Chapter 10: Shinso Human
In the vast corridor of the old wooden mansion, a familiar figure stood near the room door, where Dane's crib was currently; her hands were folded, and she was leaning out of sight, taking cover behind the walls. The room then began to light up into an array of colors, till eventually it died down.
As a massive spell was taking place inside.
However, at the cost of an immense amount of power on the caster's behalf.
As a result, Priscilla slumped against the doorframe, her breath ragged. Blood dripped from her fingertips, splattering onto the wooden floor in fat, sizzling drops. It reeked of iron and burnt ozone, maybe, or the acrid tang of overworked magic.
"Gah!... I swear, the things I do for this family. Honestly, what would they do without me? Rakasha's too free-spirited for her own good. Honestly, it's a miracle she hasn't burned the mansion down yet. Minerva? A wild card... there is no other word for her. One moment she is lecturing us on responsibility; the next she is off challenging the world serpent to a drinking contest. And Echidna? Don't even get me started...
Priscilla said, annoyance clearly filling her being.
Yet she continues her silent rant nonetheless.
"...Sigh, why do I even try with her? The woman is the definition of a bookworm; if she spent half as much time doing as she does reading, we might actually get somewhere. And old Roland Good grief, that man takes things far too seriously. Even more than me, sigh!!... sometimes I wonder how I got caught up in this family?"
She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose, a habit she developed from countless times she felt frustrated.
"No wonder we're the weakest family among the Thirteen Great Families. Honestly, it's a miracle we haven't been disbanded yet. Then again, when you've got someone like Minerva... practically the living embodiment of our family's power, I suppose that explains why the Thirteen haven't become the Twelve...
"Yes, she is strong enough to obliterate five of those ancient abominations on her own, but what use is sheer power when the rest of us are in absolute shambles? Instead of a proper, unified force, we've got next to no political backing in the Monster realm. We're only a family in the loosest sense of the word... a ragtag bunch of five ludicrously powerful troublemakers... and even our so-called family kingdom isn't even a proper kingdom!"