Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 219 Morning in Another World

The girl, holding a large book, sat on a wooden stool and looked down at Subaru.

"You actually know the word 'mockery'? That's impressive."

"By the way, you're unhappy because I guessed right, aren't you? Sorry, I've always been good at riddles."

Subaru Natsuki has a special skill.

Even without any hints, he could guess the correct answer from a bunch of options, and he had solved a lot of troubles with this trick.

"Honestly," the girl frowned, "what is Roswaal up to, suddenly stuffing in all this random stuff. I painstakingly built this domain, and he's already done that—but now someone like you... is just awful."

"That guy?"

"You're talking about me, aren't you?" A head popped out from behind the bookshelf. "Although it's a little sad to admit it like this."

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"You're here too?!" Subaru shifted his gaze.

"Wait, isn't this a hidden area that only certain people can enter?"

That's right, the one who interrupted from behind the bookshelf was Yue Ren.

The library was originally quiet, but now that this guy has come, it's hard for him not to hear.

"That's true. But how can you be so sure I'm not that 'specific person'?"

"Recruiting...that's true too."

Subaru was dejected again. He realized once again that he was just an ordinary person, nothing special.

"I'm telling you guys—" Betty, the girl sitting on the step stool, puffed out her cheeks.

"Betty's library, bedroom, and private room are not for you to chat in. Annoying guys, get out of here."

"Should I be disappointed by this answer, or feel sorry for you not having your own room and having to spend the night here? Or should I give you an understanding smile for treating the library like your private room?"

After hearing this, Betty jumped down from the step stool.

"Betty is almost at her limit too."

She walked step by step toward Subaru.

"I need to let you know who you're talking to."

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Don't mess around!" Subaru shrank back, widened his eyes, and desperately tried to appear weak. "You see? I'm just an ordinary person, I have no fighting ability whatsoever! This guy is my comrade, he's incredibly strong."

Upon hearing this, the girl's pace didn't slow down; on the contrary, it quickened.

Don't move.

A chill ran down Subaru's spine.

The girl was already standing in front of him, within arm's reach.

She only reached Subaru's chest, and her light blue eyes stared straight at him without blinking.

Subaru froze. Goosebumps crawled from his neck to his ankles. The surroundings suddenly became eerily quiet.

He wanted to turn to the Yue people for help.

But that bastard was looking down at his book, flipping through it as if he hadn't seen anything.

That's outrageous, so disloyal!

By the way, can you even understand the otherworldly language in that book? Can you stop pretending?

"Is there anything you'd like to say?"

The girl's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Subaru was abruptly pulled out of that stiffness. In that instant, he desperately searched his mind for the words he should say.

His gaze drifted aimlessly. His lips trembled.

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"No, please don't hurt me!"

"To be so stubborn with words—" the girl exclaimed sincerely.

"You are quite admirable."

After saying that, she placed her hand on Subaru's chest.

My palms were pressed against my clothes, and my fingertips gently and slowly traced across them.

It felt a little itchy, and then...

"Puwah—!!"

The next second, Subaru felt as if he had been thrown into a fire.

Something terrifying was rampaging through his body. From his toes to his hair, it felt like everything was on fire.

It felt as if a hand made of flame had touched my body from head to toe, inside and out.

The visibility was intermittent, sometimes bright and sometimes dark.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Not dizzy yet?" The girl bent down and tilted her head to look at him.

"Just as I've heard—it's quite sturdy."

"What...what did you do...drill-wielding loli..."

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"I just tampered with the ma inside you," she said nonchalantly. "The circulation method is pretty weird, you bastard."

She crouched down, extended a finger, and poked Subaru's trembling body.

"Never mind. At least we're sure you meant no harm. As for your excessively rude behavior just now—consider it your mana has already been forgiven."

Subaru was pushed to his limit. With that poke, his upper body could no longer support him, and his entire face slammed to the ground.

He used a lot of strength to slowly turn his neck and glare at the girl who looked down at him with a smile on her lips.

"You...you're that...not human..."

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"You saw your brother but didn't notice?"

The girl's tone was even more childlike than her appearance, but it was this childlike quality that reminded one of the innocent cruelty of a child plucking the wings of an insect.

"There's something... I need to correct..." Subaru gasped, "Your Quirk... isn't even human..."

"6

"A noble and dignified being—" the girl's voice was as cold as a pebble at the bottom of a lake in winter, "not something that can be measured by your human standards."

Subaru felt like something was suffocating his chest. He wanted to say "It's so hot," but he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth.

Whether he wanted to or not, his consciousness sank deeper and deeper into darkness.

I just woke up, and I'm about to faint again.

"It'll be a hassle to move the body if it dies here." The girl straightened up. "Let someone else clean it up."

She turned her head and looked at the Yue people.

"Your taste isn't very good either, choosing someone like that as a partner."

I do not deny the conclusion.

The man from Yue turned a page of his book without even looking up.

"But it's not to the point where I should give up. Exquisite jade always takes time to carve, don't you think?"

"Jade? More like rotten wood." Betty scoffed. "If you care so much, why didn't you stop Betty earlier?"

"First of all, you are the master of this place. He offended you, so I don't think there's anything wrong with you punishing him slightly."

The Yue man finally raised his eyelids.

"Secondly, practice is also a form of education. If this experience can help him correct his impulsive and reckless habits, that would be good."

He would never admit that he was secretly pleased to see what had just happened.

"...You're actually using Betty as a tool for discipline?" Betty narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill him?"

"The gentle, kind, lovely, noble, and generous Archangel of the Library would not stoop to the level of such a minor character. That fellow is just a bit of a chatterbox."

"Hmph." Betty turned her face away. "You have good taste."

Although she was still sharp-tongued, her tone had softened, and it was clear that she was pleased with what Yue Ren had said.

In the end, Subaru was dragged back to his room by the blue-haired maid who had been summoned again, using magic.

The Yue people, however, were unaffected and continued reading in the library. How delightful!

As for how he got in—it was purely out of curiosity.

He remembered there was such a place in this house. In addition, when Betty was adjusting the field this morning, he casually analyzed a spell called "Anywhere Door" and then walked in without any hesitation.

After promising to read quietly, he received permission from the great elf to stay temporarily.

It wasn't quite what he had imagined. The books here were a mixed bag, useful and useless mixed together. So far, apart from the basic introduction to history and mana, he hadn't found anything of value. He was just flipping through them as casual reading.

Given enough time, he could probably come up with a lot of useful information. Unfortunately, the books here are special.

Using the term "tracing the source" would alert Betty and upset her. So he simply observed it normally.

He's not in a hurry. There's plenty of time; he can take it slow.

An hour later, he sensed that the mark left on Subaru had moved.

I said goodbye to Betty for the time being.

After all, he hadn't met the owner of this house yet. He was quite interested in the "clown" from his memory, and as a guest, he couldn't be too impolite.

Leaving the library, I looked for an area where people gathered. Although I had placed a mark on someone, it was useless here.

The loud voice of a certain immature teenager had clearly marked his location.

Looking down the corridor, the confident young man was enthusiastically working to "conquer the heroine." However, the scene of him inviting her to do calisthenics together still made Yue Ren, a modern person, want to dig his toes into the ground.

Unlike Rudeus, this kid is just an ordinary high school student about to graduate from his chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) years, and he's genuinely full of enthusiasm.

It's true that he lacked "beatings".

For a moment, it was turned back slightly.

Subaru woke up in bed again and saw the eye-catching twin maids Ram and Rem in the mansion.

After chatting for a while about something not very serious, Emilia, who had just arrived, interrupted them with a wry smile.

This guy is really restless.

Because she had to keep her promise to the spirits every day, Emilia took the opportunity to invite Subaru to go for a walk in the garden, which led to the scene before us.

After finishing the morning exercises and receiving the title, Emilia was deeply moved. Once her breathing calmed down, she remembered her initial purpose.

"Oh, right. You've steered the conversation way off course." She smiled a little sheepishly. "I'd get scolded if I forgot."

After saying that, she took out a green crystal from her bosom and handed it to Subaru to look at.

"Ah, this is..."

"The crystal that houses the elves, where Parker usually stays."

"Oh—is that the kitten that ran off to sleep at the crucial moment? Didn't it know nothing about what happened afterward?"

"I'm sorry—Lia told me everything after it was all over, Subaru."

The crystal reacted to Subaru's bad words, emitting a soft light.

Light spilled from the stone, quickly gathering to form a small outline in Emilia's palm.

A body the size of a palm. A tail almost as long as its body. The little cat sprite Puck, standing on two legs, has appeared.

"Hey, good morning, Subaru." Parker yawned. "Nice morning."

"For me, the period from late at night to dawn is incredibly turbulent."

"Could you please not phrase it in such a way that could be misunderstood?"

Emilia pouted and gently patted Subaru's arm. Then she looked down at Puck in her palm, her voice softening.

Good morning, Parker. I'm sorry for making you push yourself yesterday.

"Good morning, Lia." Puck looked at her with his round, dark eyes. "What happened yesterday was my fault. I'm so grateful to Subaru for almost losing you."

Parker turned to look at Subaru. He raised his hand and touched his pink nose.

"I must thank you. Is there anything you'd like me to do? I can do most things for you."

"Then—" Subaru said without hesitation, "Whenever I want to touch you, just let me touch you."

Parker and Emilia both widened their eyes at the same time.

Firstly, he answered too quickly, and secondly, the answer itself was quite surprising.

"You... at least think before you answer!" Emilia was getting impatient. "Don't let Puck's small size fool you, it's incredibly strong."

"That's a bit much," Puck muttered, then turned to Subaru. "But it's pretty much what she said. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm a very great elf."

"Hey, hey, feed me—" Subaru stretched out his finger and waved it. "For a top-notch groomer like me, being able to touch whatever I want whenever I want is worth more than a billion dollars.

After saying that, he reached out and touched her. Her stomach, her chin, and finally, her ear, which was the most dangerous part.

"Your ears are amazing! I'm already obsessed with your fluffy ears!"

"I can read people's minds a little, so I know—" Parker's throat made a gurgling sound, "but it's rare to see someone say something like this so seriously."

Subaru and Puck were having a great time. Emilia watched for a while, then smiled and sighed.

"Well—I'm going to chat with the microplets for a bit." She stood up. "Subaru and Puck can play here, don't bother me."

"I was abandoned."

"I've been abandoned."

The two people—no, one person and one cat—shrugged simultaneously.

Emilia ignored them and quickly walked to the corner of the courtyard.

She gently brushed the ground, sat down, and closed her eyes.

A moment later, a hazy halo enveloped the surroundings.

Subaru remembered this scene. It was when he first came into this world—this image made his heart skip a beat.

"Is that a micro-sprite?"

“That’s right.” Parker flipped him over in his palm. “You can actually tell the difference? A lot of people can’t tell the difference between a pseudo-elf and a micro-elf.”

"I was just guessing—yeah right. Actually, I don't know how to tell the difference either."

Subaru knew those points of light were called "micro-sprites" because during one of the time travels in the royal capital, he heard Emilia mention the word.

Emilia sat there, whispering something to the micro-sprites. She smiled. The micro-sprites twinkled in response, like tiny lamps.

"You just mentioned making a contract with the Micro-Sprites—what exactly does that mean?"

"Perform the spirit contract ritual," Puck's tail swayed slowly, "which is to fulfill the oath."

Subaru frowned. He hadn't heard that word before.

"Well—let's put it this way. An elf can't use elf magic without making a contract with an elf. The details of the contract depend on the elf. Do you understand now?"

"I understand. It's just that the interest rates and collateral are different depending on the creditor. OK, I got it."