During the time when Yukino clashed with Aurelia, Sana, and Rina.
As soon as my mother carried me out of the room, her expression showed both panic and exhaustion. She did not understand what was happening—three of her personal guards were in her chamber with drawn swords, and her maid had suddenly told her to run. That alone was enough to fuel her panic. As for her exhaustion, it came from the constant effect of Sloth's Authority, which I continued to exert upon her, leaving her expression weary and her movements sluggish.
I had already resolved to go all out in this situation. There is a saying: opportunity only knocks once. If I failed here, I suspected the light‑blue‑haired maid—the one who had just saved me from being killed, though I had wished for that outcome—would be far more cautious in the future. What I had not expected was that she possessed a formed aura. When she hurled that dagger to deflect the guard's sword, it had been coated in a formed aura, shimmering with an ice‑like aura, pale blue in colour. Just who is that maid? Quite interesting indeed.
As my mother, who was carrying me, moved sluggishly through the building, we heard footsteps behind us—hurried and urgent. The moment she realised, she had no choice but to force herself to quicken her pace.
I could tell it was the girl with rich golden hair and amber‑like eyes chasing after us. Though she always tried to conceal it whenever she crossed paths with my mother, being carried in my mother's arms allowed me to sense her determination clearly. That determination led me to one suspicion: what had this body's father done, or promised her, to drive a mere girl—one who had not even manifested her formed aura—to risk everything? If this operation were to fail, she would lose her position and perhaps more. From what I could deduce, he must have promised her some great reward and assured her that her life would remain untouched even if she succeeded.
Just as I had those thoughts, a voice in my mind interrupted me.
"My lord, I am unable to maintain the Sloth Authority for a few minutes more," said Sloth in my mind.
What do you mean by that? You should be able to maintain it for ages. I thought to myself.
"Well, if you were in your original body, I could probably do that. But the body you now inhabit is weak — and not only that, your mind is frail as well. Have you even noticed? Your nose has been bleeding ever since we left the room, carried by the woman," Sloth said in my mind.
Huh, what do you mean? As the thought crossed my mind, I realised a warm liquid was flowing from my nose, and a dizzy haze pressed against me as though I might faint.
"My Lord, I am also unable to maintain the Wraith Authority," Wraith said in mind as well.
After hearing what Wraith said in my mind, I began to think of a plan. If I put all my strength into maintaining both Wraith and Sloth, the guard might kill me — which is what I want — but if I faint before that happens, my mother, who is still running, could escape… or fail to escape. It's a risky choice, but still worth considering.
I also have to remember that my mother's maid has a formed aura strong enough to fight the three guards we faced earlier. So I cannot ignore my mother's own strength either. This world does not only have mana and aura; it also holds many other kinds of energy. Who knows? My mother may already have a formed aura, or she could be a strong mage or even a paladin able to use holy power. I doubt it, but I cannot rule it out.
After thinking it through, I finally decided what I should do.
Wraith, you may stop maintaining the Wraith Authority. Considering our distance, there is no point in keeping it active. The guard has already crossed the line of no return — she will kill me with or without the Wraith Authority.
Sloth, since Wraith will withdraw, you should be able to endure much longer. Focus your authority on my mother. Slowing her movements will give the guard the chance to catch up to us.
"Alri…ght…" Sloth said lazily in my mind.
"Alright," Wraith said in my mind, his voice sounding fierce now.
As soon as Wraith stopped maintaining his authority, the dizziness clouding my mind eased slightly. Only then did I understand what Sloth had meant—this body's mind is too immature. That must be why, when the maid came to save me, my plan failed.
The Authorities of Sin I once wielded in my original life—powers I knew to be almighty—now work far less effectively in this body. Their range is smaller, their influence weaker. That explains how the maid managed to save me. Once I was far enough away and the effects of Sloth's Authority on her had faded, she must have realised something was wrong. Her expression when she urged my mother to escape with me from the room makes sense now.
Thinking back, I recall that when I first gained the Sins' Authority, it always left me drained mentally. After using it so many times, I got used to the burden and forgot about it, which is why my mind in my original life was quite strong.
My mother, clutching me tightly in her arms, continued to run, her movements faltering and unsteady.
When Aurelia, the guard woman, came into sight behind my mother, the sound of her footsteps grew closer. My mother panicked and turned her head. The moment she saw Aurelia, her fear for my safety overwhelmed her. Because she wasn't watching her steps, she suddenly tripped. As she fell, she clutched me tightly, as though protecting a treasure more precious than her own life.
Struggling, my mother tried to rise again, but the attempt ended quickly. Pain shot through her as she realised she had twisted her ankle.
I knew it was a bastard way of putting it, but what an unfortunate fate, I thought to myself.
"My lord, you are truly despicable," Wraith said in my mind.
"Agreed. Don't you have any pride? You should try to comment a little nicer than that. Not even we are that low," Pride said in my mind.
"My lord, if you were in that position, I doubt you would want someone to speak of you like this," Envy said in my mind.
The other devils remained silent while Wraith, Pride, and Envy all ganged up on me, literally commenting on my thoughts.
They reminded me of when I was very, very young, scrolling through my phone. Whenever I checked the comments, people would gang up on the one who had commented badly.
Realising how crude I had sounded, I apologised silently within my thoughts.
Mother, I am sorry. While you risked everything to protect me, I repaid you with cruel thoughts. Please forgive your son, who may not live much longer.
Aurelia stepped closer to my mother and calmly tried to separate us. The moment she reached out, my mother tightened her hold on me, refusing to let go. She curled around me in a tortoise‑like embrace, as if I were the fragile body within the shell and she the shell itself.
Seeing this, Aurelia knew she could not turn back. She exerted her strength, prying at my mother's arm to pull me free. Feeling Aurelia's power, my mother had no choice but to draw mana into her body, reinforcing herself to resist.
But Aurelia only pressed harder. My mother's arm, though strengthened with mana, was slowly forced away. Desperate, she shouted with all her might and clutched me even tighter with her other arm, unwilling to give up on me.
"Why! Why are you doing this? Is it too much to ask just to live with my son for the rest of my life? Why… why are you doing this to me? No—why are you trying to kill my son, who has not even lived a proper life? He is not even one year old yet! Please, spare him! I cannot bear for him to be taken away from me… please!" my mother begged, shouting with all her voice.
"I am sorry… But I was ordered by the Lord to kill him. I will not ask you to forgive me for what I am about to do, because I have no choice. If not for my circumstances, I would never have done this. But I too have someone who is suffering, and this opportunity is my only choice to help them… so I apologise."
Aurelia's voice was weak as she finally managed to separate me from my mother.
"By the Lord? … You don't mean Caedros ordered you to kill him… Aurelia, please, I am begging you. He is just a child. The reason Caedros gave that order is because he was born with a terrible affinity, and though it is not widely known, his body is also weak and frail.
I know it is selfish of me to ask, but please… spare him. I want him to see the world. I want to see him grow into a bright future. Please, Aurelia, I am begging you. Please spare this child of mine… He has done nothing wrong."
My mother cried out, her voice breaking as Aurelia tore me from her arms.
Aurelia did not answer my mother's cries. Realising Aurelia intended to kill her child, my mother tried to crawl forward, her ankle throbbing too badly for her to stand. She gathered what mana she could, aiming to strike at Aurelia's feet. But Aurelia, seeing her intent, calmly stepped back out of reach.
My mother, watching Aurelia retreat, dragged herself across the floor despite the pain burning in her injured ankle. She could not allow the child she had sworn before the gods and goddesses to raise to die like this.
While my mother dragged herself toward Aurelia, I looked up at Aurelia with what must have been the cutest smile in the world… or at least, the cutest smile this body could manage. I knew it couldn't compare to the truly radiant smiles out there — after all, I had long forgotten how to smile properly.
So, in the end, I simply gave up and forced the brightest smile I could muster… or at least the closest thing I thought might pass for one.
Finally, Death. When I return to my body, I think I will—no… as soon as I return, I'll be buried in work again. It's a price I'm willing to accept. Still, I know those strange voices will be waiting for me.
Aurelia saw my smile, and for a moment her determination wavered. Somehow, all she felt from it was sadness. That made no sense — the baby was smiling happily, yet the emotion it carried was sorrow.
She froze for a few seconds, caught in that contradiction, before snapping herself back to her senses. Tightening her grip on the sword, she reminded herself that she had no choice. If she faltered now, the efforts of her friends — and the goal she had staked her life on — would crumble, dragging them all down with her.
Aurelia raised her sword and positioned the blade at my head. Once she had her aim set, a formless aura — colourless and transparent — gathered around the weapon, ready to pierce through my skull without resistance.
Seeing the aura shimmer into being, I tried to smile. It was the closest smile I could think of from my original life. I had not smiled much back then, so this was the best I could mimic.
That smile made Aurelia's heart tighten. What she was about to do would scar her for the rest of her life. To kill a mother's child — and worse, to see that very child smile at her in the moment before death — was a memory that would never leave her. She knew it would haunt her forever, even as she prepared to drive the blade forward.
Just as Aurelia was about to thrust her blade into my head and pierce my skull, the light blue‑haired maid suddenly appeared and threw a dagger covered in her ice‑like aura straight toward Aurelia's head. Startled, Aurelia dropped me to the ground.
I hit the floor hard — ouch, I thought to myself.
Aurelia, who had dropped me, quickly swung her formless aura sword up to block the ice‑like aura dagger flying toward her head. She managed to intercept it, but the difference was obvious: a formed aura carried more weight than a formless one — especially when wielded by someone with honed skill against another still struggling to sharpen their abilities.
The impact of the dagger's power made Aurelia's sword bounce from her hand, clattering across the floor. She wanted to turn and retrieve it, but before she could move, Yukino had already leapt in front of her. With blinding speed, Yukino drove a kick into Aurelia's stomach, forcing a sharp gasp from her lips as she was hurled against the wall. The wall itself held firm, but Aurelia's body did not — she crumpled to the ground, weakened by the blow.
Struggling to rise, Aurelia had only just lifted herself before Yukino darted forward, pinning her to the ground and holding her beneath her weight.
As Aurelia lay pinned beneath her, Yukino drew her daggers, each coated in her ice‑like aura, and positioned them close to Aurelia's neck.
Aurelia could do nothing but remain pinned in a threatened position, unable to move beneath Yukino's weight, her body wracked with pain.
"Why are you aiming for Young Master Ragnar's life? Explain," Yukino demanded in an angry tone, her grip on the dagger firm as she held it near Aurelia's neck. She gave Aurelia no chance to escape — not that Aurelia had any desire to. Pinned beneath Yukino's weight, Aurelia simply surrendered, accepting that it was already over for her.
"She was ordered by Caedros to kill him," my mother answered Yukino. She had already heard the truth earlier, and now her voice carried nothing but pain and exhaustion.
Yukino was surprised, yet she understood why. She had been in the room during the Element Affinity Test, after all — she had seen the moment when the crystal orb revealed my affinity to be almost nothing.
The room fell into silence. My mother and the maid both turned their eyes toward Aurelia, waiting for answers. It was almost touching, how everyone wanted an explanation — yet here I was, the child still lying on the floor, writhing in pain.
Well, to be fair, I was already healed thanks to Sloth's authority. Speaking of which, Sloth had withdrawn his authority the moment my mother tripped. There was no point in maintaining it any longer, and besides, I was already close to my mental limits.
"The Lord promised that Rina, Sana, and I would be… promoted to knights. He also promised… that we would be rewarded… handsomely as well," Aurelia confessed, her voice calm but weak as she revealed the truth. She opened her mouth to continue, but before she could speak another word, Yukino cut her off.
"You would even kill the young master just for these petty rewards… You are a disgrace!" Yukino said in frustration, her voice edged with fury. My mother did not react; she only listened in silence, her expression weary and tired.
"What could I do… If it had only been about these rewards… I would have ignored it. I would never have involved my friends… and I myself would never have accepted… such a mission—" Aurelia cried weakly, her voice trembling as she laid bare the truth of what she had felt when she first received the offer.
"Then why did you do it!" Yukino shouted, her voice rising with anger.
"IT IS BECAUSE MY MOTHER IS SICK WITH AURA DEGENERATION! The Lord promised that if I killed Young Master Ragnar, he would send the finest doctor to save her… I had no choice!" Aurelia cried out in rage, her voice cracking. The fury quickly drained from her, and she broke down, sobbing weakly.
Everyone fell silent. They all knew what Aura Degeneration was. Everyone except me. I found myself questioning what the guard had just said… the words were too advanced, too heavy for me to understand. All I could do was lie there, confused, while the weight of the truth pressed down on the room.
Aura Degeneration is a condition that affects only Aura users. It occurs when the body can no longer withstand the strain of its own aura, or when control over that aura begins to spiral out of balance. In such cases, the energy turns against its host, breaking down the muscles and gradually destroying the body from within.
Aura itself is a refined form of mana — processed by the body into personal energy, most often used for combat or defence. When Aura Degeneration sets in, however, that same energy becomes destructive. It is as though the body's own defences had turned traitor: like white blood cells mistaking every part of the body for a foreign invader, they begin the process of eliminating the vessel they are meant to protect.
The sad truth is that, with the current state of medical knowledge in this world, there is no cure for Aura Degeneration. Even the finest doctor could not hope to discover one, for it simply does not exist. Even if a team of alchemists, scholars, and pharmacists were to join forces, at best they might find a way to slow the symptoms — but never to cure them.
That is what everyone knows. Everyone except me.
"Even if the finest doctor were to help… he would not be able to, for there is no cure," Yukino said calmly.
"I do… not care… even if it is false… I do not mind clinging to false hope. Even so… I am forced to be here… to watch over you all… by the Lord's command. I cannot… return to the Apprentice Knight dormitory… I cannot even be promoted to a knight… unless I complete… this mission." Aurelia's voice broke as she cried out weakly.
Everyone remained silent until my mother glanced at me. Slowly, she crawled across the floor, gathered me into her arms, and held me close.
"My lord, I sen—" Wraith's voice echoed in my mind, but I cut him off with my own thoughts before he could finish.
I know. Use your authority on her. I never expected such a twist… HAHAHAHA!
"Madam Cesline…?" Yukino murmured in confusion. Aurelia, too, looked bewildered as they both watched my mother carry me in her arms.
My mother, who had been looking at me, suddenly wrapped her fingers around my neck.
The thoughts that rose to the surface of her mind were:
'Everyone is suffering because I gave birth to him.
The maids, who once worked with calm smiles each day, are exhausted. Back in the mansion, their expressions were bright, energetic, even when they were busy — they were happy. But here, though they still wear calm faces, I can sense their fatigue. They are stressed, burdened with more work, trapped in an environment that offers no reward. Yet they force themselves to smile, because they are worried about me. Even Yukino, who has been closest to me since childhood, now wears a tired expression. The sight makes my chest ache.
The guards, too, were forced to follow me here because of my decision to move with my son. Because of that, they suffer as well.
Every day, our meals are plain — sometimes tolerable, sometimes barely so. I am not accustomed to such food. Compared to the mansion, where every dish was a delight, these meals are a bitter reminder of what I have lost. I miss the comfortable bed, the clean sheets, the polished walls, the spacious rooms. I miss life in the mansion.
And I remember his promise. If I kill my son, I will not only regain the life I once had in the mansion, but he also promised me another child — one who would not trap me here for the rest of my life.'
These thoughts surfaced darkly in her mind as her fingers tightened around my neck, filled with murderous intent.
Seeing this, Yukino shouted in alarm, her voice filled with worry. "Cesline, don't do this — he is your son!"
Even Aurelia, who witnessed this, wore a shocked and worried expression. She had never expected my mother to go this far.
My mother continued to strangle my neck, but after a while, she stopped.
Tears started forming in her eyes and fall to my face.
"I can't do it, I can't… I am such a horrible mother… I cannot believe I wanted to kill him… I don't want him dead… I want him to live… I WANT MY SON TO LIVE… WAAAHHH!" My mother's voice broke, weak at first, tears already forming in her eyes, before she finally cried out loud.
Hearing her cries, a sudden flashback surged through my mind.
It was when I was just an ordinary mortal teenager, returning home from school. The world around me was chaos — buildings lay in ruins, sirens wailed, warning all citizens to seek shelter, to hide. Our world was under invasion by otherworldly species.
Amidst the rubble, I saw her — my mother, trapped beneath the collapsed building. She looked at me with fading strength, her lips trembling as she spoke her final words: "Live....Son.."
I cried desperately as I could only watch in that moment.
Then, the memory shattered like glass, and I was pulled back to my senses.
"My lord, do you still wish me to maintain my authority? You stopped me without realising it," Wraith's calm voice echoed in my mind.
I wanted to tell him to do it… But then, I chose not to.
You know what, I don't think I want to die yet. After all, I've just got a temporary vacation in this world, away from the work I had when I was in my original body. I think it's best to relax and live earnestly here. Who knows, maybe I can start by finding the mastermind who brought my consciousness, and a bit of my soul, into this world. I thought to myself.
...
Nobody in my mind spoke. They knew that insulting me, or pointing out how I had wanted to die only moments ago before suddenly changing my mind, would earn them torture from the man. So instead, they all chose to say just one simple word together.
"Alright," all the devils spoke in my mind at the same time.
Deciding to live earnestly, I put on a tired smile. My mother was still crying, her tears falling onto me. Wait—hold on, even her nucleus is about to fall on me?! AHHHH!