The Curse
No matter how many times I blinked and reread the passage, or rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand before peering back down, the description didn't change.
I was destined to meet an inevitable defeat, and within that defeat, I would surely die?
How could such an absurd curse even exist?
"Let's just keep reading for now..."
No matter how potent a curse was, there was always a way to lift it—or at least some qualifying condition.
"Hmm... So it means I have to pass off my defeat to a companion, clinging to life until the curse runs its course. And by companions, it obviously means Rin, Shion, and Yuna."
Ancient curses were usually like this. At first glance, their effects seemed utterly nonsensical, but once you pieced them together like solving a riddle, a path forward would reveal itself. Yet what nagged at me was how this defeat actually manifested...
"Oh, here's a recipe for an elixir that slows the curse's progression. With this..."
Holding out a faint glimmer of hope, I scanned the list of ingredients, only to find herbs I had never even heard of. None of these looked like they could help me right now, so I jotted them down for later, figuring I'd try to source them the next time I ordered medicinal herbs.
For now, the task at hand was to inspect the shattered seal at the cave, then head downtown with Rin. Fortunately, no exorcism requests had come in today. Amidst all this chaos, I supposed I should be grateful for even a brief moment of breathing room.
"Rin, is there anything else we need to buy?"
"Umm... I think that's everything, but did we miss anything...?"
"We got everything written on the list."
"Then we're good! Let's go."
"All right. Let's head back."
Just because we were exorcists didn't mean we lived completely detached from mundane life. Demons had seeped into modern society in their own insidious ways, which meant exorcists had to adapt accordingly.
"Our living expenses are getting pretty tight... I wish an easy request with a massive payout would just fall into our laps."
"Having no requests means demons aren't making any moves, so that's a good thing."
"Then what happens to our grocery money?!"
"We'll just have to pinch pennies. Come on, let's hurry. Yuna and Shion are waiting."
I pushed the fairly heavy shopping cart toward the checkout counter. Even I knew there was a limit to how frugally we could live. Still, with the Guardian Deity's absence compounded by the Demon King's curse, jumping recklessly at any regular request could get us wiped out by demons before I even laid eyes on the Demon King again.
"Is something on your mind, Jun?"
"Huh?"
"Your expression and mood feel a bit different from usual."
Rin was kindhearted. Attentive and thoughtful. While Shion and Yuna were undeniably dear to me as well, Rin was the one who had been by my side since early childhood. When I chose to follow in my parents' footsteps down the path of an exorcist, Rin declared that she would become a shrine maiden too.
A future where she fell tainted by demonic energy and turned against me... was difficult to imagine. Nor did I ever want to imagine it.
"...No, it's nothing. Just worrying about our living expenses."
"Right? Things really are tight... Maybe I should look for a part-time job?"
"Uh... you, Rin? Even if one of us did, it'd probably be better to send Shion."
"Wh-what's wrong with me?!"
When it came to getting work done sharp and efficiently, Shion was simply more reliable. More urgently, though, how was I going to prepare for the inevitable defeat... and whom would I transfer it to?
The seal on the cave I had inspected before heading into town was completely destroyed. I had strung up a geumjul (sacred taboo rope) and affixed bujeok (talismans) to hold back the thick demonic energy rolling off the entrance, but that was strictly a temporary measure.
"By the way, Rin. Have you felt anything strange or out of place lately?"
"Huh? Out of place...? Not really. Why?"
I probed gently as Rin placed our groceries on the conveyor belt, but her response was utterly normal. Even if she wasn't an exorcist directly bound by contract to the Guardian Deity like me, Rin was still a full-fledged shrine maiden. Did the seed of corruption mentioned by the Guardian Deity only show symptoms once demonic energy began to seep in? It was bewildering. I couldn't get a read on it at all.
"Excuse me..."
"Yes?"
A strange voice called out from beside us as Rin and I packed the scanned items into shopping bags. Turning around, I saw an unfamiliar young woman offering us a soft smile.
"You two have such wonderful auras... Do you happen to attend a church?"
"..."
Preaching pseudo-religious nonsense to an exorcist...? Utterly ridiculous. Self-checkout or not, proselytizing inside a grocery store was crossing the line.
"We're not interested. Let's go, Rin."
"..."
"What is it?"
"Uh, no... It's nothing. Let's go."
The woman seemed to say something more behind us, but brushing it off, we walked back to the car. Still, Rin's reaction bothered me slightly.
"What was that about earlier? Looking at that woman."
"I'm not completely sure, but... she looked like a friend I knew back in high school. How strange..."
"Probably just a lookalike. Or maybe she forgot who you were."
"N-no way! We were really close back then. Though we barely kept in touch after I became a shrine maiden."
People sucked into cults were hardly in their right minds anyway. I didn't have the luxury to dwell on every vague unease. Before the brand carved into my wrist grew hot to warn of the approaching defeat, I had to gather as much information as possible and prepare.
We returned to the Mountain Shrine. We had to park the car down at the foot of the mountain and hike up a steep path, but as tiring as it was, I had long since grown accustomed to it.
Passing through the gate, I saw Shion standing still in the courtyard, gazing out over the mountains. Her eyes, fixed in the direction of the cave, held a heavy, solemn gravity.
"Shiooon~"
"We're back, Shion. Where's Yuna?"
"An exorcism request came in, so she went out to consult with the client and do some preliminary investigation."
"Oh? A request?"
Hopefully it was something simple. A job easy enough for me to handle without excessive strain, stripped as I was of the Guardian Deity's protection. Though an easy job meant a meager reward... What a headache.
"You're the one who set up the barrier near the cave, right, Jun?"
"Yeah. You checked on it? How's it looking?"
"Like this."
Shion pointed toward the ground. Scattered across the dirt were rotted, decaying geumjul ropes and shredded bujeok talismans. Seeing them piled over dry straw, she seemed to have been right in the middle of burning them away.
"I didn't think they'd give out in less than half a day... Tsk."
"Wouldn't it be better to inspect it twice a day? Once during daylight and once at night."
"Let's do that. And before heading to sleep, I should do some aengmagi (warding ritual) around the shrine—"
"Huh? But Jun, the shrine has the Guardian Deity watching over it."
"...Ah, right."
I couldn't reveal that the Guardian Deity was gone. I'd perform the warding ritual alone later tonight...
"What did you guys buy? What's for dinner?"
"Tonight? Braised tofu!"
"...Again? What about meat?"
"Meat is... n-next time...?"
Flashing an awkward, sheepish smile, Rin scurried into the kitchen. Shion's lower lip poked out in a subtle pout. It wasn't just a child's complaint about side dishes; she had her reasons, but right now, my hands were tied...
"Jun."
"Oh, Yuna! When did you get back?"
"Just now. An exorcism request came in while you were out."
"Yeah, I heard. How does it look?"
Before I knew it, Yuna was standing right beside me. She was the eldest among the three shrine maidens. A year older than me, but having grown up together for so long, our dynamic had naturally evolved into that of close friends.
For Yuna—the dependable, gentle pillar who had always looked out for everyone—to betray me... It was equally unimaginable.
"The demonic energy feels weak. It's a detached house not far from here."
"That's good news."
"The client said a wardrobe door started opening and shutting on its own since yesterday. It seems like a minor demon or malevolent spirit has possessed it. They haven't touched it."
"Doesn't sound too difficult... What do you think, Yuna? Should we take it?"
"Yes. The reward isn't bad for such an easy job."
"Great. I'll contact them and accept the request. Good work, Yuna."
With a small nod, Yuna walked slowly toward the inner shrine.
Did things unfold like this in the previous timeline? Trying to remember felt... hazy. Though it was a life I had truly lived, it felt as if I had just awakened from a long dream. The memories of the past were smeared and faded, difficult to bring into sharp focus. What remained etched in my mind was only the bitter end of my failed exorcism against the Demon King. And the fact that Rin, Shion, and Yuna... none of them were by my side.
"Ah... it stings."
A sharp, stinging throb suddenly flared from my wrist. Thinking an insect had bitten me, I raised my arm to check the tingling spot, but there was no bite mark. Instead, only the black brand left by the curse met my gaze. Faintly, a subtle, creeping warmth seemed to simmer beneath the skin.
"Wait, no way... Already?"
A curse cast by a demon was never going to wait for an exorcist to prepare. The inevitable defeat was already marching toward me.
The dense forest, bathed in the warmth of the setting sun just moments ago, suddenly took on a desolate, chilling cast. If I didn't want to die, I had to choose someone to take this defeat.
"Jun, what are you doing? Dinner's almost ready!"
"...I'm coming. Just burning this first."
I pointed my finger toward the rotted geumjul and shredded bujeok lying on the straw, preparing to focus—only to find that both the talismans and the rope were already gone. Looking closer, they hadn't vanished. They had crumbled entirely into fine, powdery ash.
"..."
An ominous omen. I would have to perform the aengmagi warding ritual with extra care tonight before going to bed.