Shadow Dragon: The Fallen Angel Is My Teacher

I kept walking along the rocks until I finally found what I was searching for: a narrow valley shaped like a bend, the river flowing silently below.

I stopped at the edge and took out Dante from my pant pocket.

Pulling a massive three-meter creature out of such a small space still looked absurd, like something out of a cartoon where the blue cat pulled gadgets from a pocket.

"Stand behind me. Don't attack if anyone approaches us, unless I tell you to.

"Also, nod your head up and down whenever you understand what I say."

The hulking giant stood there, motionless.

I stared at him.

"You do know what your head is, right?"

He didn't move.

Either he genuinely didn't understand or he was sulking again.

Since Dante's form changed depending on who looked at him, it was possible he didn't know which part was his head.

But after living with him for over a month, I had learned one thing: he sulked more than most humans.

He always dragged his feet when I told him to go into the Inventory.

Maybe it was uncomfortable for him there.

And he definitely hated the clothes I made for him since they were made from Positive Energy.

I rubbed my forehead.

'He is definitely sulking again.'

Using telekinesis, I lightly tapped his head.

"That's your head. Move it up and down."

He moved—slow and deliberate—but the motion was smooth.

As expected from something that handled multiple bodies at once, he could move the body part without any issue.

"Good. Now, follow my instructions properly. If you do, I'll give you a payroll bonus."

The giant froze.

Then, almost immediately, he nodded faster than before.

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm.

Technically, I didn't have to pay him anything.

But his narrative said he was an 'employee.'

Giving him a payroll bonus or payment made him cooperate without resistance.

'Great. I'm going to bleed money because of this guy.'

The mental pressure from Dante far less than the Cursed Sword I carried.

But I would take mental attacks any day over losing precious and hard-earned money.

'Gold should be enough to pay him.'

Every Cursed Spirit had their own version of currency.

Some took human memories, some wanted emotions, some wanted blood or heads or organs.

But gold was a universal one.

All of them valued it.

After making sure Dante understood his role, I walked to the river's edge.

The surface was still and dark, the moon's reflection rippling faintly.

I took a slow breath and began singing.

It was a melody I liked, one Golden Conductor — the Seris from my last life — used to sing.

The Cursed Spirit Lorelei appeared when someone sang by the river while looking at their reflection.

It would rise from the water and try to drown you.

If you managed to hold your breath for more than five minutes while it tried, it would drag you into the Bermuda Triangle's domain instead.

I sang the full verse, watching my reflection waver.

Nothing happened.

The river stayed calm.

I wasn't discouraged.

This kind of ritual often took time.

I could try again tomorrow. And the day after.

However, by the end of the week, I started to frown.

"It feels like something is wrong," I muttered, looking down at the motionless water. "Is the information I got wrong? It should have appeared by now."

Yuna fluttered down beside me, her small form shimmering faintly.

She looked uneasy.

"Lord of Shadows, I think I might know what's going on," she said carefully.

I turned to her. "You know the problem? Tell me."

"First, can you tell me the exact conditions to summon the Cursed Spirit?"

"Sing in this area at night while looking at your reflection," I said.

"Any other condition?" she asked.

"There is one, but it's small," I replied.

"…By any chance, is it having a good voice?"

"Yes."

She sighed, pressing a wing against her forehead.

I wasn't surprised Yuna could guess it.

When you have a lot of experience with Cursed Spirits, you can guess small things about them based on experience.

You can guess what kind of behavior they'll show, or what they'll like and dislike, just by instinct.

"No wonder the Cursed Spirit didn't come," Yuna mumbled.

"What?" I looked at her.

"No, nothing," she said quickly and turned her head away.

I narrowed my eyes.

She couldn't be saying what I thought she was saying, right?

There was no way she was calling my voice bad.

That was impossible.

My singing voice wasn't just good, it was great.

Even my old team, back when I was leading that group of lunatics, listened quietly when I sang.

They said my singing was like a reward.

After that, they would always follow my orders perfectly.

It was a bit weird how they were shy to never ask me to sing for them.

But I always did that before an important mission to motivate them.

Even the Golden Conductor once told me my voice was good enough to sing in official courts.

When I asked why she would say that, since she hated courts, she told me good music should be heard by everyone, even enemies.

So, no, my voice was not the problem.

"My voice isn't the issue. Maybe the information about the Cursed Spirit being here is wrong," I said.

Yuna looked at me, clearly uncomfortable.

"…Lord of Shadows, maybe you should make a voice-changing potion?"

"Huh? Why?"

"A-ah, you know, these are Cursed Spirits. Their idea of a good voice might be… different from ours."

I thought about it for a moment. "You're right."

I crouched down and drew a few runes on the ground using Fairy Dust.

Then I placed materials around them while Yuna enchanted each one.

After setting the Catalyst in the center, I began the alchemy process.

The potion rose into the air once it was done, glowing faintly.

I used telekinesis to drink it.

My throat felt strange for a second, and then my voice changed.

It became deeper, heavier, and almost echoing.

I sang again.

The sound carried over the river, but nothing happened.