Chapter 6
“Mmm…”
A soft groan came out as a pair of small eyelids slowly opened. Amber-colored eyes caught the sunlight and sparkled, then frowned as the bright light poured down on them. The young boy slowly raised his body from the bed.
His sleepy eyes said he was still half-dreaming, but his body was already sliding out of bed.
His face was clearly that of a twelve-year-old boy. When his catlike, sharp eyes lowered, he looked as innocent as a puppy.
Rigel put his feet into the slippers on the floor and stood up. His body swayed for a moment but soon regained balance. Supporting himself on the table beside the bed, Rigel let out a quiet sigh.
“Again… that dream.”
In his mind, his mother’s scream replayed again and again, driving him crazy. Whenever he closed his eyes, it came back: their house covered in darkness, torches outside the window, his mother throwing away her life to save him, and the men who dragged him away.
Guilt pressed down on Rigel’s young heart.
If only he had been stronger, smarter… maybe he could have protected their warm and peaceful life.
“Urgh…!”
He groaned and grabbed his shoulder. The same sharp pain he had felt when he fainted the first day here came back. It burned like fire and stabbed like a knife.
He clenched his teeth and endured until, finally, the pain faded. Letting out a shaky breath, he stood in front of the mirror. The sweaty boy in the reflection glared back at him with angry eyes.
Slowly, Rigel unbuttoned his shirt. Just two buttons down, the mark was already visible: the slave’s brand burned onto his shoulder.
That brand meant he would have to obey someone for the rest of his life. No freedom, no choice. He could be forced to do anything, even things he didn’t want. In the Empire, a slave was no different from livestock.
“Ha… ha.”
A dry, bitter laugh left his lips, but the boy in the mirror wasn’t laughing. He only stared back in silence. Rigel bit down on his lip.
With a sigh, he brushed back his messy hair. On the side table, he noticed a white handkerchief with a blue rose embroidered on it. It belonged to the girl he had bowed his head to yesterday when he swore his slave’s loyalty.
‘…What was her name again?’
Something like El… She looked younger than him, only ten years old, yet spoke like an adult. Two years younger, but acting like an older sister. It was ridiculous. She had believed so easily when he claimed to have lost all his memories—a lie so obvious. She was pure and naïve, too much for her own good.
And yet, her words from yesterday still echoed in his mind.
“I’ll free you.”
Did she even know what that meant? Her mother had paid a huge amount of money to buy him at the slave auction. No noble daughter who knew the value of money would dare say such a thing. But this little girl lived in a world without worry, where money didn’t matter. Rigel couldn’t trust her words.
Even if she really wanted to free him, she would never go against her parents. In the end, his life would stay the same: worthless, like an animal. Nothing more, nothing less.
But still…
“To me, you’re a precious person.”
Those ruby-red eyes full of innocence would not leave his mind. No matter how much she tried to act grown-up, her eyes showed nothing but pure honesty.
“All yellow-eyed freaks should be blinded! Only monsters have eyes like that!”
“Look at that mutt. He probably killed that dog. See those eyes? He’s a beast. He must have eaten it alive.”
“Get lost, half-beast!”
In the slums, every day was survival. He grew up hearing nothing but curses and hatred. And now, even after falling lower into slavery, someone had dared to call him precious.
“…Ridiculous.”
“Hurry up… are you coming?”
A voice outside the window pulled him back. Rigel looked out to see the girl walking along the path between the main house and the annex.
“Master,” he muttered quietly, his lips unused to the word.
Her golden hair glittered in the sunlight as she moved. Light and small, her steps looked almost like she was dancing. Rigel followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the building, then sighed.
‘…Obey.’
The slave’s brand forced thoughts and actions. His mind screamed at him to follow her. The more he resisted, the sharper the pain grew in his shoulder.
‘Again…!’
Every time he thought of her, the pain returned. Holding his shoulder, Rigel glared at the direction she had gone before turning away.
Meanwhile, I smiled faintly as I watched Count Neibel blinking at me in shock. Why was he so surprised?
“Most of the 22 laws in the Military Code and Supply Code are for the soldiers’ safety. And Clause 2, Section 7—that’s about army stationing, isn’t it?”
“H-how do you know that…?”
He stared at me, unable to continue. I chuckled inside. So Mom’s book was real after all.
At first, I thought it might just be a coincidence that Neibel came, but after hearing his words, I couldn’t deny it anymore.
“A house without its mother is the easiest prey for a hyena.”
That was exactly what the book said he would say. My doubt vanished. This really was the future written down. Luckily, I had read all the parts about Neibel in advance.
“…Does the Kalstadt family really teach law to ten-year-olds?” he muttered in disbelief.
I gave him an innocent smile, pretending not to understand. He coughed awkwardly.
“You are very clever. A genius indeed.”
“Thank you. But about what you said just now—didn’t Kalstadt never agree to the defense pact? I don’t see why we should pay.”
“Well… you may not understand because you are young, but the defense pact is like a framework. Thanks to the western border army, Kalstadt is safe. So even if you didn’t sign, you should contribute.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course.” He nodded eagerly.
“For decades, Kalstadt hasn’t paid a single coin. If you pay now, you’ll ensure your safety for the future.”
“I see… but about this ‘framework’ you mentioned…”
I swung my feet as he puffed up with pride. The way my body rocked back and forth almost made me giggle. It felt fun, like I was pretending to be Mom in her debates.
“Doesn’t it also apply the other way around?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Kalstadt has been spending huge sums hiring hundreds of soldiers and thousands of mercenaries to keep the Grey Mountains safe from monsters. Because we’re only a Viscount family, our own soldiers aren’t enough, so we keep mercenaries year-round.”
“W-well…”
“Thanks to that, the Grey Mountains are protected. Doesn’t that mean your western border is safe too? Shouldn’t your defense pact include that as well?”
His mouth dropped open. “Ah… um…”
He struggled, then quickly spoke.
“This is different.”
“Could you explain how?”
“T-that’s just your territory’s problem. This is national policy. So there is a difference.”
“But the law you mentioned doesn’t separate the Empire and its territories. Legally, they’re the same, aren’t they?”
“Well… you’re too young to understand the difference in perception.”
The more he mentioned my age, the faster I swung my legs.
“Could you explain what kind of difference you mean?”
“Uh… well…”
He stammered, clearly out of arguments. His face turned red as he mumbled nonsense—like, “Is a platypus really a raccoon or a duck?”—just to fill the silence.
Finally, when he completely lost the debate, he snapped and shouted:
“H-how dare you talk back to an adult! You’re only ten years old! A child should just say ‘Yes, sir’ instead of arguing. Did your mother, the Lady of Kalstadt, teach you to behave like this?!”
I blinked at him in surprise. People often got angry after losing to Mom in an argument, especially older men. And whenever that happened, Mom would say one thing:
“Is being old something to brag about?”
