Chapter 44
“Too close.”
Cain, whose chin had suddenly been grabbed, let out a small laugh. The fluster rising from his feet was unfamiliar to him.
“I don’t mind, though.”
He bowed his waist obediently and met Calicia’s gaze directly.
“Do you think our little sister will be satisfied at this distance?”
“…Stay still.”
Annoyed by his deliberate teasing, Calicia lightly smacked Cain’s cheek.
“Ouch.”
Ignoring the whiny tone in his voice, Calicia pressed her lips together and focused. It was as if she were searching for something as she stared intently into Cain’s eyes.
“…”
For quite a long silence, the siblings’ gazes intertwined. Curiosity, exhilaration, faint tension, and excitement. Calicia peeled away the layers of emotion in Cain’s eyes one by one. Then, for a brief instant, something sparkled—just a flash. Spotting the hint, Calicia drew on her divine power and wrapped it around her hand.
“Look here.”
Her index finger, emanating a clear, pure energy, swept past Cain’s eyes a couple of times. His deep red eyes slowly followed the thin finger. And the moment the blue light reflected in Cain’s pupils—
‘…It’s a Seven-Star Thread!’
Calicia had found what she was looking for. The Seven-Star Thread, sometimes called the Spirit Thread, appeared in people with spiritual abilities superior to others. It was essentially a mark indicating divine talent. Of course, what Cain had wasn’t the exact Seven-Star Thread referenced in Korean shamanic traditions.
“One more thing.”
A clear, refreshing energy surged from Calicia’s fingertip. Like a stream of water, the divine power shot skyward.
Whoosh-
Cain’s eyes rapidly darted up and then settled back down. He must have seen the divine power.
“You’ve opened your spiritual eyes, haven’t you? You can see spirits. Isn’t that right?”
Without realizing it, Calicia mimicked the tone of the general as she brightened her eyes. Not everyone born with a Seven-Star Thread had spiritual sight. Even shamans on the path of a divine disciple sometimes had their eyes closed.
“Murderer… Four? No, five? So that’s why you said what you did back then. But the light isn’t very strong.”
Tilting her head, Calicia gently caressed Cain’s eyes.
“You probably didn’t see it fully. That monster you saw eight years ago… it was actually a spirit, wasn’t it?”
The forms of evil spirits that harm humans were usually grotesque. The more karma they accumulated, the more they lost the appearance of their human past.
“Limbs twisted, neck elongated, body bloated… Your spiritual sight wasn’t perfect, so it appeared to your eyes as a monster rather than a human form.”
Calicia peered into Cain’s eyes once again. A glow just slightly larger than a fingernail. That would probably only be enough to recognize the shape of a spirit.
“…That necklace.”
Calicia recalled the rose necklace Cain had offered her as a “gift” during a recent family meal—the grotesque thing covered in curses.
“So that’s why you go out. You were looking for objects with life attached to them. To find the evil spirit that killed the matriarch.”
Death caused by sha (malicious spiritual energy). Those must have been days when no one believed him and no help was available.
“That’s why I needed you. My body can distinguish energy. It’s like a kind of lens.”
Calicia bit her lip, finally understanding Cain’s obsession with her.
“Whether I identify the aura of that evil spirit or the one controlling it, I’ll know.”
“…It was worth waiting for.”
Cain, who had quietly remained still, finally spoke and removed his mask.
“My wife’s body was naturally weak. It wouldn’t have been strange if she passed at any moment. I wanted to tear apart the mouths that spoke carelessly.”
Recalling old memories, Cain’s eyes dimmed to gray. Even if no one else knew, he did. From the moment that damned creature appeared, death had shadowed his mother’s face.
“…”
A weary complexion, eyes heavy with emptiness and futility. The seventeen-year-old boy’s unguarded face looked more pitiful and fragile than expected. But it was only for a moment.
“Ah, you did well on the test, so you deserve a reward. Calicia Valus, tell me what you want.”
Again wearing a thick mask, Cain smiled leisurely as he asked.
“Let’s be friends.”
Calicia suddenly extended her hand, smiling brightly.
“What I ultimately want is to be expelled from this cursed family. Of course, with all my limbs intact! And enough funds for independence!”
“You have big dreams, our Calicia. But you know that’s not something I can give immediately.”
“I know. You’d have to be the family head or something close for that to be possible. So until then, let’s just be friends.”
What Calicia wanted was public camaraderie with Cain—a protective barrier from the second wife’s grasp.
“Cal. When making a deal, you need to specify the terms clearly. Now, repeat after me: ‘Be my political support within the family.’”
“I thought you were smart enough to get that.”
Calicia sarcastically remarked at Cain’s unnecessary teasing.
“You’re simpler than I thought. So hurry up. What if I end up really liking you?”
“Then someone else would get the prize.”
Standing with her arms crossed, Calicia smirked as if there was nothing lacking. They had already laid their cards on the table. Moreover, she was an irreplaceable asset for Cain. No need to bend for him.
“If anyone dares to covet something I touched…”
“Then it’s worth it. Me.”
Calicia raised her chin and tapped her eyes with her finger.
“You’ve grown a lot, Cal. Words can’t beat you anymore.”
“I’ll be your eyes, Cain.”
Her voice was filled with firm certainty.
“….”
Cain, having shed his smile, looked down at the girl who lifted her head to meet his gaze. Her large, red eyes sparkled unusually brightly today.
“Then let’s quickly shake hands and finish. My arm’s sore from muscle pain, so it hurts quite a bit. Look at that.”
Looking at her pouting face, Cain examined his sister’s thin arm. Pale and fragile, he wondered if there was even any muscle.
“Alright. Let’s be friends, Cal.”
Finally, with a pop of air escaping, Cain firmly clasped her outstretched hand. A beam of moonlight fell across their interlocked palms, like a symbol of their promise.
“Until the day my revenge is complete.”
“And until the day I’m removed from the family register.”
The two siblings, bound by their reasons, smiled at each other.
“Miss! What’s the difference between goblins and hobgoblins, and what’s the more effective way to hunt them?”
The northern knights, gathered in the training yard, looked at the sheet labeled ‘Sir Ian’s Academy Basics’. Ian had asked them to help Calicia study while he was away for several days.
“The hobgoblin is higher-ranking? It has an extra letter. Usually, the higher the rank, the more elaborate the title. And the hunting method? Headshots. Anything dies if you break its head.”
Calicia confidently wrote down the answer on the sheet lying on the ground. A thick sandbag was tied to her wrist—it was, of course, Ian’s creation. A so-called multi-training method to exercise brain and muscles simultaneously.
“Well… technically, it’s the higher species, and yes, breaking the head kills both.”
Her answer completely ignored the author’s intended solution, leaving the knights with awkward expressions.
“Shouldn’t this be marked wrong? It’s too different from the textbook answer.”
“But it’s not really wrong, is it?”
The knights murmured among themselves.
“Then fine! Close enough, move on!”
Calicia shouted, her arms already trembling from fatigue. Someone had warned her not to lower her hands until she answered correctly.
“Now, I’ll give the exact answer. According to Sir Ian’s Academy Basics, both goblins and hobgoblins are broadly a humanoid green-skin species, relatively narrow, similar to orcs…”
“Enough! Move on!”
Calicia squinted, letting out a frustrated sound.
“Next question! What’s the difference between ghouls and zombies, and the most effective combat method for each?”
The knights shouted eagerly, hoping to get this one right.
“Zombies come from humans, so they’re skinny; ghouls come from monsters, so they’re fat! Hunting method: headshots! Zombies must always be headshotted!”
“…?”
“Kind of correct again.”
The knights grew increasingly skeptical of her ambiguous answers.
“Then quickly move on!”
“Next question! Really easy this time! Orcs and ogres look very similar, but have significantly different social traits. What are they?”
“Was that in the basics? But if they look similar, that means similar faces.”
Bulging eyes, flat upturned nose, large sturdy jaw. Except for the ogre’s overwhelming size, they looked quite similar.
“Ah, but ogres seem less easygoing. They’re more authoritarian! Correct! Ogre society is stricter!”
“The orc society is much more closed and authoritarian! Ogres are individualistic, rarely forming groups!”
Calicia’s random answers left the northerners exasperated.
“Miss, be honest. You didn’t read this at all, did you?”
“I did. I just didn’t have time to read in detail.”
Calicia scratched her forehead, making excuses. The real culprit was Cain. He had dragged her around for days, claiming it was to show off their public camaraderie.
“If Sir Ian finds out you didn’t answer any correctly, he’ll go crazy!”
The knights shuddered just thinking about it.
“I know, I know. I’ll memorize everything before he goes berserk.”
Calicia also frowned at the thought of that chaos. Ian’s dedication to education was honestly more extreme than parents in Gangnam. Especially after lessons with the previous family head, it got even worse.
-Don’t you know? Even a three-year-old would know this, Valus.
-…How can you get this wrong? Are you sick?
-Valus, I’m sure you’re ill. Take this—it’s good for your brain.
After understanding Calicia’s exact knowledge level, Ian constantly nagged her whenever he got a chance.
-Hellorn is a dormitory system. And if you fail, aren’t you sent to the western desert? How will you fix my gatehouse then?
Failing the academy entrance exam was a clear breach of contract.
“Miss, this is not the time. Who knows when Sir Ian will come… there he is! There he is!”
A flustered knight spotted Ian entering the training yard and shook his head.
“Sir Ian!”
The knights, who had been seriously considering Calicia’s admission, rushed toward their master.
“What is the meaning of this!”
“You left us all behind and just went!”
