IAPAB 05

Chapter 5

After losing track of Cain, I gave up searching for the maid and returned to my room.

Now that I had seen Cain not receiving purification treatment, the excuse that I would purify him myself was no longer going to work.

But honestly, there was an even bigger reason.

“AAAAH! I-I touched him!”

The knight had screamed and run away as if something filthy had gotten on him.

The moment I saw that, it felt like I’d been struck by a hammer.

A scene from the original novel suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

So that’s why Cain kept pushing me away.

Now I finally understood.

“…”

I quietly opened and closed my eyes before making up my mind.

Then for now, it’s better to just do what Cain wants and write it down on paper.

Now that I knew the reason, I couldn’t recklessly approach him anymore.

The more I tried to get close, the more he’d avoid me.

I took the paper the maid had left behind and began writing down everything I had intended to say to Cain in person.

“I’d like you to capture the villain organization as repayment. I happened to see the future, and… well, about that villain organization…”

Hmm, this was harder than expected.

Whenever I wrote letters to my brother, I only filled them with cheerful and pleasant stories. Writing something pitiful enough to make someone feel compelled to help me was surprisingly difficult.

…Maybe this is enough.

Only after wrestling with the paper for several hours did I manage to produce something halfway decent.

Honestly, even the best version among them didn’t satisfy me at all.

But I don’t think I can write it any better.

Taking the paper with my request written on it, I left the room to find the maid.

“Hm, she’s not here either.”

But the maid was nowhere to be seen.

I even tried asking the servants where she was.

“I don’t know.”

The servants—who were already strangely scarce—uniformly refused to properly answer me.

It’s not like they even look busy.

Left with no choice, I wandered through the mansion alone searching for the maid.

How much time had passed?

“Just thinking about what happened earlier still gives me cold sweats.”

As I passed near the back door, I heard someone talking.

That voice sounded familiar…

I stopped and listened closely.

“I seriously screamed without even realizing it.”

“You mean that ‘AAAAH!’? We could hear it all the way near the servants’ quarters. Everyone laughed for ages because of it.”

“Quit teasing me! You would’ve reacted the same way! Ugh, why did the young master have to appear there of all places…”

The disgusted voice made me pause.

Ah, I remember now!

It was definitely the knight who had bumped into Cain earlier.

But what they’re saying is… unbelievable.

My brows furrowed on their own.

Still, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Because it was part of the original story I had just remembered.

“So, what’s it like bumping into the ‘Harbinger of Misfortune’? Better brace yourself—something unlucky’s bound to happen soon.”

“Shut up. I’m already irritated enough.”

Harbinger of Misfortune.

That had been Cain’s nickname as a child. Because whenever Cain appeared, accidents and incidents followed.

And to be fair, incidents really had happened often.

There had been assassination attempts and poisoning threats. Carriages that worked perfectly fine would suddenly break down the moment Cain rode in them, causing accidents. Even monsters supposedly appeared at parties Cain attended.

Cain knew that too, which was why he distanced himself from others.

That was why Cain rarely left the ducal estate during his childhood.

But even within the estate, he wasn’t exactly welcomed.

While the Duke and Duchess were too preoccupied to pay attention to the estate, the servants had gradually started avoiding Cain.

My shoulders drooped gloomily.

And I didn’t even think about any of that…

Remembering the original novel and coming here had definitely been the right thing to do.

But that was all.

I had only been thinking about asking Cain—the “protagonist” of the novel—for help.

Cain’s a person too, but I only thought about myself.

After witnessing my brother’s death scene, I had unconsciously pushed aside everything else from the story.

Especially Cain’s past.

I only thought he had a dark past. I didn’t truly realize how serious it was.

In the original novel, his trauma had already healed by then.

I had vaguely assumed that if I just provided information, he’d be able to destroy the villain organization earlier than in the original story.

But that was merely an excuse.

No matter how little mental room I’d had, I still felt pathetic.

From now on, I need to act smarter.

And while I was at it, I should say something too.

Clutching the paper tightly, I walked toward where the knights’ voices had come from.

Since they’d been talking while walking, they had probably already gone far outside through the back door—but I didn’t care.

Just as I was about to step outside myself—

Step, step.

I heard footsteps behind me.

Who… ah!

Turning around, I saw the back of a boy.

It was Cain.

Don’t tell me… he heard all of that!?

My face turned pale as I ran toward him.

“Young Master!”

At my call, Cain stopped.

“Don’t come any closer.”

His voice was cold.

“Didn’t you hear what they just said?”

My legs froze in place.

So Cain had heard it too.

Ah…

Sweat dampened my palms.

How was I supposed to fix this?

I hadn’t said those things myself, but I couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened.

I don’t want him to think I’m avoiding him too.

I didn’t want to distance myself from Cain. And I didn’t want to hurt him either.

What if I make his trauma even worse?

For many reasons, I couldn’t back down here.

“I did hear them, but…!”

I shouted as I chased after Cain.

This time, Cain stopped again and turned around.

“Then why are you still coming closer? Bad things happen around me.”

His icy red eyes stared at me.

“Do you want to see another monster like the one from before?”

Someone hearing him would think he personally practiced dark magic.

Even though he was in danger too.

I didn’t like how Cain blamed even that on himself.

Had he been living like this all along?

“Just tell me what you want already and disappear from this place.”

If that was the case, then no matter what I said, it probably wouldn’t comfort him much.

Still…

Carefully choosing my words, I spoke softly.

“I-I don’t know what kind of misfortune you’re talking about, but…”

Cain resumed walking. But I continued speaking to his back.

“I consider meeting you to be a stroke of luck, Young Master.”

Cain’s the only person I can ask for help right now.

Even if Cain truly was someone who brought misfortune, I still needed him.

Of course, I couldn’t tell him the actual reason, so I left it at that.

Even if it sounded fake because I didn’t explain myself, there was nothing I could do.

“…”

Cain said nothing.

At some point he had stopped walking, but he neither turned around nor moved.

Hmm, maybe I should go now.

After hearing such awful things, he’d probably hate it if I clung to him any longer.

At least Cain now knew I wasn’t avoiding him, so my goal had been achieved.

I hid the paper in my hand behind my back.

If I hand it over now, he might just say, ‘You told me your wish, so we’re done,’ and throw me out.

Besides, asking for something in this atmosphere would just feel strange.

I had enough tact to know that.

Even with shameless confidence, I couldn’t do it.

“Um, then I’ll be going now. Please get some rest.”

I bowed politely and turned away.

Cain watched Winiel’s retreating figure.

The temple emblem hanging from her wrist swayed with each step she took.

Cain frowned.

The events of the night before last resurfaced in his mind.

That night.

Cain couldn’t fall asleep.

Earlier that day, he had heard that his father’s illness had worsened.

“They say he brings misfortune, and now he’s brought death too?”

“I only feel bad for the Duke and his spouse. How did their only child end up like this…?”

“But you know what? Even when others get hurt, the young master himself is always fine.”

“Oh my god, you’re right! But isn’t that even scarier? It means only the people around him get hurt! I could never go near him!”

Cain knew how the servants viewed him.

But he never did anything about it.

Because the day his father collapsed right before his eyes, Cain himself had accepted the idea that he brought misfortune upon others.

If only I hadn’t existed…

The familiar thought surfaced again.

Cain gripped the sheath hanging at his waist.

But soon let go.

He couldn’t take his own life.

He didn’t want to tarnish the Argent family’s prestige any further.

He didn’t want to burden his parents until the very end.

“…”

But for some reason, his emotions refused to settle tonight.

Sneaking out of the estate alone, Cain headed toward the nearby forest.

He stopped in front of the pond he had last visited with his father.

Whenever his heart became unbearably heavy, he came here.

…Ha.

But perhaps because of the news about his father’s worsening condition, his heart only felt heavier instead of lighter.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine his father patting his shoulder and asking for a sparring match.

Cain lowered his head.

Guilt wrapped around his throat, suffocating him.

Then—

Flutter.

A sheet of paper fell from the tree beside the pond.

What?

Before he could even think, the paper suddenly burst into black flames on its own.

Then the air split apart, and a monster emerged.

An attack, huh.

Cain wasn’t surprised.

It was something he had grown used to.

So now they’re even using dark magic.

That was the extent of his reaction.

With a sigh, Cain grabbed his sword sheath.

“…”

But he made no move to draw the blade.

…Maybe I should just end it.

The thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Come to think of it, this situation was perfect.

Monsters couldn’t be fully killed without divine power.

So if his body were later discovered with a sword in hand, it would simply look like he had fought bravely until the end—not like suicide.

And since he wouldn’t have been killed by an assassin, it wouldn’t damage the Argent family’s reputation either.

Yeah. Let’s end this.

Having made his decision, Cain quietly stared at the monster while still holding his sheathed sword.

The monster writhed as it stretched its hand toward the boy.

And just as it was about to touch Cain—

“Huh…?”

A girl with dazzling silver hair appeared.