Suddenly, Lazry knitted his brow. A strange thought tugged at him. Normally, normal humans should not see curse demons at all. Only awakened conjurers or those born with talent could see them. But this landlady, this ordinary girl from an ordinary building, had seen the six eyed demon dog clearly enough to freeze in terror.
Could she be awakened?
Lazry narrowed his eyes and looked at her carefully. No curse mana. No aura. No strange ripple in the air. Nothing. She was as normal as a person could be.
Then how?
He forced a smile, stepped slightly to block her view, and said, "Ah, that? It is just a stuffed toy."
"Really?" she asked, voice trembling.
Lazry nodded in the most confident way he could manage. "Yes. A stuffed toy. You know, one of those novelty ones. Soft. Weird-looking. A bit creepy if you are not used to it."
The landlady looked at him like she wanted to believe him but her common sense would not let her. "But… but it is breathing…"
"Oh," Lazry said quickly, "that is because it is a robot toy. Very high tech. It breathes, moves a little, even follows light sometimes. Fake breathing, you know. Like a pet simulator. Very expensive. I bought it because the reviews said it helps… uh… reduce loneliness."
He kept talking and talking, pouring out every excuse he could think of. He even added extra detail like some robot engineer rambling about artificial joints and power cells. He talked long enough that the landlady slowly blinked, slowly nodded, slowly questioned her own sanity.
"So… it is really just a toy?"
"Yes," Lazry answered and edged forward. "Just a toy. Nothing to worry about. I am still cleaning though so if you do not mind, I will finish this later."
Before she could ask anything else, he gently but quickly closed the door.
The landlady stood outside in silence, stunned.
Inside, Lazry pressed his forehead against the door and exhaled. "That was close."
…
About twenty minutes later, Winston arrived. But he did not come alone. Standing behind him were four men dressed in sharp formal uniforms, their collars pressed, their sleeves spotless, their boots shining so brightly Lazry could see his reflection on them.
Lazry's eyes widened. "Why are you all here?"
He blinked again. "And why are you all dressed like you are going to a funeral? Or a wedding? Or both?"
The group stood stiffly in the hallway. Winston gave a small bow.
"They helped me carry the curse beast demons for your pet, young master," Winston explained. "And they are dressed like this because they were preparing to attend the Clan's celebration."
He said the last part softly. The others behind him stiffened even more, waiting for Lazry's reaction. Everyone knew the celebration's reason. They were celebrating the legendary curse beast, the nine tailed demon fox. Lazry's own summon. The one that had been taken from him and given to someone else.
Winston lowered his head, bracing for anger.
Instead, Lazry simply nodded. "Ah. Okay. Anyway, just give me the curse beasts for my dog."
The group froze.
Jaro nearly dropped the heavy container he was holding. Ren's mole spirit poked its head out of his pocket, confused by its master's shock. Tomas, old and fragile, let out a gasp. Pip's mouth opened so wide it almost unhinged.
They could not feel a drop of hatred in Lazry's voice.
Not a drip.
Not a shadow.
Winston slowly lifted his head. "Young master… why do you sound like you…"
"What? Angry?" Lazry said and waved it off. "There is nothing I can do about it. I do hate them but I feel like they are beneath me."
Dead silence.
All five of them stared at him as if he had just declared himself the new god of curses.
In Lazry's mind, everything was simple. He had a system. He would grow stronger. Strength meant everything in this world. As long as he had that, revenge would come in time. There was no need to rush. No need to explode in anger. No need to care about the clan's nonsense now.
But the servants misunderstood instantly.
Beneath him?
Did that mean he wanted them to stomp on the Lycannis Clan for him?
Every face turned pale. Winston's hand shook. Jaro looked like he wanted to run into a wall. Ren's mole spirit fainted. Tomas whispered a prayer. Pip swallowed with a squeak.
Their thoughts spiraled.
Jaro imagined himself polishing the Clan's sacred hall until it collapsed.
Ren imagined releasing mole spirits into the elders' rooms.
Tomas imagined replacing the clan stables with devil horses.
Pip imagined chewing through the roof beams with his squirrel wisp.
All of them imagined a thousand disasters.
All of them thought Lazry wanted them to cause trouble in his name.
All of them wanted to cry.
But did they have a choice? If young master wanted it, they had to obey. That was the weight of a servant under a noble household.
Meanwhile, Lazry finally noticed their expressions twisting in strange ways.
He frowned. "Why do you all look like you swallowed bugs?"
They shook their heads frantically. "Nothing, young master. Nothing at all!"
Lazry shrugged. Strange, but he did not care enough to dig deeper.
Then, something shimmered in front of his vision. A system window slid open like a floating page of light.
[ Rare Beast Ability Mission ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for an hour.
Reward: A normal Curse Ethereal Fox illusion technique. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for two hours.
Reward: An elite Curse Ethereal Fox illusion technique. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for three hours.
Reward: A rare Curse Ethereal Fox illusion technique. ]
Lazry sighed. "Fox techniques again? Seriously?"
He scrolled down, hoping for something better.
More Fox techniques. More Dog techniques. More Lycans. More Clan nonsense.
He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Why is everything about the family? I do not even want their techniques."
But then another section appeared.
[ Merging Ability Mission ]
Lazry leaned closer.
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for 10 minutes.
[ Reward: A normal Curse Merging. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for twenty minutes.
[ Reward: An elite Merging. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for half an hour.
[ Reward: A rare Merging. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for forty-five minutes.
[ Reward: A super rare Merging. ]
[ First Level: Go to the celebration and do nothing there for an hour.
[Reward: A legendary Merging. ]
Lazry blinked.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then sped up.
Then slowed again.
"Wait… what?"
A chill slid down his spine.
The system was telling him to go to the celebration he wanted to avoid most.
It wanted him to stand in the middle of the people who humiliated him.
And do nothing.
For hours.
His throat tightened. His palms felt cold.
The promise of a legendary merging was tempting, but the thought of returning to the place where he was mocked, stepped on, ignored, and stripped of his summon…
Lazry felt a spike of fury he had not expected
"That place is perfect, I want to meet the bastard the elders gave my fox to… the one who called me in the earlier morning!" he whispered.
For the first time since getting the system, Lazry felt genuinely excited.