It was dark outside when we left the tower. It wasn’t late by any means, but there were thick clouds draped over the sky. From the humidity in the air and the scent, it seemed as though it could rain at any time. In any case, we went back to the building we stayed at last night and talked about our future course.
As a result, we decided to stay another night and return to the city in the morning. We came to that decision after considering the weather, the time, and the seeming lack of urgency of my curse. There were no symptoms anyway, and apparently, we’d spent more time at the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst than we’d thought. We’ve fought so much, and there was a way to get back quickly anyway once the rain stops, so we decided to just take our time and get some much needed rest.
I had some time to myself again, but there wasn’t anything in particular that I wanted to do. It was still too early to start preparing supper too, so we just chatted about idly, while Sebasu made tea, and before anyone knew it, we were having a fancy session of tea time. Soon, the rain started to fall, and it gradually became stronger.
…It’s raining harder than I expected. It’s a good thing I sent my goblins and slimes back into my Dimension Home.
“Ryouma-kun, how are you feeling?” [Reinbach]
“…I’m okay, but I feel like my mana is recovering faster than usual. I’m pretty sure I used quite a bit back at the tower, and yet I feel as though I’ve already recovered about 90% of my mana pool.” [Ryouma]
“That might be due to the abundance of mana in this land. In the first place, mana recovery is something that occurs by taking in the mana that exists in nature – by breathing or by eating. That’s why you can get more mana from the same breath in places rich in mana. That might not be the case if there were still miasma here, but after being cleansed, the rate of mana recovery in this land is sure to increase.
Places rich in mana do have some risk to them, as both powerful monsters and undead are more likely to spawn in them, but there are still plenty of mages that use such places for training or research.” [Remilie]
Being able to recover mana faster certainly would allow one to practice more spells. It might not be a bad idea to make a base geared toward magic training for myself. I’m planning to go to the Great Shurus Forest anyway, so I might as well take that opportunity to see if the idea is possible.
“I see, well in any case, if it’s just because of the land, then I’m probably really fine, after all. Because that’s the only thing I can feel that’s different about me.” [Ryouma]
“…I was once injured during a mission, so I had a curse placed on me to numb my sense of pain. Curses are usually malicious, but depending on the situation, you might be able to use them to your advantage. Maybe the curse you got is something like that.” [Schieber]
“It’s possible, though I’ve never heard of a curse that increases your mana recovery rate.” [Remilie]
“Curses are malicious by nature, so if it’s a curse that increases your mana recovery rate, then maybe that’s supposed to harm you somehow. In which case, the only thing that comes to mind is Mana Intoxication, so… Yeah. Maybe it’s trying to get you drunk.” [Remilie]
If so, then I better use a lot of mana in one go to test that hypothesis.
“You better not. The possibility is there, sure, but there’s nothing to prove it, and there’s no reason to go out of your way to do something that might worsen your situation. If you’re fine, then the safest approach is to not use your mana and just maintain your current situation. Also, get a lot of rest.” [Remilie]
“Indeed. For the meantime, let’s just keep an eye on Ryouma until we can get him a specialist. We’ll take on the guard duty too.” [Reinbach]
They’re saying that out of consideration for me, so I might as well oblige, but it was then that I realized what the downside of the curse was.
“Ryouma-sama? Is something the matter?” [Sebasu]
“Umm… Since I’m supposed to avoid using mana, I take it that means I’m not allow to train or experiment?” [Ryouma]
“Wouldn’t it be better to refrain for now?” [Schieber]
“I see you’re as zealous as ever.” [Reinbach]
“! So that really was the case…” [Ryouma]
I finally got some time on my hands and was somewhere the mana recovery rate was faster and yet I’m not allowed to use magic!? What an insidious curse!
“So that’s how it is. Indeed, that might be hard for someone like you who enjoys magic training so much.” [Reinbach]
“So much so in fact that he suggested that the young lady try playing with magic when she asked for advice.” [Sebasu]
“You’ve tinkered so much with magic these past few days too. Being so zealous with one’s studies has its problems too, I see.” [Schieber]
There was a hint of dismay in the gentle smiles worn by the men. It’s true that I’ve done all sort of things, but that is that, and this is this. Because of this little trip of ours, there are all sorts of things that I want to study and a lot of things that I want to try out.
When I told them that, Remilie-san started laughing.
“If you’re that curious, then you might as well try it. I’m sure using a little bit of mana is fine. And I’m sure constraining you too much is just as bad, but be sure not to train to the point of exhaustion. Stress can stimulate curses, and it’s not good for the body either.” [Remilie]
“Really? That’s great then!” [Ryouma]
“Yes, but just to be safe, do it only while I’m watching until we can get a specialist to check up on you. As Reinbach-chan says, you have a tendency to lose yourself in your passions.” [Remilie]
“That’s…” [Ryouma]
When she puts it that way, I can’t exactly complain.
“It’s good to have something you can be passionate about. Both for the body and the mind. Oh, right. I promised to teach you a spell to resist curses, didn’t I? I’ll teach you after we finish tea.” [Remilie]
“! Really? That’s great. This last incident made me realize just how important it was to learn how to deal with curses.” [Ryouma]
“In that case, I’ll teach you the light spell, Dispel, and the dark spell, Anti-Curse.” [Remilie]
“Thank you so much.” [Ryouma]
We continued to chat over tea after that, then when teatime was over, we started our training at a corner of the building.
“First of all, just what is a curse? Let’s have you experience the answer to that yourself. 『Illness 』” [Remilie]
Remilie-san picked up a nearby stone and chanted a spell, then a dark and mysterious mana enveloped the area around the stone.
“Try carrying this. Just drop it if it hurts.” [Remilie]
I did as she told me to, and my body began to get hot. The heat left as soon as I let go of the stone.
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