Chapter 30
After making her deal with Stalos, Lisbeth and the others wrapped up their work for the day. They still hadn’t nailed down the exact time to sneak into Ovelia’s lab, but Lisbeth was sure that once Stalos found a good opening, she’d come looking for her.
So Lisbeth didn’t press Stalos any further. She just headed straight back to her dorm.
“Phew… changing bodies really takes getting used to… I only did a little bit of work and my muscles are already sore.”
After a full day on the job, she lay sprawled on her bed, lazily kneading her aching shoulder, and had no intention of getting back up. But she’d barely been lying there for a moment when a young girl’s voice rang in her head.
“Honestly, you’re tired after that little bit of work? That’s no good at all, Alex.”
“Hmph, Little Sword, you’re not the one doing all that heavy lifting. Of course you’re not tired.”
The one chatting with her inside her head was, of course, Clothilde, who was now attached to Lisbeth’s body. Since they were linked mentally, the listening stone Christia had installed in Lisbeth’s room couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation.
So when Clothilde heard Lisbeth’s complaint, she let out a quiet sigh.
“Whatever, it doesn’t really matter. But Lisbeth, you seriously want to sneak into that lab just for that useless lump of fat of yours? You do realize you’re already a prime suspect right now. If they catch you, no excuse in the world is going to save you.”
The moment Lisbeth heard that, her expression flared with emotion, and the voice echoing from deep inside her heart sharpened.
“‘Useless lump of fat’?! Do you have any idea how important this pair of boobs is?!”
“Hey! Alex! You’re not here on vacation! Do you get that you’re basically walking a tightrope right now? One wrong step and you’re done for!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t get so worked up, Little Sword. I was only half joking~”
“So that means the other half was serious…”
If Clothilde had a physical body right now, she’d probably be pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand while yanking hard on Lisbeth’s ear with the other. But since Lisbeth had said she was only half joking, Clothilde wasn’t about to ignore the meaning tucked in the rest of her words.
“So what you’re really saying, Alex, is that you actually have your own reasons for wanting to go to that lab?”
“Exactly. So even if it wasn’t for this precious chest, I’d still have to visit Ovelia’s lab at least once.”
Now that it had come to this, Lisbeth stopped hiding her plan. She slowly closed her eyes.
“Little Sword, do you remember that day two hundred years from now, when Christia was cursed and poisoned to death? When she died, I was almost completely broken, but even so, after she passed, I still had people investigate the cause of her death. The conclusion was that she was killed by a curse, but when I dug deeper, I realized that curse was… very special.”
“First, once that particular curse is implanted, it can’t be dispelled unless the caster dies. Second, the curse only activates when the caster deliberately triggers it. And to do that, the caster has to be standing within a certain distance of the target. The problem is, on the day Christia died, the entire hall was packed with people. There was no way for me to figure out who activated the curse. But in this era, it’s different. This time, there’s a way.”
“Huh? And why is that?”
What Lisbeth was saying sounded so outrageous that Clothilde’s voice clearly trembled a little. Lisbeth nodded slightly and went on.
“Last time, when Christia chased me into the Secret Passage and things almost went south, I already checked her body. And I found out that in this era, the curse has already been planted in her. I’m sure Lady Goddess sent us to this time precisely because of that.”
“And there’s something else that still exists in this era—something that went extinct two hundred years later. It’s a type of stone called the Demon Eye Stone. Its effect is simple: it reveals the true nature of any curse-type magic. In other words, it’s the natural enemy of curses. As long as I have that stone, if the caster stands close enough to Christia, I’ll be able to see a white line. That line will connect the caster and the cursed.”
“Ah! I get it now. You want to sneak into Ovelia’s lab to see if she has one of those stones. Once you get it, you’ll keep watch on the people around Christia. And once you find the culprit, you just take that bastard out before they can activate the curse, right?”
“Smart.”
After following Lisbeth for so long, Clothilde immediately picked up on what she was thinking. Lisbeth smiled faintly as she continued.
“And that’s why I took the risk to fish you out of the Treasure Vault. Without you by my side, I’m not confident I can one-shot whoever’s casting the curse. And anyone who can secretly curse a Demon King without anyone noticing definitely isn’t weak. So when you look at the whole picture, having you with me is absolutely necessary.”
“Ehehe, if you keep praising me like that, I’m gonna get embarrassed…”
Hearing how badly Lisbeth needed her, Clothilde’s voice turned shy all of a sudden. Lisbeth’s tone, however, grew serious again.
“In short, for Christia’s sake—and for this precious chest—sneaking into Ovelia’s lab is non-negotiable.”
“Mm, got it! Then good luck, Alex~”
“Mm, thanks~”
With the operation decided, Lisbeth settled down and quietly waited for the day Stalos would come to ask her to infiltrate the lab.
