Jigglypuff's Diary

Night.

The sky was clear tonight.
Though it was not quite a full moon, there were no clouds to veil the stars, so moonlight could pour onto the plaza without obstacle.
In a corner of that plaza sat a table that had been prepared prior, and a single glossy, highly reflective metal container, that was really an Iron Slime, resembling the mold used for Bavarian cream, sat on a small pedestal, inside of which was a ring borrowed from Lord Rosenberg for the purposes of exorcism.
Pure water had been poured on it, removing as many impurities as possible.
According to the documents, the ancients once used water surfaces and metal mirrors to gather moonlight.

this would be our first experiment, so we performed the ritual exactly as described; however…

“It’s not working.” [Ryouma]
“Hmm… It doesn’t seem to be completely ineffective, but…” [Rosenberg]

The exorcism of the ring wasn’t progressing at all, and even after repeating the ritual a few times, there were barely any effects.

“This ring’s curse is supposed to be easy to break, right?” [Ryouma]

“Yes, since it’s our first time, so to ensure that we’ll get some kind of reaction, I’m using a ring that’s classified as level ‘1’, the lowest difficulty according to the standards set by the Carchel Ducal House.” [Rosenberg]

“Right… So, what exactly are the differences between those difficulty levels? If I recall correctly, the curse on me that you examined before was a ‘7’, the highest difficulty.” [Ryouma]

“Right, I haven’t explained that yet, have I? Curse-breaking difficulty ranges from 0 to 7, for a total of 8 levels.
However, 0 just means that there is no curse, or it’s one that will naturally dissipate over time, so unless it’s life-threatening, there is no need to go out of your way break these curses. Inversely, a 7 is seen as unbreakable and is rarely seen, so it’s better to just not worry about them.” [Rosenberg]

Lord Rosenberg continued to explain the rest of the levels. Summarized, they are as follows:

1 = A curse that won’t lift over time, but has a chance of being broken even by a beginner’s imperfect technique.
2 = A curse that can be broken as long as the curse breaking spell is cast properly. Once you can break these, you’re close to graduating from apprentice status.
3 = Being able to break a curse of this level makes you a fully-fledged exorcist who can make a living at it.
4 = Requires an experienced exorcist that specializes specifically in the breaking of curses to handle.
5 = Only a handful of experts can handle this. If you can break this, you are top-tier.
6 = A level that requires multiple top-tier individuals working together. Breaking it alone is difficult.

“Even within the same level, the difficulty may still vary depending on the curse. If you want a more accurate measurement, you will need to use a special magic potion.” [Rosenberg]

“Like the one you used before after taking my blood?” [Ryouma]

“Yes, we can perform a more accurate analysis by gauging the change in color upon contact between the potion and the cursed object or person.” [Rosenberg]

I guess it’s a bit easier to imagine if I think of it as something like pH tests and litmus papers.
That being said, getting this result even on the easiest level is concerning.
From the documents, it’s not as if we’re lacking moonlight.
I used slime vision to observe the experiment, and there was definitely natural mana present in the space where the spell was cast, and the spell had enveloped the cursed ring and was indeed trying to purify it, but…

“Is it my fault? Am I not using the natural mana properly?” [Ryouma]

“Things have just been going too smoothly up until now. Learning curse magic is normally like this. There’s also the possibility that it’s a spell designed to gradually weaken the curse over time. Let’s not rush and instead keep observing and repeating the ritual.” [Rosenberg]

“Of course. Then we’ll leave this pedestal as is and observe the changes over time. Meanwhile, I’ll prepare another one.” [Ryouma]

And so, just like that, we continued experimenting until late at night, but we saw no real results that night.

---

The Next Day.

I spent the morning studying curse magic to improve our chance with the lost magic, but before that, to review what I’ve learned so far, we purified the miasma-tainted land again.

“Flawless. You are now able to perform purification with no problems. In that case, let us move onto the finishing touches.” [Rosenberg]

“You mean the spell for repelling the miasma?” [Ryouma]

“Yes. We’ve managed to purify the miasma that had accumulated here, but as time passes, more miasma will seep out from the ground and taint the land again. We need to keep that from leaking out to contain the spread of corruption until the next purification. The spell cast by your predecessor is still holding up, but we should reapply it before it reaches its limit. This ‘duration of effect’ becomes the baseline for scheduling purification work. Since this is your first time, Ryouma, let’s not wait until the last moment to fix the seal, and instead let us gradually extend its duration of effect.” [Rosenberg]

“Understood.” [Ryouma]

“Remember that what matters the most here is the marker used when casting a curse, also known as the ‘medium’. In your predecessor’s case, it’s that mark over there.” [Rosenberg]

Following Lord Rosenberg’s gaze, I caught sight of the mysterious marks drawn on the surrounding trees.

“You can cast a spell without a medium, but using something that makes it easier to visualize increases the effect and duration of the spell. Normally, you would solidify your image by handling actual mediums while assisting and receiving guidance from a mentor, but in your case, just use whatever image you feel suits your spell.” [Rosenberg]

“Something suited to ward off miasma…” [Ryouma]

“There’s no need to overthink it. You already use smoke as a medium for your purification spell. It’s the exact same thing. Something that naturally comes to your mind, something you can intuitively visualize without thinking too much. People do sometimes use seemingly unrelated objects, but they typically do so with other motives, such as to prevent a misfire or to prevent their peers from learning their spells. For now, there’s no need to consider all of that, so just try whatever is simplest for you.” [Ryouma]

I did as Lord Rosenberg instructed, and I pulled a “tiger rope” from my item box, or more specifically that black-and-yellow rope you often see at construction sites. I had made it when we decided to survey the mountain, thinking it might come in handy, but who would’ve thought I’d end up using it as a medium for exorcism.

Regardless, I managed to perfectly recreate the tiger rope from my previous life, so it’s more than durable as a rope.
I’m quite familiar with these ropes because of all my experience at part time jobs.
And there’s also the concept of “roping off” a territory, not to mention that ropes like the shimenawa, a length of rice straw or hemp rope used to mark the boundary between the mundane world and a sacred space, at shrines have been used for ritualistic events.
In that regard, this rope should serve perfectly to help with my visualization.

I told Lord Rosenberg that I’ve decided and immediately started work at the spell.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my mind and recalled the feeling of shutting myself away in the forest.
Then, I chanted.

“‘Isolation’!” [Ryouma]

I tried casting the curse at the rope in my hand, and immediately, the difference was visceral, strange even, as though the mana was soaking the object so much more easily than when I’d cursed a pebble once.
It was just like a plant taking root in the earth, drinking ferociously to sate its thirst.
The curse emanating from the rope was palpable, and yet it felt more stable?

“Lord Rosenberg, this feeling is quite unlike anything until now.” [Ryouma]

“That is most likely because your internal image and medium are perfectly in sync. We can expect a much longer seal then, but…” [Rosenberg]

“But?” [Ryouma]

Lord Rosenberg slowly held his right hand over the tiger rope I was holding, and a faint mana emanated from his palm, enveloping the rope in his color, then a few seconds later, he nodded.

“The spell was successful, but beyond the miasma-repelling effect, you seem to have enchanted other properties as well, properties to ward off people and beasts.” [Rosenberg]

“Warding off people and beasts? Why would it do that?” [Ryouma]

“I presume you must have visualized something related to solitude. You succeeded, so much so, that other aspects of the concept of solitude seeped into the rope as well, resulting in these additional effects. It is a rare case, but not entirely unheard of.” [Rosenberg]

The human ward was probably because of my desire to isolate from others, and the beast ward was probably because I consider this my territory.
Just as Lord Rosenberg says, I guess it really was because of my visualization.
Fortunately, this suits us just fine, so there’s no problem using this rope here, but I definitely need to be careful about producing unintended effects.

“In any case, you have succeeded at casting the seal. With your learning speed, I’m sure you will get used to controlling the additional effects before long.
Just don’t forget the sensation you felt this time, and familiarize yourself with it through repetition.
As for the lost magic, using this same approach might bring you closer to success, so let’s continue our trial and error from the angle of finding unique methods and mediums unique to you.
Also, other than mediums, you also have the option of using a staff or other magic tools for assistance, there isn’t just one method.” [Rosenberg]

“Understood. Please continue to instruct me moving forward.” [Ryouma]

“…Excuse me. Might I interuppt?” [Sebas]

Waiting for a break in our conversation, Sebas, who had been watching over us from a slight distance, chimed in.
This was unusual, as he generally stood back precisely to avoid interrupting us unless we spoke to him first.

Lord Rosenberg gladly beckoned at him, allowing Sebas to speak.

“Lord Rosenberg. How wide is the area of effect for that rope? Also, what kind of effects might it have?” [Sebas]

“I believe the range shouldn’t be very wide.
As long as you don’t intentionally try to touch it, you could walk right next to it without being affected, even if you hadn’t cast a protective spell beforehand like us.
Even if someone were affected, I sense no intent to cause physical or mental harm.
They would simply feel a desire not to approach it; there is no danger.
Rather than ‘repelling’, it might be more accurate to say that it ‘separates’ or rather ‘isolates’.” [Rosenberg]

“Oh… Then can that rope be used in places where Sir Ryouma is not present?” [Sebas]

“It is possible. Though that assumes you have personnel capable of countering the curse placed on the rope with protective magic.” [Rosenberg]

Sebas seems awfully interested in that rope.
Perhaps noticing my puzzled gaze, he bowed with an “excuse me” before explaining his reasoning.

Apparently, a construction boom is occurring all over the Jamil Ducal territory.
I had heard from Reinhardt before that there were plans to develop a new village, while closer to home, plans were moving forward to even build a new city next to Gimuru.
So, Sebas believes that this rope would likely be in high demand for those construction sites.

“Bandits, monsters, and wild animals, danger goes hand-in-hand with land development, so I thought this rope might help ensure the safety of the workers.
Moreover, if it can be used simply by stringing the rope together, it should also be much simpler and faster to set up than needing to dig a moat or even build an outer wall.
Even in cases outside of special circumstances like the mass development that we are undergoing now, there are plenty of other use cases such as enclosing farmlands in agricultural villages to reduce damage from wild beasts and monsters.
Not only could it lead to improved crop yields, it would also save lives.
There are many other places where one wouldn’t want unauthorized people entering, so there’s no shortage of ways to use this rope.” [Sebas]

“It certainly might work as a substitute for a simple wall.
Though it would be limited strictly to preventing intrusions.
Against nuisance animals, I guess it could be used like an electric fence.
So there’s potential for it to be utilized across a wide range of areas, and demand is particularly high right now.” [Ryouma]

“As for its effectiveness, Lord Rosenberg just guaranteed it, so I have no doubts. If there are no objections, I would like this matter to be reported posthaste.” [Sebas]

At the mention of reporting, I looked over at Eleonora, who was taking notes in the background again today. Seeing her nod firmly, it seemed she was willing to take on this task as well.

“Alright, then I’ll leave the report to you, Eleonora. However, since we still don’t know the full extent of its practical application, let’s start by doing various experiments, including our work here.” [Ryouma]

“Lord Takebayashi, I believe things will proceed more smoothly afterward if we also include a report regarding to what extent mass production may be possible.” [Sebas]

“Ah… well, for now, I should have enough tiger rope in stock to surround the miasma-tainted land here. If a slight degradation in effectiveness is acceptable, I feel like it should be entirely possible to cast the curse on the kind of rope you’d find sold at any general store around here, though I’m just speaking from intuition.” [Ryouma]

“Making them tailored to their intended use is also an option. If you narrow down the target to a single objective and don’t disperse the power, the efficacy should increase. Doing so will also serve as good practice for controlling your curses.” [Rosenberg]

That’s a good idea.
I have plenty of mana…
So, while I’m at it, maybe I should use rope cursed with a human ward to enclose not just this miasma-tainted land, but the mountain as well to keep strange people out?
But if I do that, I definitely won’t have enough rope in stock.

“In that case, I shall go and purchase some in a nearby town. Unless you have specific requirements, we should be able to acquire a decent amount anywhere.” [Eleonora]

“Thank you. That would be a huge help. As for the money—” [Ryouma]

“We will cover the expenses for now. It’s faster that way.” [Sebas]

“Ah… True, it would probably make it easier to get accommodations even when dropping in unannounced. Understood, please give me the receipt later. Also, since we’re still in the experimental phase this time, please keep the quantity to an amount that won’t inconvenience the shop you buy from.” [Ryouma]

“Understood. I shall take my leave, then.” [Sebas]

Sebas gave a graceful bow and disappeared using spatial magic.

Casting curses isn’t particularly difficult for me, and I can probably curse a certain amount in bulk.
The bottleneck for mass production will require the securing of a continuous supply route for the rope, rather than labor.

…Speaking of which, just what was that magic Lord Rosenberg used to see through the details of the curse? He used it on me before too, so I imagine it’s something close to the neutral spells, “Detection” or “Appraisal”, but I guess I’ll just have to ask about that next time we study curse breaking.

While pondering such things, the rest of us got to work stringing the rope around the trees surrounding the miasma-tainted land.

Tl Note:
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