49 part 3

She nodded again and again, as if backing back her own words.

Rafilia opens her nightwear ── I can see the upper half of her chest. There is a deep, deep valley, with white bulges swaying to the left and right. Rafilia is holding her sleepwear under her hand, which is about to fall off. Huuh, huuh, while exhaling hot breaths, she squints her eyes, half in tears.

“I will do my best. I will awaken myself beyond the darkness!”

You are so cool, Rafilia.

When I first met Rafilia, her party was on the verge of annihilation, yet she was fighting.

The second time we met was relatively fine.

The third time,she was desperately resisting a pressure interview.

All she’s been doing is failing, but still, she is doing what she can.

It’s funny that a girl like her is condemned to a lifetime of black work because of her mysterious skills.

“Please, Master”

Rafilia didn’t sit down in front of me, but she knelt down.

“Touch my embarrassing place … Please bring out the true me …”

I put my hand on Rafilia’s chest.

Rafilia’s half-bare chest pushes my palm back.

The thin nightwear does nothing to block the sense of touch.

I can clearly feel the beautiful rounded shape even if the vision is blocked.

“… I’m going to activate my skill.”

Rafilia is staring at her chest while leaning against the tree.

Her half-closed purple eyes are out of focus as if looking somewhere far away.

“I’ll do it quickly, so be patient.”

“Yes.”

“… Activate [Skill Reconstruction LV3]”

I call Rafilia’s mystery skills to the window.

[———————————–]

[———————————–]

The contents are not displayed even now. It cannot be conceptualized.

I put my finger on both.

Then, I can only scan the contents by directly connecting the magic thread.

I pour a little bit of my magical power … No reaction. I slowly increase the amount … still no reaction. Is it no good?

“I’ll make it stronger. Hold on a little.”

“Huh, huh … hmm, huh, hot, huh !!”

I poured my magical power from my fingertips at once ── Rafilia started making sounds.

Her skill trembled ── I saw it.

Is this the “skill that interferes with fate” of Rafilia Grace?

[Bad Luck LV3](Locked skill: Unremovable characteristic)

Skill to “pull” “unhappiness” to “surroundings”

[Survivor  LV5] (Locked skill: Unremovable characteristic)

Skill to “raise” “vitality” for “living”

There are two “invisible skills” of Rafilia.

One is as expected. Attract bad luck to Rafilia. The other is the opposite. If you are unlucky, you will increase your vitality.

So Rafilia is always unlucky, but she doesn’t die.

Unhappy, she lives endlessly.

The worst.

Isn’t it worse than being a slave?

Let me stay unhappy forever instead of killing me.

Black labor confirmed for life.

Why did she install such a skill? Rather who installed it?

“No, it doesn’t matter”

It doesn’t matter who made this. I should just rewrite it quickly.

I thought that “skill that interferes with fate” would be a reference for “skills that can live without working”. But not. This skill is ‘cursed’.

If it’s always activated and causes bad luck … I don’t know what will happen and when it will happen.

I can’t leave it like this. I have to rewrite and remake it.

“… Huh? What’s wrong?

Rafilia looked at me with hollow eyes.

Perhaps she gave up trying to hold back her voice, but her mouth is still half open.

While rubbing her knees, she desperately grabbed the hem of my sleepwear.

“Masuta, my body, something is wrong, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Something is a little bad.”

“… Masuta, can you fix it …?”

“I can fix it … but it might put a little more strain on Rafilia.”

“… I’m grateful. The hero is someone who goes through and beyond the darkness. Please do as you wish.”

“All right”

[Bad Luck], what a joke.

I’m going to break this skill and remake it.

I’ve got the materials. I still have some housework skills that Iris gave me remaining.

“Let’s use [Bath Aid].”

[Bath Aid LV1]

Skill to “wash” “body” to “clean”.

This is generally a skill  installed on slaves or maids. It seems to be used when aristocrats want to have their bodies washed shiny before going to a party. This time I will use this as a material.

I’m going to install it on myself.

“Here we go, Rafilia”

When she heard me, Rafilia silently shook her head.

“Please do.”

Nodding back, I put my finger on [Bad Luck]. However

“… It doesn’t work !?”

The characters don’t move.

I can see the characters, but don’t budge even a bit.

If I look closely, there is something like a black chain wrapped around the letters …?

This is the connection between letters.

I pour my magical power and try to shake the characters. It still doesn’t work.

It’s like a curse.

Is this [Bad Luck] a cursed skill?

“… Hmm, oh, ku … the darkness is coming … I’m scared …”

The chain quivered with Rafilia’s voice.

“I will ‘Protect everyone’ … I won’t be drunk in the darkness …”

The black chain becomes stronger and tightens the letters.

Is this linked to Rafilia’s reaction?

“Rafilia …”

“… Yes”

“Rafilia, are you reluctant to let me mess with your skills?”

“…No”

Rafilia shakes her head as if she hates it.

“… But, if you do it … I’m going to get drowned in darkness. I’m about to be drunk … When I heard the Dark Hero’s voice … It felt nice…I’m afraid I can’t get out of it … ”

Is that the “darkness” that Rafilia is afraid of?

“What else? Was there any other moment when you felt the darkness?”

“Today, I felt darkness when I ate dinner with everyone at the house.”

“…Eh!?”

“I felt darkness when I got applause for reciting the ‘Dark Hero’ poem. It’s darkness that I enjoyed. That’s scary … I’m scared. I … I’m scared …”

Rafilia said.

While scared.

That’s when I knew what this ‘curse’ really was.