“You’re awake, I see.” [???]
Someone is here, but… I don’t recognize her. A little girl? I feel like I’ve seen her, yet at the same time, I feel like I haven’t…
“More like you woke him up. Though it seems he’s not fully awake just yet.” [Gayn]
Gayn… Oh, right. I was receiving treatment. How much time has passed?
“Are you feeling alright?” [Gayn]
“Yeah… Is it over…?” [Ryouma]
I was still in a daze, but my condition wasn’t by any means bad. I tried getting up and saw that Kufo and Rurutia were here too. Tekun and Fernoberia-sama also came a moment later.
“Why’s Tekun here too?” [Ryouma]
“Gayn called me to make sure your treatment goes smoothly.” [Tekun]
“The longer the time you can stay here, the more thorough the treatment, after all.” [Fernoberia]
Oh, right! My time here was limited!
“I see. Thank you.” [Ryouma]
“Don’t sweat it. Here, have a drink.” [Tekun]
As Tekun said that, he filled a cup with liquor and handed it to me. There’s always liquor when I meet him.
“Drink? Right now?” [Ryouma]
“Yeah, drink up.” [Tekun]
I took a mouthful as he told me to, and a heat unlike that of alcohol filled my body.
“…What is this?” [Ryouma]
“Medicinal liquor. It has a calming effect on the mind and is also a stimulant. It’s just the perfect medicine for you right now, don’t you think?” [Tekun]
“Ah, I’m awake now.” [Ryouma]
He called it medicinal liquor, so it’s still liquor, but I hardly feel anything from the alcohol. Rather than get me drunk, it gives me a refreshed feeling like that of mint, rousing my sleepy mind.
It was at this point that I finally noticed it.
“Oh, right. Just now, I think I saw a goddess I don’t know――” [Ryouma]
“I’m here.” [???]
“!?” [Ryouma]
Before I knew it, there was a goddess in the form of a young girl with golden hair and emerald eyes standing behind me. She was dressed in gothloli-like fashion, and her expression was hard to read. Not to be rude or anything, but she kind of gives me a similar impression as that of Bisque Doll. I wonder if she’s Manoairoa-sama or Meltreze-sama?
“It’s a pleasure—” [Ryouma]
“I’ve heard of you, Takebayashi Ryouma, the current otherworlder.” [Meltrize]
“—Yes.” [Ryouma]
“I am the Goddess of Death and Sleep, Meltrize. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” [Meltrize]
“The pleasure is mine.” [Ryouma]
“Now then, shall we move on to the explanation?” [Meltrize]
“Wait a moment. The two of you are meeting for the first time.” [Tekun]
“You can’t just move the conversation ahead like that without greeting each other properly.” [Kufo]
“I’ve already heard about him. He can’t stay here for long, so we should prioritize the more important topic.” [Meltrize]
Meltrize-sama wanted to get into the main topic right away, but Tekun and Kufo stopped her. However, while they spoke at first, they soon fell quiet. They were probably still conversing among themselves, only in a way unique to gods. I couldn’t hear their voices, but from the way Meltrize-sama was behaving, I could more or less tell what kind of personality she has.
I had a similar subordinate in my past life who was often thought to be lacking manners because he was always too blunt and curt. I try to mindful of that myself, but I can’t help but sometimes display similar traits.
…Whenever I pulled that off with my scary face, my superiors would think I was being impertinent, while my subordinates would cower. Maybe she’s the same.
“I don’t care about it as much as you. To be more precise, there is no one I need to care about. But you’re not wrong.” [Meltrize]
I didn’t say it out loud, but she still heard.
“I don’t mind. You haven’t soured my mood. If anything, I think it’s good that you’re quick on the uptake. You can just refer to me as Meltrize. There’s no need to be formal too.” [Meltrize]
“I’m just glad I didn’t offend you.” [Ryouma]
“More importantly, let’s move on to the main topic already.” [Meltrize]
“In that case, let me begin by talking about the curse that’s been cast on Ryouma-kun. The curse has yet to be dispelled.” [Gayn]
Gayn said with a face that looked as though he’d eaten something bitter. But the situation did not seem dangerous by any means, so I just quietly waited for him to continue.
“It’s troublesome, but the fragment of the demon king that was hidden in the magic stone managed to flee into your soul through the curse… Think of it as a parasite. The will contained is so sparse that it might as well not exist. It had merely acted on instinct to avoid being destroyed.
We could remove the curse and the fragment right now, but doing so forcefully would put needless burden on your soul. So I didn’t remove everything, but I did do something to suppress the remaining curse.
If we apply the same treatment several times regularly, we should be able to safely remove the curse and the fragment. It’s laborious, I know, but you’ll have to drop by regularly. The time could shorten or extend depending on the situation, but… Let’s set your treatment to a once a month for the year, so a total of 12 treatments for now.” [Gayn]
“So it’s like regularly going to the hospital for treatment then? That’s no problem, and if anything, I’d say it’s more laborious for you. Anyhow, I’ll be in your care.” [Ryouma]
“It doesn’t seem like it’ll have any effect on your body for now, but just in case, there’s a few things you should keep in mind until the curse is completely dispelled.” [Gayn]
The treatment of illnesses, their symptoms, and the medicines prescribed could restrict one’s daily life, so it’s important to follow the doctor’s instructions, but that was only a given.
“The curse cast on you is – for convenience’s sake – let us call it the ‘Curse of Isolation’. It worsens your relationship with other people.” [Gayn]
“That’s not good.” [Ryouma]
“Indeed. This curse stimulates your malice, and things normally found bearable will be unbearable. It is a curse that incites. As a result, your relationship with others will worsen, and you will be isolated from those around you.” [Gayn]
“…Hmm? Just to confirm, I’ve already been afflicted with that curse, right? But I went back with Reinbach-sama and the others, and we even got to the church together, yet I didn’t exhibit any such behavior. The dragon did look like it had a bone to pick with me, though.” [Ryouma]
“That’s because you’ve already developed a bond among yourselves. I’ve said it many times before, and I shall say it again, the source of the curse is a ‘fragment’ of the demon king. Its power has greatly diminished compared to the original. Had it possessed its original strength, it would have been able to unconditionally make you hated by everyone else other than yourself. But of course, were it that strong, there would have been no reason for it to afflict a lone person with such a curse in the first place.” [Gayn]
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