“The boy may be fully released from his curse. However, for the beastfolk girls, full release remains impossible.”
“What? Only me...?”
“Myah?”
“Arf?”
“Two types of curses detected on the girls. Which curse shall be prioritized for removal?”
“Two types? So Shiro and Kuro have two curses on them?”
“One: trial curse identical to the boy’s. Two: sacrificial curse. Current achievements insufficient for full removal of both.”
The trial curse’s gotta be the mark that dungeon malice gave us. But another curse on top of that? It must’ve been the lord...
“What kind of curse is this sacrificial one?”
“Sacrificial curse designed to activate in response to a predetermined trigger spell and force the soul to be offered to the designated target.”
“And what’s the trigger spell?”
“Too many possibilities to determine. Depends on caster’s settings.”
So the activation conditions differ depending on who cast it. “Sacrificial curse” sounds scary as hell...
“But the lord’s the one who cast it, and he’s dead. Is the curse still in effect?”
“Depends on caster’s settings.”
Yeah, I get it, already!
But what am I supposed to do? If the curse activates, will it kill them? Is it okay to leave something like that as is? We don’t even know the activation conditions... I guess the fact that the lord tried to capture Shiro and Kuro probably means it can’t be triggered remotely? Still, it’s scary that we don’t know for sure if they’re safe.
The trial curse that would definitely activate in a few months, or the sacrificial curse that seemed unlikely to activate but could kill them instantly... We had to leave one of them. As I agonized over the choice suddenly forced upon me, Ares spoke up.
“Um, what would happen if I were to wish for their curse to be lifted? Maybe prioritize lifting the stronger curse?”
“Reincarnator’s soul—hero. Level-three dungeon trial, level-three Demon King subjugation, level-six Demon King subjugation, level-three Demon King subjugation, achievements confirmed.”
Is he trying to help us? I know we got past our problems, but why would he go this far? Reviving his friends is way more important!
“The trial curse on the two girls can be removed.”
“Wai—”
“Then please do that.”
I didn’t even have time to stop him. I’d never imagined he would so casually wish for our curse to be lifted.
“Granting blessings.”
Instinctively, I shouted at Ares, who began to radiate the same intense light as the goddess statue.
“Why?!”
“I’m just repaying you guys. I owe you for almost killing you. And I owe you for saving my life back in our old world. If now’s not the time to do it, then when?”
“Wha—”
Saving his life? Does he mean—
But I couldn’t talk to him after that. Just as the light around Ares faded, he vanished. Apparently, once you receive the blessing, the dungeon automatically lets you escape.
Now that’s some awesome aftercare! We don’t have to worry about how to get home! I’ll have to ask Ares what he meant after we leave the dungeon. For now, we need to focus on ourselves.
But first, it’s time to say goodbye. “Godlord. Thank you for everything.”
“Thank you so much!” said Shiro.
“Huuuge help.”
“Don’t mention it. If it weren’t for you guys, Machina would’ve killed me.”
Godlord shrugged, forcing a smile. He was probably frustrated he hadn’t seen through Machina’s true nature.
“When we get back to the surface, let me thank you properly.”
“Well, I dunno about that. I’m probably gonna skip town once I get outta here.”
“You are?”
“Yeah. I only came into the dungeon ’cause some weirdos were chasing me outside. I didn’t realize it at the time, but now I know they were from one of the sketchy slum organizations. Machina was probably pulling strings behind the scenes. Well, I was being controlled by her too...”
Considering Machina’s true nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d killed kids in this world too. And Godlord had apparently gotten into huge fights with thugs on the surface—no wonder he was being hunted.
“Well, if we meet again, cook something for me. For now, go break your curse.”
“Got it.” I turned to the girls. “Shiro, Kuro.”
“Myah.”
“Wuffu.”
I guided the two girls to stand before the goddess statue, then said our wish.
“Please remove the remaining curses on us.”
“Please remove the curses!”
“Please.”
The three of us bowed together as we wished.
“Granting blessings.”
“Whoa!”
“Myah!”
“Arf.”
With that same mechanical voice echoing in our ears, our bodies began to shine brightly in rainbow colors until the light eventually swallowed us whole. A floating sensation washed over me, and my senses felt like they were being scrambled.
The only thing I could clearly feel were Shiro’s and Kuro’s hands in mine. Without that, I probably would’ve panicked. Their fear was evident by how tightly they squeezed my hands. When I squeezed back, I could tell they felt reassured.
When the light had finally faded, we were standing somewhere completely different. It was somewhat—actually, extremely—familiar.
“The dungeon entrance?”
“We’re back!”
“Teleport’s amaaazing.”
It was the entrance to the dungeon we’d always used. If we moved the wall behind us with magic, the usual sewer would be there. We’d been returned since we received our blessings. Ares wasn’t here; he was probably sent to the official entrance near the mercenary guild. I’d never imagined he’d wish for our curse to be lifted instead of reviving his party members.
“Oh, the curse... It’s gone!”
“The black stuff’s gone!”
“Curse gone?”
The black marks branded into our chests had vanished completely. There was no doubt that our curses had been lifted.
“Myah...”
“Arf...”
“Whoa—”
Shiro and Kuro suddenly threw themselves at me. I couldn’t move, being hugged tightly by the two bigger girls. But I didn’t say anything. I just waited quietly for them to settle down.
“Mya...”
“Awoo...”
Warm tears dripped from their eyes and fell onto my head. Ever since they’d desperately rushed forward in that final room, I’d known. Even if they’d tried to act strong, deep down, they were terrified of the curse that promised death.
Sniffle!
Snrrrk.
Hey! You’re dripping snot on me! Wait, did you just wipe it on my hair?
Ten minutes later, Shiro and Kuro finally calmed down, swaying where they stood.
They were completely losing to exhaustion. After everything that had happened today, it must have hit them at once now that they felt safe.
“Come on, let’s head home. Can you walk?”
“Myah...”
“Awoo...”
I took their hands and led them homeward. I couldn’t believe how relieved I felt just stepping into the dusty, cramped underground room for the first time in so long. I guess, without realizing it, I’d come to think of this place as safe.
“Come on, lie down.”
“Myah... I’m hungry...”
“Hungryyy.”
“All right, all right. Here’s some jerky to chew on.”
“It’s good.”
“Yummyyy.”
I held the jerky up to their noses as they collapsed onto the bedding. They only moved their heads and bit into it. They chewed for a bit, and before I knew it, they were asleep.
You got jerky sticking out of your mouths. Sweet dreams.
Zzz.
Seeing Shiro and Kuro sleeping peacefully and quietly snoring for the first time in a long while made everything finally sink in.
“We survived. We really made it.”
We’d nearly died countless times in the dungeon. There were moments when my heart almost broke. But we pushed through, earned our blessings, and somehow stayed alive. We no longer had to live in fear of a curse.
Sniffle.
Whoa, I’m the guardian here. I can’t be crying!
“Oh yeah. I wonder if Ares and Godlord are okay.”
I wanna go check on them, but I’m pretty beat myself. Walking around town half asleep would be too dangerous. Actually, I can barely move anymore. It’s just like right after Ares almost killed me. Maybe this always happens after pushing my dragon body too far.
“Ahh...I...can’t...”
I collapsed onto the bedding, unable to fight the exhaustion any longer. Listening to Shiro’s and Kuro’s gentle breathing, I felt my consciousness drift into sleep right alongside them.