Forced Pairing and the Loli Spirit's Curse
I want to punch last night's me right in the face for real.
"……Hah."
"Um, Lian…."
"I'm pissed right now, so shut up."
There were activities at the Arcade Academy. Most were individual endeavors, but as heroes, there were plenty of cases where you had to team up in parties rather than going solo. Even if you hated each other's guts, situations arose where you had no choice but to form a party, so the academy occasionally assigned such tasks.
"Form parties with people you're not close to."
I always picked Minel Iris during these. If I tried teaming with Spear Frizn, teachers would spot us together in the library and force me to pair with someone else. My encounters with Minel were limited to mealtimes and our shared swordsmanship classes, so we didn't interact much compared to others, but we were still on friendly terms, so I'd pair with her.
But Minel wasn't around now. And it was too late to team up with anyone else—they'd already sorted themselves out.
"…Hah."
Naturally, I ended up in a party with Prin, the saintess candidate who was "friends with everyone." Sure, she got along with everyone as a saintess candidate, but there was no way she'd ever been friendly with me. That would be weirder if anything.
After what happened, for her to plaster on a thick face and say, "Hehe, let's just be friends?" That'd make me a total pushover. A mutual one, at that.
"I really hate this."
"……."
I'm wondering the same thing. If you're calling someone a saintess, purity aside, shouldn't you at least pick someone with a brain?
Anyway, thanks to the kidnapping, Minel and Ceres were probably locked up in bed right now. I'd told them to release her, but they'd claim it had to be "perfect" and stay put, no doubt.
"Today's party mission is to find five boxes scattered around the academy. You can't grab them solo. The moment one person touches a box, a special device triggers and teleports you to a random spot. You two have to stick together."
"Tch!"
"…."
Of all the annoying gimmicks, it had to be this one. A simple treasure hunt or paired battle would be fine—I could handle those alone. But this time, I had no choice but to stay glued to Prin.
Her presence had mostly erased my trauma, so as long as we didn't talk, it'd be okay… but hah, just walking side by side like this was turning my stomach.
"Um… Lian."
"…What."
"Sorry, but… we have no choice, right? Let's just finish the assignment."
"Yeah. We have to."
I glanced at Rain. She was already chatting casually with Spear Frizn, someone she wasn't super close to but didn't mind either.
Yeah, unavoidable. If our grades tanked like this, Rain would worry.
"Fine. Let's hurry up and finish."
From here on, we'd clear the assignment at top speed and head back.
Moving with Prin was pure agony, every single second. Awkwardness aside, the mere fact that I was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with her right now was eating away at my sanity. And every so often, she'd strike up a conversation out of nowhere, forcing me to ignore her—it was driving me insane.
[Lian, you okay?]
"No, Nero. I need healing…."
[Curses can't heal….]
"No, just stay hovering over my head. Please don't disappear."
I was starting to get what Nero meant about just having her nearby feeling good. Even with Prin here, her presence alone was restoring my mental state a bit.
For real. Nero could pass for a saintess over that fake one. At least as far as I'm concerned.
"Ah, there's a box over there…."
"Yeah, let's grab it quick and go."
Normally, I'd be chatting easily with Minel by now….
Regretting it, I reached for the box alongside Prin and lifted it. Something weird clung to my hand.
"….A Spirit?"
No way—this thing here…?
[Kieeeek!!!!!!]
"Lian!?"
The Spirit appeared out of nowhere, its eerie voice laced with curses echoing around.
"….What the hell?"
The gods' reactions were one thing, but a curse-laden voice from a Spirit meant it would trigger some effect, like Skaya Arinfield's word-spirits….
"…!! Lian!!!!"
"Hah, what now?"
Being stuck with Prin was irritating enough—now this? The curse's scream vanished, triggering a pre-set spell that erected a small barrier around Prin and me.
Really, what about this place screamed "humanity's last bastion"?
"A Spirit, huh… At least it's not a Demon King exec."
Annoying situation, but it was only a few months since my regression—enemies like this were all mid-tier at best. Even their levels were just average monster fare… and if it had the stealth to infiltrate the academy, it'd dumped most of its stats there, leaving combat power negligible.
Negligible to me, that is.
"…Kinda pathetic, but you're dying here."
"Such a cliché pattern."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the Spirit emerging from the shadows right on cue. Hadn't seen one this textbook in ages. Even Demon King execs had more personality. Like that old guy who bowed politely in death, the immortal craving demise, the weirdo chasing "true love," or the 700-year-old virgin succubus.
"You—curse-wise, what rank are you?"
"…What are your intentions."
"No, genuinely curious."
Stealth alone? Breached the academy barrier, so maybe Grade 1 to Special Grade. Attack power… from what I sensed, Grade 2 at best.
"To underestimate Lady Lorien… Quite arrogant for an academy student."
I'd never heard the name either. You'd memorize most things over regressions… but this one? Never faced it. Either it's pathetically weak, or stealth is its specialty to avoid notice.
"Gonna guess the former."
Thwack.
"What!?"
I grabbed the incoming fist mid-air and looked down at the Spirit. Unlike Nero, it looked humanoid, but touching it revealed the usual monstrous core wrapped in a shell—like an exoskeleton.
This could be useful for Nero.
"Hey, how'd you make this shell—"
BOOM!!!
"Blocking my attack deserves praise, but mixing in skills got you this."
"Quit mumbling to yourself."
Ugh, the smoke's stinging my eyes. Coughing, I peered at the Spirit. It stared back like it'd seen something unbelievable, then muttered lowly.
"How…."
"You think I couldn't block a weakling like you?"
Fast attack speed, but laughable compared to Skaya's. Pure speed? Future Minel was quicker. Durability? Meh, from that punch earlier. Assassination specialist, clearly.
"Don't make me laugh! I am one acknowledged by the King of Curses, Lord Elden!! You dare order me arou—"
"Elden? Oh, that guy?"
I remembered him. First Special Grade Spirit I met, and a "king of curses" made him a nightmare—no mob summons like other monster kings, just absurd solo strength. I even suspected Demon King ties.
Yeah. Curses that healed? A total pain… Back then, I didn't know rituals—should've noted them for Nero's sake.
"…What did you just call Lord Elden?"
"That asshole. Fought well, but not enough to honor with a title… Impatient much?"
"Shut your mouth!!"
Filthy temper too. Watching it gather curses, I lightly tapped the sleeping Nero above my head to wake her and began weaving a ritual.
"Nero."
[Yeah…? What's up??]
"Wanna try that thing we learned last time?"
She hummed thoughtfully, then sent curses flowing into my ritual: parse, decompose, reconstruct, reinforce.
"Rituals built for cannon-like blasts are simple, so easy to tweak."
Boost it like this and fire.
[Gaaaah!!!]
Crunch!!!
"…Huh?"
One ritual severed all four limbs. Normally, it'd concentrate one curse, spreading thinner internally… but Nero's output was insane, so splitting it still sliced limbs and rotted flesh with curse residue.
"Prin, purify that thing—clean up every trace."
"…Ah! Y-Yes!!"
I'll scout for more boxes.
"Gaaaaahhh!"
"Tell me about it."
Should've just beheaded it in one go instead of experimenting?