Chapter 27: Trace On!
About ten minutes later, Emiya set off on his first truly solo Cursed Spirit subjugation mission.
Satoru Gojo still didn't follow him, suggesting that his purpose for coming over this time really was just to freeload a breakfast.
However, Gojo-san certainly didn't harbor any malice, so Emiya could only assume he was just being self-indulgent and wanted to deliver the message.
'But it's also possible... he just didn't want me to have any contact with the people from the Higher-Ups?'
Ultimately, the few guesses in his mind were just that: guesses.
Emiya wasn't accustomed to maliciously judging others.
The one who came to pick him up and take him to the mission site was the now-familiar Ijichi. Nanami even asked if Emiya needed his accompaniment before he left, which Emiya naturally declined.
Perhaps the general environment of the Jujutsu world wasn't great, but a significant portion of those willing to become Sorcerers clearly had good hearts.
"This mission's target is located in an abandoned hospital. Due to a medical malpractice incident last year, this private hospital, which was operating quite well, was shut down under the pressure of public opinion.
Since places like hospitals are always subject to various urban legends, a group of high school students went in last week for an adventure and were declared missing by the police five days ago.
Then, three days ago, a support Window investigating the nearby area observed traces of Cursed Spirit activity, and subsequent investigation classified it as Grade 1."
Ijichi shared the gathered intelligence with Emiya while driving the car toward the destination.
"Based on the existing information, the Cursed Spirit must have been born more than a month ago, but there have been no reports of casualties within the hospital grounds. Therefore, this Grade 1 Cursed Spirit is likely categorized as a Land Spirit.
These types of Land Spirits usually don't actively show aggression towards humans, but that doesn't change the fact that they are Curses, and they have caused several deaths... However, if you are outmatched, running away will typically prevent them from chasing you out of their territory."
Even Cursed Spirits have various classifications based on the nature of the curse.
For example, a Cursed Spirit formed from the fear of the concept of a mountain god will rarely leave the mountain range where it was born, while a Cursed Spirit formed from fear of sharp objects like knives would not have a similar restriction.
Additionally, some Cursed Spirits possess special abilities, making pre-mission investigation highly necessary. The duties of Assistant Supervisors are not limited to just deploying 'Curtain' in place of a Sorcerer.
"Are those students... is there any possibility of them surviving?" Emiya didn't focus on the Cursed Spirit information first, instead asking this question.
They were children born in a relatively peaceful era, supposedly full of endless possibilities, yet they were likely to sleep forever in this corner.
This represented not just a few deaths but the collapse of several families.
While they might be accused of seeking trouble, non-Sorcerers wouldn't know that Cursed Spirits even exist in the world... The pervasive superstition and fear of ghosts and spirits have been greatly diminished in the information age, but this hasn't necessarily proven to be a good thing.
Ijichi glanced at Emiya's expression through the rearview mirror and then replied with a heavy tone.
"Regrettably, no, it's impossible." Even if the Cursed Spirit were merciful enough not to harm them directly, a non-Sorcerer couldn't safely survive for a whole week in an environment with high Cursed Energy concentration.
He couldn't irresponsibly give false hope in a matter like this.
"Is that so..." Even if killing these Cursed Spirits was a task set by the Higher-Ups, Emiya didn't mind eliminating these non-human monsters to prevent more lives from being lost.
After another ten minutes of driving, the two successfully arrived at the periphery of the abandoned hospital.
Despite only a year passing without maintenance, the courtyard, which should have been neat and clean, was now entirely overgrown with weeds.
Even the central high-rise was conspicuously covered in climbing vines. No wonder those high school students chose a place like this for an adventure.
Perhaps... if humanity were to disappear one day, the traces they left behind, which they considered grand, might easily be erased by the Earth.
"Emiya-san." Just as Emiya was about to step inside, Ijichi's call came from behind him. He tried to maintain a serious expression, but his words were ones of concern.
"Please be careful."
In Ijichi's view, Emiya was nothing more than a newcomer to the Jujutsu world, just a child, yet he was being sent out to subdue a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone so quickly.
It simply wasn't reasonable.
Unfortunately, Ijichi was just a low-level worker in the Jujutsu world and was powerless to change anything.
"Thank you... I understand, Ijichi-san." After a serious nod, Emiya stepped inside without hesitation.
The moment he reached the main entrance of the hospital building, the black curtain fell just as it had last time, blocking the sunlight. The only difference was that this time, he could see it completely.
Click, clack.
The terrible condition inside the abandoned hospital was completely unsuitable for a stealthy approach. Clutter was visible everywhere on the floor, forcing Emiya to step on fragments with every move.
The environment was also overtly eerie.
Emiya wasn't at all scared by the unsettling atmosphere. If anyone should be feeling that emotion, shouldn't it be the Cursed Spirit?
He tried to look for lingering traces of Cursed Energy, like Kasumi Miwa had, but saw no signs. Or rather, the Cursed Energy environment was too dense and chaotic, rendering tracking ineffective.
Forced to use a less subtle method, Emiya quickly searched the first three floors. Upon reaching the fourth floor, however, he found the paths strangely clean. Was this done by the missing high school students?
His curiosity didn't slow Emiya's movements. He searched most of the floor as usual and arrived in front of a patient room placed right in the center.
[Operating Room]
The metal sign on the floor faintly reflected these words. Just as he reached out to push the door open and check, a flash of cold light suddenly shimmered from behind the door.
Whoosh—
Following that sound, the steel door was sliced in half. Fortunately, driven by a sense of danger, Emiya had already leaped backward.
Appearing from behind the fallen door was a Cursed Spirit, entirely chalk-white and almost perfectly spherical in body shape. It had a single giant eyeball positioned slightly above the
center, and its human-like limbs ended in two broad blades. The cold light that had just sliced the door came from these.
'Is this the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?'
"Trace On!"
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