The Sickly Youngest Member of the Villainous Family

Wearing his formal attire, Recardo stepped out of his room, followed closely by his aide, Rowen.

 

Rowan’s hair was disheveled, and his eyes had a trace of sleepiness.

 

“Your Grace.”

 

“Inform Jin to get ready.”

 

There was no way Rowen, who hurriedly heard the command and rushed in while he was sleeping, knew the circumstances.

 

“I understand.”

 

But there was always a reason for Recardo’s haste.

 

“Evan Taylor, too.”

 

At the unexpected name, Rowan hesitated for a moment before responding.

 

“Certainly.”

 

Upon Rowan’s command, a soldier who was standing nearby rushed off in haste.

 

Rowan himself was about to step outside when a familiar maid came running towards him, white as a sheet.

 

It was Maya, with one of her shoes missing.

 

“The lady has disappeared!”

 

Maya was followed by Robin.

 

“We couldn’t find Miss Sasha even after searching the mansion.”

 

Rowan raised an eyebrow and sternly addressed Robin.

 

“Why did you let her disappear again despite the surveillance?”

 

Rowan was frustrated, but Recardo’s low voice interrupted him.

 

“…..I don’t think she is here.”

 

Everyone turned to look at Recardo’s back.

 

He stared at the night sky with chilling eyes that seemed capable of freezing the world

 

“Sasha is in danger.”

 

* * *

 

“Othello!”

 

I shook Othello’s body, but his cold wrist simply dropped to the ground.

 

The sound of the back of his hand touching the tree branch was very clear.

 

What was happening? How could this possibly be a dream?

 

Othello had lost consciousness.

 

His body was as cold as ice, and the relentless snow showed no signs of stopping.

 

What ……should I do?

 

Beside Othello lay a sword covered in snow.

 

It was Othello’s sword. And the blade was stained with blood.

 

The vivid red blood looked like it had just been spilled.

 

And at that moment, a creepy growling sound was heard.

 

I instinctively activated my skill.

 

[Use Black Domination (LV.5/SS).]

 

And then I came face to face with the beast that rushed in front of me at incredible speed.

 

The creature, resembling a hyena, had sharp teeth.

 

Unlike its face, its body was more akin to that of a lion.

 

I had read about this creature’s name in the library.

 

A bahimos. A predator of the snowfields is now extinct.

 

Monsters like the Ice Bear were no match for it.

 

Growl…

 

I stared directly into Bahimos’s red eyes and thin pupils.

 

Perhaps due to the effect of Black Domination, Bahimos couldn’t approach us.

 

But it was sharpening its teeth as if it could devour us at any moment.

 

“Othello!”

 

I called Othello while keeping my gaze fixed on Bahimos.

 

We had to run. If we didn’t escape from here, we would die.

 

The encounter with the predator had sent strong warning signals to my brain.

 

“Please, wake up!”

 

White breath leaked out from the side of Bahimos.

 

Saliva was flowing from a mouth full of sharp teeth.

 

“Please…….”

 

Thanks to Jin, I managed to level up my skill to 5, but going any further was impossible.

 

Bahimos was a monster that required someone as powerful as Recardo or Jin to hunt.

 

The reason Bahimos had gone extinct was its overwhelming strength.

 

It single-handedly annihilated a village of over a hundred people. The entire nation had mobilized to eradicate Bahimos to prevent further damage.

 

“Please, let there be a special area or something!”

 

I shouted desperately, but there was still no sign of the status window appearing.

 

I would take any way out if there was a chance to escape.

 

Kather could only be used within the mansion… What should I do?

 

Then, the skill I had been barely maintaining began to feel like it was breaking.

 

Bahimos, which had been facing me with sinister eyes, suddenly opened its mouth wide and lunged at me.

 

I thought it was all over and closed my eyes, huddled in fear.

 

“…….”

 

But I felt no pain.

 

When I opened my eyes, I was frozen in place.

 

Othello was looking at me with a face covered in blood.

 

And from his left chest to his shoulder, Bahimos was biting down.

 

“Othello!!”

 

He was shielding me from Bahimos, his body covered in blood.

 

Looking at his blood-soaked shoulders and chest, I cried out.

 

In Othello’s deep green eyes, my face was reflected.

 

He looked like he was having trouble even breathing.

 

“Othello…… Othello……!”

 

My eyes welled up with tears, and my heart pounded fiercely.

 

Now….what is he doing? Why are you looking at me like that?

 

“……Run.”

 

Othello’s lips quivered as he spoke.

 

I shook my head.

 

I desperately wished for my Black Dominion skill to activate, but it remained unresponsive.

 

Othello, I must save Othello.

 

It was the only thought in my head.

 

For a moment, Othello’s lips twisted with a bitter smile.

 

“Hurry, little one.”

 

A sharp, heart-wrenching sound echoed in my chest.

 

Bahimos was pulling Othello towards him.

 

I cried out, overcome by a desperate feeling that seemed to have broken a dam.

 

“No!!!”

 

I couldn’t bear to lose Othello.

 

I can’t lose him like this.

 

Please. No.

 

And then a window appeared in front of me, a window unlike anything I had ever seen before.

 

[※ Ability Activated ※]

 

[Just as Mechius shared his true power with the four dragons to revive the ruined land, you can heal and empower your target in exchange for your life force.]

 

The powers I’ve been able to use so far are merely combat-specific.

 

A power that could kill people, destroy solid castles, and pierce the hides of monsters.

 

However, the message before my eyes explained that the ability I had just activated was not of that kind.

 

Black flames…….no.

 

Like Jin or Othello, I don’t have the power to slaughter the Bahimos in front of me.

 

But… I could grant power in exchange for my life force?

 

My heart was beating violently, making thumping noises.

 

And without hesitation, I channeled the overflowing ability within me toward Othello.

 

As if I had known how to use this ability from the beginning.

 

[The target’s causality ratio is low, reducing the efficiency of the ability.]

 

Then, in an instant, Othello’s body was engulfed in a brilliant light.

 

I frowned, and when I looked back at Othello, I saw the sword that had been lying on the floor magically fly into his hand.

 

And from his blade, a vivid, dark black flame exploded.

 

The pupils of the hideous Bahimos were shaking up and down.

 

“……Die.”

 

His lips barely moved, but his voice was firm.

 

With that command, the sharp black flames surged from Othello’s sword, piercing through Bahimos’s body.

 

In one swift strike, Bahimos’s heart was punctured, and his jaw muscles slackened as he collapsed.

 

As Bahimos fell, I looked at Othello’s shoulder and chest.

 

Though they still bled, the injuries appeared less severe than when he had initially been bitten.

 

Othello turned his gaze toward me, and I stared back at him.

 

My mind struggling to process what had just happened.

 

[Ability reuse is temporarily restricted.]

 

[Quest rewards are being calculated.]

 

[You have demonstrated faster and more powerful abilities than expected and have acquired the title ‘Key of Mechius’.]

 

I just… … And Othello just got……

 

My head was spinning.

 

“Ah…….”

 

The moment I barely got out one word, Othello’s chest touched my forehead.

 

Othello pulled me into a hug.

 

A warmth that I hadn’t felt before, along with the sound of his heartbeat, seeped into my ears.

 

I don’t know why, but I felt like crying.

 

But suddenly, that warmth vanished, and the chill in my chest returned.

 

Growl-

 

It was a Bahimos growling. With me still in Othello’s embrace, he turned his head to look around.

 

One, two, three…….

 

The sound of Bahimos, the supposedly extinct creature, echoed countless times.

 

It had been mentioned that the ability’s efficiency was reduced due to the low low causality rate with the target.

 

Maybe that was why Othello’s wounds weren’t fully healing.

 

[Quest reward: All stats +8, Healing Potion, Shop Unlocked]

 

Oh right, there was a Healing Potion among the quest rewards.

 

I barely remembered it, but it felt like I remembered it too late.

 

Before I could even retrieve the Healing Potion, Bahimos was going to attack Othello again.

 

Thud-!

 

I was still held tightly in Othello’s embrace, but from the current, we could tell that the creatures were coming back to attack us.

 

As I lay there, nestled in Othello’s arms, I wondered if this was truly the end.

 

Kwang-!

 

Accompanied by the sharp and chilling sound of something piercing flesh, there was an unfamiliar whimper from Bahimos.

 

The grip of Othello’s arms, which had been protecting me, loosened.

 

I looked past his arms.

 

It was as if hell had descended upon the world. Streaks of inky black flames rose from the ground, piercing through three Bahimos creatures.

 

And one Bahimos trapped in a cloud of black flames let out a sharp cry as it burned to ashes.

 

Another Bahimos, which had lost one of its legs to the black flames but still hadn’t died, suddenly darted towards us. But just as it approached, a blue-glowing sword struck it in the forehead.

 

Stunned, I stared at them.

 

Recardo’s black cloak was blowing in the snowy wind.

 

Beyond the clouds where the Bahimos had been reduced to ash stood Jin, with his icy eyes gleaming. And Evan retrieved the blade that had been plunged into Bahimos’s skull.