"Huh?"
Yuuki Asuna looked at Rowan in utter confusion.
Cursed? What curse? Cursed by whom?
After quite a while, she finally reacted and pointed at herself blankly.
"I was cursed?"
"That's right."
Rowan nodded frankly.
"You can't see it, but I can see it clearly. There is a very special curse power wrapped around you."
Medea smiled faintly and said, "That's right. It is indeed curse power. Black and red, filled with the aura of death. It's a very interesting curse."
Medea could be considered someone who had seen much of the world, but this was her first time seeing such an interesting curse.
Sensing the light flickering in Medea's eyes, Yuuki Asuna immediately felt a chill shoot straight to her head. Her whole body went cold, and goosebumps rose all over her skin.
I… was cursed?
When did that happen?
Why didn't I know?
At that moment, Yuuki Asuna's mind completely fell into chaos.
Her breathing involuntarily grew rapid, and her previously rosy complexion turned pale, without the slightest trace of blood.
Smack!
Just then, Rowan raised his hand and lightly knocked her on the head.
"Alright, don't think too much. You should think about whether you've offended anyone recently."
Yuuki Asuna sank into thought. After a long time, she gently shook her head.
"I don't know."
She had a gentle personality and had always treated others kindly. She had never offended anyone. She really had no idea who would curse her.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be someone you offended."
Medea chuckled lightly, as if she had thought of something. Her gaze lowered slightly, gaining a shadow that revealed a trace of playfulness, even mockery.
"Human nature is actually very filthy."
"When you want to curse someone, it does not necessarily mean the other party offended you. Perhaps they blocked your path. Perhaps the person you like does not like you, but likes them instead."
"Or perhaps, more extremely, simply because the other party is too dazzling, too beautiful, too perfect, and aroused your jealousy. So once you gained the ability, you cursed them without hesitation."
"Huh?"
Yamato couldn't listen anymore and couldn't help saying, "A person like that is way too shameless. If they can't stand someone, then they should openly and fairly fight them. Why curse others from the shadows?"
In her view, such a person was a despicable villain.
Nero gave an "umu" and said, "Indeed, it is despicable. But human nature has always been like this. Even as an emperor, I could never fully see through the human heart."
Yuuki Asuna knew the human heart had dark places, but she had never imagined it could be this dark.
Simply because I'm pretty, I might be cursed?
"That's way too unreasonable."
Her face flushed red, and her entire body trembled. She was so emotional that she nearly stood up.
"This world never had much reason to speak of in the first place. Some people are born orphans, while others are born as the young lady of the Yuuki family. Do you think that's fair?"
Yuuki Asuna fell silent.
At that moment, Rowan changed the subject and said, "Of course, everything we've said so far is only speculation."
"The exact reason you were cursed is something only the person who cursed you knows."
"So the most important thing you need to do now is find the person who cursed you as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, you will still die."
Yuuki Asuna suddenly widened her eyes. Her chestnut-colored pupils, the same shade as her hair, trembled violently.
"I… I'll die?"
"That's right."
"How could… But… haven't I already… already died once?"
When she said the word "die," Yuuki Asuna unconsciously hugged her arms to her chest, her body trembling violently.
This time, it was not from anger, but from fear.
Death was a very terrifying thing.
Precisely because she had died once, Yuuki Asuna feared dying a second time more than anyone else.
Not everyone who died once could calmly face death afterward.
"That's right. You did indeed die once, but Rowan revived you."
Medea approached Yuuki Asuna, reached out, lifted a lock of her soft hair, and said lightly,
"When you died, the curse power had actually already disappeared."
"However, after Rowan revived you, that vanished curse power appeared again."
"That is why I find this curse power interesting."
"When you die, the curse power disappears."
"When you live, the curse power appears."
"It will follow you constantly, then drag you into death again."
Yuuki Asuna's face was pale, her hands and feet icy cold. It was as if she had fallen into an ice cave, unable to feel even the slightest warmth anywhere in her body.
Suddenly, she thought of something and quickly said, "Could it be that yokai? Did the yokai that killed me leave this curse behind, so I…"
"Your premise is wrong."
Before she could finish, Medea interrupted her.
"Huh?" Yuuki Asuna did not understand and sat there blankly.
Medea said, "You think you encountered a yokai and were then cursed. In reality, you were cursed first, and that is why you encountered the yokai."
"This curse is a death-related curse."
"This kind of curse affects the things around you, causing you to fall into death crises again and again."
"For example, maybe while walking down the stairs, your calf suddenly cramps, causing you to fall down the stairs and die."
"Maybe when passing by a tall building, you are struck and killed by an object thrown from above."
"Or perhaps while walking on the road, an out-of-control car comes over and hits you to death."
"Even if you sit here and do absolutely nothing, a yokai may rush in and kill you directly."
"That is the death curse on your body."
"It will use every possible method to kill you."
At that moment, Yuuki Asuna finally understood what Medea meant by "interesting."
So this was a curse that would not stop until death.
But as the person afflicted by the curse, she did not find this curse interesting at all.
She only felt that it was incredibly malicious.
Who exactly was it?
Why would they curse me like this?
Yuuki Asuna trembled with anger. At the same time, she also realized something.
"From what you're saying, this curse should be very powerful, right?"
"It is indeed very powerful. An ordinary person could not cast such a curse."
"Then that's what I find strange. I don't think I've ever known someone this powerful, nor have I offended such a person. Why would someone so powerful curse me?"
"Well…"
Just as Rowan was about to shake his head, he suddenly heard Yuuki Asuna say, "Unless this person wasn't targeting me."
He gave a soft hum, his gaze falling on Yuuki Asuna. He felt as if she had figured something out, and her whole demeanor had changed.
"You seem to have thought of something?"
Yuuki Asuna did not deny it and nodded.
"I did think of something."
"Tell me." Rowan became interested.
Yuuki Asuna said, "SAO, or Sword Art Online as you call it. This game has not been completed yet, but our Yuuki family seems to hold original shares in the studio developing it."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You mean your family invested in Kayaba Akihiko?"
Yuuki Asuna said, "My mother, Yuuki Kyouko, is a professor at the University of Tokyo."
"And Kayaba Akihiko was once an outstanding graduate of the University of Tokyo."
"When he was still in school, my mother praised this student highly."
"Later, after he graduated and established a studio, our Yuuki family seems to have invested in that studio."
Interesting.
Hearing this, Rowan felt the matter was becoming interesting.
In the original story, Kayaba Akihiko did not have much connection to Yuuki Asuna's family in reality.
But in this world, it seemed something had changed.
Was Yuuki Asuna's mother, Yuuki Kyouko, a university professor?
Yes.
That was also written in the original plot, saying that Yuuki Kyouko served as a professor at a certain university.
But in this crossover world, Yuuki Kyouko had become a professor at the University of Tokyo, and even Kayaba Akihiko had become a graduate of the University of Tokyo.
The two seemed to have crossed paths at school.
And even better…
Although Kayaba Akihiko was a genius, no matter how genius someone was, it was impossible for him alone to complete a massive game like SAO. He needed assistants, funding, and connections.
So Yuuki Kyouko, who had admired him greatly at the university, encouraged her husband to invest in this genius.
Thus, they obtained some original shares in his studio.
And those shares rose in value as Sword Art Online gradually approached completion.
Yuuki Asuna said, "Not long ago, during a family gathering, I heard my father mention that a certain company seemed to want to purchase the original shares of that studio, but my father refused."
"And that was one week ago."
"More importantly, that company's reputation seems to be rather poor."
Rowan's eyes flickered, understanding Yuuki Asuna's meaning.
"You believe this company wanted to acquire the original shares of Kayaba Akihiko's studio from your father, and after your father refused, they found someone to curse you."
"That is very possible," Yuuki Asuna said. "The heir of the Yuuki family is my older brother, Yuuki Kouichirou. If they cursed my older brother, it would only make my father completely go berserk."
"But if they only cursed me, it would make my father furious, not lose control, and he would not retaliate at all costs."
Although it was sad, that was the truth.
Yuuki Asuna knew very clearly that although her father valued her, he valued her far less than her older brother.
Because her brother was the heir of the Yuuki family.
She said calmly, "They can use my death to warn my father. They can even make my father afraid, make him terrified, and finally force him to hand over the studio shares, achieving their goal."
Rowan stroked his chin and said, "That does sound somewhat reasonable. Then tell me, what is this company called?"
Yuuki Asuna said, "I remember it was…"