The air quivered and Suimei breathed weakly. Forgetting about situation, he let out a sound in surprise. Just now, to his ears, he thought he heard something indicating distress. Something like moaning or gasping, like the voice of a girl in pain or someone burning up with a fever.
Is this not merely a bath? Remembering the gasping, Suimei looked once more. Glancing in that direction, he saw Lefille leaning on a boulder near the water’s edge. Looking closely, there was a strange look in her eyes. Rather than bathing, she appeared unconscious and suffering in the water. Why was she groaning? What was making her wheeze in anguish? At that time, Suimei saw it. On her abdomen, there was an ominous tattoo that seemed to be encroaching onto the girl.
“...Ah”
Unaffected, he realized what was going on the moment he saw the tattoo. Her raised arm, her sudden voice, the eyes that saw her, his own conveniently bashful heart, all of it vanished with astonishment.
A curse.
As soon as he realized this, all the superfluous things he had thought up until now vanished. Why? As he got a hold of himself, instead of the confidence that he could deal with it, his heart sank with helpless thoughts, that here as well, there were girls in pain because of a curse.
A curse. Yes, a curse. It is the first time he had seen one like that, but he probably wasn’t wrong. The tattoo on Lefille’s abdomen was proof of it. The dark red overlapping lines were blemishing her white beautiful skin. Another world’s curse. Whenever the tattoo pulsed because of magic, Lefille’s moan grew in intensity, and her body squirmed from the pain.
Then who, with what intention, would have done such a curse?
“...Tsch”
In Suimei’s mouth was an overwhelming bitterness. This was the feeling of someone who knew curses very well. An embodiment of hatred from Suimei, as someone who had deep dealings with someone who cursed others, and someone who was cursed.
That’s right, there was a time when Suimei wished that he could break a curse. The girl that suffered in grief because of the ruinous curse was there. That’s why he studied curses for a time in order to break them. He couldn’t forgive the existence of such an unreasonable misfortune in this world.
Therefore, what was happening to the girl in front of his eyes was painful to watch to him as well. That impure movement, it was intolerable.
That’s a curse huh. It’s vulgar. And against a young girl, how heretical.
Sorrow. That noble girl imprisoned by the curse and compelled to perform such obscene acts. There was no other way to describe this other than sadness.
Why did the curse have to dirty pure girls?
Why was the curse burned onto girls?
Why did curses always make girls cry in anguish
Fuelled by fury, Suimei’s heart burned with anger. And with those thoughts, he approached the rock where the girl was.
“Lefille”
As if he wanted to just talk to her, Suimei gently tapped the shoulders of the girl panting in pain.
Lefille looked up with blurry eyes, probably recovering her consciousness a little.
“Ah, uh…?”
The face that was lifted because of the voice still showed signs of the curse’s influence and was red with confusion.
“Ah…”
Lefille finally realized someone was calling out to her, and made a sound that she was aware. But as she stared into the eyes of the man who had a wavering look of pity, the girl’s pupils reflect despair like never before.
As they looked at each other, Lefille’s face gradually became twisted. Why are you here. Why are you looking? I didn’t want anybody to see my disgraceful sight. Lefille’s pained expression seemed to be screaming.
However, even after noticing another person’s presence, she didn’t stop as if her actions were forced by an unseen power. Because of the curse’s fever, she had no control over her body and she continued to rub herself against the rock to relieve the fever a little.
“Ahh... ahhh…”
Yes, from the perspective of a third party, it was a seductive action as if she couldn’t help soothing the fire within her.
“No... please, don't look… please…”
Lefille’s faint voice now was not because of the painful fever. It was a plea from a girl in pain, who didn’t want anyone to see her indecent side.
***
After some time, the curse’s effect seemed to fade, and she calmed down. To Lefille, who was on the ground putting on the knights clothes he had brought, Suimei quietly asked about the curse.
“Is it a curse?”
He asked to confirm. And as expected, Lefille nodded without looking at him. When Suimei was about to ask again, Lefille who was lowering her head with depressed eyes suddenly said:
“I am…”
“...”