Why Would a Holy Knight Be Afflicted with Such a Curse? - Chapter 62

“Come to think of it, haven’t we not talked about the curse for a while?”

Leocel Castanor.

The reason Celesto and I, who had interacted well even if we weren’t extremely close, had gone five years without contacting each other.

The reason Celesto, who had never strayed from the world’s rules except for being friends with a taboo scholar like me, ended up cursed.

Since it all stemmed from that man, it was only natural that thinking of Leocel would bring the curse to mind.

Celesto, having no way of knowing my train of thought, furrowed his brow.

“Why bring that up now?”

“What do you mean, why? The whole reason we’re doing this is because of the curse you’re under.”

“…That’s true, but.”

Celesto gritted his teeth. His jaw muscles twitched violently.

“Have you found out anything more? You said you went back to the old chapel basement.”

“…That’s all I found out about the curse. Honestly, I wonder if there’s even anything more to find.”

As soon as I heard Celesto’s answer, I flopped back onto the bed.

He was right. There was no way Celesto, with no expertise in curses, could find out anything more.

That’s why historical sources are so important when studying forbidden arts. The more forbidden and taboo something is, the fewer clues there are.

Even in the eyes of a taboo scholar with a broad base of knowledge, it’s common for leads to be invisible.

In that sense, this curse was truly terrible. Because I couldn’t see the curse’s medium myself.

I pushed the tray aside.

Then, in that position, I rolled over once on the bed. Due to the unique texture of the waterproof sheet, it wasn’t fluffy, but it was comfortable enough.

“Not only is it in an area inaccessible to non-clergy, but the physical distance is far and the path is rough. Even a deliberately crafted puzzle wouldn’t be this difficult.”

Instead of racking my brain, I rolled my body on the bed.

Even while I was making this fuss, Celesto watched me without changing his expression.

Thanks to that, I was able to continue my thoughts in a very comfortable environment.

“What’s down there that makes people crawl into the chapel basement? There must be people coming, otherwise they wouldn’t have set up a curse.”

“…”

“If they wanted to block access that badly, they shouldn’t have built the chapel there in the first place. It’s not like they built the structure and then belatedly realized the problem, right? They wouldn’t just build a chapel anywhere without prior investigation.”

For all my chattering, Celesto didn’t say a single word.

I sat up and met Celesto’s eyes. The silence helped me think, but what I needed now wasn’t silence, but answers to my questions.

“What’s the official reason for forbidding access to that area? I’m sure the order didn’t tell you honestly.”

“…Because it’s dangerous. It’s an old ruin in an old building.”

“Even if it’s an area prone to safety accidents due to aging, do they normally issue a full access ban?”

“No. Normally, they don’t.”

Celesto answered in a calm voice.

“But they did forbid it. Using such extreme measures… Is there something hidden there that directly contradicts the order’s doctrine?”

“…”

Celesto lowered his eyes.

Instinctively, I could tell. That Celesto and I were thinking the same thing right now.

“Well, it would have to be something that serious for Leocel to take a vow of chastity just to see it.”

Instead of answering, Celesto turned his head away.

Leocel was a man who relieved research stress through s*x. The fact that someone like that took a vow of chastity and became a priest meant there had to be a good reason.

‘Honestly, the madness is beyond words.’

I thought of Leocel’s face.

Maybe because it had been so long, my memories had faded considerably. His handsome face, his athletic ability that was slightly lacking compared to his good physique.

The bedroom skills that eerily compensated for those shortcomings…

‘…Wait a minute. Something’s bothering me.’

“Did Leocel wander around such a dangerous place alone?”

I reached out and picked up a fig.

Rolling the sweet juice on my tongue, I compared the information about the old chapel basement that Celesto had told me with the Leocel in my memories.

No matter how I thought about it, it was strange.

“You said the stele was placed in a spot so tricky that even you got caught by the curse. How did Leocel not get cursed? Or, how did he even get that far? He was kind of clumsy for his looks.”

At my words, Celesto let out a sigh.

“Instead, he was crazy.”