* * *

The servant swiftly cleaned up the shattered teacup I had dropped, while the duchess gently asked if I was alright.

Opposite me sat Raizen, his lips curved into a smile, but his icy gaze pierced me through.

“Haha. What a delightful tea time.”

Swallowing a dry laugh, I barely managed a nod.

Yet, the duchess’s worry only deepened.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Your face is pale as a sheet! Oh dear, you’re trembling too…!”

Well, that’s because of your son, madam…

The duchess, alarmed, approached and softly wrapped me in a comforting embrace, gently brushing my forehead.

At that moment, a flash of murderous intent flickered in Raizen’s crimson eyes as he watched us.

‘That brat…! Even at this age… already…!!’

When my body instinctively flinched, the duchess called for a maid and instructed her to fetch someone.

“You’re feeling this unwell… I’m so sorry, dear. I wasn’t considerate enough. Everything here must feel unfamiliar and overwhelming to you, especially with your lost memories. I should have realized.”

No, madam.

Please don’t misunderstand.

You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.

It’s just this body—it’s far too sensitive!

For the first time, I began to understand why Sean had been killed by Raizen.

When someone is this perceptive, they should at least know how to hide it.

But since he couldn’t, all his feelings must have been laid bare…

From Raizen’s perspective, as the sole heir of the duchy, Sean must have been a constant thorn in his side.

Honestly, if I were in his place, I wouldn’t have let him be either.

“You should go rest for now. Raizen, you should take a break too.”

At her words, Raizen opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it again.

Then, with a sweet smile, he replied.

“Yes, Mother.”

“That’s my good boy.”

The duchess’s hand brushed his cheek with tender affection, her gaze overflowing with love—no, it was almost painful in its intensity.

‘I mean, with this much love…’

Why on earth did Sean feel jealous?

Was it so unbearable to share their affection?

I’ve been an only child all my life, but I couldn’t understand him at all.

“Madam, Vincent has arrived.”

“Ah, I see.”

Vincent must be the person she had sent for earlier.

Likely the duchy’s physician—probably the blue-haired man who had come a few times to check on me.

Leaving me in the care of Mila, the duchess rose from her seat.

Naturally, I assumed she would take her son Raizen with her.

“…?”

“Come, let’s go.”

Why… are you coming toward me?

---

As expected, when we reached the room, I was greeted by the familiar blue-haired man.

So his name was Vincent.

While I sat quietly on the bed, he finished his examination and offered me a soft smile.

“No symptoms of a cold or any other illness. Your condition is excellent.”

Despite Vincent’s reassuring words, the duchess’s expression remained clouded.

Vincent glanced at her before turning back to me.

“Now then, young master. Since you were such a good patient, you deserve a reward, don’t you?”

The reward wasn’t much—just a sweet fruit candy.

Yes, the kind young children adore but that my original self didn’t particularly like.

‘Sweet things… I really don’t like them…’

But what could I do?

I was stuck in the body of a kid now.

With a bright smile, I held out both hands.

“Yes!!”

Grinning, Vincent placed two candies in my palms.

“Wow!”

While I feigned delight at receiving two candies, Vincent leaned closer to the duchess and spoke softly.

“Madam, may I have a word with you?”

The duchess nodded, patted my head gently, and left the room with Vincent.

Mila, too, seemed to have been given some instructions, as she told me to rest and then exited.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… ten seconds.

After counting to ten, I climbed down from the bed and approached the door.

Pressing my ear against it, I held my breath.

Thankfully, there was no sound from outside.

‘They’re all gone.’

“Ha… this is driving me insane.”

Even so, I had to whisper, afraid my voice might leak out.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Was I supposed to survive in this fragile, overly sensitive body?

Impossible.

I hadn’t realized how delicate Sean’s body was until now!

Finally, I muttered the words I had been putting off for far too long.

Words I never wanted to say.

“S…status window.”

Nothing happened.

“…Status window!!”

Still, absolutely nothing.

“Ugh, seriously…!!”

I let out a strangled scream, keeping my voice as low as possible.

If I didn’t, I felt like I might explode.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Having started, I decided to go all the way.

I didn’t care if I sounded crazy.

No one was here, so only my dignity would take a hit.

“I know you’re there, so just show yourself, okay? I know there’s a system here. Don’t tell me you’re discriminating between protagonists and side characters? What’s the point of making me transmigrate if you’re just going to abandon me like this?”

Still, nothing happened.

The room was silent.

Cold.

But did they think I’d give up so easily?

‘Whether this was an accident or intentional, you need to take responsibility for what you’ve done.’

Having read From Transmigration to Hero, I knew the truth.

I knew exactly who—or rather, what—had guided Kim Minsoo, created the system, and made him a hero.

To be precise, it wasn’t a single entity but a group.

In this world, there were beings who had created it, shaping humans and countless other life forms.

They were now dismissed as mere myths, referred to as the “Ancient Gods.”

The people of this world thought of them as fictional, akin to how people on Earth view the gods of Greek or Roman mythology.

But contrary to popular belief, the Ancient Gods were real.

It was the deities humans had worshipped for centuries that were fabrications.

The Ancient Gods once ruled over humanity directly.

Back then, there was no poverty, no sorrow, no extremes of cold or heat.

The world was a perfect paradise.

But over time, human greed grew.

Eventually, a human killed Baldur, the Ancient God who loved and cherished humanity the most.

Shocked by this betrayal, the Ancient Gods were divided.

Those who had always despised humans, who loathed them for their senseless cruelty, argued that humanity should be eradicated and the world reset.

But would new humans be any different?

In the end, the gods concluded that they wouldn’t.

However, exterminating humanity wasn’t easy either.

With their opinions split, they compromised.

They created a new land, banishing humans from their sanctuary to a harsh world filled with suffering, poverty, and misery—the world as it is now.

And so, the Ancient Gods vowed never to reveal their existence to humans again.

Some ancient gods, unwilling to abandon humanity, altered memories of themselves, causing humans to worship fictional deities.

Occasionally, in moments of dire crisis, they intervened, delivering oracles through these fictional gods.

Thousands of years passed, and during this time, the assembly of ancient gods was never convened.

That is, until an unprecedented event forced them to gather.

The world stood on the brink of destruction, brought about by the resurrection of the Demon King and the actions of Reizen Pantheon, who had broken the Demon King’s seal.

The ancient gods, unwilling to let the world they once loved perish to the Demon King, decided to rewind time to just before the catastrophe.

Recognizing that there was no one capable of defeating the Demon King within this world, they summoned Kim Minsoo from another world.

To Minsoo, they granted a system, along with every advantage necessary to mold him into a hero—unlike what they gave me, someone left utterly neglected.

‘Surely, they aren’t unaware that I’ve been transmigrated, right?’

Still, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility entirely.

The gods here, despite their omniscience, were said to make occasional human-like mistakes due to their emotions.

‘If that’s the case… then I’ll just have to make them notice me.’

There was a simple way to draw the attention of these lofty gods: speak their sacred True Name aloud.

“Noah.”

The moment the words left my lips, the ground beneath me, the furniture in the room, even the air itself, began to tremble violently.

[What, are you mad because a mere human dared to call your noble name?]

I won’t lie—I was scared.

But retreat wasn’t an option.

Now that I knew there was an inheritance for the taking, I had to survive, claim that inheritance, and escape!

‘I’ll buy land and build a mansion on Crete Island, the paradise described in the novel, and live out my days in luxury!’

So, I have no choice but to demand something from you gods—something.

Anything!

Struggling to maintain balance on the quaking floor, I stumbled toward the window.

The mansion was impressive, and the windows were enormous.

After a brief moment of admiration, I opened the window and leaped out.

For context, my room was on the third floor.

‘If a child falls from this height, who knows what might happen.’

As I felt myself plummeting rapidly, an odd laughter escaped me.

‘Fine. Kill me or save me. Do as you wish.’

As the meticulously maintained garden lawn drew closer, my body suddenly froze mid-air.

* * *