Chapter 71
Picnic to the Rift
After being struck at the core by Prit, I awkwardly scratched my cheek once again.
“Ahaha… caught me, huh? Once my seal is lifted, I really intended to enter the Rift…”
“This isn’t a joke, sir. I cannot allow you to enter the Rift alone.”
Judging by his firm tone, it seemed unlikely he would be swayed by my persuasion.
After pondering for a moment, an idea came to me.
“Then how about we do it like this?”
“…?”
“Once my seal is lifted, please let me go into the Rift. But—”
I hurriedly added the next part as I could already see him bracing to object.
“You will come with me, Your Highness.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Since you can receive the Oracle, it would make me much safer if I went with you.”
The ability of foresight, or receiving the Oracle, was said to activate randomly, usually in dangerous situations.
For instance, it would trigger just before an accident or right before encountering a monster.
If I entered the Rift alongside Prit, who possessed this ability, the risks could be minimized.
And since Prit seemed concerned about me, he might feel more at ease if he could accompany me.
Still, to prevent him from worrying, I added:
“For a knight with experience like mine, exploring the Rift isn’t that dangerous. I’ll show you my skills directly there. You’ll realize there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Hmm.”
“Think of it as a picnic—we’ll go and return quickly. What do you say?”
Of course, the Rift was no place for a picnic, but if I didn’t frame it like this, he would continue overprotecting me.
I had bent the truth slightly, and Prit seemed to hesitate for a moment—but not for long.
“Very well. If I go with you and predict the situation in advance, nothing dangerous should happen. Besides, I’ve long thought it might be fun to enjoy a picnic with you.”
“You mean with me?”
“Yes. Although it’s a bit disappointing that our first picnic destination happens to be beyond the Rift—”
He then looked me straight in the eyes and added a statement I couldn’t tell whether it was genuine or not.
“Even so, I feel that being with you could make that place, crawling with monsters, feel quite magnificent.”
If I had to name the most terrifying and dangerous place for humans, I would have unhesitatingly pointed to the area beyond the Rift.
Yet Prit was saying it could feel magnificent—just because he would be with me.
Perhaps he had never properly visited beyond the Rift, which made it easier for him to say such a thing.
Still, what mattered was that he trusted me greatly, and I couldn’t betray that trust.
“Truthfully, it’s not that magnificent, but at least I’ll do my best to protect you so that it won’t be remembered as a horrifying place.”
After that, I raised my cup first and invited him to a toast.
Clink. The clear sound of our glasses touching wasn’t unpleasant.
The awakener who could release the ability seal around my neck finally arrived at the main hall.
He appeared to be a young commoner boy and was said to possess the ability to break curses.
Could such a young boy really release the seal from the item?
…Yet, contrary to my concerns, he managed to release it with just a single touch.
“Ah, it’s finally released.”
Muttering that, I grabbed the ability-sealing item that had been choking my neck and glared at it.
I had been so frustrated because of this.
Now reduced to a mere leather necklace, I threw it straight into the trash.
Then I expressed my gratitude to the boy.
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
“I’m Theo.”
“Right, Theo. You’ve really helped me a lot. I felt so frustrated ever since my abilities were sealed.”
To test it, I tried drawing my power.
Immediately, the surrounding air chilled, and sharp ice shards formed in midair.
I skillfully manipulated this power to create a small ice toy soldier.
Forming something tangible with my ability was quite difficult, and both Prit and Theo let out astonished exclamations simultaneously.
“Oh.”
“Wow…”
I handed the ice toy soldier to Theo as a token of my thanks.
“By the way, Theo, could I ask one more favor?”
“Yes, anything.”
Theo accepted the ice soldier with a pleased expression.
I spoke carefully to him.
“Actually, there’s also a curse on my heart. I had signed a ‘contract imbued with a cursed ability’ before. If I violate the contract, the curse will stop my heart.”
The one who looked shocked wasn’t Theo, but Prit.
“You signed an item that enforces a contract?”
“Yes, it was a contract stating I must never reveal what I saw.”
“Oh… how did that happen?”
“Even though I knew it was dangerous, I had no choice but to sign at the time.”
That day, Ernant had taken me underground and used what was hidden there as bait to get me to sign the contract.
Since he said he wouldn’t show it unless I signed, I had no choice.
I succeeded in seeing the secret of the basement, but it became impossible to reveal what I saw.
With Theo’s help, perhaps I could finally be freed from that curse.
“Can you use your power to break the cursed ability on my heart? If the curse is lifted, I’ll be able to violate the secrecy contract and reveal the horrific things I saw.”
Upon hearing this, Theo nodded firmly.
“I’ll try it.”
He stepped closer to me immediately after saying so, raising his hand.
His slightly clumsy hand stopped just above the left side of my chest where my heart was.
Then, a bright beam of light emanated from Theo’s hand.
It must be the power that neutralizes cursed abilities.
It slowly seeped into my heart, but—
“…Ugh!”
Even before the curse was fully lifted, Theo let out a pained groan and stepped back.
I quickly checked Theo’s hand.
It was charred black, as if burned.
“Theo! Your Highness, do you have any potions?”
“Ah, fortunately I do. Theo, show me your hand.”
At Prit’s request, Theo held out his charred hand.
With skilled movements, Prit applied a potion to Theo’s hand.
Once the wound was roughly treated, Theo looked at me with a concerned expression.
“I don’t think I can do it with my power right now. When I tried to infuse the ability into your heart, my hand felt like it was burning. It’s as if the curse itself was rejecting me…”
“…I see.”
It seemed that what Ernant had used was among the highest-grade contract items.
Even contracts imbued with abilities had ranks.
Those of the highest grade contained extremely powerful and vicious curses, which couldn’t be handled by ordinary abilities.
Ernant. As always, he was annoyingly meticulous.
To counter the curse on this top-grade contract, I would need to find an awakener with even stronger power.
When that could happen, I had no idea.
“Don’t be too discouraged. I’ll soon lift the curse on your heart as well.”
Perhaps my expression had revealed my gloomy feelings, as Prit comforted me.
Then Theo also offered words of encouragement.
“I’ll try too. My dream is to free everyone suffering from curses.”
I lightly ruffled Theo’s head, impressed by the boy’s ambitious goal.
Afterward, I created three more ice toy soldiers and handed them to him before letting him go.
Although the curse on my heart remained, the seal on my abilities was already gone.
Having regained my strength, it was time to step up as an adult.
“Shall we depart for the Rift then?”
“Right now?”
I nodded at Prit, who asked again.
“Yes, my power has fully returned. I believe Your Highness is ready as well.”
We had agreed earlier that after lifting the curse, we would immediately head to the Rift.
Thus, Prit must have also finished preparations.
However, he seemed not quite mentally ready, so I offered words of encouragement.
“To enjoy a pleasant picnic, we must hurry. Time flows differently beyond the Rift. By now, the sun there is probably setting.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s why we need to reach the Rift and enter it by tonight. That way, it will still be daytime in that world, and we can hunt monsters safely while it’s light.”
Prit hesitated a little, but not for long.
He quickly left to prepare the horses and carriage.
Finally, thus, I could embark on the journey to put an end to my long rest.
