WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 2 Ch. 8: Something, Anything, Outstanding

──────

The Gray Knights apparently called the narrow space between Cinder House and the iron fence surrounding it the garden. That was where Theo practiced Curse Armament Manifestation.

There was a training area on the first floor of Cinder House, but the power of Curse Armament Manifestation was still difficult to control. He might damage the building if he got carried away. That was why he wanted to do this training outside.

Theo pressed a palm over his heart and focused his mind.

Who are you? What do you wish to be?

"Curse Armament Manifestation: Be Thou a Knight."

Something black oozed out from inside his heart. He grasped it and imagined the shape it would take.

A sword in his right hand, a shield in his left. Boots with spurs on his feet, and a cloak to cover his body.

（About five seconds to manifest. I think that's a little faster than the first time.）

Theo jumped in place. If he wanted to, he could probably leap onto the roof, but he held back. He thought the gate guards would worry if he casually jumped over the iron fence around Cinder House.

Next, he practiced swings. Normally, weak as he was, Theo could not hold up a one-handed sword for very long. But while using Curse Armament Manifestation, he could swing it around with ease. The same was true of the shield.

Theo did not think that was entirely a good thing. If he could not use a one-handed sword and shield without manifesting his armament, he would not be able to train properly.

（I can maintain Curse Armament Manifestation for about fifteen minutes...）

After roughly fifteen minutes, he dismissed his Curse Armament Manifestation.

The first time he had manifested it, the strain had been painful enough to make him faint. Now, it only left him mildly tired.

Still, he probably could not use Curse Armament Manifestation repeatedly. Depending on his condition, it took several hours before he could use it again.

（And if I deliberately use the power of oblivion on top of this, it drains me even more.）

Theo's power of oblivion could broadly be divided into the power that unconsciously leaked from him and the power that let him deliberately make particular things forgotten.

The former was the curse that Theo was always concerned about, his tendency to fade into the background. In other words, ordinary people forgot he existed. It seemed to leak out unconsciously, so it did not tire him.

The latter included the curse called 〈Self-Forgetfulness〉, which made a Termea forget its own identity and weakened its will to fight. There was also 〈Designated Oblivion〉, which erased a specific memory from a person.

Beryl had asked one of the soldiers attending the early morning training to let Theo try it once, but it had considerable drawbacks...

（If possible, I don't want to use 〈Designated Oblivion〉...）

With Beryl present, he had used Designated Oblivion on a soldier attending the early morning training.

The simple experiment of making the soldier forget that morning's breakfast had succeeded. It had succeeded, but there had been a backlash.

"Myaa."

Lenny, who had been rolling about on the grass, gave a peaceful cry. Theo crouched and poked Lenny with a finger.

"So Lenny only manifested that first time."

During his first Curse Armament Manifestation, Lenny had emerged from inside Theo.

Thinking that, by the same logic, a second or third Lenny might manifest, Theo had tried several times. He had not succeeded once. Meanwhile, the first Lenny continued rolling around on the ground.

"Mefu."

"Yeah, let's go back to the room. After a short rest, I'll do some reading."

Theo set aside at least an hour every day for reading.

He liked reading. He simply enjoyed immersing himself in the worlds of stories, and building up knowledge through words also gave him a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The books in the recreation room covered many subjects. There were recipe books, travel journals, old poems, books about history, and interpretations of scripture. There were even novels that were a little too stimulating for Theo.

He felt like reading a novel today, so he borrowed a knightly tale and returned to his room.

In the large bedroom, Hugo was still lazing about on his bed. Theo had never once seen Hugo train or study.

It was acceptable for Lenny to roll around because Lenny was a tiny fluffball, but Theo thought it was rather questionable for a boy older than him to laze about like that.

"Hugo, why don't you train with me starting tomorrow?"

At Theo's call, Hugo slowly sat up from the bed. His eyes looked at Theo with a sullen glare.

"You... why are you trying so damn hard?"

Hugo was clearly irritated. Still, it did not feel like his irritation was aimed solely at Theo.

It felt as though he was trying to take out frustration over some other pent-up feeling on Theo. So Theo voiced his thoughts without shame.

"What's wrong with trying hard?"

A vein twitched at Hugo's temple. Apparently, he did not like Theo's answer.

"...I heard from Beryl. With your Curse Armament Manifestation, you're decent at both Strengthening and Manifestation, right? If Strengthening improves your physical abilities, you don't need to train."

"My ability is only enough that someone might say, 'If you worked that hard, you could manage that much.' It's not as though I have anything that truly stands out."

While training, Theo had realized that his lack of swordsmanship meant he could not fully draw out the strengths of Curse Armament Manifestation.

Theo was ordinary. He did not have overwhelming talent like Allen's skill with a sword.

（I thought Allen was strong because he has two blessings... but now I understand. Allen's talent for the sword has nothing to do with blessings.）

Allen, who was like an older brother to Theo, was a glutton whose overpoliteness bordered on rudeness. But the moment he took up a sword, the difference in their talent was overwhelming.

It was enough to make Theo think Allen was a vessel made to receive every drop of swordsmanship talent bestowed by God. From fingertips to toes, every part of him functioned perfectly to wield a sword. That was Allen Lawrence.

Theo took pride in being the sort of person who could keep making a steady effort.

Even so, he would be lying if he said he did not envy Allen's overwhelming talent.

"...I wish I had even one thing that I was truly good at."

Then someone suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt. It was Hugo.

"Huh? Whaaat? What the hell are you taking so lightly?"

Hugo always treated Theo as if he were an idiot, as though he were insisting that he stood above Theo.

But the irritation Theo sensed from Hugo now was different. It was genuine anger, not mockery.

"You think if you just try a little harder than you do now, you'll get that 'one thing'? People who have one thing they're good at give up other things, endure it, and spend their time on that one thing."

There was a desperate quality to those words, as though Hugo were coughing up blood.

Theo felt as if he had touched something beneath Hugo's twisted personality, and he stared closely at Hugo's face.

At once, Hugo looked uncomfortable. He shoved Theo away and put some distance between them.

"...If that one thing gets crushed, it's all over for people like that. Nobody gives them a second look. There's no value in living."

Those words sounded as if Hugo were driving a knife into himself.

After hurling those self-harming insults, Hugo raised the corner of his mouth in a smile. It was an unpleasant smile tinged with self-abasement.

"I heard about it. Your curse is oblivion, right?"

He had probably heard about Theo's Oblivion Curse from JJ or Beryl.

When Theo briefly replied, "...Yeah," Hugo gave a short laugh through his throat.

"You've got it good, with an Oblivion Curse. People forget even if you do something bad. Pretty convenient, huh?"

"...What?"

For a moment, Theo did not understand what Hugo had said.

His mind slowly chewed over the words. But no matter how much he chewed, an unpleasant grit he could not swallow sank into his chest.

（I've got it good? An Oblivion Curse? People forget if I do something bad? Convenient?）

Not knowing how to express his feelings, Theo moved his lips without changing his expression.

"What's good about it...?"

What was good about this curse? And saying that people would forget his wrongdoing was thoughtless beyond measure.

Because of this curse, people in Worg could not remember Theo's name. Even people he had been close with, even Olivia, had forgotten him.

Rather than doing something bad and being forgotten, he wanted to do good and be remembered. That was all he had wished for. That was what he had worked so hard for.

Unable to swallow those unpleasant feelings, Theo spoke.

His voice came out colder than he could believe.

"Hugo, have you done something so bad that you want people to forget you?"

Hugo's face twisted, as if Theo had struck the mark.

This was not good, Theo thought.

Just as Hugo had trampled on the tender part of Theo's heart, Theo had probably done the same to Hugo.

（At this rate, we'll end up in a pointless argument where we sharpen our words only to hurt each other.）

He understood that somewhere in his mind, yet his anger toward Hugo would not subside.

What do you know about me? Know my despair. Be forgotten by the world and left all alone. The angry part of his heart cried out.

"Um..."

A faint voice came from the direction of the door. A beat later, Lenny cried, "Meu."

Peeking through the slightly opened door was the white-haired girl in a mask, Carla.

"Administrator Archibald is calling for you two... in the command room."

Theo swallowed the insult he had been about to hurl at Hugo and called to Carla.

"We'll be right there."

Hugo only clicked his tongue and said nothing further.

Honestly, Theo felt relieved.

* * *

In the command room, JJ, the man with a paper bag over his head, sat before the desk, while Administrator Archibald stood beside him.

Theo, Hugo, and Carla were the three called to the command room. Excluding those who were away, they were likely the three youngest Gray Knights.

Theo straightened his back and corrected his posture, but Hugo stood with his hands in his pockets and his back hunched, while Carla stood naturally at ease.

Archibald looked as if he wanted to say something to the mismatched group, but JJ spoke first.

"There has been a Termea sighting in a village called Rejilna, southwest of the capital, Grandrium. It is estimated to be Second Grade. Five Holy Knights are heading there to investigate. I want you to accompany them and assist with the investigation."

It was somewhat rare for Termea to appear in Erington.

Termea generally crossed the 〈Sea of Oblivion〉 from the west to attack, so sightings tended to be concentrated in western areas such as Legato, the central western region, and Astard Poe, the southwestern region.

Still, it was not impossible for a Termea that entered from the west to make its way as far as Erington.

The one sighted this time was apparently a relatively small Termea. In that case, it had likely come this far without being seen.

Archibald read from a paper detailing the mission and departure time, then glared at Theo and the others.

"Your mission is strictly to assist the Holy Knights. At the site, follow their instructions."

"Yes!"

Theo was the only one who answered.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried