Bloodline is a Cheat Code - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14
The following night, soldiers descended upon the Duke’s Residence like a curse made manifest, setting it ablaze.
A crime she never committed spread across the entire Empire, and before long, Rosena had become a traitor in the eyes of all.
While the Duke and Duchess lost their heads within the burning mansion, Flotie sat motionless upon a bed engulfed in flames.
Waiting for Serpina Rosena to arrive.
‘Tiae!’
‘Sister? Why aren’t you running away—!’
The younger sister cradled in my arms was so emaciated that she weighed no more than a child.
I tore open a scroll and fled madly toward the Forest. But Flotie, having inhaled thick smoke and succumbed to poison, was already dying.
Any further use of magic would surely shatter this fragile body.
As the sound of pursuing soldiers’ footsteps drew closer and I resolved to fight, someone blocked my path.
‘I’ll buy you time. Run.’
‘…Who are you?’
A silver-haired man stood with his back to us, drawing his sword. Even through my fading vision, I watched him, my lips moving soundlessly.
‘The Empire, the Empire’s…’
‘I deserve no such courtesy.’
When he glanced back one last time, his eyes seemed to gleam crimson, but I had no time to verify it before I urged the horse forward again.
If only I had been stronger.
‘If only I had been more resilient…’
I could have protected you.
‘I could have kept from losing what I love…’
Those were Flotie’s final words. She grew cold in my arms long before we could reach the Magic Tower.
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand that there existed something worth abandoning every bond I had forged in life.
I did not seek revenge.
I only wanted to reclaim what I loved. That child who trusted and supported me until the very end.
A brilliant girl who, even while confined to bed all day, somehow perceived things others could not—things that seemed impossible—and would casually reveal them to me.
For Flotie, I willingly transgressed forbidden magic. Abandoning all my previous connections.
Yet I never imagined I would return to the Magic Tower for my sister’s sake.
Bonds are truly ironic things.
“Lady Rosena, should you wish to enter the Magic Tower even now, I can offer you an excellent position. The way you dismantle the enchantments at the entrance so effortlessly suggests you possess considerable magical prowess.”
‘Ah, that’s right. Those seals on the door are difficult to break.’
I had forgotten, having dissolved them as casually as eating a meal.
I glanced at the familiar Tower Master—my former mentor in my previous life—who was subtly urging me to rejoin, and shook my head with a smile.
“You may have heard, but I’ve inherited the title of Minor Duke and have little leisure time. It would be wonderful to have more frequent exchanges with the Magic Tower, though.”
“Ah, that would please me as well. However, such matters are not mine to decide alone. Though I have heard that the Rosena Family has yet to declare which direction the sun should rise.”
‘Still the same—diving straight into the main point. And here I thought age might have worn away that cunning nature, but apparently not. Curse you, Asteron.’
He was openly asking which side Rosena would support.
Should I, as the Minor Duke, answer, that answer becomes Rosena’s answer. The situation differs from when Flotie was alive.
“Well, the sun must always rise from the correct direction, mustn’t it?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Violet Family has been distributing a considerable amount of magical artifacts. Do you have a contract established with the Magic Tower?”
Asteron, the Tower Master, smacked his lips as he watched Serpina Rosena smoothly shift the subject.
It seemed he’d noticed that she wouldn’t answer easily. She tilted her head with a faint smile, as if urging him to respond.
“The Violet Family is geographically close to the Magic Tower, and they’re relatively favorable toward magic. The Capital has many who reject magical artifacts, after all. Well, is it just the Capital? The entire Empire is the same.”
“So you wish to expand the Magic Tower’s influence by borrowing the power of a family that cannot be easily touched, even when they speak on matters of magic?”
“…Not to that extent.”
Asteron’s expression suddenly grew serious. He seemed to be questioning how much she already knew.
This was a memory from the past. Serpina Rosena smiled faintly.
“What of Rosena?”
“Pardon?”
“I may not know which direction the sun rises, but I am favorable toward magic.”
“…However, if your condition is that I support the sun in return, I must refuse.”
Serpina Rosena shook her head.
“No, what I ask for is not support for the sun. When necessary, lend your strength to the voice of Rosena, not the sun. If you do so, I too shall promise the flourishing of the Magic Tower.”
* * *
I was finally freed from my confinement in the Third Prince’s Palace days later when my sister returned.
The Prince’s Palace was as luxurious as the Duke’s Residence, but there’s no place like home.
My sister said she had concluded a sort of contract with the Magic Tower.
Some of the magical artifacts that had been distributed exclusively to the Violet Family would now also be distributed to Rosena, and in the event of any political strife, the Magic Tower would partially take our side.
She insisted that a clause stating they would absolutely never stand with the current Crown Prince must be included.
“Why does she harbor such hostility toward Vincent Crown Prince?”
Since we support Lucian Advein anyway, it wasn’t particularly burdensome, but apart from that, such a firm stance was puzzling.
“The Current Emperor created an atmosphere of rejecting both magic and holy power, and the Crown Prince claimed he would simply follow that same system.”
The Current Emperor was the one who had held that position the longest among all emperors in history.
Though he hadn’t appeared in official capacities for quite some time, he continuously issued directives through documents and still conducted state affairs.
The fact that Vincent was appointed Crown Prince after passing twenty was largely due to the Emperor remaining in that position for far too long.
“That’s true enough.”
“The first thing he did upon ascending to the throne was to eliminate the Temples.”
A sudden suppression of holy power.
Though priests and priestesses all resisted, they were beheaded on the absurd charge of serving a heretical religion.
The few remaining holy power users went into hiding to preserve their lives.
From that point on, the Emperor began emphasizing technological advancement for the sake of fairness.
[ Should magic and holy power be favored, only those born with special abilities would receive privileges in this world.
Creating unfairness through innate talent is an attitude the Imperial Household must most vigilantly guard against.
The advancement of technology that all can enjoy will achieve true development of the Empire, and we shall spare no support for this endeavor. ]
The words themselves were remarkably polished, appearing as though he cared for the lives of those not born with magical or holy power.
But when you actually examined it, the logic was absurd.
After all, this technology could only be enjoyed by wealthy nobles, and even now, magical power was absolutely necessary to create such things.
Ultimately, magical artifacts combining technology and magic began to flourish—trains, carriages, alchemy, and the like.
Thanks to that, magic itself avoided persecution as severe as the faith-based arts, yet those who wielded pure magic found themselves branded with absurd charges and subjected to punishment.
This was why the Magic Tower came to regard the Imperial Household as an adversary and retreated into isolation.
“From ancient times, the Magic Tower has been a place that selected only the most exceptional mages. Since things had come to this point, they used the pretext of accepting only the most talented mages while imposing various restrictions. Eventually, the philosophy shifted—they decided to lock their doors and devote themselves entirely to research instead.”
Serpina Rosena continued speaking with measured calm, as though recounting a tale from ages past.
These were intimate details that only those who had lived within the Magic Tower could truly understand.
Yet magic research itself demanded resources desperately—coin, materials, and above all, mana stones.
With limited means to procure wealth while remaining isolated, the Magic Tower had apparently entered into contracts with families like the Violet Family, selling magical artifacts in exchange.
And they purchased mana stones from families like Genevre’s, which possessed mana stone mines.
“Doesn’t the Magic Tower have any mana stone mines of its own?”
“The Magic Tower’s finances aren’t that comfortable. They’re people devoted entirely to research, so they have no idea how to manage money. When I was there, I was the same way. Only after my family fell did I learn, even a little, how wealth circulates in the world and how to accumulate it.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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