Ed watched Aunt Marcy leading the way ahead and the priest, who was already walking toward the entrance of the boulder cave. As for Raila, she was taking her revenge by continuously teasing him, her hands wandering to not-so-appropriate places on his body.
A question surfaced in his mind, and he began to ponder it unconsciously. He searched through his memories but could not figure out how they knew that the original owner's mother was dead, rather than missing.
Should I ask directly? Logically, any normal person would wonder, but now was not a good time for such a question. I'll ask later, Ed thought with a frown, growing genuinely irritated by Raila's teasing and deciding to teach her a proper lesson for messing with him once night fell.
While enduring his girlfriend's childish revenge, despite her being ten years his senior, they arrived inside the boulder. Walking into the cave, they found it unusually spacious.
Ed observed the surroundings. There were clear signs of artificial excavation inside, and the interior space was far larger than the external size of the boulder suggested. Essentially, the entire middle of the boulder had been hollowed out. Patterns were carved into the top of the stone walls, though they were partially obscured by torches and other fixtures.
The carvings were rough, almost mythical in appearance. A small hole, about the size of a human head, had been dug through the top of the boulder. Light from outside streamed through this opening, illuminating the dim cave alongside the flickering torches.
In this faint light, Ed surveyed the environment. About a meter above the ground, a series of grooves had been dug, each connected in a circular pattern. Layer upon layer stacked up to a height of three or four meters. Ed counted roughly nine layers in total. Each groove contained a stone of various shapes, all sharing the same pure, almost impurity-free material.
Then, Ed saw the central sculpture: a three-meter-tall statue made of the same stone as the boulder. It depicted a faceless woman with long hair, holding a swaddled baby in her arms. She wore a headband shaped from wheat ears, and a child of several years clung to her leg, clutching her trousers.
Though the statue was rough and lacked detailed facial features, the sculptor had managed to convey a sense of maternal kindness, giving it a strange, serene aura.
Aunt Marcy stopped about three or four meters from the statue, and Ed and Raila, following close behind, halted as well. The priest approached the statue, carrying the bag containing his mother's remains. He lifted the bag slightly, then slowly and solemnly knelt, gently placing it on the ground. The sound of bones clattering echoed in the silence.
He opened the bag, carefully removing the bones one by one, and piled them before the statue. Ed and the others watched quietly, waiting.
Seeing that neither his aunt nor his mischievous girlfriend spoke a word, Ed could only wait in silence, a confused expression on his face.
Finally, the priest retrieved the skull and placed it atop the pile. "Do not interrupt me," The priest spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, which made Ed frown internally. No one had said a word since they arrived, where did this "interruption" come from?
Standing straight, the priest crossed his hands over his shoulders and bowed his head slightly. Sunlight streamed into the cave. Ed didn't know if it was his imagination, but the light seemed to grow brighter, bathing the faceless statue, the priest, and his mother's remains in a bright, golden glow. The scene took on a hint of holiness.
Then, the priest's voice rang out:
"The sharp blade pierced through the back, and the blood-stained steel thrust straight out of the chest."
"Unbelievable, betrayal, regret."
"Silent darkness."
"Blood links, the last instinct."
Hearing the first line, Ed frowned. Though the priest seemed eccentric, his words made sense, they matched the wounds on his mother's body, so Ed listened carefully.
The second line described the emotions of the moment: betrayal. Anyone could deduce that, given the blade had struck from behind.
The third line might have referred to the feeling after death, though Ed found it somewhat unbelievable. He remembered being greeted by a bright white light after his own death, not silent darkness.
As for the fourth line, it was completely enigmatic.
The voice echoed in the cave a few times before silence returned. This was the simple information Ed could gather in a short time. Aside from the final, unknown line, the rest seemed useless. The priest did not seem reliable for investigating a murder, despite his apparent mysterious powers.
As Ed was silently complaining, the priest suddenly opened his eyes. He turned his head and stared directly at Ed, who was looking back with a less-than-friendly expression, as if regarding a hypocrite. The priest, however, seemed not to notice Ed's gaze and continued staring.
Ed was certain he hadn't imagined it: the priest's eyes had just shifted from dark green back to normal pupils—clearly not a normal phenomenon.
"Your mother's soul disappeared last night? Did you see her for the last time? Her bones were stained with a curse, but her death had nothing to do with it," The priest asked calmly, his tone casual, as if inquiring whether Ed had eaten breakfast rather than discussing something as unbelievable as a soul.
Beside him, Aunt Marcy also turned, staring at Ed with a hint of nervousness that seemed utterly unsuited to her rough and dangerous personality.
"Ed, sweetie, what did you experience last night?"
Seeing Aunt Marcy's anxiety and Raila's nervousness, Ed exhaled deeply. He rubbed his forehead, pretending to be deeply affected by the previous night's events. After all, this was his first encounter with a supernatural phenomenon; he shouldn't appear calm, or people might grow suspicious, especially this seemingly unhinged priest.
"I... I don't know if I was too excited or tired from treasure hunting last night, but my mother's corpse suddenly stood up, almost giving me a heart attack. She stared at me for a few minutes, and just as I was about to speak, she opened her palm to me."
As he spoke, Ed retrieved the cursed silver snake from his pocket. There was a blade mark on the snake's head.
"Then, this silver coin flew from my hand into my mother's palm, and she... fell apart. I thought it was a hallucination, that I might have thrown the coin in a panic. I know you all must think I'm crazy, but that's exactly what happened," Ed shrugged, shaking his head with an awkward laugh. But seeing everyone's grim expressions, he closed his mouth and lowered his head, wishing he could dig a hole and disappear under their collective gaze.
After hearing his story, the priest took two steps forward and extended his hand. "Show me the silver coin. Where did it come from?"
Ed raised his head and mechanically handed over the coin without hesitation. Before he could speak, however, he witnessed something that confirmed his suspicion that there was something off about the priest.
The priest took the silver coin, squinted as he examined it carefully, sniffed it, and even licked it before speaking seriously. "There is indeed a curse on it, but the scent is very faint." He turned to stare at Ed and asked, "Where did you find this silver snake?"
After repeating the question, the priest, Aunt Marcy, and Raila all seemed to realize the answer simultaneously. "The first treasure you found?" They asked in unison.
Some time ago, the original Ed had found a silver coin and made a spectacle of it across the island, even random children knew about it. The island was small, and everyone had known each other for generations. With few entertainment options, gossip was a common pastime.
Seeing that everyone had guessed correctly, Ed nodded with a hint of embarrassment. Though it had nothing to do with him, he now bore the responsibility for the original Ed's actions.
"Yes, it's that silver coin," After a pause, he continued, "When I found the silver coin, there was a passage engraved on the box."
"What passage?" The priest asked urgently, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"'Return the silver coin within seven days, or a curse shall befall you.'"
Ed had altered the original message, changing the consequence from instant death to a curse. He continued, "I fell seriously ill on the seventh day after finding the treasure, so out of fear, I started searching seriously, wanting to return the silver coin."
Hearing this, Aunt Marcy stepped forward and hugged Ed's head, complaining, "So you were sick because of this curse those two days? Why didn't you tell me?"
In contrast to Aunt Marcy's sentimental reaction, Raila looked at Ed with a weird expression. As far as she remembered, Ed had recovered from his illness in a single day, and a few days later, he had seduced her. Since then, he had been making love to her every night with techniques she couldn't have dreamed of. After falling for Ed, she realized she had wasted fifteen years of her life with the beast of both ex-husbands.
"And what would I have said? That I found a cursed coin? I didn't even believe it myself. Would you have believed such nonsense? Besides, curses are just stories, and it didn't even affect me. I'm still fit and fine."
Hearing Ed's joking words, Aunt Marcy could only sigh and nod.
After she released him from the embrace, the priest tossed the silver coin back to Ed, who caught it deftly.
"Thanks to the Stone Mother, you were unaffected by the curse, but you should still thank your mother. Her last act of spirit dispelled the curse on you and this coin."
With that, he looked at Aunt Marcy and Raila and nodded to both of them. They crossed their hands in a gesture of praise, nodded, and left the cave.
Since Ed had to handle the next part alone, Aunt Marcy said to him before leaving, "Come to my house for dinner tonight. Sigurd mentioned you'll be following a merchant ship this time. We need to discuss it."
Naturally, Raila didn't stay behind either. She walked up to Ed, whispered in his ear, "I'll come to you after dinner," and with a playful wink, followed Aunt Marcy out of the cemetery.
After the two women left, the eccentric priest stared at Ed for a few seconds, then at Raila, and couldn't help but shake his head with a hint of envy in his eyes. Their personal matters were none of his concern, so he pushed aside his uncharitable thoughts and returned to his role.
"Come here, Ed, and pray for your mother's peace," Since everyone on the island knew each other, the priest naturally used his familiar name.
Hearing this, Ed, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and walked over obediently. He looked at the pile of bones beneath the statue, crossed his hands, and bowed his head slightly.
The priest's voice echoed in his ears: "Calm your mind. Praise the Stone Mother in your heart and pray for her to grant your loved ones peace in death. The Stone Mother's grace is in your heart, as strong as a rock."
His voice seemed to carry a kind of magic, inexplicably soothing Ed's heart, though the effect would have been more obvious if he weren't wearing the Magicine Ring.
Following the priest's guidance, Ed prayed to the Stone Mother in his heart, though he knew little about her. He had only heard her name and seen her statue for the first time today. Silently, he recited the words the priest had spoken. There was no harm in trying something new.
The Stone Mother's grace is in your heart, as strong as a rock.
Suddenly, all sound vanished from his ears, as if he had been plunged into a muted world.
Crack.
A stone suddenly broke.
Hearing the unusual sound, Ed's eyes snapped open in confusion. He no longer knew where he was.