IPAMB 5

Chapter: 5

After losing Cain, I gave up on looking for a servant and returned to my room.

Now that I’d seen Cain without having undergone purification, the excuse that I would purify him for him wouldn’t work anymore.

But to be honest, there was an even bigger reason.

“Uwaaah! I—I touched it!”

The knight’s reaction—screaming and fleeing as if something filthy had gotten on him.

The moment I saw that, it felt like I’d been struck on the head with a hammer.

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

So that’s why Cain pushed me away.

Only now did I understand.

“…….”

I quietly closed my eyes and opened them again, 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 bring myself to approach Cain recklessly.

The more I do, the more he’ll avoid me.

I took the paper the maid had left me and wrote down what I’d planned to say when I met Cain.

“As compensation, I’d like you to capture the villain organization. I happened to see the future, and… well, that villain organization is…”

Hmm. This is harder than I thought.

Maybe because when I wrote letters to my brother, I only ever wrote cheerful, pleasant things—writing something so pitiful that the reader would feel compelled to help was much more difficult than expected.

…Maybe this is enough.

After struggling with the paper for several hours, I finally managed to produce something that was passable.

Honestly, it was just the least bad of my attempts—I didn’t like it at all.

But I don’t think I can do any better.

I gathered up the paper describing the compensation and left the room to look for the maid.

“Hmm, she’s not here either.”

But there was no sign of her.

I thought about asking the other servants where she was, but—

“I don’t know.”

The servants, who already rarely showed themselves, all ignored me.

It’s not like they look busy, either.

With no other choice, I wandered the mansion alone in search of the maid.

How much time had passed?

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

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

It sounded like a familiar voice…

I strained my ears.

“I seriously screamed without meaning to.”

“That ‘Uwaaah!’ scream? I heard it all the way near the quarters. Everyone laughed about it for ages.”

“Hey, don’t tease me! If it were you, you’d have done the same! Seriously, why did the young master have to show up there of all places?”

A voice full of revulsion.

Ah—I remember now!

It was definitely the voice of the knight who had collided with Cain earlier that day.

But what they’re saying is… unbelievable.

My brows knit together.

Still, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

It was exactly the part of the original story I’d just recalled.

“So how does it feel to run into the ‘harbinger of misfortune’? You’d better brace yourself—something unlucky is bound to happen soon.”

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

Harbinger of misfortune.

That was Cain’s childhood nickname. Whenever Cain appeared, incidents and accidents followed.

And in truth, there had been many.

Assassination attempts, poisoning threats—and even when nothing like that happened, perfectly fine carriages would break down whenever Cain rode in them, and monsters would appear at parties he attended.

Cain knew that, too—and kept his distance from people.

That was why, as a child, Cain rarely even left the duke’s estate.

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

Taking advantage of the fact that the duke and duchess couldn’t pay close attention to matters inside the mansion, the servants gradually began to avoid Cain.

My shoulders drooped.

And I didn’t even think of that…

Remembering the original story and coming this far had been the right thing to do.

But that was all.

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

Cain is a person too, and I only thought about myself.

Right after recalling my brother’s death scene, I’d unconsciously pushed all the other stories in the novel to the back of my mind.

I hadn’t given Cain’s past much thought at all.

I just thought he had a dark past, without really grasping how serious it was.

In the original story, his trauma had already been completely healed.

I’d vaguely assumed that as long as I had information, I could hunt down the villain organization earlier than in the original.

But that was nothing more than an excuse.

No matter how little mental leeway I’d had, I felt utterly pathetic.

From now on, let’s act smarter.

And since I’d resolved myself, there was something I needed to say.

Clutching the paper tightly, I walked toward where the knights’ voices were coming from.

They were chatting as they walked, so they had probably already gone far past the back door—but that didn’t matter.

Just as I was about to step out through the back door—

Step. Step.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Who—ah!

When I turned around, I saw the back of a boy.

It was Cain.

Don’t tell me… he didn’t hear all of that, did he?!

My face drained of color as I ran toward him.

“Young master!”

At my call, Cain stopped.

“Don’t come any closer.”

A cold voice.

“Didn’t you hear what was just said?”

My legs froze in place, as if rooted to the ground.

So Cain had heard it too.

Ah…

My palms grew slick with sweat.

How was I supposed to handle this?

They weren’t my words, but pretending I hadn’t heard anything wasn’t right either.

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

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

What if I just make his trauma worse?

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

“I—I did hear it…!”

I shouted, chasing after Cain as he walked away.

Cain stopped again, and this time he turned around.

“Then why are you coming closer? Being near me only brings misfortune.”

His cold red eyes fixed on me.

“Do you want to see that monster from earlier again?”

Anyone hearing that would think he was the one using dark magic.

He was in danger too, you know.

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

Had he lived like this all along?

“Just say what you want and disappear from here.”

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

Still…

I chose my words carefully and spoke softly.

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

Cain didn’t stop. Still, I continued speaking to his back.

“I think meeting you, young master, was good fortune.”

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

Even if Cain truly were a harbinger of misfortune, I needed him.

Of course, I couldn’t tell him the whole truth, so I ended my words there.

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

“…….”

Cain said nothing.

At some point he had stopped, but he didn’t turn around—he just stood there silently.

Maybe I should stop here.

He’d heard unpleasant things, and if I clung to him any more, he’d probably hate it.

Cain must have realized, at least, that I wasn’t avoiding him. That was enough.

I hid the paper I’d been holding behind my back.

If I give it to him now, he might say I’ve said what I wanted and tell me to leave.

Besides, given the mood, talking about what I wanted felt strange.

I wasn’t that oblivious.

Even if I could be shameless, this was too much.

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

I gave a small bow and turned around.

***

Cain watched Winiel’s retreating figure.

The temple insignia hanging from the girl’s wrist swayed in time with her steps.

Cain frowned.

He was reminded of what had happened the night before last.

That night, Cain couldn’t sleep.

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

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

“I only feel sorry for the duke and duchess. How did their only child end up like this…?”

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

“Gasp, you’re right! But isn’t that even scarier? It means only the people around him get harmed! I can’t go near him!”

Cain knew exactly what the servants thought of him.

But he did nothing.

The day his father collapsed before his eyes, Cain had accepted that he brought misfortune to those around him.

If only I didn’t exist…

That thought, which sometimes crossed his mind, resurfaced.

Cain tightened his grip on the sword at his waist—then loosened it again.

He couldn’t kill himself.

He didn’t want to further tarnish the prestige of House Argent.

He didn’t want to burden his parents any more than he already had.

“……”

But for some reason, his emotions wouldn’t settle that day.

Cain secretly left the duke’s estate and headed toward a nearby forest.

Soon, he stood before a pond—the place he had last visited with his father.

Whenever his heart felt unbearably heavy, he came here.

“…Ha.”

But perhaps because he’d heard that his father’s illness had worsened, his heart only grew heavier instead of lighter.

Every time he closed his eyes, it felt as if his father would pat his shoulder and suggest they spar together.

Cain lowered his head.

Guilt tightened around his throat, making it hard to breathe.

That was when it happened.

Flutter.

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

What is that?

Before he could even think, the paper spontaneously burst into black flames.

Then the air裂裂 split apart, and a monster appeared.

An attack?

Cain wasn’t surprised. It was nothing new.

So now they’re even using dark magic.

That was all he thought.

Sighing, Cain grasped his scabbard.

“……”

But he had no intention of drawing the sword.

…Should I just end it?

The thought crossed his mind impulsively.

Come to think of it, this situation would work.

A monster couldn’t be completely destroyed without holy power.

So if he were later found holding a sword, it would look as though he had fought to the end—not like suicide.

It wouldn’t be an assassination either, so it wouldn’t damage the reputation of House Argent.

Yes. Let’s end it.

Decision made, Cain stared quietly at the monster while holding his scabbard.

The monster writhed, stretching its hand toward the boy.

And just as it was about to touch Cain—

“Uh….”

A girl with dazzling silver hair appeared.