"That's pitiful."
That was my impression after reading a chapter of the book.
It was inevitable.
A genius destined to make a name for himself in the world lives as a complete wreck because of his brother's jealousy, only to be killed by him in the end.
Thankfully, what I read was just a side character's story. Otherwise, I would have closed the book out of sheer frustration.
'At least it was revealed that the brother ruined the younger sibling's life.'
Even after his death, the side character was falsely accused of all sorts of things and cursed by the entire nation.
His family didn't shed a single tear over his death, which says it all.
Anyway, the villain lost his honor and wealth and died at the hands of the protagonist, so the ending was somewhat satisfying.
'Still, this was too much.'
Of all the people to kill, why his own brother? Just for some success?
'No, it's not even real anyway.'
I tried to stop thinking about it, but I found myself clicking my tongue again.
Maybe it was because I was so emotionally drained that I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me.
The thrill of revenge was as intense as the hardships I'd endured, but the exhaustion was unavoidable.
I closed the book, turned on my phone, and set an alarm.
'Just 10 minutes of sleep.'
After a nap, I should be able to shake off these overwhelming emotions.
It would be better to read the next chapter with a clear mind.
Thinking that, I flopped onto my bed.
*
'Ah... this is crazy.'
When I woke up, the world had already turned completely dark.
What 10 minutes? It felt more like 10 hours.
It couldn't be this dark if I had napped at midday. My body felt heavy from sleeping too long.
'…But….'
Why can't I see anything?
Even though my eyes were open, I couldn't distinguish anything around me.
I groped around hastily. All I could feel was the rough stone floor.
'Stone?'
I was sleeping in my bed, so why was I on a stone floor?
As I entertained the ridiculous thought that my bed had turned into a stone bed overnight, I quickly realized the seriousness of the situation and hardened my expression.
I tried to shout, but no sound came out. It was more of a deflating hiss. I squeezed my throat to force out some sound.
"Ah, ah."
Thankfully, it was enough for someone to understand.
I couldn't scream, but if someone came close, I could ask for help.
'Let's try to move.'
I slowly raised myself.
Although I couldn't see anything, I could feel that my sense of balance was off.
Being more cautious than before, I placed my hands on the ground and gathered my strength in my legs.
Clang—
"…?"
It was the sound of metal clashing.
As if the situation wasn't frightening enough, now my leg movement was causing such a noise.
Moving my leg again, I realized something was wrapped around my ankle.
'…This is insane….'
No matter how I thought about it, this was the worst-case scenario I could imagine.
Once I roughly understood the situation, the fear I had been trying to ignore suddenly surged up. Before I could hyperventilate, I covered my nose to calm my breathing.
"Phew."
Stay calm.
There's no one around.
Even if I'm bound, I have time to assess the situation.
I reached out to feel my legs. I touched something metallic.
Fortunately, there were no wounds from forcibly removing it. There was enough space for blood to circulate.
If I could just break this, I'd be able to run.
'No phone.'
As if they'd leave a phone in this situation.
Not expecting much, I wasn't disappointed. I tried to maintain my composure and groped around.
At that moment, I heard voices from a distance.
My heart started pounding. Before I could mentally prepare, a line of light formed in the pitch-black space and quickly became a surface.
My eyes stung from the sudden light after being in the darkness for so long.
"Have you been well?"
A gentle voice wrapped around my ears.
Someone walked in, silhouetted against the bright light.
I hurriedly opened my mouth.
"Bro... brother."
'Huh?'
Did I have someone I would call brother?
No, that wasn't what I meant to say. I was trying to ask where I was, not speak some nonsensical words.
But as if mocking my confusion, my mouth continued to speak in a trembling voice.
"I-I'm sorry…. I was wrong. I won't do it again…."
"What? No, what are you talking about, Luca?"
"I won't do it again, brother. I was wrong. I'll do it right from now on. Really. Please spare me…."
"Luca."
At the reprimand, my mouth, which had been babbling frantically, stopped. The person, frowning deeply, glared at me.
Whether a stranger glared or not, it was a relief to me.
The more I spoke, the more fear and dread filled my mind, preventing me from figuring out the situation.
With my consciousness gradually clearing, I reflected on what the person had said.
'Just now… did they call me Luca?'
Of course, I'm not that person.
Coincidentally, there was a character named Luca in the book I read before sleeping… but it shouldn't be related.
Maybe they mistook me for someone else, or it's a kidnapping scene where I have a codename I don't know about, or both.
Anyway, there's a reason they tied me up all night, so they won't kill me right away. I have some time to understand the situation.
Pretending to be scared, I rolled my eyes around.
'Nothing particularly dangerous.'
The room was surprisingly empty, with two people standing near the door. There didn't seem to be a way to physically escape past them.
I need to figure out what's going on and convince them I'm not Luca.
As I kept my mouth shut, the 'brother,' who had been feigning sternness, softened his expression and spoke gently.
"You must have waited a long time. I was just checking on your condition."
"…Condition?"