‘Weakling.’
That was the greatest insult my father, Sebastian, could think of.
Weakness. He despised things that were soft and yielding, valuing only what was hard and strong.
I certainly never met my father’s expectations.
I was never a strong person. I was someone who would bend rather than break, and I had no desire to break or dominate others with my own will.
That was me.
– Hungry. Must eat fresh hearts to replenish mana. The younger and purer the child, the better. Their life force is needed.
– You will be selected as an Imperial knight, so we will help you secure food at any time. Pexi will come to you soon. Obey her instructions.
However, these whispers were never human.
Was it like Edmund said, that a subspecies of demon was mixed among us humans? Was it no longer time to question myself?
When did they appear, and where did they come from?
But the questions about their very existence had to be put aside for a moment.
Now, there was a threat before me.
Did I have to kill him with my own hands?
…It doesn’t seem like I need to.
Regardless, according to Imperial law, a cadet leaving behind such a tainted cipher was grounds for execution, summary judgment.
Yes, at least for now, I don’t need to kill him.
Just then, the cadets came in. I sat on the desk and scanned them one by one. My gaze stopped at the one with the crew cut.
Since earlier, the dark fragment within me had reacted specifically to him.
“Was your name Jacob?”
“Y-yes! I’m Jacob!”
The crew cut replied with a startled jump.
He was 15 years old, still with baby fat on his face.
“Everyone else, stay outside.”
“…What?”
“Get out.”
They all left, looking bewildered. Even the professor of magic studies, who tried to re-enter, was turned away.
Only Jacob and I remained in the lecture hall.
“Jacob.”
“Yes?”
I picked up a novel. At that moment, his eyes flickered with unease.
“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”
I opened the book and recited the ciphers written on the page.
“Let’s continue to communicate like this. Tell your comrades the same. I don’t think I’ll be able to return for five years.”
“Uh…”
Jacob’s eyes widened, and he quickly lowered his head. I let out a hollow laugh.
How easily did he think of me to bring such a thing here? This was supposed to be the heart of a pureblood noble family.
“You’re not an Imperial, are you?”
I can’t claim only Ezenheim is demonic. The Empire’s method of distinguishing races is extremely subjective and unscientific, and Ezenheim only has minor distinguishing features, not much different from other races.
The most definitive way to distinguish human species is to kill and dissect the corpse.
Even that is impossible for ordinary people. The significant differences between races stem from the structure of their magic circuits and subtle characteristics of their hearts.
In the process of absorbing and circulating magic within the body, each race exhibits unique magical reactions and circuit patterns.
This was once the strongest evidence that humans were divided into elves, dwarves, beastmen, and the like, and it was the logic the Empire used to deem them lower races.
“If you were an Imperial, you wouldn’t be exchanging ciphers like this.”
The problem is these tainted ciphers. This is a world where possessing a mere seditious book can lead to years of torture.
If one delved into Jacob’s background and the life he had led, the fact that he wasn’t a pure Imperial would quickly be revealed.
“The Intelligence Agency will likely investigate your entire background.”
He tried to maintain his composure, but his face had already turned chalk-white.
I asked him,
“Which side are you on? Ezenheim?”
There was no answer. Instead, the dark fragment inside me affirmed his identity.
It was reacting to its own kind.
“Speak. If you don’t, you’ll be apprehended and executed.”
“…”
Jacob’s lips remained sealed.
Suddenly, a chilling suspicion crossed my mind.
Is this situation really real?
Perhaps the dark fragment within me, the bizarre language of Ezenheim I just heard, and even the regression I experienced are all illusions? A kind of psychotic delusion?
I needed to find out.
Whether he was truly one of ‘them,’ or if it was my delusion.
“Does Ezenheim have a penchant for eating children’s hearts?”
— The atmosphere changed instantly.
Jacob’s shoulders trembled. I sensed the change, but it was still a seemingly normal reaction.
“Who is this ‘Pexi’ who is coming to offer you a heart?”
For a fleeting moment, Jacob’s head shot up. It was then that I clearly intuited.
This is reality.
Jacob lunged forward in a single stride and grabbed me by the collar. His pupils dilated bizarrely. A wave-like sensation, like bloody tears, flowed.
[You dare steal our language? I will tear your heart to shreds and devour it.]
Within that cry was a language, and it was perfectly understood by me.
Crackling.
Jacob’s mouth opened wide. While maintaining his human form, the corners of his mouth stretched impossibly wide, almost to his ears—
Tick.
A clicking sound echoed from deep within my heart.
Time slowed. His movements, aimed at my face, became infinitely sluggish.
I didn’t know the cause. It just happened.
There was no time to think. I focused my consciousness. I slowly began to move my body.
It was awkward, as if I were drowning, but I kicked him hard in the solar plexus. Using the recoil, I spun around and snatched the sword by the desk.
I swung the sword towards his receding neck.
Tick-tock.
The second click.
The slowed world returned to normal.
Swoosh!
The sword cut through his neck. His head flew towards the ceiling. Blood spurted from the severed end, drenching me.
The boy who was Jacob collapsed limply.
Ezenheim died an ordinary death.
“Hah, hah…”
Squirm, squirm.
At that moment, something twitched near my collarbone. It was the dark fragment.
Squirm, squirm.
It crawled down my arm’s veins to my palm and then—
“!”
It pulled me forcefully towards Jacob’s corpse.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—! My palm greedily sucked up the blood flowing from Jacob.
“What are you… What the hell are you?”
Roll, roll.
Meanwhile, Jacob’s head rolled across the floor. I looked into his eyes.
Standing in the blood pooling on the ground, I thought.
Squirm, squirm.
This dark virus, alive and moving inside me. It was just eating something, but this thing was proof.
Proof that what I just did was ‘right.’
Creak!
Just then, the lecture hall door opened.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
A scream erupted. It was Jacob’s friends. The sound of guards running also flooded in.
“Hah…”
I took a deep breath.
I killed a 15-year-old Ezenheim.
The charge for that— in reality, it wouldn’t matter at all.
I am the sole legitimate heir of Ebenholz, and the son of Sebastian von Ebenholz, the Grand Commander of the Empire.
I hold an exceptionally high status within the Empire, the pure bloodline of a family that has continued for nearly half a millennium.
My status means that killing one member of a minority race would cause no trouble whatsoever.
