Author's Preface
"Master."
"Hm?"
Kazuki stood beside the desk, holding a picture book. His long black hair was tied neatly behind his back, a few strands resting against his shoulder.
He pointed at an illustration of children walking to school, bags slung over their backs.
"Why don't you attend school?"
Yuma didn't answer immediately. He finished writing a line in the document before closing it slowly.
"There's too much for me to handle," he said calmly. "Even if time keeps repeating, I still need to record every important event. The future must be better arranged than before."
"Just give the list to me," Kazuki replied. "Like that corrupt fat official."
Yuma chuckled softly. "And you dragged him out of his house by the hair."
"It was the fourth summons from the Empire. He ignored it."
"You would have caused a public incident if Rue hadn't submitted the evidence to the court in time."
Kazuki frowned. "I could have—"
"Don't you want to become human, Kazuki?" Yuma cut in gently.
Kazuki fell silent.
"Then follow human rules."
"…Yes."
A brief silence followed.
Kazuki glanced back at the book in his hands.
"Master… do you have any friends?"
"No."
"You never went to school before?"
"My body was very weak when I was young."
Yuma paused for a moment. His smile was faint—almost bitter.
"And by the time I was strong enough… everything had already changed."
Kazuki stared at the ceiling.
"When all of this is over, I want to see you have friends. Laughing at school."
He added quietly,
"When I was investigating a neighboring country… I saw children there. They looked… happy."
Yuma closed the file slowly.
"Hm."
"You don't smile much anymore, Master."
Yuma didn't deny it.
"Don't cry."
"…I'm not crying."
"We'll find the one behind all this," Kazuki said, his voice lowering. "And when we do… you won't have to swallow that deathly power anymore. I don't want to see you in pain."
Yuma gave a small smile and lowered his gaze back to the documents.
"How is the report from Altair?"
Kazuki let out a quiet sigh. He knew that was a deflection.
"No major movement. But there are two villages near the border with suspicious laboratories. Traces of dark aura were detected several times."
"We'll investigate tomorrow."
"In this timeline… you haven't swallowed it yet, have you?"
Yuma looked toward the window.
"Brother is safe this time."
His expression softened.
"I'm glad."
A sudden knock shattered the quiet.
The door burst open.
A middle-aged man with dark blue hair stepped in, his face pale.
"Suicide—"
Yuma jolted awake.
His hand instinctively pressed against his abdomen.
The room was silent.
His breathing remained steady, yet cold sweat dampened his temples.
That time… I stabbed my own stomach when no one was looking.
Only through his death would the cycle restart.
Kazuki always held him tightly when he returned.
No matter how many times it happened.
Always afraid.
Always crying.
And yet…
I'm fine… aren't I?
Yuma wasn't sure anymore.
His gaze drifted toward the flower vase on the table.
Empty.
Not because he wasn't thinking.
But because there was too much he no longer felt.
If pain was the trigger that turned time—
If death was the path back—
Then—
If I hurt myself now… would I feel alive?
His fingers twitched slightly.
Almost.
But before the thought could fully settle, a warm hand touched his forehead.
"Does it hurt?"
Yuma blinked slowly.
Rue's tired face entered his view.
"…Cousin."
"Thirsty?"
"Hm."
Rue helped him sit up and supported his back with a pillow before handing him warm water.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Eight days."
Yuma fell silent.
"Don't worry. Father handled the court matters. The investigation after the attack is being managed by the reconnaissance team."
"Any casualties?"
Rue exhaled quietly.
"District 8 lost four. District 3 lost seven. Thirty-nine injured in total."
Yuma tightened his grip around the glass.
"Provide full compensation. Military honors for the funerals."
"Lavis is overseeing them."
Silence lingered.
"Next time," Yuma said softly, "tell me sooner."
"There's no such thing as war without casualties, Yu," Rue replied firmly. "If you keep stepping in personally, the soldiers will never grow. And one more thing—"
He lightly tapped Yuma's forehead.
"A child should be playing."
"…I'm not a child."
"You move like you'll break if you stop for even a moment."
Yuma lowered his gaze.
If I stop… my chest feels tight.
A spoonful of porridge appeared before him.
"Eat first."
"I can do it myself."
"I used to feed you when you were small."
"Hm… You always tried to trade me for Uncle."
Rue chuckled.
"I would've handed over all my allowance if it meant Father agreed to the exchange."
Yuma let out a quiet laugh.
For a moment, the room felt warm.
Then the awareness returned.
His chest tightened again.
He wanted to press a hand against his heart.
But his face remained expressionless.
The bowl was soon empty.
Rue rang a small silver bell beside the bed.
Ring.
A knock followed shortly after.
"Excuse me."
A servant entered and cleared away the dishes.
Meanwhile, Rue walked to the desk across the room and picked up the stack of documents he had set aside earlier.
Srrk… srrk…
The sound of pages turning filled the silence.
His gaze paused at the final page.
The memory of the massive laboratory they raided a week ago resurfaced—far too similar to the tragedy seven years prior.
Civilians used as test subjects.
Blood of the Death Gods implanted into human bodies to create new entities.
The Shadows from the recent attack were failed products.
The Summoner… one of the rare successes.
Unfortunately, the site had already been cleared when their team arrived. Only faint clues remained—four minor kingdoms possibly involved.
Rue frowned.
The civilian massacre in Dwira needed to be re-investigated. Without diplomatic cooperation, it would be impossible to determine whether gifted individuals had been abducted. And it was naïve to assume the local nobles were unaware of the drastic population decline.
The most reasonable conclusion…
They were involved.
Rue folded the sensitive document and slipped it into his inner pocket.
In its place, he selected a different file—one far safer for Yuma to read.
He returned to the bedside.
"Yu."
"Hm?"
"A summary of today's report."
Yuma accepted it without comment.
His expression remained neutral—not cold, simply focused.
His temples throbbed faintly. His body still felt heavy, but as long as his thoughts were clear, it was manageable.
His eyes stopped at the final coordinate.
"School?" he murmured.
"Yes." Rue tapped the page. "A gathering place for high-potential individuals. Elite teachers. Noble children. Exchange students."
He lowered his voice.
"Contamination is more effective if accepted willingly. Children just discovering their power are the easiest to influence—especially if promised recognition."
Yuma considered this quietly.
"Richard reported two missing children who were later found. One had already transformed into a Death God a month ago. The school is clearly their hunting ground."
Yuma lifted his gaze.
"Why do you seem… rather enthusiastic?"
Rue cleared his throat.
"You're imagining things. I'm just glad we finally have a concrete lead."
A fleeting image of Yuma in a school uniform had indeed crossed his mind earlier.
"There must be other options besides the school."
"Of course. Some kingdoms are suspected of selling their own people. Take Dominic, for example—their king suddenly grew wealthy and seized a disputed gold mine."
"Proceed carefully," Yuma said calmly. "One mistake could ignite conflict."
"I know. But the school matter is urgent. New enrollment opens soon. It's the perfect opportunity to send someone in."
Yuma gave a small nod.
"The problem," Rue continued, "is that most of our members are too well-known. The rest are too old to pose as students—more suitable as teachers."
He shuddered briefly at the memory of Lavis insisting on disguising himself as one.
"Any young nobles enrolling this year?"
"Yes. But I don't recommend using them. No matter how talented, they're still children."
Yuma rubbed his temple.
"If we send military personnel openly, the enemy will retreat. But doing nothing isn't an option either."
"It sounds complicated," Rue muttered.
Then he smiled faintly.
"But it actually isn't."
"Hm?"
"We have the perfect candidate."
His gaze settled directly on Yuma.
Rarely seen in public.
Appropriate age.
Trustworthy.
Strong enough to handle it alone.
A bad feeling immediately surfaced.
Uncle and Rue had always wanted him to attend school at least once.
Sometimes he suspected this was just an excuse.
"There are still palace matters to handle," Yuma said at last.
"Father can manage temporarily. And I—" Rue drew in a dramatic breath.
"—I'll handle the Archduke's affairs."
"Don't you hate being the heir?"
"Heir? It's temporary. If Father tries to make it permanent, I swear I'll parade through the capital in nothing but my underwear with a sign that says 'Future Archduke.'"
Yuma exhaled softly.
Their family dynamics were always… something.
"So?" Rue asked hopefully.
"I'll consider it."
"Good. That means yes."
"…That's not what I said."
"I'll start preparing your enrollment papers anyway."
Rue moved toward the window, ignoring Yuma's flat stare.
"A wealthy merchant's identity will work. A noble would attract too much attention."
"Commoner."
"Impossible. You still need proper living conditions."
Yuma didn't argue further.
"Regular class or noble class?"
"Regular."
"Guardian specialization. Your sword and archery skills are too recognizable."
"Fine."
Rue nodded in satisfaction.
"This will require preparation. I'll contact Richard."
"This is really just something you want, isn't it?"
"Ahem. For the Empire's security."
He headed toward the door, pausing briefly.
"I'll call the Professor. Don't get out of bed."
"Hm."
Rue's footsteps sounded almost… light.
As if he had just won something.
The room fell quiet again.
But not for long.
The door suddenly slammed open.
"Your Higheeeeeessssss!!!"
"Yuyu! Commander! Prince Ark! Whatever you prefer—I'm back!"
Lavis burst in dramatically, still dressed in black mourning clothes, energy exploding in every direction.
A small child hurried in behind him, slightly out of breath.
Yuma pressed his fingers to his temple once more.
Not annoyed.
Just… accustomed.
Lavis had always been like that.
Yuma let out a quiet breath.
The room that had been silent now felt alive.
And he said nothing at all.