Let me sort out the situation. The knights who'd been investigating the incident told me every detail they'd uncovered once they learned I was a Level 8 Hunter.
Apparently, the reason none of this information had reached me before was that every eyewitness had been turned to stone.
Most of the Order had been deployed to receive the Spiritfolk sorcerers and were away, and on top of that they'd been short-handed on the curse investigation—so word of the incident had taken a while to spread.
The Sword Saint's dojo was a faction that served an important role within the Empire. When the Order was short on manpower, they'd frequently be mobilized for Monster subjugation or bandit suppression. If they'd been wiped out entirely, the fallout was impossible to predict.
It seemed that everyone at the main dojo had been turned to stone without exception. That Spiritfolk who cast the curse—Elisa called them Shero, apparently—must have truly had enough of Luke's rampage.
I went through the statues one by one. Among them was the man who'd been gazing at Lucia before.
I studied his stern expression for a long moment, then sighed.
"Still, to think he'd actually turn to stone…"
"It's different from the petrification used by magical beasts… To think it would work on someone as strong as Big Brother Luke…"
Tino's face was pale as she examined the statues.
Creatures like Cockatrices—magical beasts and Monsters capable of petrifying their targets—did exist, but they were exceedingly rare. And with resistance built through Mana Material absorption, the higher a Hunter's Level, the less effective status ailments like petrification became.
So for the entire famous faction of the Sword Saint to be turned to stone was almost unbelievable.
"The treatment should differ depending on the mechanism. There has to be a way to cure them! Potions, or magic—I've heard of it!"
Riizu had gone to fetch Anthem, and Tino, the one left behind, did her best to comfort me.
But with a row of stone statues suddenly placed before my eyes, I still hadn't fully grasped the reality of it all.
I'd been through all kinds of hell since becoming a Treasure Hunter, but petrification was a first.
I checked on the Sword Saint, who stood right next to Luke, sword raised, now turned to stone.
Unsurprisingly, Sohn Lowell's statue was incredibly detailed. He was already a famous figure with statues erected in dojos all over, but this one surpassed any I'd seen before. The others must have had some beautification by their sculptors, but this was on another level of presence.
Yet as I stared, a nagging unease began to well up inside me.
I'd believed in the Sword Saint's power. I'd hoped that maybe even a curse would be cleavable by his blade. And yet he'd been not only unable to do anything—he'd been turned to stone himself. I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud, but couldn't he have put up a bit more of a fight?
Looking at those wide-open eyes, I said in a small voice: "…I heard you'd beaten curses, so I had my hopes up…"
"!? A-ah, um… M-Mastaa?"
Not that I was one to talk—the guy who'd kept running without understanding a thing.
Well, what was done was done. Anthem's magic or Citry's potions would probably handle it.
Or, since a Spiritfolk had cast the curse, maybe asking a Spiritfolk would reveal a way to fix it.
I patted Luke's masked statue. The smooth, cold sensation made me take a deep breath.
Crap—the reality was finally hitting me. I felt like I was going to throw up.
"Luke has gone and become cool…"
"…Um, Mastaa? Can you hear anything from Big Brother Luke?"
"Huh…?"
Tino's words made my eyes widen. I stared intently at Luke and listened closely. There it was—a faint sound, but unmistakably something strange.
Not a voice. A deep, low rumble that resonated from within the abdomen. I leaned in closer, and the source was definitely Luke's stone statue.
"What… could that sound be?"
"Well, it's Luke, and he's the one who turned to stone…"
Luke had always been outrageous, so anything was possible with him.
A heartbeat? A groan? A sound of rage? Not like I could crack him open to find out…
That was when I noticed the large staff Tino was holding in her arms.
"Marui Sekai." The Treasure Weapon staff that made communication with all forms of existence possible.
Commonly known as the "Translation Staff," but strictly speaking, what it did wasn't translation.
The staff's effect wasn't linguistic analysis—it conveyed the meaning contained within sounds. So it wouldn't translate written text, and if a sound carried no meaning, the staff had no effect.
It hadn't worked on Mimi-kun or Ka-kun, but if there was Luke's will behind this sound coming from inside him, the staff should relay it accurately.
I took the staff, and under Tino's earnest gaze, activated the Treasure Weapon. Just as I'd hoped, the meaning carried in the echoing sound came through from Luke.
And at that moment, when my brow furrowed, Riizu came running back with Anthem and the others.
In a rare sight, it was the full roster of the Mourning Specter—including Elisa.
"Kurai! I brought everyone!"
"…Yeah."
I nodded as everyone hurried over to where I stood.
Citry took one look at the statues and clapped a hand over her mouth in exaggerated shock.
"My, my… To think the Sword Saint's entire school was wiped out—"
"Hmm…"
"…Why is Luke inside a cage?"
Lucia's exasperated voice. I didn't know either, but it was Luke… and nobody seemed all that worried.
The man had survived having his limbs blown off and being swallowed by Monsters. On top of that, Luke had absorbed a massive amount of Mana Material. He'd been operating with what seemed like a purely offense-focused build and had come through everything unscathed—nobody knew his power better than the Party members, myself included.
As always looking half-asleep, Elisa stepped forward and studied the statues. She'd said she wanted to take the gemstones somewhere, but apparently she still hadn't left the capital.
"…Since the curse has petrified them, a dispel should work… probably."
"Anthem, I'm counting on you."
"Mm…"
We had to treat them before Franz came back. If word got out that Luke was involved—that the Sword Saint himself had been caught in a petrification curse—it would cause all kinds of problems.
At my words, Anthem gave a small nod, raised his arm, and began chanting the dispel spell.
The healing power honed over years of grueling adventure rained down upon the statues throughout the dojo. Sparkling light drifted down and seeped into the grey stone.
The knights sealing off the entrance held their breath at the mystical sight. The change came swiftly.
The color of the swordsmen's statues began to shift from where the light touched, spreading from the tips of their heads to the tips of their toes. It took less than a minute for them all to return.
Breathing sounds surged at once. The swordsmen, flesh and blood restored, swayed and fell to their knees.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
"I… I— I'm saved. I thought I'd be stone for life…"
They took deep, shuddering breaths and flexed their hands open and closed. Still shaken, but fully conscious. As expected of Anthem—reliable.
Thank God they were alive. Even though it wasn't my hand directly, it would've been too awful to live with if anyone had died.
As I breathed a sigh of relief, Sohn—now back in color—approached. Compared to his students, he was composed, as one would expect.
He showed no intimidation despite Anthem's towering presence, and spoke in a suppressed voice.
"You have my thanks… I never imagined such a technique existed in this world. To transform everyone's bodies to stone without the slightest warning—terrifying power indeed."
"Mm…"
Swordsmen excelled in individual combat but fell far behind Mages in adaptability. No matter how much Mana Material a monster swordsman had absorbed, that fundamental difference remained. If it had been Lucia or Citry's teacher who'd been targeted, could they have stopped it?
In any case, part of the reason everyone had been petrified was on our end. I hurriedly stepped between Anthem and Sohn.
"I'm sorry we were late to help. To think you'd been petrified—"
As I bowed my head repeatedly, Sohn's expression shifted from the apologetic one he'd worn toward Anthem to something bitter.
"…So. About failing to meet expectations—you feel bad about that, do you?"
His piercing gaze and sharp voice sent a chill down my spine. My eyes went wide.
Wait—could he have heard everything even while turned to stone?
…Thank God I hadn't called him useless.
"N-no, no, it's completely understandable. The curse was incredibly powerful, and confronting it with a sword would've been extremely difficult. Luke turned to stone right alongside you—everyone's safe and the petrification is undone, so let's call this a win."
"…What happened to that curse?"
"Well, uh, um, err—"
Stop glaring at me like that. If Sohn couldn't handle it, what swordsman could?
Unable to withstand that killing gaze, I ducked behind Anthem. That was when Citry shouted.
"Something's wrong! Luke hasn't recovered! Big brother!"
"!?" I whipped around. Sure enough, Luke was still stone. He'd been hit by Anthem's magic just like the others, yet not a single fingertip showed any sign of recovery.
Anthem cast the dispel spell again. A white light imbued with what felt like divine radiance illuminated Luke's grey body, and—nothing happened, once more.
Elisa shuffled forward and placed her hand on Luke's head.
"He's under an incredibly powerful curse. A human can't break it."
"…The target of that curse was Luke, who angered it. We were merely caught in the aftermath."
At those words, Sohn frowned.
I see… Was that something I should apologize for?
Honestly—being more feared than the Sword Saint himself. That was peak Luke. Well, the curse had been terrified, after all…
Elisa raised her head and looked at me with drowsy eyes.
"Before the curse completely consumes his existence, we need to dispel it. We need the power of a Spiritfolk—specifically, a top-tier sorcerer. I have to return anyway, so you should all come with me to our country—Yggdrasil."
So in the end, we had to borrow the power of a Spiritfolk sorcerer. Annoying, but there was nothing for it.
At Elisa's words, Lucia blinked.
"But isn't the Spiritfolk nation extremely exclusionary? I heard humans aren't allowed in—and besides, Lapis is planning to bring a sorcerer with her…"
The Spiritfolk nation. People had heard of its existence, but it was the number-one country that no one had actually visited or seen firsthand. Of course, none of us had been there either.
The Spiritfolk had little desire for personal gain and no interest in power. Not even nobles or great merchants could easily gain entry.
Since Lapis was planning to bring a sorcerer, wouldn't it be better to wait for that?
Lucia's question hung in the air. Elisa was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"…With Shero's Cursed Stone, they'll let us in. Besides, Luke needs treatment immediately."
"…Shero's Cursed Stone…?"
Lucia looked over at me with a sidelong glance. Before anyone could say anything, I clapped my hands together.
"Well, this is a blessing in disguise. Alright, let's get Luke's statue transported and have him healed."
Of course, without that Cursed Stone, Luke wouldn't have turned to stone in the first place—but he was already stone now, so complaining wouldn't help.
And as for that gemstone—it was Hue who'd brought it. I had no reason to take the blame. Well, I was the one who paraded it through town…
I tried to smooth things over with a smile, but Lucia furrowed her brow.
"Why are you acting like everything's normal when Luke's been turned to stone, Leader?"
"He's only turned to stone. Luke is still Luke."
"I see… Mastaa, you're so deep."
"Mm."
Tino let out a small murmur of admiration at my attempt to play it cool.
It wasn't deep at all. Normally, I'd have been shaken the moment Luke was the only one who hadn't recovered.
The simple truth was that when I'd activated "Marui Sekai," Luke's will had come through to me.
What the stone statue of Luke Saikol had been saying over and over was: "Cut the curse! Cut the curse! Cut the curse! Cut the curse! Cut the curse! Cut the curse!"
At this rate, worrying about Luke was the harder part.