Akashic Records of the Bastard Child Engaged to a Goddess

[POV: Lumiere Venrite, bastard child]

I cleared my throat, my eyes scanning the crowd of grygans before me. They appeared anxious yet hopeful, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest as I contemplated how I could help them. Despite being a mage capable of great power, I was still new to the whole 'hero' thing.

"Alright then," I began, "I want to make sure I have this right. You were attacked by a demon named Balrog, who has cursed your village and no one knows why."

Fasit, the grygan spokesperson for the village, nodded in agreement, her expression somber.

"It wasn't just any curse," she added. "Balrog is one of the great [Kings of Curses]. It's been fifty years since that day, and we've been unable to break it."

I whistled, impressed. A curse lasting fifty years was no small feat.

"Alright then," I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "I'm going to do my best to help you break this curse. But first, let's try to get to the root of the problem. Elder Fasit, again, why don't you tell us more about Balrog?"

Fasit launched into a detailed explanation of Balrog's fiery rampage and his curse.

Once Fasit was finished, I took a deep breath.

"Okay, here's the plan. There are seven possible reasons why Balrog cursed you. We're going to use an elimination method to get to the most likely one. Serena, care to explain in simpler terms?"

Serena nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"Basically, we're going to rule out the ones that don't make sense until we're left with the most likely one."

The grygans looked at each other, some nodding in understanding, while others still looked confused. I grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction at my ability to explain things well.

"Alright then," I said, clapping my hands together. "Let's get to work and solve this curse!"

I presented them with the seven likely reasons they were cursed:

「1. The grygans might have offended or angered Balrog in some way, causing him to curse their entire species as a form of revenge.

2. Balrog might have seen the grygans as a threat to his power and cursed them to weaken their abilities and diminish their influence.

3. The grygans might have been unknowingly associated with a powerful magical relic or source of power that Balrog was seeking to control, and the curse was a means to prevent them from accessing or using it.

4. The curse might have been a collateral damage in a larger conflict or feud between Balrog and another powerful entity, and the grygans were caught in the crossfire.

5. The grygans might have been mistaken for another species that had wronged Balrog, leading him to curse them as a case of misidentification.

6. Balrog might have cursed the grygans as part of a scheme to pit them against other species or factions, causing chaos and discord among the magical communities.

7. The curse might have been an experiment or test of Balrog's power or abilities, and the grygans were chosen as his subjects due to their unique traits and abilities.」

I pondered deeply, analyzing the information I had collected from Fasit's storytelling. The grygans had been cursed for half a century, and that was definitely a long time to be under a curse. I decided it was time to put my intellect to the test and solve this conundrum.

Scratching my chin thoughtfully, I spoke aloud. "After putting some careful consideration and doing some important eliminations, I've arrived at the only sensible conclusion. I believe Balrog cursed you, not because of some grand plan or a desire for revenge, but because he wanted to test the limits of his curses."

The grygans gazed at me in surprise, Serena's face also bearing a shocked expression. But I continued to explain, displaying my expertise.

"I came to this conclusion when Fasit mentioned that Balrog was one of the great [Kings of Curses]. It makes sense that he'd want to test the boundaries of his abilities. Furthermore, he chose to try his curse out on a species that wasn't as influential in the Great Forest. That would be the grygans. The final pièce de résistance to my theory? Balrog wanted his curse to be so potent that it would reduce the grygan village to a scorching inferno. However, I have noticed that the curse seems to work on organic matter, primarily people. Plants, however, seem to be immune."

The grygans burst into a frenzy, questioning how I could be so sure. But I just waved my hand dismissively.

"Details, details. The true end goal is breaking this curse and saving your village, remember?" I said with a smirk.

Serena chuckled at my nonchalant attitude, impressed by my wit and intelligence. Together, we vowed to find a way to break the curse and prove Balrog wrong.

I asked to see their wounded and Fasit obliged us, leading me and Serena to a rundown building that seemed to have been underdeveloped since the foundation was laid. I couldn't help but think the village had a "building problem." However, we had more important things to deal with than village's love for poorly built structures.

Fasit explained to us that they had done everything in their power to help the wounded, but to no avail. That they owned a good portion of the northeast, but the rugged mountains belonged to the fierce Minotaurs. These mountains were where the best healing herbs grew, but the grygans were too weak to venture there. The Minotaurs would pulverize them with their weapons.

As it had been made crystal clear by me that even though any creature could be set ablaze by touching them, creatures like the minotaurs used weapons which were inorganic, would not be affected by the curse. 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑒𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

As Fasit opened the door, the pungent smell of rot filled my nostrils and my eyes began to water. The grygans in the sick house were sweating profusely and their usually light-colored skin had become unnaturally pale. They had obvious burn marks on their bodies from when they would occasionally combust and suffer incredible pain.

It pained Serena deeply, and I could see the concern etched into every facet of her face.

For my part, I had witnessed the death of three knights from the Knights of the Cross, so the current situation wasn't as dire.

"This is just too heart-wrenching, my lord," said Serena, her voice laden with sadness.

Taking a deep breath, I reassured her. "We will heal them, and I have a plan. But first, we have to see how we can help them," I said as I fished out a small ointment from my pocket.

Serena gave me a curious look. "What's that?"

I smiled smugly, "It's something I made for dry palms."

I asked Fasit to back up a bit, as I reinforced to Serena what we were about to do. "We're going to perform a rank A healing spell from [Water Magic], one called [Undine?s Healing Wave]," I said.

Serena asked me why I asked Fasit to back up, and I explained the potential range and effects of the spell, just in case things didn't go according to plan.

"I see," she nodded, seeming to understand. Though, I could tell she was a bit nervous, which was understandable, considering the gravity of the situation.

Serena used [Water Magic] up to rank S, whereas I couldn't, so in order to synchronize the attack, she suggested reducing her mana output so our abilities would be in harmony. "We have to hold hands to do this," Serena said, turning to face me.

Just the mere thought of holding Serena's hand made my cheeks flush. "Y-Yeah, let's do this," I replied, trying to hide my nervousness by feigning confidence.

We held hands, and as soon as our skin touched, a surge of energy passed between us. It was unlike anything I had felt before, but the rush was all good. We gathered our mana, and suddenly, what looked like a blue energy wave of water emanated from our clasped hands.

The wave enveloped the wounded grygans, healing them completely in an instant. For a moment, I forgot to release her hands from mine. "Whoa, they're good as new!" I exclaimed, feeling relieved that the spell was a success.

Serena smiled at me. "Yeah, we did it. That was amazing, Lumiere."

It was then that Fasit and the twenty healed grygans bowed to us in respect and gratitude. "Your love is sweet," Fasit said with a laugh, "But I have to say that was impossible. Thank you both so much."

I could feel my face growing warm again as I pulled my hand away from Serena's. "It wasn't just us," I said, trying to downplay our abilities after such an impressive feat. "It was the power of [Undine's Healing Wave]."

Serena nodded her agreement, despite the twinkle in her eyes that suggested she was proud of what we had accomplished. "Thank you so much for believing in us, Fasit," she said.

"Now, about the curse... it's time to break it." (Lumiere)

Serena and I unlocked new [Titles], the same one - [Savior of the Grygans].