Raziel was not one to curse very often.

Since he did not like to speak, most of his words never saw the light of the day. But to see such a person swear like this was new and refreshing.

Layla was startled enough to focus most of her attention on Raziel instead of what was happening in front of her.

Even Mary turned her attention to the divine magic user and chuckled at his astonishment.

"Well, it was easy to tell that something was going on in that village, but since the curse was not active when we were there, we all missed it.

But seeing it from here sure is something. I can tell that the curse is neither spreading nor lethal. It's as if someone is trying to scare these people by doing all this. I doubt that curse has been there for long."

Layla somewhat understood what Mary was trying to say.

The older a curse was, the eviler its energy was. But the curse Layla was looking at hardly ever gave off any.

That was why she and Mary missed it while in the village.

"It looks like it was cast a year or two ago. Do you think it is related to the magic stone mines? I feel they are all related to each other in some way."

Layla pointed out as she thought about why this curse would be active at such a time.

Of course, the original story had never detailed a curse, but it was because the Rosette had never visited the village near the mines.

An accident had caused her to wake up in that mine, and by the time she was done, she had purified the whole area, rendering any curse that lingered there useless.

"So, young miss! What should we do now? Are we going to change our course of action because of this? Should we head out and save the village before we head to the mines?"

Mary asked, turning the decision of what to do next to Layla.

But as much as Layla considered helping the village, she needed to put her priorities straight.

"Not yet! We need to secure the rights to the mine first. The mayor of that place should have those rights, so we will ask him about it tomorrow and persuade him to 'kindly' give us those rights.

Once we have those rights, we can head to the cave and purify it. And then, if we have any magic or time left, we can think of helping these villagers out."

Layla created a timeline and a plan for what needed to be done and when. She was rational and considered most things when she made this plan.

She had no intention of saving everyone, and it was not in her nature to go out of the way to ensure that some 'strangers' lived happy lives.

"Oh my! That is rather cruel of you to say! I think you are shocking Raziel (I am not) with your actions! How can a human be this indifferent toward another human?"

Mary asked, trying to get a raise out of Layla. But if she expected Layla to fall for her bluff, she had another thing coming.

"Oh! Is that so? Then, I guess I might not be fully human. Not, let's stop wasting time and head out. The sooner we leave, the faster we will be able to reach the village when the sun rises."

Layla was still a little tired despite having slept fine the night before.

She yawned as she picked up the small stuff she had spread around the camp before she noticed a furry body lying in a bush a little bit far away.

'Did Mary take care of some monsters today? No wonder she is in a happy mood. Her blood-lust has been sated already.'

Layla sighed when she saw that but did not comment on Mary's choice of action.

The older maid of hers could be a nightmare when she wanted to be, and Layla had no intention of pissing her off at the moment.

...

The village they reached was silent during the early hours. Even after the curse had been lifted, people walked around like zombies.

Most people looked ready to collapse, and Layla felt slightly sorry for them.

"Excuse me-!"

Someone knocked their hips against Layla as they walked past her in a daze.

It could have been intentional, but the look on that man's face said that it was anything but deliberate.

Not only that man but every other person in this village looked like they were about to collapse any second.

"Miss Layla, shall I carry you from here on? I am afraid that most of these people won't even see you and cry to crush you if they walk past you."

Raziel offered as he held his arms open.

"Shut up! I am not that short or skinny. There is no way someone of my size won't be visible-"

Layla was not finished speaking when she felt someone almost knocking her over.

The tall man looked down at her with half-open eyes and immediately apologized.

"S-Sorry, kid. I did not see you down there. You may want to step away from here, or you can get crushed."

"..."

Layla had no words left to speak after that. The only thing she had been about to defend herself with had been rendered useless.

"Miss, about my offer-"

Raziel asked in a serious voice. His lack of emotion and matter-of-fact tone made Layla feel even more humiliated.

Meanwhile, Mary was trying her hardest to suppress her laughter as she watched her young miss struggle before the maid decided to do what Raziel was suggesting Layla do.

She reached out and picked Layla up without asking a question, and her smile remained professional.

"Please, cooperate with me for your safety, miss! I am sure I am not asking for much from you."

Mary's grin was sinister, and Layla looked away as she allowed her maid to do whatever she wanted.