2. The Offering (2)
Though it was difficult to define simply by appearance, and although there was the issue of his gender being entirely reversed, Carlo managed to regain his composure relatively quickly.
The critical factor was the mana coursing through his body.
It was an amount that couldn’t be compared to before.
Whereas his mana had previously been akin to a river crossing the continent, it now surged like a mighty river finally merging with the great sea.
‘This much…’
As he clenched his fist, a faint crackling sound of lightning could be heard.
The violet mana that flashed indicated a strength that couldn’t be restrained by the same power as before.
“If only my gender hadn’t changed, it would have been perfect…”
Regret wasn’t entirely absent.
But it was something irreversible—a dedication was such a thing.
Carlo, filled with a considerable sense of fulfillment and nearly equal regret, headed toward the mansion from the waterfall.
The mansion of the House of Cascata stood with a grand stone entrance that seemed to attest to its illustrious history and traditions.
The lotus flower, symbolizing the family, was carved in high relief, and the sheer size of the monumental stone gateway was enough to overwhelm any visitor.
And there, standing before the enormous stone gateway, was Carlo.
“So, I’m telling you, I’m Carlo della Cascata. Are you having trouble opening the gate or what?”
Even his irritated expression was picture-perfect as he claimed to be Carlo—a beautiful young woman. This was awkward for the guards.
Although tall, she still fell within the category of a woman who…
The clothes she wore were Carlo’s, oversized and loose, yet they did nothing to hide the feminine contours that clearly indicated this couldn’t possibly be Carlo della Cascata.
“Damn, offering even my gender has led to this awkward situation…”
“Ma’am, whoever you are, young master is a gentleman.”
Carlo’s mood was a complicated one.
It was good that the guards possessed such thorough professionalism, but the problem was that this professionalism was causing him inconvenience.
“Listen, Antonio, and you, Piccolo. Since I know your names, aren’t you afraid of what might happen later?”
The guards were noticeably taken aback by Carlo’s effortless use of their names in a threatening tone.
“Hey, Miss, don’t joke around. There’s no way our young master would remember the names of people like us!”
“Right! What kind of person is our master? Someone who considers us commoners and even less than coffee dregs. There’s no chance he remembers our names!”
Listening to this dialogue, Carlo felt a headache coming on. While he had somewhat been inclined to treat commoners or servants harshly, he certainly hadn’t been so thoughtless as to forget the names of those who had guarded the estate for over a decade.
…Or had he?
Maybe not.
Maybe he hadn’t been like that.
Regardless, it seemed there would be no chance of them opening the gate, so there was no other option.
“You don’t have to open it for me; I can do it myself…”
With that, Carlo flicked a finger.
It was merely cumbersome that he hadn’t bothered to do this earlier, but still, this stone gate could acknowledge the heritage of the Cascata bloodline.
With a groaning sound, the stone gate began to open.
“How…?!”
“This gate can only be opened by the masters of Cascata…”
“I’ve already told you I’m Carlo, haven’t I? Naturally, it can be.”
Carlo sighed and stepped forward.
Was it really necessary to go this far? He briefly regretted not adding a condition during the dedication to exclude gender.
“Even so, you can’t enter! Miss, whatever trick you’ve pulled, we’re the guards of the House of Cascata! We can’t just let someone we’ve never seen before wander in!”
Her path was blocked by a halberd.
Though their strong sense of duty was commendable, it was now becoming an annoyance.
“Do you know the family motto of the Cascata family?”
“The magic way shall thus lead. That’s right.”
“Exactly, but…if you still don’t believe me, I’ll create that path with magic.”
Carlo surrounded his arm with a bit of mana.
Trying to adhere to old habits, he intended to wrap only a little mana around his arm, but due to the increase in overall mana, it far exceeded his expectations.
‘This is promising.’
Carlo, satisfied, then struck the guard’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Ignoring the guard who crumpled in agony, Carlo turned to the other.
“So, what’s my name?”
“You… you…”
“I’ll ask again. What’s my name?”
“Ca, Carlo… Carlo…”
“One last chance. What’s my name?”
“Ca, Carlo della Cascata, young master!”
“Good. You should have just done that from the start.”
Carlo tried to pat the guard on the shoulder as he normally would, but his significantly reduced height made the motion awkward. Instead, he ended up tapping the guard around the elbow and gave a smirk.
Without initiating ‘Awakening,’ to have this much power—this was quite a satisfying result.
One drawback of lightning magic was that all its spells only revealed their full potency after heightening the senses via this awakening magic. However, with this abundant mana, he could summon sufficient power without the awakening.
‘Excellent. It’s definitely overwhelming.’
Carlo, clearly pleased, entered the central courtyard with a small smile—one he rarely ever showed.
He intended to pass through the courtyard into the mansion, but upon seeing someone standing directly ahead, Carlo stopped and furrowed his brow.
“Who are you?”
“… Carlo.”
“Carlo…?”
It was Enrico della Cascata.
Upon unexpectedly seeing his father, Carlo’s previously held smile dissolved, his face becoming rigid, and Enrico was similarly stiff as he scrutinized Carlo from top to bottom.
“Carlo… No, wait. You, you don’t—”
Enrico’s eyes widened, visibly startled.
To judge by the mana, it was undoubtedly lightning magic—and since they had entered the estate without issue, this was undoubtedly a true descendant of the Cascata bloodline. The changed appearance was strange, but if so…
“Did you… visit the falls?!”
“Yes.”
“You fool—!”
With a roar of anger, Enrico’s azure mana surged.
Electric blue lightning crackled ominously, threateningly revealing its fangs as it flared toward Carlo.
In contrast, Carlo remained calm.
As he silently nodded his head, Enrico’s voice thundered in rage, veins straining on his neck.
“You fool, what exactly was so important that it required you to change your very body?! As the eldest son, aren’t you—”
Enrico’s tirade was cut short.
In the blink of an eye, Carlo had disappeared, only to reappear right in front of Enrico.
With a grip on Enrico’s mouth, Carlo’s hand silenced any further words.
“It’s because of this power. This immense strength. What need is there for that body, or being the eldest son of Cascata? What point is there? Isn’t it meaningless, old man? Now that I’ve surpassed even you, I see that it was no wasted effort.”
Enrico was startled by the immense mana coursing from Carlo’s grip.
This was mana far surpassing the old Carlo—powerful and abundant beyond compare.
“Your illustrious light creation seems useless now. Why don’t you try breaking free?”
A faint smile appeared on Carlo’s lips.
It was plain mockery—directed at Enrico.
“I’ll do anything to win.”
As he said this, Carlo released his grip on Enrico’s mouth.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice my lifespan for training, to use forbidden drugs with the resources of Cascata, or to strike bargains with gods. If it makes me stronger, I’ll do anything. Magic will thus lead. Isn’t that the teaching of the House of Cascata?”
“To such an extent—”
“You recognizing me or not isn’t important. I’ll make it so you have to recognize me.”
Without waiting for Enrico’s response, Carlo muttered to himself, “Magic will thus lead,” the ancestral motto of the Cascata house, then turned away, briefly looking back at Enrico.
“Arrange the Academy issue yourself. Claim it was some magical accident that made me this way, or say that due to family obligations, I’ve been living as male until now. You figure it out. You’re the head of the house.”
With that, Carlo walked away decisively.
Enrico watched, helplessly, as the eldest son turned eldest daughter strode toward the mansion doors.
…
‘Gender means nothing. Yeah, it doesn’t matter.’
If you have power, everything else doesn’t matter.
Enrico della Cascata, one of the top mages in the empire and one of the Four Pillars, had fallen victim to Carlo’s prowess—even if by surprise.
Continuing to enhance his power this way—no, even as it was now—Carlo surmised he could crush Ivan like stepping on a stray insect. The same went for his pretentious younger brother who had grown boastful from praise.
‘Power is justice, power is truth. This is the power I’ve been seeking. Gender? Just a secondary factor. It doesn’t matter.’
While muttering the Cascata family motto, Carlo clenched his fist tightly.
“…Still, this beauty is hard to get used to. I’ve never seen anyone this beautiful…”
Indeed, the woman in the mirror seemed excessively beautiful to even Carlo.
Her eyes tilted up like a cat’s.
She had a blush that only enhanced her already excellent complexion.
“Mmm… Hmm.”
For a moment, Carlo could hardly form words while staring at his reflection.
He thought perhaps he had become too beautiful.
…
The woman gazing back at him in the mirror was undeniably stunning.
—
<End of Chapter>
