Volume 5 Chapter 67 Curse And Thorn
The place the two were guided to by Nest was a wooden cabin built in the forest.
"So this is where you live. I guess it's convenient."
"No, I built this... I mean, I built it."
"Are you serious?"
"Serious? It's true that I built it, but..."
"Stop using that formal language. It gives me goosebumps."
"Alright... I got it."
It seems that Nest is not the type to talk a lot, so the conversation is interrupted. Sebas just smiles and walks silently behind.
"Come in."
When Nest opens the cabin, the interior is clean and tidy. Although Nest said he built it himself, there are cute decorations and miscellaneous goods that are unnecessary for a hunter's life.
It's clear at a glance that it was made with consideration for a roommate.
And the person inside was lying on the bed.
"So it's her."
"Yeah. She's the 'key' I'm protecting, Bertina."
The girl called Bertina looked as if she were dead. She had a lovely face with a mix of red and blonde hair with freckles. If she were awake, she would have been a girl who smiles like a sunflower.
Mevia puts her hand on Bertina's cheek and murmurs.
"...A curse?"
"Yeah, when we fought the second demon, she was cursed on the verge of death. Since then, she hasn't woken up."
At first glance, Bertina seems to be just sleeping without any injuries.
However, her body is being corroded and weakened by the curse.
If left untreated, she will die soon.
"It was close."
Mevia says so and activates her magic. A golden light envelops Bertina and fades faintly.
Her complexion improves, and a flush appears on her cheeks.
Nest leans forward unintentionally and peeks into Bertina's face.
"I'm glad, Bertina..."
"But let me be clear. I can't remove this curse with my magic."
When Mevia turns around and says that, Nest opens his eyes wide.
"The essence of my magic is healing the body. I can heal any injuries or illnesses, but I can't do anything about curses engraved in the soul."
"A curse engraved... in the soul?"
"Yeah. If it's a weak curse, it will disappear on its own when it comes into contact with my magic power, but it seems like it was a pretty powerful demon. It's a curse of the kind that nests in the heart. As long as I'm here, she won't die, but the curse won't disappear either."
Mevia's magic can restore the body to its normal state. It can also eliminate diseases and poisons as if they were unnecessary.
However, her magic is not all-powerful. She cannot heal trauma or broken hearts.
This curse is not affecting the body, but it is capturing the heart. The weakness is just a side effect.
Nest lowers his gaze and clenches his fist.
"So, Bertina is..."
"Listen to my whole story. ...Tch, I'll explain from the beginning, huh? Sebas, get ready."
"As you wish."
The movement from there was fast. Sebas prepared tea in the kitchen of someone's house as if he knew it well.
Mevia sat on a chair before the landlord and urged Nest with her eyes to "sit."
Then she took a sip of the tea Sebas brewed and started talking.
"This God-Demon War is a battle for the 'key.' Do you know that?"
"Yes."
"The 'key' is called that because it has a common characteristic. Do you know what it is?"
"No, I don't know, and I haven't thought about it."
Well, as a hunter, that's probably the case, Mevia nodded. Maybe only someone close to the church would notice.
"The common characteristic is simple. The person who meets the conditions set by the church as a Saint is chosen as the 'key.'"
"The conditions of a Saint?"
"It's better not to ask about that. You don't want to be targeted by the church when you return to Asteris, right?"
"..."
Nest kept his mouth shut. He felt nervous that he was getting closer to a truth that he shouldn't touch.
Even as a hunter, he knew the value of being a Saint. And how much the church treasures it.
It would not be allowed for someone who knows the conditions of a Saint to be outside the church.
Mevia, who probably knows most of it, continued speaking.
"I'll skip the details, but as far as I know, there are six 'keys' participating in this battle. If my prediction is correct, there should be a person among them who can break curses. Well, I don't know if they have reached that level, but at least on this earth, there is no one else with that possibility."
Bertina, who is in a coma, is probably can't do it. If she could use the power of dispelling curses, she wouldn't have been corroded like this.
Mevia didn't say it out loud, but one of them had already fallen into the hands of a demon.
If she was a user of that magic, they would need to think of another method.
Nest nodded as if pondering over the words.
"Understood. Then, I want to find that person."
"Don't worry. I have an idea of their whereabouts."
"Really? Where are they?"
Mevia took out a smoking pipe as Nest was about to stand up. Sebas lit it, and a pleasant smell filled the air.
"Calm down. The place is Japan. Most of the keys are gathered there. That will be the center of the upcoming battle."
"Japan, huh."
Mevia exhaled smoke with a sigh. In order to save Bertina, they had to go to Japan for the battle.
At the same time, she had been thinking about something all along.
"It feels uncomfortable."
"What do you mean?"
"It's like we're being manipulated by someone. Gathering in one place like this."
And it's not just any country. It's the birthplace of Silver Hero and where he lives.
Since the beginning of this God-Demon War, Mevia had been unable to remove the thorn of a small doubt.
"I have never felt that way, but any creature tends to return to the herd in the end."
"Well, that's true. But that's because it's weak. You can't survive alone, so you have to form a group."
Nest narrowed his eyes.
"That's natural. The human race is weaker than demons. I was able to protect Bertina because I didn't fight. I trapped them and hunted them down by surprise."
"It's not something to belittle. It's a strength that you can be proud of, but do you think of yourself as a hero?"
"Of course not."
Nest immediately responded to Mevia's question. He knows his own power well. That's why he was able to hunt demons and protect Bertina.
"The warriors who have the power equivalent to the Four Heroes. Many of them died in the previous God-Demon War, but there are still some alive. It's presumptuous to call myself a hero, disregarding that fact."
"I see. But you were chosen as the guardian."
Mevia spun her pipe with her finger and rested her chin on her hand. It seemed as if she was asking herself this question while talking to Nest.
"There are still individuals among the human race who can take on demons alone. The same goes for the demon side. Lord is almost in a state of destruction, but there are monsters among those with titles."
Mevia's words, who ran through the God-Demon War with the Hero, had tremendous weight.
That's why she feels a sense of incongruity in this battle.
"This Second God-Demon War is unbalanced. The selection of guardians for the 'keys' is too careless. It's painful to say this in front of you, but to put it simply, you are weak."
"It's a fact, so there's no need to worry. It's not like humans could have called for strong warriors from the beginning."
"That's the resistance that the world possesses."
That might be true. In fact, powerful demons like Larkan have entered the war due to the disappearance of one of the 'keys'.
But the sense of discomfort doesn't disappear.
Compared to previous God-Demon Wars, the conditions are too different, the selection is inconsistent. The reason for the stage being in a different world.
Above all, the existence of the 'Hero deemed as illegal'.
How dare they make him the reason for the war.
Mevia took a drag of her pipe, suppressing her boiling anger.
Along with the anger, a calm voice tells her that something is wrong. If it were an unforgivable act, there should have been some judgment during the war. It has been four years since Yuusuke was called to Asteris, there was more than enough time.
The 'keys', including Mevia, were informed of the conditions of the battle before the war started. It was a bird with two pairs of wings that delivered the message.
At least Mevia felt a presence that transcended living beings there.
The same presence as the goddess touched in prayer.
That's why she has swallowed the sense of discomfort and fought until now, but as time goes by, the thorns dig deeper.
This inexplicable feeling made her, as a Saint, doubt.
"This battle——"
Her murmurs are enveloped in smoke and disappear without reaching anyone.
Even if there are things she doesn't understand, there is no choice but to move forward.
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