An uneasy atmosphere hung over the Imperial Capital Zebuldia.
Merchants not based in the capital were fleeing like rats abandoning a sinking ship, and those who, for whatever reason, couldn't leave were making preparations of their own. The Explorer's Guild had reportedly received several times its usual number of escort requests.
The prophecy from the Astrological Mysticism Institute hadn't been made public to ordinary citizens. Still, everyone sensed something was wrong. It was all because of the incidents occurring day after day.
The rampaging magic sword incident caused by the Sword Saint's disciples. The monster appearance at Zebuldia Magic Academy. The clash among alchemists at Primus Mage Science Academy over illegal potions.
Any one of these alone would be a major incident, but when they happened in succession, even the densest person would pick up on the fact that something was going on.
Franz had imposed gag orders on some of them, but you can't put a lid on people's mouths.
Inquiries poured in day and night from nobles and merchants he had dealings with, and Franz had reached his limit.
"Damn it! What is that man planning to do next? There's no end to this!"
The prophecy had emerged at the worst possible time—just as they'd established a countermeasure headquarters for the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox and were about to begin operations. The moment he'd assigned people to address it, a string of incomprehensible incidents broke out one after another, and the prophecy still showed no signs of disappearing. It had completely overwhelmed Franz's capacity to handle things.
No—even if it weren't Franz, no one could have dealt with this situation. Events were unfolding too fast, and on the surface they appeared to have no connection whatsoever.
Even with the Third Knights Order, which maintained the capital's public security, working alongside them, they were severely short-handed. While they were investigating one incident, the next would already be occurring. There was nothing to be done.
The incident at Primus Mage Science Academy was the worst of the lot.
"Strawberry milk, of all things!? You've got to be kidding!"
It was a genuine nightmare. Every last cunning practitioner at the empire's premier institution for alchemical studies had been duped, running around in a panic over strawberry milk in a water bottle. It was guaranteed to go down in history as an utter humiliation.
The alchemists who'd participated in the dispute were all apprehended. Even if they claimed they'd been deceived, the potion in question was illegal to begin with, so their sentences wouldn't be lightened.
And they couldn't exactly go after Thousand Transformations over it either. Fraud charges might have been an option, but if they pressed the matter and he responded with something like "If it's the real thing you want, I'll give you the real thing," it would be catastrophic.
True, he'd told them to stop the curses, but it wasn't as though he'd told them to cause other trouble!
You'd think they'd understand the true meaning of Franz's words, but they were truly incorrigible.
At the grumbling that escaped involuntarily, a subordinate from the same Zeroth Knights Order spoke up.
"Still, Commander. The fact that the prophecy hasn't vanished despite all these incidents being resolved means the prophecy's target is an even greater catastrophe."
"...I have to say, I was surprised the Sword Saint had something that dangerous on hand."
In a city like the Imperial Capital, where all manner of Treasure Weapons and talent converged, dangerous items naturally multiplied. Mages and alchemists kept many secrets, and who knew what other nobles were hiding.
And surely even in the Imperial Treasury—if one bothered to check, something would turn up.
What Thousand Transformations had exposed was only the extreme tip of the iceberg.
The illegal domination potion, Strawberry Blaze, had been a fake. According to investigations, Citry had claimed to have obtained it at the Magic Academy, but it wouldn't be surprising if they'd been hiding the genuine article all along.
Knights had been dispatched everywhere to gather information, but the results were disappointing. People who were willing to talk honestly wouldn't have been hiding anything in the first place.
Coercive measures required some form of evidence. Putting the Emperor's decree front and center wouldn't make investigation impossible, but it wasn't a card that could be played repeatedly.
"Can we put pressure on the Sword Saint and Zebuldia Magic Academy?"
"They're big names in the capital, but..."
"There has been damage. The evidence regarding Strawberry Blaze is thin, but—"
As for Primus Mage Science Academy, the investigation had already begun. They'd caused a massive incident and knocked out multiple regular knights—that was reason enough.
Against the Sword Saint and Zebuldia Magic Academy, making enemies without any evidence was far too risky, but if they pointed out that items in their possession had been the catalyst for the incidents, they could relatively gently request to search their warehouses.
They might be hiding other dangerous items as well.
As for Thousand Transformations himself... well, that was probably a lost cause. Having gone this far, he'd certainly anticipated being investigated. He'd probably flaunt his Treasure Weapon collection without a care in the world and unrepentantly try to push cursed items on people.
And just as he'd reached that point in his thinking, a terrifying notion flickered through Franz's mind.
Could it be that Thousand Transformations, in order to verify the true nature of the prophecy, was deploying his full "Divine Strategy, Demonic Scheming" to sweep through everything that looked like a lead?
"...!"
The Franz of old would have unquestionably ordered Thousand Transformations interrogated.
But things were different now. Over the past several months, Franz had been thoroughly wrung out by his involvement with that man. He'd already dispatched Hugh to keep an eye on him. He had no more resources to spare for that man.
"...For now, I'll focus our efforts on the Church. If that cursed item were to run rampant, the number of victims would be beyond anything we've seen so far... no, civilians would be among the casualties."
The Wailing of Marin was the largest and most devastating cursed item currently accounted for.
Born of an ancient mage's abhorrent sorcery, that curse had claimed lives across thousands of miles and ultimately killed the very mage who created it. As a candidate for the Astrological Institute's prophecy, it was the most plausible.
That said, the curse had wreaked its havoc in the distant past. "Curses" that drew on powerful willpower tended to weaken over time, and the Church's purification and barrier techniques had advanced considerably compared to olden days.
According to the Luminous Spirit Church, the purification plan for the Wailing of Marin had actually been gradually progressing in anticipation of the day the seal would deteriorate. This current purification was simply a slight acceleration of that plan. If Zebuldia cooperated fully, failure was impossible.
"We've secured cooperation from every organization. Contact has been established with Ark Rodan as well. The Immovable and Unchanging is also present—preparations are complete."
The Immovable and Unchanging. The strongest Holy Knight of the Capital Church. Despite not being of noble birth and having no history at a knight academy, he'd been exceptionally offered a position in the Knights Order.
A man who possessed both combat ability and healing power at the highest levels, he was said to be a prodigy on par with Ark Rodan.
Incidentally, he was also a member of the Mourning Specter. Come to think of it, Ark Rodan was a member of the Beginning Footprint.
"...Just what kind of social connections does that man have?"
Was it good fortune with people? Or were those who'd crossed paths with him being caught up in the Thousand Trials and growing because of it?
He shook his head, dispelling such irrelevant questions. Regardless, what Franz could do remained the same.
He would simply brush away the sparks that fell upon the Empire for the sake of its prosperity.
§ § § Ahead of the cursed item purification operation, the roads to the Church were under traffic restriction.
The operation hadn't been made public to citizens, but perhaps because of the string of recent incidents, everyone watched the checkpoint knights with uneasy expressions.
Though still some distance away, the Luminous Spirit Church building in Zebuldia was second only to the Imperial Palace in size. Even from afar, its presence was unmistakable.
Unlike the Imperial Palace, which embodied stoic simplicity, the church's countless protruding white spires and the sun-emblem decorations serving as its symbol were exquisitely refined—beautiful just to look at.
I spoke to Anthem, who was ambling along right in the middle of the road.
"It's been a while since we came to the Church, huh?"
"...Mm."
Anthem was probably the most famous of the Holy Knights stationed at the Zebuldia Church.
There were many reasons—his high recognized Level as a Hunter, the strength of his healing power, his good nature, and of course, his massive stature.
And unlike Riizu and Citry, his reputation carried absolutely no negative baggage. He never went on rampages like Riizu, nor did he occasionally fall apart like Citry. He lived up to his epithet, the Immovable and Unchanging, with his unshakable composure.
Standing next to someone as eye-catching as him meant no one looked my way, which was entirely welcome. Lightning didn't strike me either. I suppose this was what they meant by "seek shelter under a great tree."
It seemed that, just as Anthem had said, the nation had cooperated to mobilize a considerable force. Along the road to the Church, there were not only knights and priests but even Hunters.
During the Sword Saint incident and the Magic Academy incident, trouble had erupted suddenly. That was why everything had spiraled into such chaos, but with preparations this thorough, they could handle whatever came up.
And above all, this time—I was here.
Relieved that the defenses were even more airtight than I'd imagined, I cheerfully slapped Anthem's pillar-like leg.
"Well, this time I'll do what I can too! Even though there's nothing I can really do!"
"...Mm-hmm."
Normally, I would never set foot in a place for curse purification, but this time was special.
Anthem was here, and I'd been studying too. Why not lend a hand for this earnest friend of mine?
If something happened, being on-site might at least keep people from complaining.