That Time When I Fell Down the Stairs and Became a Jujutsu Sorcerer

Chapter 34 - Ryūgyū

The boat gracefully glided over the gentle waves, leaving a mesmerizing trail of ripples in its wake. The morning sun painted the horizon in warm hues of pink and orange, casting a soft glow on the vessel's sleek surface. Seagulls accompanied the boat, their wings catching the sunlight as they soared overhead. The rhythmic hum of the engine harmonized with the soothing melody of the ocean, creating a serene symphony. As the boat ventured farther into the vast expanse, the scent of saltwater blended with the crisp sea breeze.

“From our research, there are a few tales that this curse may be pulling from.” Ijichi explained, “Ryūgū, as we know is the Dragon King's palace. This is the setting for at least three tales that we could find.” 

“One of which is the story of The Origin of Imotako. This tale involves the political take over from the Dragon King by King Ryūō VII, by his advisor who was an Octopus. He was hated and exiled and raised an army of sharks to attack the city. This story also involved the lobster Samurai Ise Ebizō.”

“Another tale about a boy named Urashima Tarō who rescued a turtle and visited the city. Upon his return he'd discovered that he had been gone for centuries rather than days.”

“Also, there is–”

“I appreciate all of the research Ijichi, but will it affect the outcome if we know the stories?” Suguru asked, pulling on his wetsuit.

Ijichi cleared his throat, “Ah, no I suppose not, but–”

Satoru, pulling his own suit up over his shoulders, “Could you just give us a list of which characters that the windows saw?”

Ijichi shook his head, “I'm afraid not. The windows weren't able to get close enough to the city itself. The only specific curses they saw were some of the shark guards who proved to be too dangerous.”

“We didn't lose anyone right?” I asked, leaning over to zip up Satoru's suit.

“No, luckily not.” Ijichi nodded, “So, unfortunately the only information we have is what the stories tell. It does appear to be the city from the story with inhabitants, but the energy is too difficult to discern specifics.”

“I'll figure it out.” Satoru grinned.

“What's our plan, by the way?” I asked, looking at our little group.

Of course our team was Satoru and I, but we'd also brought Nanami and surprisingly Suguru. Satoru had the idea to call him in specifically for his curse manipulation ability. His idea was to have Suguru capture a curse and hopefully that would give us more to go on.

Suguru smiled, “Well, since you've brought me here for this purpose, I think we should start with the obvious.” He looked at everyone, “We will infiltrate the city and I will capture the first intelligent curse we come up on.”

“What if they're all smart?” Satoru asked, holding up and looking through his goggles, “Then what?”

“I would suggest that then we ask to see the King.” Suguru said with a nod, “Although I haven't seen it yet, I am going on the assumption that this curse has one core to it that will destroy the entire city and its inhabitants all at once. The King would likely be that core as he is integral to the tale.”

“Not necessarily.” Nanami said, setting his sunglasses down on one of the seats, “King Ryūō VII died from illness in one of the stories and because his son Ryūō VIII was only a child Mizue Kotarōn was named reagent. There are multiple characters who have integral–”

“You know all these stories?” Satoru asked with a grin, “Really? Isn't it like… a comedy?”

Nanami ignored Satoru, “As I was saying, I believe a more likely suspect for the ‘core’ of the curse would be the physical city itself rather than a character.”