◈ Episode 588: The reason for the curse (3)
“I’ll leave that behind. “I’m a witch doctor, so I like to curse people, but I don’t like keeping things like that.”
“You’re leaving something dangerous behind?”
“I have something to do right now. “Still, it’s a bit unfair to leave the cursed object as it is, so I’ll send my people to service.”
Cravat took out a portable signal device from his pocket and activated it.
“After a while, the kids from our school will come and wrap it up so it looks nice. “Leave it or take it, the choice is yours.”
“I won’t take it. “I’m sick of things like that.”
“Why are you telling me that? “The choice is yours?”
Cravat chuckled.
This is because I knew that Berom’s words were spoken to himself, not to himself.
“But if I had to give you one piece of advice, it would be that wearing that thing again wouldn’t be as difficult as it was before.”
With those words, Cravat left.
Berom stood still for a moment and glared at Living Armor.
Red lines were still protruding from the gaps in the armor, darting towards him.
Is it because I listened to Cravat?
The sight that seemed disgusting at first now looked somehow different.
It is not a cursed temptation that covets prey, but a mournful gesture like a child longing for love from its parents.
Because I don’t want to be abandoned by my father.
A baby was seen crying, asking people not to abandon him.
Berom’s expression, which was full of anger toward Living Armor, changed to a complicated one.
* * *
“huh?”
Cravat found Ludger waiting for him in the alleyway and approached him.
“what. “Aren’t you going?”
“I was just here, just in case.”
“Well, the matter has been handled well, so let’s get moving. “But what about that little girl named Gariel?”
“I took Line and left with the automaton. “Since the existing hideout was discovered, they must have moved to a spare hideout.”
“Is there another hideout?”
“I guess I dug a lot of rabbit holes just in case.”
“Housing in Isla Machina is expensive, so where did you get the money to prepare so much?”
Cravat, who was grumbling, suddenly asked Ludger as if he was curious.
“So why did you keep that guy alive?”
“What do you mean?”
“That man named Berom. “Well, I don’t have an enmity with that side, and I’m thankful that I got to see the cursed artifact I’ve only heard rumors about, but it’s not that side, right?”
In Cravat’s opinion, Ludger was a man without mercy.
He is a man who has been hiding his identity. He alternated between different identities and even committed various crimes.
When they actually came to the E-34 area to meet him, Ludger was a black magician and a magician from the New Magic Tower and wiped out everyone without mercy.
This is not a skill that has been achieved by murdering once or twice.
I had no idea how blood-filled the path he had walked was.
“I thought if there was even the slightest possibility of danger, I would rule it out right away.”
“I just decided there was no risk and left it alone. “He lost his armor and was a guy with no power within the organization to begin with.”
“What if I go to that guy named Nikolai and tell him everything?”
“Given Nikolai’s personality, there is a high possibility that Berom, who has outlived his usefulness, will actually be bothered.”
Without Living Armor, Berom was nothing more than a powerless ordinary person.
It could be said that the power of Living Armor, which elevated Berom to the position of the First Order, was that great.
“For that matter, you didn’t even bother to bring that living armor.”
“Is there any fool who would touch a cursed artifact?”
Cravat’s eyes widened when he heard those words, and then he burst into laughter.
At the sound of pure, child-like laughter, Ludger stared at Cravat, asking why he was laughing.
“No, it’s funny. “He acts like a person without blood or tears, but I think he actually has a lot of warmth.”
“Warmth? “What does that mean?”
“Don’t react so violently. “Because I fully understand that part.”
Cravat laughed and said what felt so good.
“I was the same when I was called a bad guy. Where would a person who was accustomed to cursing in the first place be welcomed? Everyone says it’s scary, it’s dangerous, they point fingers. But it’s not really wrong. Most of the time, what curses can do is kill people. “Even though I look like this, I’m a warlock, and I’ve killed quite a few people.”
Cravat casually mentioned that he had killed someone.
In this respect, his morality was different from that of ordinary people.
Or maybe the environment he was in made him take it for granted.
“Of course, I didn’t kill an innocent person. It’s different from the warlock school that we fight with now, who grab random outcasts and set them up as meat shields or sacrifice them. “We just fought for our survival.”
“Still, what came back would have been criticism.”
“yes. But look. “What did I do today?”
Cravat smiled brightly, as if it felt good to remember what happened a little while ago.
“I saved one person with my curse. Even if the action was motivated by curiosity, the result itself cannot be denied. “No matter what others say, I saved someone’s life with the power of a curse.”
Kravat was a warlock who learned ancient curses and killed people in his life, but that didn’t mean he didn’t do good deeds.
There are two sides to humans: good and evil.
A great man who is praised by some could become a bitter enemy to others.
Because Cravat knew this, he did not particularly criticize Ludger’s actions.
Rather, from the way he saved Berom, I realized that Ludger was not a ruthless villain, but a person with a good heart.
“People’s prejudices are really scary. A bad guy should only do bad things his whole life, and a good guy should only do good things his whole life. Have you ever been swayed by it?”
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“I just do what I think is right. “I’ve never thought about justice or anything like that.”
“That’s an answer I like.”
They push forward with what they think without worrying about what the public thinks or the positions of others.
To Cravat, Ludger’s answer hit the mark.
“Still, it seems you lack honesty. “It was just to save people’s lives, so was there a need to make an excuse that it wasn’t a danger?”
“At least I have to come up with a reason to convince someone.”
“who?”
“Someday, when this small mercy I have shown becomes a hindrance to me, there will be people who will point out or criticize me for it.”
“Why did you put me through this situation instead of killing me for no reason, or something like that? If you don’t like it, is there a need to go that far? “You just have to kill him.”
“I wanted to prove it.”
“Proof what?”
“The belief that the goodwill I have given will one day come back to me as goodwill.”
Cravat’s eyes widened at those words.
Although Ludger may have felt bad about that reaction, he answered calmly.
“I wanted to believe that the world wasn’t so broken. Even though the world has become harsh and people’s altruism has decreased, there will still be goodness that has not disappeared somewhere inside. No, because I have to.”
“you… … .”
Cravat let out a chuckle.
“He’s cooler than he looks, right? “I thought you were very rational and calm.”
“Is there any problem with that?”
“no. In fact, I like it more. I guess I got the wrong person. “If you look at his actions, he looks like a dark man who is controlling the world from behind.”
“… … .”
“That’s right, right? A past that is unclear despite this level of skill. Even his past actions are all unusual. Is that person a teacher now? “Where do you work as a teacher?”
“Seorn.”
“Seorn! Ah, I’ve heard of it. Did you say that it is a place where young wizards these days receive instruction?”
“There are surprisingly many magic schools.”
“I say that because it is by far the best of them all. How on earth did you sneak in there? No, since I changed my identity, did I get a fake job?”
“… … “I didn’t do it, I suffered it.”
Cravat rolled his eyes, wondering what that meant.
“If I had faked a job, what would have happened to me?”
“… … .”
That’s right.
Ludger also gave up making excuses in a situation that was somehow unfair but objectively understandable.
It was because he felt that if he explained it in detail, his situation would only become more miserable.
Caw. Caw.
Then several crows passed over Ludgar and Cravat’s heads.
“That one?”
“ah. “These are our kids.”
When Ludger noticed that it was not an ordinary crow, Cravat explained it as if it was no big deal.
“It’s the curse of raven transformation.”
“You bet that on the school members?”
“Why are you looking at me like that? “Do you really think that I am a trash master who uses curses on school members?”
“Other than that, it seems there is another meaning.”
“A curse isn’t something you just cast. “It’s a process from placing a curse to doing it.”
Ludger was not that versed in curses.
However, I felt like I heard something similar from what Teacher Merilda, who taught curses and spells, said at every meal.
“It became like that because of the curse of transformation into a crow, but you can do that whenever you want. Do you know what that means?”
“In other words, you can turn into an animal whenever you want and move around smoothly.”
“okay. With this, we can move secretly and collect information without being seen by others. “Few people are interested in flying crows in the first place.”
Ludger agreed with Cravat.
Hans was doing something similar here, so I could sympathize with him.
Hans mainly got information from rats, but these days, his powers have grown so much that he gets information from birds as well.
People couldn’t even imagine that a small creature they considered insignificant could overhear what they were saying.
I never thought it would be possible for this side to exploit that loophole.
“There was a reason why he was fine even in the fierce battle taking place now.”
“Because information warfare is important in modern times.”
It was Gariel who welcomed the two people who were talking like that.
“what. Have you taken care of everything? “It came sooner than I expected.”
“What about Line?”
“It was moved properly. “It’s an unused hideout, but it’s been cleaned regularly, so don’t worry about that.”
“There is no mess, so at least it will be much cleaner than before.”
“If anyone hears it, will they think I’m building a pig pen or something?”
“No?”
“… … “I use it a little dirty.”
Ludger, who entered the hideout following Gariel’s guidance, felt a little relieved at the wider space.
“How on earth did the hideout before that get discovered? “I always moved in secret.”
“It looks like his tail was stepped on.”
“Have we done something to be trampled on?”
“It’s just that I didn’t make up my mind to look for it until now. “I probably won’t be here for that long.”
Ludger heard from Berom how Nikolai realized he had come.
“I heard there are several devices on Isla Machina. Especially things related to security.”
“ah. that’s right. First of all, it is a place where important research and projects are carried out. That’s why we try to protect what’s ours.”
Cravat received the comment.
“And trying to spy on others as much as possible.”
Attempts to steal research materials or items from opposing companies, schools, or individual wizards are common in Isla Machina.
This dry island of steel wore a futuristic guise, but inside it lurked a wolf that was drooling and seeking to extort the other party’s intellectual property.
“Eyes trying to spy on the other person. And a curtain to cover it. “If you ask me what the most advanced technology is in Isla Machina, I have no choice but to choose these two.”
“So, an extensive surveillance and management system was implemented throughout this island.”
“okay. But it’s not something that one individual can control. “He just has his own way of monitoring.”
If we were to be honest, Isla Machina would have to be viewed as having thousands of organizations, each with their own surveillance system, controlling only the relevant areas.
Among them, the organization that stood out most was the New Magic Tower.
“But why is that?”
“It appears that Nikolai has taken control of this surveillance device.”
“Nikolai? Oh, I said he was the head of an emerging power that has recently risen rapidly. And he takes over the surveillance device? Yes, in some areas… … .”
Ludger shook his head.
In response, Gariel stared at Ludger with a skeptical gaze.
“It’s not just some areas. “He now has the surveillance system for over half of this island in his hands.”
“what? half?”
Gariel did not understand that.
It is safe to say that half is actually more than 70%, excluding the surveillance system that the New Magic Tower possesses.
“No, that can’t be possible. Even though we are still fighting against warlocks, you have secured a surveillance system that high? If that were the case, other places would have noticed a long time ago, right?”
“It looks like you can hack other people’s surveillance devices.”
“hacking? “What is hacking?”
“Ah, maybe it’s not time to say that word yet. hmm. To put it simply, it can be seen as the act of breaking through the security of another person’s device and taking over the system as one’s own, or changing it to suit one’s own taste.”
“crazy. Is that possible? “No, how?”
“If there is a surveillance system and a security system, it may be possible to disable or steal those things. And it seems that the scope is expanding in real time.”
Gariel shook her head as if she felt dizzy.
“No, wait. “Then where is our hideout?”
“I guess we can say that everything has been revealed. “If not right now, it’s only a matter of time.”
That meant that no matter where he ran or hid, as long as he was on this island, he was in the palm of his hand.
“Well, then what should we do now?”
“Whatever.”
Even in a situation where his every move might be being watched, Ludger remained calm.
“We have to proceed as planned.”
Whether Nikolai is watching this or not.
Whether he keeps sending assassins or not.
“We start with the new magic tower.”
