"How many fireworks have gone off at once since you've been here?"

She licked takoyaki sauce off her finger. "Hmm… seems random. Sometimes only one, sometimes eight or nine go at once."

I nodded. That matched the information I knew.

Number of hammers that could fall at once were random.

"Did you notice anything else about the fireworks?" I asked.

She thought for a moment.

"Aye. Each time there be a five-minute gap. But the number that go off together changes. And they get bigger too. Every time, the next firework's larger than the last."

Exactly what I expected.

'Everything is just as I knew.'

'A larger hammer falls each time.'

'If we take too long to escape, a hammer big enough to crush the entire domain will drop.'

An attack like that would not kill the Blackout Priest.

But…

'It will kill every living being inside this domain.'

I forced myself to look away from the sky.

Because of this "God," exorcising the Blackout Priest was nearly impossible.

The only way to survive was to escape the domain before the final hammer fell.

I turned and looked at Judy's drone hovering behind me.

From this point on, what I was going to do couldn't be seen by anyone.

So—

"Judy, bring the drone lower," I said.

"Affirmative. Executing directive," she replied in a flat, mechanical tone.

The drone descended, whirring softly.

I waited until it was close enough that it wouldn't dodge fast enough.

Then I pulled out my Desert Eagle and shot it.

The drone exploded into sparks and metal fragments.

"Warning. Caelum Nocthera, please explain the purpose of your action," Judy's voice crackled through my earpiece.

"I'm doing this to leave the domain. Don't send another drone, and don't try to watch what I'm doing until I return."

Before she could answer, I ripped out the earpiece and crushed it in my hand.

'Yuna,' I called through our link, 'are there more drones nearby?'

She looked around sharply, her senses far sharper than mine, then shook her head.

"The perimeter is clear, Lord of Shadows. But what are you planning?"

'You'll know soon,' I said.

I turned toward the inn girl, who was still watching the sky while eating takoyaki.

She looked cheerful, youthful, and harmless…

Except her head.

Her head was an eldritch octopus shape, massive and tiny at the same time, impossible for the eye to fully process.

It made my vision sting every time I looked at it.

"Hey," I said. "Can you help us leave this place?"

She blinked and tilted her head. "Help ye? What d'ye mean, sire?"

"I want you to use your cursecraft on me," I said. "Cast the Curse of Misfortune Binding on me."

"W-What?" she stammered, startled.

Her monstrous head was painful to look at, but somehow I still understood the emotion behind her voice. Panic, confusion, and embarrassment.

"I c-can't do any cursecraft," she said.

"I know you've used it on business competitors," I replied calmly. "To stop their inns from getting more customers than yours. You also use it on food so customers come back and recommend your place—"

"I don't!" she shouted, then burst into tears. "I never used cursecraft like that! Why are ye sayin' such awful things?!"

Her voice cracked, and she started sobbing.

I stayed quiet and just watched her.

Her intense reaction made sense.

She had been working nonstop to make the Drinking Whale Inn a good place.

It was her father's last wish to turn the inn into something famous.

After he passed away, she'd been handling every guest, every problem, every long night alone.

My words had stabbed right into the one place she tried hardest to protect.

As her crying grew louder, the space around us began to twist and distort.

'Here it comes.'

Her emotions acted like a trigger.

The air tore open as if sliced by invisible blades.

Something massive began to emerge from the tear. It was an overwhelming presence that pressed down on my body like a collapsing mountain.

Its aura was just as strong as Thalwen's. Maybe even stronger.

Yuna flinched and stepped back. "Lord of Shadows… what is that?! Did you know this thing would appear?!"

She rushed toward me and began healing me frantically as I nearly collapsed to one knee.

"Do something! Stop making the girl cry! This Cursed Spirit feels like her guardian!"

She was absolutely right.

This guardian was the reason the inn girl survived the blackout.

When everyone else died, it protected her.

And it would keep protecting her no matter what.

Something cold and sharp wrapped around me.

It felt like thousands of snakes coiling around my arms, legs, chest, tightening slowly.

Their touch was freezing, biting into my skin, draining warmth from my bones.

I didn't look at the entity.

Even a glance might kill me.

I kept my gaze on the crying inn girl.

"Lying won't change anything," I said quietly.

The grip around me tightened.

I could feel my bones creak.

The air felt heavier, like the world itself was warning me.

Looking at the tears on the girl's face, I understood one thing clearly:

If I made her cry again, I would probably be crushed until nothing remained.

The guardian's presence felt ancient like something that had existed before the concept of fear itself.

It seemed to whisper a promise:

Do not hurt her.

Do not make her sad.

Do not step beyond the line.

Or I would regret being born.

Perfect.

Nothing motivates honesty like the threat of being turned into a red smear on the ground.

The inngirl sniffled loudly and wiped her tears. "I never used voodoo magic like that! I only used it on customers who made trouble in the inn! I swear on me father's beard, I didn't use it fer business tricks or anythin' nasty!"

"I know," I said.

She froze. "…What?"

"I know you didn't use it for anything shady. I apologize for everything I said earlier. I only said it to make you admit you actually have cursecraft."

The crushing force wrapped around my ribs stopped tightening.

It didn't loosen, but at least it wasn't increasing.

So that was a good sign.

Probably.

The inngirl blinked at me, confused. She clearly couldn't see the horrific, universe-eating guardian that was looming behind her like a disappointed parent.

"Why? No—how do ye know I can use voodoo magic?" she asked.

I sighed like I was deeply troubled.

Then I dramatically ruffled my hair.

Pretending to act normal was not easy when my ribs were creaking like rotten floorboards, but I kept my expression calm.

"I didn't want to say this here," I said quietly.

The inngirl stepped closer, still sniffling. "What're ye tryin' to say?"

I took a slow breath and stepped closer too.

"I like you, Olivia," I said. "I liked you from the moment I saw you five years ago."

She froze completely.

Her eldritch octopus-head somehow looked shocked even though I couldn't logically interpret its shape.

I continued talking before the guardian turned me into paste.

"I couldn't make any big moves because my master never let me reveal myself. According to him, people would kill me if they discovered who I was. So even though I liked you, I couldn't approach you. I could only act now because he finally said my training is complete and I can protect myself."

"What…?" she managed.

I stepped even closer.

Now only a few inches separated us.

"I've watched you for years, waiting for the right moment to propose to you. It was during one of those times that I discovered your voodoo magic. I'm sorry if my earlier words hurt you."

"Wh-what…?" she repeated again.

Her face was bright red. Her pale skin flushed all the way down her neck and arms. She began squirming in place like a startled shrimp.

"I like you, Olivia," I said again, gently.

"W-what does that have to do with escaping this cursed place?" she asked, stammering.

"You asked how I knew about your cursecraft, so I told you the truth," I said calmly. "Now… what is your response?"

Her entire body jerked like she had been struck by lightning.

"T-this…! This is too sudden! Give me some blasted time!" she shouted, waving her arms wildly while stepping back in panic.

Behind her, the guardian chuckled.

Not audibly, but its presence shivered with amusement.

The sound was like a mountain laughing.

My skull nearly split open from the pressure.

My vision went blurry for a moment.

Thanks for laughing at my pain, eldritch spaghetti monster.

Slowly, the icy coils around me loosened.

I could breathe again.

A little.

"That won't do," I said. "You made me confess. And now you're going to tell me to wait?"

"I—I didn't make ye confess!" she shouted. "Who proposes out of nowhere in a cursed domain?! Me heart nearly burst out me chest!"

She covered her face, embarrassed.

I walked closer carefully, making sure the guardian didn't think I was threatening her.

The inngirl peeked through her fingers. "W-why are ye comin' closer?! I need time! Ye can't just—just—confess and expect—ugh!"

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