Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha - Chapter 28

第１３話　屍食鬼の仮面

TL : Cnine

ED/PF :

「…………. As I thought, is it impossible？」

Lena said that with worrying tone to me who grappling with the mask that clung on my face.

Ater the mask is clinging on my face, it keep on clinging for around half-hour.

But, it won’t come off no matter how much I try.

It’s as if it become my skin, even if I remove it, the skin of my face will sticking to it.

「I……….. It won’t, come off………..」

When I’m answering that way, Lena,

「…….. I’m sorry, because of me……… the truth is, when I think about it now, that, the person who sold that mask, was suspicious right…………. I purchased it at the street stall but, with a price that surprisingly cheap if I buy it now………」

Saying that thing is inexcusable.

It’s the the words of an ordinary merchant only when they’re complaining but, in addition to that, when it comes to the price he set is really suspiciously low……..

No matter how I hear her story, I never heard that kind of modus operandi of a swindler.

Well, though there’s swindler-like merchant, there might be normal merchant who say that but…….

「By, the………….. Way, how much, the price was………..？」

「Three copper coin. No matter how much you think about it, it’s too cheap for a solid mask made of metal…….. right？ Even so, I somehow come to like the first time I see it………..」

It’s Lena preference huh.

Well, in that case it can’t be helped then……….. I can’t take it off.

That was natural.

Or rather, 3 copper she say.

It’s not something unusual because it’s a mask for adventurer.

Because, during the long years of me as an adventurer, there’re so many case in which they’re suffering from a wound which is too big to be restored with low rank restoration magic.

Big wound like the lost of their limbs such as their legs or arms can’t be  restored if it’s not saint class that get certification from religious group such as the church, if they want to use that, they’ll be suffering doctor fee which become so much in the name of donation. [TL : EHM…… Kinda like me]

As for the people who can’t afford to pay that, I’m sorry for saying this but, either they’re retiring or, keep going on with artificial arms or legs.

They’ll use mask in case such as when their face receiving a huge wound, a cruel burn scar even just seeing it which can’t be cured.

Amongst the low class monster such as slime who’s using |Acid Ball(Acid Breath), the demon who using attack which will melt your face is not few in number, it will come to this if you fail to avoid it.

That’s why, mask was unexpectedly an item which you should keep close to yourself because we’re adventurer.

That’s why, I somehow know about it’s market price while thinking about the life so that I won’t wear it if possible.

Judging from that sensation, the mask made of metal like the one which wore by the current me isn’t something that you can buy unless you’re taking out silver coin.

You might be able to get one bread with one or two copper coin, that’s how much that amount of money is. [TL : So cheap]

In short, for this mask, processing cost aside, was an item which made you want to retort since just the price of the material already exceeding 3 copper coin.

And yet, Lena ended up purchased it.

Though there’s some point which I found suspicious, maybe she lost to it’s cheap price.

「……」

I’m looking at Lena with piercing gaze.

My one eyeball is not enough but.

Thereupon, Lena’s waving her hands in front of her face in panic.

「A, uhm, I think it’s okay that things turned this way you know！ It didn’t give any sign of curse………. See, I, could hold it normally with my hand but, it isn’t giving lively feeling！ I thought that it might have somesort of special circumtances but, maybe it’s nothing at all if it have no curse……….」

Well, when she said so, it certainly was that way.

Lena’s taking out this mask from the bag and placing it on the ground to me without even taking any vigilance at all to me.

In sort, doesn’t it mean that she’s suffering from curse…….？

Wrong.

When I’m trying to concentrating my consciousness on the mask that clinging on my face, I feel a slighty evil sign.

This is definitely curse right.

That thing didn’t take any effect on Lena……… perhaps, isn’t it maybe because she didn’t try it on her own face.

Anyhow, for me too, it didn’t do anything in the stage of just by holding it with my hand.

Which means that the curse invoked just when I placed it on my face.

Geez, I’m really unlucky.

But, a curse huh………

In that case I might be able to do something about it.

SUddenly, I, who thing about it is concentrating the power that residing in my body.

Thereupon, a dim pale blue light was coming out from my body.

「T-This is！ ？　Don’t tell me, reiki……….！ ？ 」

Lena said that with astonished expression.

I can understand her reaction.

Anyhow, something like reiki was a power that you rarely see.

Even if you’ve chance to see it, it’s an extremely rare case when the clergies using in an event such as festivel, normally you won’t even seeing it invoked at such close range.

As for the reason for me to use this power right now was the power of purification in the reiki.

Cleansing the curse, though the process of dispelling is also possible with holy magic, it’s extremely unpopular in general due to the use for it being monopolized by the clergies.

Even I don’t know how to use it.

But, if it’s reiki, even if I don’t understand the full detail to using it, I heard that it’s possible to purge the curse just by releasing it.

It might be impossible if it’s for the previous me[alive].

Anyhow, since the water of purification was the limit.

which can’t even clearing things like curse no matter how much you go for it.

But, if it was the current me who’s going through the 《Evolution Existance》 by beating the demons……..

I thought of that action.

It was actually effective.

Though the mask that’s clinging on my face without even giving any kind of reaction till sometimes ago was starting to make clattering sound along with the emission of my reiki.

This is it………………….. come off!

is what I expected, but.

「………. A-Are？ Lent-san, isn’t that pale blue light aura lessened than sometimes ago？ 」

Lena who was observing me is muttered with worried face.

It’s actually as she says, the reiki that have been released from my body keep decreasing.

Or should I say that I’m out of gas already.

Though I noticed how much my reiki increased, as expected it was only this much.

Though I feel as if being pressed by the mask till sometime ago, now there’s already no feeling like that as if it’s being force back by my reiki.

HYAA, I’t still no good huh.

When I gave up on keep releasing my reiki, the trembling of the mask also calmed down.

And then, when it’s completely stopped, the mask was clinging tighly on my face.

Geez, it’s not giving any sign of being able to taken off at all.

As I thought, it seems my power is lacking………..

「……. It’s no good huh」

「It, was, no…………. good……..」

When I sit down due to fatigue and weariness, lena is,

「My apologize…………. I ended up purchasing something with that kind of curse…….」

Apologized.

Sure, I might be look like dejected.

Tears’s flowing out from lena eyelids, it seems she really was feeling sorry.

She definitely though that I thought “AAH, It won’t come off, what a bad luck“.

But, if you think about this carefully, especially her action is not even something that I should critism till that point.

That’s why I’m saying to Lena.

「It’s okay, I wOn’t BlAmE yoU fOR IT…… mAYbE For, thE, cURRenT me………. It’S thE bESt tO KeEp it THiS WAy……..」

「But………..」

「It GaVe A SIGn OF LoOSeNIng A whIle AGO………… I DoN’T Know ABouT it BUT, IT MiGHt be ComE Off if I’M UsiNG StRonGER ForCE………….. It’s OKAy EvEn If It’S TaKEN Out SinCE I Can ALSo sAVe sOmE MonEY…….」

I said those words to comfort Lena who’s arguing vehemently.

And then, when I’m stretching my arms to touch her shoulder………. I’m pulling it just before touching her.

That’s right, I recalled that I’m a Corpse Eating Demon《Ghoul》, she has yet to be used to my presence.

But, she’s outstretching her hand as if to detaining my hand wrapped in gloves.

「W-What………..」

Lena’s saying to the surprised me.

「I understand. Lent-san is an evil man………. or demon? Absolutely not！  That’s why, I’m already not scared. I’m not, scared……..」

She was slightly shivered while saying so.

I know.

Though she might be saying not scared, it seems she’s still scared.

But, even while in this kind of situation, I know that she was deliberately taking my hand for the sake of comforting me.

That’s why, to her, I,

「Thank, you…………… And……………. Someday, it’ll BE GoOD WHeN YoU’RE No LONGeR ScARED…..」

I’m carefully releasing her hand as if to not wound her hand while saying so.

To that me, Lena is,

「I’ll get used immediately！ Definitely！ For sure」

Smiling as she say that while her legs losing it’s power.

It was such silly exchange.

As if we’re somewhere else.

But, I, Haa~, as I thought, I’m lacking liveliness. [TL : You’re undead after all]

Doing human-like conversation with human, that made me feel really happy.