truly obnoxious curse

[Darchaidhe]

Say you have a hireling and he is carrying the shield of ubiquity. You kick down the door and get the curse "truly obnoxious curse - lose the item that gives you the biggest bonus".

Is the hireling and the shield counted as two different items, even though the hireling is holding the shield?

Or would you have to discard both the hireling and the shield because both of them combined are your biggest bonus?

[MunchkinMan]

Hireling is not an Item, while Shield of Ubiquity is, and the Curse wants the victim to give up an Item, not some combination of linked cards (and in this case, the link is incredibly weak).

Normally, what the Hireling is using for you doesn't matter. When it does matter is listed on the card (i.e., when you lose Hireling).