NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Cursed Child
Kai Province.
Snow fell heavily from the sky.
A twelve-year-old Takeda Katsuchiyo stood frozen beside a blood-soaked bed, his mind completely blank.
Years later, on the eve of the Battle of Kawanakajima, the man who would come to be known as the "Tiger of Kai", the greatest warlord of the Takeda clan, would recall this snowy night with horror.
Even after he led the Takeda clan to its peak, even when his cavalry and musketeers spread across the battlefield like divine wrath, even when his banners fluttered in the raging wind like the descent of heavenly warriors—
Tonight, none of that mattered.
Tonight, he was nothing but a powerless boy.
His thirteen-year-old wife, Uesugi Aiko, was dying in childbirth.
Her life was about to fade from this world, never to return.
"My lady!! Just breathe! Deep breaths!!!"
The midwife, her wrinkled hands trembling, knelt beside Uesugi Aiko, desperately trying to stem the bleeding.
But everyone present could already see the truth.
Aiko's time had come.
"The child... how is the child...?"
Even with her ashen face and fading consciousness, Aiko still forced herself to ask about the baby.
"My lady! It's a boy! Lord Katsuchiyo has an heir!"
Hearing this, a tired yet contented smile appeared on Aiko's face.
"Let... let me see him..."
The midwife hurriedly wiped the baby clean, eager to bring him to his dying mother's side—
But the moment she saw the newborn's face, the old woman screamed in shock.
"No—impossible! My lord, what is happening?!"
The entire room fell silent.
The newborn boy looked nothing like an ordinary baby.
Newborns were typically wrinkled, fragile, and red-faced, resembling tiny, shriveled monkeys.
But this child—
His skin was flawless, like polished jade.His features were breathtaking, almost unnaturally beautiful.His black eyes held no reflection, like soulless glass beads.
And his hair—
A shining cascade of silver.
[Rainbow Talent: Heaven's Jealousy—Activated.] You have been born with a congenital defect.
Your fate has been altered. You have received a Gold-tier Talent: "Ethereal Beauty."
"What a cruel fate!!!"
The midwife stared at the baby in shock, her aged eyes filled with tears.
"To be so beautiful... yet to be blind from birth... why must the gods be so cruel?!"
Uesugi Aiko, still barely clinging to life, turned her gaze to the snowfall outside.
Her tears mixed with blood, rolling down her pale, lifeless face.
"It's my fault... I was too weak... If only I were healthier... then he... he would have been born normal..."
"I'm sorry, my child... but... right now... I feel so happy..."
She stared at him—
His shoulders... his silver hair... his delicate features... his lips...
"Are you smiling...?"
Aiko weakly reached out, trying to touch her child's face—
But her hand fell short.
"I'm sorry... I can't see anymore..."
As if understanding his mother's sorrow, the newborn child trembled, and with his tiny fingers, he reached out and touched her cheek.
Feeling the gentle caress of her child, Aiko let out a deep sigh of relief.
"So warm... I found you..."
Her pale face finally relaxed.
Tears ran down her cheeks—tears not of sadness, but of joy.
"My child... when you grow up... make sure to love many people, okay...?"
"That way... you can forget all the painful things in life..."
"It's scary, isn't it? Death is... so peaceful..."
And then, with those final words—
Uesugi Aiko was gone.
"MY LADY—!!!"
The midwife collapsed onto her body, wailing in grief.
Takeda Katsuchiyo stood motionless beside them.
For a moment, he felt like he was in a dream.
His wife was lying there, smiling, bathed in crimson red.
Silent. Still. Gone.
"What... just happened?"
"How ridiculous."
A harsh, scornful voice rang out.
Takeda Katsuchiyo whipped his head around—
It was his father, Takeda Nobutora.
The lord of the Takeda clan stood at the doorway, arms crossed, yawning as if bored by the scene before him.
"I was expecting a grandson, but instead, a cursed abomination was born?"
His sharp eyes locked onto his son's blank, lifeless expression, and he sneered—
"What's wrong, Katsuchiyo? You look like you're about to kill me. Are you upset that your wife is dead?"
"Father..."
Takeda Katsuchiyo's hands curled into fists.
"Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror?"
Takeda Nobutora snorted, then strode forward and snatched the newborn out of the midwife's arms.
He studied the infant carefully, his fierce gaze filled with disgust.
"A monster. A demon. A spirit has taken over my grandson's body. It killed its own mother. How could such a creature be allowed to live?!"
His muscles tensed.
His veins bulged.
With a roar, he raised the baby over his head—
And prepared to smash him into the ground.
[Fated Death—Activated.]
[Your life is in danger.]
"FATHER—!!"
Takeda Katsuchiyo lunged forward, trying to stop him—
But at that moment, an elderly monk stepped forward and caught the falling child.
"Lord Nobutora, please reconsider."
It was Tenshitsu, the abbot of Rinsen Temple.
The old monk's robes were dusted with snow, and his prayer beads clicked softly as he held the fragile newborn close.
"The lady's death was fate. This child is innocent. Please do not let more blood be spilled tonight."
Takeda Nobutora scowled.
"This creature is a plague. It does not deserve to live."
"Perhaps, but we must judge people by their deeds, not their birth."
The monk lowered his head, his gaze gentle.
"All I know is that he was born into his mother's love. If you truly despise his existence, then grant him to me. I shall take him to the temple and raise him in the ways of the Buddha."
Takeda Nobutora's grip on his sword loosened.
For a moment, he hesitated.
"...If he forsakes his Takeda bloodline, and never involves himself in worldly affairs... then fine. I will pretend this night never happened."
He turned on his heel, stepping out into the snowstorm.
"Katsuchiyo. We will never speak of this again."
Takeda Katsuchiyo stood in silence, staring at the blood-stained floor.
His hands trembled.
"I was powerless..."
"I couldn't even protect my own wife and child..."
The old monk looked at him.
"Young lord... what shall be his name?"
Takeda Katsuchiyo lifted his head, gazing at the snow falling outside the window.
"Call him... 'Yuki'."
And so—
The cursed child was given his name.
[Your mother recognized your existence.][Your name is: Yuki.]