The Time-Traveling Cursemancer: Shu Yamino Rewrites a Doomed Fate - The Hill of Blood and the Morning Twelve Days Prior

The smell of iron. Blood. His comrades' blood. Yami no Shuu was on his knees. The ground was red. Muddy. Not from rain. In the crimson puddle, his own face stared back. Purple eyes. Purple hair. The hair loosely tied behind him clung wet with blood. “……Stop it” His voice shook. His throat seized. He couldn't breathe. He looked around. Everyone was down. Not moving. On the northern hill slope, familiar tools and packs lay scattered. The northern edge of Folgen Great Forest, near Halbet Village. The hill he'd climbed so many times with his comrades. Now it was a charnel ground. No one got up. No one answered. “……Lies” He couldn't stand. His hands could no longer hold him up. His robe was torn, the black and purple cloth heavy with blood. He looked down the hill. A swarm of black armor. Countless. Iron spears gleamed in the sunset. The Iron Crown Alliance's war banner fluttered. He knew that flag. The military alliance the three eastern nations formed 45 years ago. The alliance that hunted mages as "heretics who deviated from human reason." “You…… made it this far” A weak voice. Shuu turned toward the weight in his arms. Mirene Toura. Thirty years old, ran an herb shop in Luminase. But this blood-soaked figure wasn't the woman who smiled at her storefront. Wet black hair clung to her cheeks. Her green eyes were nearly closed. Her clothes were torn, deep red flowing from the wound in her stomach. It wouldn't stop. “Don't talk. I'll use healing magic now” “……It's already fine” “Like hell it is!” He shouted, then immediately regretted it. Mirene's hand touched Shuu's left hand. Cloth was wrapped around it. Beneath it, a black glowing pattern throbbed with pain. A soul crest. The mark of curse-seal magic, which Shuu used to turn hatred and curses into power. It was useless now. “Run. At least you” “No” “……You're kind. You always were” Her slender fingers fell limp. “Mirene?” No answer. “Hey. Hey……!” He shook her. She was growing cold. Just a heavy body. Tears came. Hot. Unstoppable. His comrades were dead. All of them, dead. Doran too. Edmond too. Everyone in the village. Behind him, footsteps. Several. Approaching. The sound of swords being drawn. “There's another crest-bearer here.” “Purify him. Leave no taint.” He was going to be killed. He didn't care anymore. (I couldn't protect them. What was my magic even for……) His left hand throbbed. The pattern under the cloth burned hot. The soul crest reacted. Strong emotion amplified magical power. That was the principle of this world. (If I could do it over——) The enemy's blade swung down. In that instant, the world flashed blinding white. ━━━━━━━━ Birdsong. Wind. The smell of grass. “……Nn” He opened his eyes. The light was bright. Blue sky. White clouds. What. Did I die. No. Different. He sat up. His limbs moved. No pain. His robe was clean. No bloodstains. He looked around. Wooden houses. Fields. A well. In the center of the square, a stone assembly hall. Halbet Village. “……A dream?” No. Not a dream. He punched his own cheek. It hurt. The air was clear. It smelled of trees. Wind from Folgen Great Forest. Shuu stood and looked at his hands. The back of his left hand. Cloth wrapped around it. He gently removed it. A black glowing pattern. The curse seal. Still there. “I came back…… didn't I” Time regression. He'd heard of it. No—almost legend. That if one deepened their research into soul crests, there was magic that touched time. But no one had ever succeeded. His comrades. The village. He ran. Up the hill. Out of breath. Heart pounding. Not from joy. He reached the hill. No trace of a battlefield. Green grass. Wildflowers. Pure peace. He looked down. No black army. No war banner. When he returned to the village, people working the fields turned around. “Oh, Shuu. What's wrong, this early?” “Everyone's…… alive” “What are you talking about. Of course we are.” Right. Of course. Tears fell. He collapsed on the spot. “Eh? Hey, Shuu, what's wrong?” “……Sorry. It's nothing.” He couldn't manage a smile. Days ago. Twelve days before the time when he should have died on that hill. His comrades were still alive. The village was safe. The time regression had succeeded. Then there was only one thing to do. Rewrite fate. ━━━━━━━━ He ran to the village assembly hall. Stone walls. A heavy wooden door. He pounded on it with all his strength. “Open up. Village chief. Edmond-san!” “What's all this racket so early?” The door opened. A short old man with a white beard. Halbet Village's chief, Edmond Bale. Sixty years old. Narrow eyes. Always smiling gently. “Shuu. Another magic tool modification? You're noisy from morning.” “No. I need to talk.” “If it's talk, let's hear it inside. I'm having breakfast.” A wooden table. The smell of bread and soup. Outside the window, villagers passed by. A rooster crowed. “The truth is…… in twelve days, this village will be attacked.” He said it straight. Edmond sipped his soup. “By whom. Bandits?” “The Iron Crown Alliance's army.” His hand stopped. “……The Iron Crown Alliance?” “Yes. The eastern army will cross the bridge over Tirna Great Rift. They'll pass north through the Scorched Plains of Drexia, burn the border forest, and attack all the way here.” He rattled off the plan he remembered, speaking fast. Memories of the future. He knew the enemy's march route. He knew the names of the officers involved. “Your basis? Who told you this?” “……Please believe me.” “I can't. This is nonsense.” “Wait. I came from the future. I died once. Everyone was killed. I went back in time.” His hands trembled. His face burned. He knew his blood was boiling. Edmond frowned and set down his soup. “……Shuu. Have you been drinking? This early.” “I haven't!” He slammed his palm on the table. Edmond's eyes narrowed. “Show me your left hand.” “Eh” “Under the cloth. I've thought this for a while…… lately, you've been hiding it, haven't you. The curse seal.” His heart jumped. Unconsciously, he hid his left hand. A bad habit. When shaken, he hid the pattern. “……It's just a wound.” “Don't lie to me.” A quiet voice. “Curse-seal magic is a power that curses people. Mages consumed by that crest lose their sanity in the end. When I took you in here, you were a more honest man.” “What does that have to do with what I'm telling you——” “It's not unrelated, is it. You've started spouting nonsense like 'I came from the future.' That's not like you.” “It's not nonsense!” He stood up. The chair toppled over. “In twelve days, everyone dies! The whole village! Women, children, everyone! The Iron Crown Alliance kills everyone just for having mage comrades! I saw it!” His breathing was ragged. His vision swayed. Edmond didn't flinch. Instead, he looked at him with pity. “……You're exhausted. You look pale. Rest today, Shuu.” “Wait. Just listen——” “No matter how much you shout, impossible is impossible. Without evidence—and especially not from your mouth.” A dismissive tone. (Not from my mouth?) ——Because I'm a curse-seal user. Because I came from the future. Either way. The point was, he wasn't trusted. “……I understand.” He slammed the open door shut. A crowd had gathered in the village square. They'd been listening outside the whole time. Stares. Whispers. “What's he saying?” “The Iron Crown Alliance is coming? Is he insane?” “……His eyes were bloodshot. Scary.” “He's a curse-seal mage, after all. I always wondered if he should be in this village.” They cleared a path for him. With every step, people backed away. He couldn't say anything. ━━━━━━━━ He sat on a stump at the village edge. It was evening. The sky was red. The same color as that sunset he'd seen in the future. (They didn't believe me.) Of course. Coming from the future. He wouldn't believe it either, if the roles were reversed. When he closed his eyes, the smell of blood returned. Mirene's voice. Her cold fingers. Doran's torn apron. (But it's the truth.) He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, as if to confirm it. Halbet Village. About 40 kilometers southeast of Luminase. Just a village near the magic city. Population 600. A stone-kiln assembly hall. An inn called the Traveler's Rest. That was all. And yet, in the future, the Iron Crown Alliance had come all this way with a massive army. The reason was probably Shuu and the other mages. “……Unforgivable.” He muttered to no one. He couldn't forgive the enemy. He wanted to resent the villagers who wouldn't believe the future. But no. The one he couldn't forgive most was himself—for being unable to change anything. On his lap, he opened his left hand. Removed the cloth. A black glowing pattern. It pulsed. Throb. Terribly hot. (The curse seal is aching.) The rage of his comrades being killed. Hatred for the enemy who laughed at the future. The pattern responded. “……Like I'd ever rely on your power.” He clenched his left hand, as if crushing it. Curse-seal magic was a curse born from inverted kindness. It ate away at those who harmed him from within. The stronger it was, the more it drained his life. (Control it. Don't be consumed.) He exhaled. (This time, I'll protect everyone.) To do that, he had no choice but to earn the villagers' trust. Trust was zero. But he had twelve days. He just had to act in silence. Set traps on the enemy's route. Bury barrier keystones around the village. Repair the watchtower. Gather supplies. There were preparations only a mage could make. The Iron Crown Alliance called mages "crest-bearing taint," bound them with seal chains, and sent purification squads. Then with that very power, he would do what he could. “I will never…… let them die.” A small voice. But he said it firmly, to no one. The wind blew. The trees of Folgen Great Forest rustled. In the darkening sky, a single star. From the hilltop, he looked down at the village. Lights flickered in the windows of houses. A good smell. Smoke from evening meals. Twelve days. Even if no one believed him, he would—— Shuu stood up.

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Episode 1

Name: The Time-Traveling Cursemancer: Shu Yamino Rewrites a Doomed Fate
Author: Novelia

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