āIs Mr. Ian, by any chance, a virgin?ā
At my question, everyone blinked in surprise. However, since this was a matter concerning Karenās colleague, she was the first to regain her composure.
āWell, I donāt really know about that.ā
āItās okay. We can start finding out now.ā
I took out the unicorn dagger and placed it on Ianās arm. There was no reaction at all. Nada.
āOh. Mr. Ian is not a virgin. Well, it makes sense. Serving the goddess of love, he must have had many opportunities.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
Karen closed her eyes tightly as if she had learned something she wished she hadnāt. But it was already too late!
Just as you canāt turn a non-virgin back into a virgin, the fact that Ian was not a virgin was something that couldnāt be forgottenā¦!
Shaking her head vigorously to regain her senses, Karen asked in a trembling voice.
āWhat, what is this that makes it possible to discern whether he is a virgin or not? And why on earth is the matter of purity importantā¦ā
As she spoke, Karen lightly tapped the dagger with her fingertip. The blade momentarily shone brightly.
āYouāre a virgin.ā
āā¦ā¦!ā
She stiffened in surprise, and I shrugged my shoulders, explaining.
āThis dagger is made from a unicornās horn. Thatās why it can lend the power of a unicorn to those who are maintaining their purity. The power of healing and purification.ā
āAh!ā
Karen nodded as if she finally understood. However, her expression soon darkened again.
āBut in other words, this means Ian cannot be healed with this dagger.ā
āSo it appears. Could you explain the details now? Weāre in a temple, not just anywhere. We should be able to lift most curses here.ā
āYouāre right. Moreover, Ian and I are inquisitors who were injured in the line of duty, so we qualify for additional support. However, this isnāt a typical curse. In fact, it might not even be a curse at all.ā
āWhat?ā
Karen gives me a wry smile as I look at her, puzzled.
āAs you know, the primary duty of an inquisitor is to deal with apostates who tarnish the name of the goddess.ā
āThinking back, when we first met, you came to the shop because you wanted to inquire about One Who Devours the Twilight from Ellie.ā
āYes, I canāt divulge all the details, but Ian and I were tracking them after learning they were plotting something.ā
āSo, you confronted them this time?ā
āYes. Thanks to Brother Jonahās recent help, my divine power has increased, and the blessing within me has strengthened. We managed to repel themā¦ but in a final act of desperation, they sacrificed their followers to cast a curse.ā
āAh.ā
Although One Who Devours the Twilight is a group of heretics, they are still priests in their own right, meaning they possess some divine power.
In a world where gods are real, it might seem absurd to speak of a heretic possessing divine powerā¦
The goddess of love is currently focusing her energy on tuning the labyrinth from its very depths. Thatās why her influence on the surface has weakened.
Itās easy to spill water but hard to gather it back up. In the same way, itās easy to bestow divine power or blessings but difficult to take them back.
Thatās why the divine power of those in One Who Devours the Twilight is distorted but not gone. They see this as undeniable proof of their righteousness.
ā¦The real reason, however, was somewhat different.
A fallen priest wielding twisted divine power is a must-have!
Thatās the kind of setting I added on a whim. The other reason was just tacked on later.
As I looked at the fallen Ian, I nodded.
āNow I understand a bit better. Though itās twisted and inverted, at its core, itās still the same divine power. It acts harmfully on the body, so it must be seen as a curse, but rather than a real curse, itās more like a bizarre blessing that the human body canāt withstand. After all, it would have to be something like this for the temple to be unable to lift it.ā
āā¦You really are knowledgeable.ā
Karen nodded with an impressed expression. Wondering if I had acted too knowledgeable, I turned my head to look around, only to find that the only one surprised was Remilly, who had guided us here.
Lydiaās expression hardened slightly, but she didnāt seem to doubt me.
Is this all because Iāve been pretending to know a little bit of this and that all along? Maintaining consistent behavior is indeed important.
Anyway, now that we know the cause, we should start looking for a way to treat Ian. It was a brief encounter, but still, watching someone you know die is a bitā¦ unsettling, isnāt it?
āIf it really isnāt a real curse, even if he was a virgin, the unicorn dagger wouldnāt have been able to do anything. By the way, what are the symptoms?ā
āThe flow of blood has become abnormal. The blood clots in one place, turning black as the tissue dies, or it circulates too strongly, causing the blood vessels to burst from the pressure. Even though Mr. Ian looks fine on the outside, his internal organs have necrotized several times. Right now, the other priests and I are taking turns treating him, but if this continuesā¦ā
āAh, thatās the Blessing of Erectile Dysfunction being distorted.ā
āEreā¦ What?ā
Karen asked back with a stunned expression. It was then that I belatedly realized the mistake I had made.
āOops, my bad. Saying it like that makes it sound like it prevents erections. Itās the opposite, actually. Itās supposed to help with getting an erectionā¦ What was the exact name again? The Blessing of Erection? No, thatās not it. Was it the Blessing of Everlasting Love or something?ā
I remembered writing this setting with a chuckle, thinking about what kind of blessings would be amusing if you were a goddess of love.
In this world, men have low libido, so their stamina is also low; therefore, they need a little help to have a passionate night.
This blessing is one of those. It regulates the blood flow to the lower bodyā¦ There are a few blessings related to blood flow, but if it can be cast on a man and cause such symptoms, thereās only one answer. š»ššš®šāÆš«ššššš.ššøš¶
Admiring my perfect deduction, I was snorting through my nose when I finally noticed the reactions of those around me.
Karen was just blankly blinking, and Lydia subtly distanced herself as if she wasnāt part of the group.
āNo, youāre not even kids. How can everyone react like this to an erection? Itās a bit embarrassing.ā
āIs, is that so?ā
āI donāt want to hear that from you, Jonah.ā
Though they seemed to have a lot to say, Karen nodded for now, and Lydia gave a hollow laugh.
Sighing deeply, I slumped my shoulders.
āHaahā¦ you all act like a bunch of lewd adults. Fine, just step aside. Iāll try to treat it.ā
āWhat?! You can treat it?ā
āOf course. To start, does Inquisitor Karen understand how those of One Who Devours the Twilight use the blessings that benefit the human body as if they were curses?ā
āIām not interested in such heretical knowledgeā¦ā
āWell, itās better not to know. If you know, youāll want to use it because thatās human nature. Itās just that there are issues like this one where you need to know in order to treat it.ā
Saying so, I placed my hand on Ianās chest. Letās see, is this about right?
āItās not like a manās lower part grows because thereās a bone there, you know? ā¦No, among animals, there are indeed cases of those who actually do have a bone there, but at least not in humans. It becomes hard because blood rushes there and canāt escape.ā
I continued to explain to Karen, who tilted her head in confusion during this unexpected sex education lesson.
āThe Blessing of Everlasting Love, essentially, regulates blood flow. It either increases the flow to the lower extremities or reduces the amount that escapes, thus facilitating easier pooling of blood. But what if we alter the position slightly?ā
āYes?ā
āWhat if the blood pools in areas other than the lower body and fails to drain? Something problematic would occur, right?ā
āā¦Because those organs arenāt designed to handle such stress.ā
āConsider also accelerating other aspects of blood flow. Imagine the blood pressure skyrocketing, blood vessels bursting randomly, and abnormalities in the immune system causing the blood to rot.ā
In simpler terms, think of it as thrombosis, hypertension, and sepsis.
Of course, if we get technical, itās a bit differentā¦ but whatever the cause, the symptoms that appear are roughly similar.
No, perhaps itās even more severe. Since this is not a natural occurrence but an artificially induced phenomenon by divine power, itās akin to being forcefully pushed, with the symptoms continuously worsening.
Eventually, as Karen pointed out, despite extensive treatment, the rate of recovery canāt keep pace with the rate of deterioration, leading to tissue death.
āBut, essentially, weāre dealing with abnormalities in the blood, right? Then the solution is straightforward.ā
I put away the unicorn dagger and took out the carving dagger.
āInquisitor Karen, please gather all the divine power you can muster. Miss Lydia, if you possess a high-level recovery potion or better, please bring it out. Weāll settle the expenses with Inquisitor Ian later, right?ā
āAll of it, you say?ā
āā¦An inquisitor wonāt be short of funds; it should be fine.ā
Karen, though puzzled, began to harness her divine power, her body glowing with a faint pink hue.
Lydia also nodded, retrieving a luxurious bottle filled with a red potion from her bag.
Once everyone was ready, Karen, with focused intent, cautiously asked, āWhat is this coping method?ā
Instead of answering, I stabbed the carving dagger into Ianās heart.
Thud!
āItās something like this.ā
Heart reset.