The Real Head of House Was Me — Chapter : 5
The bell announcing midnight rang.
“I expected as much, but not a single Awakened has come looking for us.”
Walter clicked his tongue as he drew back the curtains, glancing cautiously at Michael.
Far away in the darkness, a white clock tower could be seen. Walter grumbled for no particular reason.
“Damn it. Does every noble family have a clock tower? It’s so noisy every midnight.”
“Not all of them. That one was built only for families where Awakened were born.”
Moonlight streamed through the window, revealing Michael, who was still wearing his blindfold.
The curse’s effect was not limited to taking away his sight.
The moment his eyes were exposed to even the slightest amount of light, an agonizing pain would come over him, as though his eyes were burning away.
“Should we contact Birche and tell them that it would be better to return?”
The situation was so dire that Walter was cautiously suggesting the idea.
An assassin had followed them all the way to Elheim, while the curse on Michael’s eyes was becoming increasingly severe.
Although it was not known to outsiders, even Birche’s ability had its limitations.
“It’s difficult to control the ability if you can’t see, isn’t it? It would be quite amusing if you accidentally killed the Duke of Elheim while trying to catch an assassin…”
Walter stopped talking.
A pistol was already in Michael’s hand.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Unexpectedly, Michael was smiling.
“I’ll stay in Elheim for the entire month. Under the pretext that I’m waiting for their decision.”
Even though he could not see, the muzzle of the gun was aimed precisely in Walter’s direction.
“So find out why the Duke of Elheim summoned the Awakened of Water.”
Walter was about to talk back, but upon seeing the pistol, his attitude immediately became polite.
“Of course. As your escort knight, I must follow the young master’s wishes. I’ll gather information immediately.”
Perhaps because they were wary of Birche, there was no one in the annex where Michael was staying.
Instead, knights were stationed everywhere with a view of the windows and entrances. Walter looked down at them before slowly approaching the window.
“Then this loyal Walter shall be off.”
Soon, Walter disappeared into the darkness as though fleeing.
Only after Walter had completely left did Michael sit down on the sofa.
Will I never regain my sight?
Saint Estella had said that a powerful Awakened of Water was necessary to remove a curse of this magnitude.
She had added that the person had to be at least a direct descendant of Elheim.
And the Duke of Elheim whom Michael had seen did not seem at all willing to lift the curse on his eyes.
This is troublesome.
For a Birche, losing their eyesight was no different from having their life come to an end.
The ability of Death had to be controlled by directly seeing the target.
If he failed to kill the target properly, or if the ability rebounded onto the caster himself, the consequences could be disastrous.
Just as Michael placed his hand on the armrest of the sofa, he sensed an unfamiliar scent while lost in thought.
Water?
Awakened emitted a scent corresponding to their ability.
Among them, Awakened of Death had particularly sensitive senses of smell, allowing them to detect the scent of water from members of Elheim.
But this scent was like fresh, clear water.
Soon, the sound and sensation of someone opening the door reached Michael.
“My, my. I really dislike nighttime visitors.”
His joking remark caused the other person to stop moving.
Though he could no longer see, Michael’s other senses had become far more sensitive than before.
And yet, this presence was so faint.
Strangely, he felt as though it would disappear soon, making him want to hold onto it.
It was as if he needed to bring it into his hands before he could be certain that it was alive and breathing.
It was an inexplicable impulse even to himself.
Was it because of the scent of Water he had never smelled before?
He could not find an answer.
“I’m not an assassin.”
A clear voice answered Michael.
He heard the soft rustling of someone walking toward him. The footsteps were quiet.
“And I’m certainly not an Awakened of Water sent by the Duke of Elheim.”
“Then why did you come here?”
Liarte was relieved that the place where Michael was staying was no different from the one before her regression.
Otherwise, it would have taken her even longer to find him while wandering around.
The room was completely dark, without even a single light, confirming that it was true that he could not see.
“Michael Birche.”
Unlike in her previous life, she would not make Michael her enemy this time.
“I’ll help you with your curse.”
In her previous life, Elheim had lost half of its knights and Awakened as a consequence of this incident.
As if that were not enough, Michael had taken one eye each from his blood relatives, Ainrias and Danterion, the first and second sons.
He was dangerous, but he was also a man who would never forget a debt once he owed one.
“If I erase your curse and restore your sight, what can you give me?”
The Michael in her memories did not trust strangers.
She could not guarantee that she would be able to remove the curse, but it would be better to speak as though she could rather than make a vague promise.
That way, at the very least, she might have a chance to see the eyes hidden behind his blindfold.
Michael’s gaze, beneath the velvet blindfold, turned toward Liarte.
A silence so deep it seemed suffocating filled the room.
“Everything.”
Michael smiled.
“This curse couldn’t even be healed by Estella, who is called a saint. But if you can nevertheless restore my eyes…”
The moon, the only source of light in the room, became half-covered by clouds.
“I’ll give you everything.”
It was a whisper as sweet as a demon’s.
“Okay.”
Liarte was standing face-to-face with Michael at close range.
“First, I want to examine the condition of the curse.”
The velvet blindfold covered his eyes, making it difficult to determine how far the curse had progressed.
“Do as you wish. There’s no reason not to cooperate with someone who says they’ll remove my curse.”
The blindfold was tied with a complicated knot, making it seem difficult for him to remove it himself.
“I’ll untie the blindfold.”
Michael flinched slightly, something Liarte failed to notice as she reached out her hand.
The golden emblem on the black blindfold belonged to the Duke’s family of Birche.
Liarte’s hand touched the knot of the blindfold.
It was more complicated than she had expected, so it took some time to untie.
“The knot is tied very tightly.”
“My escort knight tied it so it wouldn’t come undone.”
In truth, Michael himself was capable of untying the knot. He was the one who had taught his knight how to tie it.
But when Liarte offered to remove the blindfold, he never found himself saying that he would do it himself.
The hand passing near his hair was gentle.
Every time those cool fingers touched him, stimulating his sense of touch, Michael held his breath.
A few strands of Liarte’s long hair fell around Michael’s shoulder.
The scent of Water continued to stimulate his sense of smell.
What does she look like?
Even though she was this close, he could not imagine her appearance.
Just as Michael unconsciously began to reach toward the long strands of hair that had fallen down, the knot was completely undone.
“So this is what you look like.”
Liarte whispered.
She had vaguely heard that he was handsome, but his appearance was even more striking than she had expected.
His brilliantly pale platinum-blond hair and eyelashes were beautiful.
His red irises were hazy, yet they looked like jewels.
His features were sharply defined, and although his eyes were slightly upturned, they did not give off a harsh impression.
She could understand why, in the future, he would be described as the man who shook the Empire.
He possessed an appearance captivating enough to deserve such a reputation.
That was as far as Liarte’s reaction went.
“You’re not impressed.”
“I just was.”
After answering, Liarte looked closely at Michael’s eyes, illuminated by the moonlight.
She did not know that, among everyone who had ever seen Michael’s face, she was the only one who remained completely unaffected.
“What’s your name?”
Rather than the pain caused by the moonlight entering his eyes, Michael was more curious about what she was thinking.
Liarte was about to answer, but stopped.
This is…
His pupils were dilated.
Looking closely, she could see something resembling black letters circling the edges of his pupils, moving in a particular pattern.
A hazy layer, like smoke, was faintly visible.
It was a curse Liarte knew.
“It’s black magic. It’s slightly different from an ordinary curse.”
“How do you know that? You’re from Elheim.”
Michael asked.
The Duke of Elheim hated ancient powers so much that he would not even mention something like black magic.
It was said that during the era when the first heads of the families lived, things such as magic and black magic had existed.
They were nearly forgotten powers now, occult arts that no one used anymore.
“I read about it in a book.”
As Michael had said, an ordinary member of Elheim should not have known about it.
And yet, Liarte possessed the information.
Back when she had not yet given up hope of being loved by her family, she had read ancient books because she wanted to be helpful even without possessing the power of Water.
It was something she had forgotten until she saw the curse.
“This is a curse called the Seven Veils. It’s a progressive curse that develops over a specific period of time. If you don’t take action quickly, you really will lose your eyesight.”
Liarte’s voice was indifferent.
Michael could easily imagine that Liarte’s hand touching his face was slender and small.
“Don’t move for a moment.”
The next moment, Michael’s eyes widened.
He could sense an immense power within the Water energy flowing into him.
Awakened could sense, to some degree, the strength of one another’s abilities, even when their powers were different.
The powerful Water shattered the black letters layered over the curse.
Who exactly is this person?
He could not tell because he could not see.
But had there ever been an Awakened of Water this powerful in Elheim?
All of the direct Awakened descendants of Elheim were currently men. An Awakened of Water could not possess such powerful strength unless they were a direct descendant of Elheim.
“Done.”
Liarte felt a faint tension before returning to her calm state.
Although this was her first time using the power of Water, she had shattered the letters without difficulty.
“There’s a character at the very top that acts as a seal, and beneath it are seven layers. I removed the character today, so from now on, I’ll remove the curse one layer at a time.”
Having said what she needed to say, Liarte stepped away.
“So I’ll come back tomorrow. Michael Birche.”
Dawn was approaching.
Liarte turned around and used her power of Water. She was not yet accustomed to using it in sophisticated ways, but she was able to evade the eyes of the knights who were watching the area.
“I’ll be waiting. Though I don’t know your name.”
Michael’s gaze lingered intensely in the direction where Liarte stood.
“See you tomorrow.”
A clear voice answered his farewell.
“Yeah. ……See you tomorrow.”
It was a farewell from another person that Liarte was hearing for the first time.
Soon, the refreshing scent disappeared.
Michael felt thirsty.
