Enough with Dying as an Extra Chapter 11

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Endlessly doing paperwork was getting tedious.

I absentmindedly fiddled with a cube neatly placed on my desk, but my concentration snapped when a commotion broke out.

Tilting my head in curiosity, I called out to the master, who was practically fused with his documents.

“Asis, was someone supposed to visit today? The castle’s oddly noisy.”

At my words, the master’s head shot up.

While I was reassured by the fact that his expression remained unchanged, he furrowed his brows slightly, as if searching his memory.

After a brief silence, he shook his head as if there was nothing to be concerned about.

“Not that I know of.”

“Then what is it…?”

“Shall I go check?”

“I’d appreciate it if you did.”

The moment he heard my response, he stood up.

As he left the office, I lazily waved my hand, telling him to be careful.

Left alone in an instant, I rubbed my chin before heading to the master’s desk.

I picked up a few of his tasks—just a small token of appreciation.

✽ ✽ ✽

While Vivisian was covering for the master’s work as a sign of gratitude, the master leaned against the railing on the second-floor staircase, overlooking the hall to assess the situation.

The source of the commotion seemed to be a group engaged in conversation—several knights, Haen, and a child he had never seen before.

“A kid?”

Narrowing his eyes, the master tried to get a better look.

The child was a bit scruffy but wore fairly good-quality clothing, and their distinct appearance stood out.

“There aren’t any elders with light pink hair…”

At first, he assumed the child was a relative of an elder.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to enter the castle.

But after getting a closer look, he realized that wasn’t the case at all.

Not only did no elders have a relative with such an appearance, but more importantly—the child was currently biting down hard on a knight’s forearm, latched on like a wild beast, throwing the entire group into chaos.

“No noble child would behave like that…”

No matter how notorious a delinquent they might be, they wouldn’t resort to biting people and clawing at them like an animal.

Amused by the child’s unusual behavior, the master listened closely to the conversation below.

Their voices rang out clearly, suggesting that the discussion wasn’t particularly sensitive.

Though parts were cut off due to the distance, he could piece things together without much difficulty.

So, from what he gathered—the child was one of the slaves recently smuggled into the territory, taking advantage of the chaos following the Duke’s death.

The others, those who had been illegally enslaved, were all freed, either sent back to their homelands or given a place to settle.

The problem was that this child had no parents and was too young to be left on their own.

That’s why the knights had sought out Haen, rather than deciding the matter themselves.

“I did hear about the slave traders sneaking into the territory, but they were caught faster than I expected.”

Haen really was efficient at handling things.

Still, despite acknowledging his competence, the master didn’t regard Haen favorably.

“What’s the point of being capable if you’re blind as a bat?”

His tone was light, but his voice carried a weighty undertone.

When Vivisian was released from prison after attempting to steal information from the Teian Ducal House, the master hadn’t thought much of it when Vivisian volunteered to become his attendant.

He bore no particular resentment toward him, but neither did he hold any affection—he was simply planning to sell the information at a high price.

“…I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

Even as the master of an information guild that operated purely on money, he still possessed a sense of empathy.

And for someone who had lost a sister to vile rumors and scandal, Vivisian was a person he couldn’t help but be wary of.

He sighed, reminding himself why getting too involved with his targets was always a mistake.

As he rested his forehead against the cold railing and continued observing, Haen suddenly lifted his head, meeting his gaze.

The master, maintaining a casual demeanor, dipped his head slightly in greeting.

Haen, after a brief pause, waved back.

As the master turned to leave, having gathered enough information, Haen’s gaze lingered on his retreating figure.

Only when the master fully disappeared from view did Haen slowly curl his lips into a smile—beautiful yet eerily unsettling.

A knight standing nearby instinctively flinched at the sight.

Haen, noticing this from the corner of his eye, quickly smoothed his expression and spoke.

“I’ve decided where the child will stay. Sir, follow me.”

“Yes. Um… who will be taking care of the child?”

The knight bowed politely and asked.

Haen glanced at the child in his arms and smiled.

“The Duke.”

The knight’s jaw nearly dropped at the unexpected answer, and Haen let out a quiet chuckle.

“It’ll be fine. He’s been quite gentle lately. And besides, he’s always been kind to children.”

The knight could only stare blankly at Haen, struggling to comprehend how he dared to describe the Duke as “gentle.”

Without waiting for further discussion, Haen turned and strode forward, and the knight hurriedly followed.

Meanwhile, the child continued throwing a fit, yanking at the knight’s hair.

He winced at the pain prickling his scalp, sighing inwardly.

‘I don’t know if this is really a good idea… Is this going to blow up in my face?’

However, contrary to the knight’s worries, Vivisian remained unbothered even after being told he would now be responsible for the unruly child.

It was the master standing beside him who reacted with utter shock, as if struck by lightning.

“What? Count, you’re seriously asking the Duke to take care of a child? He’s already unwell—if you add childcare on top of that, it could be a disaster!”

“Asis, since when did you start questioning my decisions?”

“But—”

“It’s fine, Asis. I don’t mind. Sir, bring the child to me.”

It was Vivisian who intervened before the master could argue further.

Throughout the entire conversation, the man who was once infamous as the ‘Mad Young Lord’ remained composed.

The knight, who had been startled by the stark contrast to Vivisian’s rumored demeanor, finally gathered his thoughts and spoke in a slightly anxious tone.

“Your Grace, as you can see, the child is quite violent. They may try to harm you, so perhaps I should hold onto them instead…”

“No. Bring them to me.”

The unwavering command left no room for hesitation.

The knight hesitated briefly, glancing at the child still clawing at his arm, then finally made a decision and carefully transferred them to Vivisian’s arms.

The knight had been right.

The moment the child realized they were in different arms, their already sharp gaze became even more feral, baring their teeth in defiance.

In an instant, their nails raked down Vivisian’s cheek, leaving a long, stinging scratch.

A faint furrow appeared between Vivisian’s brows at the sting, but instead of recoiling, he firmly grasped both of the child’s wrists in one hand and pulled them securely into his embrace.

The child thrashed a few times before seemingly realizing escape was impossible, then leaned forward and sank their teeth into his chest, shoulder, and arm, chewing at him relentlessly.

Vivisian didn’t spare the child even a single glance. In the end, the child exhausted himself, his body going limp.

Vivisian easily subdued him, as if handling a crazed cat that had eaten something bad.

The knight watching the scene looked on in shock.

Haen, unfazed, promptly ushered the startled knight and his master out of the office.

Now, only three remained: two men and the child—who was so ferocious it was hard to tell if he was a cat or a person.

Though physically drained, his anger had yet to fully subside, as evidenced by his ragged breathing.

The silence, punctuated only by his harsh gasps, was broken by Haen’s voice.

“You must have already figured out why I decided to send this child to you, Vivisian.”

Anticipating what would follow, Vivisian frowned and covered the child’s ears.

At the same moment, Haen continued speaking.

“A duke raising a former slave with care—despite the child having been granted freedom. It’s the perfect opportunity to change your reputation.”

The child, confused by Vivisian’s sudden actions, scratched furiously at the hands covering his ears.

“But Vivisian, my friend,” Haen added, his tone laced with warning, “let me give you some advice—for your own sake. Never give him your heart. You have too many enemies.”

“Get your hands off me!”

Vivisian glanced down at the child, who was yelling furiously, then lifted his gaze back to Haen.

The man was watching them with an expression that was hard to decipher—perhaps curiosity, perhaps disgust.

Before Vivisian could fully read his face, Haen, as always, returned to his usual gentle demeanor and whispered,

“The moment you truly cherish that child, those who despise you might kill him. Killing one small, fragile child is far too easy, don’t you think?”

Vivisian did not respond to the veiled threat, and Haen did not press for an answer. Instead, he approached, ruffling the child’s hair once.

Watching the boy tremble with rage, his breathing still unsteady, Haen let out a soft laugh.

Then, without hesitation, he wiped the blood trickling from a wound on Vivisian’s pale skin before turning to leave.

“Well then, let’s hope we meet again in one piece, my friend.”

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