CH 16

[Name: Sasha Winchester (LV.2)]

[Occupation: Unemployed]

[Attribute: Rattle Master (Strength +3)]

I stared at the status window in front of me, listening to the sound of the rain falling on the roof.

Maya had filled me in on news from inside and outside the manor today, and I was told that Rowen had delivered an agenda to Verus about the curse of Kaisa.

The Taylors had presented a corpse, claiming it to be the caster of the curse, but unsurprisingly, none of the houses were willing to accept it.

It was said that strong measures had been taken against the Taylors, and a shadow loomed over the political affairs of Janut.

The question is…… why me?

Who could have attacked my carriage and tried to kill me, and for what purpose?

I’m just a helpless baby.

‘After all, Sasha Winchester is only an extra.’

I let out a small sigh.

Soon after, [View People] appeared.

[1. Recardo Winchester

Title: Ruler of Black Flame

Causality: 1.5%]

And then down below.

[2. Jin Winchester

Title: None

Causality: 1.9%]

[3. Othello Winchester

Title: None

Causality: 2%]

[4. Chenoa Tailor

Title: Ruler of Pure Light

Causality: N/A]

[5. #@$% , #$%%, $#$%^^$$#@

The following information cannot be displayed]

The other day, I plucked up the courage to look at the [View People]  and was quite surprised.

I discovered that Chenoa had been added, and that the causality rating can be marked as not applicable.

From the shock of collapsing, my profile screen was filled with strange special characters in the 5th column.

The profile picture was nothing more than a shadowy silhouette, just like now.

Was it an error, like the messages I got when I first manifested the skill, or was it Evan Taylor?

“Ha…….”

Maya let out a small sigh as she grabbed my favorite chai berry yogurt for a snack.

” Miss, do you know what just happened?!”

” Hmm?”

“A letter of protest came in from Duke Taylor.”

She shook her head with a pouty face.

I opened my mouth wide and took a spoonful of sweet yogurt.

“Their western tower has been burnt to the ground by the work of men sent from Winchester, it says.”

At that moment, I remembered the events in <Taylor’s Home> that I had read about.

“It sounds like they’re desperately trying to get out of the mess they’re in, but who’s going to believe them when they’ve resurrected such a terrible spell as the Curse of Kaisa, and there’s no telling what they’ll do.”

The novel takes place when Evan Taylor, the protagonist, is seven years old.

Upon learning of the intrusion of a skilled assassin under the command of Recardo Winchester, the Taylors attempted to surround the assassin, but the assassin set fire to the west tower.

Evan Taylors, with his surprisingly strong psychic powers for his young age, defeats the assassin, and the Duke of Taylor forces Recardo to confess his actions at their monthly meeting.

But instead of showing remorse, the Duke of Winchester’s attitude is one of disappointment that he was unable to burn all of the Taylors down, causing the meeting to end in disaster.

The other two families side with the Taylors, and the Winchesters become more and more isolated.

This is when the extraordinary talents of Evan Taylor, the heir to the Taylor family, become known, and the conflict with the Winchesters begins in earnest.

“Unless he can explain Kaisa, no one is going to be able to trust him.”

But following the attack on me with The Curse of Kaisa, I felt like I was facing a very different situation from the original.

I was confused.

In the novel, Taylors had the unlimited support of the other Houses and the people of the Empire.

But now, after the Kaisa incident, everyone was wary of the Taylors.

‘Will this completely change the original story?’

‘No way,’ I thought to myself.

“Miss…….”

I blinked at the sound of Maya’s voice as she turned towards me with a nervous look on her face, after a brief conversation with whoever had called her from outside.

* * *

While the head of the house may have the strongest abilities, they are not the only one with them.

The source of these abilities is the bloodline, and the bloodline runs deep. As such, each family’s council had considerable influence.

The Winchester council of elders, the Afinizu, is led by Recardo Winchester’s uncle, Bashiron Winchester, and his foster daughter, Zestia Winchester, and for this particular Afinizu, Recardo’s grandfather and former head of the family, Hector Winchester, joined the council. 

Enoch Winchester, father of Recardo and son of Hector, died of poisoning at an early age because of a conflict with his brother Bashiron.

His death was suspected to be the work of Bashiron, but the truth was never uncovered.

Afterwards, Bashiron’s rightful place as head of the family was taken by his nephew, Recardo. The relationship between Recardo and Bashiron, therefore, was not a very good one.

The councilors seated at the twelve chairs around the round table were criticizing the dominance of Recardo Winchester, the head of the household.

The atmosphere was considerably heavier than usual, as the largest chair at twelve o’clock, usually empty, was filled today.

“We can no longer tolerate Recardo’s behavior, and by sending in an assassin without consulting us, he has given them something to fight back against in a time of growing tension.”

Zestia Winchester had long, wavy hair that was more gray than silver.

“To be swayed by personal emotions is to be unworthy of the position as the head of the family.”

At Bashiron Winchester’s words, Hector Winchester remained still.

“Especially if that means his blood is more important than the prosperity of his family.”

Bashiron shrugged his shoulders and directed his gaze towards the entrance.

Bashiron’s two private soldiers were soon visible, and they roughly pushed Maya, who was carrying a young girl, inside.

Bashiron Winchester shook his head at the sight of the infant’s face and slapped his palms together.

Then the image stone glowed, revealing a stunning image of a little girl fending off a grown man.

Hector Winchester’s eyebrows rose as he watched.

“That child here is what Recardo claimed to have got with his lover. A child of that age that hasn’t manifested her powers, and yet she’s able to do that?”

Maya stiffened and came to a halt near the round table.

The intimidating-looking people in robes at the round table were all looking at Sasha Winchester.

A tiny little baby who could barely hold herself up.

“Recardo Winchester kept us in the dark about the child’s powers, even though it was his duty to report them to the Afinizu. It’s anybody’s guess that it’s because he has darkness inside him…….”

Black flames flickered behind Bashiron. His frosty, venomous gaze turned to Sasha.

“I insist that we use the “Shadow of the Abyss” on this baby, to investigate, simply to determine the true nature of the family head who caused such tension over a mere child.”

At the mention of “Shadow of the Abyss,” everyone gasped.

“But that would mean…….”

“Don’t we have a right to know the truth of that day, the one that Recardo is trying to hide?”

Shadow of the Abyss was one of the Black Flame’s techniques, nicknamed the mental autopsy.

Everything contained within would be visualized, extracted and displayed, forcefully revealing all information about the person from their birth to the present day.

It was used on people who had been caught spying on their enemies, and unsurprisingly, the side effects were enormous, nearly destroying their minds.

“I wonder who’s going to clean up after Recardo.”

“Even if the head of household seems reckless at first glance, he doesn’t do things that don’t benefit him. And while he’s been showing some interest lately, he’s not going to overturn the family name for a child whose mother’s pedigree isn’t that great, and once he’s found out the truth, what can you do?”

Bashiron’s eyes flashed.

Recardo didn’t so easily expose weak spots, and Bashiron saw the possibility of finding one in this case.

“As you can see, the attacker seemed to know about the child, referring to her with the word ‘key’. We need to check for the possibility of a connection.”

Maya’s face paled. She looked around for a place to escape, but soldiers were everywhere.

“Lord…….”

The only person she could turn to for any sort of reaction was Hector Winchester, former head of the House and Recardo’s grandfather.

Hector stared at the baby in the maid’s arms with a piercing gaze.

The child’s bright silver hair, clear green eyes, matching Recardo’s, and the recording from the image stone.

“Your Excellency, can we proceed with this resolution?”

Bashiron’s loud voice called out. Silence fell as everyone waited for his answer.

C R A S H..! 

The doors of the Afinizu, which could not be opened from the outside, shattered with a sound like a bombing raid.

Not surprisingly, Bashiron’s face crumpled.

With a loud bang, a tall man in a black uniform appeared. His silver hair fluttered with the wind, and his green eyes were filled with unrestrained fire.

“Article 7, Section 9, no family head may enter the Afinizu without the permission of a majority of the Afinizu members…….”

Zestia stood up and was about to reprimand Recardo but stopped mid-sentence.

The blade-like black flames extending from him were right in front of her eyes. If she hadn’t stopped speaking, it would have pierced her eyes.

“How dare you…….”

Bashiron shouted at Recardo, raising his own black flame.

But as soon as Recardo’s gaze fell on him, his black flame flickered like a candle that could be blown out at any moment.

Like a herbivore in the face of a beast, his power was helpless in the face of Recardo, who possessed the power of the family head.

Bashiron felt a chill creep up his neck.

When Recardo stood before him, staring at him with eyes darker than midnight filled with nothing but killing intent, Bashiron felt a chill run down his spine.