Chapter 195

My calves stung from being hit by Mother’s cane. But as always, I didn’t show it. Mother and Father were busy people, and I didn’t want to bother them with my trivial problems. Once, when I broke a glass cup and cut my finger, I ran to Mother in pain.

“Ouch… huff…”

Mother was re-bandaging a wound she got from the battlefield. She said the old frostbite injury had worsened due to additional damage, making the wound severe. I felt ashamed for trying to act spoiled over a mere cut on my finger. So, even when I was in pain or sick, I never showed it. I specially asked Ares to keep quiet unless it was something serious, as I didn’t want to cause worry.

Even on days when my fever spiked over 40 degrees, I calmly acted normal and saw my parents off. Lady Airi seemed to notice, but I begged her to keep it a secret, and she agreed.

Since I got scolded yesterday for sneaking out, I decided to stay quietly at home today. Honestly, I hated being cooped up. Though there was warm, delicious food, a cozy bed, and servants to handle chores, it didn’t feel comfortable. I much preferred hanging out with those fools in the slums. The concepts of nobility and power disgusted me, and just hearing about them made me feel like breaking out in hives.

Especially reading books in the study like this was even more unbearable.

“You got a week of house arrest for sneaking out to the slums, right?”

Lady Airi teased me while managing the accounts in the study. I had permission to play with my friends, but since I didn’t get proper approval, I was punished with a week of confinement.

“Lady Airi.”

“Haha, what is it?”

“The third column in that ledger seems to have a miscalculation. It looks like a minor error, so please double-check it.”

“Eh, no way… Oh, you’re right. There’s a mistake here. How did you know?”

“I’ve watched you manage the ledger before.”

Just then, our maid brought in tea. Honestly, I didn’t understand the appeal of tea or coffee, so I wasn’t particularly fond of it.

“Young Master, this might taste a bit bitter to you, so here’s some sugar…”

The maid, carrying the hot tea, tripped on the carpet and stumbled. If left alone, someone could’ve gotten seriously burned. I caught the teapot mid-fall, poured the spilled tea back in, grabbed the tray and sugar bowl with my left hand, and used my left foot to stop the maid from falling by pressing against her stomach.

“I’m so sorry! Because of me, Young Master…!”

“…Aila could’ve gotten hurt. I’ll let this slide, but make sure it doesn’t happen again. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine…”

I just acted to prevent Aila from getting hurt. Father had told me to protect my siblings, and that was my purpose. My younger siblings received more attention from Father and Mother than I did. Maybe because they were younger or often sick, I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to cling to them for affection. Both Father and Mother were busy people.

Besides, since Mother and Father were busy, it was only natural for me to protect my siblings. I firmly believed that if I did my job well, they would eventually notice me.

Lady Airi seemed surprised and suddenly stood up.

“Damian, that move just now…”

“It’s Father’s martial arts. Jujutsu, I think? I saw him use it once.”

I thought it was natural to be able to mimic anything after seeing it once. Whether it was the magic Mother, Lady Airi, or Father used, Father’s martial arts, Lady Glacia or Lady Camellia’s swordsmanship, or Sir Ricardo’s spear techniques—I could understand the principles just by watching once.

“Well, I’ve got my books, so I’ll head back to my room.”

Only after leaving the study did I realize I had blisters on my fingers from grabbing the hot teapot.

“Ah…”

I brushed it off, thinking such a minor injury was nothing compared to the wounds Mother and Father bore.

When I returned to my room, Mother was sitting on my bed. Today was her day off, so I was surprised she came to my room instead of spending time with Father.

“That surprised look. Is it really that shocking for your mom to visit your room?”

“It’s not a common occurrence.”

“…Are you still sulking about yesterday’s scolding?”

“I was in the wrong, so there’s no reason to be upset with you.”

“…I scolded you yesterday not for going to the slums but for sneaking out. That’s a form of lying. Damian, there’s no one worse than a liar in this world.”

“Yes.”

In Mother’s presence, I put down my book and straightened my clothes. I couldn’t look disheveled in front of her.

“You’ve always been mature, never complaining or crying. We thought you’d be fine, so we neglected you too much. That’s why you grew up too fast. That’s probably why you sneak out—you’re frustrated.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, we should be the ones apologizing… Sigh… I don’t even know where to start.”

“I’m fine. I’ve never been uncomfortable, and I don’t want to burden you. If you’re worried about yesterday, I’m sorry. But there’s no need to worry. I’m really fine. Besides, you’ll have to return to the battlefield soon. I don’t want to be a source of concern.”

Mother covered her face and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Ah, this guilt is no joke… This makes me look like a completely indifferent mom…”

“…?”

“…I came to tell you in advance. After this battle, I’m retiring. I’ve been injured too much, and I’ll do my best in this fight to fulfill my duty and then retire.”

I was stunned into silence. The situation was dire, with the serpent monster Urboros wreaking havoc across the continent. Mother, Father, and others were fighting desperately, but it was like putting out a fire with a cup of water.

With manpower already scarce, losing someone like Mother was unthinkable.

“My injuries are severe. If I can’t retire, I’ll at least take a long break.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“If I retire, I want to pay more attention to you. Teach you proper magic, cook your favorite foods, go on walks together…”

“…Then, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Could you return by my birthday?”

“I’ll make sure of it. I’ll promise you that your father will return with me too.”

Mother said this while patting my head. For a moment, my frozen heart softened slightly.

“You were supposed to grow up spoiled and throwing tantrums… When I return, let’s do that to your heart’s content, okay?”

“I’ll think about it.”

I saw Mother and Father off as they left. I calmed my crying siblings who were looking for Mother and politely bid them farewell.

“Mother, please return safely. Father, I hope you return unharmed as well.”

Father smiled and patted my head like Mother did.

“Right, I heard from Lorcha. I feel nothing but sorry for you. I’ll definitely return before your birthday, so don’t go forming any weird spider-tattooed brigades or anything… okay?”

“Yes, understood.”

“…As Lorcha said, this guilt is no joke. To think you’ve already matured so much at this age… When Lorcha and I return, let’s drop that maturity a bit.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

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“So, what do you plan to do when your parents return?”

Neil, who was playing cards with me, asked as he laid down his cards.

“I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve never really thought about wanting to do anything with them. Honestly, they don’t need to worry about someone like me.”

Then, Neil’s fist landed on my head.

“Damian, time with family is precious. Always think about how to make it meaningful. Besides, saying that in front of us, who don’t have parents, is just rubbing it in.”

The other kids around us burst out laughing.

“Don’t laugh, you jerks…”

Then, they all started patting my head.

“Look at you, saying that but making such an expectant face. It’s adorable.”

“Right. It’s like watching a puppy pretending not to want food while drooling.”

“No matter how strong you are, you’re still a kid…”

“I’ll kill all of you…”

While we were having this pointless conversation, Ares, the butler, burst into our hideout. For a moment, I thought Father and Mother had returned, and my heart swelled with anticipation. But seeing Ares’ expression, I immediately knew that wasn’t the case.

Did they get seriously hurt because of me? My heart sank. But what Ares said next was even more shocking.

“Young Master! The Lord and Lady…!”

I received the news of my parents’ deaths the day before my eighth birthday.

I was too young to handle that news…