“You did nothing wrong, Caim.”
That was Caim’s last memory of his mother. He listened, crying next to her as she lay on her bed.
“I’m truly happy that you were born. There is no greater blessing than having been able to hold you in my arms and see you grow. So, please...don’t blame yourself.”
Caim knew that Sasha’s body was weakened by the birth of the twins and her health had been deteriorating ever since, that she sometimes coughed blood, and...that the reason for all of this was the faint toxins that Caim unconsciously emitted from his body.
Poison wasn’t only in his blood but in his other body fluids and even his breath too. It was weak enough that it wouldn’t affect people in good health, but to his mother...it had been deadly. Because of that, Kevin had tried many times to separate Sasha from her son, to not let her touch him, but she had firmly refused. No matter what her husband said, no matter how much Arnette implored her, she’d always stayed by Caim’s side.
“It’s my fault that you were born as a cursed child. You did nothing wrong, so don’t blame yourself.”
She took his hand using all the strength in her weakened limbs. Then, as if burning her life away, using the last remnants of her vitality, she said to the son she was leaving behind, “Find happiness. Make your own family and live your life with them.”
These were her last words. After that, she vomited blood in anguish and fell into an eternal slumber. After that, Kevin had declared that his wife died because of Caim and driven him away from the mansion, raising Arnette as his only child.
〇 〇 〇
“Phew... Finally home...”
A few hours after leaving the mansion where he’d been born, Caim arrived at the forest hut where he currently lived. It had taken that long because he’d needed to rest several times on the way.
“I’m so tired. I just want to lie down and sleep...” Caim’s shoulders drooped in exhaustion as he opened the door of the tattered hut.
Unfortunately, there was no lamp inside, so he would need to rely on his memory to navigate the darkness and find the wooden plank that served as his bed. However, he stopped as soon as he entered.
“Who’s there?!” he shouted, sensing someone’s presence. Whoever it was, they weren’t making any sound—likely they were holding their breath—but Caim still perceived something different from usual in his house.
It can’t be a thief—there’s nothing to steal here. Can’t be one of the villagers either.
The villagers avoided Caim because he was a cursed child and never approached his hut. After that, he wondered if it was a beast or monster, but he didn’t smell the peculiar odor they emitted.
Silently, Caim fumbled for the hatchet he used for splitting wood, picked it up, and surveyed the interior of the hut. He cautiously made his way deeper, holding his breath and straining his ears and eyes for any sign of the intruder’s whereabouts.
“Oh? What a surprise. You’re more perceptive than I expected.”
Caim gasped in shock—the voice had come from right next to his head. The intruder was standing behind him, bending to whisper close to his ear.
“Take this!” He tried to turn around and swing his hatchet, but the intruder easily caught his wrist and stopped him.
“Huh, you’ve got a good reaction speed too. I guess I should have expected as much from the son of the Master Pugilist. It doesn’t seem like you’ve trained much, but I do feel that you have a lot of potential.”
The intruder was a tall woman wearing a man’s suit under a white coat. Her black hair and the intellectual eyes behind her glasses left quite a strong impression.
“If I had to give you some advice,” the woman said, “it would be once you let someone know that you’ve spotted them, everything else is meaningless. You have to either play dumb and launch a surprise attack or run away.”
“L-Let me go!”
“I will if you let go of that dangerous weapon you’re holding,” the woman answered. “I apologize for entering your house without permission. I’m not your enemy, so could you please put down your hatchet?”
Caim stayed silent. The woman’s voice was calm, and he didn’t feel any hostility from her, so he suspected she was telling the truth. He didn’t know her objective, but if she’d really wanted to harm him, she could just have stabbed him from behind.
With no other choice, Caim let go of his hatchet with a frustrated expression.
“Good boy.”
Once the woman released his arm, Caim immediately jumped away from her.
“Who are you?! Why are you in my house?!”
“No need to be so defensive. You’re like a wild animal.”
“Just answer already!”
“I will, I will. You don’t need to urge me; I planned to introduce myself from the start,” she replied, raising her hands as if surrendering to him. “My name is Faust. I’m, well...your parents’ friend, I suppose.”