Bad Luck

Sean's expression grew excited. "At first, I was only planning to come take a look. If things really were quiet, I'd agree to the job... I didn't expect to run into you here!"

Sulu rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised too!"

At the same time, his Inspiration flared, sweeping over Sean again and again.

He had to admit, this was too much of a coincidence—so much so that Sulu thought something was off.

But after scanning him, he found no trace of any supernatural power on Sean.

"But you... You actually have a shop in Nia City?" Sean said, looking righteous. "I've made up my mind. I'm staying and working for you!"

"I really don't know what to say to an employee who comes in already planning to quit..."

Sulu rolled his eyes.

"All right, don't be too hard on him. He brought it up with me before... But I figure our shop might not last that long anyway. Better this than having to fire an outsider later!" Rhode said.

Was he really that unsure of his ability to run a business?

Sulu grumbled to himself, but he also knew he might go to Green Tree Castle, while Rhode was a Witch Hunter with no fixed home. Once Sulu left, Rhode couldn't stay in this city for long. Selling off the property was only natural.

I really am a chronic procrastinator... I still haven't decided whether to take the job!

Sulu rubbed his face, torn between the two options.

If he stayed in Nia City, he could at least make a living with a property like this. In his spare time, he could take on Church assignments, root out evil, and gain plenty of practice and experience.

Besides, he'd have a flexible schedule, giving him enough time to pursue leads on Beatrice and the [Occult Scholar] profession.

But...

After Donald's accidental slip last time, Sulu had looked into it and discovered that the Green Tree Castle Laboratory was no simple operation. It was rumored to have military backing and considerable influence.

There was a good chance he could come into contact with the supernatural in an organization that powerful.

For all he knew, they might even have supernatural beings working as security guards!

Besides, opportunities like this were incredibly rare. Sulu was the only one from St. George University to get one this year!

He'd earned it entirely through his [Basic Physics LV4], using some knowledge from his previous life to pique their interest.

If he turned it down, getting in next time wouldn't be nearly so easy.

He was strongly opposed to joining a powerful Federation agency, since that meant strict management and a lot of danger. But researchers were different!

They were the most valuable talents and would certainly be well protected.

Even when one country lost a war, the victor would often take its scientists and researchers along with them. They were treated nothing like prisoners of war.

That had been Sulu's plan from the beginning.

And now, after considering the potential supernatural implications, he felt Green Tree Castle might offer plenty of opportunities.

The supernatural forces controlled by a country were bound to be far stronger than those of any individual or organization.

Maybe they had not only the paths beyond [Medium], but even information on Expert- and Master-level professions!

"You're taking that as a yes."

Rhode hadn't noticed Sulu's inner turmoil. He turned straight to Sean. "Sean, I've already told you the terms. If you're okay with them, sign the contract and start right away!"

"No problem!"

Sean agreed excitedly, apparently happy to have found a steady source of income.

Sulu was a little puzzled, but he followed Rhode outside. Once they reached a secluded corner, he lowered his voice and asked, "What's going on?"

"Actually... monitoring Sean is one of the Goddess Church's assignments! He's suspected of having come into contact with 'bad luck.' He and the people around him have been having a terrible run of it lately!"

Rhode answered frankly.

"You mean... his bad luck was strong enough to make an international trading company go under?" Sulu felt a chill.

He'd known for a while that his roommate had a talent for jinxing things, but he hadn't imagined it could be this bad. "Wait a minute..."

He jolted. "You know all that, and you still hired him as a shop assistant? Aren't you worried he'll jinx our shop into bankruptcy too?"

"The Church will compensate us. After he starts, the Church will cover his entire salary, and he'll get a bonus for completing the assignment!" Rhode counted off the points on his fingers. "Besides... he's your friend. If we can help, we have to. I can't think of a reason to refuse. So I pretended not to know him and hired him."

"Fair enough."

Sulu took a deep breath and quickly came to terms with it.

It was just a shop. If it went under, so be it. The Goddess Church had insurance, anyway.

If Sean really does drive the shop into bankruptcy, then the Church of the Goddess of Light had better compensate us with another shop. A bigger one, in a better location.

Sulu thought to himself.

Suddenly, he felt a little guilty.

His roommate might be facing supernatural malice and could even be in danger of losing his life, yet Sulu was still worrying about this. Was he being too coldhearted?

"Bad luck? What kind of being can manipulate bad luck? It doesn't seem like a Demon..."

He racked his brain for what he knew of Demon Hunting Lore, then spoke uncertainly.

"Fate is one of the most mysterious and unpredictable aspects of the supernatural... And beneath fate, there's good luck and bad luck... Anything that can command either of those domains is an incredibly powerful hidden entity!"

Rhode offered his guess. "Personally, I think Sean only brushed against a little of the essence of bad luck without realizing it. After the Goddess Church of Light confirmed it and cleansed him in secret, there shouldn't be much chance of it continuing to cause harm..."

"So we've just taken him in for 'post-op observation'?"

Sulu understood at once and let out a long breath.

"Exactly. If he stays safe for a while, we can relax for the time being... For the time being!" Rhode stressed. "In the supernatural world, there's no such thing as absolute safety!"

"So it'd be best if he learned to protect himself..."

Sulu more or less understood.

"All right, that's everything I know about Sean. There's another assignment coming up." Rhode's expression turned solemn. "It's a paranormal incident. I suspect the culprit is a Cursed Spirit!"

"Can't we just turn this one down?"

Sulu winced.

He liked Gold Dragons and experience points, but he didn't want to die.

"Actually, I took it on myself, because it concerns you! Do you remember Molly?" Rhode asked gravely.

"Catherine's Apprentice? The missing person after the raid? Molly Apple?"

Sulu nodded. "If that's who you mean, I know her!"

"She's been found!"

Rhode's expression was heavy.

"Where?"

"At an art gallery. She showed up there, and then a paranormal incident occurred! The survivors had generally forgotten some things, but they all claimed to have seen ghosts!"

"Ghosts?"

Sulu's gaze suddenly darkened.