I Can Copy Curses

Chapter 344: 344. A Very Unexpected Discovery

Here's the revised version with corrected grammar and improved clarity:

Orion followed Erza and took a seat beside her. Victor and Mark sat next to them on Erza's side.

On the other side, Tracy sat beside him, followed by Henry from the Black Reaper Guild.

Leonard and Drake from the Druid Guild sat opposite them, followed by Louis and Cicile from the Catalose Guild.

"I don't see the two from the Hunter Association," Orion said, observing everyone around him.

"Who? George and Nolan?" Victor asked.

"Yeah, them," Orion nodded.

Victor shrugged. "If they're not with us, it means they're in another part of the shuttle, or they might have left before us."

"By the way..." Orion was about to ask something when he noticed Mark staring at him and Tracy with a sour expression. He understood that look well — it was one of helplessness, self-directed anger, and frustration at his own abilities.

However, Orion ignored it and continued, "By the way, any idea what the final assessment is going to be?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll lose either way," Leonard replied lazily. His messy black hair looked like it hadn't been combed in years, and his face always showed a bored, lazy expression.

"Leonard!" Drake reprimanded him before turning to the others. "Sorry about that, he's very pessimistic." He wore glasses, and his hair was neatly combed to either side.

"We can see that," Victor chuckled.

Orion smiled at them and was about to say something when he felt a tug on his arm.

"So, how was your experience in Grimshore?" Erza asked.

Orion smiled. "It wasn't what I expected, but it was cool."

"Oh, so you entered Grimshore. Which base are you in?" Victor asked, overhearing them.

But Orion frowned. "Aren't we prohibited from talking about Grimshore to anyone?"

Victor chuckled, understanding Orion's confusion. "That only applies to those who haven't entered Grimshore yet."

Orion nodded, his earlier question now resolved. When he heard that Dollas Academy would teach them things about Grimshore, he had wondered how they could teach about it if no one was allowed to discuss it. Now, he understood.

"So, which base are you in?" Victor asked again.

"I think I'm in Desmere City," Orion said after thinking for a moment.

"Oh, you and Mark are in the same city," Victor said, glancing at Mark, who was reading a magazine.

"We are?" Orion was also surprised. "That's good then."

"By the way..." Erza was about to say something when suddenly, Mark slammed his fist on the table.

"Mark, what's wrong?" Victor frowned, concerned.

"Nothing," Mark said, throwing the magazine aside.

But Victor caught the magazine.

"Victor, don't read it. It has nothing to do with you," Mark shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

Orion grew curious about what could be in the magazine to cause such a strong reaction from Mark.

Ignoring Mark's protests, Victor flipped through the pages until he came across a specific one with several faces. He immediately understood what had upset Mark.

"You should forget about her," Victor said solemnly.

Mark glared at him but then closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

"What's going on with him all of a sudden?" Orion asked.

The others also looked at Victor curiously.

"Take a look," Victor said, placing the open magazine on the table for everyone to see. On the pages were many faces, but one in particular caught everyone's attention.

Orion's eyes narrowed as he recognized the face. It was his own, Orion Darkwood, along with the faces of his entire family. He saw Emily, Ella, his father, mother, and even his older brother Aron.

"That... is Orion Darkwood," Erza muttered in a serious tone, turning to Victor. "Does Mark have anything to do with Orion Darkwood?"

Orion's heartbeat quickened, and a cold feeling washed over him as Erza posed that question.

'Did Mark figure out that it was me, Orion Darkwood, who was impersonating Ray?' he thought anxiously, his palms sweating. But he forced himself to stay calm. He knew he couldn't lose his composure here, or his three months of hard work would be wasted in a moment of panic.

'Let's first see what the situation is, and then I'll decide what to do,' he thought, observing Victor.

"No, it's not Orion Darkwood," Victor said, shaking his head, causing Orion to sigh in relief. But that relief was short-lived when he heard what came next. "It's Emily Darkwood. His family was murdered by Emily Darkwood," Victor said gloomily.

Orion trembled when he heard Victor's last words. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe his sister would do such a thing.

'No, it's not that...'

At that moment, Orion realized something important. He recalled what Mark had said about Ray's injury — how he saw a woman carrying Ray, her hands covered in blood.

'That woman was Emily!'

Orion came to a shocking conclusion, and from Mark's reaction upon seeing her face in the magazine, he became certain of his deduction.

But he still couldn't understand why she would do it. Why would she kill Ray? Or did she?

He remembered that Mark only mentioned seeing her carrying Ray in his injured state. It wasn't clear what had caused those injuries.

'Damn, what's going on? How did Big Sis Emily get involved in all of this?'

Orion frowned, feeling that the situation with Mark was becoming more and more complicated.

"Emily Darkwood..." Erza and the others were also shocked.

"They're wanted criminals," Henry chuckled. "What do you expect from them?"

Victor glanced at Mark, and seeing that he wasn't going to say anything, he continued, "He's been searching for her for months, but we couldn't find any woman matching his description on our planet. We even checked other cities. But three months ago, when Orion and his family were declared traitors of the human race, we realized the person Mark had been looking for was in the Magus Kingdom.

She's the sister of the infamous Orion Darkwood."

A heavy silence and uneasy tension suddenly fell over the group upon hearing Victor.

"Cough! Speaking of him, have you guys seen yesterday's announcement?" Cicile asked, her expression intrigued as she tried to ease the tension in the air.

"Who hasn't seen it?" Drake laughed wryly. "Every news channel and TV report yesterday was about Orion Darkwood. He surpassed all the humans in the three domains, and the results weren't even close."

---

Also, I was hoping you could leave some comments or reviews to let me know your thoughts!

*Some gifts would be appreciated as well, but up to you.... *