The Goddess's Curse

A bundle of quilts was propped behind Neo as he sat leaning back, an array of documents spread out before him. Seeing Karen return, he looked up and asked with a grin, "Did the breeding go smoothly?" "Is that how you acted around Miss Elisa too?" Neo rolled his eyes at him. "I refuse to believe you’re this stiff and proper when you’re with your fiancée." "The partner is fine. What’s the background of the old man in the bed next door?" "Him? He’s just a pot of Wien bean paste." This was a local Wien saying. In Wien dining habits, bean paste could be mixed into any dish, so calling someone "Wien bean paste" meant he was a coaster who just drifted through life. "Is that so?" "Yeah. But some paste can only be smeared on coarse flatbread, while other paste ends up on the Queen’s dining table. He coasted masterfully—great mentor, great wife, great kids. How should I put it? To reach that level of coasting makes him an extraordinary figure in his own right, just like Richard." "His student..." "That girl really does have immense potential... No, calling it potential isn't right; she's already outstanding. The Neuren family is quite prestigious in the Church of Principles, but her father married a woman he shouldn't have and had her, which got both him and her banished from the family early on." "A woman he shouldn't have married?" "Her father married his own stepmother—while her grandfather was still alive, no less. Heh, so never mind those pedantic old scholars in the Church of Principles, even ordinary society would find that hard to swallow." "I see." "Anyway, she's good, right? Oh, I mean the young lady." "Yes." "It's just that she isn't very good-looking. But that doesn't matter. An opposite-sex partner not being too attractive is actually quite fitting—that way your fiancée won't have to worry." "Captain, there are a few other matters I need to discuss with you." "Go ahead." Karen relayed the key points of his earlier conversation with Sinyali. "All right, I understand. I'll arrange it for you. There's no need to worry about being ambushed and robbed. Just like the girl said, other squads might run into double-crosses, but yours won't. Sometimes having too many young masters and mistresses in a squad can easily drag the team down, but they're also a form of insurance. If real danger strikes, backup will definitely arrive fast. Cherish your squad's caliber—a bunch of young masters and young ladies with exceptional strength, disposition, and professional acumen. Plenty of Whip of Order captains would drool with envy." "I understand." "I'll work on the communications today. Head out in three days. Finish up early and come back early so it won't interfere with taking on proper assignments later." "Understood." "This haul should be quite lucrative. Congratulations in advance." "You have a cut in this as well, sir." "I know, so I'm congratulating myself too. It feels pretty damn comfortable taking a cut while lying down." "Yes, you certainly are lying down right now." "You may conclude your hospital visit now, my captain." Karen smiled, took his things, and walked to the door of the ward. He opened it, paused, then turned back to Neo on the bed. "Squadron Leader." "What is it now?" "You realized early on that this might be bait, didn't you?" "Don't slander me." "Otherwise, why would you broadcast everywhere that we were going tomb-raiding? And why hand the initial dossier directly to Sinyali for an investigative report? You spent fifty thousand Order coupons on that initial dossier, after all." Neo looked at Karen and spread his hands. "I told you, your squad doesn't need to worry about double-crosses, and you certainly don't need to worry about delayed rescue. Because you're precious." ... Walking out of the inpatient building, Karen reached the parking lot, opened the car door, and sat down. Muri asked, "Captain, all wrapped up?" "Mm." Karen shook the document folder in his hand toward Muri. "Make copies of this once we're back—one for each person. No one is allowed to slack off. Read it as quickly as possible, and read it thoroughly." "Yes, Captain. Head back to the funeral parlor next?" "No, head downtown." Guided by Karen, Muri drove the car to the front of Lemar Pottery Studio. Karen got out, but Muri remained in the driver's seat. The young master of the Benda family had adapted to his new role quickly and naturally. "Come on down. Come inside for a drink... Oh wait, you're driving, so stick to tea. But you can have some pastries." "Yes, Captain." Karen pushed the door open and stepped inside, catching sight of Mr. Lemar applying paint to a figurine of a little boy. "Well now, Karen, haha!" Lemar immediately called toward the back, "Serena, your Big Brother Karen is here!" Turning back to Karen, Lemar continued, "She was actually planning to visit your place this afternoon; she even finished making pastries." "Big Brother Karen!" Serena ran out, wearing an apron. "And this is?" Lemar looked toward Muri. Karen explained, "Muri, my new subordinate. I was recently promoted to Whip of Order captain." "Oh, congratulations, Karen! I knew you had a bright future ahead of you." "Big Brother Karen is amazing!" "Serena, go pour some water and bring out the pastries you just made." "Okay, Brother." Lemar gave a slightly helpless shrug. "I wanted to sneak a taste earlier, but she turned me down flat. Now look at this—if an older brother wants a bite of pastries his sister made, he has to bask in your reflected glory." Karen chuckled. "Is that so?" "Is something the matter, Karen?" Getting down to business, Karen dispensed with pleasantries and asked directly, "Do you know anything about the Congers family?" "The Congers family?" Lemar pondered for a moment. "No wonder it sounded so familiar. I remember now—that family contributed to the carving knife I use. An ancient enchanting family. There shouldn't be much word of them these days, right?" "That's correct." Serena brought out the tea, and Muri accepted a cup. "Why do you ask about them?" Lemar inquired. "I'm planning to raid their family tomb." "Cough... cough..." Muri, who was taking a sip of tea, choked on it. Lemar froze for a moment as well. Serena, on the other hand, chimed in, "Wow, that must be quite a thrilling adventure!" "Serena, the pastries," Lemar reminded her. "Right, I'll go get them now." Lemar took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and asked, "So, is there anything I can help with?" Karen pulled out several sheets of information he had selected beforehand. "These are the main combat puppet models used by the Voss family during that era." Lemar looked them over. "Mm, yes, these are combat-type puppets that were popular during that period." "I suspect they're present in the tomb I'm heading to." "So you want me to help you figure out a way to deal with them?" "Yes. I trust that shouldn't be too difficult for the talented heir of the Voss family." "It isn't difficult; I can do it. In fact, most puppet masters habitually leave a backdoor inside the combat puppets they craft. However, everyone has their own unique habits. I can't directly open their backdoors for you, but I can craft a specialized small self-destruct device tailored specifically to these models. If you encounter them, throw these onto them or detonate them nearby, and it will disrupt the puppets' operation for a short time. Under those conditions, with your strength, Karen, dealing with them should be quite straightforward." "Is it troublesome?" "Using it is very simple: activate it, throw it, and it detonates—just like a modern grenade." "No, I mean, is it troublesome to craft?" "Not at all. I can have a full set ready for you in a day." "Good. I'll send someone to pick them up in a day, then." "No problem." "Though, I do have a small request." Mr. Lemar rubbed his hands together. "Please, go ahead." "If you happen to come across puppets crafted by my family's ancestors, and if you have a little bit of spare room left in your pack, could you pick up a few small spare parts for me? I would be immensely grateful." "Of course. That's no trouble at all." Karen and Muri sat for a little longer, ate some pastries, and then rose to take their leave. "Captain, are you on very good terms with them?" "Yes, we are." After the incident where Serena had been "locked," their relationship had grown closer and deeper. There was no need to politely bring up "how many point coupons"; they bypassed unnecessary formalities altogether. "How skilled is that Voss family shopkeeper?" "He's still young relative to his profession. And... put it this way: he crafted a puppet for each of his deceased parents, and not only did the puppets end up having a falling out and divorcing, but they also found a stepfather and stepmother for the two siblings." "That's..." "So, I trust he can resolve the puppet problem. As for the risks from mechanisms in the tomb, they're already marked in the dossier. Once mechanisms lose the advantage of the unknown, their threat isn't overwhelming." "Indeed." "It's just the potential curse within the final tomb... Prepare some purification and blessing scrolls in advance. High-grade ones. Everyone should have some on them, right?" "I believe most people brought their own." "Take a tally later and report back to me on who doesn't have them." "Yes, Captain." "All right, let's head back. No, back to Allen Apartments. Does the projectionist live in the apartments?" "He has a room there." "Good. We're going back to watch a movie." Muri drove the car to Allen Apartments. First, he fetched the projectionist for Karen, then personally took the dossier across from the front gate to Alaiye's agency to make copies, as they had equipment for printing contracts. "Sir, which movie would you like to watch? I have many film reels here. If it's not available, I can fetch it right away." "*Dead Silence*, do you have it?" "A very famous horror film. Yes, I have it." "Play that one." "Right away, sir. Follow me, please." Karen followed the projectionist to a room converted specifically for screening films. Inside were three sofas and a pile of floor cushions stacked in the corner. "Young Master Karen, would you like something to drink?" Xili's mother appeared at the doorway. "Ice water, thank you." About five minutes later, the lights in the projection room dimmed, and images flickered onto the screen. The viewing experience felt very similar to the open-air cinema in Karen's memories from his previous life. The image quality wasn't especially crisp, though that perception only existed because he had seen clearer pictures before; in practice, it didn't disrupt the viewing experience. Sipping his ice water, Karen began watching the film. Not long after the movie started, Muri, who had finished printing and distributing the documents, walked in and took a seat on the sofa behind Karen to watch along. When the ninety-minute film ended, Karen rubbed his eyes and yawned. Muri behind him looked equally worn out. Truth be told, expecting actual priests to watch a horror movie and show genuine fright was unrealistic. Even the most twisted horrors a director could concoct couldn't hold a candle to a priest's everyday routine. "What did you think?" Karen asked. Muri chuckled. "Not as entertaining as romance or political films." "The prototype for the villain was the last inheritor of the Congers family—specifically, the last Congers of any renown on the surface." "Do you think he's a crucial link, Captain?" "Yes. But he lived over a century ago, so leads are hard to find. I'm wondering if he was interred in the tomb when he died. If he was, he's very likely the last Congers to have entered it." Was this an overlooked clue? No, Sinyali had already mentioned his existence and recommended the movie, which meant she had certainly noticed him and investigated, yet failed to find concrete results. By that point, that Congers had been virtually indistinguishable from an ordinary mortal, and church archives only recorded events within church circles. "All right, I'll head back first. Organize a study session with everyone tonight to go over this dossier carefully. Consolidate their opinions and hand them to me tomorrow morning." "Captain, should I drive you back?" "No need. Alfred is already waiting for me downstairs." Muri looked down from the balcony and indeed spotted Alfred. After returning to the funeral parlor, Karen instructed Xili to prepare a meal while he walked into his study. Setting the dossier on the desk, he sat down and began leafing through it thoroughly. He read for nearly two hours. Xili had brought his meal long ago. Karen pushed the documents aside, picked up his chopsticks and bowl, and began eating the food, which had already gone cold. This was the squad's first mission since its formation, and Karen was taking no chances. He would rather complete every single preparation beforehand than run into unexpected trouble during execution. Neo had once said that as a captain, one had to get used to people "coming and going" in the squad. Although Karen understood the meaning behind those words, getting used to it took time. He hoped his squad would always stay whole—unrealistic yearnings were, after all, the purest kind of beauty. Finishing his simple meal, Karen stood up, planning to take a shower first to let his head cool down. He hadn't even entered the tomb yet, let alone arrived in Sangpu City, but images of wandering through the tomb kept flashing across his mind. Stepping into the master bedroom, Karen saw Pu'er sitting on a pillow, leisurely wagging its tail after finishing afternoon tea. "Where's Kevin?" Karen asked. "In the storeroom doing maintenance and upgrades on the communication array. He's planning to add an acoustic amplifier, like a loudspeaker. That way, when a message arrives through the array, the speaker will blare a loud alert like a school dismissal bell, saving us the trouble of stationing someone on duty around the clock. Oh, and he's adding a timekeeping function too. At the top of every hour, it'll chime a few times like a grandfather clock, which will also double as a self-check to ensure the array is running properly." "Mm. I'm going to take a shower. Oh, by the way, I found a partner from the Church of Principles today. Our relationship going forward will probably be like Grandpa's with Hoffen." Pu'er immediately asked, "Male or female?" "Female." "How old?" "A year younger than me?" "Is she pretty?" "Quite good-looking." Pu'er let out a long breath. "Phew..." Immediately after, Pu'er looked up at Karen with a grin. "If she's only average-looking, then I can relax." Then Pu'er quickly corrected itself, "I mean, I can relax on behalf of my great-great-great-great-niece." They were simply too familiar with each other, being bedmates who slept on the same bed every day. Certain speaking habits, even if poorly phrased, conveyed the exact intended meaning. "She's a very good partner. I think she's outstanding." Pu'er tilted its head and smirked. "See, you've never called Ophelia outstanding, hehe." "I'm going to take a shower." Once Karen entered the bathroom, Pu'er flicked its tail. "Hmph, always acting guilty whenever Ophelia comes up." Hopping off the bed, Pu'er strolled into the study and noticed the thick stack of papers on the desk. Karen's study was completely open to Pu'er, Kevin, and the radio goblin; secrets simply didn't exist here. Pu'er leaped onto the desk, casually pawed through a few pages, and murmured in confusion, "Huh? Congers?" Having showered and changed into pajamas, Karen walked out of the bathroom and returned to the study, where he found Pu'er sitting on the desk reading the documents with great relish. "This is the dossier for the tomb raid? It's so detailed." "Yes, it is." "Karen, as a former outstanding expedition captain, let me tell you: an expedition where every single detail is scouted in advance is terribly boring." "You did it for fun back then, whereas I'm doing it to make a living. It's different." "You make it sound like I was childish. By the way, this last Congers—the prototype for the main character in the novel adaptation of *Dead Silence*..." Karen suddenly realized something. A Congers from over a century ago—wasn't that from Pu'er's era? What's more, the Congers family tomb was located in Wien. "You know him?" Pu'er nodded. "Yes, I do. Piston Congers. Back then, he came to Allen Manor requesting an audience with me, hoping to join my expedition squad." "Was he qualified?" Back in the day, the entry threshold for Pu'er's expedition squad had been extraordinarily high; Philias's wife and Bernard had both been members. "Of course he wasn't qualified. At the time, his only ability was enchanting wooden dolls and performing magic tricks or ventriloquism on stage—one person chatting with one or more puppets on stage to make the audience laugh. But he brought a decent plan with him back then, which left quite a deep impression on me, because he wanted us to take him along to explore and excavate his family's ancestral tomb. Oh, what a fascinating fellow, wasn't he? Actually inviting outsiders to dig up his own ancestral graves." "And then?" "I was quite interested at first. What a fun undertaking that sounded like! But Bernard vehemently opposed it at the time. He said the Congers family was under a curse." "A curse?" "A curse from the Moon Goddess, Artemis." "The main deity worshiped by the Church of the Moon Goddess?" "Piston Congers and many generations of ancestors before him had dedicated themselves to uncovering the reason behind the bloodline curse, and they arrived at this hypothesis: several centuries ago, an ancestor of his family went to enchant a severely damaged divine artifact—[Goddess's Pity]. That divine artifact had deteriorated terribly, becoming inferior even to an ordinary sacred relic. When that ancestor was invited to enchant it, probably neither he nor the person who hired him even realized it was a divine artifact. So, he went ahead with the enchantment, and he actually managed to produce an effect." "What kind of divine artifact is [Goddess's Pity]?" "To put it plainly, it was the Moon Goddess's nightgown. Wearing it or receiving its blessing soothes the soul; it's one of the very few divine artifacts capable of purifying the soul. In the mythological accounts of the *Light of Order*, there should be a passage recording this: during a great campaign, the God of Order was gravely wounded, and the Moon Goddess draped her nightgown over him to shield him from wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, keeping him company until he recovered." "They were cursed simply for enchanting that artifact?" "Yes. The true form of [Goddess's Pity] is the Moon Goddess's nightgown. Do you know what kind of effect that Congers ancestor enchanted onto it?" "What kind of effect?" "A transparency effect."