Published: August 25, 2025
Today, three chapters posted simultaneously.
This story is episode 1.
Night
Though there had been some trouble during the day, nothing serious happened afterward. I worked at a comfortable pace and finished the day's tasks. However, I had something I wanted to ask Lord Rosenberg in preparation for tomorrow.
"I'm thinking of making something similar to the staff used to draw out the miasma for the technique I'll try tomorrow. Can this magic stone be used to store miasma?"
On the dining table lay a dark-elemental magic stone found at the site of the execution ground in the ghost town. According to what I heard from Mr. Sebas back then, it was supposed to be a very high-quality dark-elemental magic stone.
"Let me take a look."
Lord Rosenberg reached out his right hand, carefully picked up one of the stones, and examined it closely by holding it up to the room's light. Then, wrapping the stone in both hands, he smiled with approval.
"This is a wonderful magic stone. It’s more than suitable as material for a staff. It’s far higher quality than the ones I prepared for the staffs. Its capacity to hold miasma and its durability are both definitely superior."
I was glad it was usable, just as I had hoped. But if even a regular magic stone received such high praise, what kind of evaluation would the "magic gemstone" I dug up at the same place get?
"Lord Rosenberg, could you take a look at this as well?"
"!? "
The moment I took out a fragment of the magic gemstone that had housed the Demon King's Fragment from the Item Box, Lord Rosenberg’s eyes widened and he leaned forward. His strong reaction surprised me more than I expected.
"This is a fragment of the magic gemstone I found when I was cursed."
"You mentioned a cursed situation before. I see... Let me have a look."
Lady Felnoberia had said the Demon King's Fragment had been removed, so there shouldn’t be any harmful effects left... but Lord Rosenberg fell silent as he held the stone. His expression and the atmosphere grew heavy.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not wrong exactly... I just can’t give an accurate evaluation. However, I will say I have never seen anything better as a medium for cursed arts. This magic stone was good, but it’s incomparable to this piece... In terms of price, even if estimated very low, it could buy a castle."
"A castle!? For a fragment like this?"
The magic gemstone I showed was originally part of a crystal cluster that chipped off when moved. So it was only about the size of a thumbnail, but it could buy a castle?
"Magic gemstones, especially dark-elemental ones, have high value, but perhaps it’s because Ryoma-kun’s curse originally resided within this stone? It seems better suited for cursed arts than normal magic stones.
Whether you have the right to possess it or the financial power is another matter, but for a cursed sorcerer, it’s definitely a coveted item. The Duke Kershel's household, a leading family of cursed sorcerers, would likely offer one of their owned castles without hesitation. That’s how valuable this piece is.
I assume you showed it to me because you trust me, but please be careful not to show it lightly in public."
"I'll be careful."
Still, it would be a waste just to keep it hidden. I decided to use this fragment for experiments here, where no one would notice.
"Since you’re using such a stone, may I ask about the technique you plan to use? I want to be mentally prepared just in case."
"Of course. The technique I’m considering combines miasma removal in three stages."
The first stage is protection for myself. This is likely to prevent harm from the large amount of miasma I will gather. The second stage is collecting the miasma... given the image I have in mind, I will be surrounded by the miasma I gather myself. Needless to say, it is extremely dangerous.
"In addition to the protection of stage 1, I plan to ask for help from the cursed slime that recently evolved, to protect my safety. However, since the defense might still be insufficient, I will use this magic gemstone to repel and absorb the miasma, creating a mechanism for that. This is stage 3.