Cursed Heir System: Revenge Against the Gods

Ten days later, at South Nocelle Dukedom.

"What is this thing even!?" Moriko yelled, stumbling back and pointing with a trembling hand at the massive creature before her. "That's not a beast—that's a walking nightmare!"

The wyvern stood proudly in the Nocelle garden, wings tucked against its armored flanks. Its hide was a mixture of stone-gray scales and jagged protrusions of rock-like plating along its spine, as if it had been carved from the mountains themselves. The air shook with each breath it exhaled, and its amber eyes locked lazily onto the cat-eared girl with a half-interested snort.

Moriko's tail puffed out like a broom behind her. "Alan, tell me why that thing's staring at me like it wants to make a kebab out of me!"

Janine strolled casually with her arms folded behind her head, a lazy grin tugging at her lips. "Relax, fluff-tail," she said. "He's not interested in stringy meat."

Moriko's ears flattened. "Stringy?!"

"That," Janine said proudly, jerking a thumb toward the wyvern, "is Stonetalon. My familiar."

Moriko blinked. "Your what?"

"My familiar," Janine repeated as she stepped confidently toward the beast. The wyvern let out a low rumble, but lowered its head obediently as she ran a hand down its snout. "Its an mountain wyvern. I captured him three years ago in the Beyond Mountains. Took me a whole week off, but it was worth it."

"You tamed a mountain wyvern?" Moriko gawked.

Janine gave a cocky grin. "Perks of being the Champion of Earth. Earth-type monsters bow to us. Makes travel easy too. You think I arrived at the tavern from here by foot?"

As Janine patted the wyvern's jaw like a loyal hound, Anna approached slowly, her white dress fluttering in the warm southern breeze. She placed a gentle hand on the creature's massive foreleg, showing no fear.

Stonetalon rumbled again, but leaned into her touch like an affectionate cat.

"He's so… calm," Anna murmured, brushing her hand along the rough scales.

Alan, who had been observing the thing with his blue eyes, finally spoke. "It's called a Familiar Bond. Certain types of blessings allow users to tame magical beasts of the same nature. Champions, especially, can form stable contracts with powerful monsters like this one."

Moriko turned to him, still suspiciously eyeing the wyvern. "So you mean… Janine can tame Earth monsters?"

"Exactly," Alan nodded. "But only Champions can tame creatures of this size and tier. Uncommon Blessed might tame small beasts. But a wyvern? Only someone like Janine can command that."

Moriko's golden eyes lit up with excitement. "Ooh! What about that famous one then?"

"Famous one?" Alan asked, slightly amused. "There are a lot of champions."

"No, no," Moriko waved her hand. "I mean the famous one. The one everyone talks about. The Sun Champion."

At the mention of it, Alan's expression froze for a split second.

"Sun Champion?" he repeated, his voice quieter now.

"Yeah," Moriko nodded with enthusiasm, completely unaware of the weight behind the name. "Lori told me stories about him. Said he's the most famous Blessed in the whole continent! I think she said his name was…"

She frowned, tapping her chin. "Kaelen… Kaelen Fitzgerald!"

Alan's body stiffened.

His eyes widened slightly but it was enough. A flicker of something dark passed across his expression before he masked it with a calm nod.

Moriko didn't notice it and rambled on. "Isn't that crazy? A Sun Champion! I wonder what kind of beast someone like that can tame. A phoenix? A golden lion? Maybe even a monster made of pure light!"

Alan looked away, eyes distant now, lost in thoughts that twisted like barbed wire.

"…Yeah," he murmured. "Kaelen Fitzgerald. He can tame monsters, alright."

Moriko glanced at him. "Hey, you okay?"

Alan slowly exhaled, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine. Just… remembered something."

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At the East Fitzgerald Dukedom.

"So let me get this straight," said Viscount Fabian Baeder, a thin man with graying hair, seated stiffly on the velvet sofa of Fitzgerald's guest room. "You're asking us to abandon our support for Sofia Mahler… and throw it behind Velmira Loos?"

Along with him sat two other nobles at different chairs; to his right is Roosa Willmer, an old countess, and to his left is Leopold Gruber, the chubby baron.

"To switch allegiances when we've openly backed Duke Liam Dubost, should I take it as either foolishness or a hidden game?" The old countess said as she leaned back with crossed arms.

"Which is it, Lord Kaelen?" She said while looking at the guy sitting on the main chair in front of them, the heir of the Fitzgerald dukedom and the Champion of the Sun.

Kaelen Fitzgerald, seated in the center chair, gave a slow, amused smirk. He crossed one leg over the other and brushed a hand through his black hair. His blue eyes held the three nobles like a lion watching caged prey.

"On what basis should we give our support to Velmira? She's not even related to you," the fat baron sneered while tapping his palm on the low table between them.

"Relation?" He repeated, and he dropped sugar cubes lightly into his tea. "She's going to be my wife. I assumed you all read announcements more diligently."

The three nobles froze, exchanging uneasy glances.

"Your wife?" Leopold sputtered, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Since when? I thought she was initially engaged to your deceased brother, Alane."

Kaelen leaned back, gaze steady. "Since I chose her for this dukedom's future," he said casually. "Sofia's Duke Liam's pawn. Velmira's a clean slate. With our backing, she'll claim the Monarch's throne, and her allies will reap the rewards."

"And those who don't?" The Countess asked, her tone daring him to reveal his hand.

Kaelen's blue eyes fell onto the Countess, and his intensity made her stiffen. "Nothing," he said in a silky voice. "I'll make sure they'll come into my way by any means."

The room felt silent for a moment. Even the gentle clink of the teaspoon against porcelain stopped.

Fabian narrowed her eyes. "Empty threats. You don't have the authority to claim—"

Kaelen cut her off by raising a finger, not to her, but toward the door.

It opened immediately. A scribe entered, bowed, and silently placed three sealed letters on the table. One before each noble.

Kaelen smiled as the scribe retreated without a word.

"Inside," Kaelen said, sipping his tea, "you'll find transcripts. Of your last few correspondences. Your couriers have… loyal horses, but disloyal riders."

Roosa picked hers up first, hands trembling as she broke the wax. Her lips thinned to a pale line as she read.

Baeder also opened the letter, and his face darkened.

Gruber went last, but the sweat already beading his brow spoke volumes.

"These are… private," the Viscount muttered.

"They were," Kaelen said. "Until they become evidence."

He leaned forward, elbow resting on the chair's arm, tone smooth. "I could destroy them. Or send them to Duke Dubost's rivals. Or better, the Kingdom Council."

The Countess muttered something under her breath, too low to hear. Probably a curse.

Kaelen stood slowly, setting his cup down with elegance, and walked toward the window. "I am what this country made me. The perfect son of a Duke. The rightful Champion of the Sun. The man who will make sure the next queen is my wife."

The light from the sun cast his silhouette long against the room.

"You thought this was tea and pleasantries?" he asked over his shoulder. "This was your reckoning."

He turned, walking back toward the center.

"Back, Velmira. Publicly. Within three days. Or I'll leak everything in those letters… and send a divine missive to the Church that House Baeder, House Gruber, and House Willmer have broken with the Sun's will."

"Three days," Kaelen repeated, his tone now ice. "You'll kiss Velmira's ring, or the sun's light will burn you to ash."