Chapter 808
Franz Pomanach’s Childhood
Alistair’s heart stirred upon hearing this.
“The ‘Great’ Lady Beyad”?
What had Viness done in those days to be so respected by Pomanach?
No wonder the usually frivolous Pomanach appeared so formal when he came to see her.
It was likely that when the two met at Crescent Moon Manor, Lady Beyad’s status was far higher than Pomanach’s.
Realizing she had a genuine chance to glean some intelligence, Alistair focused her attention.
“Great…”
“Beyad” took a sip of wine, a mocking smile appearing on her lips. “Are you serious? Or are you mocking me?”
“—No, I am absolutely serious.”
Pomanach elegantly placed his right hand on his chest and said earnestly, “The ‘Light of Hrasal’ on your chest is proof. It was not a gift to your father or mother, but to you personally, my Lady.
“The Beyad conglomerate, under your leadership, has become a colossus that can shake the Empire. Even the Emperor must bow to you and show favor… Without you, perhaps Crescent Moon Manor would not exist. It is a place that changed my life.”
Alistair froze for a moment.
…So this necklace is the ‘Light of Hrasal’?
This was something Eivass had learned in his history class at Avalon.
The downfall of many nations came from their weakening power, but the Hrasal Empire fell because it was too powerful.
At least in Avalon’s textbooks, the main reason for the Hrasal Empire’s collapse was the gradual loss of control over a large number of low-tier Extraordinarys—in an era when Extraordinary knowledge was not strictly regulated, anyone could easily become an Extraordinary with a guide.
There were no comprehensive aptitude assessments, nor investigations into family background or personal morality. A familiar old man on the street could teach one the secret to becoming a Mage; false or true Extraordinary knowledge was readily available on the black market. And the Extraordinarys were always eager to explore ancient ruins, from which they could further enhance their own power.
Various academies were also doing their best to cultivate their own Extraordinarys, competing for students, and the cost of acquiring Extraordinary knowledge had reached an all-time low… At its lowest cost, even a coachman’s child could study Mystical Arts by pre-borrowing twenty years of their future income.
The result was that the number of nobles did not change, but the number of insane noble scions increased, and social contradictions intensified as a result… Meanwhile, the number of Extraordinarys from commoner backgrounds continued to grow.
Everyone wanted to go on exciting adventures; ruins around the cities were so crowded they were like tourist attractions, and nothing valuable could be found. No one wanted to do low-paying jobs, preferring to sail to distant lands for exploration. This was also why Avalon was able to bring so many Knights and people from the Empire when it was founded.
In the ten years leading up to its fall, Extraordinarys who were not from hereditary noble families and were of the Third Tier or higher accounted for over 90%. Initially, the nobles would recruit these Extraordinarys to join the outer circles of their families… but later, even with their best efforts, the wealth they could offer was limited, so more Extraordinarys flowed out.
The gathered commoners formed various chambers of commerce, conglomerates, associations, societies, and other civilian Extraordinary organizations, constantly vying for wealth, status, and influence. The entire Empire fell into intense internal strife, with people dividing into various factions attacking each other, and different factions constantly forming alliances and betraying each other.
The last Emperor resolved to change this situation.
Being gentle in nature, he chose the latter between the Prime Minister’s suggestion of “launching an aggressive war against the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi” and “mediating class contradictions.” Between violent suppression and non-violent inducements, he still chose the latter… He therefore implemented the “Light of Hrasal” plan, recognizing outstanding civilian Extraordinarys and bestowing upon them non-hereditary noble titles.
The issuance of noble titles by the royal family was a common occurrence. In previous peaceful times, this was not infrequent. However, these were always commendations to “individuals” by the royal family, with no clear, automatically operating rules or systems.
This was the Hrasal Empire’s first automatically operating peerage system, apart from the military merit system.
However, the contradictions of that time had already accumulated to an extreme degree. The choices for allegiance were almost absolute, with no middle ground. Therefore, monarchs who advocated for mediation were instead seen by both sides as favoring the other, further igniting the conflict.
—At Avalon, the “Light of Hrasal” was also known as the “Light of Ruin.”
It was also called the countdown to the Hrasal Empire’s downfall.
This was an accessory that Eivass, when he first gifted power through the Twin Mirrors to Beyad, had on her person. It had no special power—perhaps it did, but as a mirror image, it was merely an ornament.
And the Shadow Demon himself had not expressed any desire to treasure it or preserve it carefully at the time.
She seemed not to like this necklace.
“But I do not like it.”
Alistair sighed, imagining herself as Beyad.
She mimicked Beyad’s tone from the Ascension Ritual, speaking half plainly and half with a carefree air, “It’s all in the past. Power, honor… or even one’s childhood self. Nothing is eternal in this world… To pursue eternity is no different from pursuing stagnation.”
“…Your words still carry such philosophical weight.”
Pomanach did not respond to this, merely pursing his lips before suddenly laughing flatteringly, “After so many years, have you been resting in the East?”
He was smiling, but Alistair had clearly sensed that Pomanach was somewhat displeased. He was only suppressing his dissatisfaction because he had, by chance, met someone from his homeland.
“One could say so,” Alistair replied in fluent Ancient Primeval, “Ablaze by mistake, who knows what fortune follows.”
Her Ancient Primeval was so fluent and confident that Pomanach, who could barely understand the gist of it, did not doubt her words.
This also explained why Lady Beyad had disappeared in the later stages of the Sundering War—she had grown tired of the disputes on this land and had fled to distant lands. This was a perfectly reasonable action, fitting perfectly with her detached personality.
“However,” Alistair paused and asked, “you said… Crescent Moon Manor changed your life?”
Clearly, Pomanach wanted to discuss this topic with Beyad.
He immediately perked up, visibly delighted.
Seeing this, Alistair understood—Pomanach clearly wanted to talk about Valentin I with her.
Although she and Pomanach had never met, she knew that the original “Black” and “Red” Phases had been drawn to Basil’s personal charisma.
The “Black” Phase might have simply recognized him as a person, believing Basil to be trustworthy. This was precisely why he was willing to let his student marry the, at that time, aged Basil.
But as Extraordinarys of the Path of Love, their emotions were all jumbled together. This meant that for Extraordinarys following the Path of Love, there was no absolute purity of friendship, familial love, or reverence; any emotion was “love” to them.
—In other words, Tie Nantung.
But then, the problem arose…
The status of Crescent Moon Manor was roughly equivalent to that of the White Dove Opera House today. It was akin to a high-threshold entertainment club and buffet, accessible only through an introduction.
Alistair remembered that during the Ascension Ritual, Eivass had seen a vision of a girl and a human youth conversing cheerfully at a wine table. That human youth was a young Basil.
“Beyad” clasped her hands together, fingers intertwined, and said with a smile, “I really didn’t expect the child you brought to Crescent Moon Manor would become a monarch… and yet you, in turn, followed a human. To the point of doing such things for it…”
“Such things… what things?”
Pomanach’s tone sharpened. “Are you referring to me slaughtering the Children of the Moon of Star Antinomy, or… me slaughtering my own family?”
—You did that too?
Alistair raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said nothing.
She said leisurely, “When I was little… when my parents were still alive, my father taught me ritualistic spells every day. And my mother would teach me how to be a charming witch.
“I remember I was quite androgynous when I was little. I used to hate troublesome long hair, so I cut it short. When I grew taller, people often mistook me for a ‘young master’ rather than a ‘young lady’… I even asked my mother for a potion that could make one shorter back then.”
“…Heh.”
Pomanach’s lips twitched into a dry chuckle. “That was before you ‘grew up,’ wasn’t it?”
“Naturally. That is the past experienced by the real ‘Beyad,’ but it does not prevent me from remembering it in my heart.”
Beyad retorted, “And what about you?”
“‘Franz’ is different from you. I have four elder brothers and three elder sisters. We share the same father and mother… but our bloodlines are all different.”
Pomanach’s fingers twitched slightly, and he clenched his wine glass to hide it. “I am the only ‘pureblood’ in the family.”
“When my father had his third child, he became a Child of the Moon. And after my mother gave birth to her seventh child, she was also killed by my father… After an eighty-day resurrection ritual, she also became a Child of the Moon.
“Shortly thereafter, my father ascended to the Fifth Tier, and my mother had already conceived before that… That fetus was me. While childbirth at the Fifth Tier is not impossible, it is very rare. Basically, I am the last child in the family.”
Pomanach’s lips curled up slightly, and he said sarcastically, “From the moment I was born, my blood-related brothers and sisters regarded you as an enemy and a monster… Have you ever had that experience?”
Unlike Beyad, and unlike most other Children of the Moon whose eyes only turn red when excited…
Pomanach’s pupils were always blood-red.
This was proof of his status as a “pureblood.”
“‘Franz’s’ earliest preserved memory is around the age of one.”
Pomanach whispered, “My eldest sister wanted to strangle me… Perhaps it was because she believed her father and mother had been replaced by someone else. She was afraid of that.
“But unfortunately… she failed. Because she didn’t realize I was a born Extraordinary. She also didn’t seem to know what a Child of the Moon could do.
“When my consciousness reawakened, I found my ashes being reborn from the blood pool. My mother ordered me to suck her blood… Unlike human infants who drink milk, I used a ‘blood bottle’ from birth, so I quickly understood the command.
“Amidst my sister’s screams, I drained her into a corpse.
“—That was my first kill.”
