned me not to expect too much, though, as she wasn't a professional.
Neither I nor my father had high expectations. In fact, this attempt was more of a trial run than anything else.
If it failed, we’d chalk it up to experience; if it succeeded, we’d be pleasantly surprised.
Besides, it wasn't like we had any offerings prepared—
"Should we use this as the offering? It's a sprout from the World Tree."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Why? Do you want to season it and eat it as a side dish? I bet it’d be tasty."
"Forget it."
...Actually, we did have something prepared on the fly: the sprout that had fallen from Ariel’s head.
I wasn't sure if it would actually work, but according to Leona, since it came directly from Ariel, it carried immense value.
She mentioned that even a single leaf from the World Tree in Albenheim was considered incredibly precious, so this should be similar. Given that there were several sprouts, not just one, she said the success rate would likely go up. However, the most important part remained.
"Now, all we need is something related to the target..."
That meant either the deceased's remains or an item they once owned. Having the body would drastically increase the chances of summoning the soul.
If the body wasn't available, a cherished personal effect would suffice. And the person we were trying to call was my grandfather.
Father stroked his chin after hearing Leona’s explanation, his expression turning somewhat ambiguous.
"A personal effect... I’m not sure. I have my mother’s belongings, but I have almost nothing related to that man."
"Not even one thing?"
"There might be something tucked away in the manor’s warehouse. I’d have to look."
It seemed he didn't have a shred of affection for my grandfather. Referring to him as "that man" suggested their father-son relationship had been quite strained.
This made me curious. What kind of person was my grandfather? From what I’d heard, he was a warrior to the bone, but I didn't know much else.
The others seemed to feel the same. Mari asked Father in a cautious voice.
"What kind of person was your father, Father-in-law?"
"To put it simply, he was a man worthy of respect as a warrior, but not so much as a father. It felt less like he was raising a son and more like he was training a disciple."
"I think I have a general idea of what he was like."
He sounded like a typical father figure of this era. In a world where individual martial prowess was paramount, such traits tended to be more pronounced.
But looking at my father now, he was a man more tender than anyone else—a reliable patriarch. While he could be strict when teaching me, Dave, or Nicole, he was an ideal father in everyday life.
Seeing this, it was highly likely that my grandfather had loved my father in his own way; he just hadn't known how to express it.
"Then, what was my grandmother like?"
"She passed away when I was about five. Thugs suddenly raided our home."
"...What?"
Despite his calm delivery, it was a tragic past. Mari, who had asked the question, looked deeply flustered by the answer.
She looked pitiful as she glanced around, clearly worried she had stepped on a landmine. Well, I probably would have reacted the same way.
Father chuckled at her reaction and comforted her with a dependable, warm tone.
"You don't need to feel sorry. It’s a past that’s far too distant now. Looking back, that might have been the reason my father trained me so harshly."
"Still... I'm sorry."
"There’s no need for apologies. Anyway, is there really no way to call that man? I just want to confirm if he’s alive or not."
As the atmosphere threatened to turn somber, Father immediately changed the subject. It was a moment where his characteristic consideration shone through.
Leona looked startled by his words and scratched her head awkwardly. She looked clearly troubled.
"The thing is... if you call a soul without a specific medium, you never know who might show up. You might end up disturbing someone who was resting peacefully."
"What happens then? Does the soul possess someone?"
"No. You just get cursed out like crazy. Think about it—if you were sleeping at home and someone forced you awake, you’d be annoyed, right? It’s like that."
It was such a vivid analogy that I found myself nodding instinctively. Still, having come this far, it felt a bit a waste to give up.
"Ordinary souls usually pass on, right? Unless they’re evil spirits, it’s extremely rare for them to linger in the mortal world."
"True."
"Then wouldn't it be okay to try? If a soul is still lingering here, there must be a reason. Don't you think?"
"Hmm... You have a point. But we still need a proper medium..."
Leona trailed off and stared intently at my face. It was a look of blatant observation.
I tilted my head, unsure of what she was thinking, but I waited patiently. It looked like she had come up with a brilliant idea.
Suddenly, Leona clapped her hands together and spoke in a slightly excited voice.
"Right! Hair will work!"
"My hair?"
"Yeah. Red hair is extremely rare in this world, and the bloodline is distinct. I was thinking about drawing blood, but I think hair would be more certain."
In terms of DNA, hair or blood shouldn't matter, but this was a fantasy world. In a world that routinely demolished my common sense, her logic felt strangely persuasive.
However, there was one thing to check: whether my grandfather also had red hair like my father and me. Nicole, for instance, had dark navy hair like our mother, so I needed to confirm.
"Father. Did Grandfather have red hair too?"
"He looked exactly like Dave."
"Ah... I see."
With that one sentence, I could picture my grandfather’s entire appearance. Anyway, now that it was confirmed he was a redhead, all that was left was the hair.
Naturally, we decided to use mine. Father still kept his hair short, a habit from his military days.
Furthermore, thanks to Mora’s 'blessing'—which felt more like a curse—my hair was long enough to reach my waist. Not only that, but even if I cut it, it would grow back instantly by the next morning. I had completely given up on managing it at this point.
"How much should I cut?"
"Just cut a decent amount. It’ll grow back tomorrow anyway."
Snip—
Adelia, who had been watching the situation, cut it cleanly with a paring knife.
Since my hair was quite heavy, my head felt significantly lighter the moment it was cut. It had been so long since the back of my neck felt this cool that I kept touching it. It would grow back by tomorrow, but it felt refreshing.
"It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like that."
"Which do you think looks better?"
"I like any Isaac. Nom."
A wise answer to a silly question. Mari said that and gave my cheek a light, affectionate nip.
Meanwhile, Leona and the others began the preparations for the ritual.
The dormitory was spacious enough, and there was even a room that could serve as a private laboratory, so setting up wasn't an issue. Above all, since this was mostly a test, there wasn't much to prepare.
"I’ll say it again: there’s a chance this will fail. I’m not a professional shaman."
"I know. I’m just using this for reference anyway."
"Then, I’ll begin."
The ritual was surprisingly simple. We placed the hair and Ariel’s sprouts side by side as offerings, and all we needed was an incense candle to lure the soul.
The process was very similar to the ancestral rites I had often seen in my previous life. It involved prostrating and occasionally bowing.
The only differences were the lack of a lavish food spread and the fact that the incense burned much faster. Because of that, the incense had to be replaced frequently.
Finally, Leona, acting as the assistant, chanted spells by the side to ensure the ritual proceeded correctly.
She said she wasn't a professional, but seeing how easily she had plucked Ariel’s sprouts, her 'faith' was certainly solid enough to trust.
About ten minutes passed.
Whoosh—
Despite being in an enclosed space, a sudden wind blew through. The incense smoke whipped violently in the wind before quickly scattering.
It was the 'omen' Leona had mentioned before we started. The rapid scattering of the incense smoke meant a soul had responded.
At the same time... it confirmed that the target was indeed dead. Father’s expression turned bitter upon seeing this.
"I didn't think he was the type to die easily somewhere..."
"It might not be Grandfather."
"Still, I have a gut feeling. If he comes here, I’ll have to ask him where his body is first."
They might have been a father and son with a poor relationship, but it seemed there was still a lingering spark of affection. Father said this and began to perform the rite with even more reverence than before.
I also turned solemn and prostrated with more sincerity. Respect for the deceased was the same whether in my previous life or this world.
Did our sincerity get through? Or did Ariel’s sprouts strengthen our 'faith'?
Snap!
The burning incense stick suddenly snapped in half. The sound was so loud that Father, Leona, and I all froze.
This wasn't a phenomenon that fit the 'signs' Leona had described. I looked at Leona, and she looked just as bewildered.
Just as I was about to stand up, worried that something bad might happen, an anomaly occurred with the offerings we had presented.
Float—
My hair began to rise into the air. Along with it, the sprouts plucked from Ariel.
While we were stunned by this inexplicable phenomenon, a change occurred within my long strands of hair.
A single strand of hair slid out—but instead of falling to the floor, it was followed by another, and another.
"...Did someone arrive?"
"I-I don't know. Leona?"
"Usually, you can talk to the soul... but I don't know what that is."
If even Leona didn't know, it certainly wasn't a normal occurrence. Father signaled for us to step back, just in case.
The rest of us retreated tentatively. Just as we reached the door, I suddenly thought of Ariel and looked at her.
Ariel was staring blankly at the floating hair and sprouts. As everyone knew, she had the ability to see souls.
So, if she checked who had come—
Thud—
Before I could even finish that thought, the hair and sprouts fell to the ground. The faint wind died down instantly.
It was a quiet phenomenon, yet it felt as though a storm had just passed through.
"...Is it over?"
"I-I think so?"
"What on earth was all that trouble for..."
Father walked forward, but he came to a dead stop after checking the floor. I could only see his back, but the fact that he stopped mid-sentence meant something extraordinary had happened.
I cautiously walked up beside him. And as soon as I saw the floor, I too was left speechless.
Because there...
[Coming soon.]
A sentence made of my hair was laid out clearly on the floor. No one else could say a word.
Except for one person—Ariel.
"Daddy. Daddy. Who was that person just now?"
"...You saw him?"
"Yeah. He patted my head and left."
"..."
Well, since Ariel didn't try to eat him, he must have been a good person.
*
There was an underground temple currently being investigated by the Minerva Empire. It was a place secretly constructed by demon worshippers to summon demons from another dimension.
The investigation was being handled solely by the Minerva Empire, as other nations had declined to send support for various reasons. The temple had already served its purpose and was so far removed from human touch that moss grew everywhere.
Most importantly, the Minerva Empire had restricted access to keep the truth of the successful summoning hidden. If this fact were to spread, the Empire would be in deep trouble in many ways.
In other words, the people currently investigating the temple were archaeologists and personnel supported by the Minerva Empire.
"Hey, look at this skull."
"Hmm? Ugh. The head is completely smashed. It must have been a clean break. It’ll be hard to restore."
"Judging by the marks, it looks like it was struck by that massive axe..."
As the investigation proceeded after the temple's discovery, various interesting facts began to surface.
First, they had long ago found evidence that a summoning had been attempted and that it had only been half-successful. Now, they were meticulously checking the surrounding area.
Who had interfered with the summoning, and how had they discovered the existence of this temple?
For the archaeologists, there was a mountain of things to research, and they were so passionate that they were even eating and sleeping on-site.
"To discover a temple like this, they must have known about the demon worshippers... Why didn't they tell the world?"
"You know how meticulous demon worshippers are. Hiding history would have been easy for them. Only a hero would have known of their existence."
"To think even a hero couldn't stand against the demon worshippers... That’s chilling. And this hero’s existence isn't even known."
"That is the fate of a defeated hero."
Click—
As they were excitedly conducting their research, a strange sound suddenly reached their ears.
One of the archaeologists stopped and looked up with a puzzled expression.
"Huh? I think I heard something just now."
"What sound?"
"A clicking sound."
"Probably just a stone falling somewhere."
"Is that so?"
Brush— brush—
The archaeologist replied and carefully brushed the dust off a skull with a brush.
The remains they were currently managing were relatively intact compared to the other human bones scattered around. The bones were mostly connected, and even the clothes worn in life, though worn out, were perfectly preserved.
The archaeologists suspected that the remains they were currently handling belonged to the person who had stopped the summoning. After all, the other remains were either smashed or completely dismembered.
"First of all, the height is over 190cm. Judging by the skeletal structure, it’s likely a male."
"He’s huge. And his weapon is that axe?"
"Probably. If only we knew who he was..."
Click— click—
This time, they heard it clearly. The archaeologists stopped their work simultaneously.
It was too unnatural to be the sound of a falling stone. It sounded like bones clashing against bones...
Flash!
At that moment, a light ignited in the eyes of the skull the archaeologists were investigating. A brilliant golden light, as if revealing the color of his eyes in life.
Of course, to the archaeologists, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
"Aaaaah!"
"A-A skeleton! It’s a skeleton! Who performed necromancy?!"
As the archaeologists screamed and scrambled away, the personnel investigating other areas turned their gaze toward them.
In the meantime, the skeleton slowly began to push itself up from the ground like a living person, gripping the large double-edged axe that had been lying beside it in one hand.
Then, as if waking from a long slumber, the skeleton wiped its face and stared blankly ahead.
[Damn it.]
Surprisingly, the skeleton spoke. Though it was a bit concerning that its first words upon waking were a curse, it had definitely spoken.
Among the beings brought back through necromancy, those capable of speech were extremely rare. Speech implied intelligence.
Regardless, the skeleton let out a deep sigh and muttered softly.
[Having such a capable grandson is a real headache.]