Chapter 222: The Crown Beckons (1)

-Ethan’s POV-

The information I’d obtained from Asterion was probably the best thing that had happened to me recently.

I now understood the rules governing the curse, and more importantly, I’d found a way to carry out my mission.

The Blood Curse placed upon the Heart Clan was one of the most powerful blood curses I’d ever encountered. Whoever had created it couldn’t have been an ordinary individual, considering it had endured for countless generations without anyone managing to do a damn thing about it.

But despite its overwhelming power, it wasn’t without weaknesses that could be exploited.

"Don’t go doing anything reckless. I didn’t tell you all this so you could start a rebellion and get yourself killed."

Asterion warned me sternly before turning his attention toward the others.

"That goes for every last one of you."

Everyone nodded in unison, having understood just how serious he was.

"Judging by everyone’s reactions... you really did share some confidential information with us."

I’d already realized that most of the others had been unaware of what he’d revealed.

And Asterion made no attempt to deny it.

"A great deal of information is deliberately concealed to prevent members of the clan from starting rebellions that would only get countless people killed for nothing. Normally, I wouldn’t have shared any of this with you. If Kevin found out, he’d be furious."

The old man sighed at the mere thought of the Council of Elders, whose members he clearly regarded as a pain in the ass.

But his words only made me more curious.

"If you’re not supposed to reveal this information, then why did you tell us?"

Everyone turned toward the old drunkard after I asked my question.

Apparently, the others were just as curious as I was.

Asterion remained silent for a moment, scratching his hair with his only remaining hand.

"This is a special case. You’ve all found yourselves directly in the Arden family’s line of fire, and there’s no telling what might happen from here on out."

His words stirred unease among us, especially since everyone here, apart from him, was still a young, inexperienced hunter.

"Are you saying the royal family might do something to us soon?"

Moon was the one who asked.

Asterion nodded.

"I have no solid evidence to support that. It’s just a hunch."

"Your hunches are never wrong, Grandfather. It’s almost like some kind of curse."

Moon closed her eyes as she spoke, then raised a hand, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Since we’re discussing the rules of the Blood Curse, I’d like to add another one."

"Oh? A rule even I don’t know about?"

Asterion tilted his head skeptically.

After all, practically nothing concerning the clan escaped his knowledge. The possibility that there was a rule he didn’t know seemed almost impossible.

But Moon insisted there was one.

"Since you didn’t mention it, I can only assume you don’t know about it."

"Very well, then. Let’s hear it."

"The curse doesn’t disappear after death."

Everyone’s eyes widened to varying degrees at her revelation.

Asterion, however, didn’t seem particularly surprised. He merely rested a hand beneath his chin, contemplating what he’d just heard.

"I see... And you’re living proof of that."

Moon nodded.

"That’s right. No one but me can confirm this rule, because I actually die before the Phoenix Blessing resurrects me. If death were enough to break the curse, I would have been free long ago."

"Ordinarily, humans don’t get back up after dying, so I’ve never given any thought to what happens afterward..."

Asterion admitted that he’d never considered the possibility.

And most likely, neither had any of our ancestors.

Even if death freed us from the curse, what good would that do when we wouldn’t be alive to enjoy that freedom?

But Moon was a special case.

And so was I.

’So... the Blood of the ancient gods won’t free me from the curse...’

I’d be lying if I said the possibility hadn’t crossed my mind.

But I’d never had the opportunity to test it, and I hadn’t known exactly how the Phoenix Blessing worked.

Did Moon truly die before rising from the ashes, or was there something else involved?

The Blood of the ancient gods granted an effect similar to the Phoenix Blessing, but mine was vastly inferior to hers.

Every time I used it, I had to sacrifice a portion of my lifespan.

Moon, on the other hand, lost nothing and could resurrect herself as many times as she wanted.

"As expected of our squad leader! She’s discovered a rule that even the Uncrowned Emperor himself didn’t know about!"

Raiden praised Moon with a broad grin.

She shook her head.

"This rule only applies to people like me, so I don’t think I’ve contributed anything particularly useful."

She was trying to be as modest as possible.

But Asterion assured her that it was valuable information indeed.

After all, it wasn’t every day that they learned something new about the curse.

"According to everything we’ve discussed, that old hunter... Jackson, is the only one who possesses some degree of freedom. The royal family can’t kill him from a distance because they don’t even know he exists."

Luna joined the conversation, taking the opportunity to share her own conclusion.

Asterion nodded.

"As long as he doesn’t appear before them, at least. Verbal commands don’t require prior knowledge of someone’s name. A member of the royal family only needs to issue the command to him directly."

In other words, Jackson wasn’t completely free.

He’d merely escaped the threat of being killed remotely.

"Umm... Guys, is it really a good idea to discuss all this out loud?"

Chai interrupted with a perfectly reasonable question.

Everyone had been speaking freely, without paying much attention to their surroundings.

He was worried someone might be listening in.

"There’s no need to worry, boy. Not a single person in this entire empire could sneak up on me without my noticing."

Asterion reassured him, making it clear that we could speak as freely as we liked.

But to be frank, I had my doubts.

There were plenty of people who could slip past even his senses.

For example...

A certain Apostle of the Night Lords who could change her skin like a chameleon.

I was still deeply concerned about her.

That was why I’d remained silent for most of the discussion, keeping my own conclusions to myself.

While I stayed quiet, the others continued chatting for a while.

They talked about our latest expedition in general, and just how much stronger we’d become compared to the day we first entered Old Ashvarn.

Back then, we’d all been Advanced-rank hunters.

Actually... I hadn’t even reached that rank myself at the time.

But now, every single one of us had reached Elite-rank.

It was an enormous leap in strength, one that would ordinarily require several years of hunting and training.

Yet we’d accomplished it in just a few months, thanks to the sheer difficulty of the dungeon we’d faced.

Knowing the others’ levels made me painfully aware of just how harsh the price of the Class Change Blessing really was.

Despite earning more than 200,000 Souls from killing Ars and Aldrich, I’d barely managed to reach a level comparable to everyone else’s.

And they hadn’t accomplished even a quarter of what I had.

All because of the doubled cost I was forced to pay every single time...

Still, I wasn’t complaining.

The sheer number of abilities at my disposal was practically cheating in itself.

Suddenly...

While I was lost in thought, the aura surrounding Asterion changed.

He gradually straightened in his seat.

That single movement was enough for all of us to realize the same thing.

"Someone’s coming."

The old man spoke, and everyone immediately fell silent, settling into their places.