24. Ritual of Madness

The Scottfields teach their children the traditions of the family from the moment their first memories form, and I am no exception.

They are equally strict when it comes to learning the history of the Holy Kingdom of Lumière, the history of our ancestors.

During its 507 years of existence, from 422 to 929, the Great Lastorista Empire existed as the most powerful imperial polity on the Irista continent.

And now, their descendants, the Holy Kingdom of Lumiere.

Through two periods of "Holy War of the Ten Empires" and "Great Prosperity", after 511 years, finally another Great Empire is about to be formed.

The enormous ambitions of the Jourls family led the revival of this Kingdom.

But, every decision was deeply influenced by the Saints Zerciel of the Church, and the six Great Aristocrats. That's what my mother told me.

The Saints Zerciel were actually from the Scottfield family.

So ever since King Jourls II unified the Ten Empires into the ten lands of the Holy Kingdom, the real power was almost taken over by the Great Aristocrats and the Church.

Our family uses an ancient ritual called Zerciel to make the women of our family attain biological immortality, and wisdom honed over time.

Those women were "trained", becoming Saint Zerciel serving as living Saints leading the Jourls with their wisdom.

They have to change their surnames, keep their identity as a member of the clan a secret to preserve the secrecy of the ritual.

The family heads have been plotting to get rid of the influence of the Great Aristocrats for a long time, but they still haven't found their chance.

And the Fulgurant campaign was perhaps the last card they could use to extend their voices to King Jourls.

With the current strong military power, this campaign is more like a large-scale invasion than mobilizing troops to eradicate the demons.

Although it had been kept in absolute secrecy for many years, it was not difficult to see that the Kingdom was preparing for war.

The rate of industrial production, especially the military industry, increased at a worrisome rate.

Weapons forge and cannon foundries sprang up like mushrooms after rain for several decades.

I was also destined to become a Saint Zerciel.

It's just… I can't accept what I have to do to become what they want.

The Saints Zerciel were all born as a pair of siblings.

True to the prophecy from the first generations of the family, all generations of the Holy Maiden Zerciel had a deep love for her brother.

And when she turns 20 years old, the older brother will have to commit suicide so that the younger sister can drink his blood, which is contained in a silver cup.

In the beginning, not many people in the family believed in this mythical ritual.

Until a sibling accidentally proved that "miracle".

Records say that, before he died in battle, because of his great love for his sister, he asked soldiers to collect his blood into a silver cup.

Refusing to die humiliatingly under the enemy's sword, he committed suicide.

With the hope that one day, he will be reincarnated and meet his sister, whom he cherishes most.

Then, that girl, after drinking her brother's blood, became immortal, over the years without changing her beauty.

Starting from a record, this ritual was distorted and taken advantage of by the greedy people of my family.

They forced the brother of the Saints Zerciel to commit suicide so that the younger one could drink his blood and gain biological immortality.

Afterwards, the Saints would be oppressed, brainwashed to the point of denying their existence, and forced to serve the Church, so that the Scottfields could expand their influence.

To protect me, Ray acted like an abuser, he made up the image of a guy who hated his sister to the bone.

Because in order to know which girl in the family is destined to become a Saintess, those inhumans just need to pay attention to the feelings of the siblings.

But suppressing it is not easy.

That cursed affection was so strong that suppressing it would almost turn them into a love-hungry maniac.

And the closer I got to 20, the more my brother Ray showed that uncontrollable madness.

The times he hit me were no longer to hide his emotions, it seemed to have become a hobby that he enjoyed.

I do not have much time. And so is Ray.

I had to find a way to break this premonition, or at least prevent my family from fulfilling it.

Who can understand the feeling of being suppressed to the point of madness, of struggling in despair, with no way out.

I won't let your efforts go to waste.

I will save mother and us from this family.