Volume 2 Chapter 31: So, even if you tell me!【The Aristocratic Council Arc】

White hair and pale skin.
And red eyes.

Because of their pale pigmentation and distinctive appearance, they are called “accursed children.”
But the truth is, it isn’t that simple.

Indeed, it is true that people who look like Izun are called “accursed children,” and it’s no lie that those with such appearances are rarely raised properly.
The reason they are called “accursed children” is not merely that they look different.
If it were only the white hair and red eyes, they would simply be shunned and ostracized.
Although appearances leave a strong impression, it is impossible to be so despised solely for that.

The reason people who look like Izun are shunned is that they are born with special powers.
All of those powers are formidable.
These are special powers that affect those around them.
If wielded properly, they could even benefit others.
But they are 【from birth】.
That power is imbued in an infant’s small body at a stage when it is incapable of thought.

Can such a baby properly handle such formidable power?
The answer is, no.

It’s not that Izun is to blame, or that the albino known as an “accursed child” is at fault.
Humanity became the rulers of the world because of its high intelligence, but infants, unfortunately, possess only a low level of it.
It is obvious, then, that an infant cannot properly control its power… and it is hardly surprising that this power goes berserk.
That is why they are called “accursed children.”
Thus, most of them are killed at birth.
It is not because their appearance is strange or repulsive.
It is simply because the runaway power is terrifying.
If an infant’s tantrum unleashes its formidable power, it will ravage everything indiscriminately.
And for that reason, “accursed children” are despised.

◆

“Guh……!?”

A gust of wind swept forcefully.
The cloth used to hide one’s face billowed dramatically.

Bros was fortunate enough to be the furthest from Izun, but his subordinates—who were closing in to stab and kill—were hit even harder by the intense wind.
It was so strong that they could barely keep their eyes open, yet, surprisingly, the wind soon subsided.

“Wha—what was that? That wind just now…”

Blinking, Bros tried to grasp the situation.
There was no doubt that that accursed child’s maid had used some kind of magic or power.

Was it an attack?
But from what he could see, there was no effect.
His own body was unscathed, and none of his subordinates appeared to be down.

“A failed spell? If so… Now! Kill them all—Balor and the lot!”

It must have been a failed spell.
If one’s mind isn’t in order, such things happen often.
And the ensuing rigidity presented a clear opening.

Naturally, Bros issued orders to his subordinates.

“Me too, Master?”
“(Of course)”

As Balor and Nanashi heatedly argued over the 【all】 part of Bros’ order… Bros suddenly noticed something was off.
His subordinates were not obeying his commands.
This had never happened before.

As assassins, they always acted faithfully on orders.
It was precisely because of this that they were competent and had never failed.
And yet, why…?

“A-ah…”
“B-Bros-sama…”

Moreover, while uttering a groan, for some reason they were coming toward Bros.
Their target should have been Balor and the others.

“Why are you coming this way? I ordered you to kill Balor…”

Bros couldn’t hide his puzzled expression.
Squinting his eyes, he tried to discern what was happening…

“Wha!?”

He was stunned by the appearance of his subordinates, illuminated by the moonlight.

“A-AAAAHHHH…!”
“Their bodies… the power… it’s not working…”
“Bros-sama, help…”

His subordinates, seeking help, approached like phantoms.
The cloth that once concealed their faces and identities now hung loosely.
That made sense, after all—the once fleshy cheeks had been scraped away, leaving them as gaunt as mummies.
Their eyes were sunken, as if the eyeballs were about to pop out.
Such were the subordinates who had transformed into mummies.

…No, even now.
Even now, their bodies were rapidly wasting away, growing frail.
It was as if their very life force was being drained.

“What is this… what is this!?”

Trembling at the sight of his subordinates advancing like undead, Bros shouted.
They were comrades who should have stood shoulder to shoulder, trusting one another.
But now, their slowly approaching, pleading forms had transformed into something akin to the undead, draining life from the living…
Bros could not catch them.

Finally, those subordinates who could not reach Bros collapsed.
The sound of their collapse was so weak and light it hardly seemed possible for human bodies weighing several tens of kilograms.

“Y-You, what the hell did you do to these guys!?”

“…………?”

“Even if you look up at me…”

Izun looked up at Balor with red, puzzled eyes.

Balor, who had been concealing his presence and acting indifferent, was outraged at being dragged into this.

He had completely forgotten that Nanashi and Izun had been caught up in his affairs in the first place.

“Balor!”

“Even if you tell me, I won’t listen!”

Bros, who decided Izun wouldn’t give him a proper answer, shouted at Balor.
Balor had no idea what her power truly was, so he couldn’t reply.

“I don’t understand. Izun, you haven’t fully grasped your own power!”

“(Eek!)”

Balor’s heart screamed, “Don’t use a power you can’t control!” but he kept silent out of fear.

“Ever since before, whenever I tried to keep unpleasant things at bay, it ended up like this. I don’t know why, but I knew this would be the result.”

“Th-that’s absurd… Then has this man been keeping this unknown, volatile dud hidden in his bosom… employing her as his maid all along…!?”

He stared at Balor in astonishment.
Just how deep was this man’s capacity?

Feeling as if he were being praised, Balor put on a smug expression.
(For the record, had he known Izun possessed such power, he would never have hired her.)

“That is why, Balor-dono, you are amazing. Balor-dono is Izun’s benefactor. From now on, I’d like to remain with you always.”

Izun’s pure white skin flushed a charming shade of red.
Her affection was unmistakable to anyone.

Even if she were an “accursed child,” being on the receiving end of affection from such a strikingly lovely woman would normally make a man’s heart dance.
Yet Balor, who only cared about those with talent for feudal lord duties, completely ignored it.

“Anyone who interferes… will be slaughtered.”

“(Sometimes, the way she talks is terrifyingly fluent…)”

Balor, more frightened than Bros, was nonetheless letting her protect him, an act that sprang from his fundamental mistrust of everyone else.

“Ugh…!”

Faced with her cold, steady red eyes, Bros felt a chill run down his spine.
And then, rather than avenging his fallen subordinates, he chose to flee.

No, it wasn’t purely because he valued his life.
That was part of it, but not all.

I have to run! I have to warn them!
They must know never to cross Balor.

They must never antagonize him… and the maid who serves him.

“It’s already too late.”

“Gah!?”

Bros collapsed.
It wasn’t because he stumbled over anything.

His legs had suddenly lost all strength.
When he looked down fearfully at them… they were as thin as twigs compared to his usual ones.

“M-My legs…!!”

“Because you were a bit farther away than the others, Izun’s power took a little longer to reach you. So you will die, too.”

So this was what it felt like to have one’s life force drained.
An indescribable yet utterly vital element was being siphoned from his body, leaving it wilted and lifeless.

The fear struck at the core of his being, warning him that his very life was at stake.

“W-Wait… please, wait! I-I have a family… waiting for me…!”

A plea for his life.
He was always on the receiving end of such pleas.

He had once mocked these cries and snuffed them out without listening.
Now, he was reaping what he had sown.

“…If you have a family, you shouldn’t be doing this kind of work. You had to know you’d face consequences someday, right?”

Izun tilted her head with a puzzled look.
She showed neither scorn nor anger.

Bros understood that emotion.
She simply didn’t care.

She had no interest whatsoever in whether Bros lived or died.
She wouldn’t listen to his words.

“A-ah… K-Kelphine-sama…――”

Before his eyes, Bros’s body shriveled at an astonishing rate.
Then the light vanished from his eyes.

“Having a family… that sounds nice…”

Izun’s soft, envious voice echoed quietly.