Her appearance closely resembled that of Lucil, almost as if she were a female version of him. This girl was Lucil’s younger sister, Lucika, who was afflicted by the curse. To help her, Lucil and his companions sought the aid of our dark guild and were on a quest to find an Elixir.
“Wh-What’s wrong? You need to be resting, don’t you? Was it too noisy?” Lucil hurriedly rushed to Lucika’s side, concern etched across his face. However, Lucika, with a sweet smile, tried to reassure her brother.
“No, it’s not that. I feel really good right now. I feel like I could go back to being an adventurer,” she said, flexing her small arm, trying to show off an imaginary muscle with a bright smile. Her thin arms seemed fragile, but for Lucil, seeing his sister this energetic was a rare and emotional moment. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
“Lucikaaa…”
“Come on, big brother. No crying.” Lucika gently patted her weeping brother on the head, trying to comfort him.
I’m glad. It seems my magic is effectively suppressing Ragel’s curse. For the next few years, she should be fine. Ideally, I would like to pour more magic into her to alleviate her symptoms quickly, but her body wouldn’t be able to withstand the full force of my magic.
“Oh…” Lucika’s eyes landed on me. When I smiled at her, she returned the gesture and left Lucil’s side to approach me.
“Doctor, you’re at our guild,” she said.
“Yes, I’m just visiting for a bit. We were having a little celebration. I hope we weren’t too noisy.”
“No, not at all. Everyone made such a wonderful room for me.” Lucika smiled happily.
“I see.” This guild truly cared for its members. But our guild is just as caring! I’ll say it as many times as needed!
“Thanks to you, Doctor, I’m feeling much better. Thank you so much,” Lucika said, bowing her head deeply.
I shook my head.
“No, no. What I did was just a temporary fix. To truly break the curse, we need the Elixir. Everyone’s out looking for it now, so please bear with it a little longer.”
At my words, Lucika’s expression clouded over.
“Hm? Did I say something strange?”
“N-No… It’s just…” she began hesitantly, “I can’t help but feel guilty for causing everyone so much trouble. I know that my condition is making things hard for everyone. The guild’s spending so much money on me that it’s jeopardizing its operations…”
Her face was marked by sadness and distress. “Everyone’s suffering so much because of me. I wonder if there’s any point in me being alive. Maybe it would be better if I were dead, so I wouldn’t be such a burden on everyone.”
Wow, this guild really cares about its members. Putting the well-being of their comrades above their own—it might seem like the norm, but how many adventurer guilds can truly say they live by that credo?
All right, enough admiring them. I need to share my thoughts.
“Honestly, I’m not a member of your guild, so I don’t know the full extent of the hardships caused by your curse. However, it’s clear that it has brought some misfortune. Just thinking about how much money a small guild like yours must have spent to get information from World’s Eye is dizzying.”
“Yes… you’re right…” Lucika murmured, lowering her head further.
“Hey, you bastard!” Lucil started toward me angrily, but I raised a hand to stop him.
“Caring for your sister is admirable, but now it’s time for me to share my thoughts. Please listen quietly.”
I made sure Lucil stayed put and then continued speaking.
“As I mentioned before, you might be a burden to them…”
“But so what if you are?”
“What?” Lucika blinked in surprise.
“This is just my opinion, but guild members are like family. Even if one of them becomes a burden, they will never be abandoned.”
“That’s not…”
“It’s true that very few guilds, even legal ones, live up to this ideal. It’s even rarer among gray guilds and dark guilds—except for ours, of course. So, let me ask you this: If Lucil were cursed instead, would you abandon him?”
“Of course not! I would never abandon my brother!”
Lucika’s strong response shattered her previous gloomy demeanor.
“Exactly.”
“From what I understand, the Ragel’s curse was originally aimed at Lucil. Lucika, you took on such a deadly curse without thinking of yourself, showing just how much you care for your brother. Now, what about Apollo, Ligg, and Pelorro? Would they abandon you?”
“They wouldn’t,” Lucika said softly but firmly.
“Exactly. Don’t you think your guildmates feel the same way about you?”
“That’s right!” Lucil suddenly shouted.
“B-Big B-Brother?!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Lucil, who had been anxiously restraining himself, suddenly lunged at Lucika. She blinked in surprise as her brother embraced her.
“You got cursed because of me,” Lucil said.
“No, that’s not true! I did this on my own!” Lucika protested.
“Exactly. Which is why it’s my choice to save you! Stop thinking all this nonsense by yourself!”
Lucika trembled at her brother’s words, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Other guild members began gathering around the siblings.
“That’s right. You two are our comrades. We won’t let you die on us…” Apollo said, though he was clearly intoxicated and struggling to stay coherent.
“Apollo-san…”
“Lucika, Lucil and Apollo are right. You are an important part of our family,” Ligg added, supporting Apollo with a smile.
“Ligg-san…”
Though Apollo was swaying, Ligg supported him with a chuckle and gave Lucika a warm smile. Overwhelmed with emotion, Lucika’s eyes sparkled with tears of gratitude.
“What a wonderful guild.”
As I voiced this sentiment, Lucika let a single tear fall and smiled beautifully.