Barth stared at the small window on the second floor in a daze, and only withdrew his gaze for a long time. He took out the key and led Wren and Rhodes into the house, then fumbled with the fire and lit the oil lamp in the living room.

It's not a big place, it's a little messy, and the air is filled with a greasy smoky smell.

Just as the lights came on, Wren heard footsteps from the ceiling, followed by a hoarse voice coming from the stairs: "Dad, are you back?" ”

"Dominica!"

Bart shouted at the stairs in a panic: "You, don't go downstairs yet, Domi, Dad has a visitor to entertain, you stay in the bedroom, okay?" ”

"Oh my God, are you serious? Have a guest come to our house? ”

A hoarse voice at the top of the stairs looked happy, "Your friend?" Or a colleague? Maybe I can make you tea, Dad! ”

"You're so sweet, Domi, but you don't have to."

Barth said softly, "These two gentlemen won't stay long, in fact, Dad will be leaving later—away for a while, with them." ”

“……”

The person on the second floor was silent for a while before he said cautiously, "Are you finally going to leave Dominica behind?" Just like mom? ”

"Nope! Daddy would never do that! ”

Wren saw that tears welled up in Barth's eye sockets, "Wait a minute, Domi, I'll explain it to you." Is it okay to go to bed and lie down? Read the book of poems that Dad bought you the other day and circle the words you don't know. ”

"Alright then, may you have a nice chat."

The hoarse voice said reluctantly, footsteps sounded, and Wren immediately heard a soft "bang", as if someone had smashed a wooden door on the second floor.

"That was yours just now—daughter?"

Wren asked suspiciously, but Rhodes didn't say anything thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes, my dear Dominica."

Barth wiped away his tears and began to scramble to clean up the coffee table, piling the clutter on it into the corner, "It's a bit of a mess, isn't it?" There was no woman in the house, and I had to take some of the work home to take care of Domi. ”

"I'm sorry you're confusing me, if that's what you call 'work', are you a dark wizard or a tailor?"

Wren quizzes, pointing to the rags, scissors, and needlework piled in the corner. In his opinion, it would have made more sense to replace them with human skulls, rat tails, or crow's claws, since Kenny's villain had narrowly escaped from being cursed to death by Bart in the slum alley.

"I'm—"

Barthes's eyes flickered, and he smiled bitterly for a long time and said, "Oh, how shall I answer?" If my first encounter with you was at 17th Third Street, I'd be proud to introduce you to the savoir-faire of Balt Garment – a pity I didn't seem to have had that opportunity. Well, as you can see, I'm a tailor, but at the same time a dark wizard with sin on my back. ”

"With all due respect, it's rare,"

Rhodes finally spoke, "No matter how incompetent the law controller is, he has a higher status than ordinary people, as far as I know, even an apprentice who has just entered the mage tower will not be reduced to finding a part-time job to support his family, and the trivial matters of the world will undoubtedly greatly affect the study of magic." This is especially true for dark wizards, who are in the dark and do not have any psychological burden on you, whether for money or for life. No dark wizard would venture into such a lowly profession as a 'tailor', even for the sake of disguise—"

"I'm sorry, you mean 'mean'?"

Barthes interrupted Rod's words, his eyes faintly revealing anger, "That's too much, sir, where did you get your clothes?" I don't think you made it yourself, right? ”

"Apparently not, you probably won't find anyone better at needlework than I am."

Rod replied in a good way.

"That's right,"

Barthes said solemnly: "The effort to turn a pile of cloth and thread into a piece of fine clothing is incomprehensible to the layman. It is through the meticulous craftsmanship of a tailor that one can find the right outfit for every occasion, whether it be a wedding or a funeral, whether it is a lawsuit or a business negotiation – so I must correct you, sir, that no discerning person will fail to ignore the important role that a good tailor can play in their lives. ”

"Okay, I see, thanks for the correction."

Rod nodded heartily.

"Then, then, I'll make you tea."

After educating Rhodes about the inappropriate remarks of 'tailor', Barthes immediately reverted to his previous state of resignation, "Is black tea okay?" Some of the best tea leaves from the Moonrest Manor were given to me by a customer, and it seems to be very popular among many city hall officials......"

"I don't think you need to make tea."

Rhodes said calmly: "Mr. Barthes, do you need me to remind you a little about the purpose of this trip?" ”

"Purpose, purpose? Well, of course, I should – I didn't expect – if I could ......"

"You say, 'When I settle my daughter, I'll go with you.'"

"That's right, but I don't really know what to do!"

Barthes let out a miserable growl, "Dominica is so young, she's only eleven years old, first without a mother, and then even me—oh no, I can't even think of it, be merciful, gentlemen!" ”

With that, he knelt down in front of Wren and Rod, "Never, I've never hurt anyone of goodness, not even the slum scoundrels - I'm just, just forced to ......"

"I said, why don't you send your daughter to a relative's house? A kind aunt, an idle uncle, or her grandparents or something. An eleven-year-old girl, there will always be someone willing to take care of her, right? ”

The man who knelt on the ground and wept and pleaded naturally reminded Wren of what happened to him, so he endured the sourness in his nose and gave advice.

"Don't you understand, sir, Dominica and I don't have any relatives for a long time, and for so long, our father and daughter have always depended on each other."

"Well, at least, there is a welfare home run by the church—the gentleman next to me should be able to help, and with his position among the clergy, it is only a matter of words."

"No, you really don't understand, kind sir, Domi can't go anywhere, the church—especially there—you don't understand—"

As Barth held his head and wept, a hoarse, low voice sounded behind him.

"Dad, why are you crying?"

That's what the voice said.

"I think, I understand now."

Rod's face was solemn, and his eyes looked into the middle of the stairs.

Wren then looked and saw a child in a pink nightgown standing there, holding a book in one hand and clutching the handrail of the stairs with the other. She had the beautiful watery eyes of a little girl, but beyond that, Wren couldn't find anything in her that could be associated with 'pretty'.

The hoarse voice, the cracked and festering mud-colored skin, the mutilated algae-green nails, and the faint stench that suddenly appeared in the air that even the greasy incense could not suppress, all indicated that the timid humanoid creature in front of him was anything but alive. But she is clearly alive and obviously has a mind of her own, which is clearly different from the brainless waste of zombies.

Wren took a deep breath, and he immediately knew what he was seeing, and understood why Barthes insisted that his daughter could not go anywhere, especially to the church-run welfare home. In Ms. Helen's theoretical teaching, there was also a lecture on the creatures in front of her.

Standing in the middle of the stairs was a ghoul.

"So,"

Wren endured his nausea and said, "Those who are missing in the slums—"

"I'm afraid so."

Rod said softly.

"Once a month, the timing is right."

"At least once, it's the most basic thing that keeps them alive."

Not bothering to listen to the two of them, Barth turned his head sharply, and then shouted, "Domi! Why are you going downstairs, you stupid girl?! ”

"I'm worried about you, Dad."

The ghoul with the name of the cute little girl shuddered, "You haven't cried for a long time, is it because Dominica has made you sad again?" ”

"No!!"

Bart screamed, and rushed to his daughter's side, and took her into his arms, "You shouldn't—my darling—you shouldn't show your face, they can't understand, yes, absolutely not—they'll take you with you!" ”

"Arrest me, how can it be?"

Dominica's watery eyes widened as she glanced curiously at the two strangers.

Where is there such trouble, Wren thought to himself, it would be ridiculous to deal with an evil creature like a ghoul in the standard sense, to capture or imprison it, and as for the trial, obviously the trial is also superfluous, just like seeing a fly, killing it directly is the most acceptable method, and no one wants to catch the fly and then have a meeting to discuss what to do.

I have to say that this kind of family relationship in front of me is really weird: a dark wizard who works part-time as a 'tailor' - or a tailor who works part-time as a 'dark wizard' lives with a young ghoul, and the two are also called 'father and daughter'. Oh my God, what kind of pervert would raise a little ghoul as a daughter?!

This kind of behavior is too perverted even for a dark wizard!

You know, even among the evil creatures, ghouls are a relatively lowly kind of existence, not much stronger than zombies. Cruel by nature, they are not very effective - in a head-on confrontation, it only takes two or three sturdy farmers and a shovel and a rake in their hands to defeat an adult ghoul. Therefore, Barth obviously does not regard Dominica as a combat partner, and from his various performances, Wren can also see that this pervert really poured his deformed fatherly love into this little ghoul.

"Adoption? Maybe a few people have this kind of twisted fetish, but I really haven't heard of it. ”

Wren whispered his opinion to Rod, who shook his head, "The current situation doesn't seem to be so simple, in my opinion, these two may be the real father and daughter, yes, this is more likely." ”

"W-Is this possible?"

Wren was shocked, "Can humans give birth to ghouls?" Half-blooded? Oh my God, Barthes, I can't imagine what kind of psychology he had to do to a female ghoul—evil, so fucking evil—but to be honest, this courage is something I can't help but admire as a man. ”

"I really don't want to hear anything like that from your mouth again,"

Rod said with a calm face: "Even if you don't mention your identity as a reservist, Wren, I think this kind of groundless speculation is enough for ordinary people. ”

"My wife and I, who used to be, are both human."

Barth sat down on the stairs, hugged Dominica in his arms, and whimpered, "As for poor Domi, my brightest pearl, my baby, she wasn't born like this. At that time, her skin was as white as a freshly shelled egg, and her nails were pale pink. Seriously, you can't believe that there is such a lovely little girl in the world. ”

"So, what happened next?"

Wren couldn't help but ask.

"Domi suffers from a terrible disease, which, I suppose, runs in families only in women, and in fact it was the disease that took my mother's life when I was thirteen years old. But she's lucky, isn't she? She was in her thirties at the time, and her life was not perfect, but at least she had no regrets, and my poor Dominica had symptoms at the age of seven. ”

Barthes pressed his lips to his daughter's rough, cracked forehead and trembled as he recalled, "All physicians are helpless against this disease, and I have been to church and not even seen Bishop Browning's face. The nuns were sympathetic to my daughter's plight, but they also said that even the Holy Art would not help with this condition, and that Dominica was completely hopeless. When I learned of this, my wife left me and abandoned my daughter. I don't blame her, really, she doesn't feel better than I do, I think, she just doesn't dare to face it. ”

"Oh...... Your wife ran away? As a mother, that's a terrible thing. ”

Wren said disdainfully.

"No, she killed herself."

Barth let out a terrible dry laugh, and Wren felt a cramp in his stomach at hearing this.

"I wish I could leave this cruel world with my wife, but what about Dominica?"

Barth muttered, "As I said before, my mother was a witch, and she forced me to study the dark arts with her, but that was before I was thirteen, and frankly, I never had the slightest interest in any supernatural powers, and it seemed to me that my hands were made for scissors and needlework. Deliver beautiful garments to customers who are waiting for them to look at themselves in the mirror with a smile of surprise – and I sit on the sidelines to feel the beauty of this, yes, tailoring is the best profession in the world. ”

But for the sake of Dominica, I decided to relive that unbearable memory, so after my wife left, I dug through my mother's notes. There was a lot of dark magic on it, and I searched for it hungrily, and vowed that I would not care if I could save Domi, even if my soul went to hell. But I'm so stupid, didn't my mother die of this disease? If she could be cured by some dark means, would she be so stupid as to do nothing? ”

Listening to Barthes's story, Wren and Rhodes glanced at each other, understanding that the matter should be to the most critical part, "Despair has swept over me again, and I know it's time to give up." But just then, Dinus or some other god answered my prayer, and the man appeared. ”

"That person?"

Rod asked with a frown.

"A woman of no age, with long red hair and unparalleled beauty."

There was a hint of longing in Barthes's eyes, and Wren's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, "She said that she was my mother's mentor - in other words, all the dark magic that my mother mastered came from that woman." It's ridiculous, and although I can't tell her age for sure, how could she be my mother's mentor if she wasn't over thirty years old at most? Moreover, she was like a beautiful elf bathed in sunlight, without the slightest smell of decay on her body, and she did not look like she had the power of darkness in her hands. ”

"yes, how so?"

Wren muttered, Rhodes a little surprised by his reaction, but didn't say anything.

"However,"

Barthes continued: "The woman ignored my doubts, she taught me a way—or a ritual—that did not cure my daughter's illness, but that served a more thorough and terrible effect than 'healing': transformation. Yes, with the help of that woman, my daughter went from being human to what you see, becoming—becoming—in short, that's it for now, as long as she eats regularly, Domi will never have to worry about being plagued by any illness anymore, not even a small cold. ”

Barthes said this with a twisted smile on his face. Dominica's big eyes dimmed, and although she tried to hide it, the emotion was still captured by Wren.

"I never knew that humans could be transformed into other species than ghosts and zombies, it's incredible."

Wren said with difficulty, and Rhodes replied in a deep voice: "It is not easy for some of the most evil means to do this, but it is not impossible—it is astonishing that a young woman can master such a means anyway." So, Mr. Barthes, did the woman ever tell you her name or her origin? ”

"No, she didn't leave her name. As for her origins, she didn't divulge anything other than 'I taught your mother a little bit about magic.' ”

"So, what did the woman ask for in return after she did all this for you? Obviously you're not a successful dark wizard, and as for the tailor profession - I don't want to say anything about your profession, but just being a tailor is not something that anyone can offer, right? ”

"Return? Oh, not really. ”

Barth smiled nervously, "'Because of boredom,' yes, that's what the woman said. She didn't help me for anything, not for the pathetic teacher-student friendship with my mother, just out of boredom. Of course, in order to thank her for her help, I made her a dress afterwards to express my gratitude, which is my best and most effective thank you gift. ”

"A skirt?"

Wren asked suddenly.

"Yes, a red gauze skirt that matches her hair color."

Well, it's all right, it's just that she didn't run.

The woman named Honghime, who brought him great joy.

Damn, to do such a thing that even Rhodes said was 'not simple', the secret of that woman is probably not simple!

Wren has a bit of a headache, but luckily, with her indulgent personality, I'm afraid she's only the shortest and inconspicuous of her many bed partners, right? I'm afraid there won't be any more communication in the future. Thinking like this, he breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was still sour.

"By the way, you're happy, aren't you, too, Domi?"

Barth looked at his daughter dotingly, "You must want to be by your father's side forever and not have to go to another world alone, right?" ”