Ch 138
“Wait. Something’s fishy?”
Lisir added more intensity to his eyes as he looked at The Asking Left Hand.
“Fishy?”
Jane, who had awkwardly stiffened while pointing her Holy Sword at The Asking Left Hand.
He listened intently to Lisir’s words.
“That guy, who was acting cocky even when pointed at with a Holy Sword, suddenly changed his attitude without any reason. Isn’t there some other ulterior motive?”
The Asking Left Hand.
It was an abomination that had driven countless people to ruin.
In fact, the Hero Party had almost met their ruin because of it.
Lisir did not easily dismiss his caution and doubt about it.
To Lisir, Felix cautiously said.
“In my opinion, it seems like it’s because of that.”
“Yes?”
Lisir looked at his own flames belatedly, then said.
“Oh, come on. That’s impossible. Duke Pallag just said it, didn’t he? That it’s something like a Golem, and that it absolutely never acts outside the rules. Would it suddenly change its attitude because of this kind of thing? In reality, it didn’t even flinch when pointed at with a Holy Sword! It doesn’t have eyes, because it’s a hand. Haha.”
The final joke was terrible enough to glare at if it weren’t Lisir, but the rest of the content was more than enough to touch their hearts.
I’m a Hero…
I’m a Holy Sword…
I’m a Former Tower Master…
Lisir’s statement was one that saved the face of those whose dignity had been damaged by The Asking Left Hand’s sudden actions.
-Exactly! That makes sense! As Lisir said, it didn’t yield even to the threat of the Holy Sword!?
“Well said, Lisir. It’s not a kind fairy that grants people’s requests, but an abomination that spreads ruin. Even repeated caution is not enough.”
“Then, as Lisir said, shall we continue to listen to what that thing says for now? Felix, are you alright? Even if we can’t make demands of it.”
“Even after suffering that, to foolishly rush in headfirst, that’s not bravery, it’s stupidity. Lisir is right. It must have ulterior motives.”
They enthusiastically agreed with Lisir’s opinion.
“Oh…”
Lisir was moved.
To receive such fervent trust without any price（?）.
Nod.
Nod!
Silent exchange of trust!
Lisir, receiving their full support, proceeded to interrogate The Asking Left Hand.
“This is not a request. I will ask you.”
-Speak.
“What is the reason? Why did you suddenly change your stance and say you’ll grant our requests?”
-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never said such a thing.
Right!
As soon as they expressed their doubts and pressed it, The Asking Left Hand immediately played dumb, causing them to cheer inwardly.
Lisir was right.
They almost fell for its trick and made another mistake.
It was a bonus to have escaped the crisis where their pride would have been hurt by blatant discrimination.
Yes. A bonus indeed.
They were satisfied and showed even more enthusiastic support for Lisir.
You’re doing great!
Push it even harder!
Nod.
Nod!
Lisir, wanting to meet their expectations, spoke to The Asking Left Hand.
“No. You clearly said that you would absolutely not grant any requests unless we paid a price.
Yet, you suddenly changed your attitude and said you would grant our requests. Tell me the reason. If I don’t get a satisfactory answer, I will destroy you after this question.”
-I never said I would grant your requests. I only said I would grant your request.
“Huh?”
Is it a play on words?
Lisir wasn’t soft enough to readily accept the abomination’s favor.
He persistently doubted it.
“Why would you only grant my request? Could it be because I fulfilled your request?”
-No. Fulfilling the request only harmed me. I suffered extreme damage because of you.
“But why?”
-Because I am afraid of you.
An unemotional opinion spoken in a matter-of-fact tone.
Lisir’s reaction was not favorable.
‘Whether I’m destroyed by a Holy Sword or by you, it’s the same thing, isn’t it?’
Even according to Pallag, it was a type of Golem.
What kind of Golem would abandon its principles of action because of fear?
He naturally didn’t believe The Asking Left Hand’s words, and judged that it was trying to deceive them.
Lisir looked at his party.
Surely they too would have reached a simple conclusion.
Sure enough.
Their expressions were firm.
Pallag said.
“Lisir. Did you hear?”
“Yes. I heard. It’s absurd━”
“It seems like we can believe it.”
“?”
Senility, perhaps?
Lisir briefly entertained a thought that was quite disrespectful to the Archmage.
“Believe it? Are you talking about that thing?”
“Yes. Hearing it speak, it seems to possess both intuitive judgment and the ability to understand situations. It must be an object made of things… I can’t even guess how many years it has accumulated power. It’s clearly a spiritual being.”
“…”
Did we hear the same thing?
Lisir looked at the reactions of the others, confused.
They all had understanding faces.
Reactions that it seemed safe to make requests to The Asking Left Hand.
“No…”
Lisir looked at them as if they were strange people.
“””…”””
They were dumbfounded.
✦✦✦
Anyway.
Once the atmosphere settled down, Lisir began to speak.
“Even if that thing has submitted to us, is it right to make demands of it carelessly? Judging by how it operates, making careless demands would be perfect for ruining one’s life.”
Everyone agreed with Lisir’s words.
It is an abomination that spreads ruin.
Even if they made a moderate request to it, there was no guarantee that it would be fulfilled in a truly moderate way.
“Until we understand the exact nature of that abomination, using it carelessly is a bad idea. Pocena, do you know anything?”
-No.
The Holy Sword Pocena immediately answered Felix’s question.
-Currently, I know practically nothing about it.
“Let me tell you in advance, I’m the same.”
“Me too.”
“The texts we read… we actually went through that because of it, so it’s best not to be too confident.”
Pocena. Pallag. Belota. Tilla.
The knowledgeable people of the place expressed their difficulties in succession.
They said in unison.
That it would take a considerable amount of time to figure out the exact nature of The Asking Left Hand and use it correctly.
-Let me tell you something.
The Asking Left Hand chimed in at that moment.
-I am the source of the curse. All requests and prices that go through me are fulfilled in the form of a curse. For example, in the past, there was someone who requested eternal life from me. He became a moving corpse, living an eternal life in a state of neither being dead nor alive. If you intend to request something from me, keep that in mind, and use it to vent your malice and hostility.
Even a chef explaining a dish to a VIP wouldn’t be that kind.
It was an explanation that naturally gave rise to such a thought.
Pallag, bewildered, asked.
“Does it usually give such detailed advance notice?”
-The ruin of the Contractor is the source of my power. When they are ruined, the power they possessed becomes mine. Therefore, I deceive the Contractors so that they do not understand the nature of my power and the essence of the contract as much as possible.
“But, is this an exception?”
The Asking Left Hand pointed at Lisir with its index finger.
-It’s to prevent you from blaming me later.
“I see. Well done, Lisir. If it weren’t for you, it would have taken us a tremendous amount of time to fully understand that abomination.”
“?”
I didn’t do anything.
Lisir awkwardly accepted their respectful gazes.
“An object that grants wishes by inflicting curses. I already had a vague idea, but it was a far more ominous object than I expected, wasn’t it?”
Dray looked at The Asking Left Hand with shining, interested eyes.
Then Pallag looked at Felix and said.
“You managed to find and bring such an object.”
Felix smiled wryly.
Pallag continued.
“It’s a good thing Lisir was nearby. We almost had a big problem.”
“I agree. If Lisir hadn’t been nearby, we would have…”
You’re talking about people like emergency medicine.
Leaving Lisir’s dissatisfaction behind, Felix began to talk with his comrades.
Eventually, he spoke to Lisir.
“Lisir. I’ve been thinking, and I think it’s right for you to have this object.”
Wow.
Dray looked at Lisir with envy from the side.
The Asking Left Hand was a dangerous abomination, but at the same time, a powerful artifact.
Its value was difficult to put a price on.
“Considering your performance in this incident, and more importantly, you can use this object without side effects.”
Felix’s decision was reasonable, but at the same time, radical.
It wasn’t easy to cleanly give up ownership, having personally experienced the power of the artifact.
Everyone in the place respected Felix’s judgment and sent congratulatory glances to Lisir.
“…”
Lisir seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then spoke to Felix.
“By the way, what kind of request were you going to make to this Asking Left Hand?”
“Ah, that’s━”
Felix exchanged glances with his comrade Tilla before continuing.
“Actually, we’re being pursued right now.”
“Pursued?”
“Yes.”
Felix showed the Holy Sword Pocena, which was sheathed at his waist.
“By someone who is after this Holy Sword.”
No.
Heroes have extremely difficult jobs.
How do you deal with this?
Recalling the previous Face Thief incident, Lisir looked at Dray and Pallag with that expression.
Dray smiled wryly and said.
“Actually, that’s less the burden of a hero and more the destiny of someone who possesses treasure. Treasures with fame as widespread as a Holy Sword across the continent are rare.”
“To covet a Holy Sword, they must not be an ordinary person.”
Pallag’s words caused Felix to nod seriously.
Holy Swords were treasures with far fewer coveters than their value would suggest.
Because the cost-benefit analysis didn’t match.
First of all, it wasn’t easy to deal with a hero who wielded the powerful power of a Holy Sword-
More importantly, a Holy Sword wasn’t something that could be stolen just by stealing it.
A Holy Sword chooses its owner.
Even if one managed to take the Holy Sword from the hero, it was meaningless if the Holy Sword didn’t recognize the new owner.
That Face Thief was after the hero’s face and power, not the Holy Sword.
‘Someone crazier than the Face Thief?’
Lisir became serious as well and listened attentively to Felix’s words.
“That’s right. We don’t know their identity, but they are pursuing us with mysterious abilities.”
“Mysterious abilities?”
Pallag asked back.
“The shaman who helped us said that someone is peeking at our destiny.”
“Peeking at… destiny?”
“Yes. It seems they are tracking our movements through that. For now, thanks to the shaman’s help, measures have been taken, and the pursuit has been stopped, but the shaman said that it’s such a mysterious and powerful ability that we can’t completely escape from it.”
Felix looked at The Asking Left Hand.
“We were planning to use The Asking Left Hand to hinder or escape their pursuit. But I never expected this to happen.”
“Hmm… May I take a look?”
Felix’s eyes widened at Pallag’s suggestion.
The help of an Archmage.
“I would appreciate it.”
Pallag reached out to Felix.
The mist of cold air that rose from his fingertips carefully enveloped the hero.
“As you said. An unidentified energy is lingering near you.”
Pallag’s expression gradually distorted.
“What an unreasonable power. Not only can the energy not be removed, but also its nature and source. I can’t fathom anything.”
Everyone showed their astonishment.
And the expressions of Felix’s party, the people involved, became clearly darker.
A power that even an Archmage couldn’t fathom.
The former Tower Master of the Blue Tower.
If even the Archmage Frozen Breath couldn’t help, where should they seek help?
At that moment.
Lisir approached Felix and extended his arm to him.
“Duke Pallag. How is it? The energy. Is it still there?”
“Hmm? It is, but…”
“Ah. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be Black Magic.”
Unfortunately?
Felix’s eyes flickered.
‘Lisir, do you have a grudge against me?’
Lisir, leaving Felix behind, looked somewhere.
“Then, shall we use this?”
His fingertips pointed towards The Asking Left Hand.
He says he’s willing to share the power of the artifact for others.
Without a shred of hesitation.
It was something that was more than enough to inspire respect, but their reactions were rather subtle.
“Lisir. It’s a good idea, but isn’t it too dangerous?”
Jane smiled wryly and spoke to Lisir.
Then the Holy Sword Elysia spoke.
-Lisir. You heard what that abomination just said. The power contained within it is a curse. If you try to remove the energy clinging to Felix with that power, you don’t know what kind of result it will bring.
“That’s not it.”
-What?
“I mean, let’s curse the owner of that energy with this.”
“””…”””
Two heroes.
Two Holy Swords.
Their comrades.
Everyone doubted their ears.
They never thought that the owner of a Holy Sword would suggest using a cursed abomination to curse someone.
It was an impossible idea for them, the noble heroes.
“A curse…”
Felix fell into anguish.
-Felix…
At that moment, Pocena expressed her concern to her master.
If the hero carelessly handled the power of the curse and their pure energy was contaminated, it would be a terrible disaster.
More importantly, using the unholy power of a curse was a disgrace to the noble name of hero.
Practicality or honor?
His pride as a hero put him to the test.
“…”
-Jane. You’re not thinking something strange, are you!?
Jane and Elysia also showed similar reactions from the side.
“…”
Lisir carefully watched the two heroes and said.
“Don’t worry. After all, I’m the only one who can make requests to this Asking Left Hand.”
Lisir approaching The Asking Left Hand.
“Lisir!?”
“Wait!”
Felix and Jane were horrified.
-No, Lisir…!
-Hey, Zallak! Don’t you need to stop him!?
The two Holy Swords were also horrified and called out to their Holy Sword.
-Lisir, no!!! The power of a curse! I cannot accept someone who wields such unholy power as my master!!!
“Oh yeah? Then what? There’s nothing I can do.”
-Thank you for understanding!
“Find a new master. There happen to be two excellent heroes here.”
It wasn’t a threat.
Lisir genuinely considered Jane and Felix to be more suitable owners of the Sword of Advancement than himself.
-…Come to think of it, it doesn’t really matter. What matters in the end is a noble heart that cares for others!
The Holy Sword’s flexible statement shocked the other Holy Swords.
-Zallak, you-…
-Are you serious…?
Zallak turned his head to avoid their gazes.
A sword, but it avoided them anyway.
“Oh yeah? Well, it all depends on how you use it.”
Having obtained the complete agreement of the Holy Sword.
Before cursing someone, Lisir made sure.
“Felix. Are you sure that pursuer is your enemy?”
“I’m sure.”
The malice and hostility contained within it.
Felix could clearly feel it.
Lisir approached The Asking Left Hand and said.
“I request.”
-Speak.
“Before that, I’m asking. If I ask you to remove the energy clinging to Felix and his party, how will you deal with it?”
-I will curse the owner of that energy.
“The curse won’t affect us, will it?”
-No.
Lisir nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright. Then
-I will fulfill it.
Creak.
Creak.
The Asking Left Hand began to writhe and shake.
Powerful energy began to swirl around it.
“Everyone, get back!”
Including Pallag, who shouted urgently, everyone hastily retreated.
Even though they knew the energy wasn’t directed at them, it was so ominous.
Eventually.
The energy was sucked back into The Asking Left Hand.
Creak.
Creak.
The Asking Left Hand, having stopped its convulsions, spoke.
-It has been fulfilled.
“…”
Pallag looked intently at Felix.
Lisir asked.
“Duke Pallag. How is it? Has the energy disappeared!?”
“…No. It’s only somewhat weaker. It’s still clearly there.”
“Does that mean… the owner of the energy withstood The Asking Left Hand’s curse?”
Even if its power has weakened due to not receiving a price.
Those who knew the power of The Asking Left Hand from personal experience showed their astonishment.
-Good heavens. If this doesn’t work, what on earth are we supposed to do…?
Elysia was dumbfounded, representing the state of mind of the two hero parties, at that moment.
“I request.”
Lisir said to The Asking Left Hand.
✦✦✦
Gasp!
Gasp!
Gasp!
The woman’s body trembled like an aspen leaf.
She gasped for breath, barely able to catch her breath.
“Hey, are you alright?”
The woman’s comrade asked her in a rough tone.
The woman gritted her teeth.
Complex emotions dominated her.
The emotion that occupied the largest proportion was anger.
However.
That anger is soon overwritten by another emotion.
“I’m fine. Compared to the bastard who did this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not once, but several times. To use the power of a curse in such a foolish way…”
She produced a malicious smile.
“He will pay the price… right now, he must be dying in a terrible way beyond imagination…”
✦✦✦
“Duke Pallag. How is it?”
“…Still! It’s still there! It’s still there, but…!”
“Is that so? Then━ I request.”
-Stop! The price comes first!
“I request.”
-At this rate, my power will-…
“It’s okay. It’s alright not to spare it for a good cause.”
Is this alright?
They felt a moment of compassion for the cursed abomination that had tried to destroy them.
✦✦✦
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