Mary and Hancock had been together for many years, and Mary mostly trusted Hancock, especially now that she sensed that Robert and Diana might hold the solution to the curse affecting their relationship. It wasn't long before Robert and Diana brought Hancock and Mary to a remote wilderness area. Hancock's abilities still hadn't returned, and his injuries showed no signs of healing. Hancock's face had turned pale from the pain, but Robert wasn't in a hurry to treat him, wanting to observe a bit longer.
For curses, Robert didn't have much experience dealing with them before, but he believed that curses were a type of supernatural power. In theory, they should be easier to detect than the previous misfortune events.
"What was the frequency of the accidental events you encountered before?" Robert asked Hancock softly after they landed.
"Uh, I'm not sure. There didn't seem to be any pattern to the incidents..." Hancock hesitated, looking at Mary for any additional information.
"Honestly, we couldn't find any useful patterns either..." Mary sighed and explained to Robert, "If we could find a pattern, even if we lost our abilities and couldn't avoid the incidents entirely, we could at least separate temporarily when an incident was about to occur, giving Hancock a chance to deal with it..."
"Unfortunately, we have no way to deal with the curse seemingly etched into our abilities. We've tried various methods before but with no success, so we had to give up."
"I see." Robert nodded, carefully sensing the changes in Hancock and Mary's auras but finding nothing. After a while, he said, "I haven't observed anything yet. If you agree, we can stay here and observe for a while longer, and maybe I'll notice something when the next accident happens to Hancock."
"Okay..." Mary looked at Hancock without objection.
"I don't mind, but could you let me and Mary separate first to heal my arm? It's broken, and if it doesn't heal, it might lead to another accident," Hancock weakly said, clutching his injured arm and looking at Robert.
"That's exactly what I want to see!" Robert's mouth curled into a slight smile as he looked at Hancock. "We're in the wilderness now, so if anything happens to you, it would most likely be a physical ailment. Your arm injury is just such an opportunity. You said you love Mary and would do anything for her. Can't you bear a little pain?"
Hancock's face turned bitter at Robert's words, but in the next moment, he became resolute. "This injury won't affect me or shake my determination to be with Mary. Don't worry, Mary, I'll be fine!"
"But what if it leaves a lasting impact?" Mary looked worriedly at Hancock's injured arm, her eyes filled with concern.
"It won't matter. With your usual strength, regrowing a limb wouldn't be difficult!" Robert shrugged indifferently.
Mary began to doubt Robert's reliability, especially since she still didn't know Robert and Diana's backgrounds or how they knew Hancock.
Mary had seen Clark knock Hancock away, but to avoid endangering herself and Hancock, she had come to Europe, cutting off contact and not witnessing Hancock's later battles, let alone Robert's involvement.
Even though Mary had her doubts, she had no choice but to stay with Hancock, as separating would make them ordinary people unable to escape Robert and Diana's watchful eyes.
Hancock, in contrast, was much calmer. Besides the pain in his arm, he had no other concerns. He knew that if Robert wanted to kill him and Mary, he wouldn't need to do all this. Even with their powers, they wouldn't be a match for Robert, let alone now.
"Are you doing this to retaliate against him?" Diana sat beside Robert, smiling and asking telepathically.
"Of course not. I'm genuinely trying to observe their situation to help them overcome their curse," Robert shook his head decisively. He wanted to help Hancock and Mary master their abilities and stand with Earth's defenders.
Meanwhile, Kara almost couldn't hold back from rushing to Europe. "Observing them could be done anywhere. Why stay there? Just to avoid coming back? Hmph! If I see anything more intimate between them, you won't get any time off or rest!" Kara muttered to herself.
Tony Stark, working on dismantling defective armor in his lab, occasionally glanced at the monitoring screen, hoping to see Kara confront Robert, but he was disappointed when Kara made no further moves.
Time passed slowly as Robert and Diana observed Hancock's condition without engaging in flirtatious behavior. Robert sensed a foreboding feeling, suspecting Kara was watching them, making him cautious. He focused on solving Hancock's issue first before returning to appease Kara.
At night, Mary and Hancock, now ordinary people, slept, needing rest, while Robert and Diana continued their vigil.
"Hmm?!" Robert's eyes narrowed as he felt Hancock's aura suddenly weaken as if he were about to die, but it quickly returned to normal. Diana also noticed the anomaly, and they exchanged a glance, continuing to observe.
"Ah!" Hancock suddenly screamed, jumping up as a centipede bit his arm, causing it to swell and turn purple.
"This scene looks like it's out of a cartoon..." Robert remarked, watching Hancock's arm swell unnaturally. Normally, even if Hancock were bitten, the reaction wouldn't be this exaggerated. It seemed the curse was affecting him.
In nature, many creatures sense danger and avoid strong beings. With Robert and Diana present, no snake or insect should approach. Yet, this centipede had bitten Hancock, adding to the peculiarity.
"Hancock! Are you okay?" Mary woke up and rushed to Hancock's side, panicking at the sight of his swollen arm.
At that moment, Robert moved beside Hancock, using a healing spell to fully restore his arm.
"Oh my god?!" Mary exclaimed in shock, staring at Robert.
"WTF?! That's amazing!" Hancock was equally astonished at his rapid recovery.
"I can't lift the curse, nor have I found a way for you to maintain your powers together..." Robert said calmly. "But I've noticed a subtle anomaly before your accidents. If we can anticipate it, you won't be in danger."
"What anomaly?" Hancock and Mary asked eagerly.
"I have conditions. You've experienced the recent misfortune events. The Avengers are short on people, so you'll need to join and help out," Robert said seriously.
"No problem!" Mary and Hancock agreed in unison, willing to accept any conditions to stay together.
"Good! Let's head back!" Robert nodded, then telepathically told Diana, "I'll head back first. I'll come find you later."
"Hmph! Fine, but remember to spar with me and save some energy!" Diana responded with a cold snort, disappearing instantly.
Hancock and Mary were still dazed as Robert teleported them back to the Avengers base.
"Back so soon?" Kara greeted them, her tone cold.
"Just solving the problem. It's almost done. I'll be with you for anything you want afterward," Robert said with a sheepish smile, matching Hancock's earlier promises to Mary.
"Solved? No... something's off with them!" Tony Stark, having seen them on the monitor, came out and noticed Hancock and Mary's lack of superhuman presence, his eyes blinking in confusion.
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