The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
“Did you just say Mona?”
Speaking of Mona—she’s the one who disguised herself as Chocolat to conduct spy activities.
I thought she was a demon, but could she actually be a spirit?
Many questions and surprises began to arise, but since Al-san was in the middle of talking, I closed my mouth for now and decided to ask questions later.
“Mona is of the spirit tribe, just like me. She has lived a long life and… she was my dearest friend.”
“Huh? You had a friend, Mother? I always thought you were a loner.”
“That’s unexpected. For someone to befriend Mother, they must be quite an unusual person.”
“You two, be silent!”
“‘Ack!?’”
With a burst of magic, Sora and Luna were simultaneously punished and flipped off the couch.
This is what happens when you interrupt—Al-san really is scary…
“Mona and I were what you’d call childhood friends. We played together, learned together… I feel nostalgic thinking about it.”
“Then… why did Mona steal a forbidden relic?”
Al-san shook her head with a troubled expression.
“I don’t know. What she’s thinking, what she’s doing now… why she cursed Nokia—I have no idea. Even though we were childhood friends, I knew nothing about her. It’s a pathetic thing to admit…”
She looked into the distance, her voice tinged with sadness.
Al-san must have truly cherished Mona.
And yet, she didn’t understand her at all… and they became estranged.
Maybe she regrets that.
Maybe it’s a wound in her heart.
At that moment, Al-san looked as though she might cry.
“Ah… apologies. I’ve dampened the mood.”
“No, don’t worry about it. More importantly… may I ask you to continue? I know this is painful for you, Al-san, but… for Nokia’s sake…”
“No need to be considerate. Indeed, Mona was a dear friend. But now, she’s a traitor… and Nokia is also an important friend. I’ll tell you anything for her sake.”
“Thank you.”
She may look small and sometimes come off as a bit silly…
But Al-san really is an adult.
She carries a dignity and depth of heart that only someone who’s lived a very long time can have.
I know I could never reach such a level…
But someday… maybe.
“As for why Mona stole the forbidden relic—the Black Blessing—I don’t know. Around that time, her younger sister died in an accident. That might be related… but I can only guess. To know for sure, we’d have to hear it from her directly.”
“May I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“About this Mona-san…”
“You can drop the honorific. She’s a traitor—no need to be polite on my account.”
“…Alright. Does Mona have any special abilities? Like the power to impersonate others?”
“Hmm? She doesn’t have any particular ability like that. But she is a spirit, so she’s skilled with magic… Hmm. I suppose with transformation magic, impersonation would be possible.”
“How accurate is that transformation magic?”
“She can mimic appearances perfectly. But voices are more difficult. Changing the voice would require using two spells at once, which is quite hard to do. But… why do you ask?”
“Well…”
I explained how a spy had disguised themselves as Chocolat.
And that the demon called herself Mona.
“It could just be a coincidence, but…”
“No, I don’t think so. The traits you heard from Rain match Mona’s. That kind of convenient coincidence is unlikely. The demon you encountered was likely Mona.”
“Then… does that mean a spirit became a demon?”
Kanade said, stunned.
The surprise was understandable.
For a being of the strongest kind to become a demon…
I'm curious about the circumstances—but even more concerned about the threat level.
How powerful has she become?
What is she aiming for?
Only unsettling thoughts come to mind.
“In any case, Mona must wait. She’s been pursuing us spirit folk too, but we haven’t been able to get any solid leads. Capturing Mona to lift Nokia’s curse isn’t realistic.”
“Then we’ll have to find another way. You know something about that, don’t you, Al-san?”
“…What makes you think that?”
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have told us all this.”
“Hmph… This man is only sharp in moments like these. When it comes to my daughters’ feelings, he’s completely…”
“Wha—M-Mother! What are you saying all of a sudden!?”
“Also, how do you even know!?”
“A mother’s intuition.”
The three of them began arguing about something I didn’t quite understand.
“Um… so, could you tell us about the other method to lift Nokia’s curse? I’m guessing it’s something you’re not very fond of, Al-san…”
“Even though you know that, you’re still asking?”
“It’s for Nokia’s sake. And for Nina’s.”
I looked Al-san straight in the eyes.
She looked back at me the same way.
Our gazes clashed.
Her eyes carried such intensity that I almost looked away.
But I couldn’t let that happen.
To show my resolve, I stared back even more firmly, more determined.
After a brief moment, Al-san let out a sigh, as if she had given in.
“Good grief… I suppose I have no choice.”
“Then…”
“I’ll tell you everything I know. But the path is not an easy one.”
“I’m ready.”
“Then I’ll refrain from saying anything more unnecessary… Honestly. Good grief.”
Though she said that, Al-san wore a faint smile.
Maybe she expected I’d persist no matter what.
And maybe the fact that things turned out just as she thought made her feel a little pleased.
“To get to the point… the curse of the Black Blessing basically can’t be lifted.”
“What?”
That response hit me hard—I’d been expecting some sort of solution.
Nokia looked disheartened, and Nina’s expression turned close to tears.
Seeing that, Al-san hurriedly followed up.
“W-Wait. I haven’t finished explaining yet.”
“Mother, taking the long way around is your worst habit.”
“Please reflect on that.”
“Ggh… I-I’m sorry.”
Under the sharp glares of her two daughters, Al-san bowed her head awkwardly.
She probably didn’t mean to be dramatic—but she’s so used to talking like that, it’s become a habit.
“When I said ‘basically,’ I meant that there’s no existing magic or magical tool that can remove the curse.”
“You knew about such a dangerous item, and didn’t prepare any countermeasures?”
Tina’s perfectly reasonable point made Al-san fluster.
“I-I was trying to prepare something, you know!? I was researching the Black Blessing to develop a magical tool—or magic—for dispelling it. I actually got partway through. But…”
“Aha! I get it now. It got stolen in the middle of your research, right? And since the Black Blessing disappeared, you couldn’t continue, and the whole thing collapsed. That about sum it up?”
“Yes, exactly right.”
“Then, if we recover the Black Blessing, you can resume the research!”
“But we have no way of finding Mona, who’s holding it, right?”
“Nyaaah… That’s tough.”
As if reflecting Kanade’s feelings, her tail drooped limply.
“Don’t panic. I said ‘basically,’ but that doesn’t mean there’s zero hope or no method at all.”
“There’s a way?”
“Yes. Fortunately—or unfortunately—what Nokia lost was her memory. So we only need to treat her mind. And the way to do that is… to enter her heart!”
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