CH 384

I turn around to check behind me. Seilook never stopped flying away, so we managed to put some distance between us, and the Weakest Seventh Seat and all those monsters.

And so, I decide to take the closest thing at hand, the black cloth that Rose is holding for me.

I am very careful not to let the purifying light that’s still on it spill.

“Thank you Rose. Your efforts opened a path for me to stand against Zwei. I still don’t really know what its objective is, but if I manage to stop it, you’ll be the one responsible for it. Tend to your wounds, I’ll help when things calm down.”

I say before returning Rose to its scroll.

Just before leaving, Rose waves its vine, like it’s saying ‘it’s fine’ again.

I pruned it, so that should stop it from getting worse for the time being, but I need to tend to Rose as soon as I can.

Usually I would just splash potion on it like I would on a person, so I’m frustrated about not being able to do that, as I look at the purifying light and wonder what to do about it.

I can control purifying light brought about using my own blood as a medium, but this came from Zwei or one of its friends…

I take off my glove, envelop my right hand in curses again, and extend my arm towards the purifying light on the black cloth.

“Master Rust! What are you…!? The wound isn’t even fully closed yet…”

Yells Ahri. Her eyes are wide open in disbelief, but she also doesn’t stop me.

The purifying light is quick to start eating away at the curses in my hand.

“Ah… No good. It’s because it came from Zwei. I feel strong malice. This is purifying light from the homunculus…”

I rub my hand with the black cloth before the purifying light eating away the curses can reach my hand.

It really takes the purifying light very easily.

“It’s gone. This black cloth really is wonderful. I wonder if it has a name. Should I keep it simple and just call it black curse cloth?”

I put my hand near the purifying light a few more times, and rub it off with the black cloth every time.

“…Master Rust.”

“Yes, this is interesting. And kind of fun. But it looks like it’d be hard to stuff it in a bottle. It would probably break with my 《Seal》 scroll… Maybe I could wrap it with black cloth, but I want to save it for when I really need it.”

I say this while thinking about how I stored that homunculus in a bottle, but I quickly toss that idea aside.

“Master Rust!”

Ahri calls out to me for the third time.

The purifying light completely had my attention, but I lift my face away from it, and see Ahri looking at me with a big smile on her face and a fiery sparkle in her eyes.

Somehow, that sparkle is scarier than the purifying light.