The Goddess of the Black Swamp (2)
The Goddess of the Black Swamp is a spirit.
Even I don't know exactly what a spirit is. The word is simply a catch-all for the mighty beings that have lived since the continent came into existence — or perhaps even before it. The Goddess of the Black Swamp has nothing to do with the main story of Luke's Biography. Still, anyone with a real interest in the lore and setting would naturally go looking for her.
And if that goddess, even at this point in time, is the same as the one from Luke's Biography... then at my current level, walking away alive after meeting her would be nearly impossible.
"I'm not sure what kind of help I can offer. All I really know is cursecraft. Not every heretic has ties to dark magic."
They had come to me knowing I had knowledge of curses. A problem involving a spirit was well outside my capabilities. And it wasn't as if they'd sought me out simply because I was the baron's son.
"Besides, that place doesn't even fall under the barony."
The Black Swamp bordered the Manfred Barony, but it was a lawless zone that did not belong to the Laviart Empire. The Empire had cleared and claimed this region to secure supply lines for the war — and the swamp had never been suitable for that purpose, which was why it remained a no-man's-land to this day.
"...This is classified information."
Veronica, captain of the Heresy Inquisition's Special Task Force, carefully opened her mouth.
"...Traces of the Undead King have appeared in this land."
"...Is that true?"
"...Yes."
The Undead King. At this point in time, the strongest dark mage on the continent. Before the Demon King's rise, he had been the greatest threat the land had ever known. His power overturned the entire balance of the war. The Laviart Empire suffered catastrophic losses during its expansion campaigns, and the Lumenic Church — a collective of holy magic users — rose as the force capable of opposing him. Through the Church's mediation, the Empire and the other nations of the continent signed a ceasefire. Every nation was required to provide fixed support to the Church in the fight against the Undead King, and through that arrangement, Lumenic grew into a power rivaling the Empire itself.
"Surely the Undead King hasn't come here in person?"
"...He has not. ...But it is certain that he has taken an interest in the Goddess of the Black Swamp."
"How can you be so sure?"
"...The Saintess received a revelation."
The Saintess of the Lumenic Church received revelations concerning crises that threatened the continent. The Saintess herself was trustworthy. In Luke's Biography, the hero's party escaped most of their crises thanks to her revelations. Without her, the Demon King Maria would have conquered the continent long ago. The Saintess of the present day and the Saintess from the time of Luke's Biography were the same person.
"...We intend to confirm the existence of the Goddess of the Black Swamp. ...We need to be certain of what the Undead King is after. ...However, there is a high probability that his thralls are already there. ...That is why we need your help, young master."
Every thrall of the Undead King was a being created through cursecraft. So of course they thought someone well-versed in curses would be useful. But something about this still didn't sit right.
"I understand why you'd ask me for help... but if this involves the Undead King, isn't it a matter of the highest importance? Why did the Church send only the four of you?"
"...That is... kh..."
Veronica suddenly stopped speaking and struggled to catch her breath.
"Captain! You okay? Damn it! Hey! Young master! What's with all the questions?!"
The armored bear girl snapped at me as if I were the problem. I didn't think I'd asked that many.
"...Agnes. ...Don't. ...It's his right to ask."
Veronica raised a hand to stop her. It had to be the Curse of Severance. Speaking caused Veronica pain. She had endured it to converse with me this far, but it was clearly becoming too much. Still, I couldn't make a decision without hearing the full story.
"Can't someone else speak on your behalf?"
Why was someone who could barely hold a conversation acting as the representative in the first place?
"...Agnes doesn't know the details of her own mission. ...Because she's an idiot."
"Hahaha! If I'd been the one getting grilled with all those questions, I'd have just knocked him out and dragged him along!"
"Don't. Hit. Master."
"Huh? I was just sayin', that's all!"
Dorothy, who had been sitting quietly until now, shot to her feet. The two armored beastgirls — bear and wolf — locked eyes in a glare. I calmed Dorothy down and sat her back in her seat.
"...Alexander has even greater restrictions than I do. ...Because of his curse."
"I... I have the... Curse of the Hermit..."
"Ah."
The figure wrapped in a cloak spoke in a voice so small it barely registered. Those afflicted with the Curse of the Hermit had their presence thinned to almost nothing. Short exchanges were fine, but if they spoke at length, the other party would often forget the content mid-conversation. In severe cases, people would forget they'd been talking at all and simply walk away.
"Then what about the priest who came with you?"
"That guy don't care much about our business. He's probably just thinkin' about wrapping this up quick and getting back home."
Agnes answered. When I looked puzzled, Veronica added an explanation.
"...You asked if this wasn't a matter of great importance. ...The Saintess believes it is. ...But that is not the will of the Church."
"I don't follow. The core force standing against the Undead King doesn't take his movements seriously? Even though the Saintess does?"
"...I cannot discuss internal affairs any further. ...The point is that the only one who takes this matter seriously is the Saintess. ...With no proper support, we have no choice but to seek help locally."
"...Was asking me for help the Saintess's will as well?"
"...Yes."
It was a dubious commission in many ways. But if it was the Saintess's will, I could trust it. In Luke's Biography, the Saintess had always been someone worth believing in.
Trusting the Saintess was one thing. Whether I should involve myself in a matter concerning the Undead King was another. The Undead King was destined to be slain by the hero, after all. By the time of Luke's Biography, he was already gone. If I intervened, I might introduce a variable into that fate.
"...You will be risking your life as well, young master. ...I will give you time to think—"
"No. I've decided. I'll help."
"...What?"
I had always liked giving meaning to things. The reason the Undead King was interested in a spirit — that was information I could never have uncovered during my time as a player. Ignoring this opportunity would make my possession of this world feel hollow.
Still, I needed to lock down my safety measures and my compensation.
"I have conditions, though."
"...Please name them."
"First — my safety. The moment I sense my life is in real danger, I'm pulling out. Even without the Undead King's thralls, the Black Swamp is a place where you risk your life just by being there."
"...Understood."
"Second — compensation."
"...Within the Saintess's authority, we can provide as much as you desire."
"I'll take whatever sum you offer. Separate from that, there's something I want from Agnes here."
"Huh? Me?"
Agnes's eyes went round — she clearly hadn't expected to be singled out. Her voice was rather lovely, but her manner of speaking was identical to Brenden's, and I still couldn't get used to it.
"Master?"
I took Dorothy by the shoulders, stood her in front of me, and continued.
"Agnes, you're under the Curse of the Mad Bear, correct? This child has the Curse of the Lycanthrope."
"Yeah, I can tell just by lookin'. Those ears are pure wolf."
"I noticed the armor you're wearing seems to resize to fit your body even when you're in bear form. Is the armor itself a special item?"
"Huh? Nah. When you Alter the Curse of the Mad Bear, whatever you're wearin' changes with you."
I already knew she had Altered the Curse of the Mad Bear. She seemed to retain her intellect even after transforming into a bear.
"Perfect. I was going to ask about that too. I'd like you to teach me how to Alter the Curse of the Mad Bear."
"Uh... I don't really get the theory. I just did it and it worked... Well, I'll explain what I know."
The Curse of the Lycanthrope and the Curse of the Mad Bear were nearly identical. If I could apply the method for Altering the Mad Bear's curse to the Lycanthrope's, Dorothy would retain her intellect even in wolf form. That would mean I wouldn't need to control her every time she transformed. The Curse of the Puppet could only control creatures of low intelligence to begin with.
Thinking of the murderous beast she became in Luke's Biography, keeping her under the Curse of the Puppet for now seemed safer. But Dorothy — the one who chased the stars — had also been controlled by the Curse of the Puppet under her previous master. That dark mage had simply survived longer because of it. Considering that, controlling her through the Curse of the Puppet probably wouldn't prevent her fate of becoming a killer. It might be better to help her master her power as quickly as possible and free her from the puppet curse entirely.
"...Are there any other conditions?"
"That's everything I can think of for now."
"...Thank you for accepting our request. ...We plan to rest here tonight and depart tomorrow."
I glanced around. This cathedral was nothing more than an abandoned manor that had been roughly converted for use. It didn't look like a place anyone could rest comfortably.
"You're resting here? In a cathedral that's falling apart?"
"...It is the bosom of the Church."
"Just come to the castle with me."
"...I must decline."
"It's because of your curses, isn't it? You're worried other people will shun you."
"..."
"She's right! Most folks won't take us in. We practically camped the whole way here."
"Agnes."
"What? It's true."
I'd suspected as much, and it turned out I was right. It had been strange from the start that their letter insisted there was no need to put them up at the castle — something I hadn't even been considering. And then there was Father Patrick, who had shown up claiming to be their "escort." Social attitudes toward the cursed were hardly warm. Without a priest escort to guarantee their safety, all kinds of restrictions followed. Inns wouldn't take them either, wary of the other guests' reactions.
I hadn't planned on letting them rest at the castle either — but I hadn't expected to be joining them on something this dangerous. For the sake of my own safety tomorrow, I needed them well-rested at the castle.
"I may be cursed myself, but my parents never treated me differently. The baronial house will not turn away people in the same situation as me."
"Dorothy. Lives well. At the castle too."
"...Even so..."
"Captain! You're not seriously gonna turn down hospitality like this, are you?!"
"..."
"C-Captain... we... haven't even been able to wash properly this whole time..."
"...Hah. ...Then, may we impose upon you?"
Pushed by everyone around her, Veronica finally bowed her head to me.
"Of course."
You have accepted the quest.
Meet the Goddess of the Black Swamp.
An episode quest. The quest to continue meeting Maria had been an episode quest as well — the kind that corresponded to main story quests in Luke's Biography. Given that Maria had been the Demon King in the game, it made sense that she was tied to the main story. But the Goddess of the Black Swamp, who had stood entirely apart from the main narrative in the game, was now appearing as part of it.
What that meant... I would only know once I met the goddess herself.