009 – Nymph Inoi #9
Inoi said that a “curse” is a terrifying sorcery. It arises from resentment and hatred towards the opponent.
According to Inoi, the curse that was gnawing at my body was called the “Curse of Weakness.” It was said to make one suffer like a sick hen.
“The ‘Curse of Weakness’ is said to have been created to deal with Hercules…! That means it is a frightening and powerful curse…!”
“If such a curse becomes stronger and returns… what happens?”
“It seems that one would suffer and, in severe cases, might even die…! A curse originates from hatred… To hate someone means to ruin one’s own soul…!”
I was startled by the chilling tale coming from Inoi’s lips.
Does it mean that Seo Ye-rim, who received the curse back, might suffer until she dies?
“It’s karma for being a nasty girl, but dying is a separate matter…”
The curse Seo Ye-rim placed on me had plenty of things to pay back. But is it really a matter that could lead to death—if I were to ask, it might not be that severe.
I wish I had known this beforehand before casting the curse!
If I had known in advance, would I have cast the curse that was within me… would I have?
I think I would have.
With considerable anxiety, I spoke to Inoi.
“Then what will happen to Seo Ye-rim now? Is she going to die like this?”
“Actually, even I, Inoi, don’t know that…! Because it might not have been the witch Seo Ye-rim who cursed you…!”
What?
What does that mean?
When I frowned, Inoi continually nodded and said.
“Considering that the curse was cast using the hair of the witch Seo Ye-rim, it is certain that her hair was used in the sorcery… But… that doesn’t mean the one who cast the curse is the same person…!”
“So what you’re saying is, even though the knife of Seo Ye-rim was used to stab someone, there’s a chance that the person holding the knife wasn’t Seo Ye-rim—meaning someone might have used Seo Ye-rim’s hair to curse me?”
“Indeed! The master of the house is quick to understand…! I’ve never seen someone grasp things this quickly since the king of Ithaca…! This is a great compliment, so you can be happy about it…!”
Inoi said I should be happy, but I couldn’t help but take the investigation, which led me into a labyrinth of confusion, seriously.
It was certain that Seo Ye-rim’s hair was used when the curse was cast upon me. However, that doesn’t confirm that the one who cast the curse was Seo Ye-rim.
The existence of a third party, which I had never even thought of, emerged in my mind.
Inoi continued.
“Originally, curses do not simply arise from feelings of hatred or lingering attachments… They require advanced sorcery… performed by skilled sorcerers…!”
“I thought Seo Ye-rim didn’t know anything about sorcery or curses.”
And did Seo Ye-rim have a reason to curse me, considering she might sully her own soul? Honestly, while our relationship wasn’t great, it wasn’t that bad either.
Soon, Inoi said.
“In my opinion, there must be a nymph somewhere in this land…! Curses are handled by fearsome nymphs among the nymphs…!”
So it seems.
# # #
The evening of the day the curse was cast.
I hesitated, picking up my phone several times before putting it down.
Finally, I resolved myself and, with an “I don’t care” attitude, called Seo Ye-rim.
Beep— Beep—.
Did it ring about five times with an unexpectedly normal tone?
“Hello?”
“Uh, it’s Haildo. I, uh, wanted to check if you’re alright.”
I called Seo Ye-rim to see if she was suffering from the curse reflected back at her.
But Seo Ye-rim’s voice was calm.
“Me? I’m doing fine.”
I see.
That meant the one who received the curse back wasn’t Seo Ye-rim. In other words, Seo Ye-rim was simply used as a material for the sorcery.
I asked Seo Ye-rim.
“Can I ask you something? Was there ever someone who resented me so much that they wanted to curse me? Someone you know who hated or disliked me?”
“What, why…?”
The voice over the phone paused for a moment. After a few seconds filled with hesitation.
Then, with a sigh, Seo Ye-rim spoke.
“Did you hear me outside back then? When I was badmouthing you? I know it’s a bit late to say this now, but I’m really sorry about that. I was… so young then.”
I didn’t particularly want to receive an apology about that time, but it did make me feel a bit better. It was a complex feeling.
Receiving an apology is more embarrassing than I thought. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I had ever received an apology like this from someone.
I opened my mouth, as if to avoid the embarrassed feelings.
“So, do you know anyone other than you who hated me?”
“Too many to count. Was there really only a couple of people who hated you? Even though you’re struggling now, back then, you were doing really well, right? You received tons of hate comments.”
That was true.
Back then, I was completely successful yet also completely hated. It wasn’t because I did anything bad; that’s just how it goes when you’re ahead.
Anyway, Seo Ye-rim seemed to know nothing about the curse.
I felt uneasy but had nothing more to say, so I decided to hang up.
“Alright. Got it.”
“Hey. That method you told me worked pretty well. Focusing on one thing. I want to call the new special move I developed ‘Mental Concentration.’ What do you think?”
“Mental Concentration.”
It means to focus on one thing, and it also had my name in it. I said, “Every time you use the technique, you have to pay me a guarantee.”
Then the call was abruptly cut off.
It seems an S Rank hunter is too busy to say goodbye.
“Seo Ye-rim seems fine. It really must be someone else….”
As I turned my head, I saw Inoi sitting at the computer desk, shaking her legs. Inoi was pecking at the keyboard with her fingers like an eagle’s beak.
“When you tap on this keyboard… letters are created…! This Inoi has never handled such a fascinating tool before…! It’s extraordinarily fun….”
Inoi was enjoying typing as if playing a game. Although her speed was slow and there were many typos, it was a relief to see her having fun.
“Eek…! The letters keep pouring down…!”
“That’s normal.”
“Indeed…! Master of the house…! Thank you very much for introducing me to this computer…! This Inoi always got scolded by my master for being slow to learn new things….”
Inoi had a master too.
How interesting.
Now that I think about it, I’ve done pretty well in teaching. Honestly, half of those currently active as S Rank or A Rank hunters were kids I pulled up when I was D Rank.
Couldn’t I say that I raised Seo Ye-rim too?
Of course, not everyone followed my teachings perfectly.
Some kids were clumsy.
High school students who had only recently awakened to close the rifts were forcibly conscripted and pushed into the rifts back then. It was a dire situation at that time, but looking back now, it’s quite…
I wondered what happened to that high school kid back then—.
As I had such thoughts, Inoi manipulated “Squirrel.” For reference, “Squirrel” was what Inoi called the mouse.
She preferred the name Squirrel over Mouse.
Click—.
Inoi opened the internet with Squirrel.
Then Inoi began to type “Inoi” into the internet search bar, letter by letter. It seems searching for one’s own name is the same for nymphs and humans.
“There’s a hotel named after Inoi in Greece…. A country that is very nymph-friendly…! How fascinating…!”
It’s real.
Anyway, Inoi searched for various things on the internet all night. It seemed she firmly believed that there was another ‘nymph’ like her somewhere in this land.
# # #
“This Inoi… is sleepy…”
Having stayed up all night using the computer, Inoi kept yawning. I was taking her to the facility responsible for the Awakened.
Whoosh—.
“…This cold… is extremely nymph-hostile…! This Inoi… cannot tolerate such nymph-hostile winters…!”
Maybe she was sleepy; Inoi was babbling nonsensically. Saying she couldn’t tolerate winter? Where did she learn the term nymph-hostile from?
Should I impose some time limit on her internet usage?—it was when I had such thoughts.
I soon arrived at the agency.
It was a public institution specializing in matters related to the Awakened, essentially a place that combined the roles of a community service center and a health center.
After taking a waiting number at the counter, I waited.
The reason I came here was to get tested for my C Rank mana capacity. If I was officially recognized as a C Rank, I would gain various benefits.
I could also use facilities for handling mana.
“Hehe, I’m in trouble.”
While I was thinking about techniques using mana, a ding-dong sound rang.
The listless clerk at the counter waved me to go in the other direction. Following her gesture, I walked down the dim corridor, where I saw a sign that read “Testing Room.”
As I entered, a woman with her long hair tied back was looking at a chart while wearing a white coat. Is she a health teacher? She looks incredibly young.
Her height was average, but she had a large bust that made my eyes wander involuntarily. She sat with her legs crossed, and the black stockings wrapped around her long legs looked quite nice.
“Haildo…. Haildo? The Haildo?”
Is she a doctor who knows my name?
I thought to myself, since I was somewhat famous—when she looked at me and revealed her face.
“Senpai! It’s been a while! I’m Yu Ara!”
“Yu Ara?”
Who is Yu Ara?
I was thinking about that when I recalled a high school girl who had clumsily struggled and failed within the rifts.
And that same high school girl who, at some point, surpassed me and reached B Rank alongside Seo Ye-rim.
“Were you not working in the field?”
“I have my reasons. But how did this happen? C Rank!”
