We returned to the main street.
Several lantern lights came into view.
A crowd had gathered.
Seras stopped.
"Did something happen?"
"…Let me take a quick look."
I blended into the crowd naturally so as not to stand out.
I slipped between people and moved forward.
Then "that" jumped into my eyes.
The crowd was gathered in front of one house.
Compared to the houses on either side, only this one looked different.
The abnormality was on the outer wall.
Strange patterns were drawn on it.
Black symbols?
I asked the woman next to me.
"What happened here?"
The woman was fidgeting.
She looked like she wanted to talk to someone.
As expected, she started speaking right away.
"It was the Ashinto."
"Ah, that curse user group…"
"Last night there was a man who argued with the Ashinto at a tavern. Apparently their arrogant behavior was too much, so he warned them."
"Is this the house of the man who warned them?"
"Yes."
"Is he inside the house?"
"He was beaten by the Ashinto and is now at the treatment clinic."
Treatment clinic.
Something like a hospital.
The woman shook her head.
"His father who lived with him was also just taken to the treatment clinic."
"Don't tell me his father was beaten too?"
"No, it seems the father was hit with a curse. They said it was retribution for baring his fangs at the Curse God, so they placed a terrible curse on the father as well."
The woman looked across the street.
"Just a little while ago the Ashinto were here giving a proud speech."
So that was why such a crowd had formed.
"They said the patterns on that wall are proof of the sin of opposing the Curse God and Lord Muaji. The father who was inside the house collapsed from the curse of those patterns."
"Do curses really exist?"
"The father came out of the house clutching at his throat, foaming at the mouth, and collapsed. But it didn't look like he had been beaten… so that must be what a curse is. Ah, it's scary."
A curse, huh.
"If the story that they killed the Five Dragon Warriors is also true… no matter how strong someone is, they can't win against a curse… no wonder the duke is keeping an eye on them…"
"The duke keeping an eye on them is Duke Zuan?"
"Rumors say so, but people are saying the Demon War King is the one actually trying to take them in."
A man who had been listening nearby suddenly cut in.
He had been fidgeting while listening to our conversation.
The woman looked annoyed.
She was irritated at having her conversation interrupted.
For me it was helpful since many people wanted to talk.
"The collapse of the Black Dragon Knights was actually good news for us people of Ulza. They are said to be protected by the goddess's influence, but the people of Ulza were afraid of Bakos, who invaded Neah. They said even the Demon War Knights or the Dragon Slayer couldn't beat the Five Dragon Warriors centered on 'humanity's strongest.'"
"So from Ulza's perspective, the Black Dragon Slayers are heroes."
The man nodded strongly.
I remembered the words of the Ashinto.
They had called themselves the saviors of Ulza.
"Our king probably wants to take those heroes in. As fighting strength against other countries."
Even at this point countries were still checking each other.
Even though the Great Demon Emperor's army had started moving.
Still, this was interesting information.
The goddess was not fully controlling the countries.
It could be taken that way.
"…"
The Demon War King did not take them in directly and instead used a duke as an intermediary.
This was probably consideration toward other countries.
In an emergency he could make excuses…
The duke took them in on his own.
The royal family was not involved.
The royal family was not aware.
Such excuses would work.
On the other hand, he still wanted to keep them close.
He did not want to regret letting another country take them.
That was probably what the king of Ulza was thinking.
The woman sighed.
"The power of the curse that killed the Five Dragon Warriors seems to be real after all… if the story about this family and the rumor that they will be taken in by Duke Zuan is true… from now on, no one in the royal capital will dare oppose the Ashinto…"
The man grumbled.
"It would be nice if those guys left the royal capital quickly."
"Shh! If an Ashinto member is nearby, you will get cursed too!"
"Oh, right."
The man looked around.
I put on a frightened face.
"The Ashinto really are a terrifying group…"
The man placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Wahaha, you be careful not to get cursed too, brother! Well, you don't look like the type to stand up to someone stronger than you, so you should be fine!"
I thanked the loudly laughing man and left the crowd.
I rejoined Seras, who had been standing just outside the circle.
We walked together again toward the inn.
I told Seras the information I had obtained.
"When do you think it will become clear that the Ashinto's words are false?"
"It will be fine as long as it holds until we enter the demon zone."
Seras looked back.
"Even so, their arrogance is quite infuriating."
"It seems they really believe they killed the Five Dragon Warriors…"
The other day Seras had told me.
About the time she met the Ashinto at the tavern on the first day.
The people who were there at that time were not lying.
They genuinely believed they had killed the Five Dragon Warriors.
Someone had probably made them believe it.
They were completely convinced it was "the truth."
In this case, Seras's power could not judge it as a lie.
"…"
The boss of the group was probably the one called Muaji.
He was the one who made them believe it.
If so, he was quite the con artist…
"Well, we do not have the spare time right now to do anything about the Ashinto. We will pack our things at the inn and leave the city tonight. That is our top priority."
"Yes… it is regrettable, but…"
We were near the inn when it happened.
Hm?
"P-please stop!"
A familiar group came into view.
The man at the front of the group was grabbing a woman's arm.
The woman looked like an ordinary citizen.
"Come with us. You should feel honored. You have been chosen by us. It is a great honor. Now, come quietly with us."
The Ashinto.
They were drunk…
I could tell from the way they carried themselves.
Thanks to my real parents who drank all the time, I knew the signs well.
"P-please… let me go…"
"How rude this woman is!"
"Kyaa!?"
The man at the front slapped the woman across the cheek.
"This will not do! Later we must take this woman to Lord Muaji and ask for a blessing to reform her!"
"U-uuu…"
They were drunk and harassing the woman.
They really were worthless scum…
The woman whose arm was grabbed had tears in her eyes.
I could see people watching from the windows.
But no one showed any sign of helping.
They were probably afraid of the Ashinto.
The other Ashinto members were watching with smirks.
Seras had her hand on her sword.
But she did not step forward.
Seras bit her lip in frustration.
"Kuh…"
Seras understood.
Causing a commotion here would be bad.
Right now we could not afford to cause trouble.
Drawing attention unnecessarily here was dangerous.
In the worst case we might not be able to leave the royal capital tonight.
That would be a problem.
"Still, the deaths of the Five Dragon Warriors are partly because of someone… so I share some responsibility for making those guys grow arrogant."
"My lord…?"
"You stay out of this."
"Y-yes."
I moved a little closer and hid in the shadows.
From the shadows I thrust out my hand.
The target was the man at the very back of the group.
The range was—no problem.
"Berserk."
The next instant,
"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
One of the Ashinto at the back suddenly went berserk.
He leaped at the comrade next to him.
"Uwaaah!? What is wrong with you!? What are you—!"
Chomp.
The man in the berserk state bit into his comrade's arm.
"Higyaaaaaaaah!?"
"Get away! What is wrong with you all of a sudden!?"
A comrade tried to pull him off from behind.
But the man in the berserk state punched his comrade's face.
"Guaah!?"
"Dark."
I granted the darkness state to the man who had been punched.
"Guh… huh? I can't see…? It's completely dark… I can't see! It must be because you hit me! Waaaaaaaah—!"
I confirmed that the woman who had been harassed hurriedly ran away.
After making sure the woman had left the area,
"Berserk."
I granted the berserk state to the other Ashinto as well.
"GUGAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Uwaaaah!? You too!? What is this!?"
"Kuh!? Did they drink too much!? The alcohol must have hit them hard and they lost their reason! Hold them down!"
"GAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Kuh!? Calm down! You…!"
"…"
Should I add one more?
"Berserk."
"UGAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Uwaaah!? This one too!? What the hell is going on here!?"
Before long,
"Hey, what is going on!?"
"What are you doing!?"
Several soldiers came running over.
They were probably guards on patrol.
The street had turned into a small commotion.
But from the outside it only looked like "the Ashinto had suddenly gone berserk."
So "we" would not draw attention.
"Well, the truth is I didn't like them anyway…"
I had also managed to test the skills.
Test subjects I could use without worry were valuable.
The Ashinto were still in a terrible state of confusion.
"Kukaka."
An evil laugh slipped out unintentionally.
"Quite the nice dance, Black Dragon Slayers Ashinto."
But killing them here would be going too far.
I still needed them to keep dancing as my smokescreen for a while longer…
"Killing them here would be meaningless."
I turned toward the inn.
"Let us go."
"Y-yes!"
Seras followed at a quick trot.
Her voice sounded a little excited.