As mentioned before, malevolent spirits—or curses—are monsters born from human negative emotions, inherently tied to humanity.
As long as humans exist, curses will keep spawning endlessly.
If Totsuki Academy strengthened its array to eliminate every curse that appeared, the array's power would quickly deplete.
Then, the school would need to hire onmyoji to set up a new array or recharge the existing one.
That would cost money.
Onmyoji need to eat too—they wouldn't work for free.
So, rather than exhaustively eliminating every curse, it was better to target only those that could harm students.
Ordinary curses couldn't affect people who couldn't see them.
Most Totsuki students were normal humans without spiritual sight, so they couldn't see curses and were safe from their influence.
This was Morpheus's theory, at least.
And he believed it was close to the truth.
Over an hour later, Erina and Hisako managed to wipe out all the curses in Totsuki Academy.
Temporarily, of course.
With time, more would gather.
Totsuki's intense academic environment and the students' unstable mental states, brimming with negative emotions, made the school a breeding ground for curses.
But Morpheus wasn't worried about Totsuki's safety.
It had been fine before, and now with his two followers, it was even more secure.
Erina and Hisako, however, were exhausted, panting heavily.
While Light Dimension power replenished their physical stamina, mental fatigue lingered.
Controlling that power for over an hour to eliminate curses was understandably draining.
Seeing this, Morpheus didn't press them further. With a grin, he said, "Alright, you two rest. No need to prepare meals today."
"But starting tomorrow, don't forget my offerings."
"I'm heading out."
With that, Morpheus left. His goal at Totsuki was achieved, so there was no reason to stay.
Before leaving, he withdrew his power, undoing the hypnosis.
All memory of him vanished from the students' minds.
Except for Erina and Hisako, his followers, no one at Totsuki remembered Morpheus.
He came gently and left just as quietly.
Waving a hand, he took nothing with him.
The next morning arrived in a blink.
Morpheus had just rolled out of bed, not yet washed up, when a voice reached his ears.
"Lord Morpheus, I've prepared this morning's meal. Please accept it."
It was Hisako's voice.
Following his instructions, she'd begun offering three meals a day.
Morpheus snapped his fingers in response to her prayer.
A steaming bento box appeared before him.
He glanced inside: a hearty breakfast of steamed buns, porridge, and savory pancakes.
It looked appetizing.
Morpheus set the box on the dining table, washed up in the bathroom, grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the kitchen, and sampled Hisako's offering.
The bun was thin-skinned, stuffed generously, with a pure flavor enhanced by yam and goji berries.
Classic Hisako, excelling at medicinal cuisine.
Morpheus didn't hold back his praise. "Tastes great. Keep it up."
At Totsuki Academy, Hisako, who'd been anxiously awaiting a response, froze when Morpheus's voice echoed in her ears. A delighted smile spread across her face.
"Miss, Lord Morpheus praised my cooking!"
Erina, hearing this, quickly placed her own prepared dish on the table, clasped her hands, and prayed to Morpheus.
"Lord Morpheus, I've made breakfast too. Please accept it."
The next moment, her dish vanished, as if whisked away by an unseen force.
Though not her first time witnessing this, Erina was still awestruck.
Truly the work of a god—such an incomprehensible feat.
Soon, Morpheus's praise came. "Excellent. I've never had such a delicious breakfast. Five stars."
Erina sighed in relief and prayed again. "Lord Morpheus, what would you like for lunch?"
Meanwhile, at his home, Morpheus savored Erina's savory pie. Hearing her question, he thought briefly and replied, "I'd like steak. And have Secretary-chan make me a katsu don."
Secretary-chan?
Erina paused, then realized he meant Hisako—her "secretary," hence "Secretary-chan."
What an odd nickname.
Erina chuckled but agreed. "Hisako, make a hearty katsu don for Lord Morpheus's lunch. Can you do it?"
Hisako nodded eagerly. "No problem, Miss."
Erina nodded, satisfied.
At Morpheus's home, after breakfast, he entered his Light Dimension, diving into a deep restructuring to make it more vibrant.
The task consumed the entire day.
He ate lunch within the Light Dimension.
By evening, he finished his work, left the dimension, and returned to the real world.
Soon, a knock came at the door.
Morpheus raised an eyebrow, crossed the living room, and opened the front door.
Standing there was a beautiful woman with a graceful figure.
It was the Yuki Onna he'd met briefly at the Nura Clan—Yuki Onna, Tsurara Oikawa.
If he recalled correctly, Tsurara had feelings for Nurarihyon but left the Nura Clan when he chose a human woman, Rihan Nura's mother, when Rihan was young.
Her past and fate were shrouded in mystery.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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