Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Magical Favor
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- Shaaaa.
A gray mist spread chillingly, accompanied by the sound of countless snakes slithering across the ground.
This is bad. If what I heard earlier is true, being inside this gray mist means getting cursed.
But before I could do anything, the mist rapidly swallowed us up.
I tried my best to resist, covering my mouth and nose with my clothes, but I could still feel the acrid air filling my lungs.
It was terrifying.
What kind of curse would befall me?
I couldn't even begin to guess.
If it was something like scorching pain, I could endure it somehow, but it could be something far more vicious.
Like a 'petrification' curse.
Or completely losing my memories.
Or even a gender-swap TS curse that turns me into a woman...
"...No way."
TS isn't a curse.
If anything, it's a blessing.
Though I have no desire to experience it, of course.
Anyway.
An unpleasant sensation spread from my lungs. As the curse's pain enveloped my entire body, I writhed in agony—
"?"
—or rather, I didn't.
It was strange.
Really strange.
I was definitely cursed, but nothing had changed. The only thing was a stuffy feeling like I'd inhaled dust.
"Tch."
At that moment, the monster clicked its tongue out of nowhere.
"Is it because I targeted just one specific girl? I never imagined this would happen..."
The monster muttered complaints with a dissatisfied expression.
From this, two things were clear.
First, even the caster of the curse doesn't fully grasp every effect it has on the target.
Of course, it's not like they know nothing at all.
It just said 'specific,' after all.
But the aftermath had led to an unexpected situation, even for the monster who cast it.
And second, the specific target of the curse wasn't me, at least.
It's a guess, but I'm about seventy percent sure.
It referred to 'one girl' just now, and when I glanced over, Whitey and Sora were in bad shape. I felt nothing.
To sum it up, roughly:
Either I wasn't cursed,
or if I was, it hasn't activated yet.
Either way, it's fine. Nothing's standing in the way of me chopping this monster to pieces right now.
I charged straight at the monster without hesitation.
But.
"In that case, I'll just have to push a little harder."
The monster raised its hand a split second faster than I could reach it.
Riding on the monster's laugh, the gray mist surged sharply toward me. This time, targeting only me.
But the mist never reached me.
Thanks to Octopus, who had gone to drop off the hostage and come back.
"Step back, if you would!"
"Will be a lotus!"
Octopus stepped forward and slammed her staff-shaped magic wand into the ground. White smoke billowed out from the point of impact.
The moment Octopus's white smoke touched the monster's gray mist, the gray mist vanished abruptly.
Leaving behind tiny lotus flowers in its place.
"What the hell is this...?"
The monster muttered in exhausted bewilderment, as if even it hadn't anticipated this.
It had probably pushed itself pretty hard, only for it to end in this pathetic result.
At that moment, Octopus advanced on the monster.
"Weren't you too complacent just because it was a curse?"
She slammed her staff into the ground again.
"A monster's magic is nothing but Magical Mist infused with a Magical Curse, but the Magical Power of an Arhat completely annihilates even Magical Mist!"
"Therefore," Octopus aimed her staff at it.
"An SS-rank Arhat and a monster are in a complete Magical superior-subordinate relationship!"
The words were a bit odd, but not wrong.
Octopus's magic had perfectly nullified the monster's curse—or rather, the mist carrying it.
An absolute advantage in compatibility.
"Hah, shit..."
The monster spat out a word laced with complicated emotions. Seizing the opening, Octopus raised her staff again to cast another spell.
"Buddha—!"
"(Buddha—)!"
"At least I achieved my minimum goal."
At that instant, the monster smirked.
"I stuck the one person who's been a real pain in my ass out of everyone I've met so far. Well, an aggravated version, but they said even that would be enough?"
Not at Octopus, who was mid-cast.
It was directed at me, watching from behind.
"Just don't actually die, okay? They said you can't go too quick, or it gets messy."
With that, it smashed through the wall and fled the room.
"If you can manage it, anyway."
Leaving behind words I couldn't comprehend to the end.
The moment the monster left, Octopus rushed over to me anxiously. Pure worry was etched on her face.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. Appreciate it, Octopus."
"Truly fortunate. I came back just in case, and it was worth it magically speaking."
Octopus let out a sigh of relief, turning her questioning red eyes toward me.
Octopus had two questions.
"What in the world was that monster? How can a monster talk?"
First, how the monster could speak.
"And the content was so bizarre. I couldn't make heads or tails of it."
Second, what the monster was talking about.
"None of it makes any sense."
Well, it was a perfectly natural reaction.
Whitey and Sora had encountered talking monsters before, but this was Octopus's first time. She had every reason to find it weird.
"Inferior Species, do you know anything?"
"Who knows."
That said, I had no answers to give.
Honestly, even I was at a loss. Some random monster I'd never seen before starts spouting nonsense—who am I to say anything?
Still, there was one thing I could say right away.
"For now, let's take care of those two. They got cursed because of that monster earlier."
The fact that Sora and Whitey were cursed.
I didn't know what kind.
But I could tell they were in bad shape.
Sora was trembling and clutching her head, while Whitey stared blankly at the ceiling.
"You're okay, Inferior Species?"
"I got cursed too, but I don't feel anything. Probably fine for now."
"That's a relief."
Decision made quickly.
"Anyway, I'll check on Sora. Handle the other one, Octopus."
"Understood, Inferior Species."
With that, Octopus and I split up swiftly.
Me to Sora.
Octopus to Whitey.
"Sora, you okay?"
Up close, Sora's condition was worse than I'd thought.
"No... Please... no..."
Sora clutched her head, her voice hoarse and wet with tears.
A vicious curse.
Even I felt despair just watching.
At that moment, Sora noticed me approaching.
"Sunbae... What do I do...?"
"What's wrong? Tell me."
I gave her a worried look.
Tears welled up in Sora's eyes.
"I can't... remember anything..."
"What do you mean?"
I tilted my head at her cryptic words. Fortunately, Sora elaborated.
"My Magical sense of taste is gone..."
Definitely a nasty curse.
Taste is one of the five senses.
Losing it completely is serious.
Plenty of people base their careers or life's joys on just that one sense.
Sora seemed to be one of them.
"I can't remember the umami of Magical hamburger patties, the crisp texture of Magical french fries, or the refreshing fizz of Magical cola anymore..."
"I see."
"Yeah... It just feels empty now..."
She was clearly Japanese-American, judging by how she agonized over burgers—soul food for Americans.
"Sunbae, what should I do now...?"
Finally, a pair of teary amber eyes fixed on me.
"Please, do something... I feel like I'm really going to lose my mind..."
Sora's eyes and words were desperately pleading.
It even tugged a little at my heart.
But there was one problem.
"Sorry, I don't really get how serious this is."
I couldn't empathize.
Honestly, from my perspective, it wasn't that bad. My sense of taste had been wrecked long ago in this other world, and no taste was actually better for me.
Thanks to that, I could eat 'anything' to survive.
"Plus, I've never even tried the hamburgers you're talking about, so I wouldn't know."
I've lived a life far from delicious food, so this was half unavoidable. Never having had a burger played a part too.
Well, if you count the ones from the military as burgers, sure. But that's not what Sora means.
Sora looked at me with complicated eyes for a moment, then slowly moved her lips.
"If I use a Korean analogy, it's like I can't remember the taste of Magical kimchi, the aroma of Magical garlic, or the flavor of Magical bibimbap with Magical sesame oil in Magical gochujang and Magical side dishes."
I looked quietly at Sora and spoke.
"Sora..."
"This is how serious it is. What do I do now? I really feel like I'm going insane..."
Sora wept with a heartbroken expression.
"That's because you've never been to a place that does it right."
"Argh, seriously! Are you trying to piss me off more?!?!"
Well, she got mad quick.
Anyway, the curse itself was vicious.
To steal away one sense so easily.
And it didn't look easy to cure. Words alone wouldn't pierce through that mental shock amid her suffering.
What to do?
Order her a burger delivery?
As I mulled it over, an unrelated thought popped into my head.
"By the way, Sora."
"Huh?! Did you think of a way, sunbae?"
"Nah, just something I wanna ask."
Not related to the cure, of course.
A random question had come up.
"...What now?"
Sora eyed me pessimistically, like her world had ended.
"The hamburger you mentioned."
I met her gaze with a grin.
"Isn't it just like Lot□ria?"
Sora half-closed her eyes at my words.
"Kinda similar, right?"
Then she grabbed my collar.
After that, things get fuzzy.
Being shaken by a magical girl's strength rattled my head too, and with my already spotty memory...
Vague recollections: Don't you dare insult real hamburgers, if that's logic then kimchi and gimuchi are the same, etc.
Of course, I didn't just take it.
I fought back, in my own way.
"If you slap Magical kimchi on Magical cake, does that make it fucking Magical kimchi?!?!"
"Sora, you do know your stuff."
"Shut your mouth!!!"
Well, it didn't mean Sora had enough rationality left to understand.
Anyway.
For how long we struggled, my clear memories were few.
Just a hazy guess that unspeakable words kept coming from a magical girl's mouth.
Still, it wasn't all bad.
"Oh, Sora. Looks like the curse is lifted."
"...Yeah."
Sora's curse had finally broken.
A plain, simple question had apparently hit her with a massive mental shock.
I don't know the exact mechanism, but who cares? It worked out.
"You're welcome, right?"
"Shut up, please."
Truly a relief.
- Bang!
A gunshot out of nowhere.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
Until Octopus's pained question rang out.