human
Subaru:  "You do not."
gpt
Subaru:  "—Eh?"
human
Beatrice:  "No means exist to defend against a curse once it is activated. Once activated, you are finished. Isn’t that what a curse is, I wonder?"
gpt
Subaru:  "I-isn’t there any kind of Instant Death Resist…? !" In a video game, you dealt with Lv. 1 Death type spells by casting Instant Death Resist in advance. With the light at the end of the tunnel growing ever distant, Subaru pulled his hair, his brain on fire as it tried to come up with a new plan. He’d underestimated the situation. That reality sent Subaru’s mind into free fall.
human
Beatrice:  "—However, that is limited to curses that have activated."
gpt
Subaru:  "—Huh?" The words spoken to Subaru a moment later made his eyes go wide.
human
Beatrice:  Beatrice grinned with what seemed to be great delight. She got me good, thought Subaru as the look on her face confirmed it; all he could do was open and close his mouth like a flounder in a mix of surprise and anger. "Just as I said, there is no way to defend against a curse once it has been activated. However, an un-activated curse can be blocked. It simply requires a cleansing rite prior to activation, so anyone with the requisite skill would find removing it rather simple."
gpt
Subaru:  "I’ll save getting angry for later… So, who can do that?"
human
Beatrice:  "In this mansion, there’s me, and of course Puckie. Beyond that, Roswaal and…the three little girls do not have the requisite experience, so no. Oh, and of course you cannot."
gpt
Subaru:  "I know that one only too well…" He’d gone through hell because of his lack of resistance, not once but twice. Subaru put aside his unpleasant memories as he raised a hand and asked Beatrice a question. "So how would you know to use a rite before a curse activates?"
human
Beatrice:  "Powerful curses place a commensurate burden upon the body. Perhaps magic and curses share that in common? The side effects of a curse are considerable. Could I say that they are deeply flawed, I wonder?"
gpt
Subaru:  "So…is there something you can do in advance to protect yourself?" Subaru asked his question like he was hanging from a thread.
human
Beatrice:  Beatrice closed her eyes for a while, licking her lips. "Though it depends upon the specific details…there is an iron rule for curses."
gpt
Subaru:  "An iron…rule?" With bated breath, Subaru prodded Beatrice to continue from where she’d left off.
human
Beatrice:  "—Physical contact with the target. An absolute prerequisite, I wonder?"
gpt
Subaru:  Subaru’s brain spun round and round the instant that detail entered his skull. The caster of a curse needed to touch his target. In other words, both times Subaru had suffered from the effects of the curse, he had made physical contact with the shaman beforehand.