“Is Ian a virgin, by any chance?”
At my question, everyone here blinked in surprise. Still, as if it was about their comrade, it was Karen who was the first to collect herself.
“Well, I… I’m not really sure about that.”
“Oh, it’s okay. We can find out from now on.”
I took out the Unicorn Dagger and placed it on Ian’s arm. No reaction at all.
“Oh dear. So he’s a non-virgin. Well, considering he serves the Goddess of Love, he must have had plenty of opportunities.”
“……”
Karen squeezed her eyes shut as if she didn’t want to know this information. But it was already too late!
Just like a maiden can’t be restored once lost, the fact that Ian was a non-virgin would be hard to forget…!
Shaking her head in disbelief, Karen asked with a trembling voice.
“W-What on earth is this thing that can determine such a thing? And why is purity so important…?”
As she said that, she lightly tapped the dagger with her fingertips. The blade suddenly glowed brightly.
“He’s a virgin.”
“……!”
I shrugged my shoulders, explaining to the frozen Karen.
“This dagger is made from a unicorn’s horn. So, it can lend its power to those who maintain their purity. Healing and purifying abilities, you see.”
“Ah!”
Karen nodded as if she finally understood. But soon, her expression darkened again.
“But if that’s the case, it means Ian can’t be healed with this dagger.”
“Looks like it. Could you share the detailed situation? This is a temple, after all. Any usual curse should be easily dispelled.”
“That’s right. Also, Ian and I are injured Inquisitors on a mission, so we should be able to get more support. …But this isn’t just a simple curse. No, strictly speaking, it’s not even a curse.”
“Huh?”
Karen gave me a self-deprecating smile as I cocked my head.
“As you know, the primary duty of an Inquisitor is to deal with heretics who insult the name of the Goddess.”
“Now that you mention it, when we first met, I came to the shop because I wanted information about One Who Devours the Twilight from Ellie.”
“That’s correct. I can’t share too much detail, but currently, Ian and I were tracking down some news that they were plotting something.”
“And that’s when you encountered them?”
“Yes. Thanks to Jonah, my divine power has increased recently, and my blessing has become stronger, allowing us to push them back… but in their final struggle, they sacrificed their underlings as offerings and cast a curse.”
“Ah.”
Though One Who Devours the Twilight is indeed a heretic, they are still a priest of sorts. They must have some level of divine power.
I knew that in a world where gods exist, saying there’s nonsense with divine power regarding heretics would be expected…
The Goddess of Love concentrates on managing the labyrinth from its depths. As a result, her influence on the surface has become incomplete.
It’s easy to pour out water, but hard to scoop it back up, just like granting divine power or blessing is simple, but retrieving it is challenging.
Thus, the divine power of One Who Devours the Twilight became distorted but didn’t vanish. They firmly believe it’s proof of their righteousness without a doubt.
…Though the real reason is a bit different.
The distorted divine power used by a fallen priest is the universal rule!
That’s just a light-hearted setting I added. The other reasons came later.
Nodding as I looked at the collapsed Ian, I said,
“I think I understand now. Although it’s distorted and reversed, after all, it’s still fundamentally the same divine power. It must be harmful to the body, so it should be considered a curse, but rather than a real curse, it’s more like an unnatural blessing that the body cannot withstand. Anyway, this should be why healing isn’t possible at the temple.”
“…You certainly know your stuff.”
Karen nodded with an admiring expression. I wondered if I had overdone it, glancing away, and only Remilly, who guided us here, seemed surprised.
Lydia didn’t seem to harbor any doubts, just a slightly stiffened expression.
I guess this was all due to me casually showcasing bits of knowledge regularly, allowing it to slip by unnoticed? This is why a person’s usual behavior is important, indeed.
Anyway, now that I know the cause, it’s time to start looking for a way to heal Ian. It feels a bit wrong to watch someone I know, albeit briefly, deteriorate.
“If it’s not a true curse, even if he was a virgin, the Unicorn Dagger couldn’t have helped. By the way, what are the symptoms?”
“The blood flow has become abnormal. Blood clots in one place, turning black, or circulates too strongly, causing the vessels to burst. Externally he appears fine, but several of his organs have already died off. For now, other priests and I have been treating him in shifts, but at this rate…”
“Oh, it sounds like he’s entangled with the blessing of erectile dysfunction.”
“E-Excuse me?”
Karen asked in confusion, and it dawned on me what a blunder I had just made.
“Oh no no. Saying it like this makes it sound like it’s something that prevents him from getting it up. No, it’s the opposite! It helps with that… what was the exact name? Blessing of Erections? No, wait. Was it Blessing of Lasting Love?”
As it’s the Goddess of Love, I thought about what kind of blessing would be amusing to give and scribbled down that setting.
In this world, men have low sexual desire, so their stamina is also low; hence, some assistance is needed for a fiery night.
This blessing is one of those aids. It regulates blood flow to the lower half… There are several blessings related to blood flow, but if it’s a male with such symptoms, there’s only one answer.
I couldn’t help but admire my perfect deduction when I finally noticed the reactions around me.
Karen, blankly blinking, and Lydia, subtly distancing herself as if not part of us.
“Seriously, how can all of you react like that to something related to erections? It’s a bit embarrassing.”
“R-Really?”
“I’d rather not hear that from Jonah.”
Karen seemed to have much to say, but for now, she nodded, while Lydia let out a faint laugh.
I sighed deeply and let my shoulders droop.
“Haah… you filthy adults. Anyway, step back now. I’m going to try healing him.”
“Y-You can heal him?!”
“Of course. By the way, do you know how the One Who Devours the Twilight uses blessings that should be beneficial to humans as curses?”
“I’m not really interested in the knowledge of heretics…”
“Well, it’s better not to know. Once you know something, you’re inclined to use it. However, sometimes learning is necessary to respond to certain problems.”
Saying that, I placed my hand on Ian’s chest. Let’s see, something like this should work, right?
“Just so you know, a man’s lower half doesn’t get bigger because there’s a bone there… Well, actually, in some animals, there is a bone, but at least not for humans. It hardens because blood pools there, preventing blood from flowing back out.”
Continuing my impromptu sex education session while Karen tilted her head in confusion, I went on.
“The Blessing of Lasting Love, in other words, is a blessing that regulates blood flow. It increases the blood flow to the lower half or reduces the amount that flows out, making it easier for blood to concentrate there. …But what happens if we shift that position slightly?”
“Huh?”
“What if blood pools in other parts of the body, not the lower half, and doesn’t flow out? Whatever it is, something’s bound to go wrong, right?”
“…It’s not made for that purpose.”
“Now, consider if we also excessively pumped other components of the blood. It would cause blood pressure to skyrocket, bursting random vessels, and disrupting the immune system, leading to the blood rotting away.”
In simpler terms, think of it as thrombosis, hypertension, and sepsis.
Of course, technically it’s a little different… but whatever the cause, the externally visible symptoms would be somewhat similar.
Actually, they might be more intense. Since it’s an artificial occurrence through divine power rather than a naturally occurring problem, it keeps accelerating like someone pushing you from behind.
Eventually, as Karen said, no matter how much healing is done, it might not keep up with the deterioration speed, leading to death.
“However, in the end, it indicates a problem with the blood, right? So, the countermeasures are simple.”
I put the Unicorn Dagger away and brought out the maintenance dagger.
“Karen, please prepare all your divine power. Lydia, if you have any high-grade recovery potions, please take that out. We can collect payment from Ian later, right?”
“All of it, you say?”
“…An Inquisitor shouldn’t be poor, so it should be fine.”
Even though she looked taken aback, Karen started to channel her divine power. Her body began to shimmer a light pink.
Lydia nodded and pulled out a luxurious bottle containing a red potion.
Once everything was prepared, Karen, deep in concentration, cautiously asked,
“And what exactly is that countermeasure?”
Instead of answering, I stabbed the maintenance dagger into Ian’s heart.
“Like this.”
Heart reset.
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