Chapter 14: Bloody curse

In the freshman duels, I was always ordinary.

My opponent was Pascal, and I always won easily.

‘Hidden power?’

‘Sudden awakening?’

‘An unbelievable comeback?’

There was no such twist.

I simply displayed superior skill and easily claimed victory against Pascal.

Normally, the reaction would be something like, “My heavens, Pascal Myers lost so helplessly to such an ordinary guy?!” but until now, I had never received that kind of attention.

Why?

It’s because I am always a step removed from others’ gazes.

More precisely, it’s accurate to say I’m slightly outside of it.

My Authority of Perception and Recognition is always active, and it was the same when I dueled Pascal.

The entire result and process of the duel will be condensed into a single sentence, ‘Pascal lost,’ and remembered in everyone’s minds.

But they are different.

As I’ve already mentioned several times, my Authority doesn’t work well on ‘those three women.’

They will remember the entire process of my victory against Pascal.

Although the Hero and the Holy Maiden don’t even know who Pascal is, and the Regressor has no interest beyond my victory…

Regardless, only these three properly remember my duel.

I recalled something here.

‘Then, no matter what I do in the duel, there will only be three witnesses?’

So I thought.

‘By merely showing them the duel, what kind of help can I offer them…?’

The answer was easy to find.

‘It’s to make them gain ‘enlightenment’.’

Talented individuals often gain enlightenment easily just by observing something and being stimulated.

And when it comes to talent, Hestia and the Holy Maiden are a given, and Elisha… is a bit ambiguous, but if the Authority of Regression is indeed related to talent, then she might even surpass the Hero and the Holy Maiden.

Yes, if I just do well, it’s not impossible to give all three of them enlightenment.

This isn’t baseless either, as in Hestia’s case, she was able to gain enlightenment simply by witnessing an aspect of the ‘Great Pioneer’s’ power.

That’s also why I previously recommended she go observe Paeren.

She refused then, so I don’t know what happened afterward…

Anyway, what’s important is the possibility that I might be able to give them enlightenment.

And to all three simultaneously.

Of course, I’m worried that if I show a different side of myself than in the previous regression, Elisha might sense something strange…

‘As for that part…’

‘I’ll just make up an excuse that I suddenly remembered after fainting and waking up on the practical training day.’

That woman trusts my words implicitly, so it should be fine.

I feel a little sorry for seemingly just using her, but it’s all for her and her companions.

I hope they gain something from watching my duel.

****

A space where a long corridor extended.

A path where darkness shrouded everything, revealing only a faint glimpse of the floor.

Pascal Myers was walking there.

The path twisted and darkness obstructed his vision multiple times, but he navigated it with familiarity, as if he had passed through it countless times before.

Soon, as Pascal reached the end, a small door appeared before him.

“Enter.”

A voice came from inside before he even knocked on the door.

Pascal, seemingly accustomed to this as well, naturally turned the doorknob.

The space that appeared was a moderately sized study.

It seemed designed to be just right for one person.

This was the main residence of the Myers family.

Among its rooms, this space was permitted only to direct blood relatives.

And the person reviewing documents in front of Pascal was the current head of the Myers family.

The family head, Kal Myers.

He was Pascal’s father, on the verge of reaching the ‘Transcendent’ realm.

He glanced sideways at Pascal, who stood stiffly, and spoke.

“Have you completed everything I instructed?”

“Yes, the ‘Core’ installation is complete.”

“Good.

No complaints have come in, so it seems the Academy Head fortunately hasn’t noticed.”

Pascal quietly swallowed.

He, too, was well aware of how preposterous his actions were.

It was a situation where, if anything went wrong, the entire Myers family could come under attack from the Academy…

Therefore, failure was absolutely unforgivable.

Although he was originally just a student slightly more talented than others, and it would be impossible for him to evade the eyes of the Academy Head, a Transcendent, the ‘special power’ bestowed by the head of the Myers family made it possible.

“Pascal.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

“Something has arisen that you must do for the family.”

The Myers family, considered one of the assassin families with a considerable history, actually harbored a long-hidden secret.

A terrible curse etched into the bloodline of the Myers family, known only to direct descendants…

The curse, which began long ago with the first family head who founded the Myers family, continued its lineage to this day.

“Time is running out.”

“……”

“Even if it’s just to resolve our family’s disgrace, this plan must succeed.”

The family head removed the black glove he was wearing.

Beneath it was his hand, turned as black as the glove.

He caressed his severely discolored skin and spoke with a bitter expression.

“You must be feeling it now, too, aren’t you?

That this curse is slowly growing within your body…”

“……Yes.”

“You don’t need to worry.

Once I enter the Transcendent realm… I’ll be able to definitively resolve the curse then.”

The first family head was an assassin who had reached the realm of a Transcendent.

However, unlike what was known to the public, he was no ordinary assassin.

This was a story passed down only to direct blood relatives.

Unlike typical assassins who assassinate targets upon receiving a request, the first family head never stopped killing, even without a target…

He was merely a murderous fiend, consumed by the pleasure of slaughter.

He indiscriminately took the lives of all sorts of people—the good, the innocent, the wicked—and those who were murdered cursed him until their dying breath.

That accumulated over a long time, due to countless individuals…

Ultimately, a powerful curse was etched into the bloodline of the first family head.

A curse where the body gradually became eroded by malevolent energy over time.

This became the reason for the short lifespans of the Myers family’s direct descendants, and it had flowed down to Pascal in the present.

Even in such a desperate situation, where borrowing the power of a cleric only slightly slowed the rate of erosion, the Myers family did not give up.

Pascal’s ancestors abandoned their duty as an assassin family and continuously searched for a way to resolve the curse.

Their efforts and records steadily accumulated in documents.

And at the end of that lineage was the current family head, Kal Myers, Pascal’s father, who was called the Myers family’s greatest talent and stood on the verge of becoming a Transcendent…

He combined countless pieces of information and finally found a clue, discovering that the clues pointed towards the ‘Academy’.

A place where unusually peculiar magic had recently been gathering.

Several studies had already been conducted, but no one had clearly identified its true nature.

Fundamentally, it was concluded as ‘just a slightly different attribute of magic’ because there was no significant difference from ordinary magic, but Kal Myers realized that the Academy’s special magic was precisely what he had been searching for so desperately.

Special attribute magic that could influence the curse etched into the Myers family’s blood.

He became certain after observing that the curse’s symptoms appeared slowly in his son, Pascal, who had enrolled in the Academy.

That enigmatic magic, distinct from divine power, neutralized the curse through some method.

However, the amount of magic Pascal could obtain on his own merely slowed the symptoms…

To achieve a proper effect, they needed to employ another method.

Kal Myers pondered.

And he remembered.

A terrible method, enough to turn the Academy into an enemy, but one with certain results…!

He immediately bestowed upon Pascal a dagger that had been passed down through the family for generations.

One of the byproducts of their ancestors’ research to neutralize the curse, and now an ominous heirloom of the Myers family.

It was a special item that performed properly when it resonated with the curse flowing in the Myers family’s blood.

Pascal succeeded in secretly establishing the ‘Core’ in the Academy, erasing his presence with the dagger’s unique stealth ability and evading the Academy Head’s notice.

And currently, having briefly returned to the main residence for the holiday, he received a new command from the family head.

“To safely activate the Core, a very large amount of blood is needed.

But since we are not vampires, it’s practically impossible through legal means.

Even if we could procure blood separately, it would be meaningless unless it’s freshly drawn.”

“Then, by asking the Academy Head to release animals into the Academy…”

“The Academy Head would never permit that.

And as you know from the research data, human blood is required for a certain effect.”

“But…”

“Yes, the best method is to sacrifice the Academy’s students to activate the Core.

However, if it becomes known that our family did such a thing, it would be tantamount to turning the world against us.”

“……”

“You don’t need to worry too much.

I have no intention of acting without a plan.”

The family head’s subsequent plan was shocking.

First, Pascal would feed his cursed blood to the inherited dagger to maximize its abilities, then the dagger’s malevolent energy, resonating with the blood, would be offered as a sacrifice to the ‘Core’.

Afterwards, the Core, imbued with abnormal malevolent energy and blood, would malfunction and spew out malevolent energy in the form of monsters, plunging the Academy into chaos due to the sudden appearance of these creatures.

At that time, those who were injured or died would bleed profusely, and a magic circle would be set up to direct all that blood towards the Core.

If the Core, having absorbed enough blood, were to activate, Kal Myers would use its power to break through to the Transcendent realm.

Then, everything would be resolved.

If he reached the Transcendent realm with the Academy’s special magic, Kal Myers would evolve into a body capable of freely wielding the magic that neutralizes the curse.

It would even be possible to break the tedious curse of the Myers family.

Pascal’s eyes, having heard the entire plan, trembled violently.

No matter that it was the family head’s command, it was an absurd undertaking.

“That’s… im-impossible.”

“Is it because of the Academy Head?”

“Of course, the Academy Head is one thing, but the ‘Great Pioneer’ Paeren recently arrived at the Academy.

With rumors that she might stay for a long time, how could such an outrageous plan be considered!

If something goes wrong, the entire family could be wiped out…!”

“It’s fine.

I have something in mind.”

Paeren will soon leave the Academy.

To completely repair the barrier that hasn’t been fully restored yet, there must be no Transcendent inside.

Transcendent beings, by their very existence, exert a significant influence on their surroundings, so unless it’s the Academy Head, who is knowledgeable about barriers, they are bound to affect any work done on the barrier in some way.

Kal Myers was waiting for this moment.

When the Great Pioneer briefly leaves and the Academy Head is preoccupied with barrier repairs.

He plans to ambush her and render her incapacitated for even a short time.

Although the difference between those who have reached the Transcendent realm and those who haven’t is stark, he knew that the Academy Head’s current condition was not perfect either.

Of course, a fight still wouldn’t be established even then, but if they used the family’s treasures, a temporary incapacitation would certainly be possible.

“I don’t know if my condition will be fine afterwards.

So, you must do it.”

“……”

“I plan to make it seem as though I recklessly challenged a Transcendent, and you must feign ignorance about the existence of the monsters.

Since the Academy’s barrier isn’t perfectly sound right now, it’s not an unbelievable story.”

“……”

“If the plan succeeds… I will also reach the Transcendent realm, so no matter who the Academy Head is, she won’t be able to interrogate me carelessly.

Therefore…”

‘I trust you.’

Pascal bit his lip tightly and slowly nodded his head.

His father, reflected in his eyes, had the same look as someone who had fallen deeply into something and gone mad, but Pascal obeyed the family head’s command.

For the Myers family, and for his father…