The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason

The Street of the Outcasts (6)

It was the first time.

I’d endured all sorts of abuse from my party members before, but never had I been directly harmed like this.

I was, of course, aware that my party members suspected me. I knew they didn’t truly consider me one of their own. Naturally, this was due to my curse, and I understood it.

The curse clinging to my body was potent even in short bursts, but the longer it remained, the stronger its effects. Suspicion born of the curse only amplified with time.

They became trapped in their own thoughts, distorting reality itself.

I understood even that, but I never expected to be harmed so directly.

One can hate at any time. But to turn that hatred into action, that is another matter entirely, isn’t it?

A frigid emotion touched my heart and spread outwards. In place of the peaceful routine I had grown accustomed to, a bone-chilling reality pressed against my skin.

Yes, thanks to Yulis and Lily, I had forgotten it, but this was my position. A being always subject to suspicion.

“Kugh…”

As I dwelt on such thoughts, a sharp pain shot up from my chest. My first instinct was confusion.

Why? The wounds should have all healed already. Such a paltry wound inflicted by a dagger should be fully recovered by now.

A question tugged at me, and I turned my gaze to my side. And then I knew the reason.

The wound was healed. But from where I’d been stabbed, a blackness was spreading.

Having studied cursecraft, I knew immediately what it was. Cursed magics.

Intricately woven ones, at that.

“An artifact of old. Made by a black mage who lived long ago.”

Just as I wondered why such a thing existed, she spoke, explaining it.

Clutching my side, I asked her.

“Why… why would you do this…?”

“……Because I deemed you a threat.”

She continued.

“Recently… Yulis and Lily’s condition has changed greatly. And coincidentally, it was around then that you learned puppetry.”

Hearing that far, I could understand why she was doing this.

‘Could she possibly think… that I’ve brainwashed them both?’

It was absurd. I learned that technique after capturing the Puppeteer, and they both regressed before that. Even just looking at the timeline, the difference was clear.

Of course, there was the possibility Adel only belatedly noticed the change in their attitude… but even then, it didn’t make sense.

How in the world could I brainwash them both without the party noticing?

‘But… there’s no point in trying to persuade her.’

Because she would have already come, having solidified her own thinking.

Since I was already under a curse anyway, even if I spoke, she’d suspect everything.

I looked at her and, trying to appear strong, I spoke.

“Ha, so you’re telling me you came here to try and kill me? Are you jesting? You think you can even *touch* me?”

And with that, I began dissecting the curses clinging to the dagger.

‘Curse of Frailty, Curse of Decay, Curse of Dullness, Curse of Weakening…’

Besides those, all sorts of other foul curses tangled together within me, I could feel it. As is the nature of curses, dispelling them would require no small effort.

Especially when so many were intertwined in such a complex web. Even with specialized knowledge, it could take days, even weeks.

*That’s* what she’d tried to inflict on me.

“No, perhaps not in the past, but I couldn’t hope to stand against the you of now. Truth be told, I held no expectation of succeeding in assassination with that just now.”

She pointed the dagger in my direction as she spoke.

“This is a declaration. A warning not to touch my comrades so carelessly. If, after this day, you continue to meddle… I will burn myself to cinders if necessary to oppose you.”

What if I *haven’t* been meddling?

“I shall withdraw for now. However, from here on, you will need to remain vigilant every night.”

With those words, Adel retreated.

*Ssshhh*- Her form gradually blurred, disappearing into the shadows.

Seeing her gone, I sank to the floor of the inn and let out a sigh.

“Haa…”

This is truly maddening. It was too quiet for a while, and then this mess erupted.

She seemed truly resolute. As long as she harbors these doubts, she could attack again at any moment. Whether she’d stop even if I reasoned with her was doubtful.

“Ugh…”

Even as those thoughts swirled, the curses were taking hold.

My mind swam, my limbs grew heavy, and a heavy weight pinned me to the earth.

Thankfully, the pain wasn’t too sharp, but aside from that, my physical condition was utter rubbish.

I’d be bedridden for a while, it seemed. It felt as though all I was collecting were more curses.

Perhaps, scouring the entire history of humankind, few would be so thoroughly afflicted by curses as I.

I chuckled, a dry sound, at the frivolous thought. I needed to think of something, anything, to lift my spirits.

‘Was it a mistake to only share the Regression with some…?’

Clutching at my weary mind, I pondered. Originally, I’d kept it secret to avoid confusing the remaining party members… but now, it seemed to have erected a wall between them.

The difference—the Regression—was why those two were so kind to me, and that kindness had given Adel grounds to be suspicious.

Should I explain things now, even? But with this mess already unfolding, whether she’d believe me was a mystery.

‘I don’t know.’

Unable to find an answer after thinking for a long while, I simply went and lay down on the bed. My condition was terrible because of the curse, and besides, it wasn’t something I could decide alone.

At the very least, I needed to discuss it with Yulis and Lily.

Damn it, why did only bad things keep happening…?

Whether it was the curse or the heavy darkness settled deep within the inn, negative thoughts kept bubbling up.

Dark emotions kept trying to sink me downwards.

That night, I tossed and turned with the curse for quite a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

…It was a particularly lonesome night.

*

…To cut to the chase, I didn’t even need to discuss it with them.

The topic of our would-be discussion, Adel, began to exhibit strange symptoms the very next day.

“Luke! Luke!!”

A sudden flurry disturbed the usual stoicism etched on Adel’s face.

She rushed straight to me, her hands fluttering about my face.

“Luke, are you alright?! What on earth… Ah, I’m sorry… I’m so terribly sorry…”

“……Haa.”

I sighed. Only yesterday, this was the same person trying to gut me with a knife. Now, this sudden change of heart? It was a bizarre situation, true, but not entirely unprecedented for me.

Wordlessly, I took her hand and led her over to Yulis and Lili. Camilla, it seemed, had gone off for her morning training. Thanks to that, I was able to extract them without much difficulty.

“She’s regressed.”

With an air of irritation, I more or less tossed Adel in their direction.

Still rubbing sleep from their eyes, the two women’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“W-what?”

“J-just a moment. Is that really true?”

Instead of answering, I simply gestured to Adel standing next to them. She still hadn’t quite gathered her wits, babbling out things that made little sense.

“You two… So, you were too. Almost half a year… It’s been a while.”

I massaged my forehead with my fingertips.

It’s good to be done with any misunderstandings… but isn’t the regression itself a problem?

Her return means that, unbeknownst to me, I must have died once more.

The reason I kept the regression a secret from the party members was to spare them unnecessary stress, but all that careful preparation was rendered meaningless the moment Adel regressed like this.

‘I thought I had prepared diligently…’

It seems that was merely a delusion of my own. I didn’t know if it was because of the curse Adel had cast, but I felt worse than usual. Indeed, mental well-being follows the body.

Of course, that’s that, and this is this.

With that, the number of people who’d regressed reached three. Now, I needed to consider what stance to take toward Camilla.

And more importantly, how had *I* died?

Usually, before these women regressed, there was something that directly contributed to their defeat, after all.

Lilly and Ulis seemed curious as well.

“…Wait, half a year?”

“What on earth, even at its longest it should be three weeks…”

Seeing them react with such horror to Adel’s muttered words.

Three pairs of eyes turned to Adel. I cautiously asked her.

“Um, would you be willing to tell us what happened?”

Eventually, Adel’s lips parted carefully.

“Well… that…”