Future Yuji Itadori Joins the Chat Group

Yuji Itadori repeatedly compared the previous videos, believing this hypothesis to be increasingly likely.

In his own world, humans weren't the only ones who could cast a curse; Cursed Spirits were equally capable of it.

That being the case, then in this world, those capable of using curses might not necessarily be limited to humans either.

[Unsurrounded One: I think it's very likely related to that dog, because during the day, Subaru was bitten by it, while Rem was not.]

[Only Love White-Haired Elves: That is indeed possible. Frieren told me that some Witchbeasts or other races can also cast similar magic or curses.]

"How can that be..."

Natsuki Subaru was somewhat dazed, struggling to digest the information Yuji Itadori had presented.

The one who had cast a curse on him was a dog?

Wait, wait, wait!

Could it be that the dog was actually a Witchbeast in disguise?

Although he hadn't seen one with his own eyes, Natsuki Subaru had heard that Witchbeasts existed in this world.

If that was the case, then wouldn't the village be in danger!

Meanwhile, a more dangerous thought couldn't help but surface in Yuji Itadori's mind.

If that dog really was a Witchbeast, it couldn't have just wandered in by accident.

In the worst-case scenario, the person who brought the Witchbeast in was...

"Senior Itadori! There might be danger over at the village!"

Natsuki Subaru's tone was incredibly urgent, panic written all over his face as his chest heaved.

"Yeah, let's go check the village."

Yuji Itadori nodded.

...

At the same time, in the forest on the edge of the village, a purple-haired girl was leaning against a large tree, holding a cute little dog.

Meili.

"Sigh, it looks like that big brother is already dead~ After lasting so long, his vitality was a bit beyond my imagination. Even a magic-user wouldn't last a minute."

Meili had an innocent, romantic smile on her face as she looked at the puppy in her arms.

This was exactly a Witchbeast in disguise.

Her special constitution allowed her to control the Witchbeasts around her.

She and Elsa both came from an Assassin Organization, and the reason she had come here was to carry out the orders of the organization's 'Mother'—to create chaos in Roswaal's territory.

As for what kind of casualties it would cause, Meili didn't care at all.

"That big brother was a pretty nice person~ But even if he died, there's nothing that could be done about it~"

Whether it was her tone or her pitch, Meili sounded just like a naive and simple child; only the content of her words felt bone-chilling.

By having a Witchbeast disguised as a puppy bite the target, a curse is applied. Once time is up, it continuously siphons the Mana from the target's body until their mana is drained dry and they die of life exhaustion.

"After all, that big brother was an associate in the last incident—it was those guys who caused Sister Elsa such severe injuries! Unforgivable! It's just a shame that the real culprit, that guy named Yuji Itadori, isn't here... What a pity, it would've been great if I could've killed him too."

Meili muttered to herself.

"By tomorrow, the others will discover that big brother has died and will surely fall into a panic. At night, I'll have the Witchbeasts attack the village~ A lot of people will definitely die! Mother's orders will be successfully completed too!"

Meili then stood up and turned to look at the large tree behind her.

There was a stone there that had originally been set with Barrier Magic, used to ward off Witchbeasts and protect the villagers.

However, Meili had just destroyed it.

Right now, this village was merely fish on a chopping block. With just a single command, Meili could control the Witchbeasts to wash the entire settlement in blood.

"Time to head back~ I finally made some friends—even though they might all die tomorrow~"

Just as Meili prepared to return to the village first, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

Meili was startled; she hadn't expected anyone to appear here in the middle of the night.

"Eh? Is someone there?"

She disguised herself once more as that innocent and guileless child, turning her head toward the source of the sound.

However, after seeing the face of the newcomer, an expression of utter shock appeared on Meili's face.

Natsuki Subaru was standing before her, panting for breath.

Why? Why was this person here?

Shouldn't he be dead?!

Meili's heart was filled with extreme shock, to the point where the emotion showed undisguised on her face.

Meili simply couldn't fathom the current situation.

The curse was successfully implemented, and it had successfully activated just now!

Once this kind of curse takes effect, it cannot be stopped or removed unless either the caster or the target dies.

The curse stopped just now, which meant Natsuki Subaru should have died.

Why, why, why is he still alive?

Why would he appear here?!

At this moment, Natsuki Subaru's expression was extremely complex. Disappointment, anger, and sadness—all sorts of emotions mixed together, causing the corners of his mouth to twitch uncontrollably.

Natsuki Subaru's heart had been unwilling to believe that matter—the possibility that an assassin existed among the villagers or even the children.

But the moment he saw the instinctive look of shock on the other's face, the fact was cemented in his heart.

This harmless-looking little girl in front of him was the culprit who had killed him.

That shocked expression basically wrote the sentence 'Why are you still alive' across her face.

What's more, Meili was walking alone in a forest where ordinary villagers wouldn't dare venture, holding that Witchbeast in her arms.

"W-why? Why is it you..."

Natsuki Subaru's voice trembled.

He didn't understand why this little girl, who had played with him during the day, would do such a thing.

"Big brother, I don't understand what you're saying? Why are you here?"

Meili struggled to calm her emotions, continuing to wrap herself in her previous disguise.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Meili had already secretly taken control of other Witchbeasts, hiding them in the shadows of the forest, drawing closer bit by bit, ready to kill Natsuki Subaru at any moment.

"It was you, wasn't it! The one who put the curse on me was you! The puppy in your arms is a Witchbeast!"

"I really don't know what you're talking about, big brother~"

"Stop pretending! Your expression has already betrayed you! And I checked just now—the children in the village had never seen you before today; you only appeared in the village today!"

"Sigh, so you already found out? But just how did you not die, big brother~"

A cruel smile appeared on Meili's face.