The next morning, at the break of dawn, a cool breeze carrying the scent of dew brushed past the black-haired girl. Her long eyelashes quivered softly as she slowly opened her eyes.
“Mm…”
Beside her, the campfire had long burned out, and even the remaining embers had lost their warmth.
“It’s a little cold…”
She didn’t remember being this sensitive to the cold before. Besides, she had a strange dream last night.
She dreamed that she accidentally released a little evil god who wanted to take over her body, and ended up turning into a girl herself.
What a bizarre dream…
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Yuuri got up and stretched, but accidentally let out a soft, sweet moan.
Wait… could she really make that kind of sound?
Her gaze dropped, and she saw a rise and fall on her chest that shouldn’t have been there.
Hm?
No, something’s wrong. Her trembling hand instinctively reached up to her chest, and the unfamiliar, soft sensation made her freeze in place.
It seems the dream was real.
“Good morning~ You’re in quite the mood so early, huh?”
A familiar gentle laugh sounded by her ear. Turning around, she found the white-haired, red-eyed girl sitting beside her, eyes gleaming with mirth.
“Hey~ Yuuri-chan, want me to give you a hand and rub them for you?”
“No need.”
Damn it.
She must have still been muddled from sleep, treating everything that happened yesterday as just a dream.
And now, as soon as she opened her eyes, she got caught in such an embarrassing moment by Iris.
“I just woke up and haven’t gotten my bearings yet.”
But Iris still had that playful smile on her lips, with a look that said, “You don’t need to explain, I understand everything.”
She doesn’t understand a damn thing.
“I’m going to wash up.”
Standing up and trying to act calm, Yuuri headed for the riverbank. Iris’s gentle laughter behind her made her cheeks flush red instantly.
Ugh… It was just an accident, nothing but an accident.
Ignoring the laughter behind her, Yuuri reached the river, scooped up the cool water, and splashed it on her face, instantly cooling her burning cheeks.
Whew… Her mind felt much clearer.
She raised her head to gaze at the first rays of the rising sun. It was still early, but the journey back to the city was quite long. Even if she traveled at her fastest pace the whole way, she would only arrive by evening.
Still, if she got lucky and hitched a ride along the way, she might make it back by afternoon.
While estimating the possible timings, Yuuri returned to the campfire, tidied up the remaining embers, and packed her few belongings.
She’d first return to the city to make some preparations, then set out for her next destination in search of a way to break the curse.
Walking along the small path back to the city, there was only the sound of wind rustling past and the occasional birdsong.
Iris floated at her side. Perhaps from having been sealed for so long, the little evil god’s eyes sparkled, curiously taking in everything along the way.
“Doesn’t feel like much has changed.”
Looking at Iris, an important question welled up in Yuuri’s mind.
Out in the wilderness, with no one else around, there was no need to worry. But once she was back in the city, Iris’s presence would become a real problem.
She was far too conspicuous. Although Yuuri herself stood out now too, she could at least use a cloak to disguise herself. Iris, on the other hand, couldn’t disguise herself at all.
For a cursed one like Yuuri, drawing attention was the last thing she wanted.
“Iris, I have a question.”
“Oh? Yuuri-chan wants to ask something—Is it about learning magic, or maybe about a girl’s body? Or perhaps…”
“Stop, stop, stop.”
This girl…
Yuuri couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Iris. “First off, none of those things you mentioned are on my mind, and I’m not going to ask about them.”
“That’s no fun.”
The little evil god shrugged, clearly uninterested in boring questions.
“It’s actually something important.”
“How important?”
“Can anyone other than me see you?”
Iris propped her chin, thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“Probably not. Right now, I’m just a projection. And this projection only exists because of your soul’s perception.
Simply put, only you can see and hear me. In other people’s eyes, I’m just thin air.”
That was a relief. Once she entered the city, she only needed to hide herself properly and be careful talking to Iris. She didn’t want people to think she was some crazy person talking to herself.
*****
After following the small path and finding the main road to the city, Yuuri was lucky enough to come across a horse-drawn wagon loaded with goods.
The driver, a man who looked to be in his forties, stopped when he saw Yuuri wave at him.
Confirming that they were headed the same way—and since the driver also wanted someone to chat with on the road—Yuuri paid a small fare and smoothly hitched a ride.
Climbing into the wagon, she managed to squeeze into a spot among the pile of goods. It was cramped, but still better than having to walk all the way back.
On the way, Yuuri started up a conversation.
“Uncle, how’s Anvil City been lately? Nothing unusual happened, right?”
The driver, keeping his eyes on the road, replied without looking back, “Same as always. Nothing’s really happened. It’s just, the atmosphere in the city’s been a bit strange lately.”
As he spoke, he suddenly lowered his voice, as if afraid someone might overhear.
“I heard it’s an order from the City Lord’s Manor. They’ve been searching the city every day lately, looking for something, I guess. Even the checks at the city gates have gotten stricter.”
Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression didn’t change as she continued, “Why is that?”
“What else could it be? I’d bet a cursed one slipped out of control and ran off. Or maybe an outsider who’s cursed sneaked into Anvil City.”
There was a note of complaint in the driver’s voice. “If you ask me, it’s all those damned cursed ones’ fault.
It’s their ominous aura that attracts all those abyssal monsters. If it weren’t for them, how could Anvil City get attacked by monsters every other day?
All cursed ones should just die!”
Listening to his tirade, Yuuri’s expression didn’t change at all.
She’d heard this sort of thing many times before—disgust, hatred, curses, fear. These were the most common feelings ordinary people had toward cursed ones.
“Wow~ Yuuri-chan, looks like your situation isn’t looking so good, huh?”
Iris’s slightly schadenfreude voice sounded in her ear. “Say, if he found out you were cursed, would he toss you right off the wagon? Maybe, in his eyes, you’re scarier than those monsters.”
Yuuri instinctively ignored Iris’s voice and continued to make small talk with the driver, until the outline of the city walls appeared on the horizon.
They were almost there.
At the city gate, several guards were inspecting everyone entering the city, one by one. That was definitely not good news.
Still, Yuuri had dealt with this sort of thing several times before, so she had some experience.
The wagon slowed to a stop at the city gate, and two guards quickly stepped forward to halt it.
“Get down. Inspection.”
After Yuuri climbed down, one guard went to check the goods in the wagon, searching for anyone who might be hiding inside.
Another guard was in charge of body checks. The driver passed the inspection without a hitch. Next up was Yuuri.
“Take off your cloak.”
Without waiting for Yuuri to respond, the guard stepped forward, reaching out to remove her cloak directly.
In the next instant, Yuuri moved faster than him—swift and subtle—slipping a faintly glowing silver coin into the guard’s palm.
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