A Story of a Noble Lady Who Was Ravaged by an Incurable Disease and Covered in Bandages All Over Her Broken Body; After Healing Her, She Turned Into a Stunning Beauty and Started Desperately Courting Me - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Possibility That Alicia Was Cursed with Magic

Right after that, I quickly asked Skuld about cursing magic.

“So, Skuld-san, what exactly is this cursing magic? Is it a type of magic?”

“Yeah, it is. Cursing magic is a pretty rare and minor kind of magic. It’s something that shamans called curse shamans, who live in remote areas of the far east, can learn after long years of intense training. Because it’s so uncommon, most people don’t even know it exists. I only know about curse shamans because I happened to travel to the far east once. Regular folks probably have no idea people like that are even out there. And cursing magic is a terrifying type of magic that puts a ‘curse’ on the target.”

“S-such… something that dangerous exists in this world…”

“Well, whether magic is dangerous depends on how it’s used. From what I heard, curse shamans originally created this magic to take down the ferocious monsters that live in those remote far-eastern areas. So in its true purpose, cursing magic is meant to be used against monsters.”

“I see. So it’s originally a magic for subjugating monsters… Wait, hold on a second? The people who use this cursing magic are the curse shamans themselves, right? It’s not like it randomly curses just anything, is it? It has to target a specific person, doesn’t it? So that means…”

“Yeah, exactly. That means ‘your client’ was cursed with clear and deliberate malice. Most likely, someone who held a grudge or strong hostility against her hired a curse shaman to put the curse on ‘your client.’”

“S-such a thing…”

Hearing that from Skuld left me completely speechless. Someone could harbor that kind of malice toward someone as gentle as Alicia… I just couldn’t believe it at all.

And besides, Alicia fell ill three years ago… which means she was only fifteen at the time. Could anyone really hold enough hatred or hostility toward a child that young to want to kill her?

“But… I get it now. That’s why no one could figure out the illness no matter how many examinations she had, and why healers’ recovery magic never worked at all. Because it wasn’t a disease—it was a curse.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Like I said earlier, regular people don’t know anything about cursing magic. So specialists who can learn dispelling magic specifically for curses are extremely rare. And yet you’re really something else, Setsuna. You actually know a dispelling magic that can break curses. How in the world did you learn such a rare dispelling spell?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Well… I worked really hard and managed to learn it through a lot of effort. A-anyway, I need to go tell my client about this right away! See you later, Skuld-san!”

“Sure thing. Take care.”

With that, I parted ways with Skuld and hurried toward the Elfemina family mansion where Gilbert was.

◇◇◇◇

A short while later.

“…and that’s how it seems to be.”

“I see. Cursing magic, huh…”

By the time I reached the Elfemina family mansion, I had been let into the study and was now talking with Gilbert.

“I had no idea such a rare magic even existed. But it makes sense now. No wonder no one could figure out the cause of Alicia’s illness for so long. Because it wasn’t an illness at all…”

“Yes. And Gilbert-sama, there’s one thing I’d like to ask… Is it possible that Alicia was disliked by someone or that someone held malice toward her?”

“No. I can’t think of anyone like that at all. I think you understand this too, Setsuna-dono, but Alicia is kinder than anyone else. So I really don’t believe it’s possible for someone to dislike her or hold malice against her…”

“Yes, I completely agree with you there, Gilbert-sama. But if that’s the case, then there’s another possibility, isn’t there…”

“…Yes. Toward me… perhaps.”

“…Yes, that possibility does exist…”

I looked Gilbert straight in the eyes as I said it. If no one held malice toward Alicia herself, then the next logical target would be her father, Gilbert.

“…You’re right. I am the head of the Elfemina ducal family. Over the years, I’ve had to make harsh decisions in my work more times than I can count. So it’s entirely possible that someone hates me…”

Gilbert spoke with a pained look on his face. Of course anyone would be shocked if they found out their own daughter might have been hurt because of them.

So I quickly spoke up to Gilbert, who was clearly shaken.

“Of course, this is just one possibility. And honestly, Gilbert-sama is just as kind a person as Alicia is. I can’t imagine anyone holding enough malice toward you to target your daughter’s life.”

“Setsuna-dono…”

“But the fact remains that someone hired a curse shaman to curse Alicia. We have to find whoever did it somehow. Otherwise, there’s a chance Alicia could suffer like that again…”

“You’re right. From now on, my head butler and I will start thinking about how to search for the person who tried to harm Alicia. Thank you, Setsuna-dono. Thank you so much for bringing such valuable information to me. And for saying such kind words to me. You truly are kinder than anyone else, young man.”

Gilbert gave me a gentle smile as he said that.

“No, no. I just told you honestly what I thought, Gilbert-sama. So I’ll leave the search for the person who requested the curse to you and your people. I’ll keep focusing on helping with Alicia’s rehab from now on.”

“Yes, understood. Please continue looking after Alicia for us, Setsuna-dono.”

“Yes, leave it to me! Well, that’s everything I came for today, so I should head back to the inn now.”

“Yes, alright… Wait, hold on just a moment.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Just as I was about to leave the study and head out, Gilbert called me back.

“Setsuna-dono, you’re currently staying at an inn in the capital, right? That must be costing quite a bit in lodging fees. You didn’t plan to stay in the capital this long, so you’re not running low on money, are you?”

“No, the place I’m using is a small, cheap inn, so it’s not costing that much. Though the bed is really narrow and the sleep quality is pretty bad, which is a bit tough.”

“Hmm, I see. In that case… since you’ve done so much for our Elfemina family, how about this? Would you be willing to stay here at the Elfemina mansion for the rest of your time in the capital?”

“…Huh!? S-stay in this mansion!?”

Gilbert made that suggestion to me. For an ordinary person like me to be allowed to stay in a ducal family’s mansion… wasn’t this an incredibly special exception?