Once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy
Celia’s Perspective
The sound of bells echoes through the morning mist.
In a small frontier village far from the royal capitalโhere, I offered my prayers once more today.
My hands clasped before my chest, I spoke the words.
โGod, please protect this land.โ
That was the start of my day, and all of it, as a sister in this small church.
The villagers call me โHoly Maiden.โ
Truthfully, I’m still just an apprentice sent from the capital’s cathedral, having never performed any miracle worth mentioning.
Even so, in this land where prayer is the only recourseโeven a โmere figurehead holy maidenโ must believe in something, lest her spirit break.
For that reason, I smile. Even as I feel my own faith slowly fading.
โโฆWill God not answer me today either?โ
The muttered words escaped me, reaching no one, dissolving into the morning mist.
The words of miracles taught at the cathedral. The posture of prayer. The meaning of devotion. I remember it all. Yet, every time someone suffers, I think:
โWhy does God just watch?
Still, I pray.ใ
Because it’s the only thing I can do.
A scream rang out in the distance.
A beast’s roar that tore through the sky. The scent of blood mingled with the wind and reached me.
โA giant demon beast has appeared!!!โ
The village men hurriedly grabbed their weapons.
I clenched the holy seal and chanted the prayer.
Yet deep within my chest, something trembled. Fear? Or perhapsโฆ resignation?
God, please protect them. Please protect the villagersโฆ the childrenโฆ
Even as I prayed, only silence returned. How many times had I faced this moment of utter helplessness?
โGod surely tests usโฆโ
The voice murmuring this trembled.ใWords meant to convince myself. I want to believe. I have to believe.
Butโbetween those prayers, a faint scream reached my ears.
Where my gaze fell. Beyond the alley, a small shadow wept. A girl, still young.
Behind her, a wolf-like monster.
โโNo!โ
Fangs gleamed. Legs froze. I couldn’t move.
I wanted to help, but my body wouldn’t obey. Words of prayer wouldn’t come.
Why? God, now more than everโ
In that instant, wind rushed past.
Something darted before my eyes.
It was a youth with black hair.
He wore a shabby cloak, an old sword gleaming dully in his hand.
He pulled the child close, then turned his back to the monster.
The monster’s claws ripped into his back. Blood spattered.
But the youth didn’t retreat a single step. Instead, he was smiling.
โIt’s okay. You’re safe now.โ
His voice was low and calm.
In that instant, I heard something shift profoundly within me.
The monster lunged again.
The young man twisted his body to shield the girl, striking out with a flash of his dull-hued sword.
The blade sliced through, the roar ceased. Black blood splattered the ground. It all ended in mere seconds. Yet to me, it felt like an eternity.
Blood seeped from the back of the young man kneeling on the ground.
I rushed over and supported his body with trembling hands.
โWaitโฆ you’re bleedingโฆโ
โI’m fine. As long as the child is safe, it’s no problem.โ
His voice was too quiet, too warm.
Could such a person still exist in this world?
Noโthat’s not it. This is divine guidance.
The answer God granted me, who had nearly lost my faith.ใDeep down, I knew this man was that answer.
[Light in human form.]
โAre youโฆ someone sent by God?โ
When I asked, he laughed awkwardly, scratched his head, and shook it.
โNo, no, just a passerby. โฆNothing too special.โ
His smile made my heart grow warm. The โlightโ I had kept believing in existed.
It was neither a miracle nor a blessing. โโJust the will of one gentle human being.
I unconsciously pressed my palms together. Words of prayer flowed naturally from my lips for the first time in ages.
โโฆGod, thank you. For bringing this person and me together.โ
โMay I ask your name?โ
โI’m Amagi Ren. Just call me Ren.โ
In the quiet sunlight, his name resonated as if enveloped in light.
The journey was long and continued quietly. We crossed distant mountain ranges, passed through the Demon Forest, and saved countless villages.
He always walked ahead, showing only his back as we moved forward. That back was a light impossible to lose sight of, even in the deepest darkness. All I did was follow that light.
I would secretly gaze at his profile, illuminated by the campfire’s flames.
He must have been tired, yet he always smiled for someone else. If someone fell, he reached out without hesitation. As if it were the most natural thing for him.
โThis person is not a god.
But he is more precious to me than anyone I know. Before I knew it, I found myself picturing his face when I prayed.
โGod, please protect this person.โ
Within that prayer, I realized my words were changing.
โPlease, let this person’s smile continue.
โPlease, let me stay by this person’s side.
Not a prayer, but a wish.
Not the words of someone aspiring to be a saint, but the heart of one woman.
One night, to heal my wounds, I touched his hand.
Warm. Though rough, it was strangely reassuring. My heart ached, and I lowered my eyes without thinking.
This hand has saved countless people. And I am but one of them.
Even so, I found myself wanting it.
The moment this hand would reach out for me alone.
I was terrified of myself for harboring such a wish.
I am one who serves the gods. Yet from the moment he saved me, I offered both body and soul to him.
For me to even consider claiming him for myself alone is wrongโand yet, I do.
Every time he smiles at me, my face grows hot.
If only he sees me, even just a little, in those eyesโjust that thought made my heart burn with pain.
โCelia, is something wrong?โ
Ren sama peered at me across the bonfire.
Seeing myself reflected in his eyesโso small, yet so clearly visibleโmade me want to cry.
โโฆNo. It’s nothing.โ
I said that and smiled.
Truthfully, I wanted to touch you. But this feeling is a sin.
So I pray.
If this love is a sin, then pleaseโdo not punish me. This pain in my heart is more than enough.
I looked up at the night sky.
Stars twinkled, and the wind brushed my cheek. Ren sama’s laughter echoed in the distance.
Hearing that voice, I prayed again.
โPlease, let this person be smiling tomorrow too.