Chapter 170
As a human being, I am cursed by a terrifying vengeful spirit.
"...This still sounds quite common."
Kazuma Hatake silently watched Miguel, who had never attended a college—the other was indeed skilled in exorcism and combat, but in terms of theoretical knowledge and conceptual definitions of curse power, he was probably not as good as this player who had attended school for a year.
"Strictly speaking, the process by which vengeful spirits, cursed spirits, and curse masters attack humans using non-physical means can all be called [being cursed]. However, the manifestations will be further distinguished based on the source and strength of the curse."
Miguel, who was being watched by Kazuma Hatori with a subtle gaze: "..."
"I... let me think of the most accurate way to describe it... well, that brat is possessed by an unknown curse that is too powerful and troublesome. It automatically attacks anything that might harm it, whether it has life or not."
Miguel raised his wrist, revealing a section of black rope wrapped around his forearm—the end of the rope, woven from multiple strands, bore burn marks, as if it had been torn in the middle by some savage and primal force.
"He tried to commit suicide but the curse stopped him, and then he attacked me instead... I barely managed to escape!"
Kazuma Hatake looked at the black rope that Miguel had touched with heartache, and listened to him recount the details in fits and starts, finally able to reconstruct the whole incident.
A 15-year-old boy named Yuta Otsukoshi was bullied at school for a long time. During this period, he even ran away from home for a period of time for unknown reasons. A few days ago, after returning to school, four bullies tried to assault him again, but he was stuffed into a locker by some unknown force and was seriously injured.
Miguel, who accepted the exorcism case, went to investigate but was almost killed by the vengeful spirit. He had no choice but to seek help from Kazuma Hatake.
Thinking about it from another angle, he could be considered to have scouted the location for the patriarch, not only confirming that the brat had a vengeful spirit, but also that the spirit was quite powerful—possibly even stronger than a first-level special-grade spirit.
Miguel didn't want to take on this job that could very well cost him his life again.
"Anyway, those bullies lying in the hospital aren't good people, so let's just not take this job?"
As a result, he saw the Pope, sitting in the main seat, ponder for a moment and slowly shake his head.
"No, I will accept it. I will go to him myself."
[Currently triggered hidden commission:]
The Curse of Etoku Yuta: A young boy has been afflicted by an unknown curse. Perhaps you can find the source of this curse and help Etoku Yuta break it?
Current progress: Incomplete.
Reward: Unlocks the skill .
This was a hidden commission that he had finally managed to get!
Even after becoming the leader of the sect, Kazuma Hatori was unable to receive any more missions.
This is understandable, considering he's already become the patriarch; who would dare assign him tasks?
As for the leaders of the Panxing Sect, who were assigned by him to work 16 hours a day, they had tried to unite and resist the tyranny of Yuqu Kazuma a couple of years ago.
Kazuma Hatake didn't do much, but thoughtfully reminded them again of the horror of being forced to drink scalding water from washing pots all afternoon—and these people obediently went back to farming.
Aside from the steady inflow of his personal savings, the game system has remained unchanged for a long time.
At this moment, a pop-up window finally appeared, indicating that the hidden delegate had been triggered.
Reward or technique reversal!
Regardless of whether he can "break the curse," we should at least take a look and confirm the situation.
Where is Yigu Youtai now?
Miguel was taken aback, not expecting that Kazuma Hagoromo had already stood up and gestured for him to lead the way, and it seemed that he was planning to set off immediately.
"Are you really going?" he sighed. "I barely managed to escape back... He's probably locked himself in his room right now, hardly seeing anyone."
"Well, it's still early," Kazuma Hatake said casually. "I need to go buy groceries before six."
A very down-to-earth reason left Miguel speechless.
While arranging for a driver to take Yuta Otsuki to his house, Kazuma Hato also called Satoru Gojo, briefly explaining Yuta Otsuki's situation and asking him about the "unspell".
The call that Kazuma Hatori made to Satoru Gojo was played on speakerphone, so Miguel, who was in the passenger seat giving directions, could also hear it.
Unlike the General Director's Department, which was kept in the dark, the curse masters in the Panxing Cult had always known about the relationship between Yuqu Kazuma and Gojo Satoru—they even privately marveled at how the former Holy Son and current Cult Leader could be so calm in his relationship with the [strongest].
"Cursed by a powerful force?" Gojo Satoru was quite surprised. "Miguel... ah, that black guy with the strange rope who was a bit troublesome to deal with. I remember he was quite resilient. Hmm, a curse that almost killed him, it probably really deserves to be rated as a special-class curse."
Miguel, who is usually highly praised for his strength, was only described as "pretty tough" by Gojo Satoru. He turned around to protest, but Gojo Satoru pretended not to hear him and just smiled as he gave Kazuma Hato.
"Undoing a curse isn't that difficult. Actually, exorcising cursed spirits is a kind of undoing—you can just use force to remove the curse."
Upon hearing this, Miguel immediately exclaimed, "How is that possible? To exorcise that monster!"
Gojo Satoru: "Can't even Kazuma handle this?"
Miguel: "...To be honest, I even think it would be a bit difficult for you to go up there. Unless you're going to kill that brat too."
As long as the cursed person is killed, the curse on their body will naturally be broken—everyone understands this principle.
But Miguel guesses that what Kazuma Hagoromo wants might not be such a simple and crude solution.
"Oh, I see. That makes things a bit more complicated."
Although Gojo Satoru called Miguel "a bit of a troublemaker," he trusted the judgment the other made and was not angry because he was doubted about his ability to do so.
He stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then offered another option.
"There is a gentler way to [resolve the curse], but this requires the cooperation of the person being cursed."
…………
"Brother Yuta, someone's here to see you—"
His sister's voice called from outside the door, but Yuta only hugged his knees tightly, buried his head between his crossed forearms, and sat in the corner of the room in a silent and self-destructive posture, without making the slightest sound.
He had no reason to live, and even if someone tried to help him, it would only put the other person in mortal danger as well.
Unwilling to hurt others, he tried to hurt himself to end this life that should not continue to exist in the world—however, this action was stopped by [Rika].
[Rika] rejects anything that could harm him, including himself.
"Brother Yuta, I know you're inside—someone really came looking for you—"
The knocking continued relentlessly, but Etsuku Yuta remained unmoved, not even changing his huddled-up posture.
He couldn't even respond to his sister's words because [Rika] clearly resisted any woman approaching him.
Especially since his younger sister had almost been injured because of [Rika], but had never blamed him—which made Yuta Otsuko feel even more guilty and pained.
The same goes for the person who came to the house in the afternoon; he clearly wanted to help him, but he almost got hurt by [Rika] as well.
...Is it him again?
"Huh, that's strange. Is he asleep? That can't be right. The few times my brother has shown up lately, I've seen him with huge dark circles under his eyes. He doesn't look like he's been sleeping at all."
The sounds outside the door quieted down a bit; they were probably talking to the people who had come with them.
"It's alright," Yuta thought to himself, feeling a bit down. He figured if he just refused to open the door, the other person would give up and never bother with him again.
"Are you sure he's inside?"
An unfamiliar voice rang out; it was the deep voice of an adult male, speaking slowly and deliberately with a cold tone. Just by listening to it, one could sense that the other person might not be easy to get along with.
Yi Gu You Tai felt inexplicably nervous, then realized he was overthinking things.
Outside the door, the younger sister was still answering the man's questions.
"Yes, but he locked the door from the inside, so we can't get in."
"Okay, I understand."
The voice paused for a moment, then said, "Stand back."
Stand back? Not only the people outside the door, but also Yuta Ekiku was confused by this instruction. Even his brain, which was dominated by negative emotions with strong self-destructive tendencies, briefly focused its attention on the door.
--Bang!
A loud crash of something hard struck the door was followed by a large hole being smashed into the wooden door by something unknown!
"...!??!!"
Ekiku Yuta was so shocked that his mouth dropped open as he watched a hand in a kimono pass through the huge hole, reach the lock, and turn it open.
Aside from the initial act of violently damaging someone else's door, the remaining steps were all performed slowly and methodically, displaying utmost politeness.
That person even knocked on the door with their finger first before pushing it open!
Not to mention that Yigu Yu was completely stunned, Miguel and Yigu's sister, who were standing behind Hana Toki, were also quite frightened, staring blankly at him with their eyes wide open.
"I will pay double the compensation."
Kazuma Hatori nodded apologetically to Yuta Otsukoshi's sister, "The situation was urgent, and the methods were a bit rough."
"Ah... this... ah, okay, no problem, please continue..."
Having never seen such a swift and decisive method of dismantling a door without responding before, Yi Gu was completely taken aback and gave a nonsensical answer.
"You should leave here first,"
Miguel was much more adaptable than his sister Yigu, and he was already urging her to hurry up, saying, "If that vengeful spirit starts causing trouble again, don't get hurt."
Seeing that Otsukoshi nodded and ran down the stairs, Kazuma Hatori finally began to examine Otsukoshi Yuuta, who was huddled in the corner of the room.
He didn't turn on the lights, and the curtains were all drawn, cutting off all means of illuminating the room—almost completely merging it with darkness.
Kazuma Hatori touched the light switch on the wall and casually turned on the ceiling light.
Yuta Etsukoshi, however, was not used to the room suddenly becoming bright, and reflexively turned his face to the side, trying to avoid the glaring light.
But the young man standing at the door, especially his appearance...
Yi Gu You Tai felt a vague sense of familiarity, but couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
“I am Kazuma Hagoromo,” the other person gave him a brief self-introduction, “I’m here to help you break the curse.”
Kazuma Hatori... Kazuma Hatori... Kazuma Hatori...
—In the blink of an eye, Yi Gu You Tai blurted out unconsciously.
"You're the one who's with Gojo Satoru...!"
Knowing that Satoru is still remembered by people as a star, Kazuma Hatori paused for a moment before calmly acknowledging it.
"Yes, it's me."
Miguel, who pays absolutely no attention to the entertainment industry, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Wait a minute, how come even this brat knows about your affairs!?"
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