WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: nemui
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈
Vol. 1 Ch. 3: If You Could Wish from the Bottom of Your Heart
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When Theo and Allen reported that they had defeated the Termea, Allen's mother, Olivia Lawrence, was relieved for their safety before she celebrated their success.
Olivia was a brown-haired woman nearing forty. Her hair and gentle features closely resembled Allen's.
After embracing both boys, she clasped the Wing Cross around her neck and offered a prayer of thanks to God.
“Ah, God. From the bottom of my heart, I thank You for protecting my sons from wicked curses.”
Olivia had once been a nun at a convent in the Reyel Holy District. Even after returning to secular life, she remained a devout follower of the Wing Cross faith.
She checked each of their faces in turn, her brows drooping with concern.
“Allen, Theo, neither of you is hurt, are you? You mustn't ignore even a small injury. Termea implant curses through wounds.”
As a former nun, Olivia had cared for the Holy Knights who fought Termea. Naturally, she knew all too well how terrifying Termea were.
That was why she had worried more than anyone about Theo and Allen going out to defeat one.
Termea used the hooks at the ends of their Blood Tails to implant curses into human wounds.
People implanted with curses were called Cursed. The fate of the Cursed was miserable. If not much time had passed since the curse was implanted, killing the Termea that had implanted it could erase the curse.
But most Cursed people became savage. Eventually, the curse spread throughout their bodies and turned them into new Termea. Once that happened, they could no longer be saved.
That was why it was not uncommon to kill them while they were still Cursed, before they became Termea.
“You don't have to worry so much. We defeated the Termea, so we're fine, Mom,” Allen said.
Allen was right. Even if they had been cursed by the Termea, the curse would have disappeared the moment they defeated it.
（...He makes it sound reasonable, but Allen just wants to eat already... Even though he just had Press Bread.）
Not wanting Olivia to worry, Theo immediately spoke up.
“Mom Olivia, I'm fine. When we washed up at the public bath, I checked to make sure I didn't have any injuries.”
After a day's work, Worg's miners went straight to the public bath to wash away their sweat.
Theo and Allen had stopped by the Press Bread stall before washing up at the public bath. While there, they had also carefully checked for Curse Marks, the sign of a Cursed person.
Once someone had been implanted with a curse, a black pattern called a Curse Mark would appear somewhere on their body. That made it easy to tell.
Looking relieved by Theo's words, Olivia said, “Then let's have dinner,” and headed for the kitchen.
Tonight's meal was meatball stew, with bread and salad.
Theo was the first to stand before the stew pot, taking it upon himself to serve everyone. When Olivia served it, she gave Theo and Allen larger portions. When Allen served it, everyone got heaping helpings. Clearly, it was best for Theo to serve reasonable, equal portions himself.
There were three meatballs for each person. Theo carefully divided the vegetables and broth as evenly as possible too. Once the table was set, the three sat down. Theo sat across from Olivia, with Allen beside him.
First, Olivia clasped her hands and offered a prayer. Theo and Allen repeated it after her.
“Great God, we are grateful for Your kindness and humbly receive this meal.”
“Thank You for the meal.”
“Thank You for the meal.”
God, thank You for bringing me together with Allen, Dad Duncan, and Mom Olivia.
After properly offering his thanks, Theo bit into a steaming meatball.
Olivia's meatballs had a slightly firm, springy texture, and Theo liked that. By the time Theo started on his second meatball, Allen had already finished his stew.
Allen served himself another helping from the large pot in the middle of the table and looked at Theo.
“Tomorrow's our day off. Want to go shopping or something?”
Theo hurriedly chewed his meatball. Talking with food in his mouth was bad manners.
As Theo worked his mouth, Olivia gently cut in.
“Come to think of it, I hear some Holy Knights have come to town.”
（The Holy Knights! I didn't see an airship, so maybe it's a small elite group.）
Members of the Reyel Holy Knight Order swore an oath to God and fought Termea to protect the people.
Termea came from beyond the continent, crossing the 〈Sea of Oblivion〉.
The invasions were especially severe from the west, so the Holy Knights traveled by airship from the central Reyel Holy District to West End at the continent's westernmost edge.
Worg, where Theo and the others lived, was roughly halfway between them, so it would not have been strange for Holy Knights to stop by.
（There have been more Termea appearing in the coal mines lately... Maybe they've come to investigate!）
The Holy Knights had come to fight Termea. Going to see them out of starstruck excitement was completely out of the question, Theo told himself, though inwardly he was restless.
He wanted to meet them and hear what they had to say. Their mindset as Holy Knights, their daily training, the hero Elbert... There were so many things he wanted to ask about.
（I can't get in the way of their work. That wouldn't be right... But if I only ask them a little during a break...）
As he wrestled with this while eating his meatball, Allen, reaching for his third helping, looked at Theo.
“Theo, you're still such a slow eater.”
Theo finally swallowed his meatball and retorted with an irritated look.
“Of course I should savor the food Mom Olivia made for us.”
“My, Theo.”
Olivia smiled happily, and Allen served another helping of stew into Theo's bowl.
“Come on, eat more. You won't grow big if you don't.”
“Damn it, just because you're so big...”
Whenever Theo, a foundling, hesitated to take another helping, Allen would serve him more without asking. Theo knew that, so even as he talked back, he could not be too forceful.
So after meals, Theo prayed like this.
God, thank You for bringing me together with these kind people.
He wanted to be a noble and pure knight who fought to protect kind people like them.
Theo always thought that it would be nice if he could wish for that from the bottom of his heart.
（If only I could wish for that from the bottom of my heart.）
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