“Yes... Where are you going with this?”
“It takes strength to protect something, whether that be yourself or your family... I wouldn’t disparage the use of force under all circumstances. However, solving one problem with reckless violence could lead to a chain of revenge. The longer the cycle of violence continues, the more pain it causes. It could even be counterproductive if the goal is to gain sympathy from others. As far as I’m concerned, violence is the last resort of conflict resolution. I would prefer to negotiate...but I am really skilled with that last resort.” I’d beaten around the bush a little—I’d never admitted this to anyone before. As much as I sincerely—from the bottom of my heart—didn’t want things to come to that, it would be easier for me to deal with people who did resort to violence. What kind of person was I that I almost hoped they would, just to make things simpler for me? “I’ve never said this out loud before. It’s not something I can be proud of... Anyway, do these crime syndicates have anyone with them that could hold their own against, say, a former captain of the Knight’s Order, a former royal sorcerer, or a current S-rank adventurer?”
“Certainly not. If any of the syndicates did, they would have long taken over the other three organizations. They would not be in the standoff they are now. It is even less likely that each organization has someone of that caliber in their employ. My impression was that the syndicates are composed of a decent number of strong fighters in the higher ranks and a whole bunch of trusts. That is only the impression I have gotten from observing how things are in the city.”
“That makes things easier. In your opinion, if a syndicate member were to be injured—not killed, but pretty severely—would they let that slide?”
“Never. I dealt with similar organizations during my time in the militia. Those gangs think their reputation will be at stake if they do not retaliate.”
“So what would happen if the one who beat him up belonged to another syndicate?”
“Of course, they would—” Eleonora turned her gaze to me, seeing where I was going with this. “You showed me a mimic slime’s transformation once. I doubt anyone could see through the disguise without prior knowledge. If you have the slime take the form of a syndicate member and make sure it was witnessed as the attacker of another syndicate’s member, we could intentionally trigger a war between the syndicates.”
“Yes, and that’s just one idea. I don’t know anything about these syndicates—I’m sure it wouldn’t be so simple as to resolve everything with one little trick. But all we have to do is continue to sabotage them until it is all resolved. Hexes would probably be useful in that, too, although I’m still a novice at those.”
I had an idea for a combat-ready hex that would trigger commotio cordis—impact-triggered cardiac arrest, which would stop the heart and prevent oxygen from being delivered throughout the body. It could be triggered with the equivalent impact of a baseball to the chest. However, it has to hit at the right angle at just the right timing in between heartbeats. It’d be nearly impossible to trigger on purpose...without a curse. If I were to use it in combination with hand-to-hand combat—my forte—I could make punching the opponent’s chest the ritual to trigger the curse and stop their heart. The same idea could also be used to trigger a concussion or burst an organ. Using the hex, I might even be able to delay the onset. Other applications, against opponents wearing armor, for example, could include inducing osteoporosis, weakening their bones at the moment of impact. A single strike with a weapon could render an armored opponent immobile. I did understand that Rosenberg wasn’t teaching me hexology so I could use it in combat...but I could see the terrible potential of working in curses with combat.
“Even if it’s not in combat, we could use something like a cursed letter—well, maybe not. That could ruin the whole fiefdom or even the kingdom,” I mused.
“The kingdom?!” Eleonora blurted out. “Excuse me. You can concoct such a devastating curse?”
“Probably? There’s no way to know without trying, but this isn’t something I can experiment with without forethought, so I’ll keep the details of it to myself... It’s more ‘I think I can’ than ‘There’s no way I can’t.’ I think hexology really suits me.” I wouldn’t claim to have mastered the core of hexology in a week of studying it, but I came to understand that casting a curse was like a game of association. There was a higher risk of losing control of the spell compared to other branches of magic, but as long as you could imagine something concrete that tied into your object, the spell would work. All I had to do was amplify my negative emotions with magical energy. When it came to curses that I could use in combat, imagining a video game’s debuffs or status conditions could do the trick. The osteoporosis curse was the same thing as a Defense stat debuff, for example. Since I’d only need to activate it at the moment of impact, it should be fuel-efficient when it comes to magical energy... But I could mull over that later.
“I’ve gotten off on a tangent. I don’t intend to take any of these measures now. I just wanted you to know that, if you wanted me to, these are some ways I could contribute. I value you as an employee and associate. If you should ever need it, my help is yours, whether it be brute force, financial aid, or influence—as much favor as I can garner from Duke Jamil, anyway. When it comes to force and money, I have more than most.”
“I understand. Thank you very much for your offer. I will take you up on it, when I decide to take action and if it shall require your help. When that time comes, I will try my best to think of the least violent method.” Traces of regret had left her face, replaced with a subtle smile. Come to think of it, I’d seen a myriad of expressions on her face today: sorrow, confusion, surprise.
Now that our conversation had come to a lull, I noticed how chilly it was getting out here. “The wind is picking up... If we’d like to call our first venting session to a close, it may be a good time. We probably shouldn’t be out in the cold for too long.”
“Yes... I think I was doing most of the talking again, when I was supposed to help you prepare for tomorrow’s hexing.”
“You helped me a great deal, just in a less visible way. We can talk about what I had in mind on another day. Speaking of, there was something I wanted to give you.” I took out the bag I’d prepared from the Item Box.
“What is it?”
“I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but it’s a task I’d like you to complete when you have the time. The bag contains the materials, tools, and directions to make a wish bracelet. It will be like weaving a small rope. I figured this would make it easier to carry a hex around.” Making these bracelets, which were supposed to grant a wish if you wore them until they naturally broke, was a trend when I was in elementary school. They were pretty easy to make, so I hoped that framing it as a low-priority task would help Eleonora kill some time. “There’s no quota or deadline. Could you try to make some whenever you have extra time?”
“Absolutely.”
We returned to the cottage after that, and I went straight to bed. Considering how I’d gotten to hear a critical piece of what was troubling Eleonora, I’d call that a pretty productive venting session.