Chapter 8

Cain led Luciella, carrying the tray, toward a room located in a remote corner of the mansion’s second floor.

As they walked down the long corridor, Luciella suddenly stopped.

Even though it was the middle of the day, the atmosphere in the hallway felt gloomy, and very little light reached it.

The old carpet covering the floor was worn and faded in many places, and since servants rarely passed through here, the air was filled only with stale dust and a chilly coldness.

Even the wall-mounted candleholders had long since gone out, making it feel as though they were walking through a haunted house.

It was surprising that such a deathly place could exist within the heart of the Bellaon Ducal Estate, a symbol of the Empire’s prosperity.

“Someone lives… here?”

“Yes.”

Cain answered without slowing his pace.

“The owner of this room is my nephew.”

“…”

“That means he’s the direct grandson of the current Duke.”

Luciella nodded.

She already had a rough idea of who Cain was talking about.

That child was living in a place like this…?

Just as she was about to step into the room, a woman in a white coat opened the door and came out.

“Sir Cain? Your timing is good.”

She spoke in a tired voice, as if struggling to stay awake.

Unlike the other employees in the mansion, who constantly watched Cain’s mood and treated him cautiously, this woman spoke to him in a much more equal and casual manner.

“Aila.”

“Yes?”

“Did you stay up all night again? Isn’t it a problem if a physician can’t even take care of her own health?”

“Haah… I’m dying of sleepiness, so save the lecture for later.”

Despite Cain’s words, the doctor called Aila couldn’t stop yawning.

As she pushed back her messy brown hair, her pale face and dark circles became visible. Her brows were furrowed as though she had countless worries.

She had the kind of face that could be called beautiful, but she looked like someone suffering from chronic exhaustion.

“And him?”

Cain asked.

Aila let out a deep sigh.

“The same as always. He forces himself to take the medicine I give him, but his personality is just as bad. And of course he still won’t listen when I tell him to rest.”

Cain’s gaze moved past her toward the bedroom beyond.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside, and Luciella quietly followed behind him.

The moment she entered the bedroom, a sharp killing intent swept across her body like needles against her skin.

Cain stopped and looked toward one corner of the room.

At the end of his gaze was a boy lying on a bed.

“…Ah.”

Luciella’s eyes widened without realizing it.

The boy, who appeared to be around her age, looked like a beautifully crafted doll.

His translucent silver hair shimmered like jewels in every strand, and his flawless pale skin resembled finely made porcelain.

Beneath it, bright blue eyes as clear as a lake sparkled beautifully.

“Bael. Have you nothing to say to your uncle?”

“…”

Silver hair.

Blue eyes like a frozen lake.

A child who vaguely resembled Cain, though his eyes were larger and far more striking.

This was him.

The reason Cain had gone so far as to find her and bring her here.

The very existence from the game that her mother had pitied so deeply.

“He had incredible potential, but his body was so frail. It was such a waste.”

“Like a flame that went out before it could fully reveal its brilliance.”

“Bael. Are you not even going to answer?”

“Do I have to answer, Uncle?”

The boy smiled crookedly at Cain, his face filled with anger.

“So what useless thing did you bring this time?”

The tragic genius fated to die before reaching adulthood.

The son left behind by the late eldest son of the Bellaon family.

Bael Bellaon.

Her mother had once said that, during her days as a player of the game, every rebellion route kept failing because Bael, who was supposed to play a central role, always ended up dying.

Status Window.

Luciella muttered inwardly.

If he was the person meant to eat the food, she needed to learn everything she could about him.

Pop.

A small translucent window appeared in the air.

[Target: Bael Bellaon]

Preferences: Chocolate, honey, sugar, and other sweet foods and drinks that stimulate the brain.

Dislikes: The aftertaste of medicinal herbs, the smell of raw vegetables, and all bitter flavors.

Unexpectedly, he has a completely childish palate.

Luciella narrowed her eyes.

Unlike her mother, she couldn’t see grand information such as mana levels, character levels, or social status.

Instead, her status window specialized in food preferences and nutritional information.

As she read the detailed information that followed, her brows furrowed.

[Condition: Severe Nutritional Imbalance and Physical Exhaustion]

Deficient Nutrients: Vitamin D (lack of sunlight), essential amino acids and protein (long-term food refusal).

Special Note: Taste sensitivity is abnormally high.

Luciella’s eyes moved quickly.

There was something written in tiny letters at the bottom…

“How rude, Bael.”

“Another girl this time?”

As Bael and Cain continued bickering, Bael’s cold gaze slowly shifted toward her.

The status window vanished with a pop.

His glass-like eyes stared directly at Luciella for several seconds.

“…Is this some kind of beauty trap?”

“What?”

What?

Luciella and Cain both looked at him in disbelief.

“You think I’ll like her because she’s pretty.”

Bael’s lips twisted as he spoke mockingly.

Cain’s eyebrows twitched.

Luciella was equally speechless.

Well… thank you for calling me pretty.

And I happen to agree.

But coming from someone staring at her with such suspicion, it didn’t feel much like a compliment.

“What?”

“You’ve really resorted to this now? Are you that desperate?”

“You idiot.”

Cain’s response made Bael frown.

“She’s a cook. If you eat the food she made, your condition—”

“Oh.”

Only then did Bael seem to notice the bowl of soup in Luciella’s hands.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

“My condition? Or just more fuel to extend my life?”

“…Bael.”

“I don’t need it. Take it away. I don’t want to force down something you brought again, Uncle.”

“Bael.”

“You promised. If I obediently take Aila’s medicine, you wouldn’t force anything else on me. I kept my promise, so take it away.”

“And if I refuse?”

“…”

Bael extended his right hand into the air.

At that moment, the space around him distorted like a heat haze.

Pop.

A magic circle appeared above the back of his pale hand.

It was unlike any magic circle Luciella had ever seen in books.

Complex.

Exquisite.

And vividly silver.

It likely meant the total amount of mana he possessed was overwhelming.

The air instantly became as heavy as stone.

The pressure surrounding Cain in particular sharpened like icy blades aimed directly at him.

“…So you’ve even mastered spatial interference.”

Cain muttered quietly.

Spatial interference…?

Luciella’s eyes widened.

So this was it.

The advanced technique she had read about in books and heard her mother describe.

This was the first time she had ever seen it in person.

A genius can use magic on this level before even becoming an adult…

“Does seeing my legs like this for two years bother you that much?”

Bael’s voice was cold.

“That’s why every few days you drag in another mage, spiritist, apothecary… and now even a cook? You’ve even resorted to a beauty trap?”

“Bael.”

“I drink disgusting medicine. I perform meaningless exercises like a clown.”

His hand glowed again.

The pressure in the room intensified until it became difficult to breathe.

“Can’t you hear me when I say I don’t want it?”

“Bael Bellaon!”

Cain shouted sternly and stepped forward.

At the same time, the silver mark engraved on his neck flashed.

It was even more complex and refined than Bael’s.

Cain’s mana surged outward in waves and forcibly pushed back the spatial interference Bael had established.

“Stop wasting your strength. Don’t you know your body can’t handle that output?”

“Well, if it can’t… maybe I’ll finally die.”

Bael smiled crookedly once more.

The furniture throughout the room began to tremble.

Creeeak—

The sharp grinding noise of disrupted space pierced their ears.

Because of the excessive mana output, tiny blood vessels burst around Bael’s eyes, staining them red.

Even so, he refused to back down.

Crackle.

Blue sparks burst between uncle and nephew.

Watching the two glare at each other, Luciella couldn’t help feeling impressed despite her concern.

…Geniuses really are different.

Cain’s pressure as the Hero of the Subjugation Campaign was overwhelming enough.

But what surprised her even more was Bael.

If his lower body was truly paralyzed, then he had achieved this level of power while unable to use half of his body.

She didn’t know when it had happened.

But one thing was clear.

Even after becoming paralyzed, he had continued training on his own.

In a room this dark.

In endless loneliness and frustration.

Without even knowing exactly why he suffered.

What must it feel like to keep pushing yourself forward under those conditions?

…I understand why Mom said it was such a waste.

This wasn’t merely natural talent.

This was the desperate perseverance of someone who claimed he wanted to die while still struggling with every fiber of his being to survive.

…No.

Luciella steadied her trembling legs and focused.

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

The important thing—

was the soup.