The church courtyard. In the vast space paved with flagstones, preparations were proceeding apace.
When I stepped inside with Anthem, the followers dressed in simple vestments immediately began to murmur. They directed warm gazes toward Anthem, then reverted to stony expressions when they spotted me hovering quietly beside him.
For the members of the Imperial Capital's church, Anthem was a source of pride. And I, for whatever reason, was the unimpressive friend who happened to be with that Anthem. To make things worse, Anthem was constantly being put upon by me, so naturally no warm glances were coming my way.
Well, it's not like anyone openly criticizes me given my relationship with Anthem... but I was completely living off my companion's prestige.
On the ground, a massive magic circle had been laid out, and the air was inexplicably clear. They were preparing to erect a barrier.
The larger a ritual, the more meticulous the preparation required. Back in the days when I used to tag along on hunts, I'd often seen Anthem use barrier techniques, so I knew the drill.
In the vast church courtyard, I spotted members of the Radiant Spirit Church, the Imperial Knights, and Hunters all over the place. Looking closely, I recognized a few familiar faces.
I tapped the knee of Anthem standing beside me and said: "I'm going to wander around on my own, so if you need anything, just come find me."
"...Mm."
Anthem isn't much for self-expression, but being childhood friends, I could more or less read what he was thinking.
His sense of responsibility was the strongest among the Mourning Specter. Surely nothing dangerous would happen on church grounds, and I didn't want to get in the way of his work.
Anthem lumbered off toward the center of the plaza. I stretched my arms wide and took a deep breath.
Churches had this quality—just being there felt like your soul was being cleansed.
As I observed the preparations progressing steadily with a sightseeing mood, suddenly, a low voice rang out.
"!? K-Klye, why are you here!?"
"!?"
My body reacted on pure reflex. I quickly turned toward the voice.
Standing there were—the famous branch chief of the Explorer's Guild's Imperial Capital branch, Gaark Welte, and everybody's-favorite Ark Rodan. If Luke were here too, the set would be complete.
I'd run into Gaark at the Martial Emperor Festival in Crito, but it'd been a while since I'd seen Ark. Nearby were the members of his party, the Holy Spirit's Children.
When Ark saw me, his eyes went wide. The companions behind him were glaring at me, but his natural friendliness was truly befitting of a hero's title. As for that time he wasn't around when I needed him—I'd let that one slide.
I nodded with a mysterious air of superiority and raised my hand cheerfully. Something good was bound to happen today.
"Gaark, Ark, and everyone else—it looks like you're all here together..."
Gaark's eyebrow twitched. I hadn't done anything this time, so I wasn't going to bow on the ground.
Normally, people like them wouldn't come to such a dangerous place, but this was entirely because of the trust they placed in Anthem.
Gaark pressed his lips together tightly, saying nothing, but for some reason his cheek was twitching as he glared at me.
At that moment, I had a sudden realization and clapped my hands together.
"Usually I only show up after being summoned, but today I came before you even called me!"
"——!?"
Wasn't that a masterstroke of strategy?
As I flashed a hard-boiled grin, Gaark advanced on me with his cheek still twitching. His gaze from up close was lethal enough to kill on its own. I involuntarily took a step back as Gaark spoke in a heavy voice: "Klye, you—you... what are you planning to do this time!?"
"...Huh? ...No, I just came to observe Anthem's work..."
Honestly, I usually hadn't done anything. If people said doing nothing was the problem, then so be it... but this time, the blame wasn't on me.
Gaark placed a hand on my straightened shoulder and spoke in a tone that sounded like he was trying to reason with me.
His tone may have been reasonable, but his eyes belonged to a murderer.
"Klye, drop the pointless excuses. I'm asking what you plan to do this time. Listen—this case—this case too, but don't take it lightly. The opponent isn't like the usual ones; it's a 'curse.' Got it? This is at the level where the church is asking the Explorer's Guild for cooperation. We've gone so far as to forcibly recall Ark. The enemy isn't just an ordinary curse—it's a terrifying weapon. Thirteen church priests gave their lives to seal it back then."
"...I'd kind of like to know about that route for forcibly recalling Ark."
If possible, I'd love a direct-line Resonance Stone. Though even if someone offered me one, Isabella and the others would stop me.
And thirteen people sealing it with their lives—that was the first I'd heard of it.
"...!"
Branch Chief Gaark was silently pressuring me. Was he keeping his voice down because we were in a church?
Under pressure so heavy it made even actual weight feel illusory, I was seriously considering giving up and prostrating myself when Ark stepped in.
"Now, now, Branch Chief, he must have some... reason. Besides, the more high-level Hunters we have, the better. I myself—have only dealt with curses a handful of times... Right, Klye?"
"! Yeah, that's right, Ark."
This was it. This was so Ark. Welcome back, Ark!
As always, his inner self matched his handsome exterior. I reflexively responded with a smile without thinking, and Isabella and the others let out deep sighs.
"Ark, you're always cleaning up after this guy's messes, and you're still going easy on him..."
"No, no, actually it's been rough lately without me around. Dealing with Arnold, guarding the Emperor, handling the fox, the Martial Emperor Festival—Klye ended up having to do all of it."
"R-really...? That sounds... tough."
Ark managed a bitter smile. Come to think of it, I was always saying Ark wasn't here. But he wasn't, so what could I do? I couldn't exactly say he was here when he wasn't...
I'd love to have him in the Mourning Specter, but being in a different party sometimes had its advantages, so it was a tough situation. For now, I'd keep counting on his help going forward.
With both Anthem and Ark present, this purification request was practically a guaranteed success. But it was precisely when your forces were assembled that complacency set in. Better hedge my bets just in case.
I gave everyone a friendly pat on the shoulder and said: "For this cursed artifact's purification, we've assembled quite the fighting force, but from my assessment, it's going to be a tricky opponent—stay alert and don't let your guard down!"
"...!"
At my words of encouragement, Ark's normally cheerful expression stiffened. Gaark's eyebrow twitched and pulled, the Mafioso wore a pale expression as he stared at me, and Isabella and Yu reacted much the same way. It was just a light warning, but their reaction was wildly disproportionate—I had no idea what to make of it.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Gaark broke through it, choosing each word with deliberate force: "This... this operation will be carried out by the church under... meticulous calculations. The priests' levels are higher than before. On top of the curse having weakened from the passage of time during sealing, we've designed the plan assuming the curse's depth is quite considerable."
That was... flawless. There was no longer any reason for the purification to fail. And with my terrible luck working against it by betting on the opposite outcome, it would be perfect.
"You never know what might happen in this world, though."
"..."
"A-aha... j-just kidding... just a joke..."
I surrendered immediately under the pressure of their stares.
I was used to receiving hostility, but even if Gaark's glare was one thing, being looked at that way by Ark was unbearable.
As I tried to backpedal from my hard-boiled act, Gaark and Ark exchanged a brief glance.
Just as Gaark opened his mouth and took a step toward me, a frantic voice rang out: "Bi-big brother!? Why are you in a place like this...? C-could it be, you're joining too!?"
"H-hey there."
I turned toward the voice. The one who had entered the church was—Lucia.
I hadn't heard anything about this—had she been asked to help with something too? She jogged over to me, staring intently. Her expression was just as grave as Gaark's and Ark's.
As a side note, Lucia only called me "big brother" when she was flustered. During her rebellious phase, she'd apparently been embarrassed to call me brother and tried to stick to calling me "Leader," but old habits die hard. So she was... flustered, wasn't she?
Behind Lucia was a familiar lineup. The Mages of the Beginning Footprint, starting with Star's Holy Thunder.
The leader Lapis stepped forward with elegant poise, furrowing her perfectly shaped brows: "Hmph... the Thousand Transformations, who always stays in the background, takes to the battlefield? This appears to be quite the troublesome case."
"WEAKLING!! I've heard what's going on, I have! It hasn't been long since the Martial Emperor Festival ended, and you've been causing all sorts of trouble, you have! Honestly..."
Klyus latched onto me as usual the moment he saw my face. Unusually, the other members of Star's Holy Thunder were also present today, all directing resigned gazes at Klyus.
Having so many beautiful Spiritfolk gathered together gave me a feeling of getting a good deal. My relationship with Star's Holy Thunder wasn't bad at all, but the ones I was actually close with were only Lapis and Klyus.
"...This is rare—Lapis and the rest coming out for a job like this."
Spiritfolk were fundamentally free spirits. They didn't care about authority and wouldn't let themselves be constrained by others' rules.
At my question, Lapis snorted dismissively. Every casual gesture she made was picture-perfect, which was truly enviable.
"Curse arts are our specialty. A human curse is child's play compared to a Spiritfolk curse. If Lucia asks for my opinion, I can hardly refuse."
"WEAKLING, don't you know about the Legend of the Cursed Crimson Spirit Stone, you don't!"
"Professor asked for our cooperation... The Professor is swamped with the Black World Tree matter, so I came instead. I didn't expect the Leader to be here, though."
So that's how it was... Lucia had brought them along.
And it seemed Lapis and the others had softened up quite a bit. They'd never been bad people, but if they could demonstrate their abilities to the church through this case, they'd integrate better into human society.
"Ah, the Legend of the Cursed Spirit Stone. That thing, right? That thing, that thing..."
"...WEAKLING, if you don't know, don't put on false airs!"
There were things in this world you were better off not knowing.
While my pointless banter with Klyus blew past everyone, Lapis spoke with a worried expression: "Recovering Spirit Stones has been our long-cherished wish for years. It's one of the reasons we emerged from the forest. I thought this cursed artifact might be one... but it seems not. Spirit Stones can't be handled by human hands."
Come to think of it, Elisa had said she was wandering around searching for something—maybe it was the same thing.
Having finally calmed down somewhat, Lucia gave a small cough.
"...Ahem. ...Anyway, Leader, just don't get in the way."
Well, that went without saying. Actually, I'd never tried to get in the way before...
But this time, the lineup truly was impressive. I could feel the Radiant Spirit Church's unspoken resolve that failure was not an option.
Just as I was thinking that, a frantic voice—the third such outburst—rang through the hall: "K-Klye Andrich...!? Why are you here? I didn't call you!"
Leading a large contingent of knights and drawing the stares of countless followers, a face I'd been seeing a lot of lately strode in.
His expression was as though he'd seen a ghost.
The ranks of well-polished, uniformed knights carried an air of order distinctly different from the church's serene atmosphere.
"Ah... Franz. Hey there."
Crap—old habit from Resonance Stone calls, I'd greeted him casually.
Franz marched up to me, glanced around to check the surroundings, then suddenly seized my collar and shook me violently: "Coming here personally—what kind of wind brought you!? What's going to happen!? Huh!? Is this case the Curse of Prophecy!? Spit it out, spit it out!"
The shaking attack was one of the few things my Barrier Ring couldn't defend against. As I was helplessly rattled about, I mused on this.
My "hey there" apparently hadn't bothered him, but this reaction was truly terrible. One minute I was being told to come, the next I was getting chewed out for showing up—what exactly did everyone think I was?
Nobody came to my aid as I was being shaken. Ark, of course, but even Lucia, Klyus, and the others who usually helped—they all wore exasperated expressions.
This was bad... I was getting queasy. I was going to lose consciousness.
"Commander Franz, it's almost time for the meeting."
"...Tch. Thousand Transformations—I'll be having a thorough talk with you later! That includes the demon sword and the Magic Academy business!"
Released at last, I swayed and nearly collapsed, grabbing the staff Lucia offered to steady myself.
I'd only come to watch, and look what I got.
"Franz, do you have a grudge against me or something?"
"You brought it on yourself, you did. Most of his recent stress is because of the Weakling here, it is!"
"..."
Tsyounouburu elbowed me, and Lucia silently reproached me with just her gaze.
I was Anthem's childhood friend, wasn't I!? And Luke's and Liz's too, for that matter—maybe it was no wonder I was a target.
Gaark scratched his head noisily and said: "Come on, we should go hear the briefing too. This operation is church-led."
"Have fun~"
"...You're coming too, damn it!"
After all that about me not showing up when I should... Well, I had my reasons, but I suppose it couldn't be helped.
If I didn't hear the briefing, I might end up in danger if something happened.
"Sure, but I'm not going to say anything?"
"Shut up and come!"
§ The Imperial Capital's church had been rebuilt once to accommodate Anthem's size. The lecture hall selected for the meeting room had ceilings high enough for even Anthem to enter comfortably, and it even had special seating.
This was the result of Anthem's powerful healing abilities and his capabilities as a Holy Knight being recognized.
Since this wasn't Hunter activity, I didn't know the full story, but apparently he'd made a remarkable showing in an incident involving a relative of the church's highest-ranking officials.
He rarely talked about himself, so seeing him advance so impressively made me feel both proud and relieved—and motivated me to work harder myself. Not that I actually would.
The strategy meeting began in solemn fashion. The "Marin's Wailing" purification plan appeared to be constructed with extreme logic based on numerical data.
Cursed artifacts were born from powerful thoughts. Their strength varied depending on the situation and the power of the person who imbued them with their will, making unexpected outcomes common. They were also known to weaken over time.
The sealing arts of the Light God's power were originally meant to seal cursed artifacts and purify them once they'd weakened—that was their proper use.
The church's plan involved estimating the strength of the thoughts poured into the artifact based on the scale of past damage caused by "Marin's Wailing," then using the passage of time and their accumulated experience with numerous cursed artifacts to infer the artifact's current remaining power, and assembling fighting forces that exceeded it.
Moreover, given the artifact's nature, they'd gathered forces with considerable margin to spare—it seemed they'd prepared enough power to suppress it even if its strength hadn't diminished at all.
The detailed discussion of magical formulas went completely over my head, but the plan seemed flawless.
When I'd first heard that they would unseal the curse and purify the artifact upon receiving the prophecy, I'd had my doubts—but now I understood why the kingdom had approved the operation.
With the addition of Ark, Lucia, Lapis, and the rest, failure was beyond imagination. They couldn't possibly have assembled a stronger fighting force. Even if they called Luke, he wouldn't be able to cut through a curse...
Once the explanation was complete, the elderly priest seated in the position of honor—the priest who oversaw this church in the Imperial Capital Zebuldia where Anthem was cared for—spoke up.
He had a gentle gaze that evoked still water. He looked too harmless to kill a bug, but I'd heard he was originally a formidable Holy Knight.
"This time, the church has prepared first-rate practitioners. With the cooperation of the Knights, the Explorer's Guild, and the Mages from the Magic Academy, we believe there is not a one-in-ten-thousand chance of purification failure. Does anyone have concerns?"
His voice carried a transcendent quality—the particular resonance of one devoted to holy service.
He reminded me slightly of Sora, the fox god's shrine maiden, but he wouldn't show any cracks. He was different from the amateur shrine maiden Sora. There was no way anyone would object.
As I was nodding along without thinking, Franz—who had been sitting along the left wall—suddenly stood up.
Under countless gazes, his clear voice rang out: "I understand the flow well enough. But... I'd like to add personnel."
"...As outlined, we've assembled members who far exceed the projected curse strength. Do you have concerns?"
The priest narrowed his eyes at Franz. The gathered Radiant Spirit Church priests also murmured at the unexpected words.
As expected of Franz—speaking up in this kind of atmosphere took real nerve. I couldn't see what was wrong at all—was there a hole in the plan?
At those words, for some reason Franz glared at me with a deep grin: "Oh, it's a trivial matter... But times are unsettling these days. If anything else troublesome were to happen, it would be very inconvenient for Zebuldia."