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

"The messenger brought news that the Emperor intends to send an angel from the Abe family to eliminate that two-faced monster in the Aizu region."

In the quiet room, the candlelight flickered.

Several middle-aged men dressed in straight robes and wearing black hats sat there, their faces hidden in the darkness.

Recently, rumors have been rampant in various places about a "two-faced" and "four-armed" monster slaughtering civilians everywhere. It is said that this monster is cruel, cold-blooded, and indifferent to life.

It especially liked to twist civilians into ugly ropes or cut them into pieces out of thin air; even the Fujiwara clan's vanguard was killed by this monster.

The adults present naturally knew how much exaggeration was involved in this rumor.

The two-faced, four-armed monster is real, and so is the monster that plays with people's lives, but the twisted, rope-like creatures appearing in various places have nothing to do with this two-faced, four-armed monster.

Some time ago, when the traces of this monster overlapped with the village where the sacrifice was made, the elder of the Fujiwara family linked the rope doll incident he had created with the pink-haired monster.

Since the two rope doll incidents in Heian-kyo, the nobles have been in a state of panic. After this rumor spread, the nobles tentatively held some gatherings. When they saw that no more rope dolls appeared in Heian-kyo, they returned to their original dejected and elegant ways.

The several large-scale civilian deaths reported in various places were not of concern to them.

The two-faced, four-armed monster was incredibly powerful and didn't like to talk much. None of the few sorcerers who went to challenge him survived, and the lies of the Fujiwara family have yet to be exposed.

"Is the Emperor suspicious of our Fujiwara family?"

When the Fujiwara clan chief spoke, his face was somewhat serious and cold, his narrow eyes were slightly lowered, and his expression was not good.

The current emperor is only about ten years old, and the empress is the daughter of the Fujiwara clan head. The two do not have any children yet, so the emperor cannot step down.

The Fujiwara family had always acted as regents for the young emperor as his maternal uncles, but now this young emperor actually wanted to make his own decisions in private.

The angel from the Abe family has a spell effect that nullifies, and it has a special attack bonus against things like monsters and demons that are being purified.

If that two-faced, four-armed monster is indeed a demon, then it would be very appropriate for the angels to take action. The Fujiwara family's elite troops and the angels have always kept to themselves, but the fact that the Emperor assigned the mission to the Abe family without revealing anything to them makes the Fujiwara family think too much.

None of the people present dared to respond to the remarks made by the Fujiwara clan chief.

"What about that six-eyed guy from the Sugawara family?"

"Brother, a monster called Yamata no Orochi has recently appeared in Harima Province of the Sanyo Road. Sugawara no Satoru has been dispatched to exorcise it," Fujiwara no Michimitsu replied.

The Fujiwara and Sugawara families have been at odds for centuries, constantly sabotaging each other in the imperial court. The two previous rope-man incidents involved too many nobles, and the head of the Fujiwara family promised them some benefits, which is why Alluka's existence has not been exposed until now.

However, the fact that the Emperor now harbors doubts about the Fujiwara Kita family makes them wonder if Sugawara Satoru has said something.

"If there's a chance, arrange for someone to get rid of him, and prepare to make another wish."

After pondering for a while, the Fujiwara clan chief waved his hand and made the next decision.

*

At dusk, the sky was ablaze with the glow of sunset.

The shrine's eaves cast a black silhouette against the crimson backdrop.

A black-haired boy stood beneath a lacquered red torii gate, gazing curiously at the sky above. He saw several birds fluttering their wings and playing on the ropes wrapped with gohei (ceremonial hat ornaments).

Two strands of black hair on his cheeks were tied together by Jin Ling, whose face was painted with expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. He wore a plain white robe without any patterns, and his toes were visible beneath the layers of crimson trousers.

Alluka has been at this mountain shrine for over a month, where his movements are not restricted.

He was free to move around the shrine grounds at other times, but occasionally some of the Fujiwara family members would beg him and Nanika to do things for them.

Alluka didn't quite understand what these people were doing, but Nanika was well-fed, and he was happy to be fed as well.

"Lord Alluka, it's time to begin."

As he was observing the birds, a woman's voice interrupted him in a gentle tone.

Alluka turned his head, and a pretty girl with long pink hair appeared behind him at some point.

"I see."

He obediently responded and slowly followed the girl towards the quiet room.

Ever since someone put Nanika to sleep last time, the girl has been placed in the shrine by the masked person.

Her ability is quite interesting; she can tear the sky down like a piece of cloth.

Alluka loved playing with her, but whenever he asked her name, she would say, "Those who join the party from the Sun, Moon, and Stars live in the shadows. I don't have a name."

The two walked slowly along the long path, while two rows of maids carrying lanterns illuminated the dark corridor.

Inside the room, several high-ranking monks sat solemnly on prayer cushions, holding prayer beads, their chanting rising and falling in a continuous stream.

Although the Fujiwara family was already very familiar with Alluka's abilities, whenever it came to their own, they would have the high-ranking monks in the family perform purification rituals and prayers in advance, hoping that every wish would go smoothly.

Amidst the rising smoke of incense, Alluka saw a man she had never seen before appear before her.

"I am Fujiwara no Michitaka. Can you force me to do anything?"

The Fujiwara family made more than a dozen wishes in succession, and in the alternation between their own people and the sacrifices, they never suffered any consequences.

The last Fujiwara elder's wish was to remove all curses from the vicinity of Heian-kyo.

The Heian period was the golden age of sorcerers, and the quantity and power of curses were also outstanding.

The curse that the elder had wished for thousands of years actually disappeared in an instant, and the price for this wish had already been paid with offerings.

If they make a wish this time, the difficulty will return to the initial level.

Sure enough, after he spoke, the black-haired boy replied, "Sure, Fujiwara no Michitaka, can you lift me up high?"

Desire is endless.

When a person can get what they want without paying any price, everything turns into a web of desire, pulling them into an endless abyss.

Initial demands are easily met.

When Nanika opened her eyes again, a thick stream of negative emotions slowly flowed through her empty features.

"What is your wish?"

"Can I make the Emperor obey my commands?"

The middle-aged man raised his head and spoke his request, word by word.

"sure."

Nanika slowly opened her mouth, her voice high-pitched and sharp, indistinct in the mist.