Chapter 360

(360) Dispelling the curse

He mentioned a protected facility so I expected it to be a remote building in the suburbs . However, it turned out to be a large building in the Magic Street .

It seemed like it was remodeled from an old factory constructed to create magical tools .

There were guards posted at the entrance but after Suzuki showed them his Baron’s brooch, he had his ident.i.ty checked, and after I was questioned, we were given a permit to enter the building .

The fact that the inspection was more detailed than at the airs.h.i.+p dock showed how terrifying the frenzy curse was .

“What magic tool were they making?”

“I think they were making magic swords . ”

“Basically a Magic Blacksmith’s workshop?”

“Hahaha, no way . There are no Magic Blacksmiths in the world . Blacksmith, Alchemist, and Magician – only a person who has mastered all those jobs from varying fields can become one .

“The hurdle is certainly high . ”

It would be difficult without a growth cheat .

… In that case, since Kanon mastered the Magic Blacksmith job, is she actually quite a hard worker? She didn’t seem like one at all .

“Here they were experimenting on whether a sword can have unique abilities by embedding magic talismans made by Magic Journalist into the handle of a sword . ”

“A talisman on a sword . That’s interesting . ”

“Yeah, but apparently the change in performance was subtle . Although the effects were quite long-lasting, the talismans will be consumed and it didn’t sell very well even after including the collectors who bought them .

I see, so the effects were faint . Talismans were expensive too .

I tried asking about the effects out of curiosity and the effects were really subtle .

But that was still considered good .

If you used the Recovery Talisman, it would become a sword that would heal the opponent whenever you cut and deal damage to them . It may be useful for torture but it had no utility in combat .

The most meaningless usage would be to attach a Loudspeaker Talisman .

When clas.h.i.+ng with swords affixed with the Loudspeaker Talisman, the sound of the swords clas.h.i.+ng would be amplified and could make the match more impactful .

I headed toward the location where a person with the frenzy curse was held .

Held there was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man .

His job was Carpenter and there was a guard posted at the entrance and a guard within .

Such strict surveillance was more akin to imprisonment rather than protection .

“Who are you guys? Are you here to interrogate me again?”

“No, we’re here to help you . This person here is a Pract.i.tioner able to use Dispel . He will dispel the frenzy curse that was placed on you . ”

“Really!? Thank you so much . ”

“Please wait, it is not certain yet that I will be able to dispel it . ”

I told the middle-aged man that was about to cling to me .

I did learn Dispel but I had never tested its effects .

“Please do . I’ve been trapped in this kind of place and asked endless questions on ‘Have you met anybody suspicious recently?’ or ‘Name all your acquaintances . ’ and even ‘Is your wife from the anti-G.o.ddess faction?’ . ”

He was asked such questions?

He didn’t seem like he was put through torture but they were treating him like a criminal .

Of course, he would be angry if you doubt his family .

I sympathized with him .

I truly sympathized with him .

I looked at the man and chanted the spell .

“Dispel . ”

A faint light enveloped the man .

But there was no obvious change to be seen .

“That should do it (I think) . ”

After I said that, the guard brought a blue liquid and dropped it on the back of the man’s hand .

“That medicine solution would turn red when in contact with cursed people . ”

“Like looking for starch using iodine solution?”

“In simple terms, yes . ”

I guess they used that medicine solution to test for the presence of the curse .

I was wondering how they could find three affected people . It would be easy for the investigation with that method .

After confirming the presence or absence of the curse, the Magic Investigation Researcher would carry out a blood test . With Blood Appraisal and Hair Appraisal, they would be able to obtain a lot of information .

The solution on the back of the man’s hand did not change color even after Suzuki’s explanation .

“It is confirmed that the curse has been dispelled . You may return home . ”

“Oo … oooooh!”

The man was thrilled and held my hand .

“Thank you so much . You are my life savior . Truly, truly thank you . ”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to thank me . ”

I conducted the same dispelling in the other room and received thanks .

And after I left that room, an overweight man with fancy clothes called out to me .

“Good work, Suzuki-dono, Ichinojo-dono . The innocent people can go home safely now . Guhihihi . ”

They weren’t fine … the released people were treated quite terribly as criminals so they seemed to have acc.u.mulated quite a lot of anxiety .

The man laughed excitedly with an unpleasant face .

His laugh was like a toad .

“Thank you for your compliment (That man is an inspector who reports directly to the King so please do not b.u.t.t heads with him . )”

Suzuki said and I nodded .

I secretly checked his job and it was Commoner .

But his level was not normal .

It was Lv99 .

I have seen plenty of Commoner job people since coming to this world but the highest level was around Lv10 . I’ve never seen anybody reach until Lv99 .

Why would he do so?

“You may return home . ”

The inspector said .

“But we have only finished treatment for two people . ”

I asked .

“There’s no need to treat the last person . ”

“Why?”

“You will know once you enter the room . It won’t be interesting to see though . ”

The inspector said and led me into the room with just us two .

It was a small room .

It seemed to have been used as storage and there were swords with talismans apparently made in the workshop placed there .

There was a small window in the room and we could see the neighboring room from there .

Unlike the ordinary rooms, that room was constructed with metal plating attached to the walls .

A man was acting as the interrogator and guard inside .

【Knight Lv35】

He was quite strong . And was a quasi-n.o.ble .

And turning to look at the person afflicted with the curse, I was at a loss for words .

“Wha … !”

It was a girl around 20 years of age .

There were black horns on her head and bat-like black wings on her back .

She was seated in a chair but I inadvertently turned my eyes away .

It was probably from a whip .

Her leg tendons were cut .

Her clothing was stained dark red with blood and her exposed skin was full of scratches . Her originally beautiful hair was now tattered and coated with blood .

“That’s terrible … why?”

“Kusunoki-kun … she is a devil race . ”

Suzuki told me .