Chapter 149 : Chapter 149

Chapter 149 - Means and Ends

The Nightmare Reaper, as the Daughters had warned, was not an easy opponent.

"The original would have stopped it easily, but it's difficult for my body."

With quick self-assessment, I also assessed the surrounding situation.

The Head Maid was lying still in the middle of the meadow as ordered.

She had closed her eyes and fallen into a deep sleep, caught in the Nightmare Reaper's power.

That monster, a collection of Dream Ghosts, put its target to sleep and searched their memories to create dreams.

As its name, Nightmare Reaper, suggested, it didn't particularly make them have pleasant dreams.

"It looks like you're in a lot of pain, but bear with it."

I could tell just by looking at the Head Maid's constantly contorting sleeping face.

"I'm also doing my best to save you."

With a non-cheer, the clone Youngest Son deflected the Nightmare Reaper's scythe with a blood stream.

The one who had trapped its prey in a nightmare would materialize at that moment.

Then, it would suck up all the yin energy and life force of the prey suffering in the nightmare.

However, the clone Youngest Son, who had exquisitely intervened only in the final stages of the hunt, confronted the Nightmare Reaper.

"Let's just play until the Head Maid regains her memory. Let's go easy on each other."

The clone Youngest Son also knew it would be troublesome if that entity died before she regained her memory.

The Nightmare Reaper had to get rid of the intruder to finish off its prey.

Thus, the intruder only thought of defense and completely blocked its approach.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A curse formula drew a circle on his palm.

Since its root, magic power, was the same, it was similar to a western magic circle, but unlike the west, it revealed a gloomy color.

[Limb Severance]

Shwaaaak— shwaaak—

Shwaaaak— shwaaak—

The slashes made of curses continuously parried the scythe.

"The original doesn't use it much, but well, I'll have to do my best with what I have."

A curse materialized the instinct of destruction in its original form.

The Youngest Son had been exposed to numerous curses through Hinek's ledger and had engraved them on his body.

But since a curse was a power that relied on the instinct of destruction, it also accumulated a small burden on the caster.

Thus, there was no curse sorcerer who had lived a long life and was sane.

The Youngest Son was also concerned about that and didn't use curses, but it was a different story for the clone.

"I don't need to think about the burden that will come later."

A stream of blood rippled in the air along his index finger.

It was literally a single stream, so it babbled like a brook without any sense of threat.

Kyaaaaah—!!

The Nightmare Reaper, whose attack had been offset, let out a metallic screech and expressed its anger.

It had been blocked several times while a human trapped in a nightmare, an exquisite delicacy, was right there.

The scythe, which had condensed its chilling anger, aimed for the intruder with its frosted blade.

It continued with a series of relentless attacks.

Sparks from the fight flew over the Head Maid, who was curled up and sleeping in the meadow.

"Being weaker than the original is helpful at times like this."

There was no need to worry about controlling my power.

Since it was difficult to even block right now, there was no chance of accidentally killing it.

Kwoooong—

A crack formed in the shield made by spreading and hardening a Blood Wave.

It seemed it was very angry, as I wouldn't be able to use such a shield more than twice.

Srrrrrrrk—

A dark blue smoke rose from around the sleeping Head Maid's body.

"...It seems it was in a hurry."

The Nightmare Reaper was withdrawing the power it had invested in the Head Maid.

It was gathering all its strength to end this boring fight.

From my perspective, that was not an option.

I shaped a blood stream into a long spear.

Holding it, I intervened with the reaper who was concentrating its power.

"I told you to play, what's with the trickery?"

Kyaaaaah—!!

To prevent it from concentrating, this time the clone Youngest Son danced.

He endlessly swung the long spear, persistently aiming for its clasped hands.

[Skull Crusher]

[Gale]

He even employed his offensive curses and tenaciously pursued the retreating creature.

The dark blue smoke gradually gathered around.

In the smoke, an illusion could be seen. An illusion with the Head Maid in it.

In the illusion, she held a sword in various clothes and various identities.

─There is someone who is trying to cross the eastern border with the family's business funds. They have hidden themselves thoroughly, but you should be able to hunt them down. Agent Mirea.

─This mission is to infiltrate a kingdom's count family. They say there are signs of treason, so have Agent Mirea go. Find the evidence.

─There is information that traces of Wisdom were found during a smuggling process. Have Agent Mirea take care of it.

─A new long-term mission. Disguise yourself as the Fifth Son-nim's Head Maid and report everything about him. This is also the Family Head-nim's command.

"...The Head Maid's memories?"

Among them, there was an illusion that particularly caught my eye.

It was a memory of the Head Maid walking down a black corridor alone, with no one else.

Compared to the other memories, it was the clearest and had no blurriness.

The illusion, which was clearly a recent memory, showed a different place at the end of the corridor.

Unlike the black corridor, it was a white room, and a curved chair that a person could lie on stood out.

Around it were people in gray robes, and they wore epaulets on their shoulders.

It was the same pattern as the epaulet that the Head Maid had worn in other memories.

Kwoooong—!

"Krrghk..."

A layer of frost formed on my body from the shockwave made of yin energy.

It felt like all my joints had frozen, and they made a creaking sound every time I moved.

Even then, my eyes were fixed on the clearest illusion.

The people in robes surrounded the chair, and their numerous hands covered the Head Maid's eyes and head.

A voice flowed from the illusion.

─Do you have any regrets, Agent Mirea?

One of the people in the gray robes said.

─I've done this procedure quite a few times, but I've never seen anyone live a normal life afterwards. And you're too valuable a person to be sent away like this.

The silent Head Maid answered.

─If my master had heard those words, he would have answered like this.

This surgery has its own meaning, as I can forget even useless conversations like this.

─…….

─Begin.

─Farewell, Agent Mirea.

The memory erasure began.

A terrible scream that one would only hear in a nightmare followed, and with that, the illusion ended.

"The original must be seeing these memories too. The Head Maid will be quite embarrassed when she wakes up."

The clone Youngest Son smirked, gathering a blood stream in one hand and condensing a curse in the other.

A curse was the most primal power of magic power, changing itself according to instinct.

This Blood Attribute magic, Samche, could also adapt its form to anything according to the user's will.

"Maybe I can weave these two together."

The clone Youngest Son's bloodshot eyes flashed.

***

The banquet hall darkened for a moment.

The lights and even the small candles on the table were doing their best, but for some reason, it just felt that way.

The musicians' performance stopped.

With their frozen fingers, now barely breathing, they couldn't even press a single string properly.

"Everyone except the kinsmen, leave."

The musicians and the subordinates disappeared from the banquet hall as if they had been waiting.

'So this is the Family Head's voice outside the Demon Head Palace.'

Inside the Family Head's residence, his voice was no different from a demon king's.

But here in the banquet hall, Family Head Kulsian's voice was that of a monarch and a conqueror.

It was heavier than any instrument the musicians had played and more intimidating than any song.

The hall became a little empty with the subordinates sent out by that voice.

But the kinsmen sitting there did not feel that way at all.

Rather, it was difficult to even open their mouths due to the overwhelming pressure that filled the space without a moment to breathe.

Until the master of the great family sat at the head of the table, the young kinsmen could not even see their father's coattails.

Scrape—

The messenger pushed the chair to make a seat for the Family Head.

As Family Head Kulsian Black Millesdusk took his seat.

"It has been a not so short time since we last met, descendants of Millesdusk."

The Millesdusk banquet began.

The messenger stood by the Family Head's side, and the kinsmen finally looked at their father's face properly.

The same was true for the Youngest Son. Because in the story, the only place to see the Family Head was the Demon Head Palace.

"The childish blood has drained away a little. Only now have you become sorcerers who are not a disgrace to the name of Millesdusk."

The Family Head was a man with long, dark violet hair that reached his shoulders.

His pitch-black eyes had softened with the leisure that came with age, but a hint of a poison that would never die could be seen.

Except for the wrinkles around his eyes, he didn't look much older than the First Son.

Sorcerers were beings specialized in distancing themselves from death, so aging was not an enemy of the Millesdusk Family Head.

─We greet the Family Head-nim.

The young kinsmen who had stood up from their seats paid their respects to the master of the family.

After the trivial pleasantries, the food that had not yet lost its warmth entered their mouths.

"..."

"..."

A banquet where they were eating something, but they didn't know what they were eating, continued.

Except for the slightly strong wine, they couldn't taste anything.

Now, where the only sound was the clatter of tableware and dishes.

The first to open his mouth was the Family Head.

"Youngest."

"Yes."

The Youngest Son, who had been called upon, answered as if he had been waiting.

It must be because of the great contribution the Dark Elixir business had made to the family. Everyone thought so.

But the Youngest Son did not.

The Family Head also saw that the strength in the youngest's eyes had not faded. He asked.

"What is the family to you?"

It was a short question, neither a compliment nor a rebuke.

Dozens of exemplary answers came to mind, but none of them would be what the Family Head wanted.

The Youngest Son, knowing that, gave a wrong answer.

"A means."

But the Youngest Son, as he had always done, found the right answer in what others clamored was a wrong answer.

Because that was the solution to the challenge before him.

"A means."

"That is correct."

Everyone except the First Son gestured to the youngest.

On the other hand, Family Head Kulsian chuckled lowly.

Even with that small vibration, the flames of the candles flickered as if they would go out.

"Then what is your purpose, to use this Millesdusk as a means?"

The Youngest Son comfortably put the steak he had been cutting since a while ago into his mouth.

"The Five Families."

"..."

This time, even the First Son's emotionless gray eyes turned to the youngest.

Because those words meant only one thing.

The foundation of this world and everything that supported the east, west, south, north, and the center.

"To bring the four great families and the imperial family under my feet, I wish to obtain Millesdusk."

Is he crazy?

Eyes that could be defined as such flew in from all directions.

If the Third Daughter could also see, she would have done the same.

Ransis also glanced at the Family Head this time.

Because it was a completely unexpected answer, she couldn't guess the Family Head's reaction at all.

The Youngest Son said nonchalantly in the midst of that reaction.

"I am only saying what I was told to say. I cannot speak lies in front of the Family Head-nim."

The Family Head watched the youngest, who was deliciously swallowing his steak, without a word for a while.

He stared as if he were writing an observation journal.

So no one but the youngest could touch their food. It was not the right atmosphere.

Family Head Kulsian opened his mouth.

"Then the day you sit on the Family Head's seat, little brother, will be a moment of life or death for our Millesdusk."

"I am only practicing the doctrine of Millesdusk."

What is this now?

Even the Family Head, who was nominally the patriarch of the Scripture of the Dark Wheel, did not understand for a moment, but it was by no means a difficult statement.

"In the past, the four great families started in the empire, the main camp of the imperial family, but eventually left and scattered."

"As it began as one, it will return to one again. Are you referring to the cyclical regressionism of the Scripture of the Dark Wheel?"

"It is also said so, but this cycle is so large that unless someone pushes it with an external force, it will never rotate."

"And that someone is you, little brother."

"Anyone with such a purpose. But."

The words were not yet complete.

"The one who will stand at the end of the cycle is us. The Millesdusk that I lead."

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