Gun of Ashes

After the appearance of the steam engine, Ingwig won the century-long Radiant War, and with the end of the war, Ingwig ascended to a dominant position in the Western world... This is a history well-known to many, but within this familiar history, there lurk things deliberately hidden.

The Victoria Royal Family.

The Royal Family is the supreme ruler of Ingwig, but oddly enough, they seem to deliberately avoid the public’s gaze, leaving administrative power to be coordinated by other departments. This concealment is so intentional that sometimes people forget that there is a queen in the country they are in.

More coincidentally are those histories. With the accession of Victoria I, Ingwig entered the Victorian era, and it was during this time that the Radiant War erupted, accompanied by those things now known, like the steam engine, Purification Mechanism, Midcourt Serpent, Armor of Original Sin, Dunling Plan...

The appearance of each of these things marked a great historical progress but they all appeared concentrated in the Victorian era, as if from the moment Victoria I donned her crown, the history of Ingwig had its speed turned up, everything passing swiftly.

”I still remember those rumors, which Merlin once told me, but with the Royal Family’s secrecy lockdown, very few people know about these things now.”

Abigail leaned closer to the glass cabinet, watching the little white mouse injected with two types of blood. It looked very painful, curled up in the corner, trembling constantly.

”The blood of the Victoria Royal Family carries a curse. It is said that Victoria I was the child of her mother and a devil, she bore the bloodline of a devil and could easily get what she wanted, but in exchange, she and her descendants are also tormented by a curse.

Are you truly the devil’s progeny, Owes?”

Abigail turned around, looking at the boy in the wheelchair.

”Abigail!”

Arthur reprimanded, the Royal Family had conducted an information lockdown early on, now fewer and fewer people know these secrets.

”Don’t be agitated, I’m just curious, after all, I am a doctor, and Owes is a patient. I ought to know why he ended up this way, shouldn’t I?”

Abigail approached Owes, through the goggles, the boy could see the woman’s eyes behind the lenses.

”Your blood struggles to coagulate, akin to an anticoagulant, with just a small wound you’ll bleed profusely. Superficial wounds are manageable, but the internal bleeding can be far more lethal... Whether to say you’re brave or foolish, with such a curse, you still dare to pilot the Armor of Original Sin, one mishap, and you could die in the cockpit.”

In Abigail’s eyes, Owes was a delicate glass doll, slightly applying force could shatter him, yet such a glass doll requiring a wheelchair to move, can become a nightmare to many once donning the Armor of Original Sin, bearing the name Lancelot.

It’s unbelievably hard to comprehend how much an armor can change, so thoroughly alter a person’s contrast.

”Yet, more bizarrely, the King’s Blood possesses a ’wither’ trait, if a wound is not treated for a long time, the flesh around its edges will wither and rot like a plant, and within this, your blood still keeps a great vitality, practically boiling, and also resistant to erosion. Is that right, Arthur?” Abigail asked.

”Those mentioned can be confirmed, as for erosion resistance here, I am not sure, given that Owes is currently the only royal family member known to leave the Platinum Palace, he is our sole experimental sample.”

Arthur said, not only the head of the Purification Mechanism but also being Duke Phoenix, his unique status made him more knowledgeable about these matters.

”The Victoria Royal Family’s attitude towards the King’s Curse was harsh. Upon realizing these, the Victoria Royal Family feigned recalls of all members with royal blood, gathering them in the Platinum Palace, thus placing them under house arrest here. It must be said that Queen Victoria’s ruthlessness, to prevent the spread of the curse, she turned that sacred palace into a cage, imprisoning all the King’s Blood, and continues to this day.”

”It’s both a restraint and a protection, otherwise, with how frightening the King’s Curse is, a mere fall might lead to death by internal bleeding.”

Owes spoke at this moment, looking at his pale and somewhat withered arm, he wasn’t the most miserable, compared to those members of the royal family forever trapped in the Platinum Palace, he at least had a brief moment of freedom, traversing Old Dunling wearing the Armor of Original Sin, it’s something those royal family members could never experience in their lifetime.

”Truly pathetic, holding the country’s supreme power, yet trapped in that ostentatious palace.”

Abigail sighed, then immediately said.

”There’s a reaction.”

The gazes of the three were drawn to the agitation in the glass cabinet, the Geiger Counter emitted a sharp screech, watching the little white mouse’s body begin to twist, its withered and decayed wounds started to swell, with blood far exceeding its body size surging out, yet it didn’t die, instead, it became more vigorous.

Deformed bones pierced through its skin, turning it into a ghastly form vigorously hitting against the glass cabinet, cracks spreading across the sturdy cabinet in an instant.

”Arthur!”

Abigail shouted, their experiment was still too risky, Arthur immediately opened fire, the bullets pierced through the glass cabinet, through the little white mouse’s skull, thick blood exploded, splattering evenly on the surrounding equipment, covering Abigail in blood-red.

But this seemingly was not the end, after a brief pause, the headless corpse stirred again, Owes’ pupils contracted sharply, he knew well what was happening.

”Demon... Arthur, you haven’t fully killed it!”

In a short period, Secret Blood not only counteracted the curse of the King’s Blood but also mutated the little white mouse into a Demon.

Demon is an extremely terrifying creature. Even if its heart is pierced, its fierce will can still drive the body to continue fighting, and simply cutting off its head won’t kill it immediately; rather, it follows its instinct for bloodlust.

This is why demons require the destruction of their head and heart; only then can they be rendered completely powerless. It was Arthur’s oversight to not have anticipated the mutation to be so fast and so thorough.

When he was about to fire the second shot, the small white mouse had already arched its body, leaping in a rapid manner. With sharp claws, it tore open Abigail’s protective clothing. Fortunately, she was wearing enough layers that it didn’t harm her, and it was at this moment that Owes struggled to stand up from his wheelchair, grabbing the Willow Blade beside him.

He is a child, also Lancelot. In an instant, the sound of steel collapsing rang out, and the Willow Blade precisely hit the small white mouse in mid-air, penetrating its heart and nailing it to the wall.

Owes’ whole body leaned forward, but fortunately, Arthur supported him in time. Yet even so, a large amount of blood still flowed down from his arm.

He suddenly rose and pulled out those needles, and Abigail hurriedly treated his wounds, stopping the bleeding.

Owes gasped heavily; the feeling of blood loss is truly unpleasant, like a bottle filled with water being gradually emptied, as if his soul was flowing away with the blood, leaving behind a dried shell.

This is the King’s Curse; as age increases, the erosion on the body becomes more intense. When Owes was still young, he could run vigorously on the grass, but as he grew older, with the Armor of Original Sin augmented, he became increasingly fragile, such that even long walks could cause his joints to bleed from wear. So, he could only sit in a wheelchair.

It is the same for the Royal Family members inside the Platinum Palace. Everyone’s soul is imprisoned within such a sorrowful body, which is why Queen Victoria I is so forceful this time, the new Order bringing a sliver of hope, in which case Lorenzo does not matter.

”That guy... Lorenzo Holmes, how terrifying...”

Abigail asked with a hint of trepidation while stopping Owes’ bleeding.

”You’ve been collaborating with that sort of person in the Purification Mechanism?”

”What happened?”

Arthur also helped, returning Owes to his wheelchair.

”Secret Blood, such terrifying Secret Blood, in such a short time has turned a little white mouse into this bizarre thing...”

As Abigail spoke, she glanced at the nailed small white mouse, though it had been rendered powerless, its repulsive flesh was still slowly writhing.

”Lorenzo is full of this kind of blood, and as he ages, this blood also gradually changes him.”

”Do you think Secret Blood can cure the King’s Curse?” Arthur asked.

”Perhaps, at least it indeed rendered the King’s Curse ineffective.”

Abigail stood up to inspect the small white mouse’s body; the wound healed extremely quickly, and the coagulation resistance inherent in the King’s Curse had completely disappeared.

”Wait for Merlin; he is an Alchemist, this kind of Secret Blood refining should be handled by him.”

The two conversed while dealing with the mess on the ground; the demon’s erosion is a kind of meme contamination, capable of transmission across different mediums, though the effect is significantly reduced but still alarming. The place is now full of contaminants that must be cleared promptly.

Owes remained silent, it’s unclear if he doesn’t feel pain or is long accustomed to it; he stared at the nailed small white mouse, uncertain of how much time passed before he asked.

”If you succeed in researching the King’s Curse, will you restart the Ranger Plan?”

”Then the Victoria Royal Family will be liberated from the curse, no longer bound by the Platinum Palace.”

Abigail, without raising her head, replied.

Owes continued staring at the small white mouse, its obedient body no more; it became frighteningly gruesome, much like the monsters Owes once killed.

”But is this really right?”

”What are you thinking, brat? We’re trying to save your life!” Abigail shouted.

”No... I just feel like this is replacing one curse for another.”

Owes bowed his head, pondering something.

”Another... more vicious curse.”