After what had just happened, Aurelia surrendered herself, as she was weakened by Yukino's attack. That maid is truly terrifying.
Though, as terrifying as she is, if she were to face my original self, I can assure anyone that I would wi—
'Nah, you would lose,' Wraith said in a provoking tone within my mind.
'Agreed,' Pride added, siding with Wraith in an indifferent tone in my mind.
'It wouldn't even be a fight at all. It would just be a one‑sided beatdown by a beautiful woman,' Lust remarked smugly in my mind.
'Agreed. You would be a man defeated by a woman, and that would be a reputation far too shameful to bear,' Pride replied, echoing Lust's words in an indifferent tone in my mind.
The others remained silent in my mind.
Pride… what is wrong with losing to a woman? It only means the opponent was formidable, or that you let your guard down, or simply that you could not help it. I kept my comment to myself, sharing it only with my own inner thoughts, which should have been oblivious to them hearing it.
After Aurelia surrendered and decided not to resist, Yukino intended to tie her to a chair or something similar, but just as she was about to…
"Yukino, there is no need for that," my mother said with a tired smile as she held me gently in her arms.
'But, Cesline—' Yukino began to refute, but my mother cut her off before she could continue.
"It is all right. I can tell she will not resist; isn't that so, Aurelia?" My mother said with a tired smile, her voice carrying a tone that suggested she understood what Aurelia was feeling.
"I… yes." Aurelia wanted to refute my mother's words, but instead, she voiced what she truly felt at that moment, unable to forget how my mother had nearly strangled me to death.
Hearing her reply, Yukino tied a rope binding Aurelia's hands behind her back. Although she trusted her madam's assurance that Aurelia would not resist, she could not help but exercise caution in case the guard chose to fight back and attempt to kill me. As my mother carried me, her weary smile betraying her exhaustion, I found myself quietly commenting on the maid's professionalism. She is quite smart.
We entered the master bedroom at a slow pace, for my mother's ankle was still injured. There, we found the two defeated guards lying unconscious on the floor, their faces pressed against the ground. What struck me most, however, was that the room itself remained entirely untouched—there was not the slightest sign of damage. I could not help but marvel at how the maid could be both so considerate and so terrifying.
My mother sat down on the footboard of the bed, her injured ankle making each movement careful. Yukino, who had been restraining Aurelia, left her standing before my mother and stepped outside. Moments later, she returned—astonishingly quickly—carrying three stools. She placed them neatly against the wall, then guided the bound Aurelia to sit, allowing her to lean back against it.
Next, Yukino bound the hands of Sana and Rina, the unconscious guards, tying their arms securely behind their backs. With practised ease, she lifted each of them and placed them on the remaining stools, propping their limp bodies against the wall so they would not collapse to the floor.
I have only one comment: she looks as though she is very accustomed to it. I suspect she must be an assassin, or something of the sort, because both her expression and the way she fought suggest she has done many things like this before.
The maid, Yukino, stepped outside for a moment and returned almost immediately with a bucket of cold water. My mother opened her mouth to say something, but it was already too late—
Splash! Splash!
Yukino hurled the water over the unconscious guards, jolting them awake in an instant.
"Ahh, what the hell?!" Rina, the guard, cried out in anger as the cold water jolted her awake.
"Huh? What… what's going on?" Sana, the other guard, muttered in confusion as the icy splash roused her from unconsciousness.
They were confused about what was happening until they noticed the maid standing there with the cold bucket of water. At first, the two of them instinctively tried to reach for their swords, only to realise their hands were bound tightly behind their backs. They also seemed to notice that Aurelia was in the same situation, though she had been spared the splash.
Seeing this, the pair finally gave up and accepted their defeat. The only thought left to them was the faint hope of being allowed to write a letter to their parents, given what they had done tonight.
"It is best that you answer every question we demand of you. If you comply, we shall grant you at least one reasonable wish," Yukino said with composure, yet her eyes fixed on them with a deadly glare.
Seeing that Rina, Sana, and Aurelia offered no protest, Yukino took it as acceptance. She nodded to my mother, who held me in her arms.
"I would like to know why the two of you wished to kill my son. I have already heard Aurelia's explanation, but I would like to hear from you both as well," my mother said weakly, her expression still weary.
"Damn you, parasite monster dwelling within Young Master Ragnar's mind! Just kill me—I would sooner die than be manipulated by you," Sana cried fiercely, her eyes fixed on me with burning defiance. It was as though she truly preferred death to life under such control, yet her words left my mother, the maid, and me utterly bewildered. What on earth was she saying?
The three of us turned to the two guards, Aurelia and Rina, for an explanation of what she had said. Rina glanced at Aurelia, clearly waiting for her to respond, since it was Aurelia who had told them that foolish lie.
Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, Aurelia began to explain everything—from the moment Sir Jagid had told her she would serve under Madam Cesline to how she had received the letter and how she had been observing the patterns and habits of those around her. She admitted to lying to her friends about the reason she had to kill Young Master Ragnar—who, in truth, is myself, now possessed by a parasitic monster.
Listening to her explanation, everyone began to understand her purpose and why she had tried to kill me. Yet, if anyone had the strongest reaction, it was Sana. It felt as though she had been deeply deceived, for she was the most shocked of all. She discovered that I was not parasitised by a monster but merely targeted by the lord. Worse still, she realised she had been misled by her idol, Aurelia—the very knight she regarded as a role model in the Apprentices' Knight Dormitory. She looked as though she were struggling to process everything, as if it shattered the image of Aurelia she had always held in her mind.
"Wait—so the young master, who was supposed to be parasitised by a monster, was not parasitised at all but merely targeted? Oh… now I feel ashamed for marking Young Master Ragnar as a monster to be killed and for glaring at him so intensely," Sana murmured in a low voice. She felt foolish for having believed everything so blindly and for showing such hostility towards me, an innocent who had done nothing to deserve it.
"Yes…" Aurelia said weakly, feeling ashamed for having lied to her friends and guilty that Sana had believed her deceit. Rina's expression, however, suggested that she had already suspected it was a lie, though she had not known the true motive until Aurelia explained it to everyone.
"Sana… I cannot believe you actually believed it," Rina said, her tone a mixture of mild surprise and weary resignation. She was beginning to wonder if Sana's devotion to Aurelia had been nothing more than blind faith.
"Argh..." Sana said, sounding ashamed.
"What about you, Rina? Did you also come to kill my son for that reason as well?" My mother asked calmly, for she had never heard Rina's reason for wanting to kill her son.
"No. I doubted her lie. The only reason I joined this assassination was so that, should anything happen, I could intervene. I cannot explain why, but I was not myself when I agreed to it. It felt as though my mind was urging me to kill Young Master Ragnar, even though it was never truly my intention," Rina said in a confused tone. These were her genuine feelings, yet she struggled to express them convincingly.
Suspicion clouded the room, for no one could decide whether her words were honest or false.
Though my mother and the maid wondered whether the guard was speaking the truth or a lie, I could not escape the thought that it was my fault she had fallen into such a confused state. Perhaps I should have taken control of the authority myself instead of leaving it to Wraith. In battle, I am certain that Wraith could have managed far better than I ever could, yet the blame was still mine for attempting to twist her mind with hostility towards me. Forgive me, guard. It is because of me that you are in this state.
During the night, my mother and the maid asked the three guards a couple of questions. What they asked, I cannot say, for I had already fallen asleep, exhausted from using the two authorities longer than this body's mind could endure.
I do know, however, that the guards' fate will be decided tomorrow. From the few words I caught, there were parts I could not fully grasp, and so I drifted into sleep without ever learning what questions my mother and the maid had put to them.
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The Next Day
By the time I finally awoke from my long sleep, morning had already arrived.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my mother sleeping in her nightclothes, holding me close in her arms.
I looked at her sleeping face, seeing how deeply she slept, and I could understand how exhausted she had been last night. She had to protect her son from his pursuers, then tripped and injured her ankle, suffered such mental stress that she almost killed me because of it, and afterwards still had to move from the place where she fell to this bedroom. She also had to ask many questions, and what she asked the three guards I will never know. It is no wonder she is sleeping so deeply. Looking at her face as she sleeps makes me feel slightly guilty… Yet, because of last night, I have decided to treat this world as a kind of holiday, while also searching for clues about who kidnapped my soul into this body and brought me here.
I also had quite a severe headache, which was understandable after using the Authorities.
As I was lost in thought, my mother suddenly murmured in her sleep, "No… please… spare my child… please… I will do anything…" Her voice was weak, and small tears formed upon her sleeping face.
Suddenly, she wrapped her arm around me and pulled me tightly against her chest—more precisely, against her breast.
"Mhmm… mhmmm…" The muffled sounds escaped me as I struggled to draw a breath.
"I envy you, Lord," Envy said in an envious tone within my mind.
The others remained silent at Envy's words in my head—myself most of all.
Sensing my struggle, my mother awoke. Realising I was alive and before her on the bed after her nightmare, she pulled me even closer into her embrace.
…Too tight… I can't breathe…!
After waking up, my mother slowly rose from the bed. She was still struggling to walk, as her ankle had not yet recovered.
I simply watch her as I lie on the bed, still a mere child, unable to walk properly due to my body state.
She wrapped her arms around me and carried me out of the master bedroom, then walked through the hallway of the building with me in her arms.
After a while, we entered one of the rooms in the hallway, where the light‑blue‑haired maid was waiting, along with three guards. Each of the guards was tied to a wooden chair, their hands bound. It seemed that during the night the maid had moved them here herself and even managed to restrain them on her own.
The guards were awake, but their expressions suggested they had slept uncomfortably through the night, their eyes shadowed with dark circles.
As my mother stood before them, the three guards watched her closely, already anticipating their fate.
"I have decided," my mother said in a soft, calm tone, though it carried a firmness as she faced the three guards.
As she spoke those words, the three guards could feel their lives hanging on her decision, yet each of them had already reached the same conclusion: death. Meanwhile, I found myself distracted, wondering when that revolting milk bottle I would soon be given for my meal might finally be improved. I sighed to myself; perhaps I should try drinking breast milk in this body. I had never tasted it, but at my actual age, the very thought felt far too much. Calmly, my gaze drifted to my mother's chest, and I thought that if only the bottle resembled the one I was used to, I would not be plagued by such shameful thoughts.
"You should try it," Lust shouted passionately in my mind.
Shut up, you perverted bastard.
"Says the one who's even more perverted than me…" Lust said in a tone of disgust, as if to highlight how hypocritical I was.
The others and I remained silent; yes, it was best that I simply ignored this bastard.
As the guards waited for my mother's decision, already resigned to the outcome, she finally spoke.
"I shall spare your crimes," my mother said in a calm tone, as though she had reached her decision long ago.
"But—Cesline—" Yukino began to voice her complaint, but she was swiftly interrupted.
"I understand what you are thinking. Indeed, they tried to kill my son, but after listening to their side of the story, I can see their feelings. What they did deserves death, yet I believe that everyone deserves a second chance," my mother said with a warm expression, as she relayed her words to Yukino before turning her gaze to the three guards.
"And I believe that you three will not repeat such an act. Seeing your expressions convinces me that I can forgive you for what you have done. But of course, forgiveness alone is not enough to ease your guilt. So, how about this: in exchange for my forgiveness, I ask that you sincerely protect my son should danger ever come to him. I am not demanding your loyalty, nor that you give your lives for him. I only wish that, if anything should happen, you choose to protect my son rather than harm him from this day forward."
My mother spoke with a warm yet determined smile, hoping the three guards would accept her offer.
"Is that truly alright? We tried to kill your son… will it really be okay?" Aurelia asked hesitantly, turning to look at her friends who had been caught up in her motive.
"I believe that choice belongs to you. I will not forget your attack, but neither will I hate you for it. If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same," my mother said warmly, her voice filled with understanding, as she looked down at my child‑like face in her arms.
Looking into her eyes, I wondered if perhaps the temptation I had been resisting—to drink my own mother's breast milk—was not something I should resist after all. With a faint smile on my face, I turned to Aurelia and the other guards. I had no idea what was truly happening, nor did I care much; in my head, I simply wished them good luck, as though it were nothing more than a passing thought.
Seeing my smiling face, Aurelia turned to look at the other guards. They simply nodded, ready to follow whatever decision she made. After a moment's thought, Aurelia spoke with a determined yet sincere expression, her voice steady as she declared, "I wish to redeem myself for what happened last night, so please allow me and my friends to accept this offer."
Yukino remained silent, watching with suspicion to see whether the guards would truly honor their words.
"Thank you. I sincerely hope for a pleasant relationship," my mother said with a warm expression.
In the meantime, should I just give in to temptation and sample my mother's breast milk, or should I endure the low quality of regular milk? It would be strange for a grown man to plead with his own mother for her breast milk, but who knows? I might consider begging her for it as I grow up, since I have always wanted to try it. I can't shake the feeling that it would make me seem like a perverted older man asking a younger mother for milk, which is odd given my actual age.
I must resist the urge, but my current body is making me contemplate trying it. When I think about these things, I worry that my reputation from my past life would be ruined if anyone found out, especially the other six. I can easily imagine one of them—especially that one—teasing and laughing at me. Should I go for it or not? What are the chances that my mother's breast milk will be good? If it isn't, I can tolerate the awful milk.
I know this is just an experiment, but I need to figure out which option is better to ensure my time here feels rewarding. It's definitely not because every time I see my mother, I feel a strong urge to drink her breast milk. If it were, I would blame the mentality of this body. I need to think clearly about all of this.
"...Hypocrite," Lust said calmly in my mind.
"Agreed," the other six devils echoed, their calm voices resonating together in my mind.
I was too lost in my own thoughts to respond to their comments. Well, not exactly lost—just thinking far too deeply about it.