Chapter 3

Seymour Mausoleum (2)

The Dragon Fear incident wrapped up without much fuss.

From the start, it wasn’t the kind of affair that could blow up into anything bigger.

After all, it was the branch family who acted rudely first.

No matter how much older they were within the family, barging into someone else’s bedroom without permission was hardly proper etiquette.

For nobles in this world, who often used multiple rooms, the bedroom was considered the most private of all spaces.

If they try to stir things up again later in public, I can just bring this up and shut them down.

In the end, it was just a small incident.

Besides, I didn’t want people saying Lucis was a nuisance who couldn’t even control his Dragon Fear.

“Lucis. You can’t just use that whenever you want.”

After dismissing the branch family members, I sat Lucis on my lap for a little lecture.

“No can?”

Lucis tilted his head and asked in a lisping voice. The angle of that tilt was so artistically cute that even the faint fear left in me from standing within the edge of Dragon Fear’s influence melted away instantly.

“Right. Humans are fragile, and if they see that too often, they might die.”

The last thing I wanted was for Lucis to be branded a killer—no, worse, a “murder-dragon.”

“But instead, I’ll teach you a spell that’s really good for putting humans in their place.”

“Ooh.”

“Alright, repeat after me.”

I cleared my throat, lowered my voice as much as I could, and intoned:

“Pathetic human.”

“Pathétic hooman.”

“Lowly thing.”

“Lowee ting.”

“Know your place, mongrel.”

“Know your p’ace, mon… gril?”

“Mongrel.”

“Mon-gwel.”

The way he parroted me was so adorable that I stroked his cheek in praise, making him giggle and hunch his shoulders.

“…Just what exactly are you teaching him, young master?”

At some point, the head butler had entered and was now staring at me in disbelief.

“Perfect timing. Alright, Lucis—practice on him.”

Lucis’ eyes sparkled as he turned to the butler and recited proudly:

“Pathétic hooman, lowee ting. Know your p’ace, peanut!”

“Mongrel.”

“Mon-gwel.”

The look on the butler’s face after being verbally skewered by an angelic child was downright tragic.

“…What on earth is that supposed to be?”

“What do you mean? That’s the line that makes humans shrivel up most when they hear it from a dragon.”

“…”

For the record, in the original game, these very words were the trigger line for Seymour’s “Phase Two”—when he absorbed Lucis’ Dragon Heart and half-transformed into a dragon.

The butler looked like he wanted to argue, then just shook his head and got to the point.

“Your meal is ready, sir.”

Come to think of it, I was already feeling hungry.

Holding Lucis in my arms, I headed for the dining hall.

I tried to set him down, but he clung to me tightly, clearly preferring to be carried than to walk himself.

“Noble dining, huh… I’m looking forward to this. Lucis, what kind of food do you like?”

“Food?”

Another tilted head.

“…Lucis, have you never eaten food before?”

“…Mm?”

Of course. He’d been sealed for the past thousand years. For all I knew, he might have been sealed right after being born.

So it’s not just me—Lucis is also about to experience this world’s cuisine for the first time.

Excitement swelled inside me as I quickened my steps.

* * *

The Mausoleum family was rich.

Partly because they were counts—high nobility—but mostly because, for generations, they’d been a corrupt house that amassed wealth through underhanded means.

The county’s land was practically the size of a duchy.

And with those vast lands came plains, forests, and even the sea—making fresh, delicious ingredients easy to come by.

Are there seriously three different steaks just for breakfast?

I counted at least three large cuts of steak from different parts, not to mention fish steak and huge grilled shrimp.

And this is supposed to be the “simplified” meal after a funeral?

It was a jaw-dropping spread. Without holding back, I cut off a hefty piece of steak and popped it into my mouth.

Warm, juicy, tender—flavor bursting across my tongue.

“Mmm…!”

It literally melted in my mouth.

On Earth, a steak of this quality would’ve easily cost hundreds of dollars per serving.

I ate greedily, marveling over and over again.

As expected—you need money to play the part of a villain properly.

And soon, all this money would be mine.

As long as I didn’t squander it on useless things and spent it solely on myself…

Add to that the future knowledge I possessed, and the thought of how many generations could live in luxury off it alone was enough to make me beam inside.

Life as a wealthy bum—best life ever!

While I was gorging myself, I looked up to check how Lucis was doing.

“All prepared, Lord Dragon.”

The butler had just finished cutting Lucis’ steak into tiny cubes suitable for his small mouth.

Lucis, however, just stared blankly at the pile of cube steak on his plate.

“Here, young master, you can use a fork.”

But still, he didn’t move, only gazed at it. He didn’t seem inclined to eat.

Why not?

Dragons are born already partly grown. They can speak with their parents right after hatching and even eat raw meat.

Especially black dragons—they were notorious carnivores. It was said they roasted whole orcs to feed their young.

And in Lucis’ golden eyes, I could clearly see hunger. His pupils were so big, his desire was transparent.

So why isn’t he eating?

I racked my brain for a moment before realizing the reason.

I dragged a chair over beside him and said:

“Alfred. Bring me a new steak.”

“Yes, right away.”

When the fresh, steaming steak arrived, I personally cut it into bite-sized pieces. Exactly as the butler had done.

“…”

Lucis still said nothing, but under the table, his short little legs swung back and forth in anticipation.

It was the same as in the bath earlier—Dragon pride.

A dragon wouldn’t lower themselves to eat food prepared by just anyone.

So small, yet filled to the brim with pride…

I chuckled softly, as though looking at a noble princess.

After cutting everything, I even placed the fork in his tiny hand.

Clumsily holding it backward, he jabbed at the plate a few times, missing, until finally—on the third try—he managed to spear a piece.

“Hmph.”

His face lit up with pride. To him, succeeding on the third attempt was a grand victory.

“Pfft…”

I stifled my laughter as he raised the fork to his mouth and bit down.

His chubby cheeks bulged as he chewed, and then his golden eyes widened.

“Ooh…!”

Brilliance radiated from those eyes.

So delicious, he even cupped his own cheeks with both hands, mouth forming a perfect “O.”

“Waaah…!”

Then he forgot all about his lofty pride and devoured the meat in a frenzy.

Halfway through, he got annoyed with the fork and just grabbed pieces with both hands, shoving them in greedily.

With that white hair, I wondered… but from how much he loves meat, there’s no doubt—black dragon blood runs in him.

I leaned toward the butler and whispered:

“From now on, make sure there’s always steak with Lucis’ meals. Breakfast, lunch, whatever.”

“Yes, I’ll see to it.”

Before long, Lucis finished, tummy bulging, wearing a deeply satisfied smile.

I took out the handkerchief I’d prepared and wiped the grease from his little hands.

“Heehee.”

The sensation tickled him, making his fingers twitch.

“Hold still, or you’ll dirty your clothes.”

After folding the soiled handkerchief, I happened to glance across the table—and locked eyes with my two younger siblings, who had been staring at Lucis and me.

“…Gasp.”

“…”

My younger brother quickly dropped his head, as if terrified. But my younger sister did not.

Right… the first sibling I ran into after possessing Seymour was her.

I recalled their profiles—not that I needed to think hard.

I was the one who designed all the characters connected to the Mausoleum family. But these two? They weren’t included. They only existed in the backstory. By the time of the original game’s events, they were already dead.

In the story, Seymour was a psychopath who, upon becoming count, purged the branch families and even dissected his own adopted daughter as a tool.

It didn’t take much imagination to guess what fate awaited these two in the original.

Simon and Sia, right?

The brother, Simon—22 years old.

He managed one of the businesses inherited from their father and was said to be running it quite well despite his young age.

Resembling Seymour overall, but with drooping eyes, narrow shoulders, and a constant timid air, he looked weak compared to me.

The sister, Sia—17 years old.

She’d inherited the strongest magical talent of the three siblings and had never once lost the top seat at the Imperial Academy.

Most strikingly, she had Seymour’s face—modified for feminine features and bone structure—making her look almost exactly like me.

But because her aura is different, the impression her looks give off is completely different too.

Seymour’s black hair and golden eyes gave him the aura of a black panther. Sia’s, meanwhile, felt like a star shining in the night sky—cold, yet somehow warmly mysterious.

What am I saying?

I was saying she was beautiful.

That her face literally shone.

That this family was filled with absurdly good-looking people.

She must break quite a few hearts at the Academy.

And Simon wasn’t bad-looking either.

Unlike his sharper-looking siblings, though, his drooping eyes gave him more of a soft, “warm” impression than a handsome one.

Seymour Mk.2 and Mk.3, huh?

As the original designer of Seymour, I couldn’t help but feel proud seeing them.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Sia cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um… Seymour oppa.”

She glanced at Simon, who was hunched timidly beside her, then back at me—her face a mix of hesitation, resolve, and a touch of fear.

“…About Uncle.”

A sudden, seemingly random subject at the dinner table.

Which only meant it was a matter of desperate importance to her.

“What about him?”

Uncle—or more precisely, my father’s brother.

From what I recalled, he was the leader of the branch family faction that wanted to strip me of the countship.

Sia swallowed hard before continuing.

“We’ve said it over and over… Simon oppa and I truly have no interest in the title. Whatever he says—that’s his business, not ours.”

So the branch family had a backup plan.

If they couldn’t take the title themselves, they wanted to put someone “easier to control” in place—like my siblings.

I smiled faintly and replied:

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle Uncle myself.”

I already had several ideas in mind.

In any case, if I wanted to seize the family’s power, I’d have to clash with the branch family again.

Jolt.

Hic!

But my siblings’ reactions were strange.

Fear flickered in Sia’s eyes as she looked at me. Simon even hiccupped and spilled his water.

Worse, when Sia met my gaze, she instinctively recoiled—then stretched her arm protectively in front of Simon, as if to shield him from me.

Even though I wasn’t anywhere near close enough to touch.

“…‘Handle’ him?”

Her voice trembled.

“Are you saying… you’ll kill Uncle too?”

“…”

Silence fell heavy over the table.