WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

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◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 2 Ch. 1: Departures Begin by Train

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The scenery outside the window rushed by so quickly that it almost seemed to be flowing backward. That was how fast the steam train Theo was riding was moving.

"Th-this is incredible!"

The hero Elbert sat beside Theo, who could not hide his excitement. Across from them sat Beryl and Carla, the Gray Knights.

This carriage had apparently been reserved for the Holy Knight Order. Seated farther away were the holy knights under Elbert's command. They were there to keep watch over the Gray Knights.

All the Holy Knight Order members wore matching cloaks. Beryl wore the same wrap-skirt uniform Theo had seen yesterday. Carla wore the Gray Knight uniform and a mask that concealed her eyes. It seemed to be a new one.

Carla did not react to Theo's excitement, but Elbert and Beryl looked somewhat amused.

"So this is your first time on a train, Theo."

Across from Elbert, Beryl nodded along.

"Young people having fresh reactions is nice. If you're this surprised by a train, imagine what you'd do on an airship."

Steam trains had become fairly widespread among ordinary people, but airships were still few in number, and only a select few could use them.

The Holy Knight Order owned one airship, which traveled back and forth between the Reyel Holy District, where the order's headquarters stood, and the West End, where Termea invaded.

（Well, I doubt Gray Knights like us would be allowed to ride it...）

Still, Theo would break his curse someday and become a Holy Knight. If that happened, he might have a chance to ride one.

Just thinking about it made him feel excited.

Mew!

At that moment, Lenny, Theo's white fluffball companion, poked what seemed to be its face out of his bag. It looked like nothing more than part of the fluffball, but it was probably its face.

Beryl leaned down to peer into the bag.

"Is that the thing that popped out during your Curse Armament Manifestation...?"

"That's my companion, Lenny."

Lenny surely wanted to see the scenery too. Theo placed the bag on his lap and turned it toward the window.

Allen had prepared this bag and everything inside it.

Theo's foster mother, Olivia, had forgotten him, so he still could not return to the Lawrence family home. Allen had secretly gone back to collect Theo's clothes and other belongings.

However, Allen had not brought everything. He had only taken what could fit into one crossbody bag.

"You'll come back to this house someday, Theo. You don't need to take everything with you."

Allen had said that as he handed Theo the bag. Theo had been so happy to hear it.

（That's right. I'll definitely come back.）

Unlike Theo, who was effectively being taken to Grandrium as part of the Gray Knights, Allen was formally becoming Elbert's squire. He would not be leaving Worg right away. He was probably handling the necessary procedures and saying goodbye to people he knew in Worg.

Mewfuu.

Beryl was poking the fluffball with her fingertip.

"I've seen people manifest Familiars through Curse Armament Manifestation before... but I've never seen anything like this."

"Familiars...? You can do that too?"

Theo had summoned Lenny himself, but he had never imagined Curse Armament Manifestation could do something like that.

At Theo's surprised question, Beryl looked a little distant as she answered.

"Curse Armament Manifestation is like kneading the curse inside you like clay and shaping it into whatever form you want. Some people make weapons or heavy firearms. Others make Familiars shaped like birds or small animals."

As she gave examples, Beryl gently scratched the spot that seemed to be the fluffball's neck.

Mefaa.

The fluffball sounded thoroughly pleased. Apparently, Beryl had a knack for it.

"Usually, though, manifested things are dark-colored. My beast limbs and Theo's sword were like that, right?"

"Yes..."

"This is my first time seeing someone manifest a white creature. Carla, have you ever seen one?"

Carla silently shook her head.

The curses injected by Termea were red-black and viscous. The Curse Marks of the Cursed, the Curse Sigils of Mad Walkers, and things created through Curse Armament Manifestation usually had the same coloring.

That said, Theo still knew very little about Curse Armament Manifestation.

"What else can Curse Armament Manifestation do? And what about my Oblivion Curse...?"

"Well, things will probably get hectic once we reach Grandrium, so I guess I can give you a quick explanation now."

Since the carriage had been reserved by the Holy Knight Order, there was no danger of outsiders overhearing them.

"Big Sis Beryl's Curse Class is now in session," Beryl announced before beginning her explanation.

"Curses are mysterious powers, but they follow certain rules. For example, curses don't work easily on the Blessed or Mad Walkers. El, Carla, and I haven't forgotten you, have we?"

"That's true..."

Back in his hometown of Worg, the only people who normally did not forget Theo were Duncan, Olivia, and Allen, the members of the Lawrence family. All three were Blessed.

Five years ago, when Theo had been an abandoned child, no one in town had paid him any attention. That was likely because, seconds after recognizing that there was an abandoned child, they forgot the fact entirely.

If Allen, who was Blessed, had not noticed him, Theo would have died there.

"But Olivia, my mom... She's the one who raised me, and she's Blessed, but she forgot me..."

Beryl and Elbert looked faintly pained at his words. Carla wore a mask, so Theo could not tell what expression she had.

Rather than offering clumsy comfort, Beryl answered Theo's question.

"Mrs. Olivia Lawrence was implanted with a curse by a Termea and became Cursed, right? Then Theo defeated the Termea, and Mrs. Lawrence was freed from the curse."

"...Yes."

"Mrs. Lawrence forgot you after that."

"That's right."

Beryl rested a slender finger against her chin and thought for a moment before speaking.

"There are three possibilities.

"First, Mrs. Lawrence becoming Cursed may have weakened her Angel's Grace.

"Second, Theo's power of oblivion may have temporarily become strong enough to affect even the Blessed.

"Third, the Termea that cursed Mrs. Lawrence may have been heavily exposed to Theo's power of oblivion, which then affected Mrs. Lawrence because she was linked to it through the curse."

Theo was quietly astonished. In truth, he had already considered the first and second possibilities.

But the third had never occurred to him. He had never considered that Termea and the Cursed people they cursed could be connected in that way.

"Your oblivion especially seems to work on Termea, right? Then depending on the conditions, it's better to assume that it could affect the Blessed and Mad Walkers too."

"...Yes."

The Oblivion Curse could affect the Blessed too. For example, if Allen forgot Theo.

The terrifying thought made Theo unconsciously pull his bag closer.

Perhaps noticing his unease, Beryl spoke in an especially cheerful voice.

"To avoid the worst-case scenario, it's important to test your curse. So let's go over the different curse types."

Beryl took out paper and a pen from her bag and wrote Strengthening, Manifestation, and Special on the page.

"Mad Walkers can use curses as their own power, but there are many types. Broadly speaking, we divide them into these three."

"Strengthening, Manifestation, and Special...?"

"That's right. Strengthening strengthens your own body or weapons, so it's good for close combat. Manifestation is Curse Armament Manifestation. You give the power of your curse whatever form you want. Swords, shields, fluffballs..."

Mew.

Lenny gave a dissatisfied cry from inside the bag, so Beryl corrected herself.

"Sorry, sorry. Lenny."

A knight's sword, shield, boots, cloak, and a fluffball. Those were the powers Theo had created through Curse Armament Manifestation the other day.

The curse inside him had overflowed from the Curse Sigil and taken meaningful shape. They were ominous weapons, unlike those Holy Knights created through the Grace of Creation.

Theo had been frantic at the time, but it had consumed an enormous amount of mental and physical strength. He probably could not use it many times.

"...What does Special mean?"

"Special abilities that don't fall under 'strengthening your body or weapons' or 'manifesting weapons and the like.' Your power of oblivion is one of those. Taking that into account, your five-point evaluation looks like this."

【Theo】

Strengthening: 3　Manifestation: 3　Special: ?

The Special category was apparently still unknown.

Since Theo had no point of comparison, it was difficult for him to know how to react. Beryl added her own abilities.

【Beryl】

Strengthening: 4　Manifestation: 2　Special: 0

"I'm the type who enhances my body and fights hard in close combat. I manifested beast limbs, but they're not as elaborate as Theo's swords and shields, right? That's why my Manifestation score is a little low."

"I see..."

Now that she mentioned it, Beryl's manifested beast limbs had not been particularly detailed.

For Beryl, it was probably more fitting to strengthen her limbs as much as possible and tear enemies apart with her claws than to recreate intricate forms.

Then Carla, who had been silent until now, tugged on Theo's sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

When Theo asked, Carla spoke in such a faint voice that it nearly disappeared beneath the train's clatter-clack.

"I think... you shouldn't use your oblivion too much."

Carla's warning was matter-of-fact, yet it somehow sounded desperate.

"Yeah," Beryl agreed. "Strengthening alone doesn't put that much strain on you, but Manifestation and Special abilities burden your body and mind. You passed out too, didn't you?"

It was true. After manifesting his knight's sword and shield, Theo's entire body had been overcome with awful exhaustion.

That black, viscous curse which had poured from the Curse Sigil over Theo's heart was already part of him. Damaging it would surely burden Theo himself.

Remembering that sensation, Theo frowned. Elbert then spoke in a slightly lower voice.

"A Mad Walker's power is strong, but if you push yourself too hard, the curse may begin progressing again."

A chill ran down Theo's spine.

That was right. Mad Walkers were people whose curses had miraculously stopped progressing. But no one knew when those curses might begin advancing again.

When the curse progressed and his whole body turned black, Theo would become a Termea, a monster that attacked people.

（I'll be careful with how I use my power.）

Keeping that firmly in mind, Theo bowed deeply to the three of them.

"I'll be very careful in how I use my power. Thank you all for your guidance."

"You're so serious. For such a good boy, Big Sis Beryl will give you some candy."

Beryl took out a wrapped candy from her bag and placed it in Theo's palm.

"Here. El and Carla, have one too."

As Beryl handed candy to Elbert and Carla as well, a voice rang out.

"Wait!"

It was one of Elbert's young holy knights. The man had dark blond hair and a diagonal scar across the center of his face. He glared at Beryl with eyes full of hostility.

"Commander Randolph, please do not eat anything touched by a Mad Walker. It would be terrible if something were to happen."

Theo felt as though he had been struck in the head.

That was right. Elbert treated Theo and the others so naturally that Theo had forgotten.

Mad Walkers, who could become Termea at any time, were people others avoided.

The holy knights here did not welcome Theo. They were guards, there to immediately kill Theo and the others if they became Termea.

Without looking at his subordinate, Elbert unwrapped the candy Beryl had given him.

"Gregory. Do I not even have the freedom to eat sweets given to me by a friend?"

There was no accusation in Elbert's voice. Yet the slight downturn of his brows made him look lonely, and the young holy knight called Gregory immediately changed his manner.

"...I spoke out of turn."

Elbert smiled gently, as though he did not mind, and popped the candy into his mouth.

Then Beryl leaned forward from her seat and gave the young holy knight a seductive, upturned look.

"Did you want some candy too, boy? Should Big Sis feed you one?"

With that, Beryl stuck out her tongue demonstratively and brought a candy to her own mouth. The provocative gesture made the young holy knight scowl.

But before he could raise his voice, Elbert gently admonished Beryl.

"Beryl, don't tease the young man too much."

"Sorry, sorry."

It felt like an exchange between grown-ups. Theo's heart fluttered a little.

（What kind of relationship do Beryl and Lord Elbert have? They seem awfully close... Are they friends?）

Theo wondered whether he should eat the candy resting in his palm. Since it was a gift, perhaps he should save it and cherish it later.

（These people don't forget me.）

They did not forget him halfway through a conversation and look at him as though to say, Oh, you were there? They did not forget his name and vaguely call him "the blond boy."

Everyone faced Theo as Theo.

（...I'm happy.）

As he savored that happiness, he became even more reluctant to eat the candy right away.

Theo put the candy in his pocket and thanked Beryl.

"Thank you for the candy, Beryl. I'll treasure it and eat it later."

"Nope. You have to eat it now."

Beryl plucked the candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and gently pressed it into Theo's mouth.

Then she smiled like a mischievous cat.

"Before some scaaary adult catches us... okay?"

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