* * *
Why is Raizen appearing at this moment?
The urge to ask was overwhelming, but I swallowed it down.
Noah didn’t like pointless questions.
Instead of running my mouth and earning a scolding, it was a hundred times better to just do as I was told.
I nodded and reached out again.
As I closed my eyes and focused my strength, I thought of Raizen.
‘Raizen.’
A man who resembled my brother but was entirely different in personality.
The future villain and a terrifying guy who could destroy me at any moment.
‘A guy I must somehow impress…!!’
At that moment, the power seeping from my palm, which had been scattering instantly, began to move toward the glass orb.
‘What the—! Amazing!’
But only briefly.
As soon as my thoughts wandered, the power dispersed again.
“Urgh!”
[Focus till the end.]
[Y-yes, understood.]
I concentrated once more, thinking of Raizen, and channeled my energy.
As I focused, I could feel the power extending steadily from my palm.
‘…Huh? Did I imagine that?’
It seemed like there was a faint blue glow.
[Focus.]
Focus…!
“Whew.”
I gathered the concentration that was about to slip away.
‘Raizen, Raizen….’
When I thought of that guy—beautiful only in face, with no other redeeming qualities—a faint blue light began to appear again.
The light, as if answering my wishes, touched the glass orb.
The transparent orb started to fill gradually with the faint blue light.
‘Good. Let’s fill it to the brim while I’m at it!’
I released slightly more power than usual into the orb.
Once I got the hang of it, it wasn’t difficult.
Before I knew it, the glass orb was halfway filled with blue light.
‘To the end…!’
At that moment, a sharp pain gripped my chest, and I felt as if all the blood in my body was flowing backward.
[Stop!!]
“…Hah, hah…!”
I was utterly drained of strength, and sweat dripped from my forehead.
Not just my palm, but my entire body was soaked in cold sweat.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground.
“Hah… hah….”
‘I can’t catch my breath.’
A metallic taste filled my mouth.
The bitter tang every time I swallowed made me feel nauseous.
‘What went wrong? It wasn’t like this when I prepared Raizen’s birthday gift.’
I knew overexerting power could cause a backlash, but…
‘I didn’t even fill it that much.’
I had barely filled half of the glass orb.
Just half.
What was this sense of injustice?
Forcing strength into my trembling legs, I stood up.
‘I’ll try again.’
As I reached for the orb, a new message window popped up.
[No.]
‘I can do it.’
[You seem to be misunderstanding something. The goal of this training isn’t to fill that orb to the brim. It’s to help you use your power effectively.]
‘Isn’t that the same thing?’
I hadn’t expected Noah to refuse.
‘[First, look at the results.]’
‘Results?’
Confused, I looked around and spotted the glass orb.
“Oh…”
It was only halfway filled, yet the bright blue light shining from it drew me in.
As I stepped closer, I noticed a silver shimmer within the blue, like stardust.
‘It looks like the Milky Way.’
I’d never seen such a clear and vivid blue light before.
To think this was really my power.
[Try holding it.]
‘I can touch it?’
[Who else would?]
‘Couldn’t you just say “yes”?’
As always, his personality wasn’t what you’d call gentle.
I nodded and slowly extended my hand.
The orb, which had been floating steadily in the air, settled easily into my palm.
‘It’s warm.’
A gentle warmth spread through my hand—not too hot, not too faint, just right.
‘This is… my power?’
It was hard to believe that this light had come from within me.
As I marveled, touching it here and there, a message window appeared.
[Hand it over now.]
‘What? You’re taking it?’
Instinctively, I clutched the orb tightly.
But nothing happened, and the warmth in my hand vanished.
Alarmed, I opened my palm, but it was empty—gone as if it had never existed.
“…”
I felt hollow, as if something had been torn from me.
‘It was just half-filled, but it was something I’d properly achieved after so long.’
The first thought that came to mind made me laugh bitterly.
Was it because I’d been placed in a child’s body?
Or because everyone around me treated me like a child?
I couldn’t believe I’d had such childish thoughts.
I raised my right hand and slapped my cheek.
Slap!
The sting and sound of flesh meeting flesh brought me back to reality.
The pain was sharp and almost nostalgic, as if shaking me awake from a daze.
“Whew.”
Finally, I felt more grounded.
[What are you doing?]
[Just trying to get my head straight.]
No reply came to my answer.
Not that I expected one.
I checked the time—it was almost dinner.
‘It’s nearly dinner. Mila will come soon. Can we stop here for today?’
This time, I expected an immediate response, but none came.
Just as I was about to call out to Noah again, I felt a hand ruffle my hair.
Startled, I turned around, but no one was there.
[You did well today.]
[The orb is being taken for research on your power. I’ll return it when I’m done.]
[Go have your meal now.]
I stared at the three messages on the screen for a long time.
Arthur Sotes silently stared at the glass orb in his hand.
Inside, faint black smoke swirled.
A knock at the door broke the silence.
Only one person would visit his room at this hour.
Arthur rose without hesitation and opened the door.
“You’re here?”
“Yes.”
The man who stepped in was Duke Pantheon.
His jet-black hair evoked the night, and his crimson eyes were so vivid they could be chilling.
Claude Retum Pantheon.
When Arthur first heard his full name, he’d been internally horrified.
What kind of parents gave their son the middle name of the god of death?
Truly, it was fitting for the merciless Pantheon family.
At first, his instinctive fear of Claude was overwhelming.
But now, he understood.
That black hair and red eyes were a symbol of death to their enemies, but to those within his protection, they were a source of pride and security.
Arthur waited until the duke took the seat of honor before sitting himself.
Claude frowned slightly.
“You don’t need to be so formal.”
“As I’ve said before, it’s a small joy of mine. Don’t take it from me.”
Arthur replied with feigned nonchalance.
He knew Claude disliked unnecessary formality, but today was different.
Given the gravity of the matter, it couldn’t be discussed in the duke’s office under watchful eyes and ears.
Still, having Claude come to his room left Arthur feeling uneasy.
Claude sighed softly, shaking his head.
“You’re becoming less cooperative by the day.”
“Hahaha!”
It sounded like something an elderly woman with three grown children might say.
Arthur covered his mouth, stifling a laugh.
The Duke of Pantheon glanced at Arthur and let out a faint chuckle, as if to say he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“So… what do you think of our second son’s lessons?”
The atmosphere between them grew heavy in an instant.
Arthur quickly erased his smile, returning to his usual serious demeanor as he swiftly organized his thoughts.
His lips parted slowly.
“Well… he is astute.”
“Astute?”
“Yes. As Vincent, the attending physician, mentioned, the brief period of regressive behavior was undoubtedly due to the trauma from the accident. His comprehension, ability to learn, and memory are all clearly superior to those of his peers. However…”
Arthur trailed off before continuing.
“This is purely my impression, not something I can definitively prove.”
The Duke of Pantheon nodded, gesturing for him to go on.
“Your second son… occasionally pretends not to understand things he actually comprehends.”
The Duke raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“I cannot claim to have extensive experience, but thanks to your grace in allowing me to study teaching methods and instruct various children, I’ve developed a bit of an eye for these things, even as someone who tends to overlook people.”
“…There are times when the eyes convey the truth better than words.”
“Exactly.”
Over the past few days of lessons, Arthur had observed Sean closely.
“At first, I thought I was imagining it. After all, there are children whose bright eyes make it seem like they understand the material, even when they don’t. But… hmm, how should I put this?”
Whenever Arthur finished his explanations and asked, “Do you understand?” he would be met with Sean’s piercing blue eyes, as if the boy had grasped everything perfectly.
Yet, Sean would often claim he didn’t understand.
The peculiar part was the fleeting moment before he spoke—Sean would appear to deliberate, as though weighing something in his mind.
“To be honest, it’s usually not difficult to tell whether someone has understood or not. When people hear something they can’t grasp, they naturally start thinking about other things. But when I ask the second young master, there’s always a brief silence. To me, it feels like he’s deliberating—‘Should I pretend not to know this or not?’”
* * *
Arthur’s perceptiveness is scary!!! 😳
It’s kinda sad how the mc keeps hitting himself
Para este punto que ya pa que el disfraz 😔😂