'Yuna, yes.'
Her expression turned tense, but she didn't argue.
After being with me for three years, she knew I wouldn't change my decision if it involved the safety of my family.
'Besides…'
I had the knowledge from the future.
That included information about most Cursed Spirits.
I wouldn't say I knew about all Cursed Spirits, but I knew about the majority of them.
As long as I found out which Cursed Spirit dad was dealing with, I believed I could find a way to save him.
Nisha walked downstairs to the main hall.
Two people were waiting for her there.
These two were Oliver and Lily.
They were Exorcist guards who protected our mansion, and they were old friends of dad and Nisha.
"Take this," Nisha said, handing them a folded slip of paper. "It has information about the Cursed Spirit Adrian is caught in. I got it from the Exorcist Union yesterday."
Lily blinked in surprise. "They actually gave you that? I thought information about active missions was supposed to be top secret."
Nisha rolled her eyes. "Did you forget who I am?"
Lily frowned. "Still, isn't that—"
"Forget it," Oliver said, cutting her off. "Exorcists from major Clans can get away with things like this. Let's just focus on rescuing Adrian."
He looked at Nisha seriously. "What kind of Cursed Spirit is it?"
"Rank 3. Invasive Domain type," Nisha replied.
Oliver clicked his tongue. "This guy always manages to finds himself in the worst situations."
Lily opened the paper Nisha gave her.
Her face went pale almost instantly.
"Nisha, this—"
"It's fine," Nisha interrupted before she could finish. "He'll be safe."
Lily bit her lip and looked down at the information again.
From my position near the ceiling shadow, I could see the paper in her hand. My eyes scanned the lines quickly.
I recognized the name of the Cursed Spirit.
And my chest tightened.
'Damn it.'
The chances of Dad surviving this one were… low. Almost nonexistent.
No, if it really was that Cursed Spirit, then he was probably already—
"Lord of Shadows, it will be fine!" Yuna's voice broke my thoughts. "Cursed Spirits aren't ranked by strength.
"A Rank 6 Cursed Spirit's physical body can be so weak that a child could destroy it with its hands.
"Their ranks are determined by their range, and 'potential' danger. So, there is a chance your father is still alive even if he is engaged with a Rank 3 Cursed Spirit."
She didn't know which Cursed Spirit it was, but she was trying to make me feel better.
And somehow, it worked.
'She's right,' I thought. 'Dad's mental strength should still be high. He can handle this.'
He had to.
"Anyway," Nisha said as she folded her arms, "prepare tonight. The method to deal with the Cursed Spirit is written in that paper. We'll regroup inside its domain."
She left for her room, while Oliver said a few quiet words to Lily, who looked like she was about to cry.
Then they both walked away.
I returned to my room and started preparing immediately.
First, I made a mask using alchemy.
It was plain white at first, but I carefully carved a rune on the surface.
[Sight Rune: Clearview].
The rune glowed for a moment before disappearing.
That rune allowed me to see through the mask as if it wasn't there. It also granted night vision, perfect for low-light combat.
When it was done, I placed it on my face.
It fit perfectly and felt light enough not to bother me.
After testing it for a moment, I stored it in the [Inventory Rune] engraved on my palm.
"Yuna," I said quietly. "Use your luck ability."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Lord of Shadows, that would make everything you face while dealing with the Cursed Spirit much more dangerous."
"But it would increase my good luck too. That means there's a higher chance I can rescue Dad."
Her ability could make both good and bad luck stronger.
It was risky, but if it gave me even a small chance to save him, I would take it.
"Also, stop looking so glum. Not everything is bad.
"I'll get Soul Shards and Relics as reward for dealing with the Cursed Spirit.
"Didn't you say you can recover your powers faster if you get Soul Shards? Since I don't need them, I'll give you mine."
Normally, when someone reached the peak of their Class, they needed Soul Shards to advance to the next one.
This was true for Exorcists on Earth, who didn't have a system.
They needed Soul Shards whenever they evolved their Classes.
But I was different.
People like me, who had access to the system, didn't need Soul Shards. I could advance as long as I met the system's requirements.
That meant Soul Shards were useless to me.
I could give mine Soul Shards to Yuna, and help her recover her powers, which she would then use to help me.
And since she was bonded to me, she could use my Soul Shards even though they weren't supposed to be transferable.
Yuna nodded quietly and raised her hand.
"Then I'll use it," she said.
Silver light flickered faintly around her fingers, and I felt a strange pull around my chest.
My luck was being changed.
"How long will it last?" I asked.
"A day," she replied.
"Good."
I walked around the room, making sure everything was in order. Then I sat by my desk and took out a blank sheet of paper.
"Is this how we enter the Cursed Spirit's domain, Lord of Shadows?" Yuna asked.
"Yes," I said, writing slowly. "I saw it in the document Nisha had."
Invasive Domain-type Cursed Spirits existed in a separate reality.
To enter their domains — or to be dragged in — one had to meet certain conditions.
In this case, I had to write specific information on paper and sleep with it under my pillow.
Of course, anyone could still be pulled in by accident if they were unlucky, but to enter it on purpose, you had to follow the Spirit's rules exactly.
Cursed Spirits were dangerous, but they were bound by rules.
They couldn't break them on their own.
That was how Exorcists survived for so long. By learning those rules and using them against the Cursed Spirits.
Humanity had spent thousands of years researching those rules, turning survival into a system of knowledge.