There Was A Curse

As I considered all of that, I decided to kill them.

I didnt know why the invaders were so skilledbut people who had been trained to this degree were not likely to give me any information.

Besides, if I did let them go, they would probably start spreading rumors about me.

Magic TransferArea Freeze Medium.

I chanted. And then the trapped invaders were frozen stiff.

It was actually impressive that they reflexively tried to jump out of the area of effect, right before it triggeredBut as their entire body was covered in the net, they could not make it out in time.

I made sure that their HP was at 0, and then I said to the slimes,

Can you tell what is inside of those barrels?

Hmm. I dont know. But it does seem creepy!

It seemed creepy, huh

In order to feel it too, I used Shared Senses.

And thenI felt like I could understand why they said that.

There was something like an ominous atmosphere coming from the barrels.

It was probably related to magic somehow.

Actually, I was quite sure that I had felt something similar in the past.

Hey. Dont you think these barrels feel similar to a cursed magic stone?

Now that I think about it, yes!

The slimes started shouting their agreement.

So they felt the same then.

Well, I didnt think the barrel was actually filled with real magic stones.

If you tried to carry cursed magic stones in a wooden barrel, the barrel would rot away before you had moved a single kilometer.

Whatever was inside, it must have similar properties to the cursed magic stone, while being less powerful.

However, I didnt feel like opening it and finding out.

This was the time to call in an expert.

A Dryad. A tree spirit.

Does the Dryad look busy?

Shes not busy!

I asked the slimes that I had left behind, and they replied cheerfully.

So she wasnt busy right now.

Theres something I want her to see. Can you call her over?

Okay!