Barrier magic had been employed at the venue of the Martial Emperor Festival as well, but barrier magic that required time and preparation to activate was correspondingly powerful. Multiple priests used numerous rare catalysts and took their time to set them up. These were precision tasks that called less for an individual's exceptional skill than for the combined effort of several people with average abilities. In this kind of field, Hunters fell short of the priests.
The Luminous Spirit Church's priests were proceeding solemnly with the preparations.
The "Layered Barrier Formation" to be used in this operation was apparently a cutting-edge technique that greatly expanded the influence of a barrier formation—normally drawn on a flat plane—by constructing it in three dimensions.
It required more catalysts, time, and skill than a standard formation to build, but I supposed that wouldn't be a concern this time around.
I knew quite a bit about Treasure Weapons, but cursed artifacts were another matter. The Church's explanation was extremely interesting to me as well.
For instance, I learned for the first time that powerful curses don't just drive their target mad—they can also manifest as a physical entity.
This operation was quite simple. Inside the layered formation, they would release the seal on "Marin's Lament," and while barrier magic and sorcery bound the movements of the curse that had materialized, a group of priests led by Anthem would use holy divine arts to completely annihilate the target. It was a strategy made possible only because purification technology had advanced and they had assembled sufficient combat power to overwhelm cursed artifacts.
While I was idly observing the ritual site with a know-it-all expression, the additional knight forces summoned by Franz entered through the great gate.
These were not ordinary knights armed with sword and shield. Clad in silvery-white armor, they carried an armful of firearms each.
They were smaller than what the Wolf Knights had once shouldered at the White Wolf's Den, but their slender turrets gave off a somewhat cutting-edge impression.
Twenty-five of them in total. As the priests murmured among themselves at the sight of these unusual knights, Franz glanced over at me with a hard-boiled grin.
"Hehehe… An experimental unit wielding money-guzzling weapons that fire silver bullets specially treated to repel demonic energy—about fifty rounds per second. When the Primus Magical Science Academy developed them, I thought they'd wasted a fortune on a foolish endeavor, but you never know what'll come in handy! A curse wouldn't stand a chance against these, Thousand Transformations!"
"…Weakling, you didn't do anything to Franz while I wasn't looking, did you? Right?"
"Humans really are barbaric… To field such an inelegant unit."
A unit that scattered silver bullets—what kind of empire was this, really…
Firearms weren't particularly popular weapons. The reason was simple: a Monster or Phantom wouldn't stop moving just because you pumped a few bullets into it.
It was far more efficient to have a Hunter strengthened with Mana Material simply punch the thing, and besides, bullets propelled by gunpowder were simply too slow for Hunters or powerful magical beasts. On top of that, running out of ammunition was a real concern, so it was hardly surprising they hadn't caught on.
And silver bullets, on top of that—those would be insanely expensive weapons.
But against opponents that didn't have the thick hide of a magical beast, they might actually be effective.
Lapis's expression was unusually, frankly cloudy. For Spiritfolk, many of whom were hunters who used bows and arrows, firearms probably weren't exactly well-regarded.
Under Franz's confident orders, the knights' deployment proceeded. They split into two groups with impeccable coordination and formed ranks outside the layered barrier formation.
They intended to lay down crossfire from two units. His killing intent was off the charts.
The strategy meeting had gone from one disagreement to the next before ultimately accepting Franz's proposal. Their status as an official knight order played a role, but Gaark backing his plan was probably just as influential.
The operation's backbone was supposed to be the Luminous Spirit Church's priests, so I had no idea why he was this fired up.
"…The leader said something unnecessary, that's why."
"The enemy is what it is. Better to be overprepared."
Ark's reply to Lapis's sigh was reassuring.
"Mm-hmm, Ark's absolutely right. Preparation is never wasted."
"…"
I folded my arms and nodded in agreement, and the surrounding area fell silent. I wished they'd stop making things awkward every time I said something…
Just then, a priest arrived, accompanied by several priests and Anthem, from the church building.
Now that I looked, Anthem really was conspicuous. Just walking made the ground tremble.
The priest walked straight to Franz, and the priests following behind placed a large box before him.
I instinctively took a step back, thinking a cursed artifact might be inside, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"This was not originally intended for use—but it is a Treasure Weapon that had been sleeping in the Church's treasury. I trust it will alleviate some of Commander Franz's concerns."
The priest held a finger to his lips and spoke solemnly, then opened the box.
What emerged from within made my eyes widen. An involuntary sigh of admiration escaped my lips.
"This is…!"
Inside the box was—a chain with an iridescent luster. About as thick as a thumb, but so long it overflowed to fill the entire box.
Chain-type Treasure Weapons were among the most numerous categories. I had several in my own collection, and their abilities varied widely, but the fact that they'd brought one out at this timing surely meant— "The inscription reads 'Pillar of Light'… A chain woven from light that can reach even incorporeal targets. It is a particularly special piece among the Luminous Spirit Church's collection of Treasure Weapons."
"Oh… A chain that actually restrains its target properly. That's rare."
"!?"
Chain-type Treasure Weapons tended to be gimmicky… There were so many varieties that useful ones rarely appeared. The "Dog Chain" I owned could chase down and bind a target, but against anyone with a bit of strength, it could be broken or freed—a pathetic thing, really.
Well, it was still way better than the "Cat Chain," which didn't even chase the target…
I asked permission and touched the chain. Lifting it, it was surprisingly heavy despite its slimness. It was definitely metal, yet felt as smooth as silk. That alone told me this Treasure Weapon was something modern craftsmanship couldn't replicate.
Quite the long chain, though.
"Leader, did you learn something?"
I wondered if negotiating through Anthem might get them to sell it to me… Probably not?
I lifted the chain and held it up to the light, furrowing my brow to examine it up close. Though I wore a hard-boiled expression, I wasn't actually thinking about anything productive.
It was a breathtakingly beautiful chain. Its ability didn't seem particularly interesting, but I didn't evaluate Treasure Weapons by their abilities. I simply loved Treasure Weapons.
This chain wasn't in any catalog I knew of. How long was it, anyway?
If this were a private moment, I'd be tempted to hold one end and wrap Lucia all up in it, but I knew this wasn't the time or place.
I wanted to keep touching it, but I risked getting called out if I lingered any longer. Reluctantly, I set the chain down and let out a long breath.
As expected of the mighty Luminous Spirit Church—they had all kinds of Treasure Weapons.
"Mm, feels good. The strength is sufficient too, right? …Isn't it?"
"…Why is that in the form of a question?"
Multiple priests, Anthem, Lucia, Ark, the experimental unit bristling with silver bullets, and a Treasure Weapon chain. An absolute formation.
"It's so free of risks that it's making me anxious."
"…Ah, as always, saying reckless things, you are!"
Clyus didn't know the usual me, so that's why he talked like that. The incident with the Emperor's escort was merely a single page in the casebook of Klye Andrich.
The priest nodded several times, then surveyed the surrounding crowd who had been watching with bated breath.
"Then… with the seal of approval from Thousand Transformations, let us prepare to begin the ceremony. Anthem."
"…Mm."
Anthem nodded with a voice that sounded somehow heavier than usual.
Well then, I'd watch from a safe distance, just in case.
§ § § Watching the ceremony proceed steadily, Lapis Fulgor, leader of Star's Holy Thunder, exhaled with visible dissatisfaction.
"Hmph… A trivial affair. I suspected as much, but the target is not so easily found, it seems."
"But it is quite interesting, you know. To try to counter a curse with firearms like that—absolutely unthinkable in the forest."
"It is far too inelegant. Such physical methods might handle a sealed cursed artifact, but they cannot respond to a sudden crisis."
The existence of the Luminous Spirit Church was widely known among the Spiritfolk. The sorcery the Spiritfolk wielded operated on different principles, but the Light Spirit they served clearly possessed tremendous power. In some situations, it might even be more effective than the arts the Spiritfolk used.
The formations being laid down were unfamiliar as well, but their efficacy was beyond doubt. The response to something as uncertain as a curse was overly mechanical, but there were no particular concerns.
The strength of the cursed intent imbued in "Marin's Lament" was unknown, but the Church's calculations seemed reasonable. With this preparation, no matter how violently the curse raged, they would have the combat power to handle it.
If Lapis and the others were to counter the curse, their approach would rely more on individual strength, but that was simply a difference in culture.
But the primary target had been a miss.
"Perhaps it's not in the human settlements after all," Clyus said, blinking and directing a serious expression toward the ongoing ceremony.
"The one who stole it was undoubtedly human. It demands human lives."
"It has been several thousand years now, you know. And there have been no recent victims."
The legend of the cursed spirit stone was a tale known even among humans.
But not many knew it was not legend but fact. The Spiritfolk did not willingly speak of it, and for better or worse, humans simply had too short a lifespan.
In the distant past, before friendship had been forged between the Spiritfolk and humans, a great war erupted between the two races. A forest governed by the Spiritfolk was burned, a Spiritfolk queen was slain, and the Crimson Jewel—the token of her reign—was stolen.
The overwhelming resentment toward humanity transformed the jewel into something accursed. A curse infused by the noble blood of the Spiritfolk, it passed through human hands, killing hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of times more humans than the Spiritfolk who had been slain, and even now it wandered somewhere in the world.
A Spiritfolk would never kill a Spiritfolk or steal a treasure. They knew all too well the power that the dying thoughts of a being on the brink of death could hold. It was truly a tragedy born of grasping humanity's greed.
Reclaiming that jewel and returning it to the Spiritfolk forest was the shared aspiration of all Spiritfolk.
Times had changed, and wars had largely ceased. Far more efficient resources had been identified, making conflict unnecessary.
People set aside their enmity and turned their attention to Mana Material. The war between Spiritfolk and humans had ended, and while they weren't exactly on friendly terms yet, Spiritfolk who descended to human settlements could now be seen.
But the treasure once stolen had not yet returned.
Lapis snorted at Clyus's naive thinking.
"As if it would simply vanish on its own. The resentment of long-lived beings like us does not disappear so easily. The cursed intent imbued within it is, so to speak, crystallized longing."
A thirst that could never be quenched. The grudge burned into humanity would not fade, no matter how many thousands or tens of thousands of humans it consumed and cursed to death.
To purify that intent required either destruction or negotiation—outside intervention was essential.
Just as the Church was attempting to do with Marin's Lament this time— "When I heard it was a sealed cursed artifact, I had my suspicions… but if it's in the Church's hands, perhaps it will be returned. They understand the danger."
The absence of recent victims was probably because the artifact was sealed. But to seal something as powerful as that, whoever had done it must have been extraordinarily skilled.
"But the entire Spiritfolk race has been searching for years without finding it—there's no way it would be found so easily— Hey, Weakling! What are you doing up there?!"
Clyus's voice shifted from serious to utterly flabbergasted.
Thousand Transformations was perched on the upper part of the tall gate, sitting on a decoration with her legs dangling. She looked down at the protesting Clyus with an easygoing expression and said, "…Spectating from the high ground?"
"Don't screw around! Everyone's working hard, so at least sometimes you should take things seriously, Weakling! That's why Franz—"
That man… he probably knew nothing about this matter.
The blank expression Clyus had made when the cursed spirit stone was mentioned was genuine. It seemed even Level 8 Hunters had their strengths and weaknesses.
Honestly, what did Elisa, the Wanderer of Thousand Transformations, find enjoyable about keeping company with that man?
Church members arrived in a procession, carrying a box that had been sealed shut with chains. It had to be the treasure chest containing Marin's Lament.
Before Lapis and the others' eyes, the chest was set in the center of the formation. Seeing the humans tensing up, Lapis uncrossed his arms.
The primary target had been a miss—but let's see what they can do.