The Strongest Curse Master

"Family school?" Ace blurted out, his face scrunching in confusion. He'd heard of family law firms, hospitals, even auto shops—but a school? That was some straight-up royalty-level shit.

"Our family runs a lot of regular schools and universities in the mortal world," Janice explained, "but she's talking about the school—the one specifically for gifted people. How do you think my family manages to recruit so many trustworthy curse users? We nurture and train three-fourths of them ourselves. In the curse community, loyalty is hard to come by. Big families like ours can't afford to just hope for loyalty—we have to build it."

She paused, ignoring Ace, who appeared to have a lot of questions about the topic, she glanced at Elinor, waiting for her to reveal who from the school had contacted her.

Elinor fidgeted. "Janice, don't get mad, okay?" she said hesitantly, already taking a few slow steps sideways toward Ace. "It was our aunt. She said she was thrilled that someone from the direct bloodline was finally giving her a grandchild—even if it was through adoption—"

Janice's brows immediately pulled together, her frown deepening into something intense. Before Elinor could finish, she cut in sharply, "Grandchild? Adoption? Please tell me you explained to her that you're just Lilith's legal guardian—not her adoptive mother?"

Elinor winced, now fully sliding behind Ace like she was considering using him as a human shield. "I did—on several occasions. But she threatened me. She said I better not take away what might be her only chance at becoming a grandparent—"

Before she could even finish, Janice interrupted again, her tone sharper than earlier, "So you agreed to become Lilith's foster mother?"

"Hell no!" Elinor blurted out, shaking her head vigorously. "I love Lilith and all, but I see her as a cute younger sister who needs my guidance—not as my daughter. And that's exactly what I told our aunt."

She let out a sigh, recalling the exhausting conversation. "She tried the whole emotional breakdown thing—full-on waterworks, guilt-tripping, the works. But I didn't cave. Eventually, she backed off and instead asked me to admit Lilith into the family school. She promised she'd assign the best teachers and provide top-tier resources for her."

Elinor spoke fast, desperate to explain herself before Janice jumped to conclusions and made the situation worse than it already was.

Janice folded her arms, eyeing Elinor skeptically. "Let me guess—it was her who brought up the whole 'you shouldn't ask Lilith to hide who she is among mortals' thing, wasn't it?"

Elinor sighed, her shoulders sagging. "Yeah..."

Janice figured as much. Elinor was thoughtful, sure, but she wasn't the type to plan that far ahead. And let's be real—she had zero experience raising kids. It didn't take a genius to realize those weren't her words or concerns. She wouldn't have even thought about it until it became an issue right in her face.

Elinor bit her lip, the weight of responsibility of raising a child pressing down on her. It hasn't be an entire day yet every now and then, something new popped up to remind her just how unprepared she was for this. But even so, she pushed forward, trusting herself to figure it out along the way. She had to because she owed it to her fallen colleagues and Lilith.

"She is good. That whole grandchild bit was just a decoy. She never wanted it. She just wanted you to feel bad and guilty enough to say yes to whatever she planned to ask next. Her real goal was to get you to agree to admit Lilith into the family school. I am impressed that you did not agree to her demands. Color me surprised," Janice nodded at her cousin for facing the most conniving boss of the McSuile family and surviving without sacrificing anything.

"I did not cave to her demands, but I agreed to a campus tour. She said to let Lilith decide where she wanted to attend school. I felt she was right at that time, but now I'm thinking I might have chosen poorly," Elinor said, not wanting to be too hard on herself for the oversight.

"Idiot!" Janice cursed in frustration before exploding, "Lilith is an eight-year-old. She doesn't know what she wants, let alone what she needs. As her legal guardian, you should not only provide her with what she needs but also what's best for her. How could you agree to letting Lilith decide which school she wants to attend?"

"Knowing our aunt, she might have already changed the school's campus to fit Lilith's taste based on her history and the recent information they gathered on her. Once Lilith sees that school, it's game over. You walked right into her trap."

Elinor dejectedly lowered her head, already knowing their aunt would do anything to get Lilith to choose their family school. And once she was in, there was no turning back. That place was basically a cult—one dedicated to worshiping the McSuile family.

Its primary goal wasn't just education; it was to churn out curse users who were loyal and indebted to the McSuile name. Elinor had attended it for a few months after becoming a curse master, and the way both the staff and students treated her—like some kind of princess—had been unsettling. She didn't want Lilith to be part of that freak show.

"Ahem."

Ace cleared his throat, taking advantage of a lull in their conversation. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask—how exactly does this curse school work? Do they train kids to become curse users, or do they just train people who are already curse users? It can't be the first one, right? I thought it was impossible to predict whether someone would awaken regardless of their aptitude for curse energy."

Janice glanced at him, then shrugged. "Well, the students there are mostly people of any age who've already been exposed to the 'World of Curses' or who have the aptitude for curse energy and want to pursue it as a career. Think of it like a military academy, but along with regular combat and knowledge, they're trained in everything related to curses."

She continued, "Based on their performance and willingness, the McSuile family sponsors their curse core ceremony. Those who don't make the cut get recommended to other organizations—though, nine times out of ten, they end up with the C.I.B. In the end, about eighty percent of the graduates choose to go through the awakening ceremony despite knowing the risk. The other twenty percent? They end up working for the McSuile family's business empire."

Janice explained with a straight face, but the telltale flush on her ears and neck betrayed her. She was embarrassed. The way she described the family's curse school was how it should ideally function, but she knew there was much more at play—things she wasn't proud to admit.

It was systematic brainwashing. The school took students' fear and curiosity for the curse world, combined it with the McSuile family's power and authority, and twisted it into loyalty and self-sacrifice. Still, the McSuile family did treat its people better than the C.I.B. treated its agents.

One look at the school—its facilities, its curriculum—and anyone with half a brain could tell they were taking advantage of desperate, clueless people who had turned to them in their time of need. But compared to the alternative—the C.I.B.'s memory-erasing protocol—it was the lesser evil.

Besides, the McSuile family wasn't running a charity. The knowledge they provided was forbidden and priceless to mortals, yet they were practically giving it away for free with strings attached of course. On top of that, they offered students the opportunity to become curse users—but only if they were willing.

There was a lot to unpack, a lot of moral grey areas to consider, but in the end, it was what it was. The thought of changing the way the school operated had never even crossed Janice's mind—or any other McSuile family member's, for that matter. The knowledge of the World of Curses was privileged, and the Curse Council was strict about keeping mortals in the dark.

The current system ensured that any mortals who did learn about curses could be trusted to keep quiet. And if they didn't? Well, the McSuile family and the C.I.B. had protocols for that.

"Well, it's a little misleading to call it a military school. It's more like a cul—commune," Elinor corrected her cousin, shooting a knowing glance at Janice. "Everyone learning and working toward one goal."

Janice's ears and neck flushed an even deeper shade of red.

"It's free, though, right?" Ace asked. But before they could answer, he added, "Because if you're charging people just to brainwash them into loyal retainers, that's diabolical."

"Of course it's free! We're not demons," Janice replied, her voice a little too high-pitched. She couldn't have been more obvious about her embarrassment if she tried.

"Well…" Elinor glanced at her cousin, wondering why she was acting so weird. "Basic tuition, lodging, and meals are free, but if they want luxury, they have to pay for it."

"That's understandable," Ace nodded, then a thought struck him. He grinned. "Do you guys accept donations?"