"I'm Taufik, Jenn's soon-to-be husband. Nice to meet you, Father-in-law. Ah, and by the way, I'm still eighteen years old"
"...WHAT?!"
The two elders stared at him in shock and disbelief.
Jenn had left home because she didn't want to get married, yet now that she'd finally returned, she'd brought a boy who claimed to be her soon-to-be husband. Where was the logic in that?!
*Cough... Cough...*
"What... what is he talking about?"
"..."
Hearing her father's question, Jenn remained silent.
Seeing that his daughter didn't even want to speak to him, John felt another wave of guilt wash over him. The regret he'd been carrying for so long grew even heavier.
"...Forget it. Just do whatever you want." He paused to catch his breath before continuing. "Your being here is enough for me. At least, when I leave this world, my regrets will be a little less painful... even if only by a little. I'm happy that you came, and... I'm sorry"
"..."
"I'm sorry for being such a terrible father. The pain I felt after your mother died... it blinded me. It closed my eyes and my heart. I thought I was the only one suffering when my wife... when your mother passed away"
His voice trembled.
"I-I never stopped to think about how you and your brother were feeling. I was so consumed by my own grief that I neglected the two people who needed me most. I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me, Jenn..."
*Cough!*
John's body trembled as another fit of coughing escaped his throat. Nevertheless, he forced himself to continue.
"...Please forgive this foolish father of yours. That way, when I meet your mother in the afterlife, at least I'll have the courage to face her"
John remained lying in bed, his tear-filled eyes fixed on his daughter.
Seeing her father in such a state was agonizing for Jenn; this was the first time she'd ever seen him cry.
Even when her mother died, John hadn't shed a single tear in front of her. Perhaps that was why she'd never fully understood just how deeply his grief had consumed him. He'd buried his pain so deeply that, instead of healing, it had slowly destroyed him.
And now, after everything he'd done, he was lying before her, crying and begging for forgiveness.
Jenn could no longer hold back her tears.
She hurried to his bedside, took his hand in hers, and clutched it tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she broke into sobs, crying like a little girl who had finally found her way back to her father.
Then, unable to hold herself back any longer, she threw her arms around him.
"...I forgive you, Father... I forgive you." Her voice broke as she hugged him tighter. "So please... don't leave us, too!"
John's eyes widened slightly before he slowly wrapped his arms around his daughter, returning her embrace.
For a moment, the two of them simply held each other, as though trying to make up for all the time they'd lost.
"...You know I can't, right?"
*Cough... Cough...*
"This curse... it's impossible to break"
His voice grew weaker.
"I'm so sorry, my dear. I'm truly sorry"
Watching the scene unfold, Albert and Jay couldn't hold back their own tears. The sight of Jenn and John embracing after everything that had happened was simply too much for them.
There was only one person in the room who seemed completely unfazed.
Taufik.
Ever since he'd first heard about John's condition, he'd wanted to say something. However, seeing how much this reunion meant to them, he'd decided to keep quiet rather than interrupt such an emotional moment.
After all, even he knew there was a time and place for everything.
'If it's really just a curse, maybe I can do something about it.' Taufik watched John carefully. 'I've already managed to heal someone's soul before. Compared to that, removing a mere curse shouldn't be too difficult'
Of course, that was only his assumption. He'd need to examine the curse first before knowing for certain.
Still, he wasn't particularly worried.
'Well, there's no harm in trying'
He continued waiting patiently.
Eventually, the sobbing quieted down. John and Jenn were still holding each other, their tears gradually drying as they tried to comfort one another.
Seeing that the moment had finally settled, Taufik decided it was time to speak.
"Anoo... I don't mean to ruin the moment, but..." Everyone turned toward him. "If it's just some curse, maybe I can do something about it"
The room fell silent.
John, Jay, and Albert stared at him with strange expressions.
For a moment, none of them knew how to respond.
Did this boy just say he could do something about the curse that had plagued the Robins family for generations?
A curse that had killed John's father, taken his wife, and was now slowly dragging him toward the grave?
And he was talking about it as casually as if he were offering to fix a broken chair?!
Meanwhile, Jenn looked at Taufik with an entirely different expression.
'...How could I forget?' She stared at her boyfriend, a complicated mixture of disbelief, exasperation, and renewed hope appearing in her eyes. 'This ridiculous, ridiculously powerful, seemingly all-capable boyfriend of mine...'
For a moment, she'd almost forgotten just how unreasonable Taufik could be.
And now, of all times, he'd casually offered to cure a curse that had tormented her family for generations.
"Young man, I know you want to make yourself look good in front of Jane, but..." John coughed several times before continuing. "Don't say something so ridiculous!"
He struggled to catch his breath.
"When my father suffered from this same curse..." *Cough! Cough!* "...do you think we just sat around doing nothing? We've invited countless experts to examine it, including several well-known spiritualists, but none of them could do anything!"
John shook his head weakly.
"They could only tell us that this curse originated from an ancient spirit, the Spirit of the Dead. According to them, only the Spirit of Life could break it, but that spirit has never appeared in the human world"
He fixed his gaze on Taufik.
"So, are you telling me that you..." *Cough! Cough!* "...have a contract with the Spirit of Life?"
"No, I don't, but-"
Seeing that Taufik still wasn't giving up, John interrupted him, his voice growing slightly irritated.
"...*Cough! Cough!* If you don't, then please, just shut up and let me spend what little time I have left with my family." His expression softened as he looked at Jenn. "I can feel it. My end is near"
Albert and Jay nodded in agreement. Neither of them wanted John to waste his remaining time on what they believed was an impossible treatment.
However, Taufik wasn't offended by John's words.
He understood why the man was skeptical. To someone who didn't know him or understand his abilities, his claim must have sounded utterly absurd. After all, even the most renowned spiritualists in the world had failed to break the curse.
Why should a young man who claimed to be Jenn's boyfriend be any different?
But Jenn was different.
She knew exactly what Taufik was capable of. She had witnessed him perform one ridiculous feat after another, accomplishing things that ordinary people would consider impossible.
And because of that, she wasn't ready to dismiss his words.
Jenn gently released her father's hand and stood up. She walked over to Taufik and took his hand, looking up at him with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.
"Dear... can you really do it? Can you really break the curse?"
Taufik looked at her and smiled.
"Of course I can. For something this important, have I ever lied to you?"
Hearing his confident answer, Jenn's eyes began to sparkle with hope. She had no idea whether he could truly succeed, but she wanted to believe him. After all, this was her father they were talking about.
She turned back toward John.
"Father, can you let my boyfriend try? If it's him, then... maybe he really can do something"
John looked at his daughter, uncertainty written all over his face.
'This boy... Can he really do what he's claiming?'
He had already lost his wife to this curse, and now he was on the verge of losing his own life. Countless experts had examined his condition, yet not one had found a solution.
It was difficult to believe that this young man could succeed where they had all failed.
But then again...
'I'm already dying. If he fails, nothing changes. But if he succeeds...' John glanced at Jenn's hopeful expression. '...Then I might actually get another chance'
After a moment of silence, he sighed.
"All right. Let him try"
Jenn immediately turned toward Taufik, her face brightening.
"You heard that, dear?"
"Yeah, I know~"
Taufik gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go and approaching John's bedside.
Watching the young man walk toward him, John couldn't help but ask one final question.
"So, young man... if you don't have a contract with the Spirit of Life, then what exactly are you going to use to break this curse?"
Taufik simply smiled.
Then, without warning, a katana appeared in his hand.
There was no flash of light, no dramatic burst of energy, and no visible movement. One moment, his hand was empty; the next, he was holding a katana as though it had been there all along.
John, Jay, and Albert stared at the weapon in astonishment.
"...Huh?"
Where had that sword come from?!
Taufik casually held up the katana.
"With this katana, I'll break the curse"
John blinked several times, struggling to process what he'd just heard.
"How...?" *Cough! Cough!* "How exactly are you going to break a curse with a katana?"
He looked at the blade, then back at Taufik.
"Are you planning to kill me or something?! I may be dying, but I don't want to die any sooner than necessary!" *Cough! Cough!* "There are still so many things I want to tell my children!"
Taufik's smile widened.
"Well, yes. I'm going to slash the curse with this katana using one of my techniques." He raised his free hand in a reassuring gesture. "But don't worry! The blade won't hurt you. I guarantee it. There's no way I'd accidentally kill my own father-in-law"
"..."
John stared at him.
'Father-in-law?! When did I agree to this marriage?!'
Unfortunately, his thoughts were interrupted by another coughing fit.
Taufik continued as though nothing had happened.
"If you're still worried, you can just close your eyes. Before you even realize it, the curse will be gone"
"...All right"
Perhaps it was because he was already at death's door, or perhaps it was because he had finally run out of energy to argue. Whatever the reason, John decided to trust the young man for once.
"Then let's begin the treatment"
Just as Taufik instructed, John closed his eyes.
However, he wasn't the only one.
Jay and Albert followed suit, both of them closing their eyes as they waited nervously for the result.
Even Jenn closed her eyes, trusting her boyfriend enough to let him work without watching.
Soon, everyone in the room had their eyes shut.
Taufik glanced around at the four people waiting for him.
"..."
'They're really trusting me with this, huh?'
He shook his head slightly, then turned his attention toward John.
The curse was the target. There was no need to harm the man himself.
With a calm expression, Taufik drew his katana from its scabbard.
'Sword Magic - Light Form: Dispel'
*SHING!*
....
...
..
.