NOVEL WEB Chapter 20
I finally made it outside the Guild.
“Hey, can you back off a little? Everyone’s staring at us.”
“Nope.”
“Aren is telling you to back off… Eek, back off already!”
Gwaak.
“I’m not letting go!”
Yeriell, not able to bear it any longer, tried to pull her off, but of course, no movement at all.
Seriously stubborn. Isn’t this tiring?
Should I just close my eyes, pull my hand away, and toss her to the ground? Nah, she’d just cling back on.
Anyway, it’s not like I can detach her and run away; I’ve got to go back to the Guild tomorrow, and if I just sit inside waiting, things will only get worse before I even get trained.
I have to resolve this somehow today.
Holding her steady, I started to think slowly.
‘After reading that system window earlier, I get why this is happening…’
Maybe it’s because the darkness that surrounded her since birth felt her trait and disappeared. She’s probably so desperate because if she moves away from me, the curse will activate again and spread her unhappiness everywhere.
‘But that’s ultimately her problem. I feel sorry for her, but it’s not okay to just cling to me like this, right?’
Hah. What if rumors spread all over the Guild tomorrow? I must have looked so ridiculous earlier.
Looking around, passersby were cringing at my state and making dismissive sounds as they walked by.
“Oh my, what’s going on with those grown men and women hugging outside?”
“What’s that? The one with black hair and cat ears? Isn’t that Aral? They say being near him brings misfortune… Ugh. I’m getting anxious. I should just stay in the Inn today.”
“That guy’s clinging so tightly. Isn’t he about to die? Tsk tsk. No matter how hungry you are for women, that’s a bit much. What an idiot.”
‘Damn it, I can hear you, you jerks!’
Hmm?
Feeling a vibration, I looked down to see Lumia clinging tightly, her body trembling slightly.
If I tilt my head down, I can see her lips tightly sealed and her face betraying no emotion.
She’s trying to act fine, but right now, she’s trembling in hurt.
‘Huh… I can’t treat her harshly knowing what’s going on. Let’s calm her down first, then let’s hear what she has to say.’
Huff.
At my sigh, Lumia looked up at me.
Ignoring her gaze, I wrapped my arms around her shaky body.
“…Huh?”
Lumia’s body went stiff, and her eyes went wide.
Swish, swish.
I cautiously pulled one hand away, starting to gently pet her cat ears and hair.
“…Ahh.”
Her trembling body calmed down, and it seemed like her tightly wrapped legs around me loosened.
“Ugh, uhh.”
Wait, why are you suddenly about to cry?
“Hey, don’t cry. Just listen to me.”
She nodded, still on the verge of tears.
“Even if I say this, nobody here can hurt you. And because of your curse, nobody will get hurt by you either.”
I flicked my hand like tossing away trash and continued.
“So just forget those random nasty comments, like trash tossed aside. If you get hurt by things that some random person says, only you will suffer, right?”
Poke.
I pressed her ears once and fixed her messy hair.
“Now that you’re calmed down, can you let go of me? Don’t worry, I won’t run away. I promise.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
“Then, promise.”
Lumia extended her pinky. She wants me to link fingers, right?
After locking fingers with her, she finally felt reassured and fully let go of me.
[Chaos smiles and tells you to look beside you.]
‘Beside me?’
Following that advice, I looked over to see Yeriell’s cheeks puffed up like a balloon.
“…Yeriell, why are your cheeks like that?”
“Hmph. Aren’s an idiot. Do you treat all women so kindly?”
“No, I had to resolve the issue. I felt sorry for her. You heard what the people said, right?”
“I know. I know. But, I don’t care! Just give me your hand!”
Yeriell placed her hand above her head and said.
“Pet me! Even more than you did for that person!”
Pat pat.
I patted her vigorously.
“Feel better now?”
“Yeah! It’s just that hugging and petting a stranger felt so weird, I was a bit worried. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s no big deal.”
Bump.
Just as I thought my conversation with Yeriell was wrapping up, Lumia poked me in the side.
“Well, it’s time to finish this. What do you want from me?”
“First, ease up on the formalities with me.”
Sure. I’ve been feeling awkward using honorifics all this time.
“Okay. What did you cause such a commotion about in the Guild? If it seems like the conversation will take a while, should we go to where you’re staying and continue talking?”
“Sounds good. Follow me.”
Leading Lumia back to the Inn where Yeriell and I were staying made sense since, thanks to my trait, the darkness was deactivated, but proving that immediately could get us all kicked out.
Heading to where Lumia resides should reduce the chance of that happening.
As I followed her, an unfamiliar place appeared.
‘A carriage station?’
Thinking about it, considering how vast the 4th area is, it makes sense to have transportation.
Reaching the entrance from the Knights’ area takes only an hour or two by walking, so I hadn’t thought about taking a carriage until now.
“Are we taking a carriage? Is it for another area?”
“Nope, just the edge of the 4th area.”
Oh, it’s not too far, then.
“Five coins each.”
We paid our fare and boarded the carriage.
…
“We’ve arrived.”
After about an hour, we got off the carriage.
Maybe it’s because the roads were well-paved, but thankfully we arrived comfortably without the usual bumpy carriage experience that leaves your backside aching.
“Here it is.”
It definitely looked a bit shabby compared to the Inn we stayed at yesterday.
Upon opening the door, an elder welcomed Lumia.
“Welcome, Lumia! Did everything go well? …Oh my, you brought guests! Two of them, even! Now, that’s surprising!”
So this is the Innkeeper, huh?
“Hi there. I have some important things to discuss with Lumia. Can we talk in a room?”
“Well, I don’t see why not. Go ahead and talk. If you need any meals, just let me know downstairs.”
After acknowledging, I followed Lumia to a room on the 2nd floor.
“Grandpa’s a good guy. He treated me fairly.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, he seems nice. Now, shall we talk?”
“Sure. Let’s get to the point.”
Lumia pointed at me.
“I want to party with you. If possible, for a long time.”
“Is it because your cursed darkness disappears when I’m by your side?”
Lumia nodded once but then shook her head.
“Initially, yes. But that’s not the only reason.”
Then what?
“…The darkness that killed my parents and ruined my life will disappear if it stands by you. That’s definitely the biggest reason. You don’t know how shocked I was.”
She stepped closer to me. I stood still to see what she would do, and she softly hugged me.
“Wh-what are you doing?! You’re not letting go?!”
Ignoring Yeriell’s shocked shout, Lumia opened her mouth.
“I’ve hardly felt any positive emotions in my life. But today, when you hugged me and calmed me down, I felt something strange.”
“…”
“It was definitely… much warmer and pleasant than any positive feelings I had ever experienced.”
Lumia looked up at me.
“Everyone else is the same. They either stand a little too close or avoid contact entirely, treating me like I’m walking disease, not a person.”
I can understand others’ perspectives to some extent, but for the one affected, it must have felt utterly crushing.
“In such a situation, you were the only one who hugged me kindly and rubbed my ears. That’s why I started wanting to be by your side.”
…She must feel deeply deprived. I can understand why, considering the conversations I overheard at the next table.
“I might look like a powerful witch who specializes in dark magic, and I have decent stats too, but I really want to party with you. Is that okay?”
What do I do?
Since I’ve already formed a party with Yeriell, I can’t decide this alone.
“Yeriell, what do you think? If you don’t want it since we’re a party of two, I’ll refuse.”
Yeriell closed her eyes and started thinking.
“I’ll speak informally too.”
“Okay.”
“I have one question. You said you use dark magic, right? Then can you also use curse magic?”
Lumia answered immediately.
“Yep. Curse magic falls under dark magic, so it’s possible. I’m not an expert in curses, but as long as I have a catalyst, I can cast most beginner curses.”
“Then you can use the ‘Tracking Arrow Curse’?”
Lumia rolled her eyes, deep in thought.
“…Yeah. It’s barely within my abilities. But I need blood or hair from the target. It won’t work if it’s not from that exact person.”
Yeriell looked at me and smiled.
“Aren, I was initially going to oppose, but I think it’s best to accept. Did you just hear? She can use the curse you were looking for.”
I nodded.
“To be honest, I wasn’t fond of what happened in the Guild earlier, and seeing you cling to Aren bothers me too. But she’s really someone you need right now. I’ll support it.”
Yeriell is really quite deep. If she were going to oppose, she would have just flatly declined.
“Okay. So that settles it then. Let’s start with introductions. My name is Aren. I’m a frontline dealer who handles one-handed swords. What’s your name?”
“Call me Lumia. My specialty is dark magic.”
“I’m Priest Yeriell of the Light Church. …You! Stop clinging to Aren!”
Now that we have a new party member, I hope we can grow closer…
But no matter how I talk about curses now, I need to go to the Guild tomorrow to get Isaac’s blood or hair.
For now, let’s just bond as a trio.
Tomorrow, we’ll take the carriage to the Guild, and after my training finishes, I’ll see if I can grab Isaac by the hair or just draw a little blood from him.
That guy’s always showing off, so I’m sure I can get him to spar with me.
Anyway, for erasing the awkwardness and fostering camaraderie, drinks and delicious food are a must.
“Alright! To celebrate Lumia joining us, I’ll buy us drinks and a meal. Yeriell, let’s go downstairs together first.”
“Got it! I was just feeling hungry anyway.”
“Lumia, can you change into something comfortable before coming down? I’ll order food while waiting.”
She nodded.
I headed downstairs and ordered food and drinks.
Sitting at the table, I chatted with Yeriell.
“Thanks, Yeriell. I thought you’d just refuse to accept her as a party member, but you instead supported me saying her curse magic would help me…”
“Not at all. I watched you looking so down; how could I oppose? Don’t worry about it.”
Just as I was about to say more, Lumia came down from the 2nd floor and took a seat.
…
Is that what she calls comfortable clothing? Well, it’s not my place to judge.
“By the way, Yeriell. Can priests not drink?”
“It’s fine! The Light Church isn’t that strict.”
“Really? Good. Then let’s all raise a glass and toast to our new party member, Lumia, and the future of our party!”
Cheers!
Wow, I was worried about the uproar at the Guild earlier.
But here we are, gaining a new party member instead. Life sure is unpredictable.
Let’s just relax tonight and start fresh tomorrow.