“What about the Viscount?”
Yuma’s expression turned cold.
“He turned his own child into a Shadow, then consumed the contamination. He’s a greedy man who is afraid of growing old and wants to live longer.”
“His child died a long time ago, didn’t they?”
“No. The child is locked away in their room.”
Yuma lowered his gaze to the document.
“His wife gave birth to twins. One had a weak body and always stayed in their room. The one who died during the hunting festival was the weaker child. The other happened to be sick at the time.”
Flint stared at the document.
“And he reported only one child. Heh.”
Yuma shook his head.
The man claimed that the weaker child was cursed.
When the child was born, their mother suffered severe bleeding and died. Then, whenever the child happened to meet someone who died the following day, everything was once again blamed on the child’s curse.
Yuma sighed.
It was purely coincidence. The child who died had already been sick from the beginning.
A child did not have the power to become a curse upon their parents.
That was what Father had said.
“If you’re going to do something, Uncle, deal with the Viscount’s case first.”
Yuma fell silent for a moment.
The incident would only be uncovered two years later...
Though perhaps it had already happened by now. I think... even if the contamination level was already quite high, it shouldn’t have reached the point where purification was impossible yet.
“That child may have been beaten or subjected to something similar to provoke dark emotions,” Yuma continued. “This is the case that needs the most attention.”
“I’ll send a team immediately.”
Yuma nodded and gathered the scattered papers.
He walked over to his desk and checked the important documents that needed his immediate attention.
After that, he went through the letters and petitions submitted by the nobles.
There was nothing important among them.
Even if there had been, an Archduke was still capable of handling such matters on his behalf.
And most importantly, Yuma did not remember anything else about the future related to those documents.
To be honest, he did not encounter every event in every regression.
Most of his activities had been confined to the palace. He was usually too exhausted after swallowing the contamination from his brother’s body.
Even when he left the palace, what he remembered most were nests and places connected to Shadows or Death Gods.
Including major incidents like the Viscount’s case.
Besides, the time he spent in each life was usually only around three to five years.
Ten years at most?
Who knows.
Yuma himself no longer knew.
Sometimes, he lived for only a single day because the pressure became too much, then chose to end his own life.
Other times, he lived for more than ten years in order to investigate the whereabouts of the mastermind behind everything.
I think that was the only regression when my brother remained conscious the entire time.
Yuma pressed a hand against his chest.
Whenever he remembered those things, his heart seemed to hurt.
...Or did it?
Yuma stopped moving.
He tilted his head, his face filled with confusion.
What did pain actually feel like?
I shouldn’t feel pain when I’m not injured, right?
His gaze turned empty.
He set another letter down while pressing a hand against his aching forehead.
But the thought slowly faded from his mind.
Yuma returned to his usual blank expression and read the next letter.
Tap.
Flint finished writing his order.
He stared at the letter for a while before finally letting out a sigh.
“People like that Viscount are the reason so many Shadows and Death Gods appear. Do they never think that what they’re doing could end up killing so many people?”
“...Because of their selfishness?”
Yuma’s eyes darkened.
“After all, they’re not the ones getting hurt.”
“True. But to swallow power like that...”
Flint shook his head.
“Haaah.”
“...”
“He’ll be swallowed by death itself and eventually lose his mind after becoming a Shadow. And if he wants the immortality that comes from becoming a Death God, he has to be able to endure the madness.”
As if the thought alone made him uncomfortable, Flint wiped the sweat from his forehead.
No.
For some reason, the temperature suddenly felt hotter.
“Even a little contamination can make someone want to die. How can he be so sure he’ll be able to keep his sanity? That child is truly unfortunate to have a father like that—”
No.
It wasn’t only the temperature that had changed.
Dree—
The air trembled.
The window suddenly cracked.
“YUMA!”
Yuma raised his face.
The golden light in his eyes disappeared.
His entire irises turned a deep red.
Like the color of blood.
His eyes were empty.
But before Flint could stand and approach him, Yuma blinked.
The golden color returned.
The air returned to normal.
If not for the cracks in the window, no one would have known that something had almost happened.
“I’m sorry, Uncle.”
Yuma lowered his head.
“I was thinking about... my brother.”
Flint opened and closed his mouth.
But no words came out.
That’s right.
The First Prince.
Suddenly.
In a single day.
He suffered severe contamination.
No matter how many Purifiers they brought in, his contamination level only continued to rise.
Every day, scream after scream echoed through the palace.
Sometimes, he tried to attack others with murderous intent.
Other times, he tried to hurt himself after nearly injuring Yuma.
Chaiden suspected that someone had injected contamination directly into his body.
And it wasn’t ordinary contamination.
Most likely, what had been injected was the power of a high-level Death God.
Then, just as quickly as it had happened—
the contamination disappeared just as quickly.
And on that day—
Flint approached Yuma, who was still lowering his head.
—Yuma disappeared.
He was found in the middle of the ruins, where he had killed a high-level Death God.
Not only that.
A laboratory was also discovered there.
A place where countless civilians had been used as vessels to create Death Gods and Shadows.
Flint hugged Yuma.
Yes.
Just like seven years ago.
This time, the same laboratory had been found again.
They chose to hide it from Yuma.
That was what the soldiers and nobles had agreed upon.
Those who worried about their little prince.
Those who were trying to make the little one rest.
Yuma.
His nephew.
Flint tightened his embrace.
He tried to erase the image that had appeared in his mind.
A nine-year-old child with a dead expression, covered in blood.
A headless corpse lay before him.
Ruins stood behind him.
And there was nothing in the child’s eyes.
No fear.
No anger.
No tears.
Only emptiness.
Flint slowly rubbed Yuma’s back.
“...Uncle?”
“Hm.”
Flint took a breath.
“Yuma, get some rest today, okay?”
“I just woke up.”
“Then go play outside and get some fresh air these next two days.”
“I need to check on the troops.”
“Yuma.”
“....”
“Rest... okay?”
Yuma fell silent.
“...All right.”
“Good.”
Flint released his embrace and gently stroked Yuma’s hair.
Just like when he was little.
Yuma then walked toward the door.
Flint kept waving until the door closed.
Bang.
“...”
Flint remained standing where he was.
His gaze stayed fixed on the door for several moments.
Only then did he cover his face with both hands.
“Please... Yuma...”
His voice trembled.
“Please...”
He lowered his head.
“I don’t want to lose anyone again.”