CH 288.1

The church courtyard. Preparations were progressing steadily in this vast space paved with cobblestones.

As I walk in with Anthem, the believers, dressed in simple vestments, suddenly murmur and look fondly at Anthem, but then return to a straight face when they see me standing quietly next to him.

For the people of the church in the Imperial Capital, Anthem is their pride. And I, for some reason, am an unattractive friend who stays with Anthem. In addition, I am always giving trouble to Anthem, so there is no way they will look at me favorably.

Well, I am on good terms with Anthem, so I haven’t been criticized openly, but…… I am completely borrowing the dignity of my companions.

A large magic circle was laid out on the ground and the air was strangely clear. They are in the middle of creating barriers.

The larger the ritual, the more careful the preparation is required. I knew this because I had often seen Anthem use barrier techniques when I was still following them during their Hunts.

In the vast courtyard of the church, there were several figures of Hunters, people from the “Light Spirit (Korei) Church” and Imperial Knights. Looking closely, there were a few familiar faces as well.

I *ponpon* tap Anthem’s knee who was standing next to me and say.

“I am going to look around on my own, so if you have something to do, you can go.” (Cry)

“……………… Umu.” (Anthem)

Anthem is not very assertive, but since we have known each other since childhood, I at least have a general idea of what he is thinking.

His sense of responsibility is the strongest among everyone in 《Strange Grief (Nageki no Borei)》. It is not my intention to interfere with his work and as expected, even I wouldn’t encounter any danger on the church ground.

Anthem leisurely heads towards the center of the square. I raise my arms and take a deep breath.

Just by being there, the church seems to cleanse my soul.

As I was observing the preparations steadily progressing in a leisurely mood, I suddenly heard a low voice.

“!? Cr-Cry, why are you here!” (?)

“!?” (Cry)

My body reflexively jerks and turns around. I look in the direction of the voice in a hurry.

The one who was there was――Gark Welter, the famous head of the Imperial Capital Branch of the Explorers Association, and Ark Rodan, who was everyone’s ally. All that was left was for Luke to be present, and it would be perfect.

I met Gark-san at Cleat during the Supreme Martial Arts Festival, but it had been a long time since I met Ark. The members of 《Ark Brave (Seirei no Miko1)》 of which he is the Leader, are all nearby.

When Ark looked at me, his eyes widened. His good-naturedness was truly worthy of the title of hero, even though his friends behind him were glaring at me. I will let him off the hook for not being there previously when I wanted him to be there. 

I *unun* nod with a mysterious superior look on my face and raise my hand enthusiastically. I feel like something good is going to happen today.

“Gark-san, Ark, and everyone else, it looks like everyone is here……” (Cry)

Gark-san’s eyebrows twitch. I haven’t done anything yet this time, so I won’t be doing a dogeza, okay…

Normally, I wouldn’t come to such a dangerous place, but this is only because of the trust I have in Anthem.

Gark-san lips were tightly closed and didn’t say anything, but for some reason, his cheeks were twitching and he was glaring at me.

Then I suddenly thought of something, and *pon* hit my hand.

“I always come after I get called, but today I came before I got called!” (Cry)

“Kuh!?” (Gark)

Is this another type of what you call Divine Stratagem?

“Cry, wh-what………… What are you going to do this time!?” (Gark)

“……………… Eh? ………… No, I am just here to observe Anthem’s job.” (Cry)

To begin with, I did nothing most of the time. However, this is the end of you guys telling me that I did something bad even though I did nothing……

For once, I will not be to blame.

When Gark-san puts his hand on my shoulder as I straighten my spine, he speaks in a tone like he was admonishing me.

The tone of his voice seems like admonishing me but the look in his eyes is that of a murderer.

“Cry, don’t give me those silly excuses. I am asking what you are planning to do this time. Do you understand? This time, it is――This time too, it isn’t a laughing matter. The opponent this time is different from your usual opponent, it is a 『Curse』. Listen, this is at the level where the church asks for the cooperation of the Explorer Association. Thus, I was forced to call Ark back as well. This opponent isn’t just a curse, it is a terrifying weapon. Long ago, thirteen priests of the church sealed it in exchange for their lives.” (Gark)

“………… I kinda want to know how you managed to forcefully call back Ark.” (Cry)

If possible, I want to have a Symphonic Stone linking directly to him. Well, even if I tried to give one to him, I would be stopped by Isabella and his Party Members.

And I had never heard that thirteen people sealed it in exchange for their lives.

“………………” (Gark)

Gark, the branch manager, is quietly intimidating me. Is it because this is a church that he doesn’t raise his voice?

Just when I was seriously considering giving up and getting down on my knees under the pressure that made me feel as if there is a weight on me, Ark intervened.

“Well, well, “Branch Manager (Shibucho)”, he must have something…… A reason for being here. Besides, it is better to have a lot of high-level Hunters. I too――Have only dealt with a handful of curses too……Isn’t that right, Cry?” (Ark)

“! That’s right, Ark.” (Cry)

This is it.  This is the Ark I know. Welcome back, Ark!

He is still as handsome on the outside as on the inside. Isabella and her friends sigh deeply at me as I reply with a smile without thinking.

“Ark-san, you spoiled this guy too much even though you have been forced to clean his mess so many times……” (Isabella)

“No, no, no, even with this, I have been having a hard time because of Ark’s absence. I had to deal with Arnold, be the Emperor’s escort, deal with the “Fox (Kitsune)” and I even ended up doing everything until the Supreme Martial Arts Festival.” (Cry)

“I-I see………… That must have been tough.” (Ark)

Ark makes a wry smile. Now that I think back, I always keep saying that Ark is not here, isn’t it. But since Ark was not there, it couldn’t be helped. And he really wasn’t present as it is not like I can say that Ark isn’t here when he is present……

I would like to add him in 《Strange Grief (Nageki no Borei)》 but it is not easy because sometimes being in a separate Party works to our advantage. Anyway, for now, thank you for your continuous support.

When Anthem and Ark are present, this purification request is as good as a success. However, it is when all the forces are in place that you will let your guard down, so let’s go the opposite thinking for now.

I *bambam* tap him on the shoulder in a very friendly manner and say.

“This time… I think we have quite a lot of power for the purification of the curse, but from what I can tell, it is a troublesome opponent, so don’t let your guard down and be careful!” (Cry)

“………………” (Ark)

My encouragement causes Ark’s normally cheerful expression to harden. Gark-san’s eyebrows are also *pikupiku* twitching, and Armelle is staring at me with a pale expression. Isabella and Yuu’s reactions are similar. Even though it is just a light piece of advice, their reaction is too big so I don’t know what to do.

There was an awkward silence in the air. As if to dispel it, Gark-san said each word with a lot of force.

“Th-This time, the operation will be, carried out in the church, and it will be based on, precise calculations. The level of the priests is also, higher than in the past. In addition to the weakening of the curse due to the time it has been sealed, we have also planned our strategy, by assuming that the depth of the curse’s power is much higher than before, you know.” (Gark)

That’s………… Perfect. There is no longer any reason for the purification to fail. Furthermore, it would be perfect if I, the unlucky one, were to think the contrary.

“But you never know what might happen in this world.” (Cry)

“…………” (Gark)

“Ah-Ahaha…… Ju-Just kidding…… I am just kidding.” (Cry)

I immediately surrender to the pressure in the gaze directed at me.

I am used to hostility, but putting aside Gark-san, I can’t stand it when even Ark looks at me like that.

Gark-san and Ark exchanged glances for a moment when I tried to deceive them by temporarily stopping my badass mode.

Just as Gark-san opened his mouth and was about to take a step toward me, we heard a hysterical voice.

“Ni-Nii-san!? Why are you here…………………… D-Don’t tell me you are going to participate too, Nii-san?” (Lucia)

“H-Hey, hey, hey.” (Cry)

I look toward the voice. The one who entered the church was――Lucia.

I hadn’t heard anything about it, but I wondered if she was asked to do something, too. As she approached us with a short run, she stared at me. Her expression was no less serious than Gark-san’s and Ark’s.

As an aside, Lucia calls me Nii-san when she is agitated. She is in her rebellious phase and seems to hesitate to call me Nii-san, so she tries to call me Leader as much as possible, but it seems that her old habit remains. Well…… Looks like you are agitated, aren’t you?