Chapter 583

In the Marvel universe, the system put me to work.

"Normally, when something like this happens, the first person you'd turn to would be family, wouldn't it? But in your account, your husband has been... rather absent."

"My husband is starting a business. It hasn't been going well, and he's under a lot of strain. He's a staunch atheist. He thinks I'm hallucinating because I can't adjust to our new surroundings, and he wants me to see a psychologist." Melinda continued, "The strange thing is, whenever he's home, everything's normal."

Melinda gave a bitter smile. "Sometimes I wonder if I really have gone mad."

Geralt shook his head.

"No, Mrs. Benjamin. On my professional judgment, I can assure you that you haven't gone mad. Something is happening in your home that science can't yet explain. That's my first conclusion."

"From what you've described, I can tell it—or they—are cunning. But those tricks also show it isn't strong enough to hurt you or your family directly. Everything it's done so far has been meant to wear down your will, break you, drive you to despair, and then slip in when you're vulnerable."

"Is that what's happening?"

"It is." Geralt looked at Melinda encouragingly. "Mrs. Benjamin, as long as your will is strong enough, it's the weak one."

Hope slowly rose in Melinda's heart. "What exactly is it?"

"We usually call such things 'Weird Monsters' or 'Malevolent Entities.' As for the specific kind, I can't responsibly determine that from a brief description alone."

"Did you call the police?" Geralt asked.

Melinda nodded, then smiled bitterly. "I was lucky they didn't treat me like a madwoman."

Ordinary police officers wouldn't have been any help. They didn't handle things like this.

Even if they wanted to, they couldn't.

"What about the Church? Most people