“What’s this, were you moved?”
No sooner had they left the blacksmith’s shop than Iris circled around, teasing her with a grin.
Moved, huh.
Fragments of the past flashed through her mind. Those gray memories surged like a tide, engulfing her. Her consciousness was swallowed by that ocean of grey, sinking deeper and deeper, until she couldn’t breathe.
“Yuri? Hey, hey?”
A slender, fair little hand waved in front of her eyes, rousing her dazed mind.
“You… you didn’t just lose your mind all of a sudden, did you? Oh, wait, I think I get it now.” The little Evil God’s eyes lit up as if she’d discovered some huge secret. “Hehe~ Yuri-chan, you’ve never had anything like this happen before, right? That’s why you’re so touched now that it’s finally happened.”
“You don’t know what to do, don’t know what to say, so you’re just standing there, frozen, right?”
“No.”
A cool voice brushed past Iris as the black-haired girl walked by without so much as a backward glance, not the slightest trace of reluctance.
“Eh… Still pretending.”
Iris quickly caught up and, standing in front of her, couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Yuri-chan, when are you going to stop being so stubborn? You’re clearly happy inside. The look on your little face gives you away, and yet you’re still trying to hide it, tsk tsk…”
Yuri kept silent, continuing to walk forward. Since the moment the curse had broken out within her, this truly was the first time she had felt kindness from a stranger.
But she knew very well it was all built upon a lie.
If that craftsman knew who she really was—if he knew the “dead brother” she spoke of was, in fact, herself—would he still treat her the same way?
He wouldn’t.
He’d call the knights to arrest her, the wandering Cursed One.
Such was the fate of a Cursed One—doomed to suffer the cold stares and hatred of others.
So long as the curse remained, nothing in her life would truly improve. Even if she chose to keep hiding, to live in this form that seemed soft and pitiable, the sort that inspired others to trust and feel sorry for her.
How long could she hide? In the end, paper can’t cover fire.
No matter how well she concealed herself, there would come a day when she was exposed.
And when that day came, could she, who had grown used to living in the light, return once more to the darkness?
No…
If she wanted a normal life, she could only keep searching for a way to lift the curse. Even if such a way didn’t exist.
She had to keep searching.
“Tsk tsk… You really are a stubborn one. Always yearning for something, yet choosing to reject it.”
Stubborn, huh?
Maybe.
Yuri didn’t want to dwell on the question. She refastened the grappling hook device on her left arm, then turned toward an empty alley.
Alright, time for a performance test.
She raised her left arm and aimed at a few battered crates deep in the alley. There was a click from the mechanism, and the grappling hook shot out, striking the distant crate dead-on.
“Whoosh!”
A sudden, powerful force yanked her forward, pulling her body so fast it nearly left her breathless.
If she hadn’t braced herself in advance, that jerk would have slammed her face-first into the ground.
As she passed the hook’s landing point, she used the lingering momentum to leap ahead, landing steadily on her feet. Looking back, she saw she’d already covered more than ten meters from where she’d started.
From firing the hook to steadying her stance had all taken but a split second.
She glanced down at the device in her hand. Just as she landed, the improved mechanism automatically retracted the hook for her—no need to pull it back manually anymore. Much more convenient.
Test complete. The improvements really did let it auto-retract, and the hook’s speed was impressive. Whether chasing or fleeing, it would work well for both.
But for everyday travel? Not so suitable.
She subconsciously rubbed her left arm. In the past, using the hook always left her arm a little numb, and too much use would make it ache.
This time, she didn’t feel any numbness—maybe because her physical strength had improved?
Still, after a few more uses, her arm would probably go numb and ache again.
It was best used in pursuit or combat, weaving it in as needed.
As for the next upgrade, that would be a materials swap. Once she had the reward of those five gold coins, she should be able to do a complete overhaul.
She concealed the device strapped to her wrist beneath her roomy sleeve, then went to the public well. For two copper coins, she filled her two waterskins, then stopped by a bakery to buy some cheap black bread.
“Yuri-chan, just how much do you like that stuff?”
Iris stared at the black bread in her hand and finally blurted out her question.
Since they’d entered the city yesterday, she’d watched Yuri make trip after trip to bakeries—always ignoring the fragrant loaves for this hard-as-stone black bread.
Every time, the same thing. She must really like it.
“No. Maybe this is the last time I’ll buy it.”
“Eh?”
“Once I get the five gold coins, I’ll be able to improve my meals a little.”
That’s right. Once she had that reward, she could finally say goodbye to the days of gnawing black bread.
More importantly, she’d have enough to leave Anvil City and pay for the journey to the next town.
With the barrier malfunctioning and the Abyss already infiltrating the city, this place was no longer safe.
Who knew what might happen if she stayed.
As soon as she got her reward for this job, she’d leave Anvil City at once and head to the next town in search of a way to lift the curse.
Hopefully, the next town would hold some clues.
The noonday sunlight filtered through the sparse branches of the withered forest, scattering mottled light across the clearing. All around was silence, broken only by the wind rustling dry leaves and the occasional cry of some unknown insect.
The Silvermoon Wolf was a classic nocturnal magical beast. At night—especially under clear, unobscured moons—they were at their most active. During the day, though, Silvermoon Wolves mostly lurked deep in their dens, resting. It was hard to find any trace of them.
There was still a long while until nightfall. For now, Yuri planned to scout out the likely location of the Silvermoon Wolf den, and to gather fallen leaves in advance for building a fire trap.
The ground was scattered with dry, yellowed leaves—perfect material for starting a blaze.
Still, if she wasn’t careful, she might end up setting the whole forest on fire.
Best to clear the surroundings, just in case.
Thinking about it, that meant a lot of work. If she couldn’t finish today, she’d just keep at it tomorrow. She’d brought two or three days’ worth of water and food, and if push came to shove, she could always catch some small animals in the woods for food.
After all, the Silvermoon Wolf King was something only a Gold-rank could handle, and it had its whole pack with it. She wouldn’t strike until she’d prepared everything.
Only, it seemed something didn’t want her to get started so smoothly.
Not far from her, near a pile of fallen leaves, sunlight should have been shining—yet that patch was shadowed. Not because something was blocking it, but because something was warping the light itself.
As if to confirm her hunch, a swirl of black mist suddenly welled up over the leaves.
Then, a twisted shape emerged from the darkness, shrieking as it lunged at Yuri.
“Tsk… running into you lot, what rotten luck.”