The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter - Chapter 26

I’m not an ordinary person.

By the time I could understand what was happening around me, I knew it.

Sometimes, unbearable pain dominates my entire body.

There were several kinds of pain, sometimes pain like an electric shock running through the body, sometimes a long dull pain.

But the kind of pain that I hate the most is the one that seems like someone is strongly squeezing your heart.

It is only at that moment that it is difficult for me to breathe and my tears start to overflow from my eyes.

Being too strange, appraisal was used on me when I was young, and as result it was discovered that I was suffering from a curse skill called 【16th Seal of Death】.

「Maria… Don’t worry, father will cure you by all means possible」

Even so, I was still blessed with a family.

Even though I’m Albert duke house’s daughter, everyone around me has been very kind.

Many people moved desperately in order to heal my curse skill.

In the process, it became clear why I suffered from this heavy curse.

An honorable ancestor of the Albert house defeated a black mage about 200 years ago. At that time, a spell that causes the descendants to suffer was cast.

But it doesn’t mean that all the descendants are going to catch the curse since among my family, my father and brother are okay.

Only I continued to suffer for a long time.

「We don’t have much time and yet…」

「Kuu, why is not me who suffers from that curse!」

「Let’s find someone else from outside the country, someone who can do something」

It was the night when I was celebrating my 16th birthday. As I went down the stairs to the first floor from my room, I could hear my parents and brother through the door discussing.

It seems that they were talking about my curse.

As long as I possess the 16th Seal of Death skill I will not be able to live another year.

My family worked in different areas, including achieving the cooperation of the royal family by gathering countless magicians experts in dispelling curses.

But even so, not one of them was able to cure me.

「Why… even when… I still want to live…」

Afraid of turning 16 years old, I cried all night until morning every birthday.

But thanks to that, I made a decision.

「ーI want to enroll in the hero school」

When I announced such a thing at breakfast, my whole family, while surprised, tried to stop me.

That I should concentrate on healing my body and not something like that.

But even so, only this time I strongly expressed my opinion.

「Even if my illness is cured, I will end up unemployed and that would be problematic. That’s why I want to go to school. I’m sure that while I’m there, I’ll find a way to cure myself」

My whole family respected my opinion.

If I have to be honest… I had already resigned myself.

That escaping from the clutches of the 【16th Seal of Death】would be impossible.

Then, until my last breath, I will live nobly as Maria Fuiana Albert.

I prepared myself for that.

Together with my childhood friend Amane who wanted to come with me, we enlisted to the school.

From that moment, I was surprised twice.

The first, a group of three people passed the first exam with overwhelming marks.

Noir-san, Ema-san, and Lenora-san.

The second, the stone that Noir-san threw using the 【Stone Bullet】 magic was smaller than normal.

Regardless of my curse, I received special education befitting nobles. I received the guidance of great and private tutors.

Among them, I had, in particular, a really good teacher specialized in magic, and that person had said something like this before.

「The stone bullet is a magic that is not used much. No matter who uses it, the size almost does not vary at all. That is the reason why it doesn’t matter if it hits or not since it doesn’t cause much damage」

「Is that right?」

「Ah, but… there are exceptions too. Two hundred years ago, there was an adventurer named Olivia, she was able to throw as much as a big stone as a tiny one」

「How could be possible?」

「Maybe she possessed an editing skill」

「Then, the descendants of that esteemed person, maybe…」

「That person disappeared while being unmarried」

「Is that, right…?」

If that person is able to edit skills, then wouldn’t she be able to change my curse?

But even such faintest hope was crushed immediately.

As expected, I won’t be able to erase this curse.

While I was thinking such a thing, on the day of the examination, seeing the stone bullet of Noir-san, an ephemeral hope began to grow inside my heart.

Noir-san may have the ability to edit skills?

I judged that Noir-san was not an ordinary person due to the overwhelming points that he achieved.

I want to talk to him!

Even if I wanted to do such a thing, to speak to him suddenly would be disrespectful.

After a few days, luckily I was able to catch sight of Noir-san and Ema-san. They looked so intimate that I felt bad about interrupting them, but even so, I gathered courage and went to greet them.

…Good, I was able to talk with Noir-san.

In the future, I will ask him about the editing skill.

Or so I thought, but I was naive.

A few days later, I was fighting against the pain since morning.

Food doesn’t go through my throat, even just walking makes my chest hurt hard.

But even so, I’m attending school. Today is the day I will ask Noir-san about whether he has the editing skill or not.

「Haa, haaa, it hurts… it hurts…」

My chest began to tighten and I was unable to move from the side of the stairs.

I may die today.

It’s scary and I feel like crying.

Then, as if a god was giving me a reward, Noir-san and Ema-san happened to pass through the corridor.

The good news was not limited to that.

「I’m sorry, Noir-san and Ema-san. Giving you so many problems because my body is weak」

「The truth that is due to the curse skill, right?」

「…Why, such a thing?」

ーーNoir-san saw through everything.

Before I’m able to explain it, everything was seen through. About what kind of curse, and about its effect.

Another amazing thing is that he even said that he is able to free me from my curse using his life force.

I couldn’t do anything but express my thanks,

We only met a couple of times and even so, he was thinking about me all this time. Unable to control my emotions, I started crying in front of him with all my strength.

◇ ◆ ◇

Just in case, I returned to my home.

After school, Noir told that he would visit soon my house.

I closed my eyes in the bed. My chest starts to hurts and throbbing. But, could be this due to a curse?

This sensation didn’t stop for a long time.

Even with the pain in my chest, I went down to the living room, then I began to absentmindedly observe the scenery outside the window.

「Young lady, are you waiting for an important person?」

The butler who has served Albert’s house for a long time says curiously. It is the person who took care of me from my childhood, one of the many people whom I can confide.

「Yep, a classmate will arrive soon」

「Could it be a man?」

「That’s… right. Why do you know such a thing?」

「Oh dear, the young lady is already at that age? This senile man is really happy to finally being able to meet the sweetheart of the young lady before my death」

「Sweetheart!? You’re w-wrong. We are just barely friends」

「Is that so? You looked like a woman deeply in love… Oh, somebody has come? Wait a second」

It seems that somebody called to the door.

The butler brought a man and a woman with him.

One of them is Noir-san, the person I expected.

And the other one, it was a beautiful half-elf woman.

In truth, I have met once with the woman named Luna-san.

She was one of the magicians specialized in removing curses that my family looked for.

She is a very capable person who is also active as a saint. But even so, she was unable to remove my curse.

「Noir-san? That person is…? 」

「Yes, you met her once, right? She is called Maria, the person whom we will have to remove the curse」

「I’m Luna, Excuse me for not being able to remove the curse at that time. Upon hearing Noir say that the curse will kill the person in question if we let it be, I noticed my mistake. This time I will dispel the curse without a doubt」

I felt it since I met her, this person is a very courteous and trustworthy person. I also know that she is trusted by the masses as Saint.

「Could it be that at that time you refused for some special reason?」

「That’s correct, my dispel curse skill has a great price for using it. According to the strength of the curse, an equivalent in life force has to be paid」

「Such thing. Then the reason why….!」

I shake my head. Now I can hardly ask for it.

Luna-san is a saint who is needed by many people. I can’t allow myself to be saved in exchange for another person’s life.

However, Noir-san has a gentle smile on him.

「It’s okay. I have changed the necessary compensation with my edit skill」

「Umu, Maria-dono. There is no problem at all. Then, let’s heal you. Close your eyes, please」

「Y-Yes」

I closed my eyes as they asked me to.

I can feel that I was touched around my chest.

I could feel strongly that something warm and tender began to flow inside of me.

「It should be the end with this… Do you feel pain somewhere?」

When asked by Luna-san, I noticed that my condition improved drastically.

My chest… it doesn’t hurt at all.

My pain disappeared as if everything until now was a lie.

「A success. The 【16th Seal of Death】 It’s completely gone」

Noir-san said.

At that moment, Luna-san was suddenly draw to my chest.

「I’m sure that all this time was hard for you. But from now on, everything will be alright」

I still do not believe it myself.

So then, he said this to me.

「You will not suffer more from the curse, Maria-san. Please, believe me」

Seeing Noir-san’s smile, I finally could truly feel that my curse has been removed.

「Aah… aah…」

Although I wanted to say “Thank you very much”, I am unable to speak,

I wonder how much time has passed since I couldn’t stop my tears from overflowing. No, I think this must be the first time since I was born.

My curse has been removed, but even so, my chest continues to hurt.

But it’s not because it’s hard.

I believe it’s because my heart filled with nothing but feelings of gratitude.