Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent-Chapter 203: Ch : All up in Flames- Part 1

Chapter 203: Ch 203: All up in Flames- Part 1

Racheal flushed scarlet, her eyes darting anxiously between Kyle and her master, who still looked far too pleased with herself despite the temple around her practically being a ruin.

She quickly stepped forward and bowed her head.

“Please ignore her behavior. She’s not always like this. The drink just… helps her think sometimes.”

She said hastily, voice tense with embarrassment.

Kyle raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. He was far too used to eccentric personalities by now to be fazed.

Still, the smell of wine mingled with burnt mana made the entire temple feel like the aftermath of a ritual gone wrong.

Racheal turned to her master, trying to maintain some level of composure.

“Master, this is the young lord I told you about. He came here to request—”

“Enough, Racheal. She brought someone into my home. Let her speak for herself.”

The older woman interrupted, waving a hand lazily from where she reclined on a half-shattered throne-like seat.

Racheal visibly recoiled at the casual reprimand and bowed her head again, stepping back with her lips pressed together in shame.

Kyle, watching all this unfold, found himself mildly amused and quietly intrigued. The dynamic between the two women was clear—chaotic, yet deeply bonded.

Kyle stepped forward, arms still crossed.

“I’m here to recruit you.”

The older woman’s gaze sharpened, cutting through her haze of wine. She leaned forward slightly, her expression unreadable. freёweɓnovel.com

Racheal hesitated, clearly wanting to interject a warning about how picky her master could be, but she didn’t get the chance.

“I’ll cooperate if you agree to my conditions.”

The woman said, her voice suddenly sober.

Kyle raised a brow.

“Go on.”

“First, I work when I want. If you try to limit my experiments, I’ll leave. Second, you’ll provide me with materials—runes, sacred metals, cursed bones, and anything else I require.”

She began, holding up a finger,

Kyle remained still, unmoving.

“Third, I will not abide by the laws of the Temple. It—restricts progress. If you want miracles, you must be willing to get your hands dirty. I don’t want priests breathing down my neck telling me I can’t reverse-engineer divine relics or dissect monsters. I need freedom”

She continued, her lip curled.

There was a long pause. Racheal looked like she wanted to melt into the floor.

Kyle finally spoke, voice calm and unwavering.

“As long as I see results, you’ll have everything you need.”

The woman’s smile widened.

“Excellent.”

“Name?”

Kyle asked, already turning toward the exit.

“Sasha Brande. Ruinist, former professor, heretic by the laws, and proud of it.”

She said smoothly.

Kyle paused at the doorway.

“Meet me at the square. Tomorrow morning. Eight sharp. We leave then.”

Sasha gave a lazy two-fingered salute, leaning back again.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Kyle didn’t glance back as he stepped out of the ruined temple. Racheal stayed behind for a moment, shooting her master a helpless look.

“Did you have to say all that like you were trying to scare him away?”

Sasha snorted, eyes already half-lidded again.

“If a few demands and a hangover scare him, then he’s not worth working with.”

Racheal sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow, the real fun begins. And please, do something about your drinking habits, master. You can get into real trouble if you keep being like this. Your liver would not survive.

Racheal told her master before she left after Kyle. she was worried about the older women, but she also knew her master well. Her master would be fine on her own….hopefully.

______

As Kyle and Racheal stepped out of the half-ruined temple, the soft morning light touched the ancient stones with a gentle glow.

The streets were quiet again, most of the early crowd having dispersed after the earlier disturbance.

Racheal followed beside him in silence, her thoughts still spinning from everything that had happened.

She glanced at Kyle from the corner of her eye. He walked calmly, as if he hadn’t just recruited one of the most infamously stubborn ruinists in the kingdom.

Her master had never bowed to anyone. Not nobles, not kings, and certainly not to religious mandates.

Yet Kyle had walked in, said a few words, and suddenly Sasha Brande had agreed to follow him.

“Just… what kind of person are you? I’ve never seen her agree to anything like that before. And she didn’t even argue that much.”

Racheal finally asked, breaking the silence.

Kyle glanced sideways at her with an amused look.

“I’m just a normal person. Nothing much to it.”

He said with a small shrug.

“That’s a lie…I mean—sorry. But seriously, you’re not. That wasn’t normal.”

She said before she could stop herself, then winced, realizing how blunt it sounded.

Kyle smirked, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

“You’re awfully interested in me all of a sudden. Should I be flattered?”

Racheal’s face turned a deep shade of red.

“W-what? No! That’s not what I meant at all!”

“Oh? Then what did you mean?””

Kyle tilted his head.

“I just…I was just curious. That’s all. Nothing more.”

She stammered, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.

Her flustered response made Kyle chuckle, and he waved a hand dismissively.

“Relax. I’m just teasing. You’re free to be curious. But I really am nothing special.”

Racheal quickly turned on her heel.

“I should go. My brother’s waiting. And I need to make sure the house is alright.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow.

“Run away so soon?”

“I’m not running!”

She declared as she sped up.

Kyle watched her retreating back and let out a long sigh.

“People are getting too bold these days…Finally, some personal space.”

He stretched and turned down the opposite street.

Racheal’s face was still burning by the time she reached the quieter parts of the town. She pressed her hand to her cheek, trying to calm her racing heart.

‘What is wrong with me? He’s not even here for me. He came for Master. I’m just… a bystander in all this. So why does he make my heart beat like that?”

She thought.

Racheal shook her head, scolding herself.

‘Forget it. He’s way out of your league. Don’t think too much about it. Focus on your brother.’

But the uneasy knot in her stomach only grew tighter the closer she got to home. Her steps quickened instinctively, an urgency building in her chest.

And then she saw it.

Flames.

Her breath caught. Smoke curled into the sky above the rooftop of her home.

The familiar structure was burning, fire eating away at its wooden beams and walls.

People stood in the streets—some staring, others running—but none made any effort to help. No one moved to fetch water. No one called for aid.

“Why aren’t you helping!?”

Racheal screamed, rushing forward.

But the crowd only backed away further, casting guilty, fearful glances at her.

“That place is cursed.”

Someone muttered.

“It was her ruin magic. They always said something was wrong with them.”

“She brought this on herself.”

Racheal didn’t stop to listen. She pushed past the murmurs and the fear, her heart slamming against her ribs as she sprinted toward the inferno.

“Rin! Rin, where are you!?”

She shouted.

The flames roared in reply.