Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Witch Hunt Begins
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“My lord, you don't need to examine him yourself. What if the curse spreads to you!”
Soned, the head of the merchant guild, tried to stop Allen with a worried expression.
What would happen if the curse spread to Lord Allen? Separate from his personal liking for the young lord, the very survival of his merchant company was at stake.
“I understand your generosity, my lord. But we have the elixir, so there's no need for you to examine him personally.”
“No, a similar incident could occur again. Shouldn't I see it for myself?”
“Oh, my lord!”
Karic was surprised by the change in the merchant head's demeanor compared to when they had entered the room, but he nodded after hearing him speak so openly.
*It seems the conversation went well.*
Although he had arranged the meeting with Soned at the young lord's request, Karic had come to know his situation over the past few days and felt a great deal of sympathy for him.
Seeing Soned's much-improved expression, Karic felt a sense of pride for some reason.
“Lord Allen, did your talk go well?”
“Yes, I was lucky. I'm glad I listened to your story, Merchant Head Karic, and brought the Banshee's Tear, just in case.”
“…You don't mean that Banshee's Tear is…”
As Karic turned his head, Soned carefully took a purple elixir from his robes and showed it to him.
“Isn't that something difficult to obtain even in the capital? To think you'd give something so precious…”
Karic looked at Allen with a shocked expression.
The Banshee's Tear wasn't incredibly difficult to brew. The hard part was finding a banshee.
But even when successfully created, it was a rare item, as high nobles or the royal family would buy it up at a premium.
This was especially true since it was the most effective item for dispelling curses.
Allen smiled as if it were nothing and spoke.
“Every person's value is different.”
Just as the value of a slave and a commoner are different, so too are the values of a commoner and a noble.
If one were to compare the value of a mere merchant's son with an elixir that high nobles pay a fortune for, one would naturally say the latter holds greater value.
However.
“To me, the goodwill I extend to Merchant Head Soned is simply something I judged to be more valuable than this elixir.”
“That is… more than I deserve.”
Soned was grateful for his kindness, but at the same time, he couldn't hide a bitter feeling.
*Now I'm even further in his debt.*
He loathed himself for calculating the value of this favor with a merchant's eye, even while his son was suffering from a curse.
“That is all.”
He wouldn't say things like “all humans are equal” or “all life is precious.” Such words were meaningless, nothing more than empty platitudes.
He had simply invested in Soned because his future value was incomparable to a mere elixir.
*And to repay the debt I owe from my past life.*
While also looking for the demon contract book he'd found here, and to diminish Julius's influence.
*To advance multiple goals at once, I have to accept some losses.*
There was no other opportunity.
This period while Julius was away from the estate.
A time when he could prepare for the future without anyone's interference.
And so, guided by Soned, Allen arrived at the room where his son was resting.
“Is this it?”
“Yes, this is the place.”
Soned intended to enter first. Although nothing had happened so far, the curse could suddenly run rampant.
“I will go in first, so if you would, my lord…”
But the moment he spoke, a hand from behind him opened the door first, preventing him from achieving his goal.
*Click—*
“M-My lord!”
“It's fine. I can easily block a curse like that.”
A widely spread curse, not even a direct one, couldn't penetrate the robust body of a giant.
Allen pushed past the protesting Soned and stepped inside.
The room was quiet.
The merchant head had said his son was resting, so they must have taken the best possible measures.
Allen strode forward and quickly reached the bed in the center of the room.
*…He's young.*
He couldn't be more than fifteen.
But his complexion, pale from the curse, and his emaciated body, so thin his bones were visible, made him look several years younger than his actual age.
On the surface, however, it was impossible to tell if this change was due to a curse or an illness.
*It would be fortunate if it were a simple illness…*
But that was impossible.
Allen immediately extended his senses.
A dense net spread out, examining the merchant head's son.
Threads of prana shot out from Allen's core, attaching themselves to various parts of the boy's body according to his will.
As he focused, he could feel the boy's vitality gradually weakening, as if it were being stolen by someone.
Thanks to the numerous measures Soned had taken, his condition was stable for now, but there was no telling how long it would last.
*His life force is draining away somewhere.*
So, the supposedly subjugated black mages were just a diversion.
Julius heading to Gavia was something that hadn't happened before his regression, so he had only guessed, but seeing the merchant head's son's condition confirmed it.
*So they weren't subjugated after all.*
As this was what he had expected, Allen reviewed his plans while feeling a tinge of bitterness at the fact that he couldn't prevent this completely.
“My lord!”
“…A-Are you alright? Is something wrong…?”
Linbelle and Soned, who were behind him, hurried over, worried that something might have happened as Allen just stood silently by the bed.
“…No, I was just checking the state of the curse.”
“Th-Then…”
Soned looked at Allen with eyes full of hope, and Allen nodded as if to confirm his thoughts.
“The curse is strong, but not strong enough to resist the Banshee's Tear.”
“If that's the case, then right away…!”
“Soned.”
Allen paused, maintaining a brief silence.
Soned grew needlessly tense at the young lord's demeanor, but fortunately, it wasn't the bad news he was imagining.
“Could you perhaps help me?”
“What do you mean…”
“A single sip is enough to dispel the curse.”
At first, he had hesitated.
About how to use the remaining elixir.
*Should I save it for later, or should I use it for others?*
Even if he used it, he couldn't be sure he could obtain another item like the Banshee's Tear, and a countermeasure for curses was necessary for the future.
*It's not like my plans will fail if I don't use it.*
Just as Allen's thoughts reached that point.
[…]
A terrible stench he had smelled somewhere before wafted past his nose.
Like an inanimate object. The terrible stench that had pierced him along with that lifeless, empty gaze.
*…Am I going to turn my back on those afflicted by the curse?*
How would that be any different from my past life?
Allen's revenge was not meant to be built on the sacrifices of others.
Never.
*Before I weigh the benefits, they are residents of this county.*
Doing that would only save the merchant head's son.
*Even if I use all the remaining elixir, I can't save everyone who's been cursed. But.*
Shouldn't I at least try to save them?
“I don't believe the merchant head's son is the only victim of this curse.”
“That… Yes. That's right.”
In any case, this curse will end in a month.
“There must be countless victims. Some may already be beyond help. No, it's certainly too late for some, since time has passed since the curse spread. But…”
When Julius arrives in the territory.
When an elf escapes from the Forest of the Young Divine Beast.
*This situation can be ended.*
“I want to at least make an effort to save them.”
Allen appealed to Soned with a look of sorrow.
For the people of the territory.
For those suffering from the curse.
And.
“Aren't they all under my protection?”
For myself.
Soned looked back and forth at him with a conflicted expression, then squeezed his eyes shut and answered.
“…Do as you will. No, please do so, my lord.”
“Thank you.”
Allen still wore a benevolent smile.
Unlike before, it was a smile without a hint of falsehood.
* * *
He immediately gave a sip of the elixir to the merchant head's son.
The elixir took effect almost as soon as the sip was swallowed.
“Cough, cough—”
“Eric! Eric! Are you alright?”
“Ah, Father? What's going on…”
“Are you okay? Does anywhere hurt?”
“Now that you mention it…”
When Allen checked again with the senses he hadn't withdrawn, he could feel that the curse lurking inside the boy's body had significantly weakened.
*At this rate, he should recover after a few weeks of rest.*
Soned, along with his son Eric who had opened his eyes for the first time in a long while, quickly bowed his head to Allen.
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Thank you so much for your help.”
“You're welcome. If anything, I regret that I was a little late.”
As Allen apologized with a bitter smile, Soned quickly waved his hands as if to ask why he would say such a thing.
“No, what are you saying! This is all thanks to you, my lord…”
“I'm grateful you'd say that.”
Allen waited for the father and son to finish their conversation before following Soned to the drawing-room.
“Let's first grasp the exact situation.”
Allen began speaking as soon as he sat down.
“So… when did the curse start spreading? As I understand it, Julius subjugated the black mages who were spreading it.”
“That is…”
“Would it be alright if I explained?”
Soned cut Karic off, and Karic readily agreed as if it were no problem.
“You have been here longer than I, so you would know better. It's fine.”
“Thank you. So, what you are likely curious about is this, my lord: why is the curse spreading again when Lord Julius announced that he had subjugated the black mages?”
Soned's tone was calm.
With his son's condition improving, he seemed to have regained his usual composure.
“To put it simply, it's true that the curse subsided after the subjugation of the black mages. However… it didn't disappear.”
Allen recalled a memory from the past.
The disaster that would strike the territory a month from now.
And Julius's rise in prestige from resolving it.
“To be precise, it was around the end of the harvest festival.”
Soned's story was not long.
The curse, thought to have vanished after Julius finished subjugating the black mages near Gavia, had begun to run rampant again a few days ago.
He hadn't believed the rumors at first, but when his own son was cursed, he had no choice but to believe.
He let out a laugh with an unreadable expression and continued.
“I shouldn't have dismissed it as a common rumor.”
Allen remained silent.
Inwardly, however, he was rapidly reconfirming the plan he had vaguely formulated since obtaining the Banshee's Tear.
*At first, it was just a simple framework of a plan…*
But seeing that Julius had supposedly subjugated the black mages and that the curse was re-emerging in the western region, he had revised his thoughts.
*I can use this.*
Save Soned's son and earn his favor.
Gain his cooperation to help the cursed and defeat the witch.
Subtly tarnish Julius's reputation and make people favorable toward me.
*Though there probably isn't any animosity toward Julius yet.*
Just because the curse hadn't disappeared didn't erase the fact that Julius had subjugated the black mages.
But what if Allen were to solve the problem that Julius couldn't completely resolve?
*They would have no choice but to compare us.*
That's just how people are.
“I thank you once again for willingly providing the elixir, my lord.”
Soned bowed his head once more.
As he regained his composure, the wisdom of a seasoned merchant appeared in his eyes.
“Since you have declared your intent to help others, my lord, I will gladly follow your decision.”
“I-I will help you too, my lord!”
Soned seemed to have vaguely guessed Allen's intentions and was trying to ride along with them, but Karic, still a naive merchant, was simply going along with the mood.
“In that case… I will give the orders.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Tell us anything.”
Allen took out the remaining elixir from his robes and held it out to them.
“First, summon the nearby alchemists and have them dilute this elixir. To the point where its effects don't disappear. Make sure no one tries to steal any.”
As Soned accepted the elixir, Allen continued speaking.
“And make a request in my name to any priests staying nearby.”
Priests may be hard to find, but if they searched the city, they should be able to find at least one.
They would also gladly help if they were permitted to conduct missionary work in the area.
“Also, use the merchant company's medicinal herbs to help the cursed recover.”
“You mean…”
Allen nodded as if to say yes.
“I will handle all the associated costs.”
The Dike Merchant Company primarily supplies herbs, so they should have plenty.
“Inellia and Linbelle will be staying here for a few days, so be aware of that.”
There was no way Soned would fail to understand what Allen meant. He spoke firmly, as if it were a matter of course.
“There will be no falsehoods in the accounting.”
*The groundwork is laid.* Now it's time to take care of the witch and spread the rumors.
After hearing Allen's various requests, Soned closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then spoke with some uncertainty.
“…Your grace will move many people, my lord. But… it will be difficult to break the curse on others with this alone.”
“I suppose so.”
Allen himself didn't think these measures would be enough to solve the problem.
*It's all just for show.*
It was merely groundwork to support the rumors that would follow.
That he had taken responsibility and done his best.
And thereby solved the curse.
That Lord Allen was indeed more capable than Julius.
“…In that case, my lord, what will you do?”
At Soned's question, Allen slowly rose from his seat.
*In any case, a curse weakens drastically when the one who cast it dies.*
If he just killed her, the measures Allen had taken would be enough to resolve the entire situation.
“Naturally—”
Therefore.
“—I'm going to kill the source of the curse.”
I will hunt the witch.