“I imagine the church has its hands full with the curse business?” I said, leaning back in my chair. Despite being so busy, my old friend was kind enough to be with me. “I hate to say this after you’ve come all this way, but I don’t plan to go out today, so if you’re busy, then you don’t need to stay.”
Heck, I wouldn’t go out there even if I had you with me!
“No.”
With that simple reply, he sat down on the floor. Even that was enough to shake the ground slightly. He didn’t have a weapon or shield, but his fists were enough to take down most foes. He would probably be the last one standing in a Grieving Souls battle royale. If he entered the Supreme Warrior Festival, I wouldn’t be surprised if he won.
“Make yourself at home.”
“Mmm.”
Ansem nodded, then became still. When he stopped moving, he looked less like a person and more like an art installation.
Is he really relaxing? Well, if he’s fine with it, then I’m fine with it.
Eva seemed unsure of what to do with our unusual visitor. Her earlier bewilderment had entirely vanished, a result of Ansem’s great character. He was powerful and gentle. The world would’ve been a much worse place if he were as confrontational as Luke and Liz were. Our world held together where it counted.
I got up, took out a metal-polishing spray and a mop, then went up to Ansem. I had just finished polishing my Relics and had nothing else to do, so I could give him a polish.
I sprayed his bulwark of a back, when he tilted his head my way.
“No.”
“No need to be so reserved.”
“Nooo.”
Relic armor didn’t get dirty easily, and polishing it didn’t do much, but it was still better than no polishing at all. Once I started vigorously mopping his scratched armor, Ansem seemed to give in and became still again.
By the time I had finished polishing every inch of his armor, the sun had begun to set, and my body groaned in pain. My collection was fairly large, but Ansem’s armor was the only Relic that I could get a workout just by maintaining (though to be precise, his armor wasn’t part of my collection).
“Marin’s Lament, huh? And it’s a cursed item the church sealed off?”
Ansem grunted and nodded solemnly. It seemed there was truth in those rumors Eva had heard about the church having something big. Ansem didn’t say much, but he wasn’t at all averse to communication. As we chatted while I polished his armor, I had gotten a good grasp of the situation. It seemed the church was preparing to purify a cursed item in their possession, and Ansem was going to be part of the operation.
The Omnilucent God granted more than just healing powers. They also enabled barriers and sealing. The Church of the Radiant Spirit in the imperial capital had for a long time possessed a number of hazards whose curses had been sealed off.
The reasons for these seals varied. Some were sealed because the church didn’t think they would be able to handle the curse and had no other options, and some were set aside because there was a good chance the curse would weaken with time. The one thing they had in common was that no seal would last forever. Cracks would form over time, and though it was rare, seals could sometimes break without warning, a fact that had been learned the hard way.
After talks between the empire and the heads of the church, it was decided that one of the most powerful items they had sealed away, Marin’s Lament, was to be purified. As they saw it, rather than risk the seal breaking unexpectedly and wreaking havoc, it would be better to undo the seal and purify it while taking all possible caution. A sort of reverse approach.
It sounded like the seal was about ready to be renewed anyway, but the church was taking the decisive route.
“Is that gonna work?” I asked.
“Mmm?”
Purifying curses was great and all, but I just hoped the church didn’t forget that Ansem was a member of our party. He was tough and mellow, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel anything.
“Should I lend a hand?” I offered in a hard-boiled voice before I knew what I was doing.
“No.”
He shot me down. Even though Luke or Liz would’ve gladly accepted. But that was just fine! I was sure Ansem would be a-okay. If he needed someone, he could bring Ark or Sven, or maybe Lucia. The church might not be too thrilled to accept help from outsiders, but safety first.
“By the way, what sort of item is Marin’s Lament?”
Ansem didn’t respond.
My collection had a number of Relics that seemed like they might be useful during a purification, but I thought it would be better to stay out.
We were dealing with a curse that was being purified because if it happened to break out, it might destroy the imperial capital. Sealing was a method generally saved for curses too strong to handle in any other way. The Church of the Radiant Spirit was one of the best when it came to purifications, so the scent of danger was thick in the air. If I screwed something up here, I might never recover from it. Though with all the trouble I constantly caused Ansem, I wanted to help him somehow.
Ansem then nodded his head and said in one breath, “Marin’s Lament is a high-ranked cursed item that the church has kept sealed off for a long time. Using the spirit of Marin, a woman who met an early death, a dark Magus created a hexen weapon. This has long been a source of headaches for the church, so much so that it immediately came to mind when we heard about the prophecy. We were all too happy to accept the empire’s suggestion. With the support of the empire, there’s no better opportunity to conduct the purification. You have no reason to worry, Krai.”
I see. Sounds wild.
Nothing like finding out the nearby church was holding on to something that dangerous to make you rethink living in a big city.
“How much damage has that weapon caused?” I asked.
Ansem simply grunted.
“And wait, that’s definitely what the Divinarium’s prophecy is about, isn’t it? They said it was something that might destroy the empire or whatever. There can’t be any curses stronger than this, can there?”
How terrifying was this thing if it immediately came to mind when there was a prophecy about the empire’s destruction? Scary. I would’ve been tempted to run away if it were possible, but I couldn’t leave Ansem behind.
After a brief silence, Ansem slowly shook his head, then held up two fingers. “It’s number two, I guess. I believe there’s one greater.”
“Mmm.”
Good thing I didn’t become a Paladin. Okay, maybe couldn’t was more accurate.
“Let’s look on the bright side,” I said. “Let’s be glad it’s not number one.”
“Mmm.”
I made an effort to put on a smile and patted Ansem on the shoulder, to which he sighed deeply and nodded.
Then the door flew open, and Sitri came in. It was immediately clear she had been through some rough ordeal. Stumbling into the room, her hair and clothes were disheveled, and I couldn’t tell what had happened, but her right hand was pressed against her left arm.
“Kraaai!” she said in a pouty, needy voice. “Oh, and Anssy.”
“Mmm.”
Seeing her brother, Sitri’s frail expression stiffened.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“N-Nothing.”
Correcting herself, she stood up straight and cleared her throat. She removed her hand from her arm and brushed off her robe. Embarrassed, she was red to her ears. Well, that she was hearty and hale was what mattered. As far as I could tell, she wasn’t injured, and she seemed fine in the head. I mean, even if she wasn’t, Ansem could’ve fixed her as long as she was still alive.
But why had she been pretending to be hurt in the first place?
While glancing at her brother, she approached me, looking up at me with eyes meant to inspire guilt. “Because of your conniving, the Primus Institute has been shut down for the time being. Most of the top-level staff have been arrested. My credibility has been shredded. The only thing left for me is to be your wi—by your side! For the time being!”
“O-Okay...”
I wasn’t conniving or anything, and while it sounded like something crazy had happened, I got the distinct impression the capital was a safer place now. It must’ve been hell, and I was sorry her credibility was gone, but she didn’t look that put out. I know I said it’s good to find fun in everything, but I thought this was going a bit far.
Despite his sister’s predicament, Ansem showed no particular reaction. Both Liz and Sitri had strong personalities, and after having spent so much time around them, Ansem had become a very tolerant person. His willingness to indulge his sisters was both a strength and a weakness for him.
Embarrassment at Ansem seeing her performance had certainly subdued Sitri. Normally, she would have given in to her excitement and thrown her arms around me. Instead, she looked at her brother with a conflicted expression.
Then, blinking, she removed a small box from her pocket. Inside was an old pendant in the shape of a cross attached to a metal chain. A large crimson gem was set in the center of the cross. It was a bit blemished, but probably still worth a considerable sum.
I accepted the pendant and held it up to the light. It didn’t seem like it was a Relic. I carefully looked over the deep red gem, where I noticed some odd writing had been etched into it.
“Before he was caught, Nickolaf slipped that into my hands. He said it was a talisman with a long and reputable history. He said that if you keep it close to you, you’ll be protected by a heroic spirit.”
“I see. Protection from a heroic spirit, you say? Sounds like it would be perfect for Ansem’s current situation.”
Except Sitri’s mentor hadn’t been protected—he had ended up arrested. Would this thing really work? Well, crosses were a holy symbol that those in the church liked to carry with them. Since Ansem was about to be part of a purification, it almost felt like this thing had made its way here just for his sake. It was probably better than nothing.
Did fate cause all that mayhem just so this would happen? What a headache.
“Mmm,” he said after a long pause.
With a chain of my own, I adjusted the length of the pendant, then placed it around Ansem’s neck. He made a low, rumbling groan.