The next day came after a night of restful slumber. Using magecraft to augment my speed, I zipped around town starting in the early hours of the morning. Because of all the people watching me—Erebos acolytes, priests from the church, and ordinary people I’d healed—I wasn’t entirely sure this was the best idea, but I did my best regardless.
It didn’t take long for my search to bear fruit—I found the lost kitten far earlier than I’d expected. It had black fur and green eyes, just as the job request had described. Gathering it up into my arms, I had the distinct impression that even regular cats looked a little fantastical in this new world. I hurried back to the adventurer’s guild as quickly as I could.
The guild took the cat from me, saying they’d handle contacting the owner to have them pick up their pet. The job request was now officially completed; as soon as I’d brought her in, they said I’d accomplished my mission. I accepted the reward for my work, though it wasn’t much, before starting to head home.
“Kind of a measly reward,” the Light Goddess said as she looked at the coins I had tightly grasped in my hands. Fouré was floating gently beside me.
“Because it was a simple job. The pay was never going to be more than a drop in the bucket,” I replied.
“If that’s how much you get from working, then training would be way more worth your while.”
“Don’t you remember what Hisui said before? There’s a point to him taking all these adventuring jobs,” Aruna interjected.
“You’re not wrong, Aruna, but still...” Fouré sighed.
“I feel the same way you do, but it’s not as though Hisui is neglecting his training. He used magecraft and godcraft powers to complete the job. Let’s just continue watching over him for the long term.”
Cult giggled, as she usually did. “I agree with Aruna.”
“Hmph,” Fouré interjected, puffing up her cheeks. “Well, aren’t you two patient—”
Fouré’s grousing was cut off by a sudden scream toward the east.
“Huh,” she said. “Must be something going on over there.”
Several townspeople came running from the eastern district, faces contorted in fear. Amid the shouting, the answer to Fouré’s confusion became clear. “Th-There’s a man who’s gone berserk over there! Someone stop him!”
“What’s going on?! Anyone he hit got knocked out cold!”
“Run, everyone! The man’s absolutely insane!”
“Someone’s attacking people?” Whatever was happening was clearly a far cry from peaceful, and with so many people panicking, it had to be something big. Concerned and with nothing pressing on my agenda, I headed into the eastern quarter.
“Chirp! Chirp, chirp!”
Dandelion flapped his wings frantically against my head as he pointed. Whatever was happening, it must have been over there. Channeling power into my legs, I dashed with strides so long, I was practically leaping. Weaving through the throng, I headed toward the heart of the commotion.
The cause of the ruckus wasn’t difficult to find—a man was thrashing about in the middle of the street.
“Ghrk... Graaagh!” He must’ve been in his thirties, and he looked dirty and unkempt. His shoulder-length hair whipped about as he flailed, indiscriminately attacking anyone within reach. Bloodied victims lay in a heap at his feet.
“Isn’t that...” I trailed off, sensing something strange about the man. Seeing the man rampaging in the street, I immediately noticed he was blanketed in a shroud of spellcraft.
“Is he cursed?” I asked.
“I’ve no doubt that he is. But unlike the curse from yesterday, this one is terribly strong. Spellcraft energies are pouring out from his very heart,” Cult answered. She carefully studied the man, eyes narrowed into slits.
“Looks like we can’t just ignore this,” I said. “Now we’ve got an even stronger curse on our hands. There’s definitely someone behind the scenes trying to spread these deliberately.”
I looked around just to be sure, but I didn’t see anyone who looked suspicious. Ordinarily, if someone put a plan into action, they’d want to see how it unfolded. The culprit always came back to the scene of the crime—or that’s what I’d heard, anyway—so to avoid being caught off guard, I kept a careful eye on my surroundings as I channeled magic through my body.
“Are you going to stop him?” asked Aruna.
“Of course. From what I can tell, all of the victims have also been cursed—and that curse is the same as the one I treated before. If I don’t stop him now, there’ll only be more victims.”
“All right. Be careful not to kill him, then. You’ll have to put him out of commission before you can break the curse.”
“I know.” I balled my hand into a fist, readying myself for combat. My opponent was an unarmed human. Even though the spellcraft power emanating from his body gave him enough strength to destroy everything around him, I had to keep my own powers in check. If I drew my sword, he wasn’t going to leave this fight alive—but I wanted to save him, not kill him.
I kicked off against the ground, dashing toward the man gone berserk. “Hraaagh!”
As I approached, he reflexively swung his arm at me like a whip. Dropping down low, I dodged it with ease. The blow was so powerful I could hear it whistle as it cut through the air.
“You’re fast! But you’re throwing your punches way too wide!” I shouted. Now that his guard was wide open, I drew my right arm back and threw a punch of my own straight toward his torso. My fist disappeared into his abdomen, sinking into it as if his belly were trying to draw it in.
I had held back the amount of force in my swing, but it was still an attack that would have instantly incapacitated the average person. At least, that’s what I’d thought—until I saw the man strike back at me. My eyes widened.
“What?! How are you still moving?!” I jumped back, narrowly dodging his counterattack. He glared at me, eyes bloodshot as he foamed at the mouth.
“His body has been fortified by the curse, it seems,” remarked Cult.