Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

I managed to get out of the guild, but…

“Hey, could you please let go? Everyone is staring at us.”

“No.”

“Ahren told you to let go… Let go, I said!”

“No way.”

Yerieltried to pull her off, but she wouldn’t budge.

She’s so stubborn. Isn’t she tired?

Should I just close my eyes, let go, and throw her to the ground? No, she’ll probably just try to cling to me again.

Even if I manage to get away now, I’ll have to go back to the guild tomorrow. If I just hide and wait somewhere, the problem will only get bigger before I even start my training.

I need to resolve this today, one way or another.

I held her up and thought carefully.

“I read the system window that popped up earlier, and I think I understand why this is happening…”

She probably felt the darkness that had always surrounded her since birth disappear due to my trait.

I think she’s acting so desperately because she’s afraid that if she gets away from me, the curse will reactivate, and she’ll start spreading misfortune again.

“But that’s her problem, isn’t it? It’s pitiful, but this sudden clinging is a bit much, isn’t it?”

Ha. Tomorrow, the rumor will probably spread throughout the guild. My behavior earlier was so ridiculous.

I looked around, and passersby were staring at us with disgust, shaking their heads, and walking away.

“Oh my, what are these grown-ups doing, hugging each other outside like this?”

“What’s going on? If that’s Arar with the black hair and cat ears, isn’t she the one who brings misfortune? Ugh, I feel uneasy just thinking about it. I’ll just stay at the inn today.”

“Isn’t that man going to die soon if he stays attached like that? Tsk tsk. He must be desperate for a woman, but this is ridiculous.”

“Fuck you, I can hear everything, you bastards!”

Huh?

I looked down and saw Lumia’s slender body trembling as she clung to me with her hands and feet.

If I lowered my head, I would see her biting her lip, trying to look unaffected.

She was trying to hide it, but she was shaking from the hurt she felt in this moment.

“Sigh… Knowing the situation, I can’t be harsh. Let’s calm her down first, then untie her and listen to what she has to say.”

“Sigh.”

Lumia looked up at me as I sighed.

Ignoring her gaze, I hugged her trembling body as she clung to me.

“Huh?”

Lumia’s body stiffened, and her eyes widened.

I slowly removed one of my hands supporting her and began to gently stroke her cat ears and hair.

“Hmm…”

Her trembling body calmed down, and her legs, which had been wrapped around me, relaxed and fell away.

“Ugh, uhh…”

Why is she suddenly sobbing?

“Don’t cry. Listen to me.”

Lumia nodded, still sobbing.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but no one can hurt you here. And no one will be harmed by your curse, either.”

“So, forget and ignore the words people throw at you like trash. It’s only going to hurt you if you get swayed and hurt by the words of strangers, right?”

I gently pressed her ear and straightened her messy hair.

“Now that you’ve calmed down, will you please let go of me? I promise I won’t run away, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then, promise.”

Lumia held out her pinky, indicating that she wanted to make a pinky promise.

After making eye contact with her, I hooked my pinky with hers to make the promise.

Feeling reassured, Lumia relaxed her arms and legs, letting go of me.

[After the chaos subsides, Chaos smiles and says, “Now look to the side.”]

“The side?”

When I looked to the side, Yeriel’s cheeks were puffed up like balloons.

“Yeriel, why are your cheeks like that?”

“Hmph. Ahren is so foolish. Are you always this nice to women?”

“No, I was just trying to resolve the situation, and I felt sorry for her. Didn’t you hear what people were saying earlier?”

“I know, I know! I don’t care! Just give me your hand!”

Yeriel put my hand on top of her head and said, “Stroke my head. More than you did for that person!”

I stroked her head vigorously.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes! I was just a little worried because you hugged, stroked, and comforted someone you just met today. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s not a big deal.”

As soon as I finished talking to Yeriel, Lumia poked me in the side.

“Yes, we should finish this. What do you want from me in the end?”

“First of all, please speak casually.”

Yeah, I was also uncomfortable with the formal language.

“Okay, I understand. What do you want from me that you caused such a scene at the guild? If it’s going to be a long conversation, should we go to where you’re staying and continue the conversation there?”

“Sure, follow me.”

If I took Lumia to the inn where Yeriel and I were staying…

Although my trait had deactivated the darkness, it was difficult to prove it immediately, so we might all get kicked out.

Since it wouldn’t be a problem if we went to where Lumia was staying, that’s the right thing to do.

As I followed her, we arrived at an unfamiliar location.

“A carriage station?”

Now that I think about it, even the fourth district is quite large, so it makes sense to have a means of transportation.

When I traveled with the knights to the entrance of the fourth district, it only took an hour or two on foot, so I hadn’t thought about carriages until now.

“Do we need to take a carriage? Are we going to another district?”

“No, it’s the outskirts of the fourth district.”

It doesn’t seem too far.

“It’s 5 copper per person.”

We each paid the fare and boarded the carriage.

.

.

.

“We’ve arrived.”

After about an hour, we reached our destination and got off the carriage.

The road was well-maintained, so we had a comfortable ride without any of the usual discomforts associated with bumpy carriage rides.

“This is it.”

The inn we arrived at was slightly shabbier than the one we stayed at yesterday.

As we entered, an elderly man greeted Lumia.

“Lumia, did you finish your errand? Oh my, I’m surprised to see you bringing guests, and two of them at that!”

He must be the innkeeper.

“Hello, we have some important matters to discuss. May we talk in a room?”

“Sure, go ahead. If you need any food, just come downstairs.”

After agreeing, I followed Lumia to a room on the second floor.

“The innkeeper is a good man. He treats me without any discrimination.”

I nodded.

“Okay, let’s talk.”

“Yes, I’ll get straight to the point.”

Lumia pointed at me.

“I want to party with you. If possible, for a long time.”

“Is it because the darkness of your curse disappears when you’re with me?”

Lumia nodded once and then shook her head.

“That was the initial reason. But it’s not the only one.”

What else?

“The darkness that killed my parents and ruined my life disappears when it’s near you. That was the biggest reason, but you have no idea how surprised I was.”

She approached me and hugged me gently.

“W-what are you doing? Get off me right now!”

Ignoring Yeriel’s shocked exclamation, Lumia spoke.

“I’ve rarely felt positive emotions in my life. But today, when you hugged me and calmed me down, I felt a strange emotion.”

“…”

“It was definitely a much warmer and more pleasant feeling than any other positive emotion I’ve experienced.”

Lumia looked up at me.

“Everyone else is the same. They avoid even the slightest contact, like my clothes brushing against them. They treat me like a walking plague, not a person.”

I could understand the other people’s perspective, but it must have been terrible for her.

“Among all of them, you were the only one who hugged me gently and stroked my ears. That’s why I want to be by your side.”

…She must have felt a great sense of deprivation. I could understand after overhearing the conversation at the nearby table.

“I’m a witch specializing in black magic, and I have a talent for sensory abilities and decent stats. I want to party with you for as long as possible. Is that okay?”

What should I do?

Since I’ve already formed a party with Yeriel, I can’t decide on my own.

“Yeriel, what do you think? Since it’s just the two of us in the party, I’ll reject her if you don’t want her.”

Yeriel closed her eyes and started to think.

“Let’s speak casually, too.”

“Okay.”

“I have one question. You said you use black magic, right? Does that mean you can also use curse magic?”

Lumia answered immediately.

“Yes, I can. Curse magic falls under the category of black magic, so I can use it. It’s not my specialty, but with the right catalyst, I can cast most beginner-level curses.”

“Can you use the ‘Tracking Arrow Curse’?”

Lumia rolled her eyes and thought carefully.

“Yes, barely within my capabilities. But I need blood or hair from the target I want to track. It won’t work if it’s not from the exact person.”

Yeriel smiled at me.

“Ahren, I was going to object at first, but I think it’s better to accept her. Did you hear what she said? She can use the curse you’re looking for.”

I nodded.

“To be honest, I didn’t like the scene at the guild earlier, and I didn’t like how she clung to you. But she’s exactly what you need right now, so I agree.”

Yeriel is so considerate. If she had objected, I would have rejected Lumia outright.

“Okay, then it’s settled. Let’s introduce ourselves first. My name is Ahren, and I’m a vanguard and damage dealer who wields a one-handed sword. What’s your name?”

“Call me Lumia. I specialize in black magic.”

“I’m Yeriel, a priestess of the Light Order. …Lumia, please stop clinging to Ahren!”

Now that we have a new party member, I want us to get along…

Anyway, even if we talk about the curse today, we’ll need to go to the guild tomorrow to get Isaac’s blood or hair.

For now, let’s just get to know each other better.

Tomorrow, we’ll take the carriage to the guild, and after the training, we’ll find a way to get Isaac’s hair or make him bleed a little.

That guy always shows off, so I think I can just challenge him to a light sparring match.

Anyway, to get rid of the awkwardness and bond as a party, we need some alcohol and good food.

“Great! To celebrate Lumia joining our party, I’ll treat you both to a meal and some drinks. Yeriel, let’s go downstairs first.”

“Yes! It’s perfect timing because I’m hungry.”

“Lumia, why don’t you change into something more comfortable and come down? I’ll order the food and wait for you.”

Lumia nodded.

We went downstairs and ordered food and drinks.

Sitting at the table, Yeriel and I talked.

“Yeriel, thank you for earlier. I thought you would just reject her as a party member, but I’m surprised that you agreed because her curse magic could help me.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I saw how disappointed you were, so I couldn’t object.”

As we continued talking, Lumia came down from the second floor and sat with us.

…Is that her comfortable outfit? Well, it’s not my concern.

“Yeriel, can priests drink alcohol?”

“It’s fine! The Light Order isn’t that strict.”

“Great, then let’s all raise our glasses. To our new party member, Lumia, and our party’s future!”

Cheers.

I was worried about the scene at the guild, but it turned out to be a party member recruitment. Life is full of surprises.

Let’s rest tonight and start again tomorrow.