North District, Arca Street.
Coupsty Red was sitting in an armchair in the living room, staring blankly into space, with a fireplace burning charcoal in front of him.
As a senior teacher at a public school, his weekly salary was over four pounds, which allowed him, single, to live quite comfortably. But the clothes he wore at home were patched in many places, and the teacup on the table was very plain.
Without removing his wig, the most noticeable features of Coupsty were his high cheekbones and a slight pigeon chest—a deformity where the breastbone protrudes forward.
On his lap lay a collection of poems written in Old Futhark, but he hadn't turned a page for a long time.
Coupsty's eyes were unfocused as he stared, when he suddenly heard a soft laugh in his ear: "I'm curious, why didn't you run away? You stayed at home, aren't you afraid the police will come?"
The voice was low and hoarse, like a boy going through puberty.
Coupsty shuddered and almost jumped out of the armchair.
He abruptly turned his head and saw that on the sofa a few steps away, a figure had somehow already sat down!
The figure was wearing a summer linen shirt and light trousers, his face indistinct and hard to see.
"You, who are you? What are you doing here?" Coupsty asked, gripping the armrests.
Klein, who had used an illusion ability, leaned back, folded his hands, and said leisurely: "Last night—well, early this morning—I just saved you."
"Saved us?" Coupsty relaxed a little when he saw that the other didn't seem too hostile. "You, you're the one in the woods? You took care of the corpse we awakened?"
As he spoke, he shifted uneasily, showing obvious fear.
*He could sneak in while I was awake and unaware—I definitely couldn't resist...* Coupsty quickly thought.
"You were lucky that I happened to pass by; otherwise, there would be a pile of corpses there, torn to shreds," Klein said with a smile. "Back to my question. I'm curious, you still dare to stay at home? Do you understand what crime you've committed?"
From Coupsty's behavior before and after the "resurrection ritual," Klein confirmed that he was a rookie and couldn't possibly have the skill to hide his true emotional colors. So he planned to just ask him and use "Spirit Vision" to find out the whole story, at most verifying with divination later.
"I, I know. Illegally purchasing corpses and robbing graves are crimes that could put me in prison for over ten years. And, and, I'll definitely be punished by the church," Coupsty, who looked under thirty, sighed and smiled bitterly. "But if nothing too big happened, those children and their parents won't report me, because they did the same thing. Even if they get a reduced sentence for cooperation or confession, they'll still end up in jail for a while."
"Hah," Coupsty laughed self-deprecatingly. "One of the children already told the parents about me. They hired gangsters to warn me to resign within a week and stay away from the school. I agreed."
Klein nodded slightly: "A change of environment is a good thing. Of course, don't do anything like that again. Corrupting innocent children into crime is a great evil."
"I won't, never again. I actually didn't think it would be so dangerous. I just saw that they had the same interests as me, and I wanted to teach them, to lead them to seek the mystery of eternal life. As for digging graves, a long time ago, many doctors did it," Coupsty sighed, still quite frightened.
*His emotional color matches his current state... It sounds like he's not a member of the Spirit Sect...* Klein thought and then asked directly: "Where did you learn the 'Spirit Dance'?"
"Spirit Dance? Ah, I usually call it the Death Dance," Coupsty was startled for a moment, then realized. "An old gentleman taught me."
"An old gentleman?" Klein pressed.
Coupsty was dazed by the memory: "He was a homeless man who collapsed in front of my door due to a serious illness."
"I didn't know he was sick at the time; I thought he just fainted. So I helped him into the house, gave him a hot towel, and applied some ointment."
"After he woke up, he asked me not to take him to the hospital or clinic and mentioned that death is not the end."
"I had experienced the deaths of my parents and several relatives and was very interested in similar matters. So I talked with him and found that he had extensive knowledge and admirable philosophy on this subject. He seemed pleased with my curiosity, and in the end, he even performed a miracle: he killed a mosquito and then revived it."
*This beginning... I've read at least a dozen similar novels in my past life. A kind person picks up a dying old man and gets an adventure...* Klein twitched the corner of his mouth and said: "So you kept him at home?"
Coupsty nodded seriously: "Yes. If there hadn't been time constraints, I would have become his student."
"Over those few days, he taught me the Death Dance and much knowledge. Unfortunately, the time was too short. Just as I was getting into it, he died, leaving only a brass whistle."
Before he finished speaking, Coupsty took out a finely crafted brass whistle that didn't look old: "This is it."
*I have one too... Probably an heirloom...* Klein commented inwardly and then asked thoughtfully: "How long ago was this? What did he look like? Where did you bury him?"
"Half a year ago. His most distinctive features were gray hair and a red spot on his cheek. He asked me to bury him in the back garden," Coupsty said, calculating the date.