Chapter 532: [Tales of the Gods 23]Ronokajimu, the Curse God, and Sikuretabaaku, the Detective God

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The Divine Realm is, in other words, the world where the gods live.

If I were to describe the scenery of the central area in a single phrase... it's a cluttered 'town' where the gods live, surrounding a giant castle, where the Creator God is said to reside.

I say 'cluttered', but... it's truly chaotic—a jumble of buildings from various regions, and various eras, crammed together.

For example, next to a square building made of reinforced concrete, a pit dwelling asserts its presence, and next to that are rows of medieval-style stone houses.

Furthermore, when gods acquire enough power, they create their own personal space called a 'divine realm', and they start connecting those to the Divine Realm without any planning... So the residential areas of the Divine Realm are more chaotic than they look.

Now, there was a god walking through the back alleys of those residential areas.

That god, walking down the stone pavement, cutting down overgrown thorns with a machete, ducking under large, steaming pipes, jumping over a stream of lava, and avoiding pale blue, translucent barriers... looks like an old woman.

A small body.

A hunched back.

White hair spills out from the hood of her tattered robe, and a large, hooked nose protrudes.

That's what she looks like.

However, despite her elderly appearance, the old woman, moving swiftly, eventually reached the outskirts of the residential area.

As she reached this area, bordering a vast forest, the number of buildings naturally thinned out.

"Haa..."

Perhaps relieved to have escaped the city, where the buildings are so densely packed that it's hard to breathe... or maybe she's just tired...

The old woman, her face hidden by her hood, exhaled, and glared at the building she had finally reached.

That building... to put it in a way that we can easily understand... is 'a very old, rundown apartment building'.

This apartment building, whose walls are made of wood, classified as one of the earliest architectural styles of the Super-Ancient Magic Civilization, is faded, with holes here and there.

As for the roof, a thin, corrugated sheet of metal, completely rusted, is haphazardly placed on top of the walls.

And there are stones placed on that roof.

A desperate attempt to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

"Excuse me."

The old woman, opening the poorly fitted sliding door of the shared entrance, climbed the creaking stairs, and reached a door with 'Room 205' written on it, and turned the doorknob without even knocking.

"Thank you for coming, Ronokajimu-dono, the Curse God."

And the one inside the room is a gentleman, wearing a well-tailored, gray suit.

His slicked-back hair is a glossy brown, and so is his well-groomed mustache.

Although he has wrinkles around his eyes and mouth... his back is straight, and he seems full of energy.

"Hmph... First, I'll commend your ability to find a dying old hag like me, Sikuretabaaku, the Detective God, or whatever."

"Hahaha... I'm very good at finding 'lost things'."

The old woman, called the Curse God, curtly... but seemingly a little pleased, praised the gentleman... the Detective God.

And then she turned her gaze to the center of the room, littered with trash.

This room has only one small dresser with two drawers, and a large, old mirror with beautiful decorations, and no other large furniture, so 'it'... lying in the center of the room... is hard to miss.

"So... is it this? The thing you wanted me to see."

...Lying there... no, what was there... is a jet-black, discolored corpse, frozen in a posture as if clutching its chest... on a special, plant-based rug called 'tattameen'.

The skin of the corpse, wearing a helmet and work clothes, is completely dried out, like a mummy.

Its expression is full of agony... clearly, it suffered greatly before dying.

"Yes. His name was Samokerun. He was a follower of the Labor God, who has been living in this apartment for five hundred years... Apparently, he had a bit of a short temper... but he was a hard worker... and worked almost every day, without rest. It seems that he hardly used this room for anything other than sleeping."

Sikuretabaaku, flipping through the notebook he took out from his breast pocket, started his explanation.

Ronokajimu, listening to his explanation, looked around the room.

As she saw earlier, the only furniture in this room is a dresser and a mirror.

When she casually opened a drawer of the dresser, all that's inside are several sets of work clothes and underwear.

In other words, there's only work clothes in there.

"According to the Apartment Management God, the incident happened yesterday evening... Apparently, a terrifying scream was heard coming from this room. The panicked Apartment Management God, using a spare key, entered this room, and—"

"And found this corpse?"

"Exactly!"

Sikuretabaaku slammed his notebook shut, put it back in his breast pocket, and started pacing around the room.

And then, he continued his explanation.

"When the Apartment Management God discovered this corpse, this Room 205 was locked! And there was no one in the room... except for Samokerun's corpse! In other words, it's a perfectly sealed room!"

Sikuretabaaku, continuing his explanation, gradually started talking faster, his excitement growing, his cheeks flushed red, and in the end...

"Uuuuーーーnn! Myyyysteryーーー!!"

He shouted.

"Haa! What's so mysterious... Whether the room is locked or not, it has nothing to do with curses."

Ronokajimu, although slightly taken aback by the Detective God's behavior, interrupted.

"This is a murder curse... And it's packed with an incredibly heavy grudge..."

"Haa... As I thought..."

The Detective God, hearing those words, seemed a little dejected.

"Magic, special abilities, and now curses... This world is truly 'difficult'... for someone like me..."

Ignoring the Detective God, who started grumbling, Ronokajimu stroked the mummified corpse.

Her wrinkled palm read the curse information remaining on the corpse.

Something like a sticky sludge extended from the corpse's skin, clinging to her fingers... and seeing that, her eyes, under her hood, glowed red, ominously.

"This curse... it took five hundred years to create... and many beings are involved. And on top of that... what's this, a curse rebound?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, that's right... A curse rebound. In other words, this guy was cursed, and turned into a mummy. But... it's strange... can that even happen?"

"Hmm, hmm, ahem! In other words, Ronokajimu-dono, the Curse God! You think—"

The Detective God, clearing his throat, interrupted the Curse God's thoughts.

His cheeks are flushed red again, and there's a slight smirk on his face.

"If the curse information you read is correct! This man, Samokerun, was 'cursing many beings'! That means that those beings! Were cursed for at least 'five hundred years'! Can that even happen!? If it's the gods, it's impossible! There's no way there are idiots, especially that many, who would be cursed for five hundred years! What about the humans in the lower world!? That's also normally impossible! Because humans don't live for five hundred years! In other words, this is—!"

The Detective God, pacing around the room again, talking rapidly, and in the end, he leaned back... and shouted—

"Uuuuーーーnn! Myyyysteryーーー!!"

"............"

Ronokajimu was completely put off by that, and looked away from the Detective God.

Where she looked away to, there was a large, old mirror, reflecting the Detective God leaning back... so she looked away from that too, and sighed, looking out the window.

"Anyway... this is as much 'curse analysis'... as this old hag can do. Do you have any other questions, Detective God?"

"...Ahem, no, 'no more questions here'. Well, you see, I'm completely useless when it comes to that kind of thing. Thank you for your cooperation, Ronokajimu-dono."

"Is that so? Then, I'll be taking my leave... Lately, curses have been almost forgotten in the lower world, overshadowed by magic. This old hag's power is fading... I would like to go home and get some sleep."

"I see... I'm eternally grateful that you came, despite that. Then, excuse me. Let me escort you."

"Hyahya... Don't mind if I do."

The Detective God took the Curse God's hand, and they left Room 205.

The door closed with a click.

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"............"

Now then, Room 205 is silent.

After all, the only things in there are some furniture, trash, and Samokerun's corpse.

The sound of the Detective God and the Curse God going down the stairs, talking, leaving the apartment, and moving away can be heard.

So.

'It'—

—Stood up.

And then, slowly, silently, it walked towards the front door of Room 205.

It put its hand on the doorknob—

And quietly, quietly... turned it—

Opened the door—

And carefully... stepped out into the shared corridor.

And then, carefully, so as not to make the wooden floor creak, it walked towards the stairs.

Click.

The door to Room 205 closed naturally.

And at the same time—

Someone called out to 'it'.

"You showed your tail earlier than I expected."

"!?"

'It', startled, looked back!

And standing in the corridor are...

The Detective God and the Curse God... who should have already left the apartment!

"Hyahya... Curses are quite convenient, you know... It's easy to conceal sound and presence."

The Curse God chuckled, looking at 'it', flustered.

"It was an impromptu trap, but I'm glad you took the bait. Were you worried that we would find out your true identity if the investigation continued?"

The Detective God also had a slight smirk on his face... but noticing his expression reflected in 'it's' body, he instantly regained his composure, and then—

"Hey... former Mirror God, Mirra?"

He called out 'it's' name!

『Mirra... You knew my true identity!?』

The former Mirror God, Mirra... that thing with strangely muscular arms and legs attached to a large, old mirror, which was placed in Room 205, shouted, backing away down the corridor!

"I realized it... when I heard the results of Ronokajimu-dono's analysis."

The Detective God, stroking his chin, started explaining!

"A being, not a god, who can hold a grudge for five hundred years... Hearing those words, I was certain. That the one who cursed and killed Samokerun... is an undead."

The Detective God's words gradually became faster.

His cheeks are starting to flush red.

"But that's strange! I confirmed it with the Apartment Management God, but as I mentioned earlier, Samokerun worked as a follower of the Construction God, every day, without rest. So why would he be hated by an undead? He has no connection to undead, working at the Construction God's sites every day! When I thought about that... what caught my eye was... the large mirror, placed in Room 205—so grand, so out of place in that room!"

The Detective God shouted, pointing at the former Mirror God, Mirra!

"Samokerun was a man who had no interest in fashion! The dresser in his room only contains several sets of work clothes of the same design, and underwear... so why would he need such an expensive, grand mirror in his room!? No! He wouldn't!! It's just a nuisance!! But why did Samokerun have an unnecessary and incongruous mirror in his room!? It was because... It was because... it was because!! He was under mental manipulation... from the former Mirror God, Mirra... from you... who are the mirror!"

『Mirraaa...!!』

"Former Mirror God, Mirra! Five hundred years ago, you created an undead, which is forbidden... and were stripped of your divinity! I heard you disappeared afterwards, but... to think you were hiding here... pretending to be just a mirrorーーー!!"

『Mirraaa...!!』

The former Mirror God, Mirra, groaning as the Detective God exposed the truth, made a strange sound!

Glaring at that creepy mirror with arms and legs, Ronokajimu also stepped forward!

"And actually... the one who was cursed by the undead... was you, wasn't it? But you're a mirror, a former god, even if you're rotten... You... transferred the curse that was placed on you... to Samokerun... who has nothing to do with it, who's innocent... didn't you? To 'reflect' the curse... No, to 'transfer' it to Samokerun, who happened to be 'reflected' on your surface... As a former Mirror God, you should be able to do that!"

『Mirrarah...!!』

The former Mirror God, Mirra, backed away, and backed away... until he tripped on a hole in the corridor, and fell backwards!

BATAAN!

A loud sound echoed, and a small crack appeared on the mirror's surface!

『Mirra, Mirraaa!?』

The former Mirror God, Mirra, hurriedly tried to get up, but... he can't.

Mirra, who has the form of a large mirror with strangely muscular arms and legs, can't 'bend down', so once he falls, he can't get up on his own!

Uuuuーーー...

Meanwhile, the sound of sirens started to come from outside the apartment building.

The Police God's followers, called by the Detective God, have arrived.

"This is the end of your five hundred years of running away. Behave yourself, and wait for the judgment of the higher gods."

『Mirra...』

Being coldly told that by the Detective God, the former Mirror God, Mirra, completely lost his spirit, and collapsed, his limbs sprawled out on the floor.

This case is over.

The Detective God, Sikuretabaaku, thought so, and took out a cigarette from his pocket, putting it in his mouth.

But—

"But you see, before that."

Ronokajimu, the Curse God, pushing aside the Detective God, started approaching the former Mirror God, Mirra.

"As a Curse God, this old hag has a job to do."

And then, saying that, Ronokajimu... forcefully took off her robe!

And then, the next moment, standing there wasn't a hunched old woman... but a glamorous beauty, with white hair and red eyes, her pale skin covered in intricate, eerie patterns, that seem to have some sort of curse significance!

"Eh!? Ronokajimu-dono!?"

Ignoring the Detective God, who was blinking in confusion by the sudden event, Ronokajimu, now in her younger form, grabbed her robe that was floating in the air, and briskly walked towards the former Mirror God, Mirra... covering his entire surface with the robe.

And then Ronokajimu stepped on Mirra with her left foot to immobilize him, and extended her right hand.

And then, from her palm... something like a sticky sludge started oozing out...!

That something, not dripping down according to gravity, floats in the air, forming a wobbly blob!

"Can you feel it, Mirra... This is the curse of the undead... that you recklessly played with... There was still some 'remaining'... on Samokerun's corpse, so I extracted it."

Ronokajimu, looking down at Mirra, grotesquely contorted her beautiful face into a smile.

The wobbly blob... the curse returned to Mirra, is swelling, and is now so large that it's about to hit the ceiling.

"It's been reduced quite a bit, as a result of being transferred... but it's still this big. Hyahya... They're all lamenting, suffering, unable to die even after being turned into forms they don't want, bound to this land, without understanding why... and resenting you, the source of it all. Very passionately."

『Mirra, Mirra-Mirraーーー!!』

Perhaps sensing the presence of the curse, even through the robe—

The former Mirror God, Mirra, trembled and struggled, but he can't escape, since Ronokajimu is stepping on him!

"And I'm adding Samokerun's grudge as well."

The last thing that oozed out from Ronokajimu's palm was a crimson sludge.

It floated into the air, merged with the large blob... and formed a shape like a giant eyeball.

It was so hideous that the Detective God, Sikuretabaaku, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and took a step back.

"I'm kind, you know... I'll adjust the effect with my power so that you don't die instantly from this curse. They all spent five hundred years creating this curse... You should also suffer for at least five hundred years..."

And then, saying that, Ronokajimu quickly crouched down, and slapped Mirra's body.

And then, at that moment!

The eerie eyeball, floating in the air, transformed into a spiral shape... and hit the former Mirror God, Mirra's body, starting to seep into it!

『MI-MI-MI-MI, MI-MI-MI-MI-MI-MIIIIーーーRRRA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RAーーー!?』

An unimaginable pain, and suffering, assailed Mirra!

Mirra, his entire body turning black, screamed, writhed, and convulsed!

The moment he received all the curses—

『Crack!!』

He let out that strange cry, and then stopped moving, limp.

"Oh, did you faint? How pathetic... But don't worry. When you wake up, that pain will continue for at least five hundred years."

Ronokajimu, the Curse God, saying that, snapped her fingers.

And then, a new robe fell from above her... and after quickly putting it on, she returned to her old woman form.

"Hyahya... I might have done something unnecessary, but as a Curse God... I couldn't just not deliver such a heartfelt curse to its rightful owner."

And then, taking out some paper from her robe pocket, she pushed it towards the Detective God, Sikuretabaaku.

It's an invoice, with the amount of mana charged, and her bank account information.

"Well then, I'll be going now... I properly analyzed the curse, so make sure to transfer the mana to me later."

"...Yes, of course."

"Then, farewell. If you have any more work, give me a call. Hyahya..."

Lastly, laughing cheerfully and creepily, Ronokajimu, the Curse God, went down the stairs of the apartment building, and left.

At the same time, the Police God's followers seem to have entered the building.

A commotion can be heard from downstairs.

"Good grief... This is the end of a man who spent five hundred years running away from his sins..."

The Detective God, Sikuretabaaku, putting a cigarette in his mouth and taking a puff, muttered that.

Looking out the window of the corridor, the sun is about to set beyond the forest.

Seeing the round shape of the crimson sun, Sikuretabaaku, remembering that eerie curse from earlier... shuddered.

This concludes Arc 23.

This arc was created with the aim of having a 'straightforward, easy-to-understand story structure'.

That's why the elements that appear in the story are all pretty cliché, like the 'damsel in distress', and 'moving skeletons'.

But in this day and age, I'm sure there are many people who are dissatisfied with the princess being portrayed as 'just someone to be rescued'.

But then again, even 'the princess fighting herself' is already pretty common.

As a result of my various worries, [Princess Club] and [Princess Surfing] were born.

Did you enjoy them?

Now, for the next arc, Arc 24, I'd like to deliver something with a completely different atmosphere.

It'll take some time to start posting, because I need to prepare, but I hope you'll look forward to it.

Thank you for your continued support.