The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: The Story of the Two Moons

Zareth leaned against the balcony railing, overlooking the vast courtyard of the royal palace.

Tapping his fingers against the railing rhythmically.

I wonder if I should play something later…

He thought about a new game he had been meaning to try—one of the latest strategy-based ones.

He had been itching to see how he measured up against the top players.

Or maybe he could spar with Ed again; the kid fought unpredictably, which made things more exciting.

But before he could fully escape into his thoughts, he heard it.

The whispers.

He wasn’t even trying to eavesdrop—they wanted him to hear.

“…To think our prince had to be saved by a human child.”

A soft laugh followed.

“Embarrassing, isn’t it? What would our ancestors say?”

Zareth’s fingers clenched against the railing.

Another voice joined in—one of the older nobles. “It’s not just that. He’s also weaker than his younger sister.”

Silence.

Then a low chuckle. “That’s right. Losing to his own sibling. Perhaps the wrong child was born first.”

Zareth forced himself to stay still.

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, but outwardly, he remained as composed as ever.

This wasn’t new.

It wasn’t the first time they had whispered behind his back.

But it never got easier.

He didn’t know what bothered him more—their words or the fact that he couldn’t argue against them.

Because deep down, a small, traitorous part of him whispered—what if they’re right?

He gritted his teeth.

Am I weak?

His mind pulled him back to past memories.

Losing to Vynesaa. Again and again.

Feeling the crushing weight of expectations that he couldn’t seem to meet.

The look in his mother’s eyes—not disappointment, never that, but something worse.

Measured patience. As if she was always waiting for him to become what he was supposed to be.

And now, he had to be rescued by a human.

A human who wasn’t even supposed to be here.

The nobles kept talking, their words sinking in deeper.

“Perhaps if he trained harder, he wouldn’t be such a—”

“ZARETH!”

The sudden voice made Zareth flinch.

He turned sharply, his thoughts scattering.

There stood Ed, hands on his hips.

Zareth blinked.

‘How does this kid always show up at the strangest times?’ Zareth thought.

Ed tilted his head. “You good?”

Zareth hesitated for a second, his mask slipping—just barely. But then, he smirked, straightening his posture.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ed gave him a long, suspicious look. “…You had that weird, brooding face just now.”

Zareth scoffed. “I don’t have a ‘brooding face.'”

“You totally do.”

“Shut up.”

Ed shrugged, then pointed at him. “You busy? I was about to—” He paused, glancing toward the nobles still lingering nearby.

He could tell from Zareth’s expression that something was off, though he didn’t know what.

A moment of silence stretched between them.

Then, Ed sighed dramatically and put a hand on his chest.

“…Well, well, well. If it isn’t my dear friend, the mighty Prince Zareth, standing alone on his grand balcony, looking all mysterious and tragic.”

Zareth gave him a deadpan stare. “What are you doing?”

Ed ignored him, now pacing dramatically.

“Ah, such loneliness! Such sorrow! If only there was someone to accompany this lost, forsaken soul—” Ed said.

Zareth rolled his eyes. “Ed.”

“—fear not, my prince, for I, the great and noble Ed, have arrived to—”

“Ed.”

“—remind you that you still owe me dinner.”

There was a pause.

Then, before Zareth even realized it, a small chuckle escaped him.

Just like that, the tension that had been weighing down his chest loosened slightly.

Ed grinned. “See? You do have a brooding face. But don’t worry, I’ll be your emotional support human.”

Zareth let out an exaggerated sigh. “That sounds awful.”

“You love it.”

“…I hate that you’re right.”

Ed smirked. “I’m always right.”

The nobles were still there, but somehow, Zareth didn’t care as much anymore.

He shook his head. “Come on, let’s go.”

Ed raised an eyebrow. “Where?”

Zareth smirked. “To get dinner, obviously. I’m not letting you call yourself ‘great and noble’ for free.”

Ed grinned, falling into step beside him.

As they walked away, Zareth glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

If Ed is here, I’ll be fine.

For the first time that day, the whispers didn’t seem as loud.

—

Arianna’s fingers moved effortlessly across her computer keyboard.

She finished typing her notes before closing the screen with a faint sigh.

The room was small but comfortable, designed for private lessons—round table, warm lighting, and a large window.

Seated across from her were three students.

Zareth was slouched lazily, absentmindedly twirling a pen between his fingers.

His sharp emerald eyes flicked toward Arianna every few seconds, pretending not to be interested but clearly waiting for the lesson to start.

Vynesaa, in contrast, sat with perfect posture.

However, her expression was anything but composed; her brows were slightly furrowed, and her fingers tapped impatiently against the table.

Ed, the only human among them, was the most attentive—sitting properly, hands resting on the table, waiting for the lesson to begin.

Arianna finally spoke, her voice calm but firm.

“Before we continue learning about mana, we need to answer a more important question.”

She let the words settle before continuing.

“Where did mana come from in the first place?”

Vynesaa,groaned immediately.

“Ugh.” She crossed her arms. “We’ve already heard the Two Moons story, Arianna mam.”

Arianna gave her an unimpressed look.

“Then you should have no problem explaining it to me in perfect detail.”

Vynesaa opened her mouth—then paused.

A beat of silence.

Zareth smirked, resting his chin on his palm. “Go ahead, Your Highness. Let’s hear this ‘boring’ story in perfect detail.”

Vynesaa glared daggers at him before looking away, muttering something under her breath.

Arianna’s expression didn’t change. “Thought so. Sit still and listen.”

She turned to Ed. “This is your first time hearing it, isn’t it?”

Ed nodded. “Yeah.” He hesitated. “Is it really that important?”

Arianna’s eyes sharpened slightly. “Yes.”

Zareth leaned forward, intrigued now. “Wait, really? Not even once?”

Ed shook his head. “Nope.”

Vynesaa sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. Just get it over with.”

Arianna exhaled. “History is the foundation of understanding magic. If you don’t understand the origin, you’ll never understand the meaning of what you wield.”

Then, she began.

“Our world was once illuminated by two moons.”

Her voice was steady.

“One silver. One red.”

Ed blinked. Two moons? He hadn’t read about it in the novel.

“The silver moon shone brightly, a guiding light in the night sky. And the red moon… was its twin. Its shadow.”

Zareth tapped his chin. “then one of it blow up”

Arianna exhaled sharply. “That’s a rather childish way to put it, but… in a way, yes.”

Her eyes darkened slightly.

“One day, the red moon collapsed.”

The room fell into silence.

“The sky burned. Its fragments rained down like falling stars—except instead of beauty, they brought devastation. Cities were flattened. Mountains crumbled. The very ground split apart.”

Ed felt a strange chill run down his spine.

The way Arianna spoke made it feel… real.

Vynesaa, despite her earlier complaints, was now listening intently.

“But that wasn’t the worst part.” Arianna said. “With its destruction, the red moon left behind something else—something unseen, yet far more powerful.”

Zareth narrowed his eyes. “Mana?”

Arianna nodded. “Yes.”

She gestured toward the window. “Before the collapse, this world was nothing like what we know now. No one could use magic. Mana simply didn’t exist.”