Curse Returns: What did the human-shaped wishing machine do wrong this time?

"Make a wish? Can I wish for anything?"

The monk thought for a moment, then lowered his head, about to ask something else, but the child stopped answering him.

The two of them entered the hall, where, apart from the younger brother of the current head of the Fujiwara family, there were several young monks and some warrior monks. The abbot was not present.

Towards the end of the Nara period, the conflict between the Emperor's forces and the Fujiwara clan intensified, and the Emperor was further constrained by the power of the monks, which led to the order to move the capital to Heian-kyo.

Now, the Fuji clan is rising again due to the Empress's power, and the Emperor wants to support religious sects to centralize power. The relationship between these three is one of mutual support and independent governance.

Therefore, even within Todai-ji Temple alone, it's not a solid iron barrel.

Alluka looked up curiously, glancing around.

There are no Buddha statues enshrined in this hall; it looks like a place for rest.

"Repeat what just happened."

The younger brother of the Grand Minister of State, Fujiwara no Sein, questioned the monk with stitches on his head with a somewhat serious expression.

"...Everything was normal at first, but just as I was about to step into the house, he asked me three questions."

He repeated what had happened at the doorway, and Fujiwara frowned slightly: "A wish? Three questions, huh...?"

There were many children with magical talents in their time. The Fujiwara family alone had more than one training base. The children's magical skills were diverse, but he had never heard of the concept of making a wish.

Fujiwara gave Master Genkai a meaningful look.

The monk with the stitches on his head also wanted to understand the principles behind the child's technique. He lowered his head slightly and said, "Benefactor."

He wanted to find out the principle behind the child's wish-granting spell, as well as the origin of those rope figures.

But the child ignored him.

After observing the scene inside the hall for a while, Alluka suddenly asked the young novice monk beside her a question.

"Brother, what's your name?"

He tilted his head, a smile spreading across his childish face, radiating an innocent and joyful aura.

The young novice monk in the khaki robes looked up nervously and, after the head monk nodded, stammered, "This humble monk is Huixiang."

He had only recently become a monk, and his spiritual practice was not very profound.

"Brother Huixiang, could you dance for me?"

"Why?"

The young novice monk was somewhat stunned and uttered a question, not expecting the child to make such a request.

Alluka knelt on the couch, clapping his hands. His long, black hair, as smooth as silk, swayed slightly in the wind. He stared intently at the little novice monk, who looked so obedient and adorable.

"The requirements have changed, haven't they?"

Fujiwara rested his chin on his hand, pondering the reason behind it.

The child said his ability was to make wishes, so did he ask for them based on his mood or for some other reason?

While he was pondering, Hui Xiang had already agreed to Alluka's three requests with the master's permission.

Unlike Yuan Hai, the three requests he agreed to were a bit more difficult, such as dancing or riding a horse.

It sounds like a child's prank.

However, after all three requests were granted, the inhuman-looking monster with black smoke emanating from its face reappeared.

His horrified features stared in Hui Xiang's direction, his body stiff as if he were a rusty wind-up toy.

"What is your wish?"

The thing residing in the child, seemingly a cursed spirit, repeated the sentence several times in a sharp, piercing voice.

Hui Xiang looked nervously in Fujiwara-sama's direction.

"Let's see if we can make you a sorcerer."

Fujiwara frowned, trying to find out the answer.

He originally wanted Hui Xiang to ask this thing, which he didn't know was a cursed spirit or a monster, but then he thought it would be better to just make a wish and see if it could be fulfilled.

What are his so-called standards for making a wish, and to what extent can they be fulfilled?

If he wishes for the Emperor to die, will the Emperor die immediately?

He wanted someone else to test the results.

Having received the adult's approval, Hui Xiang hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking, "Can I become a sorcerer?"

Huixiang himself came from a collateral branch of the Fujiwara clan. His magical power was so weak that he could not see the spirits of the curse. He was also somewhat stupid, so his father sent him to a temple to become a monk.

The monks of Todai-ji Temple had intricate connections with the imperial family and nobility, ensuring his livelihood in this chaotic world.

One day, after hearing that he might become a sorcerer, a small hope suddenly arose in Hye Sang's heart.

"Sure."

The pale-faced unidentified creature granted his request in a flat, monotone voice.

The moment his voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall became eerie.

The wooden window flaps creaked inexplicably, and several large holes were torn in the paper shoji doors from the outside, letting in a cold wind that caused the objects on the tables inside the hall to tilt and sway.

The sky seemed to change color, and as the vision flickered, a dense, pitch-black vortex of cursed power was injected into Hui Xiang's body in a way that was visible to the naked eye.

Hui Xiang's monk's robe was stretched taut by his muscles, and something that looked like gas was rapidly moving beneath his skin.

Unlike Sugawara Ichiwa, Keishō's wish did not specify a concrete value; the curse power representing negative emotions that was infused into him could only be considered an average.

Even so, these emotions can be quite overwhelming.

The little monk lay prostrate on the ground, roaring and howling for a long time. After enduring for several tens of minutes, he stood up with bloodshot eyes.

At that moment, he felt the immense magical power that had inexplicably appeared within his body and confirmed that he had truly become a sorcerer.

The distorted space around them began to calm down, as if the vortex of cursed power, piled up like dark clouds, was gradually dissipating.

A sorcerer's spells are innate, while their spell power can be cultivated.

However, this does not mean that an ordinary person who cannot even see the cursed spirits can become a sorcerer with decent cursed power in a few tens of minutes.

Stunned by the scene, everyone present was momentarily speechless.

After a moment of silence, Fujiwara, who was in charge of internal affairs, found his voice again:

"If you grant the request, you can make a wish. But... what if you refuse? Genkai, why don't you try again?"

At that moment, his brain was working at lightning speed.

If he could keep making wishes, the Fujiwara family would produce countless sorcerers. Or perhaps he could hide the child away and become the head of the family.

The monk with stitches on his head responded somewhat stiffly, "Lord Fujiwara, this..."

He was unwilling to be a pawn in the trial and error process.

Whether out of intuition or for some other reason, he felt that refusing the request might be related to the corpses that had been twisted into ropes.

It sounds wonderful.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the usually well-behaved child spread out his hands and asked softly:

"Brother Yuanhai, could you give me your right patella?"