Aozaki Aoko Case File [502] (Patreon)

The three soon followed innkeeper Kra Mofen to the old Mofen house behind the inn.

It wasn’t luxurious, but after generations of running the inn, the Mofen family had done well for themselves, as the size of the house showed.

To prevent her son from running away, Kra had locked Hwafo inside. She took the key from her belt, inserted it into the lock, and after a couple of turns, opened the door and led the way in.

“Hwafo is upstairs in his room,” she whispered. “His mental state isn’t good... If he offends you, I apologize in advance.”

“No worries,” Aoko replied coolly. “We can’t expect too much from a victim. Please take us to him.”

They climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor, the sound amplified in the quiet, snowbound house, giving the place a slightly eerie feel.

The second floor of the Mofen house was dim—not many windows, and with the Everlasting Rime, even less sunlight. Only smoky oil lamps on the wall provided faint light through dirty glass.

But the hallway soon brightened as Simon conjured a glowing orb of light, making it feel like they’d stepped from oil lamps into the electric age.

“Sorry, it was just too dark,” Simon said sheepishly as everyone glanced his way. “Did I ruin the mood?”

Simon always had a knack for this, and Aoko just shook her head and followed Kra Mofen to Hwafo’s room at the end of the hall.

Kra hesitated, then steeled herself, knocked on the door, and called, “...Hwafo, it’s me. May I come in?”

There was no response from within, just silence.

Kra hesitated a moment, then found the right key and carefully unlocked the door.

Aoko gave Doric and Simon a look; both nodded, ready for anything.

Kra slowly pushed open the door. At first, nothing seemed amiss—the room was neat, the oil lamp burning quietly, everything normal—except Hwafo was nowhere to be seen.

This was definitely strange, but it didn’t last long. Hwafo suddenly lunged from the shadows, dagger in hand, aiming at Kra’s chest with a crazed look.

Kra froze in horror, unable to believe her son would ever attack her, and could only stand there, waiting for the blade.

But the three were ready. Simon pushed out both hands, and a force shield enveloped everyone—his innate Arcane Shield.

Hwafo’s dagger snapped in two against the shield, and he himself was knocked senseless.

Aoko reached out, conjuring a Bigby’s Hand to grab the crazed Hwafo and pin him to the bed.

“You old hag, bringing outsiders to deal with me!” Hwafo screamed. “You’re trying to steal my treasure!”

He clutched something at his neck, rolling his eyes in ecstasy.

“It’s mine! Just mine! My precious!” Under Kra’s horrified gaze, her son raved on, sounding more and more like a deranged halfling.

Doric donned leather gloves, quickly pried Hwafo’s hand open, and took the object.

It was a black crystal, like a chunk of ice, radiating strong magical energy—any spellcaster would sense something wrong with it.

Doric stuffed it into a bag, ignoring Hwafo’s screams, and sealed the pouch.

Simon then cast a spell of confusion, putting Hwafo into a dazed, peaceful state. The room quieted.

“Is my son all right?!” Kra rushed to Hwafo’s side, touching his exhausted face, and looked to Aoko.

“I need to check first,” Aoko said, dismissing Bigby’s Hand and summoning an animated rope to tie Hwafo to the bed.

Kra wasn’t the hysterical type—she worried but understood the three were helping, not hurting her son.

Aoko examined Hwafo, soon detecting a curse radiating black smoke in her divine sight.

She cast Detect Evil and Good—a first-level cleric spell she’d recently learned—and saw the aura above Hwafo’s head glowing black over red: a clear sign of chaotic evil.

But for a teenager, this was extremely abnormal. Given Simon and Kra’s testimony that Hwafo had always been kind and helpful, this must be the curse’s doing.

“How many days has he been like this?” Aoko suddenly asked.

“...It’s been six days since Simon found him,” Kra recalled.

“He is indeed cursed,” Aoko declared. “And the longer it lasts, the harder it will be to reverse. If we’d come any later, your son might have become a mad villain forever.”

“Please, you must save my son!” Kra finally broke down, kneeling before Aoko and begging for her son’s life.

“Don’t worry!” Aoko quickly helped her up. “From what I see, the curse won’t become irreversible for at least nine days. We can still break it.”

“...But breaking the curse will be painful, and your son will struggle,” Aoko warned. “So we’ll need to further restrain Hwafo to keep him from hurting himself.”