Chapter 47
“Th-That is…”
“Melanic. Since when have you had that memory? From birth?”
“Ah, no… since I was two… But… you’re not going to take me away, right?”
Melanic’s trembling stopped. The child looked confused, as if fully convinced I would definitely take them away.
“Melanic. Did you commit murder?”
The child shook their head vigorously. Obviously, they hadn’t even considered such a thing.
This is exactly why hereditary guilt is a problem. The child was born innocent, and yet they’re punished for the crimes of their parents.
“Then why would I take you away?”
I asked sincerely. The child’s lips moved slightly, then closed. Thinking about it, all they could claim was that they were connected by blood.
Being the child of a murderer, Melanic must have hidden themselves from a young age. I, remembering my life in Korea, am different, but others would likely argue for enforcing hereditary punishment.
Ugh, how awful. The child didn’t choose to be born like this.
“Ahh, this is all the fault of the class system… the real curse of it.”
Just thinking about it gave me a headache. I straightened my neck and squatted down to meet the child’s gaze.
Ouch, my neck must hurt. I should have looked at them earlier.
“Here.”
I spread my arms wide. The child tilted their head, unsure of what I wanted.
“I want you to be held.”
“W-Why?”
“You must have had a hard time. It’s a comforting hug!”
The child hesitated, clearly unfamiliar with such gestures. They wanted to be held but weren’t sure if it was okay.
“Has no one ever hugged you before?”
“…No.”
Ah, of course. This is the Mage Tower. So naturally, no one would have held them before.
Even without nobles around, this is the Mage Tower. People here dig magic like excavators dig the ground; they have no time to care for a child.
Leaving such a cute child untouched… Actually, I should correct myself—it’s not neglect exactly. I mean, they were never hugged before!
“Then I’ll be the first. It’s an honor. My arms are getting tired though, don’t you want a hug?”
Even though the child was tiny enough to be held easily, I didn’t mind.
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, Melanic clumsily opened their arms and hugged me. Their awkwardness was adorable. I could feel the warmth unique to children, with a faint scent of baby powder.
In my arms, the child slowly relaxed and pressed closer, their warmth sinking in. I could feel their small movements, and it was so cute that I let out a soft laugh.
I don’t know when the label “murderer’s child” was attached to Melanic, and I can’t understand their pain firsthand. But I hoped that this warmth could offer some comfort.
“Melanic, do you know what floor Rachel’s room is on? We need to go there, but I forgot to ask.”
“…Schurer.”
The child clutched my clothing. I could see they wanted to say something but were hesitating. I patiently waited for them to speak.
“…Already going?”
Melanic lifted their head from my chest and looked at me pitifully.
The gaze was familiar—it reminded me of when Kiel sometimes deliberately tried to hold me back. The difference was the innocence.
“No! You’re coming too! Did you think I’d just tell you the floor and leave alone?”
I said this with exaggerated fuss, and the child quickly shook their head, clearly startled. Seeing them not wanting to lose this newfound affection made me a little worried.
Hopefully, Melanic won’t cry when I leave the Mage Tower.
I can’t teach them everything about dark magic today, so I’ll visit a few more times—but that’s it. I’ll be busy looking for rare herbs anyway.
“Which floor is Rachel’s room?”
“…42nd floor.”
The child smiled shyly. I decided to put aside my worries for now; keeping this smile was more important than overthinking.
“Shall we go then?”
“…Yes.”
I flicked my hand lightly. The once dark space disappeared, replaced by the bright 42nd-floor corridor.
“This is the room?”
The 43rd floor had no corridors—just the Mage Master’s rooms—but the lower floors were different. Higher floors had fewer rooms but each room was larger. So Rachel’s room had to be one of three.
“There.”
Melanic’s fingertip pointed to the white door among the three.
I took out a note and began drawing a magic circle in the air with controlled magic.
“Wow… Schurer, amazing.”
“Thanks. Someday, Melanic will be able to do this too.”
I usually draw the magic circle thinly in the air before adding power. It’s harder but more precise in effect.
“All done.”
As I added power to the completed circle, the layered magic and barrier on the door temporarily lifted.
Still holding Melanic, I opened the door. Light automatically filled the room. True to the 42nd floor, it was enormous.
Luxury sofas, walls lined with bookshelves packed full of books. Opening the inner door revealed a huge laboratory. Even if magic was used to expand the space, it was believable.
Using Nephuo magic, one enters the Mage Tower from inside; I’d never seen the outside. So the scale was truly beyond my imagination.
“Ah… um. Melanic, don’t be shocked, okay? I’m going to look for books about dark magic.”
“…Why shocked?”
“Well, dark magic is illegal in the Empire.”
Melanic looked confused, and I realized they didn’t know the Empire’s laws. I casually explained it to them.
Did it surprise them? Because it’s illegal?
I glanced at Melanic. They were busy pulling books down on tiptoe, so focused it was adorable—I wanted to pinch their cheek.
Kids really are the best. Their cuteness can save the world!
“…Am I looking in the wrong place?”
Melanic noticed me watching and rolled their eyes dramatically. I used to do this too, but it was twice as cute on them.
“No, you’re doing fine. Thanks to you, we’ll finish early!”
I smiled and continued my work.
Melanic is an original character not in the main story. They are special because they remember their past life.
My mind started getting tangled.
‘Is this really the book I wrote?’ Even with dark magic and Rachel, Melanic doesn’t quite fit anywhere.
Ugh… God, why give me such trials? I really don’t know what’s real!
I restrained myself from ruffling my hair and organized my thoughts. Even if this world isn’t exactly my story, most events roughly matched.
That meant saving the Duke and Duchess was possible. If the story had been completely different, it would have been impossible.
“…Schurer?”
“Uh… hmm?”
I answered absentmindedly.
Ah. Melanic was looking at my hand, which had paused.
“It’s okay. I just paused to think for a moment.”
I gently stroked the child’s hair, and their cheeks turned bright red. Their shy cuteness struck me; I grabbed my chest in surprise.
“Ouch, does it hurt?”
“No, it’s just that Melanic is cute…”
“Cu-Cute?”
I imagined the missing “…me?” at the end.
Round eyes, peachy red cheeks, utterly adorable. I could say it a hundred times.
“Yes. Extremely cute. I’ve seen cute people before… but this is equally adorable!”
Rote and Kiel were extremely cute too. Especially when Kiel smiled at Rote… wait, why am I thinking about Kiel now!
I imagined Kiel’s soft smile and felt my face heat up. I waved my hands to cool it. Then Melanic spoke.
“…Am I not the first?”
Even this hesitant question was adorable.
Is this child made entirely of cuteness? I thought so.
First, their actions are cute. Second, their expressions are cute. Third, their existence itself is cute.
That’s enough proof.
“No. Now you’re the first, Melanic.”
“…Hehe.”
Even their laugh was cute. At this rate, I could forgive Ventus being cheeky.
“…This.”
“You already found it?”
I took the book Melanic handed me and read the titles:
<Basic Knowledge of Dark Magic>, <Applications of Dark Magic>, <Types of Dark Magic>
The three books were detailed yet easy-to-understand guides to dark magic. Skimming them, I could grasp the concepts easily.
“Thanks, Melanic.”
The child looked at me like hearing “thank you” for the first time. Then they shyly leaned their head against me. I laughed and stroked their hair.
I settled into a corner of the sofa and opened a book. Melanic sat quietly beside me.
About Dark Magic:
Dark magic requires dark mana to use.
Unlike white, blue, or red magic, which can be cast on objects to affect others over time, dark magic uses people directly as conduits through magic circles.
Because it consumes life, once started, it cannot be interrupted. If you consume others’ lives initially, later you’ll consume your own if you stop.
One must be careful not to be consumed and generally shouldn’t attempt it.
I finished the first book. I knew vaguely from ancestors’ diaries that dark magic consumed life, but using a person as a conduit? Chilling.
Table of Contents:
I. Curse Magic
II. Life-Draining Magic
III. Memory-Erasing Magic
IV. Instant Kill Magic
Thin book, but full of terrifying spells. I refrained from commenting on how absurdly dangerous they all were, since Melanic was next to me.
Of course, dark magic would never have any “good” spells—it consumes the caster’s life, too.
“Oh?”
V. Demon Summoning Magic
VI. Resurrection Magic
What the… demons and resurrection? Maybe even immortality spells exist!
I felt like I was forgetting something, but the severity was obvious even from the table of contents. If the Empire didn’t prohibit dark magic, law and order would have collapsed entirely.
When I opened the second book, <Applications of Dark Magic>, an old sheet of paper fell out.
“This is…”
