Chapter 294

Sitting in front of the stove for the first time in a long time after a conversation with the investigator, the first thing I checked was my fingers.

To be precise, in addition to the white ring she was wearing on her index finger, she was checking the black ring on her middle finger that had sprung up randomly. It’s a matter of course, but even if I stared at it for a hundred days, there was no way to know what it was, so I had to get help from Asiliemon, the source of my knowledge.

“Esmuer gave it to me, so I thought it was an expensive item... but this must be a bit expensive.”

When I talked about the curse that I couldn’t tell you yesterday, I was afraid that I would collapse again, but Asilier’s reaction was calmer than I thought. Didn’t you have to worry about the curse from the moment you received the ring anyway?

“This was an artifact that records curses while defending. Here, do you see this part?”

Fearlessly pulling out the black ring I had been wearing, fearlessly taking it off or touching it, it was not until I took a closer look at the part of the ring that Asilie pointed out that I noticed that the black ring was made of tightly packed letters.

“Are the letters correct?”

“That’s right. Unlike magic, the spell of curse is intuitive. It’s just stacking things one by one without mixing anything in its natural state. If you take this ring to a professional wizard, he’ll be able to disassemble the spell.”

That’s why backtracking is so easy. Asilie explained that this ring was developed for the purpose of tracking criminals and was used only by a small number of high-ranking nobles.

“Creating something like this out of nothingness...?”

“Exactly, it’s something that the Cursed Ring had. Even my sister doesn’t know what kind of structure it is.”

While admiring the realization that the world of magic and magic tools is truly profound, Asilie returned the black ring to me and continued.

“A horse is a small number of high-ranking aristocrats, but it’s something only royalty use. It’s far from being as cost-effective as a curse.”

It sounded quite grandiose to say that it was a royal family, but it is said that the royal family of a country where the right to the throne is fierce is at the level of being wary of plotting an assassination and wearing one by one. Expensive, right, but not rare?

“Still, it’s definitely not something commoners or adventurers can wear. It’s an item made with the aim of retaliation and backtracking against curses. If someone in the know saw it, they would have mistaken Eldi for some royal family.”

“I did look a little cute.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

I laughed along with Asilie’s response as she slapped me on the shoulder with a smile. Can you stop it one more time? There is no such thing as count check, so you should be able to know.

“Looks like it’s a structure where the color fades every time a curse is blocked, but seeing as the name and color are at that level even after blocking the curse thrown by the great devil, the function of the curse block is quite solid. My sister also prepares for the curse from time to time. But it’s a bit strange since I usually only use it in the form of an amulet.”

I guess it’s a structure similar to a voodoo doll accepting a curse instead of me. It would be better to send a letter of thanks later and ask for a detailed explanation. Anyway, Siegfried will return to the Empire once this case is settled, so you can ask at that time.

Anyway, it was clear that there was nothing wrong with the ring, so I decided to enjoy the long-awaited break.

“Eldy. Let’s make a snowman. Snowman.”

...after playing with Asilie.

“It means we met across that distance.”

“Huh, that’s right. Isn’t it amazing? The fact that the slave troupe was attacked there, and that the thieves went to Eldine Village to find something to eat. Is it fate?”

“I don’t believe in destiny.”

In fact, when it comes to novelties, my reincarnation was the most novel, so I only thought about whether there was such a coincidence. Most of all, if it was fate, this world is a squeezed plate, and then it is the true background that has been destroyed by our village.

Even the road to Eldmia, the slayer of the demon lord, is long and rugged, but I have no idea how long the road to becoming a god slayer, Eldmia, will be.

So I replied with a disgusted expression, and Asilie looked up at me and smiled again.

“Well, there are few people who are as far away from the word predetermined fate as Eldi.”

“So. It’s chaos itself that creates variables on every road.”

“If you know, let’s take it easy?”

“No... This is a bit unfair.”

How can I take care of myself when the world thinks of me? The moment I was about to say an excuse that wasn’t an excuse with an unfair heart, Laika, who was struggling to get herself between our feet somehow while chatting, suddenly pricked up her ears and said,

[master! Who’s coming!]

“...He’s coming here, not just a passer-by? How did you know?”

[name! I’m coming with the name of the owner!]

The story related to Crumelia hadn’t been officially announced yet, so there was no way my name was going up on people’s lips. To be considered someone from my acquaintances, most of the people who know my house are aristocrats who are accustomed to making appointments in advance and moving, so there is no one who will visit me suddenly.

Siegfried? He must be busy working hard to show himself at official events with Eselua while swearing at me. There’s no way Leica would talk nonsense, so I waited for a customer to appear, staring at the entrance for dozens of seconds.

“Are you here?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. But when you visit suddenly like this...”

A completely unexpected combination of unexpected people appeared.

“Zikmel?”

Next to Sicmel, who hesitated with a shy and awkward smile, was Mongsoon, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, wearing a thick robe. Unlike Jicmel, who was restless, Mongsoon naturally took off his hood and bowed his head.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Ega. This is Yan Tie.”

Oh, that was the name.